Track 4: "I Pronounced The Man Dead Myself"

So I saw Sherlock Holmes today with a friend. I was really, really excited for it, because I've been wanting to see it since Christmas. Yet, when I was walking out of the theater, all I could remark was, "Yeah, it was good and all. I liked it. But it could've been a lot more".

Just to clarify a bit, the cast all did a really good job in their roles. Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes pretty much channeled the exact image dancing around in my head of Sherlock Holmes. Jude Law was the good loyal sidekick in Dr. John Watson. Rachel McAdams was quite adorable as Irene Adler. (I love Rachel McAdams by the way.)

With that out of the way, here is where my gripes begin. The main villian, Lord Blackwood, had a distinctly vampirish feel to him. Rachel McAdams' character gave me this same feeling, but to a lesser degree. I could be the only one walking away from the film with this feeling, but, if I'm not, this is an unnecessary addition to the movie. They're just trying to piggyback, in my opinion, on the whole new sexy vampire trend that has swept the nation. This movie was already set to be a blockbuster; therefore, you don't need to add in an insidious trend to get more viewers.

My other major complaint is that I didn't feel like I was actually in the era that the movie is set in. Instead, it felt much more like a modern-day version just trying to look old. I would have enjoyed the movie much more if it had felt more authentic. I don't care what your story is. I'm not going to care if I don't actually feel like I'm in the movie.

8 out of 10

Track 2: "Balancing Black Aspirations With White Fears"

So I saw the movie Invictus today with a friend that I haven't seen for a while. My thoughts on it you ask? Well, it's a pretty decent movie. Directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. It focuses on the presidency of Nelson Mandela, the South African National Rugby Team (The Springboks, which apparently are antelopes), and the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The movie is more or less the predictable, inspirational, based on true events sports movie. One of the major drawbacks is that it never really explains how rugby is played. I understand most of the concepts, but a good deal of the rugby scenes had a tendency to confuse me. All I needed was a good five minute explanation of the sport, but the movie never gave it to me. This definitely detracted from the movie viewing experience in my opinion. In other news, Morgan Freeman looks eerily similar to Nelson Mandela. The beginning of the movie contained historical footage from the Apartheid era, and it was incredibly hard to tell whether it contained Freeman or Mandela. The movie did a pretty bang up job of portraying the fears that surrounded the transition into the Mandela presidency and the South Africa of the future.

Overall, I'd say the movie is generic, but well-made. I definitely want to learn about rugby now. 7.25 out of 10.