ME AND ORSON WELLES...Efron, Danes, and ???...2009

Really, don't bother.  You may be thinking that that Zac Efron, (proper spelling in place, thank you Melynda), you know, the kid from High School Musical, is the next big one so you better see everything that gets him there. Sure, he's an amiable two-tap Charlie and a class act with youthful zeal.  But it can't sell me on a plotless sleeper.  Ouch.  Yes.  Of course, if you have done stage productions and you miss the rush of a curtain call, or if you teach the book Julius Caesar you will want to show the final play production to your class.  The Welles character has incredible stage presence, a brooding voice, and moments of vulnerablility - a cad - and a true thespian.  Clare Danes (yeah, that girl from Romeo & Juliet - who has got to be in her 40's and is now prancing around with Efron in this film) plays a nominal, poorly written character.  

Dear Zac, my advice to you is that you better be careful and not take every "17 year old character who can sing/dance" that comes around.  Maybe Disney has you contracted.  You did flip someone off in this film, and drink wine, and call Clare Danes your "lover." Ooooh, dangerous.  But it doesn't make you a man.  Just as paying for my ticket didn't make this a great movie. Sorry Orson.

SHERLOCK...R.D.J. & Jude...Guy Ritchie...2009

I was accused recently of taking movies a bit too seriously.  I assume this meant always watching critically for details rather than just allowing myself to be entertained.  It's true that the number one prerogative of films seems to be entertainment.  So, with this advice in my left back pocket, I ventured into the weekend blockbuster.  To my surprise and delight, this film was exactly what I had hoped it would be - an action-adventure with witty, likable characters.  The Sherlock tales of old came to life with an entirely new face, enabling me to sit more comfortably in my familiarity. I've always seen a staunch, heady, emotionless Holmes in my mind, (an admitted deterrent despite my love for his irrepressible sleuthing and attention to detail).  Oddly, a freshness surged forth from beneath a thick layer of grimy filth.  Robert Downey Jr.'s dirty face, dusty jacket, and disheveled hair actually gave Holmes this precious, tangible, and realistic air. I loved him.  I don't know when it happened, but at some point (I suppose it was post Clinton administration), the world began to trust R.D.Jr as an actor again. Jude Law, too, was magnificent. Can he even make a monocle sexy?  I'm still deciding if ANY girl could have played McAdams' role.  Probably.  She did bring the pretty face.  My one fear walking in was that the film would be too dark and venture too boldly into the grotesque of the spirit world or into the sensual imaginings of Madonna's former spouse. In the end, however, in true Scooby Doo fashion, all masks were stripped away revealing science, not spirits.  Holmes at the helm brought all to right and back into the light once again.  "Delightful. Well done," she remembered saying with a grin.  Well, that's entertainment for you.