Get Thee to a Theater! Five Reasons to See ‘Much Ado About Nothing’

Originally published on TheFlickcast.com.  20 June 2013.

After opening in select theaters in LA, NY, and San Francisco, director Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing will open nationwide on Friday, June 21. We have already reviewed the film but just in case that wasn’t enough to convince you to seek out this delightful adaptation, here are five reasons Much Ado is worth your time and money.

1. You’ll understand Shakespeare (finally). If you are hesitating about Much Ado because you are concerned you will not keep up with the Bard’s prose, you are not alone. Dogberry himself (Nathan Fillion) at first refused the project and then tried to back out of it for this very reason. But then Fillion, like all of the other players, immersed himself in the language, the setting, and the character.

The cast did the hard work of studying the text and translating it so you don’t have to. They do an excellent job of adding movement and clarity to Shakespeare’s prose so even if you don’t know what someone is saying, you know what they mean.

2. It’s sexy. This is kind of a given. I mean, have you seen the cast?

Beyond the lineup of beautiful faces, the film features a fantastic sexual tension. Whedon, who is known for killing off beloved characters, found himself a bit bereft in this play so he decided to add some heat instead. “I don’t have any death," he joked. “I’ll add sex!” It is well placed in a play whose very title is an Elizabethan double entendre. There’s also a deep sensuality and romance that resonates particularly between Beatrice (Amy Acker) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof). Lingering looks and stolen kisses are just as sexy as private trysts.

Movie Review: Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing'

Originally published on TheFlickcast.com.  6 June 2013.

Much Ado About Nothing is Joss Whedon and William Shakespeare at their finest, and is certainly one of the most delightful films I have seen this year. Evoking the very best of a 40s screwball comedy, the entirely black-and-white picture has a superb mix of elegance and entertainment that will please all moviegoers, not just Elizabethan (and Whedon) fans. The film crackles with a palpable energy that draws you in to its hijinks and effortlessly makes you feel a part of the romance and drama.

From the start it is clear that this is not a typical modernization of Shakespeare. Whedon uses silence and body language to great effect so that we know the disappointing and hurtful past that lingers over the sharp-tongued Beatrice (Amy Acker) and smug Benedict (Alexis Denisof) before either even speaks. In truth the pair is too stubborn and snarky to admit any fondness for each other and so their friends conspire to bring them into “a mountain of affection.”

This witty, simmering love is contrasted by the young, innocent love shared by Hero (Jillian Morgese) and Claudio (Fran Kranz). Their impending nuptials are threatened by the villainous Don John (Sean Maher), who is played with the perfect blend of treachery and sexiness by Maher. Don John wants to wound the lovers but also destroy Hero’s father Leonato (Clark Gregg), who is hosting everyone at his manor home.

WC2013: Joss Whedon’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ Looks Hilarious and Wonderful

Originally published on TheFlickcast.com.  10 April 2013.

Years before geek god Joss Whedon gave up his vacation to film his version of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, he held readings of the Bard’s plays at his house. The couple that read as Much Ado’s stubborn lovers, Beatrice and Benedict? Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof.

Now they are taking those backyard readings to the big screen as two of the stars of Whedon’s highly anticipated film. Exclusive clips shown as WonderCon 2013 have provided further insight into what audiences can expect from this black and white Much Ado that was shot in two weeks at Whedon’s home.

The plot is very much a commentary on romantic love and the expectations that are pushed onto single persons and couples. Beatrice and Benedict along with young-love couple, Hero (Jillian Morgese) and Claudio (Fran Kranz), are at the center of story. The first pair enjoy a relationship based on sarcastic, teasing banter while both proclaim their disdain for love/marriage. The young couple though is enraptured with one another and become a focal point for the wicked doings of antagonist Don John (Sean Maher).