issue 01 // volume 42

Sherlock Holmes faces facts

» ‘Mr. Holmes’ movie review

Adam Tatelman
Staff Writer

QOOOS

ver since Sir Arthur Conan

Doyle published A Study
In Scarlet in 1887, each next
generation has reinvented the
famous Sherlock Holmes to fit
its time. He’s been a spy hunter
in Basil Rathbone films like The
Spider Woman, a self-parody
in The Private Life of Sherlock
Holmes or Without a Clue, a
Hollywood action star played by
Robert Downey Jr. and a Tumblr
icon thanks to BBC’s Sherlock.
One wonders where else to go
from there, but somehow, Bill
Condon’s Mr. Holmes offers an

sleuth: a 93-year-old Holmes
(played by Sir Ian McKellen)—
that of a mere mortal.

Though newcomers
may be put off, the premise
should intrigue Holmes fans
at once. This time, rather
than confronting the devious
Professor Moriarty, Holmes
must face a foe more devilish
than any he has come up against
before: mortality. He has been
retired for years, keeping to the
company of his bees instead of
people. As the end approaches,
he grows senile, struggling to
remember the details of his final
case, hoping to share its true
account before he dies.

Holmes forms a bond
with Roger (Milo Parker), his
housekeeper’s son. The boy is
precocious, and a great fan of
Holmes’ work. He endeavors
to help his idol write that final

: story. His mother (Laura Linney)
: knows Holmes’ end is near and

: wants to protect her son from

: that loss, but it is also her duty

: to care for the aged detective.

: This dynamic could easily

: have become melodramatic,

: but the actors understate their

: performances just enough to

: make the pseudo-family conflict :
: real and affecting without
: feeling forced.

The wise child archetype

: is well worn, but young Parker

: manages to define the role well
: beyond being just a kid sidekick :
: for Holmes. He holds his own on :
: screen with McKellen, which is
: an incredible achievement for

: any child actor. I wouldn’t be :
: surprised if Parker looks back on :
: Mr. Holmes as his big breakio —:

entirely new vision of the eternal :
: years from now.

Fans may recognize the

: film’s premise from Mitch

: Cullin’s novel A Slight Trick of

: the Mind, in which the infirm

: Holmes intermittently flashes

: back to the events of his last

: case. The film keeps this

: narrative approach. Normally

: I dislike films that jump back

: and forth across time, but this

: one feels appropriate due to its

: tight focus on the small cast

: and plausible thematic reasons

: for each flashback. It also works
: because of Holmes’ senility: we

: get the backstory in fits because
: that’s how he remembers it. It

: puts the audience in his head, so :
: to speak,

This movie’s tagline is “The

: Man Beyond the Myth,” and

: this Holmes is appropriately a

: celebrity in hiding. In this film,
: he’s every bit the cultural icon he :

: is in real-life UK culture, thanks :
: to the dramatic embellishments
: provided in Dr. Watson’s

: publications. Holmes’ distaste

: for the deerstalker cap, which he :
: never wore in the novels, is one
: of the many gags Holmes fans

: will enjoy. There’s a particularly

entertaining scene where an

: incognito Holmes watches a

: film adaptation of his final

: case, cringing at each artistic

: liberty taken. The fictionalized
: Holmes is played by Nicholas

Rowe, which is a sly treat since

: Barry Levinson’s Young Sherlock
: Holmes.

: his attention to detail shines

: through all the subtle tweaks

: from one time to the next.

: The stately Holmes of middle

: age and the infirm wreck are

: immediately recognizable as

: the same person, yet their

: movements alone convey much
history.

 

he once played the detective in

McKellen plays Holmes
at three different ages and

This film is not a traditional :

arts // no. 9

Photo by Giles Keyte

: Holmes story. It’s not really

: even a mystery. It’s an indie-

: flick meditation on the

: conflict between fantasy and

: reality, between pure logic

: and emotional intelligence. It

: feels like it was made mostly—
: perhaps only—to showcase

: McKellen, but I don’t have a

: problem with that.

Folks other than Holmes

: fans may not enjoy the film’s
: premise as much, but the
: performances are well worth the

price of admission.

 

Comic Corner: A tingle in the funny bone

» ‘Bone: Out From Boneville’ review

Brittney MacDonald
Life & Style Editor
Mlifeandstyle

y @theotherpress.ca

OOOOG

f youre an avid consumer
of comics, there are a few
quintessential titles that you
should know. Bone, an adorable,

sight-gag-centric comedy,
featuring a rather poignant
commentary on social power
dynamics, is one of them. But
don’t be intimidated if all you
want is a quick laugh, since
Bone is an easy read, and

  

I have ever undertaken.
Written and drawn by
Jeff Smith, Bone follows the

: adventures of three oddly

: shaped little creatures that

: have been outcast from their

: home and forced to settle in

: a strange valley. The valley

: itself plays host to a plethora

: of fantasy and sci-fi character
: staples, including a dragon,

: giant insects, and carnivorous
: monsters.

Originally printed in the

: early 90s, Out From Boneville

: is the first in a nine-volume

: series. The complete work is

: available in a single publication,
: but it’s a little hefty, clocking

: in at over 1300 pages. If you'd

: prefer something a little more

: portable, Scholastic published a
: remastered edition that is full-

probably one of the easiest reads :
: colour.

Art-wise, Bone is highly

: reminiscent of Charles Schulz’s
: Peanuts in its simplistic

: character design. However, it

: differs from Schulz’s work by

: incorporating highly detailed

: backgrounds. This effectively

: places the reader’s focus on

: the characters themselves.

: Stylistically, it is a popular tool

: in the world of animation, as can
: be seen from examples such as

: The Secret of NIMH.

Though all versions of

: Bone are amazing, I would

: recommend picking up the full-
: colour editions. Not only are

: they beautiful, but they take

: this unique aesthetic to the next
: level.

: Iwould definitely recommend

: checking out this series, even

: if you're not usually one for

: comedies. Bone transcends

: genre to become a classic

: piece of fun literature.

 

Image by Jeff Smith