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Long before James Bond, literary icon Sherlock Holmes was a character who has been played by a variety of different actors across decades. Now, the detective has his newest face, with an acclaimed actor chosen to take on the iconic role in CBS and Paramount+’s modern-day reboot.

The CBS series Watson is a modern retelling of the famous detective, putting a twist on the works of Arthur Conan Doyle and focusing on Dr. John Watson (played by Morris Chestnut) rather than Holmes himself. Picking up after the apparent death of Sherlock Holmes, the series finds Watson returning to his work as a medical practitioner, using his newfound detective skills to solve clinical mysteries rather than murders.

The first season of Watson wrapped up back in May, with Season 2 now all set to add Trainspotting, Once Upon a Time, and 28 Weeks Later star Robert Carlyle as Sherlock Holmes. Carlyle...

There's a new Sherlock Holmes coming to Watson next season. Matt Berry, who voiced the legendary detective in a lone Season 1 episode, will not reprise the role in the flesh for Season 2.

Instead, per Deadline, Robert Carlyle will step into the iconic role of Sherlock Holmes for the CBS medical drama series' sophomore outing, which will premiere this fall. "We are thrilled to have the mighty Robert Carlyle join the cast of Watson in Season 2," shared Watson showrunner Craig Sweeny in a statement. "The man has played iconic roles in projects like Trainspotting, The Full Monty and 28 Weeks Later, and now he steps into the shoes of the most iconic detective of all, Sherlock Holmes."

"We are thrilled to have the mighty Robert Carlyle join the cast of Watson in Season 2."

Watson's first season was set one year after Sherlock's apparent death at the hands of his archenemy Professor James Moriarty,...

Robert Carlyle is set to bring to life the legendary literary detective Sherlock Holmes in Season 2 of the CBS series Watson. Carlyle will appear in a recurring guest role, working opposite series lead Morris Chestnut, who plays Dr. John Watson.

The investigative medical drama is a modern version of one of history’s greatest detectives as he turns his attention from solving crimes to solving medical mysteries. While Watson’s team of “doc-tectives” may have defeated Moriarty (Randall Park) last season, they remain determined in Season 2 in their mission to investigate and treat the world’s rarest diseases for their clinic’s patients.

With his eyes fixed on the future, Watson faces an unexpected twist when Sherlock Holmes, who was presumed dead, resurfaces, forcing him to confront a buried secret from his past — one that lies hidden within his own body.

Related: CBS: ‘FBI’ Offshoot ‘CIA’ Pushed...

Sherlock & Daughter is the latest entry involving master detective Sherlock Holmes, and it's doing impressively in terms of ratings. The new CW series stars Emmy nominee David Thewlis as Holmes, who finds himself caught up in a challenging case against his archenemy, Professor James Moriarty, played by Mission: Impossible II and Taken 3 actor Dougray Scott. During Holmes's feud with Moriarty, the detective joins forces with a young Indigenous American woman named Amelia Rojas, played by Blu Hunt. Rojas' mother was recently murdered, and Amelia intends to prove that Sherlock is her long-lost father.

In a new report by Variety, Sherlock & Daughter has been a critical and ratings success in both the U.S. and Australia, scoring season-best ratings on its American network, the CW. The show has also performed well on the digital streaming platform Max, reaching number four on the app's top ten list of most-watched programs.

Having worked on “E.R” and “Presidio Med,” costume designer Lyn Paolo felt she didn’t feel the need to do another medical drama.

But when she read the scripts for “The Pitt” by former “E.R.” colleagues and producers John Wells and Noah Wyle, she couldn’t turn it down. “The scripts were brilliant, and they’re all so passionate about the project and highlighting the people that take care of us.”

The HBO Max series takes place within the course of one 15-hour shift at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Paolo’s challenge was to make her costumes look and feel real.

Paolo describes Wyle’s Dr. Michael Robbie’s look as “downtrodden and worn out.” His Beers of the Burgh hoodie was “trashed. His pants weren’t new either,” Paolo says.

In comparison, the new people to the trauma center came in with a fresh and crisp look.

By the mid-1960s, things were getting weird. At the movies, the French New Wave was reaching America’s shores and inspiring the first move toward experimental filmmaking in Hollywood. On the fringes of this, rogue independent filmmakers were finding ways to be experimental and artistic while also managing to make plenty of money through exploitation films, a charge led by William Castle and Roger Corman. Jack Hill came up through the earliest days of what would eventually be called the “Corman School” and made his debut feature for next to nothing under the title Cannibal Orgy or The Maddest Story Ever Told.

When the film eventually saw the light of day, it retained its subtitle but garnered the new, and perhaps more esoteric, moniker Spider Baby.

The film was made during an unusual time in the history of horror. The classic monster movies had long-since fallen out of vogue...

Ok, let’s face it. You heard the news about the return of dire wolf pups after 12,000 years, marking the end of that species’ extinction. And maybe you thought, “Wow, 12,000 years flies by!” Or you thought, “You mean, like in Game of Thrones?” But, if you’re a music nerd of any generation, you likely thought, “Man, I love that Dead song.”

The dire wolf predated the Grateful Dead by about 2 million years, a period when the species rambled around this part of the world before vanishing around 10,000 Bce. Fast...

Michael Mann, Rob Reiner, Kathy Bates, Aaron Sorkin, Keir Dullea, Sean Young, Barry Bostwick and Eric Braedon are headed to the 16th annual TCM Classic Film Festival this month.

Reiner will chat with Kathy Bates and Aaron Sorkin before screenings of his dramas Misery (1990) and The American President (1995), and for the closing night film, Michael Mann will be on hand for a presentation of his action-packed Heat (1995), whose memorable performances include one from the late Val Kilmer.

The festival takes place April 24-27 in Hollywood.

Other presenters announced Thursday to talk about the making of their films include Dullea for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Bostwick for The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and Young for Blade Runner (1982).

Danny Huston will introduce Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) — a film directed by his father, John Huston — Alexander Payne will get the audience pumped for Ben-Hur (1959), and Paul Schrader will set up Hud (1963).

Plus, the...

"This summer, cameras are gonna roll on 'Clayface,' which is an incredible body horror film that reveals a compelling origin of a classic Batman villain," Peter Safran announced to an eager room of journalists at a special DC Studios press event, including /Film's own Bill Bria. "This is another title that we added to the slate on the strength of an exceptional screenplay by Mike Flanagan," he continued.

Since it was announced that the man who gave us "Doctor Sleep," "The Haunting of Hill House," "Midnight Mass," and "The Fall of the House of Usher" had turned in a script for a film based on one of the most interesting members of Batman's rogues gallery, horror fans have been frothing at the mouth for more information about what a supervillain movie written by a modern master of horror might look like in Safran and James Gunn's new slate of DC films,...

Quick Links'Murder by Decree' Links Jack the Ripper to the British Royal FamilyJames Mason Is a Splendid Dr. Watson in 'Murder by Decree''Murder by Decree' Is From the Director of 'Black Christmas' and 'Porky's'

The famous detective duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson was introduced in the 1887 Arthur Conan Doyle detective novel A Study in Scarlet. The characters were later widely popularized through a series of films starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes, beginning with the 1939 Gothic mystery film The Hound of the Baskervilles, in which Rathbone’s Holmes is introduced as a dry-humored, obsessive follower of logic and reason, while Watson, played by Nigel Bruce, appears as Holmes’ lovable but often clueless assistant.

One of the first and best films to abandon this formula is the 1979 mystery thriller filmMurder by Decree, in which Holmes, played by Christopher Plummer, and Watson, played by James Mason, are approached to...

Few literary characters have left as lasting an impact on sci-fi and horror cinema as Frankenstein's monster. Since Mary Shelley first unleashed her tragic creation onto the world in 1818, filmmakers have happily taken on its themes of hubris and the blurred line between life and death. Over the decades, Frankenstein has been adapted, reimagined, and parodied in countless ways, with some versions staying true to Shelley's original vision and others taking creative liberties that reshape the story entirely.

In fact, the story is a perfect archetype for all kinds of interpretations. With two major adaptations on the horizon -- Guillermo del Toro's long-awaited take and Maggie Gyllenhaal's unique reimagining -- now is the perfect time to revisit the best Frankenstein movies ever made. From classic Universal horror to modern reinterpretations, these ten films prove that Frankenstein’s monster is truly immortal.

Horror Meets Humor When Abbott and...

Ahoy, and meet the granddaddy of all pirate movies. Every swashbuckling film made after 1935 owes a debt of booty to Captain Blood, the Michael Curtiz-directed pirate adventure. It popularized the genre for decades to come and made a star out of its leading buccaneer, Errol Flynn.

Warner Bros., inspired by the success of other recent swashbuckling period dramas such as The Count of Monte Cristo, decided to set Rafael Sabatini's novel before the cameras with a pair of untested leads: Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Though dated by 21st-century standards, the movie's legacy as a genre-setting touchstone, along with its old Hollywood craftsmanship, still makes it a worthy watch today. While Hollywood had produced swashbuckling pirate films before (including a silent version of Captain Blood in 1924), Captain Blood defined the genre ever after.

Captain Blood Invented the Modern Swashbuckling Movie The Film Popularized the Genre

Image via Warner Bros.

Quick Links There Have Been Many Characters to Take on the Clayface Mantle in DC Comics How Clayface Could Fit Into the Grounded Batman Universe of Matt Reeves Mike Flanagan Has Wanted to Make a Clayface Movie for More Than a Year Creature Commandos Introduced a Monstrous Version of Clayface and Killed Him

The following contains spoilers for Creature Commandos Season 1, Episode 5, "The Iron Pot," now streaming on Max.

The fifth episode of Creature Commandos Season 1 introduced Clayface into the DC Universe, meaning the villain may not appear in Matt Reeves's films. The shapeshifter is confronted by Eric Frankenstein and Rick Flag Sr. and summarily killed. In "The Iron Pot," Rick Flag and Frankenstein investigate Doctor Aisla MacPherson who convinced Amanda Waller that Circe's vision of a dystopian future caused by Princess Ilana Rostovic is legitimate.

They discover MacPherson dead in her home, and that Clayface has been impersonating her.

Watson takes the lead in a new television series streaming on Paramount+ in 2025, here’s the trailer.

Sherlock Holmes has enjoyed dozen of adaptations over the years, from the classic Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett versions, Gene Wilder’s wonderful, and very underrated, parody The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes’ Younger Brother to Robert Downey Jr.’s pair of blockbuster films.

Perhaps the most successful, at least in recent years, is Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ Sherlock, which took Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective and planted him firmly in the 21st century.

America also took a crack at the character in Elementary, which starred Johnny Lee Miller as Sherlock and Lucy Liu as Dr Joan Watson.

Now, another American television series is on the way. Watson puts Sherlock’s sidekick at the centre of the action.

Morris Chestnut, best known for starring in The Best Man franchise stars as Watson, alongside...

From Grease in a brawler to Kindergarten Cop in a classic survival horror, movies had a habit of unexpectedly popping up in 80s and 90s videogames.

There’s long been a link between movies and videogames. There were the earliest licenced games, such as Atari’s groundbreaking Star Wars cabinet or the same company’s slightly less successful E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial console tie-in.

Then there are games that take inspiration from the themes, production design or plot points of movies; Technos coin-op Renegade, when reworked for its western release, drew on the urban malaise of Walter Hill’s 1979 movie The Warriors, for example. Then there are all the games that have borrowed from the look of the Alien franchise, which are too numerous to mention.

Every so often, though, films used to make unexpected cameos in 1980s and 90s videogames. In some instances, their appearance was so brief,...

It’s Halloween, and you know what that means: It’s the perfect time to watch horror movies. Vampires, serial killers, haunted houses, the month that precedes Halloween is the prime time to watch scary movies, but not every scary movie is a Halloween movie… and not every Halloween movie is scary.

So it is with great relish that we present the 31 best Halloween movies ever, exclusively featuring films that actually take place on Halloween, or at least during the Halloween season. The point is, if Halloween doesn’t play a major part in the movie it’s not fair to call it a “Halloween movie,” and as long as Halloween shows up in some important way, it doesn’t matter where the film is frightening, funny, or even just for little kids.

We’re narrowing the field down to theatrically released features and shorts and feature-length TV movies. Halloween specials deserve their own list,...

Not every movie centered around Halloween gets the proper recognition it deserves, with many incredible holiday classics falling by the wayside in favor of bigger films. When it comes to Halloween and movies, it's easy for all discussion to be overtaken by the ubiquitous Halloween movie series that began with the John Carpenter movie of the same name. That being said, Michael Myers doesn't have a monopoly on cinematic Halloween iconography, with plenty of great undersung films themed around the holiday to reach for going undersung.

Being a horror movie isn't necessarily the same as being a Halloween movie, with the best films that represent the season being themed around or at least taking place during Halloween. Halloween movies don't necessarily need to be scary to be classics either, with some of the best of them being cozy family-friendly films with a heartening Autumnal vibe. Some of the strongest film...

Screenwriter and executive producer Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Dracula, Sherlock) had much insight to share about his work on Sherlock, Doctor Who and beyond, as well as his frustrations with elements of the entertainment industry during an appearance in Toronto on Friday.

The creative appeared during a “Visionaries” session at the industry conference section at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival where he was interviewed by THR‘s European bureau chief Scott Roxborough about such topics as how to reimagine known and beloved characters, how not to adapt British series for the U.S. and the challenges of window and release strategies in the digital age.

Moffat drew laughs throughout the session. That was also the case when he explained the brilliance of Doctor Who and its format. “You think it’s that cheesy old BBC adventure series,” he said. “Actually, it is the single smartest television format ever devised. By...

Sherlock Holmes has been adapted in so many ways that there’s no point in partaking in any kind of pearl clutching activities anymore. Of course, the adaptations featuring Basil Rathbone, Peter Cushing, Jeremy Brett, Michael Caine, Robert Downey Jr., Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, and even Jonny Lee Miller will be celebrated by fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s work. But they also have to deal with the likes of Holmes & Watson, Enola Holmes, Sherlock Gnomes, and Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd century. And you’d think that after a show with a female Sherlock Holmes, a play in which Sherlock and Watson are in a gay relationship, and an animated series by Hayao Miyazaki where the characters are anthropomorphic animals, there’s no way that a new adaptation can surprise you. Well, Shekhar Home asks you to think otherwise.

Directed by Srijit Mukherji and Ronny Sippy, Shekhar Home takes place in the ’90s,...

This article contains spoilers for "Batman: Caped Crusader."

"Batman: Caped Crusader" promised to reinvent some of Batman's biggest villains and the 10-episode first season delivered. The Penguin is reimagined as a woman (Oswalda Cobblepot) while Harvey Dent actually becomes a better man once he's turned into Two-Face. With Clayface, the show instead goes back to his roots — but with the way the character has evolved, his original self seems unfamiliar.

Clayface is the villain of "Caped Crusader" episode 2, "... And Be A Villain" (written by prolific comic writer Greg Rucka). He is a British actor named Basil Karlo (Dan Donohue), one who has the talent but not the looks to be a leading man. Thus, he's stuck playing monsters and heels in B-horror movies. When murders and disappearances pile up around the set, Batman and Detective Renee Montoya investigate.

It turns out Karlo was funding an experimental treatment to make his face moldable like clay.

Let’s face it, streaming services have lost a lot of their appeal. Between their ever shifting libraries, their kneecapping of theaters, and their tendency to overwhelm viewers with substandard garbage, it’s hard to be excited about our streaming present. Heck, most services now play the same couple of ads over and over, even for paying customers!

With every annoying insurance ad and every movie suddenly shoved from a service you bought to a different service you don’t have, Tubi looks better and better. Tubi is one of many free streaming services available online. Like most other services, free or otherwise, Tubi interrupts the programming with occasional ads.

But Tubi also has an outstanding library, one that rivals Max, with its oft-threatened TCM and Ghibli channels. Still, Tubi can be overwhelming to some users, who can’t always see the gems alongside stinkers such as Big Stan (starring Rob Schneider!

Janis Paige, the ebullient redhead who starred in the original Broadway production of The Pajama Game and in such Hollywood musicals as Silk Stockings and Romance on the High Seas, has died. She was 101.

Paige, who was discovered in the 1940s while performing at the legendary Hollywood Canteen, died Sunday of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles, her friend Stuart Lampert announced.

Paige starred on her own network sitcom, playing a widowed nightclub singer struggling to raise her 10-year-old daughter, on the 1955-56 CBS series It’s Always Jan, and she had recurring roles as Dick van Patten’s free-spirited sister on ABC’s Eight Is Enough and as a hospital administrator on CBS’ Trapper John, M.D.

The actress also turned in two memorable guest-starring stints in 1976, playing an attractive diner waitress named Denise who tempts Archie (Carroll O’Connor) to cheat on Edith (Jean Stapleton) on All in the Family...

Roger Corman, who directed and produced countless B-movies and championed future industry stalwarts Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, and Jack Nicholson, died at his home in Santa Monica, California on May 9, Variety reports. He was 98.

“His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age. When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that,’” the family said in a statement to the outlet.

For nearly five decades, he dominated the B-movie market, with films that ranged from his early work in the Fifties,...

There are a lot of "Frankenstein" movies. There's even one in theaters right now: "Lisa Frankenstein," a fun 80s-set horror-comedy-romance brew (read /Film's review here).

One could even say the story of "Frankenstein" birthed the horror genre as we know it today, both in literature (thanks to Mary Shelley's "Modern Prometheus") and in film. James Whale's 1931 "Frankenstein," arriving on the heels of "Dracula," cemented the age of Universal Horror and proved that monsters could be crowd-pleasers.

Countless sequels and remakes later, everyone knows the basics of the story. Dr. Frankenstein (first name usually Victor) sets out to create life in a reanimated corpse. The result is a Creature, unpleasant to the eye, and soon Frankenstein experiences the wrath of his Monster. Was Frankenstein's Monster born destructive or made that way by his creator rejecting him? Interpretations differ, but the message endures: don't play God (or become a parent...

Glynis Johns, the upbeat leading lady with the British charm who starred as the spirited feminist mother Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins, has died. She was 100.

Johns lived in West Hollywood and died Thursday of natural causes at an assisted living facility in the area, her manager, Mitch Clem, told The Hollywood Reporter.

A multitalented actress, dancer, pianist and singer, Johns earned a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for playing the widowed saloon and hotel owner Mrs. Firth in Fred Zinnemann’s Australia-set The Sundowners (1960).

Plus, she memorably sang “Send in the Clowns,” which Stephen Sondheim wrote just for her, in her Tony Award-winning performance as Desiree Armfeldt in the original 1973 production of A Little Night Music.

The husky voiced Johns was nominated for a Golden Globe for portraying a daffy older socialite who is stirred by the young stud she meets on the beach in a then-controversial film about sex,...

Disney's best animated villains know how to make an entrance, and a showstopping song can make them truly legendary. Whether chilling or amusing, self-indulgent or introductory, these sinister show tunes have made up some of Disney's most memorable moments. As Disney reflects on a century-long legacy, there's no better time to revisit some of the malevolent musical hits that have emerged from it.

When Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered in 1937, it set the stage for Disney's most beloved musicals. Introducing The Evil Queen as one of the earliest Disney villains and featuring classic tunes like "Heigh-Ho," Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs paved the way for timeless classics like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Moana. Following a period with fewer traditional villains in films like Encanto and Strange World, 2023's Wish promised a return to form, offering a classic antagonist complete with his own song. However, the...

Moriarty: The Silent Order is the second season of the mystery series that follows the protagonist Professor Moriarty and his unlikely partnership with Sherlock Holmes. The show features talented actors such as Dominic Monaghan, Phil Lamarr, and Helen Mirren, who bring the characters to life through their voice acting. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will appreciate the unique audio format of the show, allowing them to use their imagination to create the world and characters, while staying true to the original text of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Moriarty: The Silent Order marks the second season of the mystery series, following last year's Moriarty: The Devil’s Game. The Audible Original follows protagonist Professor Moriarty, who this season is forced to team up with his bitter rival Sherlock Holmes. The show stars The Lord of the Rings' Dominic Monaghan as Moriarty, Phil Lamarr (known for his work on shows like Mad TV and Futurama) as Sherlock,...

Boris Karlov, Peter Lorre, and Vincent Price in The Raven.Image: Film Publicity Archive (Getty Images)

For almost as long as the medium has existed, filmmakers have been turning to the works of Edgar Allan Poe for inspiration. The earliest adaptations of his stories date back to the silent era.

A great movie sword fight requires both skilled choreography and meaningful storytelling, showcasing a hero's growth or triumph over their enemy. The best sword fights feature talented actors who bring their martial arts expertise to the screen, creating thrilling and visually stunning duels. Sword fights in films like Star Wars and Kill Bill merge fantastical elements, impressive stunt work, and captivating visuals to create unforgettable and intense action sequences.

There's no better way to end a movie in epic fashion than with a great sword fight. While an intense shootout or hand-to-hand fight scene can leave its mark on an action film, a sword duel offers the perfect combination of elegant weapon skill, high stakes fighting, and personal confrontation. From lightsabers to fencing foils to katanas, films have offered the best of different sword fighting styles for their epic, final showdowns.

A great movie sword fight is both well choreographed and story driven.

Some Hollywood actors have become genuinely skilled in sword fighting, surpassing the skill level necessary for their roles and using real weapons. Actors like Gwendoline Christie and Kit Harington improved their sword fighting skills while working on "Game of Thrones," becoming practiced veterans. Legends like Basil Rathbone and Errol Flynn were renowned for their sword fighting abilities, with Flynn known for his ability to make fights look real on-screen.

Sword fighting has become something of a common practice in Hollywood ranging from classic swashbuckling pirate movies to epic fantasy television series, however, there are some actors who, over the years, have proved themselves to be genuinely skilled in the art of sword fighting, even when they aren't in front of the camera. These actors were not only trained for their respective projects, but surpassed the skill level necessary. They became better than their stunt doubles, used real weapons rather than props,...

Daniel Radcliffe has weighed in his opinion on the Harry Potter recasting for the upcoming HBO Harry Potter TV show. The Harry Potter franchise is one of the most successful in the world, with the novels selling more than 600 million copies globally and the eight movie adaptations bringing in a total of $7.7 billion worldwide. Radcliffe rose to international stardom in 2001 when he portrayed the boy wizard in the movie adaptation of Jk Rowling's best-selling debut novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Radcliffe starred in all eight Harry Potter movie adaptations, making it difficult to imagine another actor portraying the titular character aside from him.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Pete Hammond for the Deadline video series "The Actor's Side," Radcliffe discussed the iconic character Harry Potter, even envisioning a time when the character's story would continue without him. Comparing the iconic nature of the character to the legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes,...

Noreen Nash, a starlet of the 1940s and ’50s who appeared in such notable films as The Southerner, Giant and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold, has died. She was 99.

Nash died Tuesday of natural causes at her home in Beverly Hills, her oldest son, Lee Siegel Jr., told The Hollywood Reporter.

Nash worked on about two dozen features during her two-decade career, including several “B” pictures like Phantom From Space (1953), where she portrayed an abducted scientist in a movie shot at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

The blue-eyed, dark-haired Nash also starred as the wife of an owner of a Palm Springs tennis club on the CBS summer replacement series The Charles Farrell Show — it stood in for I Love Lucy in 1956 — and appeared on episodes of Hopalong Cassidy, The Abbott and Costello Show, My Little Margie, Dragnet and 77 Sunset Strip.

Nash played the...

The best Sherlock Holmes movies dive into the life and exciting cases of the famed sleuth created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There has always been a fascination with detective stories, so it makes sense that the most famous detective of all time would inspire a number of movies and there are many beloved Sherlock Holmes adaptations. There are a lot of Sherlock Holmes movies out there, some starring the famous Basil Rathbone and others featuring the talented Robert Downey Jr.

There were dozens of books by Arthur Conan Doyle which were adapted into a film, but filmmakers have also created original stories for the detective. Some Sherlock Holmes stories were adapted more than once with new actors and styles. Others are only inspired by Doyle's writing and create original adventures for Holmes and his trusty sidekick John Watson, even exploring Holmes' personal life in some interesting ways.

Enola Holmes 2...

As his new film, "The Covenant", opens in theaters, there's no better time to remind the doubters that Guy Ritchie's a great filmmaker and his Sherlock Holmes movies are awesome!

With the release of his newest film, Guy Ritchie demands to be taken seriously. How could it not? The British director, best known for Cockney gangster fare, has helmed a war film set in Afghanistan that deals with the trauma of the battlefield and the American military's hypocrisy towards the residents of the land it occupied. All that and he's put his name in the title: "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant." It's all very stern stuff, the kind of thing that's easy to mock. Indeed, Ritchie isn't a director who has necessarily commanded critical adoration over the decades. He's made a lot of money and can easily be counted as one of the most influential British directors of his time.

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster director Thomas Hamilton on his upcoming series Horror Icons on interviewing Roger Corman: “He not only worked with Vincent Price, he worked with Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney.” Photo: Thomas Hamilton

Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Conrad Veidt, Maria Ouspenskaya, George Zukor, Paul Wegener, Emil Jannings, Brigitte Helm, Gale Sondergaard, Gloria Holden, Claude Rains, Fay Wray, Duane Jones, Max Schreck, Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Lon Chaney Sr., Lon Chaney Jr, Fw Murnau’s Faust and Nosferatu, Arthur Lubin’s Phantom of the Opera, Rowland V. Lee’s Son of Frankenstein, George Waggner’s The Wolf Man, James Whale’s The Invisible Man, Lambert Hillyer’s Dracula’s Daughter, Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Paul Wegener and Henrik Galeen’s The Golem, Hanns Heinz Ewers and Stellan Rye’s The Student Of Prague, and George Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead...

Even before Matt Reeves’ The Batman hit theaters last year, the film felt in many ways like a return to form for the Dark Knight character’s onscreen persona. After a decidedly more violent version of the Caped Crusader was introduced by Zack Snyder and Ben Affleck across several Dceu films, fans were divided (to put it mildly) on the brutal interpretation of the character—as well as a fantastical one since he fought gods and bantered with Amazonians.

Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, however, was back more or less where the character left off during the first two-thirds of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy: isolated as a vigilante on the streets, fighting gangsters and the cops in equal measure. Like Nolan’s films, the villains of The Batman were also decidedly stripped down: the Riddler became a Zodiac-inspired serial killer, the Penguin was a common thug,...

The B-movie world has lost one of its most iconic filmmakers, as The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Bert I. Gordon – often referred to as “Mr. B.I.G.” by his fans – has passed away at the age of 100. Gordon produced and directed more than twenty films over the course of a career that lasted sixty-one years, from 1954 to 2015. He also wrote most of his movies. His most popular titles include The Food of the Gods, Empire of the Ants, The Amazing Colossal Man, War of the Colossal Beast, Attack of the Puppet People, and Beginning of the End.

Born on September 24, 1922 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Gordon fell in love with filmmaking at a young age, being given his first camera when he was just 9 years old. He started making TV commercials after he graduated from college, then produced the horror adventure film Serpent Island in 1954. He was also the cinematographer on that movie,...

Bert I. Gordon, the sci-fi director who aimed to terrify drive-in denizens of the 1950s and ’60s with low-budget films featuring colossal creatures, shrinking humans and radioactive monsters, has died. He was 100.

Gordon died Wednesday in Los Angeles of complications from a fall in his Beverly Hills home, his daughter Patricia Gordon told The Hollywood Reporter.

Highlights (lowlights?) on his B-movie résumé include The Cyclops (1957), The Amazing Colossal Man (1957), Beginning of the End (1957), Earth vs. the Spider (1958), Attack of the Puppet People (1958), Tormented (1960), The Boy and the Pirates (1960) and Picture Mommy Dead (1966).

In the ’70s, Gordon directed Vince Edwards and Chuck Connors in The Police Connection (1973) and wrote and directed How to Succeed With Sex (1970), Necromancy (1972), The Food of the Gods (1976) and, starring Joan Collins in the muck, Empire of the Ants (1977).

Perhaps as a way to keep costs down, Gordon’s films often were family affairs: His late wife,...

Bert I. Gordon, who was given the nickname “Mr. B.I.G.” by Famous Monsters of Filmland editor Forrest J. Ackerman not just because it matched his initials but also because it matched the director’s favorite big-screen subject — giant monsters — died today. He was 100. His daughter Patricia Gordon confirmed the filmmaker’s death to the New York Times.

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Gordon often produced, directed, wrote and created the special effects for his movies, which were shot on ultra-low...

It’s a nearly perfect tale of identity swaps and royal intrigues: Ronald Colman’s voice is velvet smooth as the poet-rogue François Villon, who uses his wits when dealing with Basil Rathbone’s (very strangely played) Louis XI. The real charm comes with lady-in-waiting Frances Dee (swoon) and the peasant firebrand Ellen Drew (double swoon). And don’t forget the sophisticated, semi-satirical screenplay by Preston Sturges. The refreshing Blu-ray discovery comes with a commentary by Julie Kirgo.

If I Were King

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1938 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 101 min. / Street Date February 7, 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew, C.V. France, Henry Wilcoxon, Heather Thatcher, Stanley Ridges, Alma Lloyd, Sidney Toler, John Miljan, Montagu Love, May Beatty, Henry Brandon, Darryl Hickman.

Cinematography: Theodore Sparkuhl

Costumer: Edith Head

Art Directors: Hans Drier, John Goodman

Film Editor: Hugh Bennett

Visual Effects: Gordon Jennings

Original Music:...

From Errol Flynn to Disney, cinema has long been fascinated with the legend of Robin Hood. In 1991 he was played by box office superstar Kevin Costner, in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, who transformed the famous outlaw of Sherwood Forest into a movie icon fit for the 1990s. This grand, swashbuckling adventure in the classic tradition was a huge hit, suggesting audiences will never tire of the tale. To celebrate the release of the film in an all-new Uhd 4K restoration, here’s a look at the various actors who set audiences a quiver playing the beloved folklore hero through the decades.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

For many Errol Flynn was the quintessential Robin Hood – a dashing, devilish rogue. In this lavish Hollywood classic, he starred alongside Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian, Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy of Gisbourne, and Melville Cooper as the High Sheriff of Nottingham,...

Continuing to revamp Arthur Conan Doyle's stories of the detective, the release of the movie Enola Holmes 2 is a triumphant return of the beloved main character, the sister of the renowned Sherlock Holmes. In this movie, like its predecessor, the latter is played by Henry Cavill, who brings his own signature charm to one of detective fiction’s most famous figures.

Cavill is just one of many actors who have played Sherlock Holmes, taking more of a supporting role than the usual headliner of his fascinating story. Unsurprisingly, Redditors have been very forthcoming in sharing their opinions about who has the best portrayal of the character, and while some are the usual suspects, there are also a few surprises.

Jeremy Brett

For many Redditors, Jeremy Brett remains the quintessential Sherlock Holmes. He manages to capture so many of the book mannerisms of the character, and the TV series...

The world seems to be in a Sherlock Holmes craze with Henry Cavill returning to the character in Enola Holmes 2, Robert Downey Jr.'s upcoming HBO Max series, and the announcement of the Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened remake. It's understandable seeing how Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous literary characters in history.

This has been shown through the plethora of mystery puzzle games that have been made based on the character and his friend Watson. Those looking for more Sherlock Holmes content after Enola Holmes 2 should look into playing these games that test the player as a true detective.

Sherlock Holmes And The Mystery Of Osborne House (2011) - 48 Nintendo DS

Though far from terrible, this handheld adventure is often criticized for its lack of polish, rather cheap visual style, and a rather short story. Sherlock Holmes And The Mystery Of Osborne House comes across as a...

Enola Holmes 2 star Henry Cavill reveals what makes his interpretation of Sherlock Holmes different from the many other cinematic iterations of the character. He debuted the character in the 2020 Netflix film Enola Holmes, which stars Millie Bobby Brown as the title character. Enola is Sherlock's little sister and after growing up in his shadow she decides to take mystery-solving into her own hands and discover the reason behind the disappearance of her mother (Helena Bonham Carter).

With that mystery under her belt, she will have established a legitimate detective agency as of Enola Holmes 2, which premieres on Netflix on November 4. The film will see her being approached to help solve another disappearance: this time of the sister of a young woman who works at a match factory. The cast of the sequel will include Sharon Duncan Brewster and Harry Potter's David Thewlis, along with additional returning cast members Tewkesbury...

It’s pre-war Los Angeles and you’re a young and rather dashing British actor. You’re newly arrived in Hollywood and looking to make friends, and preferably ones who understand the importance of a properly made cup of tea. Look no further, then, than the Hollywood Cricket Club.

There you’ll find fellow famous Brits abroad such as David Niven, Boris Karloff and, thanks to the suspect nature of colonialism, an honorary Brit in the shape of Tasmanian-born Errol Flynn. Across the 1930s and 1940s, these stars (and more) could be counted on to drop by the club’s nets in their flawless whites. Cinema luminaries such as Cary Grant, Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman and Leslie Howard would all also play for the team, while a young Elizabeth Taylor might be around to serve cream tea.

Like any sports team, each player brought their own distinct style to the game.

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By Hank Reineke

Just following Christmas of 1940, Box Office reported Paramount’s new thriller The Mad Doctor would hit cinemas on Valentine’s Day of 1941. The actual sneak-preview – and accompanying publicity push - of the film would take place ten days prior, February 4, at Los Angeles’s Paramount Theater. Then, on Saturday night, February 6, the studio would pull out all the stops, offering a proper premiere for their “blood-chilling drama.” The studio would celebrate the double-bill of The Mad Doctor and The Monster and the Girl as central to a “Spook Week” celebration. Saturday’s “hair-raising” program would not only feature the films but also a magician and Andy Kirk and his Harlem Orchestra… the latter performing their swinging “Spooks and Boogie Woogie” stage show.

The general release of The Mad Doctor, more fittingly described a “drama” than a horror film in industry trades,...

The Spider Woman Strikes Back

Blu ray

Kino Lorber

1946/ B&w / 1.33:1 / 59 Minutes

Starring Gale Sondergaard, Brenda Joyce, Kirby Grant

Directed by Arthur Lubin

People are measured by the company they keep—in a superhero’s case, that company is usually the supervillain. Villains, besides giving the hero a reason to exist in the first place, can liven up the joint; a dam burst here, a toppled bridge there, chaos and special effects ensue, and the popcorn munchers are happy. Sherlock Holmes was one of the few heroes who was fun all by himself (due respect to Dr. Watson)—the detective’s obsessive-compulsive brilliance, his monkish lifestyle, and his fondness for beekeeping and cocaine were just some of his more endearing quirks.

The filmed versions of Conan Doyle’s most famous character—not a superhero but seemingly immortal—were not so concerned with Holmes’s idiosyncrasies. This was especially true...

By Lee Pfeiffer

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's timeless 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is said to be the most often-filmed adaptation of a book. I don't know if that's true but it's quite clear that over the decades, the tale has indeed inspired many adaptations for the cinema and television. The 1939 classic introduced audiences to the teaming of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson. The 1959 Hammer Films version was the first Holmes movie made in color and starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in another highly impressive adaptation. By the1970s, revisionist versions of Holmes stories were all the rage in cinema and on television, as evidenced by films such as "The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter ", "They Might Be Giants", "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" and "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes". Thus, the famed comic duo of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore opted...

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By Darren Allison

The Film Detective has released one of their most ambitious film sets to date with The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection. The set features three of the five films made between the years 1931-1937 starring Arthur Wontner as world’s greatest super sleuth. Having been told he resembled Doyle's creation for years, Wontner was finally cast in the role for The Sleeping Cardinal (released under its American title as Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour in this box set) in 1931. Produced by Twickenham Studios, Fatal Hour was loosely based on "The Adventure of the Empty House" (a short story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) with the noticeable change that in the film version, Ronald Adair is a card cheat. Wontner was joined by Ian Fleming as Doctor Watson and Philip Hewland as Inspector Lestrade. Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour played rather well and was considered a success.

Horror icon Barbara Crampton discusses a few of her favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes:

Movies Referenced In This Episode

Re-Animator (1985)

Body Double (1984)

Jakob’s Wife (2021)

The Court Jester (1955) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938)

The Three Musketeers (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

The Matrix (1999)

Bound (1996)

Eyes Without A Face (1962) – Sam Hamm’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Halloween (1978) Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing, Alex Kirschenbaum’s film power rankings, Alex Kirschenbaum’s timeline power rankings

All About Eve (1950)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Relic (2020)

Anything For Jackson (2020)

The Haunting (1963) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary

Strait-Jacket (1964) – David DeCoteau’s trailer commentary

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary,...