Fantastic, it's elementary

Sherlock, BBC 1 August 2010

BBC dramas tend to make it or break it with the British public but many have quickly become the love of our TV hearts. Luckily, Sherlock is no exception with the captivating eyes of Benedict Cumberbatch taking centre screen as the eponymous detective.

2010’s reinvention of Arthur Conan Doyle’s quirky hero takes a refreshing new stance, with the Victorian tales being told in the present day. Far from ruining the original, the classic characters fit delightfully well into modern London. Martin Freeman’s Dr Watson is an Afghanistan veteran and mobiles and computers frequently feature in this modern adaptation, both aiding Holmes’ terrific deduction and Moriarty’s dastardly deeds.

The star of the show, Cumberbatch, delivered a suitably electrifying performance as Sherlock Holmes. He managed to maintain the necessary balance between brilliant and bonkers that makes the detective so exciting to watch. Obvious delight at being confronted with a serial killer in the first episode, to those infamous character assessments, Cumberbatch kept the pace and has paved (well, re-paved) the way for a long-lasting and loveable character.

Fortunately, the well-known disputes over Sherlock’s sexuality and drug habits were far from forgotten in this version. Watson’s consistent uncomfortable remarks over his relationship with Holmes added the right dose of humour to their otherwise odd coupling. Whilst in the absence of cigarettes, alcohol or anything a bit stronger, Holmes took to nicotine patches to get the necessary fix for his bizarre thoughts.

Sherlock is stylish, exciting and, like a clichéd fine wine, will inevitably improve with age. By that I mean the second series looks set to be just as fantastic as the first, with each of these episodes being superior to the last. Admittedly, it feels rather Doctor Who-ish (it’s bound to as the programme’s writers, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, both worked on the hit sci-fi show) but personally I think Sherlock is better. The final instalment of this series leaves you on one heck of a cliff hanger and introduces the mysterious Moriarty in a pretty tense show-down. This year’s villain is impressive, as suave as Bond but just about as evil as all of the double-O’s enemies put together.

I do have one teensy tiny problem with this programme though – the music. Excuse me if I’m wrong, but this programme’s score is just one note away from being an exact copy of that of Guy Ritchie’s recent film starring Robert Downey Jr as Holmes. I only know because I loved Hans Zimmer’s composition for this film and actually listened to it on repeat for far too many weeks, much to the dismay of my housemates. Such is the life of a film-lover.

Other than that (and, I admit, a slightly weak villain in the otherwise great first episode) Sherlock hits all the right notes to become the latest BBC success. Freeman is the perfect awkward counterpart to Cumberbatch’s confident and wacky hero, with the rest of the show coming together to create something unique but in keeping with the spirit of Conan Doyle’s creation. I only hope the next series lives up to some high expectations.

Nothing to Declare - Except a Great Film...

Up in the Air
Directed by Jason Reitman, 2010.

From the director of the much loved, Juno, comes Jason Reitman's next popular project, Up in the Air. Featuring the suave George Clooney alongside Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga, this story of life with no baggage, emotional or otherwise, is a telling view of a modern world where 'moving is living' and staying grounded just isn't an option.

Ryan Bingham (Clooney) is a corporate downsizer, ie. he fires people for a living. He spends 99% of his time in the air and on the road, carrying all he needs in one small, wheeled suitcase. He has no friends, his family have seemingly given up hope of seeing and contacting him and the executive lifestyle of every travel and accommodation loyalty programme is all Ryan needs. However, when new technology and a high-flying, rising star of the corporate downsizing world threaten that perfect lifestyle, Bingham is forced to confront what life might be like on the ground.

This film is a gem of entertainment, with excellent acting to suit a brilliant script alongside the quick cuts and slick directing of Reitman. The witty dialogue between the characters provides a smooth ride through this realistic setting and the humour that is undoubtedly needed to balance the bleak reality of Bingham's lifestyle.

Ryan is clearly a character made for Clooney - only he could convince us that the itinerant life of a corporate downsizer might be a good one. His good looks and smooth speech create a sympathy for what is ultimately an isolated character. Anna Kendrick also excels as the young Natalie providing a witty counterpart to Bingham. The two characters create the perfect balance between old and young, man and woman, the emotionally attached and the detached. With only a loose storyline actually driving the film forwards, it is these two, as well as Farmiga as Alex, that keep us watching on, waiting to see how their lives pan out in relation to one another.

Cinematically, this film is beautiful - a great soundtrack mixed with well-edited shots that highlight Bingham's corporate lifestyle come together for some great viewing. The acting can't be faulted, and with some great cameos interspersed, you'll be hooked on the dialogue alone. The love story is unconventional and the storyline feels like a snippet of reality rather than the traditional beginning, middle and end - but this doesn't mean a bad movie. Up In the Air will leave you thinking about what is important in life and contemplating whether those things that 'tie you down' are really keeping you grounded - ultimately, it'll leave you with that cliched 'fuzzy feeling' that you've just watched something different, something great and something cinematically fresh.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Up in the Air'.

A Moment in Time Can Change a Lifetime

On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan

I've read the first of my stocking fillers and I'm not entirely sure what to say about it. Was it well written? Yes. Easy to read? Yes. Did it keep me hooked? Yes. But - and there's always a but - there was something just not quite right about this story.

Obviously it's a modern piece of literature, being shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2007, and everything about the book is modern - the language, the setting, the issue. The time that the book was set in (1962) is particularly interesting - it seems England is on the verge of social change and the young couple of the novel (Edward and Florence) are caught between the old and the new regime. This is central to McEwan's book as he looks back and forward in the lives of the newlyweds.

His technique is a good one, switching subtly back and forward and changing from Edward's perspective to that of Florence. However, personally I find it distracting. I'm reading on, eager to know what's to come, when all of a sudden it's five years previous and I have to read about a little more background. It does build vivid character profiles and the reader soon understands that the rift between Edward and Florence is the result of their diverse childhoods and their burdens. McEwan suggests that perhaps the little details from our childhood, the decisions and the attitudes of our parents might make the difference between success and failure in one moment of our later lives.

That leads me to another aspect of this novel - although the storyline jumps in time, the main event only takes place in the space of a few hours, a moment. This event seems something small, but it is actually a part of a huge factor in any relationship - the physical side. Personally, I believe it comes hand in hand with the emotional side - if you can connect with someone emotionally, you can connect with them physically. However, the difficulty with McEwan's couple is just that - they cannot connect.

Is there not anything more to it? Of course there is. However, I find the blurb a bit misleading - I was ready for a mind-blowing divide between two young people caused by some devastating event or hideous past. Neither came - it is merely an issue between two people who think they are in love but who together, represent discomfort. Here McEwan is impressive - everything about the descriptions and the lovely language he uses expresses this discomfort. The author's descriptions of the two young people alone on their wedding night are my favourite aspect of the book, McEwan deserves to be highly praised for them.

However, although I can acknowledge that On Chesil Beach is a very well written, well structured novel, it does not satisfy me as a reader. It is a book that tells you 'what not to do' but, as a person who likes a good story, I don't find one in this. It is a modern book conveying an everyday issue but the few hours in which the issue surfaces for Edward and Florence feels very drawn out. It is definitely a matter of personal opinion but I do not feel that this book is very touching or insightful - there is nothing particularly unique about it. But if there's one thing this book does convey, it is that one moment in time can change an entire lifetime.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'On Chesil Beach'.