Shit? No, Sherlock!
Jul. 27th, 2010 08:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
r_scribblesBatten down the hatches, ladies and gentlemen, because I have a Very Important Announcement To Make.
I think... I think I may now have a new Show. Something to actually give a fuck about watching again after the twin bombshells that were the end of Lost and reaching the final Wire DVD. Alackaday, this excitement is to be short lived since it's only a 3-episode run, but feature length episodes, so woo-hoo to that, frankly.
I speak of BBC1's Sherlock, which I was bound to give a try since;
1, I like the scriptual stylings of Mister Moffat
2, I like Sherlock Holmes (not enough for me to overcome my not-irrational loathing of Mockney Charlatan Guy Richie and watch his apparently-quite-good-movie, mind)
3, The actor playing Holmes has the world's most impressive name. Benedict Cumberbatch. Somebody on Twitter pointed out that it sounded like the sort of name an American writer would make up for a British character. I think it sounds like a cross between a JK Rowling character name and florid euphemism for a fanny. Whatever the case may be, it was such a brilliant name that that alone would have intriegued me. Try saying it aloud. Benedict Cumberbatch. Benedict Cumberbatch. 'Are you going to climb the wooden hill to Bedfordshire, dearest? Benedict Cumberbatch requires some attention'.
Turns out, Mister Cumberbatch was pretty good as Holmes, in my opinion. He's sort-of funny looking - he's got a face a bit like that of an android that's been briefly microwaved, but that's OK. He carries the charming egotism of Holmes well, although you do have to wonder as the funny-faced one swans around basking in his own splendid eccentricity, barking stacatto orders and insults at others, punctuated briefly with matter-of-fact declarations of his own genius whether instead of falling down Reichenbach falls, Holmes will just jump into a TARDIS and woosh off to run down a corridor away from an explosion, then fight a poorly rendered CG Monster.
However, I did love nearly all of this - I loved the style, the look of the whole thing, the acting was (mostly) brilliant and the script snappy, fun and (mostly) smart. there were a few details that I had issue with - I thought maybe if I mentioned those you can take it as read that I loved everything else about it.
- I liked nearly all of the translation into the modern day - I had managed to miss out that the Victorian Watson was wounded in battle in Afghanistan up until I watched Sherlock, which is, depressingly, able to seamlessly modernise that detail. But Oy Vey with the focus on mobile phones and texting! It reminded me too closely of those ridiculous 'Mr Dresden's Film Pitch' inserts Orange used to have on in the cinemas. "Maybe Watson picture texts the clues to Holmes!"
- Gatiss. And I say this with a heavy heart, because I love the League of Gentlemen, but Gatiss is not, in my opinion, a strong actor by any stretch of the imagination. I'm starting to think that the whole "is he Moriarty" red herring was just so that we'd be so bloody relieved that he wasn't going to arse up that role that we all forget he's still going to make a ridiculous Mycroft. Stop casting yourself, man! Seriously! Because I spent the whole scene in the underground car park bitching and complaining at the screen, and occasionally breaking into Dr Chinnery impressions. And I'm sure I'm not the only viewer in the country whose brain was cooing 'Hell-oh... and what seems to be the matter with this little chap?' every time they saw him.
- 'Nobody ever thinks of the Cabbies' - EXCEPT FOR THE ENTIRE FUCKING AUDIENCE HALF AN HOUR AGO! I mean, it's nice to drop hints in a mystery show so that the audience can guess at a twist before the protagonists work it out, but come ON. Holmes is supposed to be a Super Genius and he practically has the cabbie waving his arse in his face and screaming "I done it! I done all them murders and now I'm going to do you, too!" while Holmes stares into space going "Hmm - who would drive a car that strangers would willingly get into? Why is that when we texted the killer only a taxi cab turned up, idled suspiciously for a while and then raced away? Why does that website say that the victim's stolen phone is in this very room when there's no one here but me, John, the police and this shady looking taxi driver carrying a pink mobile? THINK, HOLMES, THINK!"
- And maybe the exciting, deadly denouement should have really been made to resemble Westley's battle of wits against The Sicilian a little less. Again, a tense scene completely ruined by my brain squealing 'INCONTHEIVABLE' at me over and over again.
OK, so I've banged on about the bits I found silly a fair old amount but I really did like it a lot. Apart from those bits. And I'm very excited at having something to watch again. For the next two weeks. Oh well.
I think... I think I may now have a new Show. Something to actually give a fuck about watching again after the twin bombshells that were the end of Lost and reaching the final Wire DVD. Alackaday, this excitement is to be short lived since it's only a 3-episode run, but feature length episodes, so woo-hoo to that, frankly.
I speak of BBC1's Sherlock, which I was bound to give a try since;
1, I like the scriptual stylings of Mister Moffat
2, I like Sherlock Holmes (not enough for me to overcome my not-irrational loathing of Mockney Charlatan Guy Richie and watch his apparently-quite-good-movie, mind)
3, The actor playing Holmes has the world's most impressive name. Benedict Cumberbatch. Somebody on Twitter pointed out that it sounded like the sort of name an American writer would make up for a British character. I think it sounds like a cross between a JK Rowling character name and florid euphemism for a fanny. Whatever the case may be, it was such a brilliant name that that alone would have intriegued me. Try saying it aloud. Benedict Cumberbatch. Benedict Cumberbatch. 'Are you going to climb the wooden hill to Bedfordshire, dearest? Benedict Cumberbatch requires some attention'.
Turns out, Mister Cumberbatch was pretty good as Holmes, in my opinion. He's sort-of funny looking - he's got a face a bit like that of an android that's been briefly microwaved, but that's OK. He carries the charming egotism of Holmes well, although you do have to wonder as the funny-faced one swans around basking in his own splendid eccentricity, barking stacatto orders and insults at others, punctuated briefly with matter-of-fact declarations of his own genius whether instead of falling down Reichenbach falls, Holmes will just jump into a TARDIS and woosh off to run down a corridor away from an explosion, then fight a poorly rendered CG Monster.
However, I did love nearly all of this - I loved the style, the look of the whole thing, the acting was (mostly) brilliant and the script snappy, fun and (mostly) smart. there were a few details that I had issue with - I thought maybe if I mentioned those you can take it as read that I loved everything else about it.
- I liked nearly all of the translation into the modern day - I had managed to miss out that the Victorian Watson was wounded in battle in Afghanistan up until I watched Sherlock, which is, depressingly, able to seamlessly modernise that detail. But Oy Vey with the focus on mobile phones and texting! It reminded me too closely of those ridiculous 'Mr Dresden's Film Pitch' inserts Orange used to have on in the cinemas. "Maybe Watson picture texts the clues to Holmes!"
- Gatiss. And I say this with a heavy heart, because I love the League of Gentlemen, but Gatiss is not, in my opinion, a strong actor by any stretch of the imagination. I'm starting to think that the whole "is he Moriarty" red herring was just so that we'd be so bloody relieved that he wasn't going to arse up that role that we all forget he's still going to make a ridiculous Mycroft. Stop casting yourself, man! Seriously! Because I spent the whole scene in the underground car park bitching and complaining at the screen, and occasionally breaking into Dr Chinnery impressions. And I'm sure I'm not the only viewer in the country whose brain was cooing 'Hell-oh... and what seems to be the matter with this little chap?' every time they saw him.
- 'Nobody ever thinks of the Cabbies' - EXCEPT FOR THE ENTIRE FUCKING AUDIENCE HALF AN HOUR AGO! I mean, it's nice to drop hints in a mystery show so that the audience can guess at a twist before the protagonists work it out, but come ON. Holmes is supposed to be a Super Genius and he practically has the cabbie waving his arse in his face and screaming "I done it! I done all them murders and now I'm going to do you, too!" while Holmes stares into space going "Hmm - who would drive a car that strangers would willingly get into? Why is that when we texted the killer only a taxi cab turned up, idled suspiciously for a while and then raced away? Why does that website say that the victim's stolen phone is in this very room when there's no one here but me, John, the police and this shady looking taxi driver carrying a pink mobile? THINK, HOLMES, THINK!"
- And maybe the exciting, deadly denouement should have really been made to resemble Westley's battle of wits against The Sicilian a little less. Again, a tense scene completely ruined by my brain squealing 'INCONTHEIVABLE' at me over and over again.
OK, so I've banged on about the bits I found silly a fair old amount but I really did like it a lot. Apart from those bits. And I'm very excited at having something to watch again. For the next two weeks. Oh well.
