The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)

"Elementary, my dear Watson."

After Professor Moriarty (Zucco) is acquitted of murder charges, he challenges nemesis Sherlock Holmes (Rathbone).  Moriarty vows to destroy Holmes and then retire to focus on science.

An old friend, Sir Ronald Ramsgate (Stephenson) asks Holmes and Dr. Watson (Bruce) to protect an emerald from the Crown Jewels.  Holmes agrees, but is more interested in their next guest: Ann Brandon (Lupino).  Ann is worried about her brother, Lloyd (Willes), who received an ominous drawing that was also sent to their father before his death.  Her fears are not shared by Jerrold Hunter (Marshal), her fiance and the family lawyer.  Holmes believes Moriarty is involved and takes the case.  Can he protect the Brandon family, guard the Crown Jewels, and stop Moriarty?


This is the second of 14 Sherlock Holmes film starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.  The first two films were produced by 20th Century Fox and were set in the same time period as the original novels.

The Good:
Once again Rathbone and Bruce excel as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.  As Holmes in disguise, Rathbone sings "I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside" at a party, and then reveals his identity to the audience and the character.  He is good in both roles.  George Zucco is a good Moriarty; he is smart and conniving and a challenge for Holmes.  It is an enjoyable entry in the Holmes' film series.

The Bad:
The story is fine, but I wish it was a little longer.  Parts of the story feel like they could be fleshed out more.  I did not enjoy Ida Lupino as Ann Brandon.  I don't know if it's the actress or the character, but she was a weak point in the story.

Other Comments:
-The film is set in the 1890s, which is the time period the Holmes stories were written.  This is an original story, although it shares the title with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1892 short story "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes."
-This film features the iconic Holmes' quote above, which was ranked #65 on the American Film Institute's (AFI's) 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes.
-This is the last Rathbone/Bruce film to have Holmes don the iconic deerstalker hat.  While the hat would appear in subsequent films, he would not wear it again.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) 81 minutes
Director: Alfred L. Werker
Starring: Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson
Ida Lupino as Ann Brandon
George Zucco as Professor Moriarty
Alan Marshal as Jerrold Hunter
Terry Kilburn as Billy
Henry Stephenson as Sir Ronald Ramsgate
E.E. Clive as Inspector Bristol
Peter Willes as Lloyd Brandon

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

"You are so handsome!"
"And you are very... perceptive."

The town of Bricksburg is destroyed by the Duplo aliens.  To survive, the people become darker and hardened.  Five years later, they have renamed the town Apocalypseburg and avoid building anything shiny.  Emmet (Pratt) still thinks everything can be awesome, but no one else agrees with his optimism.  He also has a dream about armamageddon and the devastation it will bring.

Invaders from the Systar System attack and General Mayhem (Beatriz) kidnaps Emmett's friends: Wyldstyle (Banks), Batman (Arnett), Benny (Day), Unikitty (Brie), and MetalBeard (Offerman).  Emmett vows to save his friends, but no one else is willing to help.  He builds a ship and flies into the dangerous Stairgate.  He is saved from a deadly collision with an asteroid by Rex Dangervest (Pratt), a rugged adventurer with a dark past and a crew of dinosaurs.  Rex agrees to help Emmet find and rescue his friends.

Meanwhile, his friends meet Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi (Haddish).  The Queen offers everyone their deepest desires, but Wyldstyle is convinced that she has nefarious plans.  Wyldstyle things the Queen is brainwashing everyone.  Can Emmet and Wyldstyle save their friends?


This film is the sequel to The Lego Movie (2014) and picks up immediately after the events of that film.

The Good:
I came into this film with high expectations since The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie were so well done.  I thought the film was good, but I didn't love it.  The new characters added some charm and worked in the Lego world.  Tiffany Haddish is great as Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi and easily skirts the line between evil and funny.  Richard Ayoade is her assistant Ice Cream Cone and Ben Schwartz is her jester as Banarnar.

The Bad:
The message feels clunkier in this film.  They are trying to keep the feeling of the first film, while still doing something new...

Other Comments:
-The catchy song "Everything is Awesome" from the first film returns here in different form.  They try to recreate the magic with "Catchy Song."
-Jon Lajoie wrote most of the songs that appear in the film, all are catchy and infectious: "Catchy Song" and "Not Evil" are the standouts.
-The film did not do as well as it's predecessor and Warner Bros. decided to end their  Lego franchise.  Universal Studios now owns the film rights to Lego.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) 107 minutes
Director: Mike Mitchell
Starring: Chris Pratt as Emmet Brickowski / Rex Dangervest
Elizabeth Banks as Lucy / Wyldstyle
Will Arnett as Batman
Tiffany Haddish as Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi
Stephanie Beatriz as General Mayhem
Charlie Day as Benny
Alison Brie as Unikitty
Nick Offerman as MetalBeard

To Be or Not to Be (1942)

"Now, look, Tura, you're playing for our lives."

"I know. Dobash, I'm going to do the impossible. I'm going to surpass myself!"

"Don't, Tura! Take it easy and don't draw out the scene. Please! I hate to leave the fate of my country in the hands of a ham."

In 1939, the Warsaw Theater Company is preparing a play satirizing the Nazis, while performing "Hamlet" at night.  The company is led by actor Joseph Tura (Benny) and his wife Maria (Lombard).  As Joseph delivers Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be" speech, Lieutenant Sobinski (Stacks) leaves the theater to meet Maria.  This happens every performance and unnerves Tura.  Everything changes when the Germans invade Poland.  Sobinski is called to fight, while the actors struggle to survive.

Months later, the theater has been shut down.  Sobinski uncovers a German spy, Professor Alexander Siletsky (Ridges), masquerading as a loyal Polish citizen.  He flies back to Poland to alert the underground, but Siletsky also returns to Poland.  Can Sobinski, the Tura's, and the actors stop Siletsky and save the underground?


This iconic screwball comedy has something for everyone: satire, politics, romance, suspense, and more.

The Good:
Everything about this film works.  The story moves at a solid pace and packs a punch, while also juggling multiple genres with ease.  The cast is great.  Jack Benny and Carole Lombard are great together.  They have never been funnier.  The supporting cast is equally entertaining and elevates the film.

The Bad:
There is really no downside to the film.

Other Comments:
-The film is now considered a classic, but audiences did not understand it when it was first released.
-It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture
-In 2000, the film ranked #49 on the American Film Institute's (AFI's) 100 Years... 100 Laughs.
-The film was remade by Mel Brooks in 1983, starring Brooks and his wife Anne Bancroft.
-Lombard died in a plane crash before the film was released.

To Be or Not to Be (1942) 99 minutes
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Starring: Carole Lombard as Maria Tura
Jack Benny as Joseph Tura
Robert Stack as Lieutenant Stanislav Sobinski
Felix Bressart as Greenberg
Lionel Atwill as Rawich
Stanley Ridges as Professor Alexander Siletsky
Sig Ruman as Colonel Ehrhardt
Tom Dugan as Bronski
Charles Halton as Dobosh
George Lynn as Actor-Adjutant