Why So Blu?

BD-Live’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Community Screening

The BD-Live Community Screening of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes (see our Blu-ray review here) will be taking place tonight at 9:00PM EST (6:00 PM Pacific).  In case you forgot, tonight’s your chance to chat live with Robert Downey Jr.  The first 100,000 BD-Live members who signed up will be eligible for a spot in this event.  Like in the past, participants will submit questions through their computers and other web enabled devices.  If you have not registered as of yet, there still may be time to do so.  Click on the link below to find out more.  This web page will be updated live every 10 to 15 minutes duyring the live community screening tonight so make sure to check back later on.

Welcome to my unofficial chat transcript from tonight’s BD-Live Community Screening of Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr.  I am going to try and type as fast as possible, update as frequently as possible and paraphrase whenever possible for brevity.  Enjoy!

• Robert’s wife, Susan Downey, joined him for the event.
• Chose Sherlock Holmes because believed it wasn’t made in a long time.
• Susan did Rock n Rolla with Guy Ritchie.
• Robert’s favorite Guy Ritchie film is all of them.  He talked about his love for Rock n Rolla and Snatch.
• Jude Law literally choked the first victim of the movie on accident.  He was literally passing out.  It wasn’t CGI.  He was purple. 
• Sherlock’s martial arts were Guy’s styles.  The character of Sherlock Holmes is a western martial artist according to Robert.  It was convenient he knew Wing Chun.
• About 15 minutes into and we already experience playback problems.  They pause the playback 🙁

• Robert jokes after the technical problem and they resume.  He says “We must keep hope alive.”
• He wanted Sherlock’s bedroom lair to be cluttered.  It was shot in Brooklyn. 
• He calls his hair crawling and jokes about his ratty robe sleeves.
• Sherlock’s room holds subliminal clues and references to the novels.
• The back and forth banter between Downey and Jude Law is referred to as a chess match.
• Robert calls Kelly Reily Mary Kelly and is corrected by his wife.
• He says Kelly wore a military dress in that dinner scene.
• The bond with Dr. Watson is stability and without him he is lost.

• Asked if he took his shirt off if he would look this good as the crypt fight.  He said he look like a potbelly stomach.
• Said going through choreography and eating right helped prepare his cut look for the role.
• Fight scene is marked with Guy’s trademark of slo-mo.
• Robert and Susan said contact was necessary in crypt fight because they could not wear pads.
• “Where did that come from?” line after the crypt fight was saved by Susan who fought Guy to keep it in there.
• Robert is developing a musical project right now of his own, but is not ready to unveil it yet.
• The flies are CGI.  Robert said they are some of the better CGI flies he has seen.
• He liked that his hair was always messy and he did not have time to shave.
• Robert says he loves every Holmes-Watson fan out there.

• Susan says that in London you can find places of the period that still exist.
• Guy keeps costs down.
• Robert gives kudos to Mark Strong.  One of his favorite scenes is when he visits Mark in the jail cell because you are setting up the dynamics between the bad guy and hero.  He loves Mark’s beaty eyes.
• Used Blackwood instead of the obvious villain for the movie because it was the easiest way to do an origin story.
• Questions why he is so scared of his love interest, Irene.
• He said Rachel McAdams was very pleasant and something else.  She just stood out in a bunch of people. 
• The voice of Moriarty is done by Andrew Jack, his dialect coach. 
• Guy, Robert and Law wanted the comedic element in the script.  The tone came out of collaboration.

• Hans Z. knows how to make effective music for big movies and knows what works.
• Susan doesn’t mind crushes on her husband.
• A fan shouts out “Go Steelers!”
• The graveyard scene was filmed in London and not in NY as asked.
• The maggots are CGI.
• Robert Downey Jr. answered himself when asked who his favorite actor of all time was.  Susan said she did not have one besides Robert.
• Robert said he needs to go to Puerto Rico.  He’s never been there.
• Robert does not regularly google himself.  Not big on computers.
• Susan said Robert cannot have a Twitter page.
• Robert always wanted to work with Nolan and really liked Shutter Island.
• Robert Malay is the gentle giant.  He played the large monster taken down on 300.

• He gets excited fighting on camera.
• Robert is not thinking about retiring after Ironman 2.
• Guy’s son Roco was in the film.
• Robert likes all genres of roles.
• Some people say Holmes was the first superhero in literature.
• Sherlock is more of an exciting role than Tony Stark.
• He learned the French parts for the film.
• He’s avoiding the sequel questions being tossed around.
• Moriarty will have a big role he finally confirmed in the next installment.
• Robert likes doing both big and small budget films.

• Tony Stark sticks around a lot longer than the Holmes character after shooting.
• Susan says Tony Stark is a little narcissistic at home.
• 10:22 PM EST…A break is taken by the moderator of the event.

• The Poe movie is still just a rumor.
• Robert said the F word and was scolded by his wife when an 11-year-old girl asked a question.
• Robert says he likes London better than Los Angeles.  London holds a special place in his heart.
• Robert is reading the Holmes novels now.
• There are masonry images in the film.
• The raven is a symbol of magic and keeps illusion alive throughout the film.

• Robert says he is strangely frugal.  They like to go on hikes and not spend money.
• There were no disputes between Law and Downey.
• Gladstone is historically Watson’s dog.  He had a farting problem on set.
• He would not concede to a question asking whether Sherlock was better than Avatar.
• Lawrence of Arabia influenced Robert’s acting career.
• He noticed Jude’s pretty eyes when Jude shaved his mustache at the wrap party.
• Robert described Jude’s mustache as Super Mario vs soft porn mustache.

• Downey always thought it would be good to do a remake of Weird Science.
• Would be surprised if he and Mel Gibson did not do another movie together.
• When asked if he watches Blu-ray Robert says he watches only Blu-ray discs and Blu-ray players have been installed in their residences.
• Holmes appeals to people because he is on the side of right.
• Color choices were done by Guy to make things accurate.
• Robert said no such thing as a perfect movie.
• Robert last ate almond butter when asked if he had any snacks on him.
• To say he has a favorite animal is an insult to Robert.
• Robert admits favorite animal is a poison dart frog.
• Robert likes Steely Dan and satellite radio.  He said he is a bit retro.
• He changed his answer to dirty ham sandwich frog for favorite animal.

• Guy will employ a different version of slo-mo Holmes thinking in the sequel.
• It was impossible for Irene, in real life, to get to the bridge so quick in the final action scene.
• The raven ended up meaning justice in the final bridge scene.
• Robert said no idea when asked if Team Jacob or Edward.  He regrets not seeing those films yet.
• Mary’s ring at the end was not in the original script.