Kaylee ,'Shindig'
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
I sat there thinking, "Keep backing up, camera person. You'll fit Branagh's ego in the frame eventually."
I left at intermission. Only the 3rd movie I've ever walked out on. My thoughts were similar, but more along the lines of "If he just wanked for the camera, it would have taken up a lot less of my time."
"If he just wanked for the camera, it would have taken up a lot less of my time."
Or this.
Oh, dear. And here I am with the Branagh Hamlet waiting on the TiVo.
I'd also recommend a decent background in English history before tackling English Lit, especially English novels.
oh man! I wanted to watch Hamlet too. Maybe I'll skip it.
Achilles has problems.
Didn't so many of the Greeks. I mean really - think about Oedipus. What a motherfucker!
I adored Branagh's Hamlet. There are some over the top bits, but for the first time the whole thing made sense. And you owe yourself to see Billy Crystal as the First Gravedigger. "Because, my lord, she's dead."
edit: And Charlton Heston really could act, not just rant about guns.
Billy Crystal is much better as the Gravedigger than Michael Keaton is as the guard in Much Ado, although the worst of all was Keanu as Don Juan.
although the worst of all was Keanu as Don Juan.
But Beatrice and Benedick were well cast. If you get that right, it's hard to get Much Ado too wrong.
I lovelovelove Emma Thompson as Beatrice! She's so terrific in the role--breezy, yet biting, and bitter as can be after her sister is wronged. And Branagh is great as Benedick. "If he were a dog to have howled thus, they would have hanged him."
It's also a stunning argument for editing Shakespeare down for performance.
Ha!
I'm in the "couldn't sit through it" group. The age of the performers makes everything weirder. Like, maybe Ophelia went nuts because he's been leading her on for at least a decade. And why bother with the murder and mayhem when they'll all be dead of natural causes soon?
you owe yourself to see Billy Crystal as the First Gravedigger.
See, I feel like if one is committed to murder & mayhem, you should start with Billy Crystal and then move on to Robin Williams.