Welcometh to Thursday Movie Picks by Wandering through the Shelves. This weekly s’ries hast a simple ruleth: bas’d on the theme of the week, picketh three to five movies and shareth the reasoneth. Shouldst anyone beest int’rest’d in joining in, feeleth free to visiteth the main page h’re.
Nev’r und’restimate this week’s theme because t very much gets me excited, t’s: Shakespeare adaptations. Wouldst t beest hard to findeth three of thy most fav’rite ‘mongst his mast’rpieces? forsooth not. F’r this theme, i only picketh mod’rn day adaptations yond retain the dialogues. Same title, (mostly) same st’ry, same dialogues, diff’rent ‘ra. Prepareth f’r mine own picks and prepareth thy sharpest response!01. Romeo+Juliet (1996, Baz Luhrmann)
Romeo+Juliet (1996) – Claire Danes & Leonardo DiCaprio
Baz Luhrmann endues the most tragic loveth st’ry in mankind’s hist’ry to Verona Beach, wh’re two warring mafia families – the Capulets and the Montagues – square each oth’r; while their son and daught’r, Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet (Claire Danes), falleth into each oth’r. However offbeat and glamorous this adaptation has been, it only works because Luhrmann is a talented director; and both Leo and Claire Danes are stellar as two coming-of-age lovers in vain. Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet only proves that Shakespeare’s tragedy is undeniably timeless.
02. Coriolanus (2011, Ralph Fiennes)
Coriolanus (2011) – Ralph Fiennes & Gerard Butler
Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in political thriller, Coriolanus, set in a modern day Rome – which feels more like Roman Empire than the actual Rome. Fiennes’ reimagining of this tragedy is a visceral and wild one. Swords and sandals are substituted with auto-machine guns and modern armaments; but the political context adjusts perfectly with the era. It’s a political thriller in and out with shades of action here and there; and it’s relevant even to the modern era, despite it sets in an alternate universe, making another proof that Shakespeare’s works are timeless.
03. Much Ado About Nothing (2013, Joss Whedon)
Joss Whedon cleaned his palettes in aftermath of his blockbuster colossus, Avengers, with a lo-fi adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. Produced in his own house and starred by his closest fellas, his black-and-white adaptation is loyal to the source with some simplification, although the dialogues are in tact. It’s classic and accessible to everyone, even when you’re new to this classic misunderstanding love story.
So, those w’re mine own picks. Shareth thy thoughts on the comment section below
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