D.Moore

A first-class concert. I have to say that Lady Gaga, who never really impressed me with her usual repertoire and provocative performance, showed herself here as a top-notch singer and a charming showgirl. She certainly does not feed on Tony Bennett's fame - on the contrary, she is his equal partner. It could easily have been longer.

One of my favorite Holmes cases and the best episode of the first season of the series. The investigation is a little lighter and the Christmassy mood gives it a warm touch of humanity, Jeremy Brett excels and David Burke as Watson is as good as it gets for this pair.

True, it is not a revolutionary adventure, but I do not think it deserves such harsh criticism. The film is spoiled mainly by the fact that the filmmakers once again didn't know the level and needed to film, for example, jumping on a train or the finale with a herd of digital animals... But they probably didn't even think that more than such unnecessary and not very well done scenes, the viewer would be interested in at least a somewhat thrilling final duel of man against man, during which we could worry just a little bit about the main character or his damsel in distress. Oh well. At least the first hour was pretty good to watch, the wooden Tarzan was actually likable, Samuel L. Jackson amused me here and there, and Gregson-Williams' music was a pleasant surprise.

The atmosphere is priceless, it’s so suspenseful that at times it becomes almost horror. Not that this has prevented Holmes from the obvious enthusiasm with which he sets about his investigation.

I am very fond of the impatient Holmes, who first shouts at a man who is unable to say anything useful, only to look at him in silence and ask further questions just by moving his eyebrows. This case is really brilliant, and not only because of that.

The cases that are not exactly about the search for a sinister murderer are in my opinion the ones that make Holmes who he is. They show him as a capable investigator who is admirably dogged in his pursuit of something that intrigues him, and in doing so helps a man in need, and this film episode captures it all perfectly.

The revelation this time isn't surprising or dramatic, but I still love that the creators chose these somewhat neglected, but not uninteresting, cases to start the series. Holmes is on the move from start to finish (my suspicion that it was Brett's concept that inspired Benedict Cumberbatch the most is getting stronger and stronger), thinking hard and clearly enjoying it, with Watson getting more and more involved with each episode.

The war was (still) at its worst in 1943, it was rocking the world, and it wasn't going to let up, so Ray Harryhausen, very rightly in my opinion, decided to make a propaganda reconstruction of the Battle of Guadalcanal using only models of military vehicles and aircraft - you won't see a single real or puppet soldier in it. Even so, it is very impressive and quite rich in information.

An excellent case, mysterious, suspenseful and perhaps one could even say action-packed. Something tells me I'll soon be one of those people who can't get enough of Brett’s Sherlock. Again, Watson did not accomplish much, but it was still evident that he was very important to Holmes in his thinking and whispering advice during the questioning of the witnesses.

An anarchist fairy tale, actually a pure parody of the story of Goldilocks, which is spoiled only by a prolonged, fatal and unfortunately deadly serious ending. Until then, however, it is a unique piece of work that mixes anything with everything and doesn't really care, because it allows the characters, for example, to speak naturally in contemporary language and to do things that are definitely not appropriate at other times. The spunky hippie princess amused me immensely, as did the gestapo leather coats of the evil prince's steampunk henchmen, the talking beast, or the other princesses entertaining pirates in a way their husbands might not have liked. I have absolutely no idea what such a thing was doing on TV in prime time on Christmas Day and what the consequences will be for the children who saw it, but I was madly amused. And lest I forget, it had great music.