Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows (2011)

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Director: Guy Ritchie

Cast: Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes), Jude Law (Dr. John Watson), Jared Harris (Professor James Moriarty), Noomi Rapace (Madam Simza Heron), Stephen Fry (Mycroft Holmes)

Plot: Set in 1891, Holmes is in the pursuit of Moriarty who seems to be at the heart of many unrelated terrorist events and murders. Holmes seems to be the only person tracking Moriarty and enlists the help of his trusted friend, Dr. Watson, even if he is attempting to enjoy his honeymoon after arriving drunk at his own wedding thanks to Holmes. Holmes saves Madam Simza from an assassin sent to kill her after a letter from her brother informs her of potential events linked to Moriarty. Her and her brother were involved in anarchist groups before she escaped when they became too serious. Her brother may now be the key to all the conspiracy and may help Holmes stop Moriarty from his plan to create a World War using said anarchists since he owns a number of war-profiting manufacturer's. Holmes and Watson are on one last job to save the world from this potential supervillian!

I saw this film advertised not long ago and it didn't really catch my eye purely because I never made the time to watch the first film, Sherlock Holmes (2009). I would of preferred to have written this review after watching the first film, however after watching the second, I can't bring myself to do that. It really wasn't the film for me for a number of reasons. I can highlight some strengths and will do so in this review but I feel it could have been a lot better than it was.

The films plot, I feel, is far too complex and advanced for the times and I believe today's audiences would still prefer a far simpler, less Jackie Chan-esque Sherlock Holmes as the hero! Downey Jr. is a great comedic actor and definitely holds in own in this film but in my mind, Sherlock uses his intelligence to solve crimes in London, not his fists.

Nowadays we seem to be far more sensitised to violence and feel the need to see it in every film. I believe the fight scenes and over the top action sequences take away from the films potential. It begins in London and then ends up in Switzerland before anyone has even grasped what the hell is going on! The fact is, a good plot is the very essence of a good film. If your audience are left wondering what has happened for the last 129 minutes, you have done something wrong.

Ritchie did direct a fantastic scenic film, with beautiful shots of Paris, Germany and Switzerland and of course, credit is given to the action scenes even if I do think they are too much. Law and Downey Jr. have great chemistry and bounce off each other in their scenes together, there were a few laughs throughout the film so it does encompass comedy and action well.

I did love the character of Madam Simza, the gypsy fortune teller who was part of the anarchist group involved in this war mystery. She is beautifully gracious in all of the fight scenes, she is strong and intelligent, the perfect accomplice for the dynamic duo of Sherlock and Watson. Law for me was the star of this film, he was perfect as Holmes's sidekick and was effortlessly likable.

My favourite scene was when Sherlock Holmes was disguised as a woman in the train, he was attempting to save Watson on his way to his honeymoon disclosing 'I agree, it's not my best disguise'. I liked the fact that Holmes would go to such obvious extremes to reach his target and still get away with it. Although this got some laughs, I feel true fans of any Sherlock mystery would find the new film adaptations a little too slapstick.

The character of Moriarty was well casted with Jared Harris as he has a very suspicious and cold-hearted air to him. He acted well throughout and was a believable villain. However the character of Sherlock Holmes's brother being casted as Stephen Fry I feel is too undermined, he is far too good to be cast as such a minor character! He was fantastic in the film as the eccentric brother.

My view: The film is good for action lovers. It is worth watching if you like well thought out fight sequences but not if you love mysteries being solved with intellect and having a vintage, old school edge to it. I would have liked it to be less up-to-date and more true to the day it would have been set in.

Rating: 5/10

Check out the trailer and my vlog to Sherlock Holmes 2:

Let me know if you would like this voting system out of 10 to get an idea of this films rating or not! Contact me on @Trishaaa_ or comment below. Also let me know your views of this film.

Paranormal Activity 3

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Directed by: Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost

Cast: Katie Featherston (as Katie), Jessica Tyler Brown (as young Katie), Sprague Grayden (as Kristi), Christopher Nicolas Smith (as Dennis) and Hallie Foote (as Grandma Lois)

In the run up to Halloween I have been excitedly watching some of my favourite horror movies. I love to be scared in a film; it gives you an adrenaline rush that you just don’t get in other genres of film. Horror is by far my favourite type of film as it takes a lot of elements to make a good horror film. You need a good plot, good character development, a hero element, suspense and of course, JUMPS!

I made my way to see Paranormal Activity 3 this week.  I saw the first instalment of the film and thought it was pretty good. Many people laughed and didn’t take it seriously but if you are a horror film buff like me, you look beyond what the normal population see and think and acknowledge the work that was put into this type of film and appreciate it.

I unfortunately never got to see the second film but I actually have it on record now so this week will be a sum up of all the films for me.

The third film was much better than the first purely because of budget. The effects were better and the setting was a bit more varied. The first film obviously had a lower budget and was set purely in the home of the couple. As the first and second film grossed so much with lower budgets, the third film had the luxury of more money and therefore had a better quality to it.

I love documentary style films when they are done right. This film did not have that shaky, hand-held video camera style that makes you feel a bit sick watching it. The cameras are mainly stand-alone ones which was better viewing for me. The characters were really well developed as more time was spent learning about them. The film started in present day and back tracked to the past when the sisters (the women from the first and second films) were young.

The film revolves around why the girls are haunted in their present lives. I love how the third film explains much more about the women and how they are personally susceptible to haunting, not the homes. I won’t give away the ending to the film but all I can say is it is quite creepy!

I am personally scared when children are involved in horror films. It is a common theme in films to choose children as the ones who have the link to the ghost realm as it is a well known phenomenon that children are more susceptible to these things. Take ‘Sixth Sense’, ‘Amityville’, and ‘The Shining’ to name a few films that incorporate children who see ghosts or demons.

There are some genuinely scary bits in this film. There are some good quality jump moments and suspense that builds up to the main events and this is what makes a good horror film. There are moments that are slow going but it all adds to the suspense and if you are a lover of horror films similar to this; you understand that it is all about patience.

I like the characters in this film. Dennis is definitely a leading man and you really root for him in this film, he is very likeable. There are comedy elements, especially thanks to the character of Dennis and his sidekick who helps him track down the ghost in his home. I like it when there is comedy cleverly thrown into horror films as it takes a lot of talent and timing to make a film funny and scary at the same time.

They have cleverly released this film close to Halloween to no doubt have another big grossing film. The release of a film is almost as important as the film itself as this determines the amount of people who will actually go to the cinema rather than doing the dreaded download! The cinema was packed when I went and I know many other showings have been. This will hopefully be another success!

My view: I do recommend this film to horror lovers. There are some really intense, goose bumps on the back of your neck, type of scares. It is the best of the three films so get yourself down to the cinema this Halloween!

Note: This review is going to be featured on @Sliderbee's blog > IMT Movies Reviews

Guest Blogger

Hello Readers!

I am a lover of promo and all I ever want to do on twitter @trishaaa_, is to help other budding bloggers and writers to succeed. Every little helps and since I was featured on Angelique's blog sexyatmidnight.com I thought I should return the kind favour! Guest blogging is a great way to help others out but also to get your name out there too! Tweeters and bloggers love those who help so start being generous and earning those followers!

So here is the post provided by the @Fashion_Fairy herself:

Hi lovely ladies!  My name is Angelique Ell and I’m a newly-wed girl with a passion for make-up, fashion and anything girly!  I’m an avid baker, sewer and gardener and really enjoy keeping myself in tip-top condition.  You can always count on me for an honest and true opinion on anything, as I pride myself on those traits.  I’ve also recently graduated on a BSc Biological and Forensic Science degree at Coventry University and hope to bring my scientific experience into researching the beauty market.  Please come and visit me on my blog at http://sexyatmidnight.blogspot.com. 

Coats, coats, coats...that is the one fashion item that I definitely have to replace this year!   Winter is here with vengeance...and apparently we’ll be getting snow soon!  This is a rather scary thought, because it feels like yesterday when we last had winter.  Where did the summer go?? Did we even HAVE a summer??  I’m not convinced!

Back to coats though!  I’m really thinking about getting myself a parka coat, because they seem to be very multifunctional.  There are times in my life where I look ‘smart’ but for the most part I enjoy being more ‘relaxed’. 

River Island is currently selling this particular parka jacket for an eye-watering £90, but I’d be happy to pay that amount, if I get a few years worth of wear out of it. 

However, there are many different coats that are ‘big news’ this Autumn/Winter 2011 season.  The biggest sellers this winter will undoubtedly be faux fur, leather, gilets, parkas, structured coats and duffle coats.  For the more adventurous individuals there is also the option of padded jackets...I’m not that confident in this look.  This may be because I want to avoid looking like the ‘Michelin Man’!  Hahaha!

Duffle (above) and structured coat (below) courtesy of River Island

Top picture:  Leather jacket with Mongolian Fur Collar from River Island

Bottom picture:  Leather jacket with faux fur collar from River Island

So which one takes your fancy? If you want to browse the coats/jackets on the River Island website, please click here.

 Love Angie xxx

My view: I am loving Angelique's post on coats, since I have recently purchased my new fabulous winter coat! I am a lover of leopard print and got a lovely faux fur one for just £70 from Boohoo!

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I am eagerly waiting for this to arrive!

So please have a look at Angelique's blog if you like her post! She blogs about beauty, fashion, baking and so much more! Everything a girl could want to read about!

Trisha xxx