Cold Weather

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a guy's (Cris Lankenau) ex-girlfriend (Robyn Rikoon) disappears, at first he doesn't care, but then he realizes that this is his opportunity to practice being a Sherlock Holmes-style detective.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Raul Castillo, Robyn Rikoon

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. The pace is very slow, and the amount of time the characters spend not talking often seems artificial, but the movie is cute at other times, and it's definitely an approach to a detective story that I'd never seen before.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: I laughed on the inside at how hard it was for me to figure out if the brother and sister were dating, or if they were really brother and sister. You could cut the unintentional sexual tension between them with a knife.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: When they named this film Cold Weather, I think they were just referring to the protagonists primary character trait.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It takes place in Portland, Oregon, so-- Most Rain?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Populated entirely with unknown actors, it's surprising that three of the four main characters had me wondering how else I would cast them in Hollywood fare and what kinds of roles I could see them playing in the future. That's a very good sign for those actors. Not such a great sign for the movie, in which I found so much extra time to think about other things, like the future success of these actors.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: While the shots themselves are unremarkable, the pace of the shots, and the length of the shots are noticeably trying too hard to be interesting. This, to me, is pretentious. The cinematography is flattering, though, and the above mentioned 3 actors are all made to look very attractive.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: My sense is that the script was a little too short, thus causing all the shots to have to be drawn out to unnecessary proportions, for the purpose of making the film long enough to qualify as a feature film. Since the writer is the director, he has only himself to blame.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Cold Weather Trailer

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Sherlock Holmes

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Famed Scotland Yard detective Sherlock Holmes and his fearless partner Dr. Watson take on a baffling case that may threaten all of England.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan, James Fox, Hans Matheson, William Hope, Robert Maillet

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! I’ll confess, I thought this movie would be terrible with fingers crossed that it would at least rise to the level of mediocre. Well surprise, it’s excellent! Whether he’s a billionaire in a red and yellow suit made of iron or blazing up a pipe as British sleuth Sherlock Holmes, Robert Downey Jr. continues to specialize in making his characters uniquely entertaining to watch. The film is as clever as Holmes himself, and has as much eye-popping action as any big summer blockbuster. Thank you Santa for delivering such stellar entertainment this holiday season. (In this case Santa = Warner Bros. Studios.)

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It stops just short of being an outright comedy, so expect plenty of non-stop chuckles throughout. Most are derived from the clever exchanges and emotional bond between Holmes (Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law).

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Well, I teared up a bit in the first ten minutes as the realization hit that the film was actually good (tears of joy, yes). Now you can go knowing that fact and not fearing a crying jag.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It’s escapist fun, so not really built for awards, but with that said, the production design, visual effects and costumes are off-the-charts fantastic.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I never read any Sherlock Holmes books or paid attention to past films, so as far as I’m concerned Robert Downey Jr. makes a perfect Holmes in 2009. He’s clever, witty and an agile fighter so he has it going on in the hero department. My only quibble was that his (otherwise flawless) British accent was hard to understand at times. Jude Law is really really good as Dr. Watson, and his chemistry with Sherlock Holmes is way better and far sexier than the chemistry between Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams. I know that seems gay, but the homoerotic underpinnings of Holmes’ and Watson’s relationship seems to have been done very much on purpose and it only makes the movie that much better and emotionally richer. Many of the supporting parts are peppered with director Guy Ritchie’s British favorites and they’re all clearly having a great time with their roles.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Guy Ritchie has carved out a well-respected career with low-budget films such as Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and the recent Rock-n-Rolla. So a big Hollywood studio finally gave him a big budget and franchise to see what he could do and personally I’m just happy that millions of new fans will now get to see his work. He keeps his trademark camera flourishes and style more under wraps here but overall the film is shot with loads of energy and visual creativity. It also looks gorgeous and even with a massive budget Ritchie still puts his personal stamp on it by laying a whole new twist on Holmes’ fight scenes. Ritchie has always had a particularly macho approach to filmmaking and the stories he tells, and that sensibility infuses Sherlock Holmes with more liveliness than it would otherwise have had. But within all that machismo is a sly sense of humor, inventive wit and amusing twists and turns that Ritchie has coalesced into a superior detective story.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I was never expecting this version of Sherlock Holmes to be clever, but it is, and in a way that always makes sense and rarely loses the audience. Holmes has great fun being the ever-observant ‘savant’ – seeing clues that even modern-day CSI teams might miss – while still staying true to the period. The script also gives as much attention to its characters and humor as it does the story, which is another reason the entire film is so darn entertaining. The end – while completely satisfying – nicely sets up a sequel, which I already can’t wait to see. (Rumor has it Brad Pitt will play the bad guy; even better.)

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/sherlock-holmes/35683/trailers

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