Movie Monday: A brief overview

So, January has come and gone and I think the last time I posted on here was a month ago. But here's a rundown of all the great movies I have seen since I last posted.

Sherlock Holmes
I loved this movie! Robert Downey Jr. captures Holmes the way I always saw him in my mind: a slightly arrogant, but brilliant crime solver. I actually kind of liked the original story too. It combines all the great nemisises Holmes had from Adler to Moriarty to Mary (Watson's wife). And I liked the way they showed his drug use. As a Holmes purist, I hated how the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce movies were always lacking this critical aspect to Holmes character. I also hate how the old movies portray Watson as bumbling old man. He was smart, although never as smart as Holmes. The match is better in this new version, although I don't really like Jude Law as much as I thought I would in this role. He's too pretty and not military enough.

Up
This is one of the best movies I have seen all year. I would go as far to say it is one of the best cartoons I've ever seen, and would definitely make my top 20 list. Although you could talk about the beautiful animation, the story is what makes the movie. First Ellie and Carl's love story, then Carl and Russell's friendship: adventures come in many forms. I also love how the movie deals with the issue of death with Ellie's simple signature: "Thanks for the adventure. Now go have one of your own." My favorite quote? "Now, we're gonna walk to the falls quickly and quietly with no rap music or flashdancing." Love Ed Asner!

Fiddler on the Roof
So, technically I only watched half of this movie, but I feel that was more than enough. Once again, another Russian epic but a little more lively than Dr. Zhivago. But it felt so much longer. So. Much. Longer. I think this would be much better suited to the stage than to film, so I'm going to give it another chance if it ever comes to the Fox or something. I recommend it if you want to be put to sleep.

Yes Man
I rented this and was really excited because I love Zooey Deschannel. And I liked the idea of the storyline: a man who isn't open to anything decides to open himself up to new possibilities, leading to a happier existence. Overall, however, this is not a movie I would recommend. Zooey is delightful (as always) but she seems too young to be Jim Carrey's love interest. And I thought the gross-out humor was misplaced with this storyline. It had a lot of potential, but this movie was lacking.

Operation Petticoat
I love Cary Grant, but I did not like this movie. It seemed old and out-dated, especially with its views of females. Why is this considered a classic?

With the Olympics on, my movie watching has been way down for the past week, but I'm hoping to get some crossed off my "Want to see" list this week while I have some free time, so hopefully I'll have some new reviews for the next couple weeks.