Elementary

I was impressed by Sherlock Holmes. It was much better than I thought it would be. I was imagining a steampunk Tony Stark. But Robert Downey, Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes is just as he should be- all head and not heart. Well, almost no heart. Rachel McAdams is the albatross 'round this movie's neck. She's awful. Just so devoid of charm and depth that it's impossible to see how her Irene Adler interests Holmes at all, let alone keep up with him.
The chemistry between the real couple, Holmes and Watson, is just as it should be. Buttoned-up Victorian bromance at its best.
Mark Strong, who I mentioned was the sole strong character in RocknRolla, is fantastic as Lord Blackwood. Strong has a voice you could get lost in. I hope to see him in lots more movies, where he will hopefully get to explore his depth as something other than total sinister bad-ass.
Ritchie seems very comfortable in the Blockbuster director role. This film shows a lot of restraint and even-handedness from him. Like Britain's enfant terrible director is all grown up now. And it's wonderful.
The story is smart, and very faithful to the books. The only thing I would have liked to have seen was the film given as a narrative from Watson, like the books. But, given Ritchie's failure with narrative-framing in RocknRolla, I guess I'm wishing for the moon. The mystery is good. It was not predictable or confusing. Dan and I had a good time guessing how Blackwood was pulling his "magic", to see if we could deduct like Holmes. And we were pleasantly surprised to have guessed wrong.
Holmes and Watson have tracked down and arrested Lord Blackwood, a man in Parliament who engages in ritualistic murders. He's sentenced to death- but death is just the beginning of this mystery-thriller.

I also took a delightful sail down memory lane with Jason and the Argonauts, which is available to view instantly on Netflix.
I loved this movie as a kid. And it's a great movie for kids. The stop-motion effects may look a little hokey, and the acting is a little campy- but the story is great.
Wicked Pelias murders his way to the throne of Thessaly. Jason, son of the murdered King, is prophesied to take back the throne. He is favored by the Gods, and they aid him in a search for a golden fleece- said to bring peace to any land.
It's a classic adventure film. Without movies like this, we would have never had Indiana Jones or Star Wars.

Elementary