Rumors have been swirling that Mark Strong will play Sinestro, the main baddie in Martin Campbell’s The Green Lantern. Now the comic’s scribe Geoff Johns has confirmed his casting through a tweet: Read the full story

Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic Kick-Ass will have its official premier at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival. The Lionsgate distributed film had a very good reception at a secret screening in December as part of the twenty-four hour line-up for Butt-num-a-thon.

Kick-Ass gives us a comic-book fanboy, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who is tired of sitting on the sidelines and watching the crime get worse and worse. He decides to take his superhero obsession and transform himself into a crime fighting Kick-ass superhero — you don’t need super powers to kick someone’s ass. Along the way he meets other teenagers who were inspired by his example; forming an alliance to take care of the local mob boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong). They prove that sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands and as one poster for the film said, “I can’t fly, but I can kick your ass.”

Kick-Ass opens nationwide on April 16, 2010, and is guaranteed to be a major hit with the superhero genre crowd. Check out the trailer here.

The complete line-up for SXSW will be released in February, but the following films have been announced today in addition to the opening night film:

Cold Weather – SXSW Alum Aaron Katz directs this feature about a former forensic science major and avid reader of detective fiction, who, after making a mess of his life in Chicago, returns to his hometown of Portland, Oregon. There, he, his sister Gail, and new friend Carlos become embroiled in something unexpected.

Elektra Luxx – Following the successful world premiere of Women In Trouble at SXSW 2009, writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez returns with the world premiere of its hotly anticipated sequel. The film follows a hectic day in the life of former adult film superstar Elektra Luxx as she tries to survive in the straight world. The film stars Carla Gugino in the title role, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothy Olyphant, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Malin Akerman.

Hubble 3D – SXSW will present the first public screening of Hubble 3D at the Bob Bullock IMAX® Theater. Through the power of IMAX® 3D, Hubble 3D will enable movie-goers to journey through distant galaxies to explore the grandeur and mysteries of our celestial surroundings, and accompany space-walking astronauts as they attempt the most difficult and important tasks in NASA’s history. The film is directed and produced by Toni Myers.

Lemmy – A documentary from director Wes Orshoski, the film delves into the personal and public lives of heavy metal icon and Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Nearly three years in the making, and featuring appearances by such friends/peers as Metallica, Dave Grohl, Billy Bob Thornton and pro wrestler Triple H, the film follows Kilmister from his Hollywood bedroom to the hockey arenas of Scandinavia and Russia.

SATURDAY NIGHT – Directed by actor James Franco, the documentary looks at what it takes to create an episode of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live. Follow behind the scenes as the actors, writers and producers go through one frenetic week of trials and tribulations as each volley to get sketches on air.

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Warner Brothers | USA/UK/Australia | 128 min

Sherlock Holmes isn’t quite what everyone is expecting. It’s not a dumb fun action romp, it’s not a bro-mantic comedy and it is certainly not a nonstop adrenaline fueled action picture. Most importantly, this isn’t the god-awful unintentional Sherlock Holmes parody that the ads implied. This is a fun pulpy mystery that is rather faithful to the nature of Holmes and his stories.

Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.)  is the best private detective in all of London and the same goes for his partner/sidekick Watson (Jude Law). They’re the perfect duo who can solve any case. Now they’re thrown into the ultimate mystery when Lord Blackwood enters the picture. After they break up his weekly voodoo session and the murdering of an innocent woman, everything seems cherry. Blackwood is thrown in jail and is even hanged to death. Things couldn’t be going better, up until Blackwood “apparently” resurrects from the dead. As he previously warned Holmes: the world you know is about to change. Blackwood seems to be paranormal and unworldly with all his black magic. Now Holmes and Watson have to put aside their differences and stop Blackwood from continuing his murderous rampage.

The greatest part about this reinvention is that it’s not just another origin story. There’s never any meandering or unneeded back stories provided. Once the film begins, Holmes is a detective and Watson is his partner/sidekick. There’s no annoyingly cliche set up. While many have worried that this was going to be just another formulaic action picture; it’s not. This is still a mystery where problems are solved by higher thinking and not gunshots. Nearly every situation is resolved by Holmes outsmarting everyone else. The set up of the mystery at task is portrayed perfectly without any pit stops for heavy exposition or murky plotting. The same goes for the second act that moves along with a brisk pace.

The third act is where it becomes annoyingly generic with the foreseeable climax, but it still manages to entertain and doesn’t hurt the film too much. The real disappoint lies within the last ten minutes. That’s where the film divulges into pandering scooby-doo exposition where Holmes explains everything. This is heavy handed exposition that is catering to the audience. It also doesn’t help that the needless set up for an inevitable sequel is drawn out in a rather hammy way. While it does leave one excited about about the future adventures of Holmes and Watson, it’s unneeded and laughable.

For a few of the early moments, it takes a little time to warm up to Robert Downey Jr.’s accent and take on Holmes. After that, he fully embodies the classical character everyone loves. This isn’t what most would label the “typical” Downey performance — i.e just being sarcastic and witty. While that generally works perfectly, here he delivers a more toned down performance. He still delivers a few funny moments of wit, but more importantly he still crafts Holmes as the thinking man’s hero. That’s the way he should be and Downey never forgets that even during the action scenes. Law also holds his own making making Watson the perfect counterpart. The film plays heavily on their very odd couple relationship and luckily they both share perfect chemistry to make those moments work. Their relationship never comes off too goofy, unfunny or unbelievable.

Another standout is Mark Strong whose Blackwood is a menacing and worthy opponent. While his inevitable loss to Holmes is predictable, he makes it not feel utterly contrived like most studio blockbusters. Strong has enough of a dark onscreen presence to make one forget the annoying villain preconception — that they always lose. Unfortunately, the always watchable Rachel McAdams is completely wasted as Holmes’s love interest Irene. McAdams is fine, but she’s stuck to playing an unneeded and underdeveloped character. All her moments come off short winded and forgettable. It also doesn’t help that she’s severely underwritten.

With RocknRolla and now Sherlock Holmes, Guy Ritchie has finally made up for both Revolver and Swept Away. This is a whole new direction for Ritchie and it’s a welcoming one. Yes, his overuse of slow motion is present as always but besides that this feels fresh and different. He presents a bleak and yet lush visual aesthetic filled with some fantastically composed shots. Some shots, even with a few questionable CG shots, are wonderfully shot. Ritchie also frames action scenes perfectly never without a sense of geography. There’s no frantic fast cutting like his previous films causing a feeling of incomprehensibility.

This is a surprisingly highly enjoyable franchise starter that isn’t just another hollow and vacant adventure film. It’s a mystery first and foremost. Similar to this year’s Star Trek, it reignites a famous brand with a modern day outlook. This surely could have been much better if the final moments weren’t cringe inducing and McAdams wasn’t completely wasted, but at least it’s not the mediocre piece of popcorn trash that it easily could have been. This isn’t exactly brawny or smart entertainment, but it never crosses the point of pure stupidity.

7.5 out of 10

What did you think of Sherlock Holmes?

It is common enough for significant royal figures to be immortalized in film, but rarely are their lives given the telling that they deserve. Proving that English biopics have more to offer than fancy costumes, The Young Victoria discovers the woman beneath the surface of the much-celebrated monarch Queen Victoria. Spirited and passionate Emily Blunt ignites the screen with her rendition of a youthful Victoria. Her first and subsequently lifelong love affair with Prince Albert (Rupert Friend) lifts the film above its otherwise mundane political plot-line and brings its significant royal subject to life.

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The trailer for Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes has been released. It stars Robert Downey, Jr, Mark Strong, Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams. Check it out in HD after the jump.

Check out the trailer >>