Sherlock Holmes Movie Night: Mystery & Notes!

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around the anticipation of the new Sherlock Holmes movie, with participants sharing their thoughts on its historical accuracy and action-oriented approach. One user expresses concern about the film's portrayal of the Civil War's aftermath, noting inconsistencies with the timeline. Others critique the film for prioritizing action over the traditional detective elements of the Sherlock Holmes stories, suggesting it resembles a Bond movie more than a classic mystery. Despite these criticisms, some viewers found the film entertaining, emphasizing that movies are primarily for entertainment rather than historical accuracy. The conversation also touches on the lack of a consistent Sherlock Holmes film series, contrasting it with the Bond franchise. Overall, the thread highlights mixed feelings about the film's fidelity to the source material and its entertainment value.
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My wife informs me that next weekend I want to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie with her. She likes murder mysteries in general and she especially likes the Sherlock Holmes series with Jeremy Brett. I don't mind seeing all those dead bodies on the TV, but I wish she wouldn't take notes while she watches. I constantly remind her that all the schemes she sees ultimately fail. Has anyone here seen the new movie and care to tell me about it?
 
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My wife informs me that next weekend I want to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie with her.

LOL. I hate it when they make those decisions for us.

I haven't seen it myself but a coworker of mine has seen it and he didn't like all of the action or the historical inaccuracies.

Thanks
Matt
 
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I had a problem with the times. It's supposedly set like 1880s-1890s but they mention a "weakened America due to the Civil War" which occurred in the 1860's...But I still enjoyed the film overall.
 
I won't watch it because I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, and Sherlock Holmes stories are not action flicks with a bunch of explosions and chase scenes.
 
When horses run off the road on a corner do they burst into flames?
Can Watson fire several hundred rounds from his 'trusty service revolver' before reloading?
Does anyone drive a hansom can up a conveniently placed ramp and roll it before skidding in fornt of the bad guys?
 
jimmysnyder said:
My wife informs me that next weekend I want to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie with her. She likes murder mysteries in general and she especially likes the Sherlock Holmes series with Jeremy Brett. I don't mind seeing all those dead bodies on the TV, but I wish she wouldn't take notes while she watches. I constantly remind her that all the schemes she sees ultimately fail. Has anyone here seen the new movie and care to tell me about it?
I know what you mean. My wife reads every murder mystery she can get her hands on, and must know about a thousand ways to get rid of somebody. :rolleyes:
 
turbo-1

I would get nervous if she starts taking notes. LOL

Matt
 
turbo-1 said:
I know what you mean. My wife reads every murder mystery she can get her hands on, and must know about a thousand ways to get rid of somebody. :rolleyes:

CFDFEAGURU said:
turbo-1

I would get nervous if she starts taking notes. LOL

Matt

Alimony ends when the person paying dies. When you're paying alimony, your ex-wife suddenly starts thinking about ways to keep you alive.
 
Matterwave said:
I had a problem with the times. It's supposedly set like 1880s-1890s but they mention a "weakened America due to the Civil War" which occurred in the 1860's...But I still enjoyed the film overall.

Aren't most countries weakened after a war? The Civil War was pretty costly. I wouldn't doubt some effects of the war lingering 20 years later.

I haven't seen the film yet, but if you read it that way it is plausible.
 
  • #10
The Civil war ended in 1865, with reconstruction following shortly thereafter. I'm not 100% on this, but I think by the 1880's and 90's the recovery should have been mostly finished. I don't know if the US was still weakened in the 80's and 90's, I'm not really a history buff, but the way they were talkin about it in the movie made it sound like the civil war just ended.
 
  • #11
Does this help?
wiki said:
The rapid economic development following the Civil War laid the groundwork for the modern U.S. industrial economy. By 1890, the USA had overtaken the level of gross manufacturing output of the United Kingdom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_history_of_the_United_States"
It was called the Gilded Age.

wiki said:
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in publication in 1887.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes"
 
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  • #12
mgb_phys said:
When horses run off the road on a corner do they burst into flames?
Can Watson fire several hundred rounds from his 'trusty service revolver' before reloading?
Does anyone drive a hansom can up a conveniently placed ramp and roll it before skidding in fornt of the bad guys?
:smile::biggrin::smile: This is the movie I want to see!
 
  • #13
Could you please send me some of your latest American detective fiction. I desperately need this material because I am an Englishman studying late 20th century American history.
 
  • #14
Adjuster said:
Could you please send me some of your latest American detective fiction. I desperately need this material because I am an Englishman studying late 20th century American history.

But wouldn't our latest detective fiction be 21st century literature?
 
  • #15
Well, yes: today's books are of this century, while the 20th Century is history now.

I was just trying to suggest that historical accuracy might not be uppermost in the minds of those who produce detective stories, particularly commercial films. It is better to get these things right, no doubt, and I can see that serious inaccuracy could spoil spoil the enjoyment for some. Perhaps though they sometimes take these things too seriously.
 
  • #16
jimmysnyder said:
My wife informs me that next weekend I want to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie with her. She likes murder mysteries in general and she especially likes the Sherlock Holmes
I think she's going to be terribly disappointed, if not annoyed. I think it's about 90% action and 10% Holmes.
 
  • #17
I wonder why there's no Sherlock Holmes series of movies, like Bond movies.
 
  • #18
jobyts said:
I wonder why there's no Sherlock Holmes series of movies, like Bond movies.

I think for the same reason that this erstwhile Sherlock Holmes movie actually had to be written to be as much like a Bond movie as possible - because action sells; brainiacism does not.
 
  • #19
jobyts said:
I wonder why there's no Sherlock Holmes series of movies, like Bond movies.
There's at least one. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce made a bunch of really lousy ones.
 
  • #20
jobyts said:
I wonder why there's no Sherlock Holmes series of movies, like Bond movies.

Gadgets - check (well Sebastian Moran's air rifle)
Cliff hanger ending on waterfall - check
Special effects - luminous dog
Glamorous women - no, apart from Mrs. Hudson

If you get the chance check out the Jeremy Brett UK-tv series.
All the reasonably film-able stories are very faithfull, some of the others are stretched out to feature length but some of the small silly ones from the 'Return of' are missing.
 
  • #21
mgb_phys said:
Cliff hanger ending on waterfall - check
Did you just spoil this?
 
  • #22
I meant the stories - haven't seen the movie.

I don't think the Reichenbach falls is exactly a spoiler, the Final Problem was published in 1893
 
  • #23
Holmes, Sherlock Holmes. The chase scenes, the elaborate slow motion killings that don't work, SPECTER, the bomb set to go off and disarmed at the last moment. Heck, they even had Jaws.
 
  • #25
Thanks folks,

It seems likely that you have saved me from a big disappointment.
 
  • #26
Matterwave said:
I had a problem with the times. It's supposedly set like 1880s-1890s but they mention a "weakened America due to the Civil War" which occurred in the 1860's...But I still enjoyed the film overall.



Accurate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Depression

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recession_of_1882–85

(Or at least a person in Britian from the time had cause to believe such was the case. Of course the degree of the "weakness" of America is debatable.)
 
  • #27
  • #28
I was entertained by this film. Decent escapism for 2 hours. Guy Richie is usually solid.
 
  • #29
I must say it wasn't as good as I was hoping it to be, but I was entertained enough.

What I always say about movies is that if you're looking for intellectual stimulation, go read a book. Movies are for ENTERTAINMENT. Not historical accuracy or enlightenment or anything like that - something that a lot of film cynics seem to forget.
 
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