Without a Clue
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Movie Reviews of Without a Clue
Movie Review: Fun, frothy comedy crime caper
Summary: 4 Stars
This 1988 Sherlock Holmes spoof boasts Michael Caine as Reginald Kincaid, an occasionally drunk, often womanizing actor (with gambling debts as well) who's recruited by Dr. John Watson (Ben Kingsley) to play the part of Holmes, whose stories Watson writes and sells to Strand Magazine. The premise is a clever one, and both Caine and Kingsley carry off their roles splendidly--as mayhap may be said in the UK--providing enough wit and even slapstick to generate a nifty flow of chortles as the movie progresses.
Even the notorious Professor Moriarty is included here and while the movie is decidedly lighter than air, it's immense fun to see a group of talented actors having fun themselves spoofing the most well known literary sleuth of all time. Dudley Moore's former partner Peter Cook shows up in a small role--another bit of fun--and Jeffrey Jones is perfect as the semi-dopey Inspector Lestrade.
Caine and Kingsley play extremely well off each other; the movie almost doesn't need anyone else. But of course a mystery plot demands other characters and so they are there including, of course, the aforementioned Moriarty (Paul Freeman) who supplies the dastardly plot point of ultimately bringing down the entire British economy. Caine is funny and, at times, absolutely hilarious.
Lots of fun and definitely recommended.
Movie Review: Ben Kingsley does comedy
Summary: 4 Stars
You might think of Ben Kingsley wearing a diaper as Gandhi, or as a villain in various roles (playing Meyer Lansky in _Bugsy_, Cosmo in _Sneakers_ or as the frightening Don Logan in _Sexy Beast_) but Kingsley can also do comedy, as proven by this film. The central conceit of this film is that John H. Watson, M.D. of the Sherlock Holmes stories was actually the detecting genius and that Sherlock Holmes was a fictional creation. Later Watson was forced to hire a drunken actor (played to perfection by Michael Caine) to fill out the role of Holmes for a public that would not accept the talents of "John Watson, the Crime Doctor". The chemisty between Kingsley, playing the tightly wound John Watson, fed up with the fact that his creation has taken center stage and that no one will believe in his talents, and Caine, as the buffoonish actor, receiving the adulation that rightly belongs to Watson is fantastic, as witness the scene where Holmes is recounting the curious case of the Manchurian Mambo ("It was a night like any other, when suddenly a knock came at the door. I opened it and there were these Manchurians, doing a rather festive Caribbean dance...").
The only reason I'm giving this DVD four stars and not five is because it is a panned and scanned print of the original movie and pan and scan sucks. Even so this is still worth seeing.
Movie Review: Region 2 release is NOT true widescreen
Summary: 4 Stars
I need to correct the review by "J. Glemby" when he states that the Region 2 release is anamorphic widescreen. It is a "faked" widescreen rather than true anamorphic. The case is correct when it says that the screen aspect is 4:3 Letterboxed. In other words, the actual frame size is 4:3 with the black bars on top and bottom as part of the frame image. With a true widescreen presentation, the black bars are generated by the DVD player/TV with the full screen resolution dedicated to the movie image. When the Region 2 disc is viewed on a 16:9 TV, you will have to manually expand the image to fill the screen. That means that you are zooming in which essentially lowers the resolution. If it had been mastered in true anamorphic widescreen, there would be no loss in resolution. Still, I'd rather watch a "faked" widescreen than a full-frame release.
That said, this is a great movie and it is a shame that this has not been given a decent Region 1 release (or true widescreen release for Region 2).
Movie Review: What a delight!
Summary: 4 Stars
Although I'm a lover of Sherlock Holmes movies, I almost missed this gem. Everything about this film was wonderful, particularly the tremendous performances by Caine and Kingsley. You can see they're having fun with it every scene, and I loved being along for the ride. The script is intelligent and witty, without getting goofy or slapstick. The plot is hilarious yet holds together as a "mystery" (kind of...). It is totally devoid of the offensive language that plagues so many movies, making it a great family fun flick (but it's NOT at all juvenile).
I just wish they'd made a series of these films -- I didn't want it to end.
Movie Review: "the crime-doctor!"
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a Holmes fanatic, and pretty much a purist as well. But I totally enjoyed this movie. The characters are completely sincere in their outrageous portrayals, and so funny! (Ben Kingsley is
an excellent comedian - who knew???) The case is also a pretty good one, and the immediate dangers to the characters are also real, even if hysterical. There are little bits of business throughout that show in very few words different aspects about the characters and their relationships. I could say "I loved the part where..." over and over again. But you just buy the thing and find your own bits to love.