MR. HOLMES (2015)

Wasn't sure about this one, upon seeing the trailer (it seemed a huge downer of a film), but my love for both Sherlock Holmes and Ian McKellen pulled me in ... to what ended up being a moving, ,beautifully-acted drama, set in 1947, about a retired Sherlock Holmes, living in the countryside of Sussex with his housekeeper and her young son, who thirty years after it happened still reels from the effects of his last case - even as his failing memory refuses to allow him to remember why.  McKellen is incredible, the film leaping back and forth in time even as, in present day, Holmes forms a friendship with Roger, his housekeeper's young son (Milo Parker), who may be the key to helping him remember.  Simple, elegant, and quite moving, thanks to McKellen's understated performance and a remarkable cast, Mr. Holmes was a surprise - and a worthy addition to the Holmes canon that depicts the character in an entirely real, wonderfully vulnerable new light. (rated PG)  A-