Much Ado About Nothing

From Sci-Fi writer and Director Joss Whedon comes this modern-day interpretation of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing".  In this telling, Leonato is a wealthy Los Angeleno, who has invited brothers Don Pedro and Claudio to stay at his upscale home for an extended weekend house party.  In this atmosphere, our host, his family, and his guests party and scheme against and play matchmaker for each other.

Whedon has plenty of street-cred among the Comic-Con crowd, but this has apparently been a long-time dream project for him, and you can tell he's having a lot of fun with it.  His cast is a terrific mix of actors he's previously worked with on shows such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Angel", "Firefly", and "Dollhouse", and they are all obviously having a blast.  There has to be a certain comfort factor when doing something new and interesting with people you're comfortable with, and in your own upscale home. 

My girlfriends and I of course have fond memories of a previous movie version with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, and so it could be tough to let go of the sumptuousness of the scenery and the British accents of that version.  Especially when this one is in black and white and the actors speak American English. But I loved it.

I'd also like to point out some terrific performances, especially from Amy Acker as Beatrice (check her out in the "O that I were a man..." scene. She's fabulous!) and Alexis Denisof as Benedict.  And of course who can forget Nathan Filion as Constable Dogberry.  He was awesome.

So - keep your fond memories of Ken and Em, but save some room for Joss and Company.  You'll be glad you did.

Keep your ears tuned: Joss also wrote all the music, and among other things, came up with a great contemporary version of "Sigh No More Lady", turning it into a sexy, piano-driven, Norah Jones-esque party song.  A lot of fun. 

The Bride Wore Black

In Francois Truffaut's homage to Hitchcock movies, Jeanne Moreau is a cool, calculating and vengeful murderess, systematically tracking down the men responsible for the death of her husband on their wedding day.  And an homage it is - even to the point of setting scenes in similar locations and using familiar plot points from "Vertigo", "The Man Who Knew Too Much", "Dial M For Murder", "Northwest by Northwest", and "Marnie", to name a few.  Even choosing frequent Hitchcock collaborator Bernard Herrmann to compose the score (which sounds eerily reminiscent to the score of "North by Northwest").

Jeanne Moreau is fantastic - there's a remoteness to her that makes all the victims fall in love with her just before she coolly "offs" them. And for a murderess, she has her principles, as she demonstrates when she won't let another woman be charged with her crime, and when she confesses to a priest.  It's her picture from start to finish and she's brilliant.  I highly recommend it.

If you've never seen many foreign films, don't be intimidated by the subtitles.  A few minutes in and you'll forget they're there. Enjoy!

Word to the Wise: If you watch this, be prepared that there are a couple of unexpected scenes of nude female anatomy. They are brief, but noticeable.

Moonrise Kingdom

Happened to catch this most recent offering from Wes Anderson a few weeks ago on HBO. Admittedly I've not seen his others (too much Owen Wilson for my taste), but this one caught my eye and was just quirky enough and clean enough for me to stick with it.  It's the story of two misfit 12-year-olds, who happen to make a connection with the one other person in the world as odd as themselves.  They make a plan to run away together from all the dysfunction in each of their lives. 

The film boasts a terrific cast, headlined by Bruce Willis, Ed Norton, Bill Murray and Frances McDormand, as the quartet of adults searching for the two young lovers, who unwittingly are the cause of the dysfuntion. But the real stars are the two youngsters, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. They give breakout performances, and have promising careers ahead.

If you're a fan of quirky, mixed with a lot of dysfunction and a lot of sweet, then this movie's for you.  It's a terrific picture, and reminds us that the things that make us crazy when we're 12 are often the things that in the long run work out better than we expected.