![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Book Review: Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Aug. 10th, 2012 09:03 pmI've read the entire Sherlock Holmes canon, however after watching Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on DVD (I'd also seen the film in the theater last December). I also own the entire Jeremy Brett Granada series on DVD, both Robert Downey Jr Sherlock Holmes films on DVD, and both seasons of the BBC TV series Sherlock. Anyway, I just had to re-read "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House", which are still my favorite two Sherlock Holmes stories. However, after re-reading those two stories I still wanted more Holmes to read. Therefore, I re-read "Memoirs".
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes skips around in time, one story has Holmes telling Watson his very first case as a professional consulting detective, another takes place after Holmes has suffered a mysterious illness, and of course the last story, "The Final Problem" tells of the "death" of Sherlock Holmes (never fear, he returns three years later in "The Empty House"). Anyway, the collection still includes some classic stories, such as "Silver Blaze", which has the following often-quoted conversation between Holmes and Watson:
Holmes: There is the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.
Watson: The dog did nothing in the night-time.
Holmes: THAT is the curious incident.
Which is still an example for police, detectives, and even computer programmers that sometimes to solve something you don't look at what's there, but rather what isn't there and should be.
Also included in the collection is the "Adventure of the Naval Treaty" in which Holmes helps a foreign office employee who's misplaced an important diplomatic treaty (yes, it was stolen, but the circumstances are unique and Holmes recovers the treaty), and "The Gloria Scott" a rough-and-tumble adventure with a great deal of violence. All-in-all it's a great collection of short stories.
I do recommend The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes and all of the Holmes canon to anyone who likes brilliant characterization, intriguing plots, and Victorian settings. Nothing beats sitting down and reading the original every so often. I actually downloaded my copy of "Memoirs" from Project Gutenberg for free (I also own two bound copies of The Complete Sherlock Holmes a single volume leather bound edition and a two volume hardcover edition) and then I actually read it on my e-reader. This is a viable, and free way to read lots of classic out-of-copyright books. Project Gutenberg has free books in a wide variety of formats (I downloaded EPUB for my Sony Reader) and I can't say enough good things about them. OK, commercial over, I now return you to your regularly scheduled review. :-)
The Sherlock Holmes Audio Master Post
Jun. 29th, 2012 07:38 pmOriginally posted by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
neadods at The Sherlock Holmes Audio Master Post
neadods at The Sherlock Holmes Audio Master PostThis post is my attempt to catalog and share all of the Sherlock Holmes audio I've collected and where to find it. Anyone may link/copy/share this post.
What This Post Covers: Sherlock Holmes audio set in the original Arthur Conan Doyle universe, including:
-- Unabridged canonical text
-- Radio adaptations of canonical text
-- New adventures of classic Victorian Holmes
What This Post Does Not Cover:
-- Podfic
-- Languages other than English
-- Proprietary software (i.e., nothing from Audible or iTunes, although much of this is available from them)
-- illegal download sites
All changes and updates will be made to this post at this link: http://neadods.livejournal.com/1216185.html
( Click to see the list )
This post was last updated on June 26 2012
What This Post Covers: Sherlock Holmes audio set in the original Arthur Conan Doyle universe, including:
-- Unabridged canonical text
-- Radio adaptations of canonical text
-- New adventures of classic Victorian Holmes
What This Post Does Not Cover:
-- Podfic
-- Languages other than English
-- Proprietary software (i.e., nothing from Audible or iTunes, although much of this is available from them)
-- illegal download sites
All changes and updates will be made to this post at this link: http://neadods.livejournal.com/1216185.html
( Click to see the list )
This post was last updated on June 26 2012
This review was originally posted on my movie blog on Sunday 17 June 2012.
- Title: Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows
- Director: Guy Ritchie
- Date: 2011
- Studio: Warner Brothers
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
- Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace, Rachel McAdams, Kelly Reilly
- Format: Color, Widescreen
- DVD Format: R1, NTSC
"Oh, how I've missed you, Holmes." -- Dr. John Watson
"It's so overt, it's covert." -- Sherlock Holmes
"What better way to conceal a killing, no one looks for a bullet hole in a bomb blast." -- Dr. Watson
"They're dangerous at both ends, and crafty in the middle. Why would I want anything with a mind of its own bobbing about between my legs?" -- Sherlock Holmes (on horses)
It isn't often that an adventure film sequel is as good as or better than the original, but Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows is one brilliant film, just as good if not better than Sherlock Holmes. Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films are proving to be crack to the SH fan -- doing things any fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing has always wanted to do (Who hasn't wanted to push Mary off a railway bridge? Or to not only have Watson see Holmes' fall at Reichenbach, but to have a hint that he knew Holmes wasn't dead?) Holmes and Watson were the original "buddy cop show" (though neither was a cop) and Holmes the original geek (used in the best sense, not the pejorative one) Ritchie's films have come about at the most appropriate time, here's hoping to a long and successful series.
In Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows, we immediately see the close friendship between Holmes and Watson. They finish each other's sentences, know each other's moves, and have complete trust in each other when it really counts. Holmes doesn't discount Watson's abilities, especially as a soldier, or as a doctor.
This film introduces Professor James Moriarty, as Holmes' equal and opposite. Their conflict is played out in a metaphor of chess, and both are very good at the game. But, Holmes probably wouldn't have directly challenged Moriarty, even when he finds out, to his horror, exactly what Moriarty is up to, if it wasn't for Moriarty's murdering of Irene Adler, and threats against Dr. John Watson, and his wife, Mary. The film also plays with real historical events, including a series of anarchist bombings in Europe (which did happen, especially in Russia) and the prelude to World War I. Moriarty's plan, in fact, is to use the existing alliances and rivalries in Europe to start a world war -- twenty three years early. This, after he has bought-up every business that can profit from war from bandages (cotton) to bullets (weapons and chemical warfare). Moriarty owns cotton, steel, opium (used to make morphine - the anesthetic of the time), and the aforementioned arms. As Holmes points out when Moriarty is torturing him, "Now that you own the supply you intend to create the demand."
The film also introduces Mycroft, Sherlock's brother, played by Stephen Fry, as quite possibly more eccentric than Sherlock. However, it is to Mycroft that Sherlock trusts the health and welfare of Mary, after dropping her from a moving train into a lake to save her from Moriarty's attack. Watson is quite distraught at Holmes' cavalier treatment of his wife, until he realizes that Holmes was in complete control, timing things perfectly, and his actions were to protect Mary. Quite a lot of Holmes' actions in the film are to protect Mary and John; John because he is Holmes' only friend and Mary because she is important to John.
I, personally realized the film was doing "The Final Problem", when Moriarty's men attack on the train, but I still loved just how much Ritchie opened up that particular story and brought more to it. That Holmes sends John on an errand so he can sneak into Moriarty's weapons factory in Germany speaks volumes of how much he cares. That John returns and immediately figures out how to rescue Holmes, not only shows his own intelligence, but his own feelings for Holmes.
The escape, with the gypsies through the forest was brilliant. First the direction, using a stop-motion technique to freeze the action briefly, enabling the audience to actually follow it was brilliant. The complete chaos of the explosions, gunshots, and use of big guns (howitzers, etc) brings to mind World War I. There is also complete trust between Holmes and Watson, when at one point, Holmes twirls the stock of a gun, and Watson is right there to receive it as Holmes hands it off. It's Watson who fires the weapon at Moriarty's men.
After escaping, Holmes, who's been tortured, Watson, and Sim, their Gypsy companion, are in a railway car. Holmes stops breathing and his heart stops. Watson beats on his chest (this is a little premature - I don't think even a doctor would know CPR in 1891) but is unsuccessful. Then he has a lightning moment - and uses Holmes' wedding gift -- pure adrenalin, that Holmes had extracted in an experiment, and Watson had seen Holmes use to revive Gladstone (Watson's dog) after the dog ate something poisonous. The adrenalin works and Holmes jumps up, babbling of bad dreams. But the entire scene is brilliant. Watson pounds on Holmes' chest crying that Holmes,"Bloody well not going to die on me!" and shouting at him to "come on". Watson's brief devastation as he realizes that his best friend has died, before the light bulb goes off, perfectly illustrates his caring for Holmes.
Holmes, Watson, and Sim arrive in Switzerland and meet Mycroft, but discover the peace conference is still planned. Holmes dances first with Sim, and then with Watson. (Another perfect moment!) He points out that Rene has had his face altered by experimental surgery. Holmes trusts Watson to find Rene, Sim's brother and stop the planned assignation that will touch off a war, while he goes to confront Moriarty personally. Holmes and Moriarty plan a chess game together, without even using a board, while Moriarty both threatens Watson and Mary, and tells Holmes there is nothing he can do to stop him. Holmes sacrifices his Queen in the game, to win. The two then fight, first in their heads (each plotting out moves and counter moves, before doing a thing). Holmes, knowing he is still weak from his injuries at Moriarty's hands, grabs Moriarty and sacrifices himself, dragging them both over a balustrade into the rushing waterfall under the castle of Reichenbach. Watson, having found Rene, and stopped the assignation attempt, opens the door, a smile on his face to tell Holmes of their success. But, his smile evaporates, as he sees Holmes and Moriarty fall into depths. We then hear Watson reading the end of "The Final Problem", as a voice-over, which then becomes Watson typing the story. Mary comes to him, reminding him of their planned honeymoon trip. However, Watson gets a strange package in the post, Mycroft's oxygen breather. Watson leaves, and Holmes appears, having been hidden by his camouflage. He adds a question mark to the words, "The End", at the end of Watson's story, cut to credits. Simply brilliant!
Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows is brilliant. The directing is perfect. I loved the ramped-up "Holmes vision", which really gets into Holmes' head and shows the audience how he thinks. Also, it makes Holmes seem less arrogant or untouchable/non-understandable by allowing the audience to see just how his mind works, rather than letting his deductions and actions seem almost magical or like some sort of trick. The friendship of Watson and Holmes was handled very well. I loved that they finished each other's sentences, knew each other's moves, but also, at their core, Watson cares deeply for Holmes and Holmes cares deeply for Watson. It is the male friendship that makes the pair timeless. And the plot was extremely well put together. Moriarty not merely as a master criminal, but an extremely crafty war profiteer, how appropriate. All in all, I really don't think anything could have made this film better, I really loved it and highly recommend it.
Recommendation: An absolute must see!
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film: It Could Happen to You (a recent purchase) or Shrek (on list)
Movie Project Review: Sherlock Holmes
Jun. 11th, 2012 07:42 pm- Title: Sherlock Holmes
- Director: Guy Ritchie
- Date: 2009
- Studio: Warner Brothers
- Genre: Action, Mystery
- Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
- Format: Color, Widescreen
- DVD Format: R1, NTSC
"My mind rebels at stagnation, give me problems, give me work. The sooner the better." -- Sherlock Holmes
"Holmes, you must widen your gaze. I'm concerned you underestimate the gravity of coming events. You and I are bound together on a journey that will twist the very fabric of Nature. But beneath your mask of logic, I sense a fragility that worries me. Steel your mind, Holmes. I need you." -- Lord Blackwood
"It is a huge mistake to theorize before one has data. Inevitably, one begins to twist facts to suit theories ... instead of theories to suit facts." -- Sherlock Holmes
I loved this movie when I originally saw it, and it really loses none of it's appeal upon subsequent re-watchings. Robert Downey Jr is playing Holmes as an action hero, as he should be played. And his relationship with Watson (Jude Law) is perfect! They complement each other perfectly, and one can see how they drive each other crazy but still have a strong friendship and caring for each other. Thrown also into the mix is Irene Adler (Yes, her name gets mis-pronounced -- it should be "I--REIGN-ah"), but anyway -- she and Holmes have known each other for awhile, and Watson tantalizingly says that Holmes and Adler ran into each other twice and she beat him both times. But Irene Adler still has secrets, and she's working for a mysterious man. Even once she tries to get out from under his clutches -- she is pulled back in, and can only warn Holmes about Professor Moriarty.
Meanwhile, Watson seeks to marry his Mary -- and Holmes seeks to stop the wedding, since he can't stand the thought of losing his friend, even to marriage. The Holmes and Watson relationship is intense; and on Watson's side - you can see how he puts up with Holmes' eccentricities because he truly cares for him, and he needs excitement in his life.
The plot of this film involves Lord Blackwood -- who's killing women in Satanic rituals. Holmes catches him in the opening act, and Blackwood is sentenced to die. He's hanged and Watson confirms the death. Later, Blackwood seems to come back from the grave and continues his killing spree. But Holmes not only discovers exactly what is going on (all is not as it seems) but he stops a horrendous crime, confronts Blackwood, and insures he won't trouble London again. To say more, would spoil the fun.
Director Guy Ritchie has Holmes talk through, in his head, what he's going to do during a fight sequence (filmed in slow motion) then he films it at normal to normal/fast speed as Holmes takes action. This lets the audience in on how Holmes thinks and how fast he thinks. I also liked the scene of Holmes waiting in the restaurant for Watson and Mary, and we hear the over-whelming noise that Holmes hears. It's almost as if rather than being a manic depressive as in the books or Jeremy Brett's portrayal, this Holmes almost is an autistic savant. And, throughout the film there are visually stunning moments.
All in all, Sherlock Holmes, is a fun film. It sticks to a lot of the spirit of the original short stories and novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, though the plot is more bizarre. However, there were some bizarre plots in the later stories. Also, the relationship of Holmes and Watson, always key to getting any interpretation of Sherlock Holmes correct was spot on. A highly enjoyable and well-made film.
Trivia: Jude Law also appeared in an episode of Granada's Sherlock Holmesseries starring Jeremy Brett (as Holmes) for ITV. The series title was The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, and the episode title was "Shoscombe Old Place", and Law played Joe Barnes.
Recommendation: See it! Highly recommended!
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Next Film: Shrek
Is Batman a modern-day Sherlock Holmes?
Mar. 3rd, 2012 10:51 amIs Batman a modern-day Sherlock Holmes? The two characters are similar in some ways. First, one of Batman's titles is "The World's Greatest Detective". This has been somewhat forgotten in recent years with the emphasis in the Nolan films of Batman, or Bruce Wayne, really, being "The Dark Knight" or "The Caped Crusader". And I'm not saying those films are bad - I loved them (see reviews elsewhere on this journal) but it's a different emphasis on the character. And the comics now, with the newly introduced "Batman, Inc" plot (which I've only partially read, I'm working my way through the graphic novels, having read: Final Crisis, Batman: RIP, Battle for the Cowl, Long Shadows, Time and the Batman, and The Return of Bruce Wayne), make Bruce the CEO of a Batman franchise, rather than a solo hero. But originally, Batman was a detective. He was a character in DC comics, that's detective comics, and the early Batman books (or books set in the early era, such as the wonderful The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, or Frank Miller's Batman: Year One), Batman used is detective skills to solve crimes.
Second, one of the most notable aspects of Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories was the incredible yet unlikely friendship between Holmes and Watson. This friendship is what keeps readers and fans of Sherlock Holmes (like myself) returning again and again to the stories. It's also why Sherlock Holmes can be lifted out of the Victorian era and still be successful in the BBC's Sherlock. Without going too off track - Sherlock is a brilliant series that modernizes Sherlock Holmes. There's modern equivalents to Victorian items (Holmes sending text messages instead of telegrams; Dr. Watson keeping a blog, rather than writing memoirs, etc) and references to some of the original stories but besides the brilliant, clever writing, what makes the show work as modern Holmes is the friendship of Holmes and Watson, and the chemistry between Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch.
How does this relate to Batman? Especially solo, pre-Robin, Batman? Because, even in the pre-Robin era, or, more precisely, stories set in the pre-Robin era, Batman was never alone. Not nearly as alone as he thought he was. He may have protected the streets of Gotham City by himself - but he had Lt. Gordon (later police commissioner) on his side. He had Lucius Fox coming up with tech for him and running interference with Wayne Enterprises. And most of all, Bruce had Alfred. Sir Alfred Pennyworth, with experience as an OSS officer during World War II, and as an MI6 officer after the war. Alfred - the only person in the entire DC universe to have any idea what Bruce was like prior to his parents' death. Alfred, Bruce's loyal butler, but also his medic, his best friend, his "parent", his sounding board and his anchor. I've always loved the relationship between Alfred and Bruce. Alfred is the only one who can stop Bruce when he starts to go too far. It was Alfred who gave Bruce the tickets to the circus and urged him to go - therefore introducing him to Dick Greyson, the first Robin. Alfred who's sardonic, intelligent, and caring, and the Yin to Bruce's Yang. Without Alfred, Bruce may have well become another of Gotham City's costumed villains, rather than a hero. Alfred can easily be seen as Bruce's Watson. Alfred provides balance, and a humanity that sometimes, in his worst moments, Bruce lacks. Hum, just like Dr. John Watson.
So we have a great detective, with a loyal partner, what else?
Well, like Holmes - Batman uses the latest technology but also his brain to solve crimes. Bruce, like Holmes, isn't going to dismiss a crime-solving technique because it's new technology. (This is why, in Sherlock, I have no problem with Sherlock using smartphones and laptops; I also have no problem with Batman using Crey computers, DNA analysis, or driving a tank or flying car - all things to appear in various modern updates of Batman, and all things that didn't exist in the 1940s, when Batman was created. Or in the case of the flying car from the newest Batman books or the TV series Batman Beyond - something that still doesn't exist). But Bruce, also like Holmes, isn't a slave to technology either. Holmes, in one story proves that the thumbprint that Lestrade finds at a crime scene is meant to throw the police off the scent and to frame an innocent man. More famously, in Holmes we have "Silver Blaze" and the curious incident of the dog in the night time. Watson: "But the dog did nothing in the night time". "That," says Holmes, "Is the curious incident", he then goes on to prove that someone in the household stole the horse, or otherwise the dog would have barked. Batman/Bruce is also able to use his intelligence to realize when a villain such as the Joker is laying false clues.
So, is Batman a modern-day Holmes? He could be!
--Olivia
Second, one of the most notable aspects of Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories was the incredible yet unlikely friendship between Holmes and Watson. This friendship is what keeps readers and fans of Sherlock Holmes (like myself) returning again and again to the stories. It's also why Sherlock Holmes can be lifted out of the Victorian era and still be successful in the BBC's Sherlock. Without going too off track - Sherlock is a brilliant series that modernizes Sherlock Holmes. There's modern equivalents to Victorian items (Holmes sending text messages instead of telegrams; Dr. Watson keeping a blog, rather than writing memoirs, etc) and references to some of the original stories but besides the brilliant, clever writing, what makes the show work as modern Holmes is the friendship of Holmes and Watson, and the chemistry between Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch.
How does this relate to Batman? Especially solo, pre-Robin, Batman? Because, even in the pre-Robin era, or, more precisely, stories set in the pre-Robin era, Batman was never alone. Not nearly as alone as he thought he was. He may have protected the streets of Gotham City by himself - but he had Lt. Gordon (later police commissioner) on his side. He had Lucius Fox coming up with tech for him and running interference with Wayne Enterprises. And most of all, Bruce had Alfred. Sir Alfred Pennyworth, with experience as an OSS officer during World War II, and as an MI6 officer after the war. Alfred - the only person in the entire DC universe to have any idea what Bruce was like prior to his parents' death. Alfred, Bruce's loyal butler, but also his medic, his best friend, his "parent", his sounding board and his anchor. I've always loved the relationship between Alfred and Bruce. Alfred is the only one who can stop Bruce when he starts to go too far. It was Alfred who gave Bruce the tickets to the circus and urged him to go - therefore introducing him to Dick Greyson, the first Robin. Alfred who's sardonic, intelligent, and caring, and the Yin to Bruce's Yang. Without Alfred, Bruce may have well become another of Gotham City's costumed villains, rather than a hero. Alfred can easily be seen as Bruce's Watson. Alfred provides balance, and a humanity that sometimes, in his worst moments, Bruce lacks. Hum, just like Dr. John Watson.
So we have a great detective, with a loyal partner, what else?
Well, like Holmes - Batman uses the latest technology but also his brain to solve crimes. Bruce, like Holmes, isn't going to dismiss a crime-solving technique because it's new technology. (This is why, in Sherlock, I have no problem with Sherlock using smartphones and laptops; I also have no problem with Batman using Crey computers, DNA analysis, or driving a tank or flying car - all things to appear in various modern updates of Batman, and all things that didn't exist in the 1940s, when Batman was created. Or in the case of the flying car from the newest Batman books or the TV series Batman Beyond - something that still doesn't exist). But Bruce, also like Holmes, isn't a slave to technology either. Holmes, in one story proves that the thumbprint that Lestrade finds at a crime scene is meant to throw the police off the scent and to frame an innocent man. More famously, in Holmes we have "Silver Blaze" and the curious incident of the dog in the night time. Watson: "But the dog did nothing in the night time". "That," says Holmes, "Is the curious incident", he then goes on to prove that someone in the household stole the horse, or otherwise the dog would have barked. Batman/Bruce is also able to use his intelligence to realize when a villain such as the Joker is laying false clues.
So, is Batman a modern-day Holmes? He could be!
--Olivia
Vid Rec: Dr. Watson & Sherlock Holmes
Mar. 14th, 2011 08:53 pmNewly addicted to BBC's Sherlock (produced by Mark Gatiss & Steven Mofffat, yes, those guys now creating Doctor Who, bless 'em), I found this WONDERFUL vid. Enjoy! (Didn't make it, just forwarding the goodness).
http://selinabln.livejournal.com/23297.html
Features: the BBC's Sherlock, Granada's Sherlock Holmes (Adv, Return, Memoirs, Casebook, films) starring Jermey Brett, David Burke & Edward Hardwicke, and movie with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law
Hi all,
Some updates from Facebook, expanded a bit for this Journal.
Thursday I received a sympathy card from my vet's office. And it just made me cry, not only because I lost my dear cat, Cal (short for Caligari), but because they cared enough to send a card. Cal was a sweet, loving and highly intelligent cat. He actually figured out that when I turned off the TV at night it was time for bed -- and sometimes he even meowed at me 'cause he didn't want to get off my lap yet. He also kept his food plate from moving away by holding it down with a paw. He was truly an adorable cat, and I'll miss him.
Over the last couple of days, I watched a little of Granada's wonderful "Sherlock Holmes" with Jeremy Brett over the last few days. The episodes I watched included, "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House". Brett truly is the world's best Sherlock Holmes. Brett played Holmes manic-depressiveness perfectly. The series got the historical detail beautifully perfect, and, of course, Granada actually adapted the stories written by Conan Doyle, which truly needs to be done. To really, really appreciate Sherlock Holmes as a character it is best to see him in his original element and to watch stories based on Conan Doyle's original brilliant stories.
Now, the new movie (with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law) was fun (see previous entry for full review) but, I was right in that they mispronounced Irene Adler's name - it's I-REIGN-ah not I-reen. And she's unlucky in love, not a thief.
In the actual story "A Scandal in Bohemia", the King of Bohemia, who is about to be married, hires Holmes to recover some incriminating letters and a photograph that prove his earlier affair with Miss Adler. In turn, Miss Adler is holding onto the items to ensure her own marriage to a solictor (lawyer) she's fallen in love with. It's a complicated plot, however, Miss Irene (pronounced I-REIGN-ah) Adler does get the best of Holmes, earning his respect and the noted title of "The Woman".
"The Final Problem" is, of course, the story where Holmes meets his doom and "dies" along with his arch-enemy Professor Moriatory (sp?). And "The Empty House" brings Holmes back, three years later (and introduces a new Watson in the Granada TV series). The filming of "The Final Problem" is quite brilliant - the scenery is gorgeous, and Watson's reaction to losing Holmes is heartfelt.
"The Empty House" brings Holmes back, and is best known for Holmes quick-change from intinerant bookseller to himself, which causes Watson to faint in shock. The scene is brilliantly played between the two actors, and brilliantly written by Conan Doyle. As is Watson's both astonishment and his perturbed stance that Holmes let Mycroft know he was alive and not Watson himself.
--Olivia
Some updates from Facebook, expanded a bit for this Journal.
Thursday I received a sympathy card from my vet's office. And it just made me cry, not only because I lost my dear cat, Cal (short for Caligari), but because they cared enough to send a card. Cal was a sweet, loving and highly intelligent cat. He actually figured out that when I turned off the TV at night it was time for bed -- and sometimes he even meowed at me 'cause he didn't want to get off my lap yet. He also kept his food plate from moving away by holding it down with a paw. He was truly an adorable cat, and I'll miss him.
Over the last couple of days, I watched a little of Granada's wonderful "Sherlock Holmes" with Jeremy Brett over the last few days. The episodes I watched included, "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House". Brett truly is the world's best Sherlock Holmes. Brett played Holmes manic-depressiveness perfectly. The series got the historical detail beautifully perfect, and, of course, Granada actually adapted the stories written by Conan Doyle, which truly needs to be done. To really, really appreciate Sherlock Holmes as a character it is best to see him in his original element and to watch stories based on Conan Doyle's original brilliant stories.
Now, the new movie (with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law) was fun (see previous entry for full review) but, I was right in that they mispronounced Irene Adler's name - it's I-REIGN-ah not I-reen. And she's unlucky in love, not a thief.
In the actual story "A Scandal in Bohemia", the King of Bohemia, who is about to be married, hires Holmes to recover some incriminating letters and a photograph that prove his earlier affair with Miss Adler. In turn, Miss Adler is holding onto the items to ensure her own marriage to a solictor (lawyer) she's fallen in love with. It's a complicated plot, however, Miss Irene (pronounced I-REIGN-ah) Adler does get the best of Holmes, earning his respect and the noted title of "The Woman".
"The Final Problem" is, of course, the story where Holmes meets his doom and "dies" along with his arch-enemy Professor Moriatory (sp?). And "The Empty House" brings Holmes back, three years later (and introduces a new Watson in the Granada TV series). The filming of "The Final Problem" is quite brilliant - the scenery is gorgeous, and Watson's reaction to losing Holmes is heartfelt.
"The Empty House" brings Holmes back, and is best known for Holmes quick-change from intinerant bookseller to himself, which causes Watson to faint in shock. The scene is brilliantly played between the two actors, and brilliantly written by Conan Doyle. As is Watson's both astonishment and his perturbed stance that Holmes let Mycroft know he was alive and not Watson himself.
--Olivia
Movie Review Sherlock Holmes
Starring
Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes
Jude Law as Watson
I enjoyed the new Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. Jeremy Brett is still the WORLD'S BEST SHERLOCK HOLMES EVER! But, this movie was pure fun, and Jude Law really steals the show as Watson.
Downey plays Holmes, at least physically, as almost a "bum" or "tramp" - he's almost never clean and doesn't dress in proper Victorian clothes at all (no frock coats - darn!). However, Holmes IS a man of action, able to defend himself, and also an excellent boxer, all of which is canon from the books (and portrayed a bit more accurately in Brett's series for Granada/ITV).
What's REALLY impressive is Watson. Watson's understated humor is perfect, and an excellent foil for the more serious and mercurial Holmes, as it should be.
The plot brings back Irene Adler, tho' it's a mystery who she's really working for until the very end of the film (Holmes fans will not be surprised, however). More mysterious is why none of the actors pronounce her name correctly, including the actress playing her. (It's pronounced, "I-reen-AH", despite the spelling). The character of Irene Adler, becomes more like a Catwoman-type to Holmes (as Batman). It other words, even though she's bad, and a criminal, Holmes is attracted to her. There's also a hint that Holmes is attracted to Watson (slash fans will LOVE this film), tho' Watson doesn't return that type of affection.
The plot is more supernatural, and could fit in easily to the "weird" era of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional creation (particularly "The Devil's Foot"). Basically, Holmes catches a killer who's murdering women in weird rituals. The man is hanged - but the trouble really starts when he "comes back from the dead", to commit additional murders, cause trouble, and, oh, yeah, blow-up (or at least poison) Parliament. (However, the scene does take place in the House of Lords, not the House of Commons. Normally, tho' "Parliament" includes both houses, it's used to refer to the House of Commons, since they are the ones who actually pass the laws.) You'd think that the Lords would agree with the bad guy of the film (who's kinda' one of those stereotypical "I'm going to take over and tell you what to do because it's good for you"-types. Yep, Lord Blackwood isn't very original, but Marc Strong (sp?) does a good job playing him - nice and chilling at times, he's just not that original in his ultimate desires. I did love Holmes' showdown with him tho'. That was awesome!
Jude Law, as I mentioned before really steals the film. His understated humor adds a lot to the film. He and Holmes had an interesting relationship, without the co-dependency often seen between the two. As stated before, Holmes even seems to be attracted to Watson, tho' Watson doesn't reciprocate (in fact, Watson's desire to marry Mary is a rather important sub-plot of the film).
Surprisingly, the cast does manage to speak in the correct British accents, for the most part.
Overall, a fun, enjoyable film, I recommend it.
--Olivia Sutton
Starring
Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes
Jude Law as Watson
I enjoyed the new Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. Jeremy Brett is still the WORLD'S BEST SHERLOCK HOLMES EVER! But, this movie was pure fun, and Jude Law really steals the show as Watson.
Downey plays Holmes, at least physically, as almost a "bum" or "tramp" - he's almost never clean and doesn't dress in proper Victorian clothes at all (no frock coats - darn!). However, Holmes IS a man of action, able to defend himself, and also an excellent boxer, all of which is canon from the books (and portrayed a bit more accurately in Brett's series for Granada/ITV).
What's REALLY impressive is Watson. Watson's understated humor is perfect, and an excellent foil for the more serious and mercurial Holmes, as it should be.
The plot brings back Irene Adler, tho' it's a mystery who she's really working for until the very end of the film (Holmes fans will not be surprised, however). More mysterious is why none of the actors pronounce her name correctly, including the actress playing her. (It's pronounced, "I-reen-AH", despite the spelling). The character of Irene Adler, becomes more like a Catwoman-type to Holmes (as Batman). It other words, even though she's bad, and a criminal, Holmes is attracted to her. There's also a hint that Holmes is attracted to Watson (slash fans will LOVE this film), tho' Watson doesn't return that type of affection.
The plot is more supernatural, and could fit in easily to the "weird" era of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional creation (particularly "The Devil's Foot"). Basically, Holmes catches a killer who's murdering women in weird rituals. The man is hanged - but the trouble really starts when he "comes back from the dead", to commit additional murders, cause trouble, and, oh, yeah, blow-up (or at least poison) Parliament. (However, the scene does take place in the House of Lords, not the House of Commons. Normally, tho' "Parliament" includes both houses, it's used to refer to the House of Commons, since they are the ones who actually pass the laws.) You'd think that the Lords would agree with the bad guy of the film (who's kinda' one of those stereotypical "I'm going to take over and tell you what to do because it's good for you"-types. Yep, Lord Blackwood isn't very original, but Marc Strong (sp?) does a good job playing him - nice and chilling at times, he's just not that original in his ultimate desires. I did love Holmes' showdown with him tho'. That was awesome!
Jude Law, as I mentioned before really steals the film. His understated humor adds a lot to the film. He and Holmes had an interesting relationship, without the co-dependency often seen between the two. As stated before, Holmes even seems to be attracted to Watson, tho' Watson doesn't reciprocate (in fact, Watson's desire to marry Mary is a rather important sub-plot of the film).
Surprisingly, the cast does manage to speak in the correct British accents, for the most part.
Overall, a fun, enjoyable film, I recommend it.
--Olivia Sutton
Hi all --
Well -- some short DVD reviews today. First, The Complete Granada Television Series of Sherlock Holmes, starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes, David Burke and Edward Hardwicke as Watson. First -- this is the BEST version of Sherlock Holmes ever. Jeremy Brett is THE perfect Holmes and I just love him. Both David Burke and Edward Hardwicke play Doctor Watson as an intelligent man with a deep, caring (non-slash) love for his best friend, Holmes. Brett plays Holmes as a brilliant man, with little to no social graces (He even attacks Watson when he must) - true to the books. Holmes, -- the original geek.
One of the interesting things about the Granada series is that they did adaptations of the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories, rather then thrusting Holmes into the modern day or at least "modern" stories. Holmes is a Victorian and Edwardian hero -- and he's at his best in the original stories as written by Conan Doyle.
I also love both Watsons -- quietly supporting Holmes, because he IS the Doctor's friend. I sometimes wish I could find fic for Sherlock Holmes, 'cause some good old fashioned fannish h/c wouldn't come amiss at all, for me.
Both of the Watsons are intelligent, smart -- and the handover, from David Burke in "The Final Problem" to Hardwicke in "The Empty House" and all subsequent episodes is handled well. Holmesian lore remarks it's like 2-3 years from Holmes "death" to his resurrection - an older Watson fits.
I can't even say one or the other actor's my favorite -- because Burke fits the early Holmes stories and Hardwicke fits the latter ones.
The set is gorgeously packaged in a double slip-case, green with gold embossing, with Holmes's sayings embossed on the inner case. The DVDs are packaged in two foldout cases, but at least the discs don't overlap. Also, the set is digitally remastered -- and the episodes look fantastic, much, much better than the original "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" box set release of the first 13 episodes (only). If you do have the original box sets of: "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", "The Return of Sherlock Holmes", "The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes", "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes", and the Feature Film collection -- then you already have the material in this set (there are only a couple of extra features unfortunately) -- but the gorgous, book-like case, and digital re-mastering might make you want to pick this up as well. Check DeepDiscount.com for specials -- that's where I got mine for 20% off their standard low price.
---------------
Batman: The Animated Series V. 3
Ok, I love B:TAS -- As far as I'm concerned Kevin Conroy IS Batman (and he's wonderful doing the voice work of Batman in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited as well. This collection features 29 episodes, both solo Batman and The Adventures of Batman and Robin. (B&R)
I do kinda' wish the folks at Warner Bros. would have seperated out the solo Batman series and B&R into seperate sets -- 'cause now I'll need to buy set 4 to finish off the collection, plus looking at Batman Beyond, and possibly Batman: Gotham Knight (I need to find out more about that one). But since I really, really, really prefer solo Batman to Batman and company, I just wish I had more choice about what I was collecting, rather than WB pushing B&R on me by putting it in the same collection. Overall, Volume 3 has some great episodes -- even crack!fic like "Make 'em Laugh" (come on "Condiment King"? "The Pack Rat"? -- Those sound like villians from The Flash!) And I do like what Bruce Timm and co did with Robin -- making him older, and more likely to challenge Bruce Wayne. But, again, fangirl here -- I want to see h/c and darkness in Batman --- and once Robin shows up any possibly of that just disappears. (Tho' I love the two-part "Robin's Reckoning", but that's on Volume 1. Still, Bruce's confession that he shut Dick out of the investigation into catching the man who murdered Dick's parents NOT because he thought Dick was too emotionally close to it to be effective -- but because he (Bruce) was terrified that he'd lose Dick -- I mean, wow!). And that's what B&R misses -- no angst, no h/c -- lots of fluffiness, right down to crack!fic.
Occasional crack!fic is fun -- and entire series of it, esp. in the Batman universe which is SUPPOSED to be the darkest character in the DC universe. No. -- I'm not having it. And don't get me started on Batgirl -- she needed to be thrown thru' the nearest wall, and forgotten about. I don't mind Barbara Gordon, actually. And Comissioner Gordon as a single father, is a nice updating of the mythology. (If it's an update). But Batgirl? She brings about bad memories of the 60s series, which although fun, certainly wasn't Batman.
---------------------
The Best of the Smother's Brothers Comedy Hour Season 3
I also just started watching "The Smother's Brothers Comedy Hour". Now, I'd first seen that historic series when it aired on E! - the Entertainment channel. This nice thing about how E! aired it was that they started with on camera interviews at the opening and close of every episode -- which rocked. The brothers are just nice, you know, and it's really fun to watch the two together, both when they are performing and when they are not. The third season set, which unfortunately is NOT the whole season, includes some of the more controversial episodes of the series (such as the one I just watched with Harry Belafonte). Apparently, there's also a lot of extra features. We'll see - WATCH THIS SPACE.
Also, included with my set 'cause I bought it directly from Time-Life is a film about the Smothers Brothers and the censorship issues they had with CBS and their show. Should be fun to watch, but I'm holding off until I've watched everything on the set. So, again, watch this space.
--Olivia
PS -- weather. Cold, cloudy, with some sun, but no snow or rain. According to NOAA current temp is: 39 F, (4 C), wind chill 35 F (not bad compared to temp), and get this -- NOAA now shows the latitude for my city -- 42.94N (The 45 parellel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole is not that far north of here).
Well -- some short DVD reviews today. First, The Complete Granada Television Series of Sherlock Holmes, starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes, David Burke and Edward Hardwicke as Watson. First -- this is the BEST version of Sherlock Holmes ever. Jeremy Brett is THE perfect Holmes and I just love him. Both David Burke and Edward Hardwicke play Doctor Watson as an intelligent man with a deep, caring (non-slash) love for his best friend, Holmes. Brett plays Holmes as a brilliant man, with little to no social graces (He even attacks Watson when he must) - true to the books. Holmes, -- the original geek.
One of the interesting things about the Granada series is that they did adaptations of the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories, rather then thrusting Holmes into the modern day or at least "modern" stories. Holmes is a Victorian and Edwardian hero -- and he's at his best in the original stories as written by Conan Doyle.
I also love both Watsons -- quietly supporting Holmes, because he IS the Doctor's friend. I sometimes wish I could find fic for Sherlock Holmes, 'cause some good old fashioned fannish h/c wouldn't come amiss at all, for me.
Both of the Watsons are intelligent, smart -- and the handover, from David Burke in "The Final Problem" to Hardwicke in "The Empty House" and all subsequent episodes is handled well. Holmesian lore remarks it's like 2-3 years from Holmes "death" to his resurrection - an older Watson fits.
I can't even say one or the other actor's my favorite -- because Burke fits the early Holmes stories and Hardwicke fits the latter ones.
The set is gorgeously packaged in a double slip-case, green with gold embossing, with Holmes's sayings embossed on the inner case. The DVDs are packaged in two foldout cases, but at least the discs don't overlap. Also, the set is digitally remastered -- and the episodes look fantastic, much, much better than the original "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" box set release of the first 13 episodes (only). If you do have the original box sets of: "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", "The Return of Sherlock Holmes", "The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes", "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes", and the Feature Film collection -- then you already have the material in this set (there are only a couple of extra features unfortunately) -- but the gorgous, book-like case, and digital re-mastering might make you want to pick this up as well. Check DeepDiscount.com for specials -- that's where I got mine for 20% off their standard low price.
---------------
Batman: The Animated Series V. 3
Ok, I love B:TAS -- As far as I'm concerned Kevin Conroy IS Batman (and he's wonderful doing the voice work of Batman in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited as well. This collection features 29 episodes, both solo Batman and The Adventures of Batman and Robin. (B&R)
I do kinda' wish the folks at Warner Bros. would have seperated out the solo Batman series and B&R into seperate sets -- 'cause now I'll need to buy set 4 to finish off the collection, plus looking at Batman Beyond, and possibly Batman: Gotham Knight (I need to find out more about that one). But since I really, really, really prefer solo Batman to Batman and company, I just wish I had more choice about what I was collecting, rather than WB pushing B&R on me by putting it in the same collection. Overall, Volume 3 has some great episodes -- even crack!fic like "Make 'em Laugh" (come on "Condiment King"? "The Pack Rat"? -- Those sound like villians from The Flash!) And I do like what Bruce Timm and co did with Robin -- making him older, and more likely to challenge Bruce Wayne. But, again, fangirl here -- I want to see h/c and darkness in Batman --- and once Robin shows up any possibly of that just disappears. (Tho' I love the two-part "Robin's Reckoning", but that's on Volume 1. Still, Bruce's confession that he shut Dick out of the investigation into catching the man who murdered Dick's parents NOT because he thought Dick was too emotionally close to it to be effective -- but because he (Bruce) was terrified that he'd lose Dick -- I mean, wow!). And that's what B&R misses -- no angst, no h/c -- lots of fluffiness, right down to crack!fic.
Occasional crack!fic is fun -- and entire series of it, esp. in the Batman universe which is SUPPOSED to be the darkest character in the DC universe. No. -- I'm not having it. And don't get me started on Batgirl -- she needed to be thrown thru' the nearest wall, and forgotten about. I don't mind Barbara Gordon, actually. And Comissioner Gordon as a single father, is a nice updating of the mythology. (If it's an update). But Batgirl? She brings about bad memories of the 60s series, which although fun, certainly wasn't Batman.
---------------------
The Best of the Smother's Brothers Comedy Hour Season 3
I also just started watching "The Smother's Brothers Comedy Hour". Now, I'd first seen that historic series when it aired on E! - the Entertainment channel. This nice thing about how E! aired it was that they started with on camera interviews at the opening and close of every episode -- which rocked. The brothers are just nice, you know, and it's really fun to watch the two together, both when they are performing and when they are not. The third season set, which unfortunately is NOT the whole season, includes some of the more controversial episodes of the series (such as the one I just watched with Harry Belafonte). Apparently, there's also a lot of extra features. We'll see - WATCH THIS SPACE.
Also, included with my set 'cause I bought it directly from Time-Life is a film about the Smothers Brothers and the censorship issues they had with CBS and their show. Should be fun to watch, but I'm holding off until I've watched everything on the set. So, again, watch this space.
--Olivia
PS -- weather. Cold, cloudy, with some sun, but no snow or rain. According to NOAA current temp is: 39 F, (4 C), wind chill 35 F (not bad compared to temp), and get this -- NOAA now shows the latitude for my city -- 42.94N (The 45 parellel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole is not that far north of here).
Psych DVD Review
Oct. 3rd, 2007 04:04 pmThis review might be a bit of a mish-mash, but here we go.
Packaging: I love it! The case opens like a book, and you life open the plastic piece holding disc 1 or 2 to get to disc 3 or 4. The outside of the case is like a hardback book. Very classy! And the only other DVD I have remotely like it is my 2-disc Special Edition of Double Indemnity (great movie starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson. That and Sunset Blvd. are THE classic Film Noirs in my DVD collection. Tho' I also have The Maltese Falcon, but Double Indemnity is better.) Anyway, I loved the packaging, and that's rare, esp. for a TV DVD (Yep, I tend to complain about TV DVD packaging).
Cost/number of eps. Well, there's only 15 eps in the set, 16 if you also include the International pilot. I received my copy as a gift, but from what I remember looking on-line, the price was a little high, especially considering it's only 15 eps.
Series itself? I loved it! I'd only seen slightly more than half of the episodes, tho' I HAD seen the pilot and "Spellingg Bee". So it was good to catch up. Now, if I just had the last ep. from this summer on tape or something (I managed to miss it :-( I'd be all caught-up, finally.
I like the humor of the show. It's laugh out loud funny, WITHOUT laughing AT the characters or sinking into "stupid sitcom"-land.
The characters are GREAT - I liked all of them, especially Henry (we soooo need to see MORE of Henry, and more flashbacks to young Shawn and/or Shawn & Gus). I also like, as you can tell from my userpic, Lassiter - whom I see as a good cop. He's even willing to take Spencer's help once Shawn proves himself. (Lassie also will use forensics, technology, computers, whatever to help him solve cases, which is what motivates him).
And I just like that Shawn is off-the-chart smart. He uses his brains as well as his special talent for observation AND deduction to solve cases. In a way, he reminds me of Sherlock Holmes --someone so smart they don't fit into the average, normal, 9 to 5 world so they create their own job (both as private consultant detectives). Holmes worst enemy is boredom (thus the acceptable at the time drug use for Holmes). Shawn too gives the impression he'd get in an awful lot of trouble if he didn't have his work as a private "psychic" / police consultant to keep him busy. Shawn also has a best friend who he could leave in the dust in the smarts dept (Not that Gus is dumb, he's smart but average smart, not genuis-level smart like Shawn) to help him out, not just on cases but in his life. Gus is Shawn's rock -- he'd be lost without him. (Watch Shawn in "Scary Sherry" when Alice asks him what he would do if he lost his best friend - Shawn literally can't answer her - both times she asks the question). Then there's Lassiter, who like Holmes' Lestrade is a competent detective, but again, like Gus, not as giftedly smart as Shawn. If you read the Arthur Conan Doyle books (or watch Granada's excellent series with Jeremy Brett) Lestrade isn't stupid - he has average to high intelligence, and he trusts Holmes and works with him as needed. Lestrade doesn't know anything about forensics, but Sherlock Holmes was written in the late 1900s-early 20th century, and back then even fingerprints were new when it came to criminalogy. 'Course Psych has characters that don't have SH parallels (Chief Vick, Juliet, and Henry, by name) but for the ones it does have it's an interesting comparison.
Special features: Excellent! Tho' I missed having the "psych outs" for each episode. The deleted scenes and bloopers - fun (as such features usually are). I wish they'd been able to run *Scary Sherry* long and use the extra scenes, they were awesome!
Writer's table - gets the Best Special Feature award, even if it's just to hear the writers officially say they were inspired by Remington Steele and Moonlighting (2 of my favorite 80s shows).
--Olivia Sutton
Packaging: I love it! The case opens like a book, and you life open the plastic piece holding disc 1 or 2 to get to disc 3 or 4. The outside of the case is like a hardback book. Very classy! And the only other DVD I have remotely like it is my 2-disc Special Edition of Double Indemnity (great movie starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson. That and Sunset Blvd. are THE classic Film Noirs in my DVD collection. Tho' I also have The Maltese Falcon, but Double Indemnity is better.) Anyway, I loved the packaging, and that's rare, esp. for a TV DVD (Yep, I tend to complain about TV DVD packaging).
Cost/number of eps. Well, there's only 15 eps in the set, 16 if you also include the International pilot. I received my copy as a gift, but from what I remember looking on-line, the price was a little high, especially considering it's only 15 eps.
Series itself? I loved it! I'd only seen slightly more than half of the episodes, tho' I HAD seen the pilot and "Spellingg Bee". So it was good to catch up. Now, if I just had the last ep. from this summer on tape or something (I managed to miss it :-( I'd be all caught-up, finally.
I like the humor of the show. It's laugh out loud funny, WITHOUT laughing AT the characters or sinking into "stupid sitcom"-land.
The characters are GREAT - I liked all of them, especially Henry (we soooo need to see MORE of Henry, and more flashbacks to young Shawn and/or Shawn & Gus). I also like, as you can tell from my userpic, Lassiter - whom I see as a good cop. He's even willing to take Spencer's help once Shawn proves himself. (Lassie also will use forensics, technology, computers, whatever to help him solve cases, which is what motivates him).
And I just like that Shawn is off-the-chart smart. He uses his brains as well as his special talent for observation AND deduction to solve cases. In a way, he reminds me of Sherlock Holmes --someone so smart they don't fit into the average, normal, 9 to 5 world so they create their own job (both as private consultant detectives). Holmes worst enemy is boredom (thus the acceptable at the time drug use for Holmes). Shawn too gives the impression he'd get in an awful lot of trouble if he didn't have his work as a private "psychic" / police consultant to keep him busy. Shawn also has a best friend who he could leave in the dust in the smarts dept (Not that Gus is dumb, he's smart but average smart, not genuis-level smart like Shawn) to help him out, not just on cases but in his life. Gus is Shawn's rock -- he'd be lost without him. (Watch Shawn in "Scary Sherry" when Alice asks him what he would do if he lost his best friend - Shawn literally can't answer her - both times she asks the question). Then there's Lassiter, who like Holmes' Lestrade is a competent detective, but again, like Gus, not as giftedly smart as Shawn. If you read the Arthur Conan Doyle books (or watch Granada's excellent series with Jeremy Brett) Lestrade isn't stupid - he has average to high intelligence, and he trusts Holmes and works with him as needed. Lestrade doesn't know anything about forensics, but Sherlock Holmes was written in the late 1900s-early 20th century, and back then even fingerprints were new when it came to criminalogy. 'Course Psych has characters that don't have SH parallels (Chief Vick, Juliet, and Henry, by name) but for the ones it does have it's an interesting comparison.
Special features: Excellent! Tho' I missed having the "psych outs" for each episode. The deleted scenes and bloopers - fun (as such features usually are). I wish they'd been able to run *Scary Sherry* long and use the extra scenes, they were awesome!
Writer's table - gets the Best Special Feature award, even if it's just to hear the writers officially say they were inspired by Remington Steele and Moonlighting (2 of my favorite 80s shows).
--Olivia Sutton
