Shakespeare in Love

Shakespeare in Love was witty and sweet. The movie attempts to explain William Shakespeare’s roots and rise to fame and fortune. It also aimed to shows the creative process and the making of many plays during the time period.

It is set in late Elizabethan England. Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush), the owner of the Rose Theater, owes money to loan shark (Tom Wilkinson). Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes), meanwhile, struggles with writing his next masterpiece, and need in inspiration. His newfound inspiration comes to him in the form of Viola De Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), the daughter of a wealthy Englishman, who is enthralled with theater and Shakespeare’s works. She put on a man’s clothes and auditioned for a role in Shakespeare’s new play. Later, at a ball, he sees her as a woman and falls in love. However, Viola was promised to Lord Wessex (Collin Firth), who will trade his title for her father's cash. Shakespeare is caught by Lord Wessex staring intently at his wife-to-be. He identifies himself as Marlowe, so he would not get in trouble. The forbidden love develops, but it is hindered at times due to her impending nuptials, which is made evident in the work in progress play, Romeo and Juliet. In the closing scene, their love remains strong in memory as they separated through tragic circumstances.

 The plot resembles a typical Shakespearean story with comic relief, coincidences, balls, and great tragedy. However, it was so much more than a banal replication of Shakespeare. It tried to explain the man behind Macbeth, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet.  The plot was well made, and was one of the movie’s strong points.
            The acting of several prominent characters was also one of the movie’s strong points.  Paltrow, Fiennes, Rush, Wilkinson, and Firth gave strong performances. Paltrow and Fiennes created a beautiful love pairing that truly convince the audience of their love. Every person in attendance felt something with every passionate speech they spoke. Rush and Firth each gave solid performances. Wilkinson brought a comedic light to his character. He convinces the audience of his evilness and malice, but then changes our opinion of him when his character becomes engrossed with the play. The change of traits proved to be ingenuous and humorous.

In conclusion, Shakespeare in Love, was a good movie with an interesting plot and strong cast of actors.

Ides of March

         Ides of March had too much promise and seemed to be one of the  best movies of 2011, but I was sorely disappointed. It was interesting, but flawed as well.
        The movie had superb acting and an excellent plot fill with great twists. The acting alone made this movie great. It had an amazing cast; Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, and even The Social Network's Max Minghella gave solid performances. Ryan Gosling's acting has reached a new zenith with his films Drive and Ides of March. His film presence overwhelmed the "acting greats"(Hoffman, Giamatti, and Clooney) in most scenes. Gosling has shown amazing flexibility in playing drama and romantic films, which is made evident with films such as The Notebook, Crazy Stupid Love, Fracture, and Drive. His acting and film presence only continues to improve, and will some day rise to become one of the best actors of today. Giamatti and Hoffamn continuously prove their affinities in dramatic movies, which is also seen in Cinderalla Man and Doubt, this movie was no exception. Their passion and conviction enriched each scene. Clooney, Wood, Tomei, and Minghella also gave solid performances, but unfortunately their performances were overshadowed by Gosling, Hoffman and Giamatti.
         The plot was simply brilliant. It expresses it main themes of corruption, loss of innocence, and scandal throughout the movie in a compelling way. The plot's main appeal lies with the plot twists in the movie. It shocks and captivates the audience.
         However,  the film also had many faults. Even though the plot was brilliant, there was no excitement. The twists and confrontation were interesting, but they were far from thrilling. It was like looking at intense scenes depicted at paintings. It did not make my pulse quicken nor did it make me perspire.
         Also, even though the plot was well written, it cannot escape its banal and mundane roots.The film did not surprise me with new information about politics. Movies have been made that contained the similar plots.
          Other than these faults, the film did not make me clap, or feel any emotion. The film was good, not great. Its trailer linked it with potential, but sadly did not live up to its potential.

Ten Things I Hate About You

 Success or Failure?

            Things I Hate About You is a teen movie inspired from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. The movie plot revolves around Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and his sudden newfound love for Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) that develops on his first day at school. However, she cannot date until her unpopular and strong willed sister, Kat, (Julia Stiles) dates. Cameron conceives a plan that involves the manipulation of people and their emotions. Cameron tries to convince a fellow classmate to look for another willing student to romance Kat Stratford in exchange for money. Cameron eventually found Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to do the task. However, Verona realizes that he has fallen in love with Kat after spending time with Kat. The plot develops in a typical teen movie fashion: both couples have trouble with their relationship after seemingly perfect interactions and they make up. However, Kat and Verona’s love problems occur after Bianca and Cameron’s make up portion of the movie.

The plot has many more problems without considering its banal and clichéd characteristics. Many would argue that the movie has the lack of influence from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, even though the movie was supposed to be inspired by it. Another problem is the underdevelopment of the characters. For example, a few important questions were raised about certain character’s traits that were poorly answered or not answered at all. What prevented Verona from kissing Kat? Was it his guilt or a past event? The character’s development seemed too shallow, thus causing the audience’s alienation from the characters. On the other hand, Stiles, Oleynik, and Gordon-Levitt gave solid performances in their respective roles, while Ledger's excellent acting overshadows the rest. There were also several scenes that provided enough amusement to hide the poor plot. For example, the counselor provided hilarious situations with her strange obsession with sexual subjects. Verona’s performance of “I love you baby'' over the P.A. system, to win back Kat’s affection was hilarious. Another comical scene occurred when Kat Stratford vomits on Verona’s shoes after complimenting him on his eyes.

In conclusion, when watching Ten Thing I Hate About You, people should ignore the poorly conceived plot and appreciate the performances and amusing scenes. The great scenes make any audience smile and laugh. The solid performances would make any critic impressed. Thus, these two factors distracts from the terrible plot.

Much Ado About Nothing

            Filled with light-hearted scenes, Tuscan sunshine, and easy-going banter, Much Ado About Nothing proved to be light and amusing film. Kenneth Branagh directed and acted in Much Ado About Nothing. Branagh’s previous experience with Henry V aided his adaptation of the play. His reinvention of the play has its pros and cons. He adapted the play to appeal to modern audiences. People may argue that the adaptation ruined the film’s Shakespearean roots. However, that argument is baseless because Branagh reinvented it to create a stand-alone movie with brilliant language and excellent word play not an exact replica of the actual play itself. If one would rather watch an exact replica, they should just watch Branagh’s Hamlet.

            In comparison, Branagh’s directing also greatly appealed to modern audiences. The way in which he directed gave the movie high energy and good spirits. Even the movie’s dark plots fail to disrupt the upbeat emotion the film seems to give its audiences.

            Much Ado About Nothing revolves around the love of two couples: Claudio(Robert Leonard) and Hero(Kate Beckinsale), Beatrice (Emma Thompson) and Benedict (Kenneth Branagh). Throughout the entire movie, the couple’s love for each other is tested through dark plots and the extent in which one will do for their love one. Hero and Claudio the stereotypical and “romanticized” version of a couple, while Beatrice and Benedict played the unconventional couple.

The actors and actresses who played these roles were superb. Kate Beckinsale’s precise acting  displayed Hero as a dutiful, innocent, and loving daughter. Robert Leonard’s acting  accurately showed the different sides of a love-stricken man: a vengeful, jealous side and a loving, caring side. However, the most impressive performances in the entire film were Thompson’s and Branagh’s. Thompson brought life to her character. Her acting depicts the image of Beatrice as a strong-willed woman whom has passion, wit, and intellect. Branagh’s acting was authentic and was not forced. His acting also defined his character as a witty bachelor with intellect. Their performances created an interesting and comical duo. The duo’s back and forth diatribes in the beginning of the film added humor to the film. There on-screen chemistry can be attributed to the fact that they have been married for six years.

There were other cast members who also were phenomenal in each of their respective roles in the film. Two actors stood out among the rest of the cast. Michael Keaton played Dogberry, the goofy chief of the citizen police who discovers the plot to slander Hero. Keaton's scenes do not provide comic relief, but they enthrall the audience. Don Pedro, played by Denzel Washington, is a wise, good-hearted prince. Washington is plays a good idealized Shakespearean monarch. He brought to life the sort of character that is usually ignored in films. The cast gave excellent performances.

Much Ado About Nothing had an engaging plot, unique directing, and a wonderful cast of actors wove a memorable Shakespearean film experience.

50/50

              With this review I will minimize the amount of spoilers in the post. The movie was interesting, and, in comparison to Drive, it was remarkably refreshing. The movie provided a unique way of creating a movie about a cancer patient. It was able to accomplish what Funny People couldn't. Jonathan Levine took a depressing movie about cancer and injected it with humorous lines and situations that made the experience entertaining. At the end of the movie, I did not know whether to laugh or cry.
              Mr. Gordon-Levitt gave a riveting performance and his acting truly defined his character. The main cast as a whole gave strong performances as well, most notably Seth Rogen and Anjelica Huston. Ms. Anna Kendrick and Bryce Howard seem to be growing and maturing as actresses. Ms. Kendrick's has "stood her ground" in scenes with her famous male counterparts, which is seen in Up in the Air. Her acting develops in each film that she is featured in, which shows the bright future she has in Hollywood.
             Will Reiser, the writer of 50/50, devised an interesting plot that kept the audiences laughing hysterically while maintaining a melancholy situation. There are three major points in the film that paints the movie's message. The first point is when Adam(Gordon-Levitt) realized he had cancer. This abruptly disrupts his life, and is not the same...until the movie reaches the turning point. The second point is when Adam's friend, Mitch, dies. This event shocked Adam and for the first time he acknowledges his chances of death. The turning point of the entire film is when Adam has surgery. His life has gone back to "normal," he develops a new, healthy relationship with his therapist(Anna Kendrick), and he truly appreciates his friends and family. The three points convey the message "I know you have cancer, but you must look at the positives." This message is banal and cliched, but 50/50 conveyed it an unique and original way.
            At first, at Saturday, I was tempted to watch Brad Pitt's Moneyball, but I chose 50/50.  I am glad I chose this movie because it gave me the experience Funny People could not. It showed me excellent acting and well-thought out plot. I would gladly recommend this movie to anyone, and give 50/50 a 10/10.