Archive for December, 2009

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Dec
28

I have always been a die hard Sherlock Holmes fan, my all time favorite of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales was The Adventure of the Speckled Band.So I was excited to see that a movie was being made about one of the greatest characters in history, but I was also a little skeptical. These books were hardly packed full of the type of action that Guy Ritchie threw in to the mix, but surprisingly it worked.

Robert Downey Jr. was excellent, Jude Law was surprisingly a great Watson. (I mean come on, Jude Law is not the first name that comes to mind when you mention the name Dr. John Watson) Rachel McAdams was alright. I wasn’t floored by her performance, but she did well enough. I give her one thing though, she really kicked some British boo-tay that’s for sure.

The plot was fun and quick paced, I was never bored or wondering when the movie was going to be over, because that is always a bad sign. The ending totally set up a sequel, and since this movie isn’t doing too badly at the box office I think it’s safe to say that we haven’t seen all of the Sherlock Holmes film  franchise. It looks like in the next film Sherlock will be facing off with his greatest nemesis of all–Professor Moriarty. So excited for that.

Good action flick. Good mystery. Good film.

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Christmas Specials

Dec
23

It’s usually a tradition of mine to watch as many Christmas specials as possible and I think this year I have watched the most. My brain is almost exploding with Santa, elves, and magic.

The claymation Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is always a staple around this time of year, and it’s usually the first special of the season that I watch. I think this story is really about being predjudice against something, or someone you don’t understand.

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This is Rudolph, he was born with a nose that lights up like a red christmas tree bulb, you would think that they would accept him with open arms into the community he lives in- Christmas Town. But instead, he’s treated like a leper. Even Santa doesn’t want anything to do with him, sad really, I thought Santa would be so much more forward thinking.

And you think Rudolph was treated unfairly, just take a look at this guy…

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This is Herbie and he is just a victim of stereotype. All Herbie has ever dreamt of is being a dentist, not like he wants to grow up to become a serial killer. So what’s the big deal? Everyone in Christmas Town believes the only thing an elf can do is make toys.

But Rudolph and Herbie don’t need anybody else, so they’re going to be independent– together.

And along the way they meet:

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A snow bumble, don’t get caught in his teeth!

They also bump into:

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Yukon Cornelius, the greatest prospector of the north. It’s weird the way he is always licking that pick he carries, but I love it!

And:

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An entire island of misfit toys! I’d take that spotted elephant any day.

Who knew you could get so much enjoyment out of a lump of clay? Thanks, Rudolph.

The second Christmas special I watched this year was not as fantastic as the first.

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The Star Wars Holiday Special. Uh hem.

The first twenty minutes are completely in wookie, and then there’s the Life Day song at the end. Oh yeah, in the future Christmas is called life day, and Princess Leia sings about it.

It was long, but this is the first Christmas I had even heard of this special. I didn’t watch it in one sitting, but I had to catch all of the cameos! Even Bea Arthur is in this special. I would never watch it again but I love that The Star Wars Holiday Special exists. Too bad George Lucas doesn’t feel the same.

The Garfield Christmas special is a must.

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Who doesn’t love Garfield? Well here he is in his prime, he isn’t computer animated and his lips aren’t moving. Which, if I can vent for a moment. The recent Garfield movie that just came out depicted Garfield’s mouth moving as if Jon Arbuckle can hear him. I don’t think Jon could ever hear Garfield. I think the audience is just let in on Garfield’s inner monologue. So there.

In this Christmas special you can be ensured some laughs. A disgruntled Garfield vowing that “whoever made Christmas trees should be drug out in the street and shot.” should be a line of dialogue in every Christmas special. Really giving the kids what they want.

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I couldn’t find the California Raisin’s Christmas special anywhere, but I looked for a good two weeks. Give me a heads up if you know anything about it’s whereabouts.

The Charlie Brown Christmas Special gives you a warm feeling inside, so put down that egg nog!

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This special is touching, you won’t cry your eyes out like in Snoopy Come Home, but touching none-the-less.

I watched  Fat Albert’s Christmas Special, which I didn’t know existed until this year. What a delight it was!

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The story was lacking a little in this one, but what does that matter anyway? When you have characters named Tightwad Tyrone, not at all.

These are just a few of the specials I watched this year. What are some of your favorites? There are too many good Christmas specials to watch, December doesn’t seem long enough to cram them all in. But I intend to, whether it be claymation, animation, or live action– I’ll be there watching. Christmas time is serious people, if you don’t eat all of the cookies you can, stuff your face with Christmas candy, or watch all of the Christmas related entertainment you can—Christmas time just might pass you up until next year.

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