The Curious Case of Prometheus

From the very genesis of Ridley Scott’s most recent super-project, Prometheus, one thing was certain: this film felt “big”.  Whether you were lobbying for the production scale, the hype surrounding the film in the months leading up to its release, the film’s relationship to the ‘Alien’ franchise, or even Ridley Scott’s two most recent films (Body of Lies – 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, Robin Hood – 52%), you had a strong case for any of these being most important aspect of the film’s long-term potential success or failure.  When you factor in the release of at least three 2-4 minute videos that were meant to be viewed prior to seeing the film, it would have been easy enough to walk into the theater having predetermined what the taste left in your mouth would be as you walked out.

In a way, my preordained approval of the film helped save me questioning whether or not I actually enjoyed it.  I walked out of it enjoying everything about the film that I knew I would enjoy from seeing the trailer.  I knew the landscapes would be spectacular.  I knew I would love the homage to ‘Alien’.  Still, I had hoped I would leave the theater with more than that.  It was like going to see your favorite comedian performing live, then getting there, and hearing him tell all the jokes the exact same way they were on the HBO special.  You find yourself clapping after jokes in appreciation for how funny they were when you originally heard them, but very rarely do they produce genuine laughter.

The idea that a movie would be so deep and complex that the viewing experiences would be enhanced by watching somewhere in the ballpark of 6-10 minutes of footage that would never be in the film, prior to actually purchasing a ticket, was intriguing to me.  I found myself more intrigued when I actually watched the informative short of the conception of the android David and then, also, the speech by Peter Weyland that was just cerebral enough to make you think this was more than a sci-fi movie.

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Kevin Reviews Things- TV Show: Sherlock

Consider this less of a review and more of a plea.  But you have to watch Sherlock.  I’m serious.  I don’t care who you are or what your interests are – this is an absolute, stone-cold, slam-dunk must-watch.  I don’t care if you’re a fan of the classic Holmes literature or you don’t like British people or whatever.  This is as smart as TV writing gets, and it’s as good as acting gets.

Sherlock is two seasons in right now, making it extremely easy for you to catch up.  Even easier?  Each season contains just three episodes, though each is approximately 90 minutes long, making it more of a mini-series than a typical TV show.  It sets the story of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in the present day, meaning Holmes sends text messages rather than telegrams.  The characters are the same: Mrs. Hudson’s still the landlady, Inspector Lestrade’s the top detective at the police and Jim Moriarty is Holmes’ greatest enemy.  And what characters they are – but we’ll get to that later on in the review.

The series begins with Holmes and Watson at the beginning of their relationship, as Watson’s recently returned from the war in Afghanistan and Holmes is a still fairly unknown “consulting detective.”  

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