Great, energetic fun! Guy Ritchie is back and delivers a strong, gay romance. McAdams and Reilly are in the way of the “bromance”. Entire production excellent.

When I saw ROCKNROLA I said: Who is Mark Strong? Even Gerard Butler could tell Strong was walking away with the movie’s sex appeal. So, it came as no surprise that Ritchie cast Strong as the aristocratic villain in SHERLOCK HOLMES.

Downey, Jr., following George Clooney’s sage wisdom of not wearing film makeup, looks his age and gives his Sherlock Holmes (SH) the decadent frown lines of a man who has lived through keen observation of others but neglectful interest in grooming himself for the pleasure of others. He does find the quirks of others – the corny word “deduction” – fascinating.

Let’s face it: As Ritchie sees him, SH is an upper-class snob. He’s Lord Bryon with a job.

Holmes lives with Dr. Watson (Jude Law) and is miserable that the desirable Dr. Watson is leaving and getting his own place. He’s openly jealous of Dr. Watson’s inamorata, Mary (Kelly Reilly). In fact, when he finally meets her, he embarrasses her with facts about her less-than-stellar pedigree. The caste system was blooming in Victorian England.

SH and Dr. Watson speak a form of English most commonly associated with the upper class and is called “Received Pronunciation” (the Queen’s (or King’s) English”). (Of interest: Today only approximately two percent of Britons speak RP. It has been argued that RP use is socially advantageous over other English dialects within England but carries no “special privileges” outside England.)

Why is Dr. Watson interested in Mary instead of him? SH wants that damn engagement ring to disappear, and it does! The real reason SH is a depressed, sullen mess is he is losing Dr. Watson. Dr. Watson is sensible but torn. He needs to free himself from SH’s lair.

As Ritchie directs them, their flirtatious banter is one step away from an affair – if only Mary would die! And Downey, Jr. and Law clearly know what glances, smiles, and a director’s positioning means to an audience. Law knows exactly how to play seductive but skittish.

At least Ritchie did not put them in a bathtub together.

SH and Dr. Watson have successfully prevented Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) from sacrificing another virgin in a Black Arts ritual. Once again they have frustrated Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) by handling the arrest without Scotland Yard intervention. (I loved Marsan in the awful HAPPY-GO-LUCKY)

Lord Blackwood will be hanged, but he wants – not a last meal – but a visit from SH.

Coincidentally, a new case, brought to SH by former lady friend and con-artist, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), has a link to Lord Blackwood. Adler will make the perfect foil to make Dr. Watson jealous.

At least that is the way I saw it.

The only misstep in SHERLOCK HOLMES is Rachel McAdams. Ritchie’s distinctive “blokes and yobs only” style does not require the intrusion of women. But for a big film like SHERLOCK HOLMES, women are a necessary evil. Ritchie does McAdams no favors. She is not filmed well; her clothes, makeup and hairdo are uniformly awful. She is not luminous or a stunning distraction. Were her scenes filmed but later dumped?

(Directors often do this to make a star happy. Notably, Jack Nicholson’s rumored filmed but deleted scenes in THE DEPARTED and THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE).

Did McAdams actually sign up for this minor role? She is a boring, uninteresting con artist. If only Irene had a little trollop in her.

Everything about the production is first-rate. The soundtrack by Hans Zimmer must win an Academy Award! Philippe Rousselot, the cinematographer, and James Herbert, the film’s editor, give SHERLOCK HOLMES the Ritchie treatment.

Ritchie has, with the help of screenwriters Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg, updated the Sherlock Holmes mythology.

Downey, Jr. flaunts and pouts and Law is a perfect sidekick for him. Downey, Jr. has another franchise!

Ritchie cleverly shows us what SH does so well and, without teaching, helps us understand what a jacket smudge means.

Will there be a sequel? Of course. The specter of Dr. Moriarty (please cast, as rumored, Brad Pitt!) looms in the shadows at the end. Though I must ask: How many people buying tickets to SHERLOCK HOLMES know who the hell Dr. Moriarty is, and why should we care?

Now that the Madonna years are over, director Guy Ritchie has returned to his comfort zone with ROCKNROLLA, a frenetic action comedy rife with cockneys, double-crosses and one liners sure to sate your appetite for more SNATCH and LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS. Archie (Mark Strong of, SYRIANA, SUNSHINE and STARDUST) is a no-nonsense errand boy working for even-less-nonsense real estate gangster Lenny (Tom Wilkinson of BATMAN BEGINS and VALKYRIE) caught in the midst of managing a deal with Uri (Karel Rodel of HELLBOY and THE BOURNE SUPREMACY) the murderous Russian land developer, Lenny’s believed-dead-but-only-missing step-son-cum-rock-star Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell of ALEXANDER and MATCH POINT) and the criminal bunglings of the local gang on the rise, “The Wild Bunch”. What he doesn’t know is that Stella (Thandie Newton of CRASH and BELOVED), Uri’s genius accountant, is bored with her day job and has taken to ripping off her boss with help from One Two (Gerard Butler of REIGN OF FIRE and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA) and the rest of the “Wild Bunch” with reckless abandon, while Lenny and Archie take the heat for the missing loot. It gets more complicated from there.

ROCKNROLLA is a lot of fun. The action is quick, the dialogue is direct, and there’s at least a few laugh-out-loud moments in there. On the downside there’re so many characters, in such a twisty plot, that it can be difficult to follow at times. The first act had me scratching my head once or twice trying to remember who everybody was and what they were doing, and I had to watch it with the subtitles on to help penetrate the cockney. ROCKNROLLA is probably the only film I can think of that actually pays homage to (instead of parodying) a favorite of mine: TERMINATOR 2. There’s a great moment in the midst of a chase sequence where “The Wild Bunch” are fleeing a less-than-perfect-robbery, which perfectly conjures memories of Sarah, John and Arnie fleeing the mental hospital while being chased by the relentless T-1000. Toby Kebbell also delivers a great monologue as Johnny Quid while fingering out a bittersweet melody on an abused bar piano about the nature of addiction.

As to the quality of the Blu-Ray… well, it’s fantastic. The winner of the HD format delivers the ultimate home theater experience it promises. The special features on the disc are a bit light however. “Blokes, Birds, and Backhanders” fills the roll of the “making-of” featurette, but in fairness it felt more like an electronic press kit than an informative look at the process behind the film. “Guy’s Town” is an eight-minute overview of the current state of land development in London, and it’s interesting but light on information. Though I’m not sure anyone’s buying Blu-Ray’s for the special features – I think it has more to do with the color depth, the 1080p resolution, and the 5.1 surround sound, right?

All in all ROCKNROLLA is a blast, a fast-paced crime comedy with enjoyable performances from the whole cast. Best enjoyed with popcorn, I rate this one “watch” with a suggestion that you not take it too seriously.

Muscular girth. Mark Strong emerges as a sexy star.

Guy Ritchie must have had a St. Paul conversion (“What the hell are you doing with your life?”). Returning to his unique formula of exploiting the London gangster world with a punk sensibility, ROCKNROLLA celebrates the throbbing penis. And it’s not subliminal.

I didn’t notice one Kabbalah reference.

Who doesn’t love the London working class gangster, even if you only can make out forty percent of what they say? Following the blueprint of his biggest, breakthrough success to date (and I loved SNATCH), LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS, Ritchie strings together inter-locking stories of mayhem built on confusion and double-and-triple-crossing shenanigans. LOCK, STOCK was about a missing gun. ROCKNROLLA is about a missing painting.

Angry, bitter mobster Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson) keeps telling everyone he runs London. His primary game is fixing all the necessary pieces for allowing commercial construction without a hassle and years of putting plans before building committees. His right-hand man, elegant and handsome Archie (Mark Strong) narrates the tale for us. Cole loans money to low-level gangsters from the Wild Bunch, One-Two (Gerard Butler) and Mumbles (Idris Elba), to buy a building. It’s their plan to enter the big leagues and leave petty crime behind, but it’s a standard scam designed by Cole. The building plans collapse and they now owe Cole a lot of money. How will they get it?

A Russian billionaire, Uri (Karel Roden), wants to bypass the building permits red tape in London and to cement the deal with Cole, lends him his lucky painting. Uri’s accountant, Stella (Thandie Newton), arranges for the seed money to be sent to Cole. But Stella informs One-Two where and when the money is to be transferred. Meanwhile, Cole’s stepson, a drug addict rock star, falls off a yacht and is presumed dead. The Russian’s money is stolen, the “lucky painting” vanishes, and another member of the Wild Bunch is getting ready to do four years in prison.

Ritchie has found a terrific star in Mark Strong and indulges him in great scenes and leading man close-ups. And then there is Toby Kebbell, who lost 21 lbs by starving, to play a very realistic, nasty drug addict. Ritchie knows how to ramp up the chaos, Cole’s fury, and enough London gay life to put to rest he’s homophobic (in real life).

Wilkinson is, as always, terrific. He understands that Cole is just furious for no good reason and hates life. Ritchie gives his low-key star, Gerard Butler, a humorous scene, as well as highlighting his dancing abilities. Every guy will want to dance like Butler (while quoting him from 300). The climax is a terrific scene where the Wild Bunch is chased by Uri’s henchmen. Of course, where would a gangster movie be without a novel torture scene? Oh, and the soundtrack is pulsating. It should be sold as the perfect music to play while having anonymous sex.

Now that Ritchie has returned to form, let’s see how sexy and tough he can make Sherlock Holmes.

VHS tapes are terrible, and I parted with some of my laserdiscs on e-bay. Remember The Criterion Collection? I had to have them because of all the extra stuff. Now, I’m getting all my old favorites on DVD.

So, of course, the time was right for enhanced DVD’s to hit the market. I’ve taken a look at several of Columbia TriStar’s Superbit DVD’s and actually compared one of them (Snatch) to the previously issued, original DVD I have in my collection.

But first, why Superbit? Apparently, the director’s commentary and all those extras, including the trailer and cast interviews, took up a lot of picture quality space. These Superbit DVD’s omit the bonus material for enhanced video bit rate on the primary DVD. In some DVD’s, a second disc does carry those extras. Columbia TriStar uses a new hi-video transfer process and special MPEG-2 compression method bringing the standard frame-to-frame bit rates of 4-5 Megabits per second to 6-8 Mbps. This process is said to bring more detail, vibrant colors, and finer tones to a movie. Further, for the best sound quality, Superbit DVD’s offer both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1, insuring the best sonic performance and increased channel separation.

Is it worth it?

I took a good look at a few in the latest series of Superbit DVD’s released by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment: PANIC ROOM, ANACONDA, and SNATCH.

PANIC ROOM

Columbia TriStar’s PANIC ROOM is being heralded as a prominent title in the forefront of the Superbit DVD series. This is a rather unusual offering, since PANIC ROOM is filmed primarily in somber gray and black tones. We all know how much director David Fincher likes rain. It’s dark, and raining outside Meg Altman’s (Jodie Foster) vast, cavernous apartment in New York City. Since the entire movie takes place on the first night Meg and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) moved in, the sharp lines and angles, as well as the near monastic interiors that Fincher works so superbly in, are richly showcased. Vibrant colors are not demonstratively apparent, however, the picture quality is crisp and clear and the movement in the dark by the home invaders is as defined as in the theatrical release.

Watching it again brings the thriller’s technical aspect center stage, especially Fincher’s gliding camera and fluid movement through a house few of us will ever walk through, no less call home. The title sequence remains impressive and brilliant.

Does Meg’s actions hold up on repeated viewings? Well, watching PANIC ROOM again does tend to question her choices, but she knows which telephone wires to fiddle with and how to start an electrical fire. From the comfort of one’s sofa, some of her decisions were stupid. The intruders Burnham (Forest Whittaker), Raoul (Dwight Yoakam) and Junior (Jared Leto) are an inspired trio, with Whittaker always giving his character an added dimension of moral introspection. If someone is going to cave, it’ll be Whittaker. His characters are always thinking things through.

PANIC ROOM has an aspect ratio of 2:40:1 and the only extras are the non-anamorphic teaser trailer, filmographies, and the French audio track with Foster doing the French dub herself! Do I want to watch PANIC ROOM again with Fincher and Foster talking through every setup and explaining every technical device employed? In the case of Fincher, I’d have to say yes. I’m also disappointed in the cardboard case and cardboard slipcover. I much prefer the deluxe packaging used in the other Superbit titles.

ANACONDA

Next up was ANACONDA – admittedly a guilty pleasure and just a fun movie to watch. The picture quality is gorgeous. There’s no way around it. You see it immediately. The lush greens and the vivid colors of the jungle are all perfectly rendered. This is a terrific movie to show off what Superbit can deliver. In this case, ANACONDA without commentary by the director, writer and stars in favor of more visual clarity suits me just fine. The surround sound tracks, both in Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS, works flawlessly to broaden the creepy sounds of the jungle and the river and brings a sharp, detailed-oriented stereo separation.

Anthropologist Steve Cale (Eric Stoltz) leads a documentary film crew headed by director Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez) into the world’s most isolated part of the Amazon jungle to find a lost tribe. Within mere minutes, Cale is incapacitated and spends the rest of the film unconscious on a cot. Flores and her team (including Ice Cube and a subdued Owen Wilson), come across shipwrecked adventurer Paul Sarone (Jon Voight) and take him along. Sarone claims he can help them locate the lost tribe. His secret agenda – capture a live, mythical anaconda -unknowingly becomes their objective as well. Even though this will make a good documentary as well, everyone is suspicious of Sarone. They have reason to be wary of Sarone since he is using them as snake bait.

The silliness is here – the CGI snake looks cheesy (and there’s not enough of it), Jon Voight’s accent is a wacky tribute to Tony Montana by way of Alabama, and Eric Stoltz’s character is still useless; but we do have Jennifer Lopez playing tough and looking appropriately ethnic for the last time. (Lopez looks Irish to me now.) Yet, I screamed and jumped at all the right places, and the slow glide of the Apocalypse Now boat through the jungle was luminous and lush – thanks to Superbit. For more fun, let’s not forget the trippy scene where Flores decides to put on lip gloss and use sex to distract Sarone. Since youth is safely behind him, Voight is working the “still virile, old man” angle with delightful persuasion. You can just hear this goat looking over the cast and saying: ‘Well, I guess I’m the sex symbol of the piece.’

ANACONDA is presented in anamorphic widescreen and has been letterboxed at 2.35:1. There is virtually no discernible film grain. The packaging is first-rate, and, more importantly, sturdy: an Amaray case with a cardboard silver slip sleeve over it. Subtitles are in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai! (What, no Russian?) ANACONDA is a first-rate example of what Superbit is bragging about.

SNATCHEven if you were paying close attention to the dialogue when you saw SNATCH in the theater, you still missed 20% of what was said. Maybe more. With the DVD, you can go back and figure out exactly what the characters are saying. Someone somewhere once said something to the effect that whenever an Englishman opens his mouth, he commends himself. Director Guy Ritchie exploits the different accents that comprise not only the English classes, but the criminal world.

Lots of criminals crowd director/writer Ritchie’s cinematic universe. Ritchie’s talent is putting together small-time hoodlums trying to step up in the criminal hierarchy. It never works out. Ritchie taps into the sociological caste system of Britain by infusing his films with all types of everyday characters most of us will never encounter. Through casting, dialogue, and costuming, Ritchie constructs an ensemble cast rich with colorful characters.

Frankie Four-Fingers (Bencio Del Toro – the man held in high regard for creating incomprehensible, inaudible dialogue as an acting style in THE USUAL SUSPECTS) runs a gang that stole a big diamond. He’s also a degenerate gambler. Boris the Blade is after the diamond and so is an American named Avi (Dennis Farina – destroying his career by starring in TV’s The In-Laws). However, Farina does deliver the film’s most hilarious line to a customs officer. There’s also a boxing promoter named Turkish (Jason Statham), who, with his partner Tony, fixes fights. When they lose their fighter in a match, they make a deal with another one who just happens to be a bare knuckle champion (Brad Pitt), and, a Gypsy no one can understand. The Gypsy is not capable of throwing a fight. This band of Gypsies, always huddling together and only understanding each other, is the treasure piece of SNATCH.

I compared the Superbit SNATCH with my other, original DVD. Both have the same extras: a minute of extra footage from the U.K. edition; six deleted scenes, storyboard comparison, video photo gallery, and U.S. and U.K. trailers.

The ‘standard’ SNATCH and the SUPERBIT SNATCH are a 2-disc set; disc 2 of the SUPERBIT version is a re-packaging of the original SNATCH second disc. Both versions are digitally mastered in anamorphic video with scene selections, widescreen 1:85:1 in English 5.1 Dolby Digital, and come with English, French and “Pikey” (The Pikey subtitles will only appear when the Mickey character [Brad Pitt] is speaking).

The advantage of SUPERBIT SNATCH over standard SNATCH (aside from the improved picture quality, of course) is its inclusion of English DTS and expanded subtitle selection of Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai.

What the standard SNATCH has over SUPERBIT SNATCH is the English Dolby Surround and a French dub, a full-frame version of the film if you like, and a special gem called ‘Stealing Stones.’ Unfortunately, SUPERBIT titles are without audio commentary or a foreign language dub, which standard SNATCH can provide. Director Guy Ritchie and producer Matthew Vaughn give insightful comments into the making of the film, and often joke throughout the commentary about the gem-swallowing dog who ‘rapes’ his human co-stars with incessant leg-humping. So, if it’s really important to hear Ritchie and Vaughn show off their bravado personalities and talk about the horny dog, then you might prefer the original. Yes, I do enjoy listening to the commentaries, once. I watch the movies over and over again.