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2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008
1-20 of 23 items from 2012 « Prev | Next »
John Ostrander: Sherlock 2 – Revisiting The Original Revisionist
4 hours ago | Comicmix.com | See recent Comicmix news »
Spoiler Warning: In reviewing the second series on the BBC series Sherlock, I may discuss some plot points. If you haven’t seen it – and you should – and you want to remain unspoiled on plot twists, best skip this.
By the time I was ten I had read all of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. I love the characters, I love the settings, and I’ve watched many of the movie and TV incarnations of the world’s most famous detective. Basil Rathbone was my initiation to the cinematic Holmes and, for a long time, he was indelible. My major gripe with the Rathbone Holmes movies was that, with only the exception of one or two, they were all set in the era in which they were made, the 30s and 40s, and had little to do with the actual stories. I wanted the gaslight and the London »
- John Ostrander
The Case for Benedict Cumberbatch as the Greatest On-Screen Sherlock
21 May 2012 7:03 AM, PDT | Indiewire Television | See recent Indiewire Television news »
Who is the greatest on-screen incarnation of Sherlock Holmes? It's a complicated question -- acting can be difficult enough to quantify even without the challenge of taking on the most frequently portrayed fictional character in the history of film and television. Each Holmes has had to compete with and be compared to the ones before him, going back to the anonymous actor who starred in the first Holmes film in 1900, a silent 30-second short from Arthur Marvin. Of the dozens of actors to take on the role in the over a century since, a few have been truly outstanding, like Basil Rathbone, to whom the highly entertaining cycle of Holmes films in the 1930s and '40s owe nearly everything. Jeremy Brett's portrayal of the character on British TV starting in 1984 is widely considered definitive -- Brett researched the canonical Holmes meticulously to that end. So I don't mean »
- Danny Bowes
The Case for Benedict Cumberbatch as the Greatest On-Screen Sherlock
21 May 2012 7:03 AM, PDT | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Who is the greatest on-screen incarnation of Sherlock Holmes? It's a complicated question -- acting can be difficult enough to quantify even without the challenge of taking on the most frequently portrayed fictional character in the history of film and television. Each Holmes has had to compete with and be compared to the ones before him, going back to the anonymous actor who starred in the first Holmes film in 1900, a silent 30-second short from Arthur Marvin. Of the dozens of actors to take on the role in the over a century since, a few have been truly outstanding, like Basil Rathbone, to whom the highly entertaining cycle of Holmes films in the 1930s and '40s owe nearly everything. Jeremy Brett's portrayal of the character on British TV starting in 1984 is widely considered definitive -- Brett researched the canonical Holmes meticulously to that end. So I don't mean »
- Danny Bowes
News Nuggets: 'Doctor Who,' 'Sherlock' writer Steven Moffat wins special BAFTA honor
20 May 2012 11:02 AM, PDT | Gold Derby | See recent Gold Derby news »
Steven Moffat to receive a special BAFTA honor: "Recognising his 'outstanding creative writing contribution to television,' the award will be presented on 27 May at London's Royal Festival Hall. Previous recipients include Russell T Davies, who preceded the 50-year-old Scot as 'Doctor Who's' head writer. 'Blimey! A special award!' said Moffat, 'I didn't even know I was ill.' The accolade follows the writing prize he received at last Sunday's Bafta Craft Awards for 'A Scandal in Belgravia,' the first episode of 'Sherlock's' second series." BBC Sherlock Holmes breaks the record as the most portrayed literary character in TV and film history: "Sherlock Holmes, who has been portrayed by actors like Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Baker and many others, has broken the record for having more film and TV portrayals than any other literary character. The super sl. »
Natalie Haynes's guide to TV detectives: #9 – Sherlock Holmes
14 May 2012 5:18 AM, PDT | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »
You can keep your Cumberbatch and Rathbone. Of the 75-odd actors who have played Sherlock Holmes on screen, Jeremy Brett is the man
You can keep Basil Rathbone, fond as I am of him. You can keep Robert Downey, Jr, Benedict Cumberbatch and Peter Cushing. You can even keep Michael Caine in Without A Clue (my secret favourite portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on the big screen). You know why you can keep them? Because, in exchange, I get Jeremy Brett, the Sherlock for the connoisseurs.
Jeremy Brett is the Sherlock Holmes of my childhood, and perhaps (as with the Doctor or James Bond) we simply attach ourselves to the first one we see. But I don't think so. In the ITV series which began in 1984, and ran until a year before Brett's early death in 1995, Sherlock Holmes was as close to his literary roots as he has ever been on screen. »
- Natalie Haynes
Natalie Haynes's guide to TV detectives: #9 – Sherlock Holmes
14 May 2012 5:18 AM, PDT | The Guardian - TV News | See recent The Guardian - TV News news »
You can keep your Cumberbatch and Rathbone. Of the 75-odd actors who have played Sherlock Holmes on screen, Jeremy Brett is the man
You can keep Basil Rathbone, fond as I am of him. You can keep Robert Downey, Jr, Benedict Cumberbatch and Peter Cushing. You can even keep Michael Caine in Without A Clue (my secret favourite portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on the big screen). You know why you can keep them? Because, in exchange, I get Jeremy Brett, the Sherlock for the connoisseurs.
Jeremy Brett is the Sherlock Holmes of my childhood, and perhaps (as with the Doctor or James Bond) we simply attach ourselves to the first one we see. But I don't think so. In the ITV series which began in 1984, and ran until a year before Brett's early death in 1995, Sherlock Holmes was as close to his literary roots as he has ever been on screen. »
- Natalie Haynes
'Sherlock': Is Benedict Cumberbatch the best Holmes? [Poll]
3 May 2012 2:17 PM, PDT | Zap2It - From Inside the Box | See recent Zap2It - From Inside the Box news »
Since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle penned his popular tales of amateur sleuth Sherlock Holmes in 1887, he's captured the imagination of readers. And filmmakers/TV execs anxious to translate the astute detective's annoying charm to the screen. With Sunday's (May 6) debut of "Sherlock" Season 2 on PBS, the clamor for Benedict Cumberbatch's Holmes is growing into a frenzy.
But all the buzz has Zap2it wondering -- is Cumberbatch the best Holmes ever?
The truth is the character is so appealing, there's plenty of room for concurrent Holmes projects. In addition to Cumberbatch, Holmes is also played on the big screen by Robert Downey Jr. in a pair of blockbuster Guy Ritchie movies. And though both are loved, they couldn't be more different.
In fact, the most popular Sherlocks over the years -- Cumberbatch, Downey and the nosy (What? He's a detective) Basil Rathbone each took a markedly different approach to the character. »
- editorial@zap2it.com
[Now Streaming] Your ‘Five-Year Engagement,’ ‘The Raven’ and ‘The Pirates! Band of Misfits’ Alternatives
26 April 2012 6:00 AM, PDT | The Film Stage | See recent The Film Stage news »
Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to worthwhile titles currently available on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we offer alternatives to The Five-Year Engagement, The Raven and The Pirates! Band of Misfits.
Jason Segel co-stars with Emily Blunt in a comedy he penned with Nicholas Stoller that follows the bumpy journey of one couple from the proposal to the wedding day. Chris Pratt & Alison Brie co-star.
Longing for some R-rated rom-coms:
Then She Found Me (2007) Helen Hunt stars as a woman whose husband (Matthew Broderick) walks out when she decides to adopt. Then she discovers the identity of her biological mother (Bette Midler) and meets the man of her dreams (Colin Firth, major upgrade.) But things get tricky when she discovers she’s pregnant with her husband’s baby.
Frankie and Johnny (1991) Scarface co-stars Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer re-team for this »
- jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
Guillermo del Toro on The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
22 April 2012 9:54 PM, PDT | Trailers from Hell | See recent Trailers from Hell news »
Rko’s biggest budget film to date remains one of the finest literary adaptations ever, and is arguably Charles Laughton’s greatest screen role. His protege Maureen O’Hara never looked more stunning as the gypsy girl. Among the actors considered for Quasimodo were Orson Welles, Bela Lugosi, Claude Rains, Robert Morley and Lon Chaney Jr., whose father made an indelible impression in the earlier silent version. Cedric Hardwicke is creepy in the villain role intended for Basil Rathbone, and Edmond O’Brien is almost unrecognizably young and svelte in his first movie. This was the only picture shown at the first Cannes Film Festival, which was canceled when Hitler invaded Poland.
»
- Marty Melville
The Essentials: 5 Of Michael Curtiz's Greatest Films, On The 50th Anniversary Of His Death
10 April 2012 8:05 AM, PDT | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
With the arrival of the auteur theory, filmmakers like Michael Curtiz no longer get as much sway among the current generation of directors. Curtiz (born Kertész Kaminer Manó in Hungary in 1886), was a journeyman, a man who flourished in the studio system after being picked out by Jack Warner for his Austrian Biblical epic "Moon of Israel" in 1924. He stayed at the studio for nearly 20 years, taking on whatever he was assigned at a terrifyingly prolific rate -- he made over 100 Hollywood movies up to "The Comancheros" in 1961. And some of them are terrible, as you might expect.
But Curtiz was also responsible for some of the greatest films of the era, and those who diminish his abilities (including the director himself, who once said "Who cares about character? I make it go so fast nobody notices") are ignoring his enormous skill behind the camera, and his undeniable capacity for »
- Oliver Lyttelton
This Week in Film History: Rocky, The Matrix, and More!
3 April 2012 2:09 PM, PDT | Cineplex | See recent Cineplex news »
First published in serial form in 1901, The Hound of Baskervilles had been adapted into a number of silent films. But it wasn’t until March 31, 1939 when 20th Century Fox released the version starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson that audiences at last got to hear the character speak.
Fox had only intended the film to be a single production, but it proved so popular that the studio began pumping out two Sherlock Holmes films a year, with Rathbone and Bruce appearing in 14 films between 1939 and 1946, as well as in a number of radio plays, “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.” The first two films were set in Victorian England, where Holmes originated. The other films were modernized to serve as propaganda for the Allied war effort. The Hound of Baskervilles was Rathbone’s favorite of the films he would forever be linked to (and »
- Rob Lazar
TCM Classic Film Festival Continues To Expand In Final Weeks Before April 12 Opening
28 March 2012 1:28 PM, PDT | WeAreMovieGeeks.com | See recent WeAreMovieGeeks.com news »
Latest Additions Include Star-Studded Appearances, Noted Film Historians,
An Opening-Night Poolside Screening of High Society (1956)
And a Vanity Fair Showcase of Architecture in Film
Complete Schedule for 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival
Now Available at http://www.tcm.com/festival
With just over two weeks left before opening day, the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival continues to expand its already-packed slate with new events and live appearances:
On opening night of the festival, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will be the site of a poolside screening of the lavish Cole Porter musical High Society (1956), starring Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Actresses Maud Adams and Eunice Gayson will attend a 50th Anniversary screening of the James Bond classic Dr. No (1962) and participate in a conversation about being “Bond Girls.” Filmmaker Mel Brooks will be on hand to introduce his brilliant parody Young Frankenstein (1974). Filmmaker John Carpenter will introduce his favorite film, the »
- Michelle McCue
Oscars long love affair with royalty
24 March 2012 11:26 AM, PDT | Gold Derby | See recent Gold Derby news »
Although notorious for being independently minded rebel residents of the democratic U.S. of A., Oscar voters have always bowed to royalty with shameless reverence. Let's take a royal tour through Academy Awards history. "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (1933) won Best Actor for Charles Laughton in the title role. "Cleopatra" (1934) won Best Cinematography. Joe Mankiewicz's bloated 1963 version won four Oscars (Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Visual Effect) and reaped a lead bid by Rex Harrison as well as a Best Picture nod. "Romeo and Juliet" (1936) was the screen adaptation of a Shakepearean play commissioned by Elizabeth I. It secured nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress (Norma Shearer), Supporting Actor (Basil Rathbone) and Art Direction. "Conquest" (1937) landed a Best Actor nod for Charles Boyer as Emperor Napoleon Boneparte and an Art Direction nomination. "Marie Antoinette" »
TCM Classic Film Festival Adds Award-Winning Stars, Filmmakers And More
8 March 2012 7:40 PM, PST | WeAreMovieGeeks.com | See recent WeAreMovieGeeks.com news »
The 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival has unveiled another spectacular lineup of special guests and events for this year’s four-day gathering in Hollywood. Among the newly announced participants for this year’s festival are five-time Emmy® winner Dick Van Dyke, Oscar® winner Shirley Jones, two-time Golden Globe® winner Angie Dickinson, six-time Golden Globe nominee Robert Wagner, seven-time Oscar nominee Norman Jewison, longtime producer A.C. Lyles and three-time Oscar-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker. In addition, the festival will feature a special three-film tribute to director/choreographer Stanley Donen, who will be on-hand for the celebration.
As part of its overall Style and the Movies theme, the festival has added several films featuring the work of pioneering costume designer Travis Banton. Oscar-nominated costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis will introduce the six-movie slate, with actress and former Essentials co-host Rose McGowan joining her for one of the screenings.
Other festival additions include a screening »
- Michelle McCue
George Cukor/Oscar Actors: Judy Holliday, Ronald Colman
22 February 2012 3:42 PM, PST | Alt Film Guide | See recent Alt Film Guide news »
William Holden, Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday George Cukor: Oscar Actors' Director Pt.2 George Cukor-directed movies: twenty-one acting nominations; five wins. (s) supporting category; (*) Academy Award winner 1930-31 Fredric March, The Royal Family of Broadway (co-directed with Cyril Gardner) 1936 Norma Shearer, Romeo and Juliet Basil Rathbone (s), Romeo and Juliet 1937 Greta Garbo, Camille 1940 * James Stewart, The Philadelphia Story Katharine Hepburn, The Philadelphia Story Ruth Hussey (s), The Philadelphia Story 1944 Charles Boyer, Gaslight * Ingrid Bergman, Gaslight Angela Lansbury (s), Gaslight 1947 * Ronald Colman, A Double Life 1949 Deborah Kerr, Edward, My Son 1950 * Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday 1954 James Mason, A Star Is Born Judy Garland, A Star Is Born 1957 Anthony Quinn, Wild Is the Wind Anna Magnani,Wild Is the Wind 1964 * Rex Harrison, My Fair Lady Stanley Holloway (s), My Fair Lady Gladys Cooper (s), My Fair Lady 1972 Maggie Smith, Travels with My Aunt »
- Andre Soares
George Cukor: Oscar Actors Director
22 February 2012 3:41 PM, PST | Alt Film Guide | See recent Alt Film Guide news »
James Stewart, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, The Philadelphia Story George Cukor: Oscar Actors' Director Pt.1 Additionally, the "gay sensibility" nonsense ignores the fact — and that is a fact — that George Cukor was equally adept at directing male actors. Clark Gable may have gotten Cukor fired from the Gone with the Wind set, but the extensive list of Cukor-directed performers nominated for Academy Awards includes Fredric March (The Royal Family of Broadway), Basil Rathbone (Romeo and Juliet), Charles Boyer (Gaslight), James Mason (A Star Is Born), Anthony Quinn (Wild Is the Wind), and no less than three male Oscar winners: James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story), Ronald Colman (A Double Life), and Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady). Cukor also guided numerous other male stars, including Spencer Tracy (five times), Cary Grant (three times), John Barrymore (three times), Melvyn Douglas (twice), Robert Taylor (twice), Joel McCrea (twice), William Holden, David Manners, Laurence Olivier, »
- Andre Soares
Miller To Play U.S. TV's Sherlock
15 February 2012 12:01 AM, PST | WENN | See recent WENN news »
Trainspotting star Jonny Lee Miller is to follow in the footsteps of Robert Downey, Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Basil Rathbone and Rupert Everett after signing on to play Sherlock Holmes in a new U.S. TV drama series.
Miller, who was briefly married to Angelina Jolie, will lead the cast of Elementary - a modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous London sleuth.
In the series, which is loosely based on Cumberbatch's hit British show Sherlock, Miller - as Holmes - will solve cases and fight crime in New York City, according to Deadline.com. »
Review: Sherlock Holmes on Screen
13 February 2012 10:00 AM, PST | Shadowlocked | See recent Shadowlocked news »
If there is one famous literary character that has made such an impact on film and television, it has to be Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle’s immortal detective. Holmes has generated such a fascination for filmmakers; he is probably more popular, and certainly more prolific, than Dracula and James Bond put together. The number of Holmes films produced since the pioneering days of the silent era is so extensive it’s unlikely the Great Detective will ever be absent from our screens for very long.
Within the last couple of years, Holmes has become fashionable again thanks to Robert Downey Jr’s cinematic reinvention of the role in two successful Guy Ritchie movies and the excellent TV series Sherlock, which effectively transports Holmes (brilliantly played by Benedict Cumberbatch) to modern day London. Oddly enough the concept is not a new one considering Holmes, like Dracula, is a man of his time »
Benedict Cumberbatch voted greatest ever on-screen Sherlock Holmes
17 January 2012 8:14 AM, PST | digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news »
Benedict Cumberbatch has been named the greatest ever on-screen Sherlock Holmes. Over 2,000 people voted in a poll for Digital Spy and the current star of BBC One's Sherlock won the title with a whopping 58% of the vote. Jeremy Brett, who played the detective in four Granada TV series between 1984 and 1994, was in second place with 18.6% of the vote. Robert Downey Jr, the star of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, was placed third, with 15.6%. The full top five was as follows: 1. Benedict Cumberbatch - 58%
2. Jeremy Brett - 18.6%
3. Robert Downey Jr - 15.6%
4. Basil Rathbone - 5.1%
5. Peter (more) »
- By Mayer Nissim
Who is the best on-screen Sherlock Holmes? - poll
11 January 2012 8:23 AM, PST | digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news »
As series two of BBC's Sherlock comes to a close this week and Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows winds down in cinemas we've started thinking about the all-time great Holmes. While we'll never be able to put the question to author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, we're interested in who you think is the best on-screen depiction of the detective. Around 75 actors have played the part in over 211 films, but we've narrowed our shortlist to the most well-known and well-loved. Vote in our poll below to let us know your favourite! Our shortlist includes Basil Rathbone from the 1939 to 1946 14-film series, Jeremy Brett in Granada Television's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes from 1984 to (more) »
- By Mayer Nissim
2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008
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