Sherlock: Season One

Sherlock: Season One Review

Sherlock: Season One Feature

• SHERLOCK: SEASON ONE BBC/2009/TV (DVD MOVIE)

In the wake of Guy Ritchie's reimagining, the BBC puts its own stamp on Arthur Conan Doyle's sleuth--and sets him in a London filled with cell phones and laptops. In the pilot, director Paul McGuigan (a keen visual stylist) introduces Sherlock Holmes (Atonement's Benedict Cumberbatch) as a "high-functioning sociopath" and Dr. John Watson (The Office's Martin Freeman) as an army veteran with posttraumatic stress disorder. Through a mutual friend, the two become flatmates at 221B Baker Street (Una Stubbs plays their landlady). Holmes, who consults with Scotland Yard inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) on his trickier cases, drafts Watson to assist him.

In "Study in Pink," four people commit suicide by poison. When Holmes sets out to establish a link, he falls right into the culprit's clutches. Other cases concern a smuggling operation ("The Blind Banker") and a mad bomber ("The Great Game"). Though he doesn't make a formal entrance until episode three, an infamous figure from Sherlock's future has a hand in each mystery, while the detective's brother, Mycroft (co-creator Mark Gatiss), first appears when he tries to hire Watson for a case of his own, an offer that gives the good doctor pause. Through his job at a medical office, Watson also meets Sarah (Zoe Telford), who becomes his girlfriend.

Part of the fun of Jeremy Brett's Holmes (and Agatha Christie's Poirot) came from the period details, so this update takes a little getting used to--as does the occasional mumbled line--but Cumberbatch and Freeman share an enjoyable Odd Couple rapport, marked by flashes of deadpan wit, which compensates for the absence of deerstalker caps (Holmes favors scarves) and journals (Watson maintains a website). Extras include commentary on the finale, the original pilot, and a featurette, in which cocreator Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) notes that Cumberbatch was his only choice for the title role. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

A contemporary take on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, Sherlock is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced adventure series set in present-day London. Co-created by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Coupling) and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock stars BAFTA-nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (Hawking, Amazing Grace) as the new Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman (The Office, Love Actually), as his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson. Rupert Graves plays Inspector Lestrade. The iconic details from Conan Doyle's original books remain--they live at the same address, have the same names and, somewhere out there, Moriarty is waiting for them. And so across three thrilling, scary, action-packed and highly modern-day adventures, Sherlock and John navigate a maze of cryptic clues and lethal killers to get at the truth.

Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series

Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series Review

Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series Feature

• He is known as the Greatest Detective Who Never Lived. Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes comes alive on film in this landmark 1980s television series starring Jeremy Brett. All theic tales are here, as the Great Detective and his faithful companion, Dr. Watson, tangle with the terrifying Hound of the Baskervilles, the beautiful adventuress Irene Adler, and the dastardly villain

Stills from Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series (click for larger image)

He is known as the Greatest Detective Who Never Lived. Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and transferred from the original negatives, Sherlock Holmes comes alive on film in this landmark 1980s television series starring Jeremy Brett.

All the classic tales are here, as the Great Detective and his faithful companion, Dr. Watson, tangle with the terrifying Hound of the Baskervilles, the beautiful adventuress Irene Adler, and the dastardly villains Colonel Sebastian Moran, Charles Augustus Milverton, and the Napoleon of Crime himself, Professor James Moriarty.

Disc 1
A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA, THE DANCING MEN, THE NAVAL TREATY, THE SOLITARY CYCLIST

DISC 2
THE CROOKED MAN, THE SPECKLED BAND, THE BLUE CARBUNCLE, THE COPPER BEECHES

DISC 3
THE GREEK INTERPRETER, THE NORWOOD BUILDER, THE RESIDENT PATIENT, THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE

DISC 4
THE FINAL PROBLEM, THE EMPTY HOUSE, THE ABBEY GRANGE, THE MUSGRAVE RITUAL

DISC 5
THE SECOND STAIN, THE MAN WITH THE TWISTED LIP, THE PRIORY SCHOOL, THE SIX NAPOLEONS

DISC 6
THE DEVIL'S FOOT, SILVER BLAZE, WISTERIA LODGE, THE BRUCE-PARTINGTON PLANS

DISC 7
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF LADY FRANCES CARFAX, THE SIGN OF FOUR

DISC 8
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, THE PROBLEM OF THOR BRIDGE, THE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERY

DISC 9
THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT, SHOSCOMBE OLD PLACE, THE MASTER BLACKMAILER

DISC 10
THE LAST VAMPYRE, THE ELIGIBLE BACHELOR

DISC 11
THE THREE GABLES, THE CREEPING MAN, THE DYING DETECTIVE, THE GOLDEN PINCE-NEZ

DISC 12
THE RED CIRCLE, THE MAZARIN STONE, THE CARDBOARD BOX

The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 1 - The Empty House & The Abbey Grange

The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 1 - The Empty House & The Abbey Grange Review

THE EMPTY HOUSE: It is three years after Sherlock Holmes plunged to his death at Reichenbach Falls while fighting with his fiendish adversary Professor Moriarty. Watson and Lestrade take a crack at the unsolved murder of Ronald Adair, yet their efforts produce nothing but a shocking inquest. Lost without Holmes' talents to help them, Watson spots a mysterious visitor in court listening to testimony about the murdered man. Could it be the return of Sherlock Holmes? THE ABBEY GRANGE: Sir Eustace Brackenstall, one of the richest men in Kent and the last of the Brackenstall line, is found murdered. A notorious gang of thieves is suspected of the crime, until Holmes and Watson make some startling discoveries, including a charred dog collar. Holmes and Watson must piece together a strange puzzle of love, violence, and deceit to solve the case of The Abbey Grange.

Sherlock Holmes - The Scarlet Claw

Sherlock Holmes - The Scarlet Claw Review

Sherlock Holmes - The Scarlet Claw Feature

• The master detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his faithful cohort Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are back, preserved and digitally restored in 35mm to original condition by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. This newly restored version of theic film includes the period war bond tag, studio logo and credits from its original theatrical release. Filled with ominous shadows and interesting c

Here is another strong entry (beautifully restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive) from the peak of Basil Rathbone's prolific, seven-year run as a definitive Sherlock Holmes for the big screen. The Scarlet Claw (1944) is an original screenplay with elements loosely inspired by Doyle's "The Adventure of the Dancing Men." A skeptical Holmes and Watson (Nigel Bruce) attend a meeting of the Royal Canadian Occult Society in Canada, but are soon looking into a killing spree attributed to a fanciful marsh monster. Fantastic events are soon supplanted by an even stranger horror concerning a master actor bent on revenge. --Tom Keogh The master detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his faithful cohort Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are back, preserved and digitally restored in 35mm to original condition by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. This newly restored version of the classic film includes the period war bond tag and studio logo and credits from its original theatrical release. Filled with ominous shadows and interesting camera angles, the visual beauty of the film in 35mm is stunning. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson journey to Canada to attend a meeting of the Royal Canadian Occult Society in Quebec. Before long, they find themselves investigating a series of gruesome murders that the locals attribute to the legendary phantom marsh monster of La Morte Rouge. But Holmes suspects a master of disguise is the real killer, who might be anyone in the village. He contrives a clever trap and courageously sets himself up to be the killer's next victim.

Storytelling [VHS]

Storytelling [VHS] Review

Todd Solondz, director of the acclaimed Welcome to the Dollhouse and the controversial Happiness, continues pushing the envelope of social decorum with the merciless and casually cruel Storytelling, his most ruthless satire of suburban complacency. Broken into two unrelated chapters, "Fiction" follows college girl Selma Blair through a degrading encounter with her resentful writing teacher (Robert Wisdom), while the more sprawling and scattershot "Non-Fiction" circles around the mutual exploitation of a fumbling documentary filmmaker (Paul Giamatti doing a near-parody of director Solondz) and his clueless subject, a suburban high school slacker named Scooby (Mark Webber). The squirmy laughs are laced with humiliation and the satire is acidic and cynical; in the world of Solondz, victims and victimizers alike are petty, selfish, vindictive, and thoughtless, and empathy is strictly rationed. Though sharply written and well directed, this misanthropic vision is strictly for daring filmgoers and Solondz fans. --Sean Axmaker

WADD The Life & Times of John Holmes

WADD The Life & Times of John Holmes Review

In the history of adult cinema no name is better known than that of John C Holmes. Wadd is a documentary that explores the many facets of the life and world of this pop-cultere icon.

Sherlock Holmes: Collector's Edition (Five-Disk Edition, Tin packaging)

Sherlock Holmes: Collector's Edition (Five-Disk Edition, Tin packaging) Review

Even over a century since he was first introduced to readers, detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick Dr.Watson live on in the imaginations of detective story fans everywhere, cracking codes, calculating clues and closing the book on crime. From books to movies and back, the Victorian sleuth with a sixth sense for conspiracies, cover-ups and mysteries of all kinds is perhaps the most recognizable character that never lived! Now, travel back in time with Holmes in this set of crime capers. In Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady, Holmes and Watson try to beat the clock when recovering a stolen bomb and in Incident at Victoria Falls, he encounters intrigue on the Orient Express, making for entertainment that’s,well, elementary! And with a star-studded cast that includes veteran actors Christopher Lee and Patrick Macnee, all clues point to a notoriously good time!