Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

It’s a little hard to keep up with Holmes’ fast-track mind that takes us through the mystery, but the journey is nothing short of breathtaking–thrilling action sequences (see the wild train ride) matched only by RDJ and Law’s brilliant banter are bolstered by a wonderful score (see the fiddle-backed bar fight) and slick cinematography (see the stop-go slow-motion in the forest run)–and a well-crafted climax (Harris is a solid adversary) capably fills us in while still amping up the tension.

9

The Boxtrolls (2014)

A young orphaned boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator. (IMDb)

Painstakingly detailed animation (see the existential after-credits scene) brings forth a fun steampunk-style setting and simple story saturated with sharp and silly Seuss-like commentary on social equality and fear-driven racism (see Eggs’ summation in the tasting room). Brimming too with memorably quirky characters good, bad, and in between (the henchmen are refreshingly thoughtful) and pops of sly wit (see the happenstance rimshot after the Curds Way joke), the film has ne’er a dull moment.

7.5/10 (Really Good)