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Elementary (2012)
Much Better Show
When CBS put "Elementary" on the chopping block at the end of last season, I couldn't wait for the axe to fall and prematurely wrote my final review entitled, "Goodbye Elementary". It was painful to watch the modern day New York adaptation of the famous English sleuth and his doctor companion become more tedious and time consuming than entertaining, mainly because the writers had drifted away from creator Robert Doherty's original mystery theme. Sherlock Holmes' (Johnny Lee Miller) deductive skills were now so tangential to the story line that when he exposed the "unlikely" criminal, his logic seemed far fetched and overplayed. Fans lost interest and turned their attention elsewhere, downgrading the show to background noise.
Joan Watson (Lucy Lui) no longer had her exotic sheen and Morland Holmes (John Noble), Sherlock's father, was not only a long winded, unnecessary character in the show but took the stories in more dramatic directions, leaving mystery fans unengaged and twiddling their thumbs. On the bright side, Natalie Dormer played her role as criminal mastermind Jamie Moriarty with the same sinister coldness as her "Game of Thrones" character, Margaery Tyrell.
Not only has CBS renewed the show for a seventh season but seems to have given it a full makeover.
The dialogue is more precise and clever and the production values have been bumped up. Seeing Joan Watson dressed in a designer outfit, having lunch in a swanky New York restaurant adds some real sparkle to the screen. And more importantly, Holmes' brilliant skills of deduction are once again prominent throughout every story line and cast a wide enough net to catch culprits wily enough to elude NYPD patriarch, Captain Thomas Gregson (Aidan Quinn) and Detective Marcus Bell (Jon Michael Hill).
There is little chance that CBS will renew "Elementary" again next year but season seven deserves a second look, especially from past viewers like myself who had given up watching in despair.
Our Brand Is Crisis (2015)
Election Year
Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock)is a hardened, political consultant recruited by an American political campaign team to overcome a huge lead in the Bolivian election and get their candidate, Senator Pedro Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida) elected as the new President. Although slow to take charge and rally the troops, "Calamity" Jane eventually becomes the energized, back alley brawler she is known to be and throws herself completely into the challenge and at the same time settles an old score with her nemesis (Billy Bob Thornton). While critics maintain that Bullock's performance was lackluster, I saw her character, Jane Bodine,as fresh, original, and nuanced. Billy Bob Thornton reaffirmed his versatility as an actor and the remarkable footage of Bolivia established the invasive nature of the American puppet masers. I rate this movie 8 out of 10.
Ghostbusters (2016)
IMDb Rating Wrong Again
Once again, the IMDb reviewers got it wrong. Is it lol funny? No. Is it engaging, well written, well produced, and yes, true to the original movie? Hell, yes! Finally, Melissa McCarthy shows her genuine warmth and humour, perhaps because she is playing opposite Kristen Wiig who can act like no one is watching. Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon round out the close knit team. Both the paranormal science and ghost busting devices seem quite reasonable and add to the story line. Chris Hemsworth serves as eye candy for the female audience although his ham- fisted awkwardness does nothing but take up time. The publicity surrounding Bill Murray's appearance, one of the original ghostbusters was perhaps more cleverly contrived than meets the eye. I, for one, did not expect to see Sigourney Weaver and was totally clueless to Dan Akyroyd's cameo as the cab driver. The final shot of New York city light up in hearts for the ghostbusters was touching and was followed up by a special gesture for Harold Ramis.
The Hoarder (2015)
A Smart Horror Film
"The Hoarder" is a smart horror film that gets A+ across the board; set design, plot, dialogue, and acting are all first class. Ella (Mischa Barton) and her edgy friend want to snoop in her fiancee's storage locker as she suspects him of cheating. The facility is attractive, modern, and well managed compelling the audience to embrace the movie then recoil in horror as the normality takes a horrible twist, a technique perfected by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, who directed movies such as "The Birds" and "Marnie. This is the best story line for any movie genre written in decades and casts a poor light on the 4.5 rating on the IMDb website.