Fly the Friendly Skies

For over twenty years, Denzel Washington has been among the best actors in Hollywood, and for good reason. Cry Freedom; Glory; Malcolm X; Philadelphia; Crimson Tide; Courage Under Fire; The Preacher's Wife; Devil in a Blue Dress; The Hurricane; Remember the Titans; Training Day; Antwone Fisher; American Gangster; The Great Debaters; The Book of Eli; Safe House; if that list seems like a random mishmash of titles, it's because Washington seems perfectly at home whether he's playing a military man in an action thriller or a blue collar detective in a noire mystery or an angel in a romantic fantasy. That he will be remembered as one of the premiere black actors is almost a shame; his talent crosses color barriers, and hopefully history won't remember him as "just" a black actor but a wonderful performer overall. Sure, he's seen his share of mediocre movies (seriously, what actor doesn't have a list of embarrassments?), but he always manages to bring his "A" game to whatever project he's on, and raises the quality of the film by sheer force of will. That's certainly the case with Flight, which also has the distinction of being the first live-action film directed by Robert Zemeckis in over a decade.

"Not sure that's quite enough flattery"

William "Whip" Whitaker (Washington) is a veteran commercial airline pilot making a routine flight from Orlando to Atlanta when the plane he is captaining suddenly fails and goes into a dive with 106 people aboard. Through sheer skill and a just little luck, Whitaker manages to crash-land the plane and save most of the people aboard, proving himself a real American hero. But Whitaker has a problem; he's an alcoholic, and not only drank and did drugs in excess in the days leading up to the incident, but during the doomed flight itself as well. Alone that issue would be worth five years in jail, but with the crash suffering some fatalities, his problems might mean life in prison for the troubled aviator.

The movie that will make people stay at home this holiday season.

With an estimated 140 million people worldwide suffering some form of alcoholism, Flight makes itself much more accessible a tale of mental sickness than last year's Shame, which focused on much-disregarded sexual addiction. But while that NC-17 title brought a host of unique imagery in to tell its story, Zemeckis doesn't do nearly as well in Flight, which often gives us cliche and stereotypical ideas and characters in lieu of anything approaching actual feeling. I do have to give the director and screenwriter John Gatins some credit; Whip is an unrepentant jerk with an ego the size of Manhattan, and the filmmakers don't go out of their way to turn him into a saint or a misunderstood savant. They go out of their way to treat the disease of alcoholism with respect and honesty. But while it might be wholly realistic for such a stricken man to constantly renounce his problem and throw all the liquor in the house away only to buy it all back later, the scene becomes less tragic and more superfluous the more you show it on screen. Zemeckis obviously feels more at home in Uncanny Valley (it's ironic he's getting out of the 3D animation game just as it's really getting good) and doesn't have the same feel for real living actors as he did in the days of the Back to the Future trilogy, Forest Gump or even Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

"No more questions about Training Day, please."

But while Washington is partially sabotaged by his creative team, he responds by putting on one of his most impressive performances in years. As I stated before, Washington is simply one of the best, and you can see him undergoing this emotional roller coaster with each new scene, as one by one Whip alienates and shrugs off the advice and help offered by his friends and compatriots, including the (somewhat shoehorned) romance with a recovering drug addict (a surprisingly strong Kelly Reilly). But while Washington excels, the script wastes a vast ensemble cast that includes Reilly, John Goodman, Tamara Tunie, Don Cheadle, Bruce Greenwood, Brian Geraghty, Melissa Leo and an absolutely wonderful early scene by James Badge Dale. I don't know if this was a conscious decision, but the film insists on being all about Whip and only Whip, brushing aside the potentially interesting characters and extremely talented actors to the wings.

Cue rock anthem... now.

While he does his best to overcome overwrought material, Washington still can't make a mediocre Flight the Oscar favorite that many reviewers are calling it. He is still one of the best performers in Hollywood, and one of the few black men who can producers feel comfortable headlining a major motion picture without saddling him alongside a bigger white star. You can also look forward to seeing him nominated for another Academy Award this year, as both his work here and a dearth of sufficiently high-caliber performances this year all but guarantees him a nomination alongside Lincoln's Daniel Day Lewis and The Sessions' John Hawkes. I also wasn't bored with one minute of the two-plus hour film, so if you're okay with watching Washington commanding the screen with his usual panache for 139 minutes, then you might consider taking a flier on this one. Washington's too good an actor to make a really  BAD movie, but there's still better fare out that you can enjoy more.

A Game Afoot

Well, not EVERY December film release aspires to be a major award winner. While studios DO release what they consider to be the best of the best at this time of the year in anticipation for the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, SAG awards et al, they still need to make money for their efforts. With so many nominated films being limited released, niche affairs, it only makes sense to put out a few serious moneymakers to distract those who might not have (or don't wish to see) The Artist or Shame playing at a theater near them just yet. That's why I saw Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows this past weekend. The sequel to the Guy Richie-directed 2009 Sherlock Holmes, this film brings back not only the visually prolific director, but arguably the best duo to have ever played the incomparable Sherlock Holmes and his loyal assistant Dr. John Watson. I'm the first to admit that I didn't think much of the casting choices when they were laid out two years ago, as Robert Downey Jr. had only recently proven his value and drug rehabilitation with 2008's superhero flick Iron Man, and I've tended to dislike Jude Law in whatever film he appeared (a trend that still continues today, mind you). When I did get around to seeing the new interpretation of the master detective, what stuck me most was the ability of the lead actors to play perfectly off of one another, which was more than enough to make up for the film's most acute flaws. This playful character interaction was what made me so excited to see the newly-released A Game of Shadows, as well as the addition of Swedish actress Noomi Rapace to the cast. Rapace made a name for herself playing Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish film adaptation of the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson (Rooney Mara, you have a lot to live up to), and I was excited to see what she could bring to her first English language film.

And THAT'S what happens when you cross the streams, Venkman

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows begins not long after the revelations at the end of its predecessor. Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr) is hunting down proof that renowned Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris) is responsible for bombings and murders across Europe, tensing the major nations for a potential war across the continent. Moriarty is very good at covering his tracks however, and Holmes can find no immediate proof to substantiate his claims. Meanwhile, Watson (Law) is preparing to marry his love interest from the first film, Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly), and has stepped away from assisting Holmes in his investigations. However, when Moriarty sends his goons to kill the newlyweds as they travel to their Honeymoon, Sherlock whisks them to safety. The legendary mystery solvers pair up for one last mission, alongside a fortune-telling gypsy with a personal stake in the story (Rapace), to take down one of the era's (and classic literature's) most brilliant criminal masterminds.

There's a story here; I just know it

The story behind the film is of course based on the extensive works of Sherlock's creator, the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. More to the point, it is loosely based on his story The Final Problem, as pivotal a Holmes tale as you can have. Much of what made Sherlock Holmes so much fun two years ago is still here: visual appealing direction, properly-distributed spoken humor, gratuitous action sequences that are actually well-thought out; it's this last part that really makes Sherlock Holmes stand out among the glut of brainless action-oriented movies every year. Thanks to Holmes as a character being able to anticipate and adapt to any fighting situation, some of the film's best moments include the precursor to Downy Jr.'s battles, in which we see inside his mind and watch him plot out and choreograph every major moment in the upcoming brawl. From an aesthetic standpoint it's spotless, and the final product is often made all the better by seeing beforehand what will come. Director Guy Ritchie has become an expert on the different visual styles necessary to make these sequences stand out, and under his plan the whole thing feels organic and without error.

Oh, the happy memories...

The film also stands a head over its predecessor by skewing much more closely to its source material, and by sating Holmes' greatest fans' desires by pitting him against his most renowned villain, Professor Moriarty. In the former, several minor characters from Doyle's stories, including retired Colonel Sebastian Moran (Paul Anderson) and Sherlock's own brother Mycroft (Stephen Fry), are brought in to provide more character interaction. Ritchie not only introduces these characters, but presents them in the same or remarkably similar fashion as Doyle intended, a move that seems odd in this day and age of adaptations that barely resemble the material on which they were based. In the latter, bringing Moriarty into the picture could have been disastrous if done incorrectly. Fortunately, the man is in almost every way portrayed as Holmes' equal, and superior in the few moments when he is not. Ruthless, conniving, and altogether just a bad guy, he is infinitely more memorable than the original film's adversary (bonus points for those who can give me his full name and title without looking up on Wikipedia), who was by no means memorable or important in comparison.

Yes, run FROM the explosions!

As before, the witty banter between Holmes and Watson is the main source of enjoyment that the film provides, and thankfully Downey Jr. and Law are still at top form when playing off of one another. As Holmes, Downey Jr. continues to shatter all those old images of the master detective as a stuffy know-it-all. Instead, Downey continues to play him as a stuffy know-it-all who can also throw a punch when needed. In a way, Downey's Sherlock Holmes is like a nineteenth century Batman, self-taught to be the best at everything. Downey also plays for laughs when needed, both as a master of disguise and with his mannerisms and wit. Law plays Watson as the straight man to Downey's madman perfectly, and as I've mentioned this is one of the few roles I've ever liked for him as an actor. His constant frustrations with Holmes are tempered by the respect of Sherlock's skills and their lifelong friendship, and that he can convey it so easily is a point in his favor. While the pair at the top of the cast are of course wonderful, a good core of support characters makes the real difference when it comes to how the tale moves forward. Jared Harris is perfect as the evil genius Moriarty, his piercing gaze and subtle ferocity making him the perfect cerebral enemy for Holmes. He is by far the best addition to the series, and if the franchise continues I would love to see more from his corner. On a more practical villainy front, Paul Anderson is menacing and effective as Moran, Moriarty's sharpshooting second in command. I don't know where Anderson has been all these years, but he gets plenty of chances to shine in this film and doesn't pass on any opportunities. Though Mycroft Holmes is largely played to comedic effect, Stephen Fry is up to the task, and he does a good job when asked to do something other than drop some funny dialogue. The only real disappointment in the cast is Rapace, though this is by no means her fault. While her rendition of a knife-throwing gypsy fortune-teller with a connection to Moriarty's network is well-played, and it was nice to not stick her in a cliched love-interest role, I can't help but feel that she is sorely underutilized. This came as something of a surprise, as the ads and trailers made such a big deal about her involvement, only for her to be moved to the side at most opportunities.

He'll kill you with kindness... Ha ha, no, he'll just kill you

So what is it I like the most about Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows? Is it the wonderful visual effects? The compelling storytelling that misses no details? The ability to drop hints at the beginning that you completely forget until Holmes reintroduces it in solving his case? The wonderful acting, led by Downey Jr. and Law? The broad mix of humor and adventure? How about the exciting, climactic final battle between Holmes and Moriarty that is both a literal and figurative chess match? Presented with these options, I'm going to have to go with "all of the above", as Sherlock Holmes stands a good head over most movies released this year. It's not good enough for Top 10 status, but it holds place among other highly watchable and enjoyable fare with few flaws, among titles like The Muppets, Footloose and Crazy Stupid Love. Better than the original, and arguably better than any Sherlock Holmes film you can name, I can't recommend this title highly enough. Since The Artist isn't playing anywhere near you, try the next best thing: a smart, funny, highly engrossing title that won't make you feel stupid for having paid full price to see it.