The Hunger Games

It's been a while since I read this book, but I think the movie was a pretty faithful adaptation. I didn't spot many differences. Gale and Katniss were pretty close to how I pictured them. Peeta was much better looking than I would have imagined. But he is a bit stocky, which is how the book describes him.

The beginning was pretty slow, but I think the producers were probably trying to give us a good look at how miserable life was in District 12. And since most of the book takes place outside of District 12, there was some dragging out.

We continually saw the hosts of the coverage of The Hunger Games. They described to us what the cannons meant, and what a Tracker Jacker was, among other matters. It worked, but was a little obvious. It would have been nice if the producers had mixed it up a little. (maybe have some of the characters discuss these aspects)

I was a bit perturbed that District 13 was not even mentioned. It seems like it would have been good foreshadowing for those who did not read the novel.

The scenes with Rue were well-done, and it was very touching when Katniss was burying her. The ending was suspenseful enough to keep us waiting for the second installment. (slated for 2013)

Sherlock: The Reichenbach Fall

This episode is based on "The Final Problem", where Sherlock Holmes fakes his death. Although it involves a clash with Jim Moriarty (who is decidedly not a Professor in the TV version), the similarities almost end there. In the short story, Sherlock has ruined Moriarty, and Moriarty stalks him. Watson gets a fake note to help out a hotel guest who is dying, and Moriarty takes the opportunity to fight Sherlock, alone. They apparently both fall to their death over a cliff.

On the television episode, Moriarty has decidedly gotten the better of Holmes (or so it appears, for the vast part of the episode) He has set it up so that it appears Holmes is a complete fake. Then, when Holmes arranges a meeting on the roof of a hospital, he tells Holmes he must jump off the building, or his closest friends (Watson, his landlady, and Lestrade) will be assasinated. Holmes figures out that there is a way out, a way to force Moriarty to call off the assasins. But rather than leave Holmes that possibilty, Moriarty shoots himself.

Earlier, Holmes approached his lab assistant (who has an obvious crush on him), and tells her that she DOES matter, and he's always trusted her, and he needs her help. We do not know with what.

After Holmes jumps (we think), we see his grave, with John mourning, and he is revealed to be alive, watching his grave site. I am looking forward to next season, where I am sure the details of his faked suicide will be revealed. I wonder if the lab assistant met him on the roof, and was able to convert Moriarty's body into a passable Holmes, which was then thrown from the roof. We do see Holmes' face when the hospital attendants turn over the body.

At the gravesite, Watson requests, "Please Holmes, one last favor. Please this should not be true. You are not dead." or something along those lines. This scene, and the scene where Holmes acknowledges his assistant's worth, are both very touching.

Sherlock: The Hounds of Baskerville

In the novel by Doyle, a family legend has a huge, demonic hound haunting a doomed family (the Baskervilles). Some members of the family are horrific humans, who possibly deserve to be doomed. But the more recent members are decent people, and the story focuses on them. A distant Baskerville relative (unknown to the last two direct heirs) manipulates the situation until the last two direct heirs believe they, too, are being hunted by a hound. He is hoping to inherit the vast family wealth. An escaped convict also comes into play, being sheltered by the Baskervilles house servants.

Holmes is able to discover the culprit, but has no proof. He directs Henry Baskerville to walk alone on the moor, and thus is able to catch Stapleton (the distant heir) in the act.

The BBC adaptation in modern day London bears very little in common with the original story. The "hound" is actually "HOUND", a secret military project which uses some type of chemical/drug to amplify a patient's fears. Thus the hound is actually a product of Henry Knight's over-drugged imagination. At one point four different characters experience a delusion all at once, because the drug is being administered through the ground fog in the area. "Baskerville" is a military compound, where at first Holmes thinks perhaps they have actually created a monstrous animal. But the link to the drug and experiment is actually only one individual, who tries to throw Holmes off the scent.

Again, two very different stories, both enjoyable.

Sherlock: Scandal in Belgravia

This episode was based on "A Scandal In Bohemia", which was the first short story featuring Sherlock Holmes. The most important aspect of this story is that Sherlock finds himself fascinated by a woman. In the short story, he is hired to steal the compromising photographs Irene has taken of herself and the King. In the episode, the photos are of herself and the princess. (we assume, we know it is of a female in the royal family) Sherlock uses similar means to lure her to reveal the photos whereabouts. In the short short, she then proceeds to trick Sherlock, keep the photos, and this is the end of the story.

In the TV episode, this is only the beginning, as Irene Adler has on her "cameraphone" an incriminating email. Sherlock is able to decipher it, and stumbles upon a "flight of the dead". The British government is going to crash a plane, simply so certain terrorist cells believe they have bombed said plane. But all the passengers on the flight are already dead. Apparently this is not the first time the British government pulled such a trick.

I like how the BBC has made these mysteries so much "bigger". Some of the Sherlock stories are almost dull in how minor the action is.