I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

"An Agitated German" [HOUN]

For the last couple of years, there have been a number of so-called viral videos that have been modeled on a German movie <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009RCPUC?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0009RCPUC">Der Untergang (or Downfall)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0009RCPUC" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" width="1" />, about the last days of Hitler. The clip in question was taken from the movie, when Hitler, in his bunker, discovered that the Allied troops were closing in on Berlin and his conquest for world domination was at an end.<br /><br />The clip has been used and repurposed hundreds of times on the web with a variety of subtitles that supposedly describe Hitler's reaction to some modern occurrence or other. It could be his reaction to Michael Jackson's death, Sarah Palin's resignation, being banned from XBox, etc. Here's the original scene, for context:<br /><center><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4bmkUlXp5sk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4bmkUlXp5sk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Someone from the Sherlockian movement has developed their own: Hitler's reaction when he discovers the trailer to the Sherlock Holmes movie is real. You can watch it below.<br /><br /><center><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Im2iETxMEvU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Im2iETxMEvU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></center><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">We recognize that any reference to one of the most hated people in history is likely to stir some emotions or to question our editorial judgment. Please understand that we are completely aware of the atrocities committed by this individual and that we are in no way condoning the horrors that he brought upon millions; in fact, we completely denounce them. We are simply sharing something in the popular culture related to our hobby.</span>

"An Agitated German" [HOUN]

For the last couple of years, there have been a number of so-called viral videos that have been modeled on a German movie Der Untergang (or ...

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by Scott Monty

Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes — An Early Review

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"I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events" [SIGN]</h4>
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There's been a lot of chatter about the new <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988045/">Sherlock Holmes</a> film lately. The general public seems to be pretty excited about it - of that there is no doubt. The Sherlockian community has alternatively greeted the whole affair with trepidation and a wait-and-see attitude.<br />
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But we can begin to set aside some of our worries, as the first official review of the movie is in. In this case, it comes from John Rabe, whose father was W. T. Rabe, BSI ("Colonel Warburton's Madness"), a dedicated Sherlockian from the 1940s until the early 1990s. John has <a href="http://scpr.org/blogs/johnrabe/2009/12/05/jrblog-shmovie/">written it up</a> on his blog on the 89.3 Southern California Public Radio site.<br />
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Here are the pertinent bits:</div>
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I saw a preview of “Sherlock Holmes” last night on the Warner Brothers lot.<br />
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Yes, the score and the sound design are bombastic. Note to Guy Ritchie:<br />
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Just because you have Dolby-9.11-Superrumble-Extrabada** doesn’t mean you have to crank the mid- and high-end on every door that closes and every locket that snaps shut. You might be surprised to learn that people – even kids today – can hear okay with the volume at 6 instead of 11, and since we can see the door closing, we can develop our own emotions about it without the sound design telling us what to feel about it. And the camerawork is far too busy. Again, I’m pretty sure kids can enjoy a 30-second scene without 90 cuts, ten zooms, and three flashbacks.<br />
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Overall, I was relieved and pleasantly surprised.<br />
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Both Holmes and Watson are rather more physical than is commonly understood from the Canon, and they spend a lot more time fighting baddies. But, one could say Watson was a former soldier in Doyle’s stories, and Holmes was an expert in "baritsu" and something of a boxer, so their being active is not illogical. Irene Adler is not quite the Victorian lady of the Canon ... since she is an accomplished kickboxer and thief. That said, I'm rather tired of the Victorian ladies who are always fainting or screaming and letting themselves get tied to railroad tracks while the men have all the fun. No ladies scream in this movie.<br />
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Inspector Lestrade is very nicely played by Eddie Marsan (the driver’s ed teacher in "Happy-Go-Lucky" and the evil dude in "Hancock"), and he’s much less the bumbler than Doyle depicts him.<br />
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Speaking of bumblers, other movies have already corrected Nigel Bruce’s moronic Watson...but Jude Law’s Watson is very nearly Holmes’ equal in most areas, and better in some. This is good because, as other commentators have pointed out, it makes no sense that a man like Holmes would hang out with the idiot that Doyle (and Bruce) make of Watson. In the new movie, Holmes and Watson have a very nice intimate relationship, much more like brothers than master and apprentice, which I also find refreshing.<br />
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The plot also takes some nice jabs at the Da Vinci Code movies, and there’s a very funny joke about a certain modern device.<br />
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For all the action and loud music, there are many nice subtleties in plot, script, acting, and the design of the film. To name just one, Her Majesty does not appear.<br />
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The only true blunder/liberty I spotted is that in the movie, Watson is engaged to Mary Morstan before Holmes meets her, when of course, in Doyle, they got engaged after a case Holmes solved.<br />
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Using the Leonard Maltin BOMB-4 stars scale, I'd give it 3.5 stars.</blockquote>
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You can read <a href="http://scpr.org/blogs/johnrabe/2009/12/05/jrblog-shmovie/">John's entire review on his blog</a>, and you can check out his weekly show <a href="http://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/"><i>Off Ramp</i></a>.<br />
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And if you'd like to pre-order a copy of the bombastic score he mentioned, you can do so <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WTUBNS?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002WTUBNS"><b>here</b></a>:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceGlgvsQUX5nv-ID83O7CS6erlLJNAK2Wed0lD9XazRPcxurEOXCi2c_u8_y3hZMIU2ZxRoFmBGiVXZbHQAYJvReDJeIKA5xWXX5TlswaaNhQMuH6DOaAMkUV0JWKuonbt_pX_2gT4I3s/s1600-h/SH_score.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412343800748165442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceGlgvsQUX5nv-ID83O7CS6erlLJNAK2Wed0lD9XazRPcxurEOXCi2c_u8_y3hZMIU2ZxRoFmBGiVXZbHQAYJvReDJeIKA5xWXX5TlswaaNhQMuH6DOaAMkUV0JWKuonbt_pX_2gT4I3s/s200/SH_score.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 156px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 160px;" /></a>The original soundtrack score to "Sherlock Holmes" is by Hans Zimmer, who is also known for his musical work on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref_%3Dnb%255Fss%255F0%255F16%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dhans%2520zimmer%2520pirates%2520of%2520the%2520carribean%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dpopular%26sprefix%3Dhans%2520zimmer%2520pira&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">The Pirates of the Caribbean</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref_%3Dnb%255Fss%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dhans%2520zimmer%2520batman%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dpopular&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">The Dark Knight, Batman Begins</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004STPT?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00004STPT">Gladiator</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00004STPT" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and many others.</div>
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If you're interested in other soundtracks related to Sherlock Holmes, please check my review of the original soundtrack of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D0%26ref_%3Dnb%255Fss%26y%3D0%26field-keywords%3Dprivate%2520life%2520sherlock%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dpopular&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957">The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />: <b><a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2007/04/composer-of-no-ordinary-merit-redh.html">"A Composer of No Ordinary Merit" [REDH]</a>.</b><br />
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Has anyone else seen a screening of the movie yet? Please leave a comment below and share your impressions with us. Or let us know if the Rabe review encourages you or not.</div>
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Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes — An Early Review

"I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events" [SIGN] There's been a lot of chatter about the new Sherlock Hol...

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by Scott Monty

When Sherlock Holmes Meets LEGO

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"in square blocks highly polished" [SECO] </h4>
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One of the interesting things about Sherlockians is that we find ways to incorporate our other interests into Sherlock Holmes. You'll find <a href="https://amzn.to/2ZzNoSS">Titanic enthusiasts</a> as well as fans of <a href="https://amzn.to/2MRkQ5N" target="_blank">Jeeves and Wooster</a>, Tarzan and others weaving their interest into books. You'll find railroad enthusiasts, stamp collectors, musicians, oenophiles, and many others finding connections of their other hobbies in the original Canon.</div>
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It would seem that LEGO fans also have this tendency. All around the world, you'll find LEGOs crafted into every shape, building, vehicle and interest imaginable. So it's not surprising that Sherlock Holmes works his way into the LEGO fanbase.<br />
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Above is a street scene of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/legohaulic/3142330292/">221B Baker Street by Legohaulic</a> on Flickr, entitled "Sherblock Holmes." You can check out his <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/legohaulic/">entire LEGO photostream here</a>.</div>
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In addition, the user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/minifig/3174009125/">minifig</a> has crafted a series of character sketches in his LEGO set on Flickr, including <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/minifig/75325881/in/set-1718116/">Jack the Ripper</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/minifig/75325880/in/set-1718116/">a Christmas Carol</a>, and others. Obviously, Sherlockians would be most interested in what he's done with Holmes and Watson (seen in the first photo above).</div>
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Have you seen any instances of hobbies or interests crossing over and finding common interest? Consider leaving a comment below.<br />
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When Sherlock Holmes Meets LEGO

"in square blocks highly polished" [SECO] One of the interesting things about Sherlockians is that we find ways to incorp...

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by Scott Monty

"With Every Nerve in a Twitter" [TWIS]

<div>By now most of you have probably heard of Twitter. Between the likes of CNN, Ashton Kutcher, Oprah Winfrey and others using the online service, it's finally made its way into mainstream culture, along with Facebook. Yes, the era of online social networks for Sherlockians is clearly here to stay.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've mentioned Twitter previously on the blog - as early as <a href="https://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2007/03/sherlock-holmes-was-very-busy-man-soli_20.html">March 2007</a> - but it probably didn't mean anything then. Over the past two and a half years, I've used the service here on the blog and on the <a href="http://www.bsiweekend.com/">BSI Weekend site</a> to provide short, real-time updates of what's gone on during the festivities (and I'll continue to do so).</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's an interesting phenomenon: as part of the mainstreaming of Twitter, the service becomes a barometer of what's being done and said in popular culture at any given moment. There are "trending topics" that are the most popular, but you can also search the service for pretty much any phrase. As you can imagine, with the advent of the new film, the public's awareness of Sherlock Holmes is greater than ever, and services like Twitter are helping to play a part of the dissemination of conversation.</div><div><br /></div><div>You may have noticed that the right rail of this site has a section called "Every Nerve in a Twitter." This is a widget I've set up that captures every mention of Sherlock Holmes on Twitter. Watch it for a few moments as it continuously updates. Much as the Canon has never been out of print, it seems that "Sherlock Holmes" never leaves the collective conversation of millions of people around the world.</div><div><br />If you'd like to set up a similar widget on your site, just go to http://twitter.com and click on "Goodies" at the bottom. From there, select "Widgets" and select the option that works for you. I used the "Search" widget. From there, you can build and customize your own to share information about the corner of the world that's important to you.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, and if you're interested in following related people, entities and characters on Twitter, you might check out these folks: <a href="http://twitter.com/S_Holmes">@S_Holmes</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/Dr_Watson">@Dr_Watson</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/Prof_Moriarty">@Prof_Moriarty</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/JohnHWatsonMD">@JohnHWatsonMD</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/mary_russell">@MaryRussell</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/221BBakerTweet">@221BBakerTweet</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/holmesnews">@holmesnews</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do you know of any other characters or fun entities to follow? Drop their names in the comment section and I'll gladly <a href="http://twitter.com/#/list/S_Holmes/london1895">add them to a list</a>.</div><div><br /><br /></div>

"With Every Nerve in a Twitter" [TWIS]

By now most of you have probably heard of Twitter. Between the likes of CNN, Ashton Kutcher, Oprah Winfrey and others using the online servi...

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by Scott Monty