he's back .... sherlock, season three

Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) may call himself a sociopath, but last night's episode of Sherlock, "The Empty Hearse," pretty much disproved that hypothesis. As the detective returned to London, and in some ways, the land of the living, after an absence of two years spent putting an end to arch-criminal Moriarty's (Andrew Scott) global crime network, he discovered exactly how connected to the world, and to certain people living in it, that he really is. One of the most amusing scenes in the episode featured some fraternal bickering between Sherlock and his "smarter brother" Mycroft (Mark Gatiss, who is also the creator and co-writer of the show, with Dr. Who's Stephen Moffatt), where it became abundantly clear that between the two of them, Sherlock is comparatively downright social. Mycroft expressed disdain, possibly even disgust, that his younger brother deigns to have friends. He could hardly bring himself to utter the "f" word.

Sibling rivalry, from Rebloggy

As Sherlock returned to 221B Baker Street and renewed contact with his friends and associates — Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves), Mrs Hudson (Una Stubbs), Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey) —they were all delighted to see him — all except his closest friend, John Watson (Martin Freeman). After some retributional scuffling and head-butting from Watson a bewildered Sherlock began to understand just how much his friend had missed him. The ice sculpture began to thaw. He graciously accepted Watson's new fiancée Mary (Amanda Abbington), and the pair lost no time teaming up to rescue a kidnapped Watson from an as-yet undisclosed new enemy.

There are only three episodes in this new series of Sherlock, so fans must savor them. "The Empty Hearse" seemed designed for multiple viewings, with its alternate depictions of how Sherlock survived the fall off the high rise at the end of the second season and its nod to an obsessed fan base that thrives on the internet. The series has always had humor, but this season started off with some laugh-out-loud moments — Sherlock's use of disguise to reintroduce himself to Watson, and a super-hero-like imagining of how he survived the fall, to name a few.

Is that a deerstalker on your head, or are we just happy to see you?

In the hiatus between the last series and this one Benedict Cumberbatch, much like his alter ego Sherlock, has been quite busy, with multiple movie roles (Star Trek Into Darkness, The Hobbit, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, War Horse, 12 Years a Slave), as well as acquiring a dedicated fan base that have dubbed themselves Cumberbitches. He has requested they refer to themselves instead as Cumberbabes, to no avail. Cumberbatch has always been an excellent Sherlock, but he really owned the part in this episode. Both actor and character seemed glad, even giddy, to be back, and the camera loved him for it — showering him with tons of close-ups and clever dialogue. Sherlock is back, the eponymous detective and his faithful sidekick Watson once again a team, and woe to any villain who stands in their way. I can't help wondering if the mysterious Big Bad might end up being Mycroft, the only other character who seemed less than thrilled at Sherlock's return.

saving santa

Just in time for the holidays, Anchor Bay Entertainment has released the Blu-ray + DVD combo pack of Saving Santa, a fun British-made animated tale featuring Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock) as a little elf with a big dream — he'd like to work for the big man himself, Santa Claus (Tim Conway), as one of his inventors. But as is typical for the elf, one of Bernard's slightly eccentric inventions goes very, very wrong, and he is suddenly put in the position of having to rescue Santa, and Christmas, too. Time travel and an evil villain named Neville Baddington (voiced by the always wonderful Tim Curry), pose constant challenges for the determined elf to set things right.

Bernard has a great friend in Blitzen

Some well-known actors round out the voice cast: Joan Collins (Dynasty) plays Neville's even more evil momma, Vera Baddington. Pam Ferris (Call the Midwife, Luther) plays Mrs. Claus, Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) plays Shiny, and Noel Clarke (Doctor Who, Star Trek Into Darkness) plays Snowy.

Saving Santa is directed by Leon Joosen, who was one of the animators on The Little Mermaid and The Swan Princess and Aaron Seelman, who worked as an editor on Barbie: A Perfect Christmas. The Blu-ray also features some extras the whole family will enjoy, including a featurette entitled “Why Saving Santa?”, a music video, “Some Kind of Miracle,” sung by Ashley Tisdale, and some “behind-the scenes” content featuring the actors during voice recording sessions. The film has a running time of 84 minutes, with captions and subtitles available.

Neville Baddington plots and schemes to please his momma

Saving Santa looks great, especially on a widescreen, high-definition television. The CGI animation by Prana Studios (Hoodwinked!, Tinker Bell, Planes) is colorful and sharp. While the film has a Groundhog Day approach to time travel, young children should find the déjà vu-ing more amusing than confusing. Some musical numbers (Bilbo sings!) peppered throughout keep things moving along nicely. While the film's holiday message is predictable, the engaging cast, especially Freeman, make this quirky tale a fun, if slight addition to this year's crop of holiday-themed films.

Originally published on Blogcritics as Blu-ray Review: ‘Saving Santa’

you're getting to be a hobbit ...

Peter Jackson just can't help himself, I guess.

I finally watched the first installment of The Hobbit. I didn't watch it in the movie theater when it first came out. I was under protest. I couldn't understand why a single book, especially one that was not as epic as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, would have to be divided into three films. After viewing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey I still don't. The landscape in New Zealand is gorgeous, and there are certainly a lot of overhead shots of Bilbo Baggins and his companions running to and fro across the hillsides ... Sorry, I drifted off there for a moment.

Everyone in The Hobbit is always running

Martin Freeman was fine as Bilbo, and it's always great to see Ian McKellan as Gandalf, but the movie had no real oomph. The dwarves, led by Thorin (Richard Armitage) want to get back into their homeland, from which they were ejected. The Orcs are still ugly. Ugly is bad. Why the Orcs are fighting the dwarves or just about anyone is unclear. Why are there no females of any account in Middle Earth, except for Galadriel, who seems to enjoy mind-flirting with Gandalf? Why ask why?

The only thing that might get me into the theater for the second installment is that it seems elf-centered, and I've always liked Legolas (Orlando Bloom). Plus, Benedict Cumberbatch. But seriously, Peter Jackson. Do you have any other interests besides Tolkien you'd like to share?

the game's afoot ... and on

Sherlock debuted on Masterpiece Mystery last night and it was up to all the hype (it debuted in Britain earlier this summer). The updating of the famous sleuth worked quite seamlessly. The gadgetry that is an essential part of our modern lives seemed like old hat for Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock, who just needs to close his eyes and he can visualize a Google-map of London streets in order to chase down a perpetrator. Cumberbatch is pale and kinetic—a wax sculpture come to life—in a good way. Martin Freeman's Dr. Watson, a vet from the Afghanistan War was doubtful, for just a moment, before being swept into the adventure and Sherlock's strange world.



Like Watson, I am already signed on for the ride. I also liked Rupert Graves's Inspector Lestrade, who was less of a pain in the ass here, than in the Conan Doyle tradition (they left that role to his underlings), and more of a resigned collaborator. The first episode, A Study in Pink, was a nice combination of the Brit-procedural we have come to recognize and love, a la Prime Suspect—a tad grittier and more depressing than American detective shows, which only seem able to try, ad nauseum,  to get the camera inside a wound—and the long line of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, from the wonderful Basil Rathbone to the inimitable Jeremy Brett, and especially, Robert Downey Jr.'s recent portrayal.



In fact, the camera-work and pace seemed to echo a tad the Downey Jr. film, as we and the cameras raced to keep up with Sherlock's brilliant deductions. The film was a little more playful with Sherlock, introducing Irene Adler and giving her a kick-ass attitude as she flirts and subverts the hero at every turn. This television Sherlock is "married to his work" in the tradition of the books, but the pilot couldn't help but flirt itself a bit with the Holmes/Watson relationship. A scene in a diner played with the characters—two grown men that have chosen to be flatmates—a situation that might mean something quite different to a modern 2010 audience than one at the turn of the century—and then moved on. It was a skillful sidelining of something that could have been distractingly commented on in an updated version. Their partnership is sealed not with a kiss, but a gunshot, and to paraphrase from Casablanca, "Watson, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Related articles

• Sherlock Holmes Finds New Life With Young British Actor (huffingtonpost.com)
• "New Sherlock Holmes Benedict Cumberbatch on Playing a ‘Sociopath’" and related posts (blogs.wsj.com)