Book adaptations

Young Sherlock Holmes

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Young Sherlock Holmes. Amblin/Paramount 1985.

Before watching the movie:

Going into this one , I know that this is a movie: 1)About Young Sherlock Holmes, and  2)my mother quickly realized I was too young for once. (I don’t remember that incident.)

The blurb isn’t much more helpful. It talks about an “exciting adventure” and a “series of mysterious deaths near… Brompton Academy.” That’s more than enough for me to get a sense of what to expect, actually, but it doesn’t give me much to say. I’ve heard it’s a comedy and that, by nature of its premise, isn’t even attempting to live up to canon.

Side note: I wanted to have a Leslie Nielsen movie this week in light of his death, but was unable to obtain one. The one I chose should be here next week though.

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Batman & Robin

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Batman and Robin. Warner Brothers 1997.

Before watching the movie:

Once again, here’s a film that lives in infamy, a fate that befalls far too many superhero movies. Often derided for being the campiest movie of the Batman series, it’s… well, it broke the franchise. Look at it this way, though: between it and Catwoman, it made Batman Begins possible. I’m hoping to find more reason to appreciate it than that, but if George Clooney is allegedly giving refunds on people’s tickets, how great can it be?

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Jaws

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Jaws. Universal Pictures 1975.

Before watching the movie:

Here’s one for the list of “movies you shouldn’t leave the world without seeing.” At least, that’s the message I’m getting. Why a piece of accidental suspense (the tension is built by not seeing the shark, and they only keep the shark offscreen because it looks fake) is worthy of 35 years and counting of praise is something I don’t quite understand.

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What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

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What's Eating Gilbert Grape? J&M Entertainment/Paramount Pictures 1993.

Before watching the movie:

I know next to nothing about this film, but it was recommended to me years ago. I know there is an autistic character, and Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio are in it.

I expect this to be a drama that I’ll feel better about after I watch it than during, but I’ve been proven wrong before.

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Blade Runner

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Blade Runner. The Ladd Company, 1982 (2007 recut)

Before watching the movie:

Few movies have such radical differences between the theatrical version and the Director’s cut. In fact, the only one I can think of that comes close is Star Trek: The Motion Picture. In order to split the difference, the version I’m watching is “The Final Cut (2007). It’s probably the same in intent to the Director’s Cut, but I believe in putting the director’s intent on the screen, so I chose the latest version for the same reason I prefer widescreen over fullscreen.

Anyway, I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and I’m expecting to see a familiar element here and there in a completely repainted world.

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Shaft

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Shaft. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1971.

Before watching the movie:

Here’s a film (and hit title song) that’s often parodied, been remade relatively successfully, and launched an entire genre of movies, but how many people have actually seen it?

I know that Shaft is a detective, and that he’s awesomely cool. Also he’s black. That’s supposed to be important.

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RoboCop

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RoboCop. Orion Pictures Corporation 1987.

Before watching the movie:

Robocop probably isn’t in the Canon, but it’s big enough that it at least gets a “How Did You Miss It?”

What I understand of this film before seeing it is that there’s a policeman who gets the nightmare version of the Lee Majors/Inspector Gadget treatment. From what I understand, when he gets blown up and put back together with bionics, he’s more machine than human, and dishes out harsh justice unstoppably. Also the future looks like 1982.

From what I can tell, the appeal is violence and explosions, which aren’t my thing. Then again, I probably don’t have that great a grasp on the story, so we’ll see.

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The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

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The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. The Mirisch Film Company 1970.

Before watching the movie:

While I liked the new Sherlock Holmes movie, some Sherlockians (and presumably British Holmesians) disliked how the character portrayals clashed with their understanding of the canon. Even those who based that understanding on something more faithful than the Basil Rathbone serials found some big things to complain about.

While looking around Hulu’s film collection, I happened upon a Holmes adaptation that seems to be another reimagining that may well be more faithful to the idea that lives in many minds than the Robert Downey Jr. Holmes.

Additionally, while I don’t like to bring up school on this blog, my Film Studies professor was a big fan of Billy Wilder, so when I saw that Billy Wilder directed this film, I couldn’t pass it up.

I’ll find out what Billy Wilder’s idea of Holmes is in the main article.

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Conan the Barbarian

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Conan the Barbarian. Dino de Laurentiis Company 1982

Before watching the movie:

I always thought this was an action movie. I expected Arnold Schwarzenegger to basically just run around all buff and kill people and there would be a plot that facilitates that. Looking at the box, it seems this is more of a fantasy, and it’s apparently based off a comic book, which from my experience with non-spandex comics means this is going to be much deeper than Mortal Kombat with Austrian accents.

More ways I was wrong on the other side of the link.

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Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

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Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Cannon Films 1987.

Before watching the movie:

If you’ve heard of this film (and if you haven’t, this thing in front of you is called a computer and the blue thing above you that isn’t made of rock is called the sky), you’ve probably heard its reputation. It’s the movie that almost killed the Superman movie franchise, the last one with Christopher Reeve, and it has a heavy-handed disarmament message, as referenced by its subtitle (the only Superman movie subtitle that isn’t “The Movie,” I might add).

Beyond that, I don’t know what to expect out of it, other than finally having seen every Superman theatrical film. I liked Superman III well enough, but I can agree it was a bad film. From what the entire internet says, this is more of the same, plus an overbearing moral.

After the break, I watch more of the same.

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