'Quit being a pussy' + 'You do know what you are drinking is meant for eye surgery'

Hello Internet! Have you missed me? Probably not, so I don't have to feel guilty about my lack of motivation. The holidays have brought me something (other than general cheeriness and a constant state of fullness) that I have seldom have these last few months and that I find very necessary for keeping up this blog: time. And so, to excuse my absent behavior, I present an offering: a double-header.

First on the list, Marc Webb's (500) Days of Summer. In a nutshell: your typical indie-romance-hero, the adorable and quietly quirky late 20s guy, meets your typical indie-romance-fair lady, a distinctive beauty, assertive and who's got life figured out, or so she thinks. Subtle and artistic displays of emotions ensue, set to the music of the usual suspects, in this case The Smiths, Carla Bruni and Feist, to name a few.

This movie could be the poster child for indie romance flicks. Therefore, one cannot help feeling that one has seen this movie already, over and over again. However, I have to point out that in this case, casting had a stroke of genius with its choice of Joseph Gordon-Levitt for the lead. This actor's whole performance is based on genuine understanding of the character he's playing, as if he personnally knew that guy and was simply channeling him. As for Zooey Deschanel, well, she fulfilled every requirements of the genre...period.

All in all, enjoyable for its original storytelling and uncharacteristic ending, which still reeks of indie. Props must be given to the wise character of the piece, who in the case is the prepubescent sister of the hero...clever.

Next in the spotlight: the much anticipated Sherlock Holmes

The build-up for Guy Ritchie's flick was huge. The bar was set high. And Sherlock Holmes almost meets the general expectaction. Almost.

The legendary detective and is sidekick, Dr. Watson, are on the case when a renegade lord who dabbles in the black arts refuses to stay dead and threatens to TAKE OVER THE WORLD, i.e. England and the colony in north america they just lost (really?). On top of that, Holmes must lean to cope with the imminent loss of his BFF to matrimony.

Over the years, Ritchie has developped his own sub-genre. I'm happy to say that it fits on the story of Sherlock Holmes like a glove. Ritchie succeeds in creating a universe that's Victorian-ly glum with a hint of danger constantly lurking in the shadows. Props go to Hans Zimmer for the music, reminiscent to some of his previous work, the Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack.

SH's major flaw? The dishvelled plot. Truly, it takes more than one viewing to catch all the essential elements of the story scattered here and there. Also, one can appreciate the great chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, but when it bests the ones each have with their respective love interest (Rachel McAdams and Kelly Reilly)...well, it isn't so farfetched now to think that Holmes and Watson's bromance is a little more than that.

But the action/adventure movie fan in me can't help but shout 'Oh shut up, this movie was fun from A to Z!!!' And it was. So I'm gonna listen and shut up!