SHERLOCK HOLMES
Having rescued the otherwise awful Iron Man with mere cocks of his eyebrow,
Robert Downey Jr turns saviour again in Sherlock Holmes, hamming it up in
the title role with Johnny Depp-worthy pomp. Investigating an executed Lord
who rises from the grave to wreak murderous revenge, the legendary detective
is re-imagined as a gun-slinging superhero, while Victorian London becomes
a gothic underworld. Fans of the original literature will be mortified, the
fight scenes way too Matrix-esque for late 19th Century Britain (you suspect
director Guy Ritchie isn’t exactly a great student of tradition). Downey
Jr’s endless one-liners offer decent compensation, however, ensuring
that the best course of action is to switch off the thinking gear and enjoy.
Verdict: Elementarily flawed, but fun
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Recreating the charming spirit of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s
tale, Where The Wild Things Are succeeds where it could have stomped messily
all over the book with CGI overload. After a spat with his mother, imaginative
young scamp Max (played by fittingly-named Max Records) escapes to a mysterious
land inhabited by the eponymous wild things - in somewhat more literal fashion
than the original story. Even for those familiar with the plot, there’s
joy to be derived from the sumptuous landscapes and the monsters’ cartoonish
qualities. While it doesn’t quite join the pantheon of timeless American
suburban fantasies, like ET, there’s enough wide-eyed wonder within to
hint that Where The Wild Things Are is destined to become a Christmas television
fixture for many years to come.
Verdict: Not just for kids
THE LIMITS OF CONTROL
An overdue UK release, Jim Jarmusch’s The Limits Of Control must be the
subtlest hitman movie ever, following a sharply suited, steely and frankly damn
cool loner (Isaach De Bankolé) on a secretive mission across a vividly
depicted Spain. De Bankolé, the owner of a thousand-yard stare and economical
with words, is given his instructions via matchboxes handed to him by a succession
of odd characters en route, including a perma-nude ultra-easy on the eye temptress
(Paz de la Huerta). The action is understated, and admittedly won’t please
fans of instant cinematic gratification, but the climax – starring, slightly
incongruously, Bill Murray – is worth waiting for. “The best films
are like dreams you’re never sure you’ve really had,” muses
Tilda Swinton’s blonde character half an hour in. And, in a nutshell, that’s
The Limits Of Control.
Verdict: Brave, bold and brilliant
Is the new Sherlock Holmes flick any good? Elementary, says Adam Kennedy