Mr. Holmes (2015)

Mr Holmes was a pleasant surprise. Ian McKellan is a fantastic Sherlock. The film is very thoughtful and touching. It follows an aging Sherlock, looking back on his final case. The film goes through his process of memory recovery. But his memory is failing and it is deeply affecting to watch a great mind in deterioration and then to watch an old man evolve. It lacks the glamour that we've become accustomed to in the most recent adaptations of the detective (Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr.). It lacks the brilliant intricacy of the cases in those stories, but rather this is about solving his own case. What it lacks in flash it more than makes up for with emotion.

Carol (2015)

Carol is a gorgeous love story by Todd Haynes,  a pure romantic drama at its core. Haynes is a master of his craft, creating a beautiful depiction of 1950s New York (the costumes!). Haynes loves the time jump and there is one major time jump in the beginning that is not immediately obvious but very important and well executed. We start in the future and witness the dynamic between Carol and Therese from a third party perspective. Then we go back to see how their relationship evolved interestingly alternating perspectives between Carol and Therese.

The screenplay is very well written. The story moves along very slowly, but that is all the better to bask in its beauty. What moves the film forward is the music. I love the score. The piano plays heavy chords in the recurring theme that are mostly steady save for a single measure that is played in double time. It is subtle, but it builds anticipation just enough. The music adds to the mysterious atmosphere, along with the clever cinematography. Many of the images are indirect, like how Therese sees the world through her camera and how we watch reflections in murky windows. It adds to the aura, as does the divine (yet undoubtedly mysterious) Cate Blanchett.

Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are both brilliant. They both show extraordinary vulnerability and immense passion for each other. Their love is forbidden in their time and it tortures them so. They show restraint. They are simply a joy to watch.