For the past 23 years, my partner and I have enjoyed Christmas day at the movies. When we began this tradition, way back in 1986, theaters were empty. Over the years, they have become more and more crowded, and Christmas day now ranks as one of the most important moviegoing days of the year.

At times we’ve invited others to join our tradition of a double-feature with popcorn, although one lesson we learned rather quickly is that the choice of movies belongs to us. As of today, we’re still debating what to see. I’m leaning toward A Single Man and Me and Orson Welles; he’s lobbying for Avatar and Invictus.

Fortunately, my position as a blogger for Just Out enabled me to see a few movies ahead of time including Sherlock Holmes, starring Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. Here’s a brief review of what you can expect:

You can almost hear the young executives at the pitch meeting: “It’s Sherlock Holmes meets Fight Club meets Angels and Demons meet Butch and Sundance. In a video game!”

Despite all the fakey digital backgrounds and a ludicrous story, some of Conan Doyle still shines through and there are some really fun action sequences. As for the supposed homoerotic undertones, Holmes and Watson are like a bitchy long-term couple you’re stuck listening to at a beach weekend.