Sherlock Holmes and Nowhere Boy Reviews

Boxing Day had two little gems waiting to be unwrapped at the local cinema, as both Sherlock Holmes and Nowhere Boy were treats to delect upon. Visually stunning and well acted, both have credibility in spades, and have allowed what has been a year dominated by smaller films to really pack a punch with some more mainstream fare at the final hurdle.

Sherlock Holmes is the origin story of the great detective; the difference being, Holmes (a super Robert Downey Jr.) and his partnr Watson (Jude Law, proving he CAN act) have been at this crime solving job for years- this is the origin of the end of their partnership together. Their last case revolves around the mysterious Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), a black magic extraordinare who manages to rise from the grave after his execution to take over the world (ah, the joy of a proper megalomanic psycho villain), unless Holmes and Watson can stop him. However, are hero must also fend off the femme fatale, Irene Adler (the oh so lovely Rachel McAdams), despite their previous history together...

This Guy Richie (keep reading) directed action flick bounds with energy, mainly thanks to its game cast. Downey Jr. once again delivers an excellent performance, to cap off a good year of performances from him, including a criminally underrated turn in The Soloist. Jude Law may finally be able to put The Holiday behind him, and become the great actor he once promised he could be. Rachel McAdams has had a superb year thanks to the fantastic State of Play, and the OK but well acted The Time Traveler's Wife. Here, she isn't much more than a romantic lead for Holmes, but her effortless wit and sarcasm makes for a riveting performance. And needless to say, Mark Strong is as effective and creepy as the bad guy as usual. The storyline is wonderfully executed, and plays out like a grown up, but still fun episode of Scooby Doo. The fun is always fun too, which is an important element of Sherlock Holmes. The laughs actually make you laugh, and don't seem out of place with the situations going on. There is a horrendous dog farting 'gag', but the film manages to steer clear of stepping into any more shit. The final act feels slightly rushed, but on reflection everything fits in to place. To say I enjoyed Sherlock Holmes is an understatement; I loved it. Well paced, funny and quite brilliant, this is one franchise I do want to see.

I'm not the biggest John Lennon or Beatles fan, but I was very excited for Nowhere Boy, as the trailer seemed funny, dramatic and very engaging. This is the biopic of an adolescent Lennon's life, spent living with his Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas, the most underrated actress possibly ever) after being deserted by his mother, Julia (an always excellent Anne Marie Duff.) John is a clever, but big headed young lad who wants to start a rock n roll band having finally met his long missing mother, who encourages him to follow his dream. But family revelations tear this family apart, and dire consequences occur for all involved.

The big draw for Nowhere Boy is the sophisticated and assured direction from artist Sam Taylor Wood. Her first feature film as director is beautifully vintage and very 50s. The wide angle shots add dramatic depth, whilst the little but telling nods to future events in the Beatles' history will appeal to the fans. Aaron Johnson (soon to be world famous thanks to Kick Ass) does a solid job as Lennon. Although very unlikeable in places, Johnson has charisma (something that was lacking from many debuting actors this year) allowing him to fully show his range, and how Lennon must have felt. Scott Thomas and Marie Duff are just as brilliant; the film really centres on their fragile relationship, where these two sisters have messed each other around for too long. It's a shame that next year's Oscars will not feature either star for an award, althougb possibly a BAFTA? The performances, pacing, writing and directing are very good, but the real problem is the fact that we never actually learn a lot about Lennon's upbringing, and maybe some more explanation into Mimi and Julia's back story would be helpful, but those are slight nit picks. This is thoroughly enjoyable stuff, that deserves a big audience.

So, 2009 looks to have ended on a high note. Thank God I didn't see Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 then.