topaz119: (AgtCoulson)
topaz119 ([personal profile] topaz119) wrote2013-07-11 03:01 pm
Entry tags:

moderately-sleep-deprived rambles

So, at 9 o'clock last night, my neighbor texts me to say she's going to see "Much Ado" and do I want to go? Which I did, so there I was, going out at 9:30. In the *night*. Without kids.

Very exciting.

We both enjoyed the movie immensely, which is probably not a surprise for me, but my friend is a lit teacher and only a peripheral Whedon fan, so she had no idea who most of the actors were. We both adored Amy Acker--she packed so much into the arch of an eyebrow that we decided we needed to see it again just to watch her exclusively. Her "were I a man" monologue was everything I could have wished for. I wavered on Alexis, thinking that he was playing Benedick a little too broadly, and thus wasn't quite up to what should have been Beatrice's standards, but when the chips were down, he came through with enough intensity to merit her heart. My biggest nitpick was that the modern-day setting made it that much harder to let go of the inevitable oh, please that it was so easy to pass off Hero as collapsing and dying from shame and mortification. In period settings, it's a bit easier to go with it. And there *totally* needed to be more groveling when the truth came out, again with the period. Then again, circling back to "were I a man," dude wrote that centuries ago for a female character, which makes it even better. It was totally worth only getting half my normal sleep, though my Diet Coke consumption is through the roof today.

Non-spoilery to [livejournal.com profile] rogoblue -- Reed was awesome, as were his suits. :D

Oh, and I signed up for [community profile] polybigbang. I'm thinking about H5-0, Kono/Danny/Steve. (Or possibly Leverage and Parker/Hardison/Eliot. Or maybe more in the only Trek thing I've ever written, and adding Gaila to my Kirk/Pike. But probably Kono/Danny/Steve.) My Marvel Bang is at that point where I've stopped trying to write what I thought I was going to write and started writing what the story wants/needs to be, which is progress, at least. There's still a lot of pouting at the screen, though. And only about 4000 words. But progress.
musesfool: (shakespeare got to get paid son)

[personal profile] musesfool 2013-07-11 07:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Reed was awesome, as were his suits.

He was my second favorite after Amy Acker. I actually had a moment or two of shipping Beatrice/Don Pedro because of how good he was in the scene where he asks her to marry him.
Edited (missing a letter) 2013-07-11 19:16 (UTC)
sperrywink: (Default)

[personal profile] sperrywink 2013-07-11 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I really enjoyed Much Ado also! Such a fun movie!

[identity profile] rogoblue.livejournal.com 2013-07-11 09:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you for the information. Your assessment is in keeping with what I've been hearing but it's not showing anywhere in my vicinity. Thus, I await the DVD.

[identity profile] alphaflyer.livejournal.com 2013-07-11 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Debating whether I should corral a couple of friends and hope the thing is still at the local rep house, or wait for the DVD ... Hmmm.

How does it stack up against the Kenneth Branagh/Emma Thompson version? (The sole weak spot of which was Keanu Reeves, who despite his very earnest endeavour at doing Hamlet on stage should never, ever be let near a word of Shakespearean dialogue.)

Oh, and you are abut 4,000 words ahead of me on Marvel_Bang, but I just posted the last chapter of "Highway of Diamonds" and AM STARTING TONIGHT. :-)

[identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2013-07-12 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
Really--as soon as he stepped out of the car, I thought of you, and there were several wardrobe changes throughout. :D

[identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2013-07-12 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
Branagh/Thompson is definitely the classic version but this one and the modern setting does that thing that Shakespeare can do and reach across the centuries to be relevant now. One thing they both have in common is the joy the actors are clearly taking in their roles. This one is condensed a bit--I'm not sure what Branagh did with that version. But it is well done--very effervescent. And I think the cinematography is such that seeing it on the big screen is worth tracking it down. It's not often that B/W movies come along with the lighting and depth of this one.

[identity profile] alphaflyer.livejournal.com 2013-07-12 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, it's B/W? That in and of itself is worth the price of admission.

[identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2013-07-12 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, and I did see where you finished HoD and it is definitely on my TBR list. From what you've said about it, I can imagine it being done will open up lots of brain space. Almost all of what I've written has come since I finished the Bruce/Clint that was stuck in my head and that was mostly just a little bit of fluff.

[identity profile] alphaflyer.livejournal.com 2013-07-12 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
And yes, I adore "A/U" Shakespeare. Saw Ian McKellen in a Nazi-era Richard III (subsequently filmed) and Peter Ustinov in an Edwardian Lear that were remarkable.

[identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2013-07-12 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
Yes! It was playing in my least favorite theater ever (and only there) and they, true to form, managed to aggravate us to no end (and delay us long enough that we barely made it into the theater in time) but all of that was gone after the first two minutes of the movie.

[identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2013-07-12 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
My favorite was a punk adaptation of Taming of the Shrew (seen 20 years ago with the commenter above you) where Petrucchio rode a Harley onstage. I've seen McKellen's film adaptation, too. Good stuff!

[identity profile] hammerhead22.livejournal.com 2013-07-12 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
I would really love to see Much Ado but it is only playing in limited release and therefore 30 miles away in town. My schedule this summer is just to packed to justify driving all the way to the city just for a movie. I'm sure it will translate just fine on the small screen:) Besides, the Kenneth Branagh version is my very favorite and I'm going to have to suspend my appreciation of that movie to enjoy this one, even in the modern setting.

[identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2013-07-12 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, it was only playing in one theater here, which was fortunately at least on my side of the city or I wouldn't have seen it either.

I love Branagh's version, too, but this is lovely and effervescent and just generally charming. And goodness knows we're not drowning in decent Shakespeare adaptations these days...

[identity profile] rogoblue.livejournal.com 2013-07-13 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
This could be a sign that we've known each other for too long!:)

[identity profile] azephirin.livejournal.com 2013-07-14 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
Or maybe more in the only Trek thing I've ever written, and adding Gaila to my Kirk/Pike.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS PLEASE!

[identity profile] rogoblue.livejournal.com 2013-07-14 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Also--I'm really wanting to see te suits because the wardrobe people (for the most part) simply raided the actors' closets. This aspect makes me very happy.:)

[identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2013-07-15 09:03 pm (UTC)(link)
I think I'd heard that about the wardrobe, and I think you'll be v. v. pleased with the results.

[identity profile] topaz119.livejournal.com 2013-07-15 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
I have this hazy sort of an idea for them--we'll have to see how much brainpower I have after the Marvel BB.