Unspooky Sunday

Oh no! It's finally happened: I failed to update this blog (yesterday). Well, I wasn't in a spooky mood. It was sunny for God's sake - sunny! I got mellow in my back garden with a bottle of wine, some nibbles and a 19th century 'sensation' novel (I'm such a queen) and when I began to sober up, complete with dull headache, decided to go down to Alan's to watch the Robert Downey Jr Sherlock Holmes he'd just got on Blu-Ray.

Contrary to expectation, I enjoyed it. It's not Sherlock Holmes obviously but as a comic book romp through a Victorian fantasy land it was entertaining, and consistent in style and purpose. In some ways I think I'd rather have an inspired-by confection like this rather than a slavish attempt at 'doing it properly' - frankly, after the Jeremy Brett series what would be the point? Job done.

Perhaps it would have been better if they hadn't actually called him Sherlock Holmes -since he clearly wasn't Sherlock Holmes. Hemlock Bungalows or something. And his trusty assistant Dr Whatabloodycheek. To be fair, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce weren't exactly identikit Conan Doyle: those films were precisely the same kind of updating, playing to what they thought audiences would want as the Downey Jr-Law version. Hmm, I appear to be apologising for liking it. But I have to admit I did.