It’s a clash of the colons this week on Player Affinity with our featured trailer slinking its way in with the sequel to the Christmas hit, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which reunietes Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as the oddball sleuths. After last week's War Horse, Steven Spielberg has unleashed his second movie clip of this year's upcoming holiday season in the motion capture adventure The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn. Then, before The Dark Knight Rises finally whets our salivating palates, the animated origin tale Batman: Year One makes its way to home video, followed with a cringe-worthy offering with the latest Adam Sandler comedy Jack and Jill (this time with the comedian sporting a wig and a false bosom). Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a bunch of movie trailers/Jack fell down and well, it’s Trailer Tracker.
New clips this week:
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the
Unicorn
Batman: Year One
Jack and Jill
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
I’ll admit, regardless of what comprised this trailer, I would have been at this sequel having been a huge fan of the original thanks in part to the combination of director Guy Ritchie’s flair (a trait I’ve admired on more than one occasion while have been the scourge of another’s moving-going procession) the performances and rather complex and snappy script. Action heavy (what follow-up action trailer isn’t?) tacking on the wonderful Noomi Rapace from the Swedish version of the "Millennium Trilogy," and finally introducing the nemesis to end all rivals, Prof. Moriarty, this has me tingling with deadpan anticipation. Oh and did I mention Downey Jr. is in drag?
Viewers were split about
the original Sherlock Holmes, with
many appalled at how their beloved source material was handled; others
defended it on merits that stretched far into Holmes-nerd territory, and like
myself, a great number enjoyed it as better-than-average popcorn flare with a
great sense of fun and setting. There is nothing to suggest “A Game of Shadows”
will be anything different and if anything I’m truly hoping for the Empire Strikes Back or The Dark Knight of this growing
franchise. Even if this sequel achieves some higher level of recognition, I
imagine many will remain in their respective camps. So be it. As such I can’t
wait for another dose of the subtle bromance/duel of wits “Sherlock Holmes” has
to offer.
The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Growing distain for
motion-capture aside, how can I turn my nose at a Spielberg flick, let alone a
project centered around one of my favourite childhood idols, let alone a
project that seems to hold the spirit of the original animated films and
television series (I have not read the comic books)? After a vague teaser, we
finally get a full, action-heavy and grand look at this Christmas debut full of
all the characters such as Captain Haddock, Thomson and Thomson and Snowy that
made this re-makeable material in the first place. Like I stated in my War Horse blurb, I’m just excited to see
an actual directorial outing from the master and not a project where he
slightly empties his pockets only to have them filled three times fuller.
Batman: Year One
The likes of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman/Superman: Public Enemies, Under the Red Hood and Superman/Batman: Apocalypse have been popular if varying successful direct-to-video additions to the current Batman franchises. Now, in Batman Begins fashion, The Caped Crusader’s past is explored from the murder of his parents to his eventual rise to masked vigilante. Despite not being a comic book fanatic and admiring Nolan’s interpretive efforts to no end, I have enjoyed a number of these side offerings especially such instance as Robin’s demise in one such project (I shall not spoil-away too much). Generally I am a fan of origin tales (thought of course carefully orchestrated ones) and this will be another big screen dose of Batman I will savour.
Jack and Jill
Derivative Adam Sandler + Eddie Murphy-style-drag and duel performances = Jack and Jill. Cya next week!