Who would you expect to direct the better Shakespeare film: Kenneth Branagh or Joss Whedon? Sounds like a stupid question. Branagh is our generation's Laurence Olivier – the man who turns the bard into flesh and blood. Whedon makes sci-fi and runs a production company called Mutant Enemy Productions. Yet Whedon's film of Much Ado About … Continue reading Much Ado About Shakespeare’s Comedy
Tag: William Shakespeare
Henry V times 2
O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend The brightest heaven of invention… I can't read or listen to the prologue of William Shakespeare's Henry V without thinking that he was wishing he were writing a screenplay. He may have wondered if the stage could hold "The vasty fields of France?" Or if the … Continue reading Henry V times 2
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Pirate, The King, Harriet, & The Curse of the Cat People
Since my last Recently Seen piece, I've revisited two films I hadn't seen in ages, along two new ones. (Of course, I've seen other movies over that time, but I either wrote about them elsewhere or didn't feel the need to write about them at all.) A- The Pirate (1948), Criterion Channel Cole Porter's songs … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: The Pirate, The King, Harriet, & The Curse of the Cat People
What’s Screening: May 17 – 23
Here's what's in Bay Area movie theaters this week: New movies about spaceflight, Shakespeare, and fascism. Old movies about kidnapping and adultery. You can spend your weekend at an Asian-American film festival, then on Monday watch Tarantino's Holocaust revenge fantasy. Festivals CAAMFest (The Center for Asian American Media Festival) continues through Sunday New films opening … Continue reading What’s Screening: May 17 – 23
All is True, but probably not
A- Drama Written by Ben Elton Directed by Kenneth Branagh First you must overcome the makeup. He doesn't look like Kenneth Branagh. He looks too much like a portrait of William Shakespeare to believe that he's human. But then he starts talking, with Branagh's voice, and you can suspend your disbelief. All is True takes … Continue reading All is True, but probably not
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