At the Movies: "Sherlock Holmes" (PG-13)

The newest incarnation of "Sherlock Holmes" is one of the best films of 2009
(Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.)

Ah the Holiday season. Hollywood saves the best for last as the bulk of the great and high-budgeted movies are released around this time. "Avatar," "Alvin and the Chipmunks," and now "Sherlock Holmes."

One of the most cherished detectives of our time, "Holmes" has appeared in over 122 films with the last being "The Young Sherlock Holmes" in 1985 (grossing around $20 million after opening in 5th place.) After the demise of the last Sherlock movie, would Guy Ritchie and his all-star cast reboot this franchise much like J.J. Abrams rebooted "Star Trek"?

After finally catching serial killer and occult "sorcerer" Lord Blackwood, legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) and his assistant Dr. Watson (Law) can close yet another successful case. But when Blackwood mysteriously returns from the grave and resumes his killing spree, Holmes must take up the hunt once again. Contending with his partner's new fiancée and the dimwitted head of Scotland Yard, the dauntless detective must unravel the clues that will lead him into a twisted web of murder, deceit, and black magic - and the deadly embrace of temptress Irene Adler (McAdams).

What I really liked about this film was how it jumped right into the action. No need to bore the audience with a background on Holmes and Watson. Everyone should know by now the story of how they came to be and how they are best friends and colleagues. Downey Jr. was fantastic as Holmes and brought a rugged quality not seen in previous films. Holmes has always been seen as clean cut and in fancy clothing. Law was spot on as Watson.

Chris's Rating: 4 out of 4 stars - One of the best films of 2009. As close to perfection as you can get with Sherlock Holmes. Sure to be Guy Ritchie's greatest film and was set up perfectly for a sequel.

DVD Movie Review: "The Hangover" (R)

Most overrated movie of 2009: "The Hangover"

When you see the trailer to "The Hangover," you see four guys (2 best friends, a groom and his future brother-in-law) living it up in Vegas. A typical storyline that has been done since the dawn of time, the hype that built around this movie was so huge, it cast itself in the light of all-time best comedies. This $35 million dollar comedy grossed $277 million dollars in the U.S. alone, so I thought to myself "This must be a great comedy to have grossed this much!" How wrong I was.

Angelenos Doug Billings (Justin Bartha) and Tracy Garner (Sasha Barrece) are about to get married. Two days before the wedding, the four men in the wedding party - Doug, Doug's two best buddies Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper) and Stu Price (Ed Helms), and Tracy's brother Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) - hop into Tracy's father's beloved Mercedes convertible for a 24-hour stag party to Las Vegas. After a night of partying with no memory of the previous nights events, they try and piece together what happened hoping they can find their friend Doug. As they find clues to his disappearance, things seem to get weirder and weirder leading them all over Vegas trying to get back in time for Doug's wedding day.

The first 20 minutes of this film are grueling. You have all the characters getting setup as to who they are, what their homelives are about, etc. Once they get to Vegas, the tempo picks up only to come back to a hault as they try to piece together the events of the previous night and find the groom Doug. Throughout the film, the jokes are flying but I really only laughed at a few of them. The gross-out humor just isn't funny in an adult comedy. It might work in "American Pie" but not on this level.

I think the breakout acting in this movie has to go to Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms. Galifianakis made the role of the strange, isolated person named Alan shine and had more laughs than anyone else. Helms was good as "whipped" Stu who refused to dump his controlling girlfriend who cheated on him with a cruise ship worker. Bradley Cooper's performance was ok but the typical "mid-life crisis" guy trying to hang on to his youth.

Chris's Rating: 2 Stars out of 4 - Overrated comedy that had a very lame ending. Has a sequel on the way next May. Hope it's not as overhyped as this one was.

University of Florida: Land of the Wimps

Florida Men's Basketball Coach Billy Donovan (Top) and Football Coach Urban Meyer (Bottom) have a lot in common after crawling back to Florida less than 24 hours after vacating those jobs [Courtesy Photos]

What a crazy weekend in the world of college sports. News Saturday night that Florida Football Coach Urban Meyer was resigning due to health concerns and wanting to be with his family. Then the next day Meyer recants his press release to the media and says he is taking an "indefinite leave of absence" but hopes to be back before the 2010 season. WHA???

Let's give a little background as to what happened. After the Southeastern Conference championship game three weeks ago, Meyer spent several hours in a Gainesville, Fla., hospital because of chest pains. Meyer said Sunday he had experienced similar problems at times this season but had not had a heart attack. Meyer also told Sports Illustrated last month that he suffered from persistent headaches caused by an arachnoid cyst that becomes inflamed by stress, rage and excitement.

Pat Forde describes the situation..."After handing in his resignation Saturday night, Meyer's mind was made up. Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said when he went to sleep Saturday night he did not think there was any chance Meyer would change his mind.

Meyer then apparently went out to practice and decided that burnout is for losers, and his family may or may not come before his players. They had a spirited practice in unseasonably cold weather and, shazam, Urban's not resigning after all!

Meyer also said family and health come first but clearly, he has put neither first during his intensely successful run as a coach. On Saturday night, Meyer told The New York Times that oldest daughter Nicki rejoiced at the news of his impending resignation, saying, "I've got my daddy back." Now it appears daddy is only back on temporary loan."

Forde sums it up best by stating that Meyer's judgement is a bit cloudy. When he made a sincere resignation from the heart on Saturday, that was the right thing to do. But to go behind your families back and change your mind is a pretty harsh and selfish thing to do.

I hope he takes time to heal from his medical issues and takes time to heal his family where he seems to be non-existant. Whatever the case may be, Meyer must air on the side of caution and not risk his life for a game.

Top 10 Christmas Movies

"It's a Wonderful Life" tops my list of Best Christmas Movies

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Merry Christmas to one and all. After hearing all these entertainment reporters compile their list of Best Christmas Movies, I decided to put in my two cents. Here are my Top 10 Christmas Movies:

#1 - "It's a Wonderful Life" (G) starring James Stewart, Donna Reed

Frank Capra’s "It’s a Wonderful Life" was a box-office flop in 1946 even though it went on to garner 5 Academy Award Nods including Best Picture. James "Jimmy" Stewart was returning from war when he did this movie and you can tell how changed a man he was. The raw emotion of George Bailey, the yearning for a better life and the suicide attempt because he thought of himself as unimportant. All the elements that make a movie a classic and make us all realize we are all put on this earth for a reason.

#2 - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (PG-13) - starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo

A holiday classic from the 1980's, a decade with a slew of holiday classics. Clark Griswold just wants his family to have the perfect old fashioned family christmas. Add him putting up hundreds of thousands of lights on his house, him awaiting a bonus check he really needed and you got the best movie of the "Vacation" series. Classic lines, classic comedy, this is a great holiday movie.

#3 - A Christmas Story (PG) - starring Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin and Peter Billingsley

"Sons of Bitches...Bumpus's!" An all-time classic from 1983, "A Christmas Story" presents the story of a little boy named Ralphie and what he goes through to get a Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas in the circa 1940's fictional northern Indiana town of Hohman. Funny and just plain genius, it was also considered a flop in Nov. 1983, only making $19 million. FUN FACT: There are two sequels to this film: "Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss" (1988) and "It Runs in the Family" (1994).

#4 - Scrooged (PG) - starring Bill Murray

Another classic 80's christmas movie, Bill Murray plays IBC TV Executive Frank Cross whose only goal in life is to make himself and everyone around him miserable. Only caring about money and the bottom line, Cross is visited by three ghosts to try and get him to change his ways and also rekindle a lost love. Murray is brilliant in this contemporary retelling of Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol."

#5 - The Santa Clause (PG) - starring Tim Allen

What started peoples mispelling of "Claus,"Disney and Tim Allen bring Santa to the big screen in a whole new light. When Scott Kalvin finds Santa fallen off his roof, he dawns Santa's clothing (to the urging of his son Charlie) and helps finish delivering the presents to all the children around the world. Not realizing that he was now the new Santa Claus under a binding law known as the "Santa Clause," Kalvin must come to the realization that he is now Santa and accept his new job at the North Pole. Funny, original and very clever, this is definitely one of my favorite holiday classics that the entire family will enjoy.

#6 - Santa Claus: The Movie (G) - starring Dudley Moore, John Lithgow

The most expensive Christmas movie ever made, "Santa Claus: The Movie" came out in 1985. The story is about an evil toy company executive of BZ Toys using a special candy cane, created by one of Santa's Elves (Moore fresh off his "Arthur" fame) that made people fly, to create record profits and start a new holiday called "Christmas II." An orphan and little girl help Santa save the day in this fun, endearing tale. A dud at the box office (only made $23 million of its $50 million back), this holiday classic is endearing to me. I remember going to the ol' Fair Oaks Movie Theater when this came out. I was 5 years old at the time and remember how magical the movie was. It's a fun movie that is sure to bring out the kid in us all.

#7 - Home Alone 1 & 2 (PG) - starring Macaulay Culkin

I decided to group both movies together because they both merit a spot on this list. "Home Alone" starred a virtual unknown Macaulay Culkin as Kevin, a 10-year old boy who gets left at home while his family goes on Christmas Vacation. Unbeknownst to Kevin and his family, thieves (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) are casing the neighborhood looking for an easy score while people are out of town. It's up to Kevin to protect his families house from them while his mother tries to get home as quick as she can. In "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," Kevin gets on the plane this time but it's the wrong one! Instead of getting on a plane to Florida, he's on the plane to New York City. Once there, Kevin checks into The Plaza and gets settled. Lerking in the city are the two thieves from the first movie wanting to strike revenge on unsuspecting Kevin. Once he realizes they are there, it's onto an abandoned building where Kevin must defeat them again and get back to his family. Very funny and great holiday classics.

#8 - Holiday Inn (G) - starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire

A classic holiday film, this movie introduces the world to a little song called "White Christmas" which also won the Academy Award in 1942. Crosby and Astaire star as a popular nightclub song-and-dance team. When his heart is broken by his girlfriend, Crosby decides to retire from the hustle-bustle of big city showbiz. He purchases a rustic New England farm and converts it to an inn, which he opens to the public (floor show and all) only on holidays. Great songs by Irving Berlin make this a true classic amongst christmas films.

#9 - Silent Night, Deadly Night (R) - starring Robert Brian Wilson, Gilmer McCormick

I know this isn't your typical holiday film, but I had to include it in this list. A Christmas Tradition my friends and I started last year was to watch "Silent Night, Deadly Night" every Christmas season. This 1984 horror movie classic is about a young boy who watches his parents killed by a thief in a Santa suit. He spends his youth in an orphanage, staying quietly to his self, but his mind is further bent by an ironhanded Mother Superior. When he turns 18, he finally gets a job at a local store, where he finally snaps when he is required to wear a Santa suit, and goes on a killing spree that leads him slowly back to the orphanage. Some classic scenes and is definitely NOT FOR CHILDREN!

#10 - Bad Santa (R) - starring Billy Bob Thornton

Another crude holiday classic, this is Thornton at his comedic best. Two conmen, disguised as Santa (Billy Bob Thornton) and an Elf (Tony Cox), have been traveling across the country for the last seven years during the Christmas season getting jobs at shopping malls, and then robbing them on Christmas Eve. They use the trusting nature of people during this happy time just to rob them blind. Just when all is going according to plan, Willie meets an 8-year old boy, (Brett Kelly) who has this trusting nature, and who shows him the meaning of friendship and Christmas. To complicate matters further, he meets Sue, a sexy bartender who starts to really care for him. Rude, Crass and plain raunchy, this movie is a holiday classic for the adults.

Did I leave any out? Post comments below! Merry Christmas to all!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

(UPDATED WEATHER MAP AS OF 1:30 PM 12/18)

Courtesy of Weather.com, here are the projections for snowfall.
Chantilly/Fairfax, VA can expect 12-24 inches Friday evening through Sunday

I should have known something was afoot when, while shopping at Giant to avoid the crazy people today, I heard "Let It Snow" on the stores loudspeaker. Not since the likes of the Blizzards of 1993, 1996 or 2006 have we seen snow totals of 1-2 feet predicted. As the bullseye keeps growing, let's take a walk down memory lane and see what those snowstorms impact had on our area:

• 1993: The "Storm of the Century," also known as the ’93 Superstorm, No-Name Hurricane, the White Hurricane, or the "Great Blizzard of 1993," was a large cyclonic storm that occurred on March 12–March 13, 1993, on the East Coast of North America. It is unique for its intensity, massive size and wide-reaching effect. The D.C. area saw 2-3 feet of snow from this classic storm that crippled the area for 2-3 weeks as plows and residents tried to dig out. (I remember missing over a week of school because of this storm!)
  
  


• 1996: The "Blizzard of 1996" was a nor'easter (much like the one that will hit this weekend) that paralyzed the U.S. East Coast with up to 4 feet of wind-driven snow over a three-day period from January 6 to January 8, 1996.
  
  
  Also known as the MLK Storm, Snow began falling in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore during the late evening of January 6 and continued at a consistent rate until mid-afternoon the next day. At that time, the metro area received 13 to 17 inches, and after a few hours of sleet and then a complete stop for several hours, it seemed the worst was over. But overnight, as the storm slowly crawled northward, extremely heavy bands of snow came in from the east. These bands created whiteout conditions as winds gusted past 40 miles per hour, along with thunder and lightning.
  
  
  By the morning of January 8, the bands tapered off, and the metro area was left with a blanket of 15 to 25 inches of snow. Baltimore received 22.5 inches and Washington Dulles International Airport received 24.6 inches. Many areas north and west in Maryland and West Virginia received well over 2 feet with a few locations in the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia receiving up to 4 feet.
  
  
• 2006: The "Blizzard of 2006" was a nor'easter that began on the evening of February 11, 2006. It dumped heavy snow across the Northeast United States from Virginia to Maine through the early evening of February 12 and ended in Atlantic Canada on February 13. The major northeast cities from Baltimore to Boston received at least a foot of snow, with an all-time largest amount of 26.9 inches in New York City, the most since at least 1869, the start of record keeping.
  
  
  According to Dominion Power, over 64,000 people in Northern Virginia lost power in the storm, primarily in the suburban areas adjacent to Washington, D.C. Many locations in the extreme Northeastern portion of the state recorded 10-15 inches of snow, with Falls Church and Fairfax coming in at 13.5 inches and 14.0 inches respectively. Fairfax County and eastern Loudoun County were generally the start of the 12+ inches accumulations, which spread north towards Massachusetts.

Will we be adding 2009 to the list? I am sure with the predictions of 12-24 inches of snow. Be prepared if you live from North Carolina up to Pennsylvania.

Here are a few tips to keep you safe during this storm:

1) Listen to your radio, television, or NOAA Weather Radio for weather reports and emergency information.

2) Eat regularly and drink ample fluids, but avoid caffeine and alcohol.

3) Avoid overexertion when shoveling snow. Overexertion can bring on a heart attack—a major cause of death in the winter. If you must shovel snow, stretch before going outside.

4) Cover your mouth. Protect your lungs from extremely cold air by covering your mouth when outdoors. Try not to speak unless absolutely necessary.

5) Keep dry. Change wet clothing frequently to prevent a loss of body heat. Wet clothing loses all of its insulating value and transmits heat rapidly.

6) Watch for signs of frostbite. These include loss of feeling and white or pale appearance in extremities such as fingers, toes, ear lobes, and the tip of the nose. If symptoms are detected, get medical help immediately.

7) Watch for signs of hypothermia. These include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion.

8) Drive only if it is absolutely necessary. If you must drive, consider the following:
Travel in the day, don’t travel alone and keep others informed of your schedule.
Stay on main roads; avoid back road shortcuts.

SNOW UPDATE AS OF SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20: 26 inches fell in Chantilly, Va.!!!! Roads are terrible with schools closing for the rest of the week and most of DC offices closed Monday.

Brilliant, Shocking End to Dexter Season 4

Arthur Mitchell, aka Trinity (John Lithgow) and Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) showed why Dexter is the best show of the past decade. (Photo Courtesy of EW.com)

If you have not seen the season 4 finale or any of the season for that matter, DO NOT READ AFTER THIS SENTENCE!

Season four of "Dexter" was the absolute best season since the first. When the season begins, Dexter Morgan finds himself married with a wife (Rita), a new baby (Harrison) and two step-children (Cody and Aster). Moving into a new posh Miami suburb, life seems perfect for the serial-killer hero we have all grown to care about in the first three seasons. But as always, Miami shows its ugly side and some peculiar murders pop up.

A woman found dead in a bath tub, a woman who apparently committed suicide jumping off a building and a man found bludgeoned to death. The cycle of the vicious murderer known as the "Trinity Murders." Special Agent Lundy (from Season 2 fame) is back in Miami to track the man he dubbed Trinity. Dexter is very interested in learning about Trinity and helps Lundy and his sister Deb try and track him down.

After Lundy is killed and Deb shot, Dexter makes it his mission to find Trinity. He finds him and instead of immediately putting him on his table, Dexter decides to learn from him. After all, he has a family and so does Trinity. Befriending Arthur Mitchell as Kyle Butler, Dexter sets out to see what makes this man tick and how he balances family life with his dark passenger.

After many episodes peeling back the insanity and viciousness layer by layer with a Thanksgiving from hell as the climax, Dexter has to put an end to the cycle. But to his astonishment, he soon finds out that Trinity not only killed 3 people but a 4th as 10-year old children were encased in cement in every city the killings happened. With time running out, Dexter finds Trinity as he is putting his latest child victim in cement. Knocking him out with a shovel, the kid is saved by Dexter only to have Trinity escape. Now it's personal.

With Trinity looking for Kyle, Dexter knows it's time to end this madness. As he tries to find Arthur, he doesn't know that Arthur has already found him and knows of his true identity. In the final episode of the season, it's a race against time as Dexter tries to end the days of this evil serial killer once and for all.

The episode starts where it left off last week as Dexter is staring right into the eyes of Arthur Mitchell in Miami-Homicide's office. With an exchange of words, Arthur leaves with Dexter hot on his trail. While speeding down the road, Dexter knocks a rearview mirror off the car of some guy. Not stopping for fear of losing Arthur for good, Dexter finds that he has gone to the bank and withdrawn all his money to leave town. Hiding in the shadows of the parking garage, Dexter uses his syringe and knocks Arthur out.

With Arthur now unconscious in the back of his van, Dexter finds out the man whose mirror he knocked off followed him with the Sheriff's department. Leaving Arthur in the van, Dexter doesn't want to waste time with this matter but loses his cool and gets arrested.

Thinking he might still have a shot at Arthur after being released from jail, Dexter goes back to the bank and finds that he is now gone. But luckily Dexter hid Arthur's money somewhere in the parking garage, forcing him to go home and find anything of value to get money including his wife's wedding ring.

On a side story, Deb was told to go home after witnessing Christine commit suicide in front of her four hours earlier. Not wanting to just sit at home, she finds the name of Kimberly Mosher, an ex C.I. of her father. As she's taken to the house, Deb realizes it was the same house the Ice Truck Killer had taken her to. Connecting the dots, she finds out that Dexter was the Ice Truck Killer's brother. Telling Dexter all this, he seems releaved to find that that is all she knows and that the killings Dexter has been a part of have not surfaced.

Dexter wonders where Arthur could be after disappearing from his family. Finding a car repair receipt in the van, Dexter proceeds to find Arthur with his newly fixed and painted mustang and finally got him on his table. Arthur knows his time is up but won't let Dexter have all the fun. “I was following my path. God led you to me.” With this line from Arthur, Dexter finished the deal and Arthur "Trinity Killer" Mitchell was finally dead.

As he stared into the moonlight, Dexter thought to himself that he wanted to embrace his family life. He cared so deeply for all of them and wanted to try and rid himself of the needs of the dark passenger.

Getting home to pack his bag for the Florida Keys, Dexter's phone starts beeping. A voicemail from Rita was left saying that she had forgotten her I.D. to board the plane but that she was going home and catch the next flight out with Harrison. Dexter hits call back on his phone only to hear the phone in her purse in the dining room. A cry from Harrison shrills through the calm night and Dexter runs to where he hears it. In the bathroom, Harrison is on the floor surrounded in Rita's blood...like Dexter when he was little and his mother had been killed. Rita had been murdered in the tub. Trinity's final opus to Dexter Morgan as his greatest adversary. Dexter picked up Harrison and said "I'm what's wrong...this is fate."

I don't know about any of you but my jaw hit the floor with that ending!! When you go back, the subtle hints from Trinity chill you to the core. "It's over. It's already done" he said to Dexter as he laid on the table. This is the best season of this show by far. If this show does not win Emmys, Golden Globes, Actors Guild Awards, you name it, I will never listen to any advise or watch any awards show they put on ever again.

Michael C. Hall was phenominal as always. Since his break on "Six Feet Under," he has stretched his acting skills to new heights. I mean he takes a Serial Killer (only of the bad people) and turns him into a protagonist that everyone cares about! He deserves all the accolades and awards.

John Lithgow has been the greatest villain on this show. He's a brilliant actor who can show he can be funny (3rd Rock from the Sun) and that he can be chilling (Dexter).

Jennifer Carpenter made Deb totally her own this season. With having to deal with Lundy's death and Christine shooting herself in front of her, she showed a wide range of emotions..not the same ones over and over.

Julie Benz was just right as Rita. I know everyone hated her but she was another great character that showed frustration and conflict as she tried to get Dexter to open up to her and also ultimately paid the price for Dexter's mistakes in the end.

So what will happen next season? To me it seems that Dexter will be a single dad trying to balance this new found hole in their lives. Others are saying Dexter will wake up and it will all be a dream at the start of the season. It's up to the fantastic writers who get better with every season. Thoughts? Post comments on what you think is going to happen!