Tag: Sherlock Holmes

21 Great Stories – A Book Review

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When I was a kid in high school back in Brooklyn in the early 1970s every school either public or private had an English class that used this book as a source of classic short stories.  Now at the time it never occurred to me to look at the bio on the editors who selected these “great” stories.  Many years later I did and discovered that these two editors were actually educators who worked at two local high schools (Abraham Lincoln H.S. and Sheepshead Bay H.S.) that were both within a mile of my home.  In fact, Camera Girl went to one of these schools (although as I learned, she wasn’t really putting in the effort she should have and it took all my help to get her over the finish line her senior year).  So, there is my link to this revered literary treasury.  And back then I really wasn’t particularly interested in the kind of stories represented.  There was one Ray Bradbury story but it wasn’t really science fiction so it wouldn’t have been on my radar.

But many years later I saw the familiar cover of the paperback on the shelf of a discount book store while we were on vacation in Old Orchard Beach, Maine and since I hadn’t packed enough reading material, I bought the book for (I think) two dollars.

And over the course of the week we were there, I read the whole thing for the first time in my life.  And damned if most of the stories weren’t excellent in their own separate ways.  Sure, I liked some of them much better than others but I had to admit that almost without exception they were well-crafted stories that could stand the test of time and quite a few of them could be re-read over the years without becoming tiresome.

Here’s the table of contents:

  • War by Luigi Pirandello
  • Eve in Darkness by Kaatje Hurlbut
  • There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury
  • Tobermory by Saki
  • The Two Bottles of Relish by Lord Dunsany
  • Footfalls by Wilbur Daniel Steele
  • Hook by Walter Van Tilburg Clark
  • Wine on the Desert by Max Brand
  • The Lady or the Tiger? by Frank Stockton
  • An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce
  • The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
  • The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
  • So Much Unfairness of Things by C. D. B. Bryan
  • The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
  • The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • To Build a Fire by Jack London
  • Leiningen Versus the Ants by Carl Stephenson
  • Eveline by James Joyce
  • The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber
  • What Stumped the Bluejays by Mark Twain
  • The Pearl by John Steinbeck

If you asked me which was my favorite once a year it’s likely that I’d give you a different answer every time.  It seems to change based on what mood I’m in that day.  If I’m in a light mood it might be “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”  If I’m feeling cynical, I might enjoy “The Cask of Amontillado” or “To Build a Fire.”  But I can usually find a story to reread if I’m waiting for an oil change or a dental appointment.

Now, let me be clear.  These are not all the short stories I like.  In fact, these are not even my favorite short stories.  I can find funnier sections in P.G. Wodehouse and I can find more engaging science fiction short stories by several other authors.  Specifically, “There Will Come Soft Rains” isn’t even in my top twenty Ray Bradbury short stories.  But this is a good book for tasting a cross section of classic short story styles.  Not a bad book to own.

Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows (2011) – A Movie Review

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This sequel to the previously reviewed 2009 movie “Sherlock Holmes” has actors Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law returning as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.  And Rachel McAdams, Kelly Reilly, Geraldine James and Eddie Marsan also reprise their roles as, respectively, Irene Adler, Mary Watson, Mrs. Hudson and Inspector Lestrade.

The plot of this movie is once again an original story but it does add in elements from one particular Arthur Conan Doyle story namely, the “The Adventure of the Final Problem.”  This is the story in which Arthur Conan Doyle arranges the final showdown between Holmes and his nemesis Professor Moriarty.  And this story covers what was in the written story but adds much more in the way of motivation for the duel to the death between Holmes and Moriarty.  And the writers manage to link the story to the greater reality of this time period.  They tie Moriarty’s evil plot to the actual fact that in 1900 Europe is on the precipice of World War.  The movie even has Moriarty explicitly chide Holmes with the bitter reality that even if he eliminates Moriarty, it still will not stop the coming war.

I’m happy to say that the dash and humor from the first movie are on clear display in this second film.  The camaraderie between Holmes and Watson are undiminished even after Dr. Watson finally marries Mary.  In fact, the occasion of the honeymoon provides one of the most comical scenes in the movie with Holmes dressed as a woman attempting to save the newlyweds from imminent death on a train packed with assassins.

I won’t attempt to synopsize the plot.  It would sound like nonsense and I refuse to spoil the details of the plot.  Suffice it to say that Holmes and Watson traipse across Europe attempting to catch up to the plot that Moriarty has set in motion.  And Jared Harris who portrays Professor James Moriarty is a great villain.

As with the preceding movie I have the highest praise for this film.  All the principal parts are brilliantly acted.  I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-made entertainment film.  And just to add an interesting note, ten years after this movie the producers have finally had the opportunity to film another sequel.  I look forward to that movie with great anticipation.

Sherlock Holmes (2009) – A Movie Review

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Guy Ritchie directed this 2009 update of the Sherlock Holmes legend but instead of re-doing one of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories he re-imagined the characters and wrote a screenplay that gives a sort of steam punk feel to the outing.  Robert Downey Jr. is Holmes and Jude Law is his partner in crime detection and chronicler, Dr. Watson.  On the face of it these two men would seem to be completely miscast in these roles.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  The script combines equal parts comedy and action adventure.  And both Downey and Law play the parts as if they were born to the roles.  The bickering friendship that they portray is as important a part of the movie as the nefarious doings of the evil Lord Blackwood and the barely glimpsed Professor Moriarty.

The plot involves the resurrection from the dead of a hanged man, Lord Blackwell who engaged in satanic rituals and is linked to a powerful masonic secret society in London.  All sorts of strange goings on have baffled Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard and with the sometimes assistance, sometimes sabotage by Holmes’ femme fatale, Irene Adler and the reluctant presence of Watson’s fiancée, Mary Morstan, they pursue the truth behind the unbelievable return from the dead of Lord Blackwell and discover and attempt to foil his devious plot to gain control of the world.

I am a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories and I’ve watched all the previous cinematic versions, the Basil Rathbone movies and the Jeremy Brett series by Granada Television.  I don’t take anything away from these older series but what Guy Ritchie has created is a new and highly entertaining take on the characters.  You can probably tell that I am highly enthusiastic about this film and the also excellent sequel.  The chemistry that Downey and Law have on the screen is marvelously entertaining and must be a combination of their acting skills and the truly excellent script and direction.

I wholeheartedly recommend this movie to fans of Sherlock Holmes, to action-adventure fans and to movie fans of all stripes.  Find it and watch it.

02APR2020 – Quote of the Day

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I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.  A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands on it. Now the skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic.  He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order.  It is a mistake to think that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent.  Depend uon it – there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before.  It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.

Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

 

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