KittyGrimm
Joined Jun 2006
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Reviews14
KittyGrimm's rating
The only thing that I can say about Baz Lurhmann as a director is that he is really good at adapting a classic story and making it incredibly tacky.
Perhaps my hatred for unnecessary modernizations of classics has overtaken my opinions, but there is no reason to place a Shakespeararean play and put it in a modern setting unless it's going to be put in some use or say something different from other adaptations. Shakespeare Retold did so and that was why that series worked, but the only reason this movie seems to exist is to appeal to a more shallow audience without any intellectual value whatsoever.
What I especially hate about this adaptation is not only how it pays more attention to the romance than it should do the feud between the families, but none of the actors look like they know what they were saying. Lurhmann certainly doesn't, which is made clear when he twists Mercutio's Queen Mab speech from a monologue about the challenges and temptations of lovers to a speech about drugs. If a director can't understand Shakespeare, or even has the nerve to twist his poetry that way, then he shouldn't take on that play in the first place.
The actors are vapid, the direction is awful, the editing is terrible, the setting is tacky beyond belief, it's unnecessary and it's just plain insulting to Shakespeare's text.
My only hope is that Baz Lurhmann pays more attention in English class before he takes on another classic. In fact, he should just avoid classics and save him a shred of dignity.
Perhaps my hatred for unnecessary modernizations of classics has overtaken my opinions, but there is no reason to place a Shakespeararean play and put it in a modern setting unless it's going to be put in some use or say something different from other adaptations. Shakespeare Retold did so and that was why that series worked, but the only reason this movie seems to exist is to appeal to a more shallow audience without any intellectual value whatsoever.
What I especially hate about this adaptation is not only how it pays more attention to the romance than it should do the feud between the families, but none of the actors look like they know what they were saying. Lurhmann certainly doesn't, which is made clear when he twists Mercutio's Queen Mab speech from a monologue about the challenges and temptations of lovers to a speech about drugs. If a director can't understand Shakespeare, or even has the nerve to twist his poetry that way, then he shouldn't take on that play in the first place.
The actors are vapid, the direction is awful, the editing is terrible, the setting is tacky beyond belief, it's unnecessary and it's just plain insulting to Shakespeare's text.
My only hope is that Baz Lurhmann pays more attention in English class before he takes on another classic. In fact, he should just avoid classics and save him a shred of dignity.
Once in a while, you find a film that hardly anyone else around you knows of that has a brilliant cast and is ten times more exciting that the average Hollywood "thriller" such as, say, Seven, and is not only about the excitement of the action that goes on, but the brilliance of the acting and writing. This film, along with Snow White: A Tale of Terror and Hard Candy, is the epitome of that kind of film.
The protagonist is an awkward former priest, Nicolas, who was banished from the church for sleeping with another man's wife. After the event he runs from his village and joins a troupe of travelling actors. On their stop in another village, the actors become involved in performing a play about a village boy who was murdered only to find that they've got the wrong story and that the mute woman who stands accused of the murder is innocent. Determined to save her, Nicolas risks his own life to solve the mystery.
The film, as a whole, is brilliant with a wonderful cast and an exciting story that leaves one guessing until the very end in a pitch-perfect climax. Book purists, however, may not like the changes from the book, but I would recommend watching it with an open mind and open ears as the mystery is quite a bit more complex in the film than in the book.
As for the protagonist, knowing Paul Bettany as a very talented actor with the ability to really become the character and expose the heart and soul of the character, his performance as Nicolas is no different. As a man of God who cannot help but be human, he gives a very personal performance that makes one wonder why his wife has an Oscar and he doesn't.
The protagonist is an awkward former priest, Nicolas, who was banished from the church for sleeping with another man's wife. After the event he runs from his village and joins a troupe of travelling actors. On their stop in another village, the actors become involved in performing a play about a village boy who was murdered only to find that they've got the wrong story and that the mute woman who stands accused of the murder is innocent. Determined to save her, Nicolas risks his own life to solve the mystery.
The film, as a whole, is brilliant with a wonderful cast and an exciting story that leaves one guessing until the very end in a pitch-perfect climax. Book purists, however, may not like the changes from the book, but I would recommend watching it with an open mind and open ears as the mystery is quite a bit more complex in the film than in the book.
As for the protagonist, knowing Paul Bettany as a very talented actor with the ability to really become the character and expose the heart and soul of the character, his performance as Nicolas is no different. As a man of God who cannot help but be human, he gives a very personal performance that makes one wonder why his wife has an Oscar and he doesn't.
I got this on DVD as a Birthday present for my sister as we'd heard of one of the worst movies ever made and since we have a habit of enjoying our time making fun of the movies we watch (even if they're good), we figured this would guarantee us a real good time...and holy freakiolies, did we ever enjoy making fun of this one.
There is so much bad acting, terrible directing, even worse writing and unnecessary randomness that taking this movie seriously is completely out of the question. I can't really say much of the plot 'cause there doesn't seem to be one except for a family going to a creepy half- abandoned country village filled with creepy hillbillies who eat people who turn into green goop after eating their food. The rest is just a bunch of random hilarity and a subplot in which the dumb blonde teenaged daughter is completely clueless over the fact that her boyfriend is stuck in the closet...or is that intentional?
Not important. Anyway, the movie is awful and I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for something to actually enjoy unless you're a fan of the robots of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 and enjoy making fun of bad movies as much as they do.
There is so much bad acting, terrible directing, even worse writing and unnecessary randomness that taking this movie seriously is completely out of the question. I can't really say much of the plot 'cause there doesn't seem to be one except for a family going to a creepy half- abandoned country village filled with creepy hillbillies who eat people who turn into green goop after eating their food. The rest is just a bunch of random hilarity and a subplot in which the dumb blonde teenaged daughter is completely clueless over the fact that her boyfriend is stuck in the closet...or is that intentional?
Not important. Anyway, the movie is awful and I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for something to actually enjoy unless you're a fan of the robots of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 and enjoy making fun of bad movies as much as they do.