Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) Film Review

Roberta (Rosanna Arquette) is a dissatisfied housewife who lives through the message she reads in the personals – in particular, those between Jim (Robert Joy) and Susan (Madonna) as they chase each other across the country. Following Susan at one meeting, Roberta finds herself in trouble and being searched for not only by her husband, Gary (Mark Blum) but also a mysterious man (Will Patton). Thank goodness for the dreamy Dez (Aidan Quinn).

This is such a good film. Daggy, yes. Dated, absolutely, but in the best possible fashion. It’s got it all, and it is wonderful. I think I may even watch this again this weekend, just for fun. I guess I must just be crazy for it.

Elementary – TV Review

 

Another interpretation of Sherlock Holmes? Really? There have already been hundreds, including the excellent films starring Robert Downie Jnr and Jude Law and the totally amazing BBC series. But why not do an American version? And why not have it set in contemporary New York, with Lucy Liu as a female Doctor Watson? Why not?

The first episode was appalling. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh, but I’ll come back to that. The premise is that Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) is an eccentric ex-drug addicted Brit who is used by a New York police detective to assist with unusual murder cases. Watson is an ex-surgeon who, after losing a patient, gave up medicine and now is a companion to recovering addicts. She has been employed by Sherlock’s father to keep an eye on him. What was appalling in the first episode was that the examples that were given to show that Sherlock was far smarter than her were dumb, which made this doctor (and doctors are pretty smart, generally) look really stupid.

Three episodes in and it is getting better. I quite like Lucy Liu, and it’s nice to see her on-screen again, although perhaps I should just watch Kill Bill or Charlie’s Angels and see her being somewhat kick-arse rather than this wussy character. I think the show would have been better if they’d taken a lot of these elements of Sherlock Holmes but perhaps actually not the names. Sherlock Holmes has a lot of in-built expectations, and I think something this b-grade can not live up to it.

 

Unknown (2011) Film Review

Unknown is everything you want from a Liam Neeson movie. Fighting, running, desperation, outrage, and then that little smile that he gives to the special lady in the film that melts you just a bit. Okay, I’m not going to attempt to hide that I have a bit of a thing for Liam Neeson.

This film has Liam Neeson about to check in to a Berlin hotel with his wife, only he gets into an accident and wakes after being in a coma for three days. When he awakes, he knows who he is, but no one else does. And then it gets really exciting.

Man, sometimes I forget how much I enjoy action films. I like not having to think at all, and allowing myself to get surprised by the twists, even if they are obvious. I expect that many viewers of this film may well have figured out what was going on, at least to some extent. Not me, no siree. I let everything surprise me. I even get sucked in by the over-the-top music and the handheld camera chases. It’s all good.