“Elementary” is a modern day adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. Set in New York, Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) takes up the role of sober companion to Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller). Sherlock is a former drug addict and fresh out of rehab, ready to take on more cases for the NYPD. Joan quickly discovers that Sherlock is like no other client she has ever encountered. This eccentric genius takes her all over the city, solving murders, kidnaps and more; soon she finds herself drawn into his work and his world.

Unfortunately the show received a lot of backlash when the idea was launched. BBC threatened to take legal actions over CBS as they, along with some of their fans, believed that “Elementary” was too similar to their own modern day adaptation “Sherlock,” which aired two years earlier and has recently started to prepare for its third season. CBS fought back against allegations, stating that “Our project is a contemporary take on Sherlock Homes that will be based on Holmes, Watson and other characters in the public domain, as well as original characters. We are, of course, respectful of all copyright laws and will not infringe on any stories or works that may still be protected.”

Further criticism came from the decision to cast Lucy Liu as a female version of John Watson. Some people considered this move as destructive to the famous relationship between Holmes and Watson, while others said that this decision was fueled by the producers’ desire to turn their relationship into something romantic. Writer and Executive Producer Robert Doherty defended this decision, saying “There’s this idea that a man and a woman can’t be together on a show especially without needing to be together sexually or in love or whatever, and this is really about the evolution of a friendship and how that happens.”

“Elementary” has so much to offer fans: not only as it is based on much loved character’s from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic but because it is a funny, charming series with great potential.

The dynamic between Sherlock and Holmes as they move from simply a client and his sober companion to friends is wonderful to watch. They argue, they laugh, and they benefit each other. Joan finds passion in detective work while Sherlock gains a friend he can confide in. In fact, most of the relationships on the show are thoroughly enjoyable. The relationship between Sherlock and Captain Gregson, which is sometimes close to that of father and son, contrasts greatly with the bitterness Sherlock often voices about his real father. The banter between Sherlock and Detective Bell as they try to outsmart each other while they work cases together adds humor to the show as well as some humility to Sherlock’s arrogant character.

Emotional drama in “Elementary” is handled very well, particularly in episode 12 titled “M.” We get a deeper glimpse into Sherlock’s past and a darker side to his character, which shocks characters and audience alike. And at the end of the episode there is a heart-wrenching scene between Sherlock and Joan in which we see the vulnerability and rawness in these characters that he had not seen before in the show.

There are a few faults to the show. The episodes can be slightly predictable; often it’s not hard to decipher who the killer is half way through the episode. And in more than one occasion they introduce characters, such as Joan’s family, and then they are forgotten.

That being said, “Elementary” is definitely entertaining and there are so many aspects to the show to look forward to. One example is how they intend to further include the villainous Moriarty, infamous in all Sherlock Holmes stories, who they have only just begun to introduce into the show. And there are other charming, original characters they have added into the show who would be interesting to see more of, such as Alfredo who is introduced in episode 8 “The Long Fuse” and becomes Sherlock’s sponsor, and even Clyde, a tortoise that Sherlock takes from a crime scene and keeps as a pet in episode 13 “The Red Team.”

The most charming aspect this season in the show is watching Sherlock take up Joan as his apprentice detective. In the latest episodes he teaches her how to decipher clues at crime scenes, how to trust her own senses and even tries to make her take up martial arts. Obviously no one quite has the skills like Sherlock Holmes, but Joan does show a lot of promise as a consultant detective.

“Elementary” has a lot to live up to concerning other productions of Sherlock Holmes but CBS has put their own interesting twists to the classic which makes for an entertaining new series. So why not give “Elementary” a try?

The article CBS’ Charming New Series “Elementary” appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Here are the Top Movies You Never Watched But Should, continued.

5. ‘Meet Joe Black’ (1998)

‘Meet Joe Black’ is a fantasy drama inspired by ‘Death Takes a Holiday’ (1934) about Death (Brad Pitt) inhabiting the body of a handsome man and shadowing a wealthy media mogul Bill Parish (Anthony Hopkins). Bill’s sixty-fifth birthday is coming up and he was scheduled to die, but Death, who is given the name Joe Black to blend in with other people, promises to let him live a few more days if he shows him what life is like as a human being. During his journey, Joe falls in love with Bill’s lovely youngest daughter Susan (Claire Forlani) and she falls in love with him, causing bad blood between Joe and Bill and complicating all of their lives even further.

The film showcases one of Brad Pitt’s best performances as Joe, struggles with understanding the simplest emotions and later the more complex ones, especially love. The love story sets up a beautiful, heartbreaking examination of each character and how they are affected by Joe’s sudden intervention in their lives, though only Bill knows his true identity. The phenomenal supporting cast populates the film with a great spread of characters and everything is set to a sweet yet haunting soundtrack.

4. ‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ (1993)

‘Batman: Mask of the Phantasm’ is an animated film born from the award-winning cartoon ‘Batman: The Animated Series.’ It tells the tale of a mysterious entity called the Phantasm who appears in Gotham City and starts killing several crime bosses. Batman (Kevin Conroy), who is currently under fire from the new district attorney, starts investigating the murders and bumps into his first love, Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delany).

The two become entangled once again as he suspects her father is responsible for the murders. Things become even more complicated when one of the crime bosses who fears he is next to be killed hires the Joker to kill the Phantasm, creating even more danger for the Dark Knight and the city he protects.

‘Mask of the Phantasm’ is critically acclaimed and beloved by fans of Batman, but the general public has little exposure to the animated adventures of the Caped Crusader. While Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of the character is nothing short of genius, ‘Mask of the Phantasm’ deserves just as much praise for handling Bruce Wayne with such care. The film, like the cartoon series, deals with many mature subjects that appeal to adults while still being entertaining enough for younger audiences. Furthermore, it is beautifully animated and features a powerful soundtrack.

3. ‘Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas’ (2003)

‘Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas’ is an animated adventure film about a pirate, Sinbad (Brad Pitt) who wants to steal the Book of Peace, a magical book that wields untold power, a noble prince of Syracuse, Proteus (Joseph Fiennes), who wants to protect it, Proteus’ beautiful fiancée, Marina (Catherine Zeta Jones), and the evil goddess Eris, who also wants to steal the book to cause chaos among the kingdom.

Unfortunately, the film came out right around the time when most animated films were switching to 3D rather than the traditional 2D and so it did not perform well, but the box office does nothing to reflect the quality of the film.

Its strength comes from the talented voice work of Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Joseph Fiennes, the thrilling adventures the characters undertake, and the fantastic script that switches from hilarious to heartwarming with relative ease. Fans of animated film ‘The Road to El Dorado’ (2000) will find immediate kinship with the movie as it has a similar tone and attention to detail with its animation and well-rounded characters.

2. ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ (2005)

‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ is a crime noir comedy about small time crook Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr) who accidentally stumbles into a role as an actor and is flown off to Hollywood to consult with Perry van Shrike, aka “Gay Perry” (Val Kilmer), a snarky private investigator. While in LA, Harry bumps into his high school crush, Harmony Lane (Michelle Monaghan), whose sister is murdered and she asks for his help to solve the case. Harry agrees and the three become embroiled in two violent murder cases that are more related than they think.

The film is a dark comedy that pays tribute to the classic crime noir stereotypes but remains self-aware throughout, featuring wicked humor from Downey Jr. and Kilmer, as well as a fast paced, action heavy plot that keeps the audience guessing. The chemistry between Downey Jr. and Kilmer is its true selling point and the script is nothing short of brilliant.

1. ‘Lucky Number Slevin’ (2006)

‘Lucky Number Slevin’ is an action thriller about a down-on-his-luck guy named Slevin Kelevra (Josh Hartnett) who goes to visit his friend Nick Fisher and is mistaken for him by two warring crime bosses, The Boss (Morgan Freeman), and The Rabbi (Ben Kingsley). He is recruited by The Boss to kill The Rabbi’s son and then forced to come up with a huge amount of money by the Rabbi. The Boss and the Rabbi also hire an assassin named Mr. Goodkat (Bruce Willis) who suggested forcing Nick Fisher, whom they mistake Slevin for, to take each other out. Meanwhile, Slevin bumps into Nick’s sweet neighbor, Lindsey (Lucy Liu), and the two slowly fall for each other while Slevin tries to figure out how to stay alive in the middle of all the chaos.

‘Slevin’ is simply the kind of film that gets everything right. The casting, the action, the humor, the cinematography, and the dialogue are all sublime, perfect, and unforgettable. There is something here for everyone—comedy, action, adventure, mystery, and a truly sweet love story. Furthermore, its ending is by far one of the most amazing, unpredictable ways to finish a film in years.

Do yourself a favor: check these films out. You won’t regret it.

The article Ten Movies You Never Watched But Should (Part 2) appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

‘Southland’ will end its season next Tuesday (March 20), as the cast, crew and audience wait to find out whether TNT will renew the critically-acclaimed drama for a fifth season.

Debuting in April 2009 on NBC, ‘Southland’ was intended to take over from ‘ER’ (John Wells and Christopher Chulack executive produced both shows) as the network’s next, gritty, high-octane drama series. It followed the experiences of several members of the Los Angeles Police department, weaving in and out of various divisions ranging from Homicide, Narcotics and Patrol. The first season order of six episodes performed well enough for NBC to renew the series for a second season to air in the fall of 2009, however, when NBC designated all of its weeknight 10pm slots to ‘The Jay Leno Show’, ‘Southland’ was left without a place on the schedule and was soon cancelled altogether.

Soon after, TNT picked up the rights to re-air the full first season and proceeded to put the show back into production for a second season consisting of six further episodes. Since then, TNT has continued to renew ‘Southland’, now with 10-episode orders, and the series will conclude its fourth season on March 20 with no word as yet on whether it will live to see another season. Season-to-date, ‘Southland’ has averaged 1.85 million viewers, roughly on par with its Season 3 average, making it difficult to determine TNT’s decision on the series’ fate.

Regardless of its uncertain future, the producers of ‘Southland’ have plotted this season in such an intricate, slow-burning way that the approaching finale will likely come to be seen as the most significant and game-changing one yet.

The season began with multiple changes to the series’ structure, with long-time patrol partners John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) and Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) being re-teamed with Jessica Tang (special guest star Lucy Liu) and Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy), respectively. Moving away from the teacher/student dynamic between Cooper and Sherman, which had served as the series’ central relationship throughout its first three seasons, gave Cudlitz the opportunity to play the lighter shades of his character now that Cooper was on more equal footing with Liu’s character. Similarly, McKenzie’s character got to move beyond his ‘student’ position by developing a more relaxed rapport with Hatosy’s Officer Bryant while making several lapses in judgement with regards to his professional behaviour. Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King), meanwhile, juggled a new partner of her own while coming to terms with an unplanned pregnancy, thereby enabling the show to explore the professional and personal ramifications of a woman in her late-30s who is ready for motherhood but must reconcile this with the dangers, not to mention institutional bigotry, of working on the streets and hunting criminals while heavily pregnant and already at risk of miscarriage due to previous complications.

In the penultimate episode, “Risk”, which aired on March 13, all of these season-long developments began to come to a head as:

• Cooper and Tang butted over Tang’s determination to secure a job promotion despite her behaviour following her accidental shooting of a teenage boy.
• Sherman and Bryant were involved in a car accident following Sherman’s involvement with a prostitute and her pimp.
• Adams revealed her pregnancy to her partner, but feared for her baby’s life following a physical altercation with a suspect.

Thus, fans are eager to see how the finale resolves the partnership between Cooper and Tang (Liu is only signed on to appear in this season, and has taken a role in a CBS pilot), how Sherman reacts in light of Bryant’s injuries and his continuing involvement with the prostitute, and how Adams will handle the nature of her job after the stress it caused to her pregnancy.

The season finale, titled “Thursday”, is written and directed by Jonathan Lisco and Christopher Chulack, respectively, who also wrote and directed the season premiere, titled “Wednesday”, suggesting that audiences can expect the episode to focus on the resolution of all of the above-listed season-long storylines.

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