about that movie everyone's talking about
Belatedly,
I saw it last Thursday, already, and it took me this long to stop hoping my thoughts would percolate into pearls of wisdom. Or something. Mostly, like I've been enthusing to
cosmic, so much of my pleasure in that film is intertwined with my overwhelming happiness that Robert Downey Jr. exists and I thought maybe a slow approach would help untangle the two. That's what I thought, because I am a fool and didn't realize what would actually happen is I'd go on a massive RDJ binge and pretty much feel even flailier about his excellent self. So, yeah.
I loved every second of that movie. Loved. All the same, I agree kind of really hard with bookshop's widely linked meta. On its own, I feel equally delighted about Holmes and Watson's marriage partnership whether you bring sex and romance into it or not, but as part of that whole thing that's going on where the ambiguity is there to titillate those that want it and pacify those that would be put off by actual queers in their movies... yeah, not so delightful.
On a less cranky note! Watson. OMG. My familiarity with all previous versions is patchy at best, but I've gleaned from interviews and from reading some of the books waaaaaaay back when that this sharp guy kicking ass and taking names is taking the character back to his roots, which, I'll just take a moment to applaud. A lot. This makes sense to me in a way that Poirot and Hastings don't, you know? Also, O HAI, JUDE. I feel like it's 1999 again and my eyes are permanently stuck on heartshapes over him.
From Watson to Mary, who, I hate to say, I can't get behind. At all. I felt like the entire purpose of the character was to pose a threat to the actual significant couple in the story (though frankly I didn't get the feeling Watson was all that committed to putting her before Holmes), then later come around to accepting and finally affirming our heroes' special relationship. I want to see the makings of a happily ever after for John Watson and his two life partners, or an OT3 if that propels your submarine, but I'm kind of just seeing a woman getting sidelined.
But the thing I've been talking about most when I talk this movie with people isn't any of that, it's the music. LOVE. From the score to the way they incorporated Holmes's violin--the dull plunking sounds--everything fit. Hans Zimmer said this in an interview I've closed the tab on:
"It did come as a bit of a surprise to the studio: to have their big, multi-million-dollar movie scored with a banjo and squeaky violins. I didn't want to do a big orchestral score. I wanted the music to have edges, I wanted to hear the noise in Holmes's head. When somebody played a note I wanted to hear the how, why, what for. The film is set in the middle of the industrial revolution, so the music wheezes and screeches and splutters."
Yeah, you sure did that, Hans. ♥ This is the first score in ages I'm tempted to buy, because I can't stop listening to it, and that's a once-in-a-blue-moon thing for me--most scores aren't interesting to me once you strip away the visuals, the dialogue, whatever goes with the music in the film. Sometimes, though, sometimes you get this, and it is epic. ♥
Finally, Robert Downey Jr. exists. MAD LOVE.
This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. Comments:
.
I saw it last Thursday, already, and it took me this long to stop hoping my thoughts would percolate into pearls of wisdom. Or something. Mostly, like I've been enthusing to
cosmic, so much of my pleasure in that film is intertwined with my overwhelming happiness that Robert Downey Jr. exists and I thought maybe a slow approach would help untangle the two. That's what I thought, because I am a fool and didn't realize what would actually happen is I'd go on a massive RDJ binge and pretty much feel even flailier about his excellent self. So, yeah.
I loved every second of that movie. Loved. All the same, I agree kind of really hard with bookshop's widely linked meta. On its own, I feel equally delighted about Holmes and Watson's marriage partnership whether you bring sex and romance into it or not, but as part of that whole thing that's going on where the ambiguity is there to titillate those that want it and pacify those that would be put off by actual queers in their movies... yeah, not so delightful.
On a less cranky note! Watson. OMG. My familiarity with all previous versions is patchy at best, but I've gleaned from interviews and from reading some of the books waaaaaaay back when that this sharp guy kicking ass and taking names is taking the character back to his roots, which, I'll just take a moment to applaud. A lot. This makes sense to me in a way that Poirot and Hastings don't, you know? Also, O HAI, JUDE. I feel like it's 1999 again and my eyes are permanently stuck on heartshapes over him.
From Watson to Mary, who, I hate to say, I can't get behind. At all. I felt like the entire purpose of the character was to pose a threat to the actual significant couple in the story (though frankly I didn't get the feeling Watson was all that committed to putting her before Holmes), then later come around to accepting and finally affirming our heroes' special relationship. I want to see the makings of a happily ever after for John Watson and his two life partners, or an OT3 if that propels your submarine, but I'm kind of just seeing a woman getting sidelined.
But the thing I've been talking about most when I talk this movie with people isn't any of that, it's the music. LOVE. From the score to the way they incorporated Holmes's violin--the dull plunking sounds--everything fit. Hans Zimmer said this in an interview I've closed the tab on:
"It did come as a bit of a surprise to the studio: to have their big, multi-million-dollar movie scored with a banjo and squeaky violins. I didn't want to do a big orchestral score. I wanted the music to have edges, I wanted to hear the noise in Holmes's head. When somebody played a note I wanted to hear the how, why, what for. The film is set in the middle of the industrial revolution, so the music wheezes and screeches and splutters."
Yeah, you sure did that, Hans. ♥ This is the first score in ages I'm tempted to buy, because I can't stop listening to it, and that's a once-in-a-blue-moon thing for me--most scores aren't interesting to me once you strip away the visuals, the dialogue, whatever goes with the music in the film. Sometimes, though, sometimes you get this, and it is epic. ♥
Finally, Robert Downey Jr. exists. MAD LOVE.
This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth. Comments:
.