Link—BBC Newsbeat: Steven Moffat ‘annoyed’ at US version of Sherlock Holmes, ‘Elementary’

SOURCE.

Sherlock: The Series Two Soundtrack

Previous: Series One.

(Look over here for more booklet-y goodness. The artwork is, again, amazing!)

Oh, my God. Who knew having your heart ripped out of your chest and trampled into the dust could be so beautiful? This soundtrack, even more than Series One, goes to show what musical genius is operating behind this, and how valuable the music, composed by David Arnold and Michael Price, has become to understanding these characters–to comprehend who they are, and what they’re going through.

‘Elementary’–the new Sherlock Holmes on CBS: Gender Trouble.

Huh?

To be quite honest with you, I’m still giggling.  According to the Internet buzz this afternoon, Johnny Lee Miller—who took turns with Benedict Cumberbatch last year, both starring in the National Theatre production of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein—is going to appear alongside Lucy Liu in CBS’ version of 21st-century Holmes. Now, guess who’s playing who.

Sherlock: The Series One Soundtrack

(Look here for more booklet-y goodness. The artwork is amazing! The skull hiding just behind the disk, especially.)

Oh my Lord, how long we’ve waited.

These are bringing out the big guns, and it’s wonderful to hear all the pieces in their entirety after only hearing parts of their brilliance during the series. Bits and pieces here and there, we never quite got the whole picture, and now here it is, and it’s gorgeous.

Two #BELIEVEINSHERLOCK posters, designed by Yours Truly.

Looking forward to distributing them at university and in some local bookshops!

“I Was So Alone, and I Owe You So Much”—Sherlock: The Reichenbach Fall.

Previous episode: The Hounds of Baskerville.

This is amazing television. This is an emotional rollercoaster like I’ve never been on one. I cried, then I giggled, then I cursed, and then I cried again. A lot. This is writing (I may have been disappointed with Steve Thompson’s Blind Banker last series, but this… this is perfection, and I bow to his script), directing, and acting genius on a silver platter, and if this series of Sherlock does not win just about every award there is to win, then I don’t know what’s wrong with the world.

This is the Final Problem.

I’ve Got to See a Man About a Dog—Sherlock: The Hounds of Baskerville.

Previous episode: A Scandal in Belgravia.

“They were the footprints of a gigantic hound.”

It’s all in the phrasing, darlings. That single thing, the choice of the archaic term ‘hound’ is what puts Sherlock on the scent. I know, nice choice of words.

This adaptation of one of the most acclaimed Sherlock Holmes stories is much further away from the original than any of the previous ones have been, simply because ghost stories just aren’t as avant-garde anymore as they once were, and because this is a modernization of the stuff, so naturally some of the patina had to go. In this day and age, genetic experimentation in a secret army base named Baskerville makes for more exciting stuff than someone savaging a dog for the purpose of getting a hold on the family fortune. A simple adaptation can be done by anyone—but taking the piece and making it contemporary while retaining all the elements of horror, now, that is the challenge. Mark Gatiss, the resident master of horror, knows how to do it.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

The sequel is always the challenge. Most sequels, to put not too fine a point to it, suck to a certain extent, and only too often you sneak into the cinema with that feeling of Oh Dear Filmmakers, Please Don’t Ruin This For Me. If the first part was good, the second has to be better, or otherwise the characters will feel watered-down, the plots will lose significance, simply because this new world that has been created has lived on in our minds and imaginations for so long that we know it like our own backyards. I would argue that that makes many fans crave a sense of coming home, and yet awakens the thirst for surprises, for something new, for the characters we love have had many an adventure since we last saw them on the screens in our heads already.

Sherlock Holmes, Put Your Trousers On—There’s A Scandal in Belgravia.

Previous episode: The Great Game.

Now, if this isn’t the perfect way to start 2012, I don’t know what is.

What with this episode being so elaborate, so twisty-turny and beautiful, I hardly know where to start. This is amazingly done television, and A Scandal in Belgravia has set out to prove—and has succeeded—that waiting 18 months for Series 2 has been monumentally worth it. There is so much brains, so much joy, so much sheer love for Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation and for this world of characters that Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have created that just shines through every bit on screen. The script, which is incredibly tight, incredibly dense and, as per, wonderfully witty, absolutely bloody hilarious, and emotionally demanding; and that has been put on screen by Paul McGuigan, and filled with life by a stunning central cast of Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Mark Gatiss, Una Stubbs, Louise Brealey, and Rupert Graves, and in this episode the powerful guest appearance of Lara Pulver with such enormous effort, skill, and heart. It’s these people that make the programme, and I think Sherlock will go down in history as one of the finest adaptations of Sherlock Holmes and one, if not the best drama production of a long, long time. It spells devotion, and I don’t think anyone could help themselves and not be drawn to that, not be drawn into this world, and not come to love these characters and the stories that they tell. There is murder at the gallop—murder by boomerang, to be precise!—but it is only decoration, as are the twists and the turns and the charade. Decoration to a power play that shall remain unrivalled for many, many generations.

Spoilers under the cut.

SHERLOCK RETURNS.

Here there be spoilers!

Weird titles, you mean? Think about how Torchwood is an anagram of Doctor Who… Sherlock returns!

Sherlock promo pictures

One more, because it’s just too brilliant.

Courtesy of Blogtor Who/BBC.

BBC Press Pack for ‘Sherlock’ Series 2

Read the introduction to the new series and in-depth interviews with the lead actors, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, and the show’s co-creators, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, HERE.

 

 

 

Also, keep an eye on the Sherlock homepage for news on Series 2.

His Depravity Knows No Bounds–Three Times Sherlock.

As threatened, I’m now going to review a few of my favourite Sherlock Holmes adaptations—well, let’s face it, it’s mostly a collection of edited caps and ramblings about Holmes and Watson’s bromance, but whatever, I’m having fun, and I hope the inclined reader may have some, too.

If you’re ready to go down the rabbit hole and, as Holmes puts it, ‘dirty your fluffy white tail,’ onwards after the jump. Also, because I simply can’t squeeze all the caps I’ve edited into this post, I’ve posted a new page devoted to them, containing a gallery of extra caps.

Pages: 1 2 3

NTAs: No Best Drama Award for ‘Sherlock’ OR ‘Doctor Who’. Tumblr is frothing at the mouth.

Sit tight for Best Actor, Ben’s got a chance, so does Matt, of course. Also, Philip Glenister, that would be lovely!

UPDATE: Um, actually, none of them won, either. David Jason is the lucky winner—good man!

♫

I first came across these on a Sherlock Fan Soundtrack–I Need You So Much Closer–and fell in love with them. Go listen to or download the tracks, the album is really beautifully compiled and tells a lovely story that fits John and Sherlock perfectly, whether you’ve got your slash goggles on or not (though I’d recommend you to ;)).

These, disregarding the story, are my favourites.