Sherlock Holmes (2009)

New episode! We watched 2009’s Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. as the famous detective. We discuss the Guy Richie-ness of the film, weigh the balance between Hollywood blockbuster and Holmes adaptation, decide if the anachronisms are acceptable due to the bohemian-steampunkiness of it all, ponder the science vs. supernatural elements, and love that Holmes and Watson are basically an old married couple. Katy trash talks Murdoch Mysteries (with love), Carrie gives Tower Bridge a TripAdvisor review, Maddy has problems with Watson’s blood pressure assessments, and Mack wants to recast Irene Adler with Fran Drescher. We also discuss Holmes’ fanny pack (or bum bag if you’re British), decide whether the Kellogg company can appoint you as a Lord, wonder if we own enough robes and cloaks to constitute a cult, reminisce about working in a small town movie theater, and contemplate how scared we are of being known. This episode also includes a lecture on mudlarking, bad Porky Pig impressions, cocaine facts, and more! Give it a listen! (Also we promise no more Holmes for a while.) TW: serial murder of women briefly mentioned, hanging, alcohol and drug abuse, animal cruelty CORRECTIONS: --The rules for mudlarking on the Thames river have changed since Katy did it. Don’t try without getting a permit and researching first. Per the Port of London Authority, “Anyone searching the tidal Thames foreshore from Teddington to the Thames Barrier - in any way for any reason - must hold a current foreshore permit from the Port of London Authority. This includes all searching, metal detecting, ‘beachcombing’, scraping and digging.” It’s £85 per year or you can buy a single day permit for £40 that must be used within one month of purchase. See here for more details. --We know Fran Drescher is not from New Jersey. It was a joke. --Ok fine. Remote controls and radio waves were technically around in the 1890s. Per Wikipedia the first time something was wirelessly controlled from a distance was in 1894, and the first time radio waves were demonstrated was in 1895. But they were BRAND NEW and really only used by INVENTORS and not EVERYONE. --OK again. The US Secret Service was created in 1865. Wiki --Alphonse Bertillon didn’t use ear shapes exclusively regardless of what Katy said. He basically created the standardized mug shot, and applied the system of anthropometry as a way to track and ID criminals. It was more about skull measurements, proportions, and photos. Here’s his Wiki page. --The trench coat design was popularized for soldiers in WWI (literally a “trench” coat) but two different clothing manufacturers claim the initial invention, and one of them says it goes back to the 1850s. Here’s the Wiki. We couldn’t clarify whether leather would have been used in the 1890s but probably not; they were mostly for soldiers in the beginning and used things like gabardine.

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