films i watched over the last week
In chronological order.
Taming of the Shrew (the Zeffifefferschneffer one) *sighs* Oh, Taming. Taming, Taming, Taming. You can't just -say- on the back of the case that in the end Kate gets the better of/power over her husband unless you actually do something to indicate that in the film. You gave us a few glimpses of schemy!Kate at the beginning, and that was all. But, you know, visually, you were very nice, so I'll give you that. Also:
Then God be blessed, it is the blessed sun.
But sun it is not when you say it is not,
And the moon changes ever with your mind.
What you will have it named, even that it is.
Is anyone else reminded of 1984? Because this is verging on creepy.
Macbeth (the one with Ian McKellen) When I went into the video store a few weeks ago to get Henry V and That Horrible Travesty That Happened In 1970, one of the guys working there said that if I liked Shakespeare, I should see this! And so I was back there on Friday and decided to take his advice. It was like watching a very intense, intimate stage production. And Ian McKellen was kind of hot. When he wasn't being overly-sweaty/drooly.
Twelfth Night (the 1968 one with Ralph Richardson as Toby) The most I'll say for this is: VIOLA IS A BUTCH LESBIAN. She looked even more womanly than Nunn's Viola, which is saying something (at least Nunn's had a little failstache!). There was basically no way to confuse that issue. And the "she loves me sure" speech was entirely done in voice-over, and when you combined that with the faces she was making, basically she was SO EXCITED that Olivia had fallen in love with her. It was pretty great. Also, did I mention? Viola and Sebastian are played by the same actress (grr random actress, you're LIVING MY DREAM). Which was awesome, except that Olivia and Sebastian never had an on-screen kiss. Oh well. (At lease Sebastian looked manlier than Cesario.) There wasn't much Antonio/Sebastian (they merged their two scenes into one!), except for the end: see, because of Yay 60s! technology, they couldn't really show Viola and Sebastian together. They would start on one's face (the actress) and then zoom out until you could see the back of the other's head, which was some poor extra. But anyway, at that scene, when Viola's working out all her issues, the camera's focus is pretty much exclusively on her (of the two), and the actress is in that role. But Sebastian can't just stand there awkwardly, SO: he goes over to Antonio! And Antonio puts his arm around him! And they just STAY THERE. Later after Viola's worked out her stuff, he's still there, talking with Olivia "LOL YOU WERE GONNA MARRY A CHICK", and he's STILL THERE with Antonio. Oh, lulz. So cracktastic.
Get Real I was diddling around looking for icons of The Line of Beauty (which I will discuss when I have finished it), and one of the posts also had icons of this movie, so I watched it. It was basically like Were the World Mine, only with less singing and sparkly things and Shakespeare, and more sleazy bathroom hookups and ANGST WOE ETC. Basically, obviously gay boy at all-boys school gets jock to fall in love with him, deals with parent issues, goes up on a stage. This film was also English, and had more sexytiemz, and the jock was more of a jerk. QUESTION: Why do American films about gay couples end happily, whereas British ones are more ambiguous? Is this just a culture thing, and not gay-specific? (Mind you, I've seen two of each, so I'm not one much to judge...)
Latter Days Another gay film, hoorah! This one was about a Mormon missionary and a party-boy slut waiter. [Insert joke about 'converting' here.] Very sweet, although there are several parts when you want to GAG PEOPLE for their stupidity. Anyway. Pretty Mormon boys are awkward love.
The Lion In Winter Dude, FUCKED UP ROYAL FAMILY. GOOD GOD. This has also rekindled my interest in early English kings, and I must go find that wonderful book I read years ago and re-read it. It was called Here Be Dragons, has anyone else read it?
(Also, I called Philip/Richard being canon before it was. I think it was canon, Philip's just a sneaky little prick. They were holding hands! And being sweet! Even though I totally shipped Philip/Geoffrey, because they were the only two people I found attractive. Yay, priorities! BUT, according to Wikipedia, that was actually historically canon. They were close, and, at Geoffrey's funeral, Philip may or may not have tried jumping in the coffin. AWW <3)
Ugh. Why is shipping so EXPENSIVE? (lulz, almost wrote 'why does shipping cost so expensive'. oh, me.) For reals. CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I AM CHEAP/POOR, BARNES AND NOBLE, AND THAT THIS GIFT CARD IS ONE OF MY FEW GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES TO BUY THINGS ONLINE WITHOUT GOING THROUGH MY MOTHER? WHYYYY
Erm. I bought this book. I also really want this book, because I saw it cited after a mention of Julius Caesar in a queer reading of Hamlet. I don't know why, here's a link and a quote:
A later manifestation of this theory, according to Paul Hammond in his book Love Between Men in English Literature is the idea of the erotic triangle or the Oedipal triangle. The males usually rival each other for the female's affection, when in reality, the female is simply an object used to disguise the latent or forbidden sexual feelings between the men. These men cannot openly express their erotic feelings, so a fierce Oedipal competition develops. Some classic Shakespearian erotic triangular relationships appear in the plays Romeo and Juliet, between Romeo, Mercutio, and Juliet; Othello, between Desdemona, Othello, and Iago; and in perhaps the most compelling triangle in all of Shakespeare, in Julius Caesar, among the characters of Cassius, Brutius, and Caesar. These cleverly written examples exclude the female element and reinforce the homo-social bonds and erotic intensity between men (59-61).
I am not sure what Romeo and Juliet is doing there, but it's a lovely concept. Also, 'most compelling triangle in all of Shakespeare'? TELL ME MORE. (Who is rivaling who for whose affections, I wonder?)
Taming of the Shrew (the Zeffifefferschneffer one) *sighs* Oh, Taming. Taming, Taming, Taming. You can't just -say- on the back of the case that in the end Kate gets the better of/power over her husband unless you actually do something to indicate that in the film. You gave us a few glimpses of schemy!Kate at the beginning, and that was all. But, you know, visually, you were very nice, so I'll give you that. Also:
Then God be blessed, it is the blessed sun.
But sun it is not when you say it is not,
And the moon changes ever with your mind.
What you will have it named, even that it is.
Is anyone else reminded of 1984? Because this is verging on creepy.
Macbeth (the one with Ian McKellen) When I went into the video store a few weeks ago to get Henry V and That Horrible Travesty That Happened In 1970, one of the guys working there said that if I liked Shakespeare, I should see this! And so I was back there on Friday and decided to take his advice. It was like watching a very intense, intimate stage production. And Ian McKellen was kind of hot. When he wasn't being overly-sweaty/drooly.
Twelfth Night (the 1968 one with Ralph Richardson as Toby) The most I'll say for this is: VIOLA IS A BUTCH LESBIAN. She looked even more womanly than Nunn's Viola, which is saying something (at least Nunn's had a little failstache!). There was basically no way to confuse that issue. And the "she loves me sure" speech was entirely done in voice-over, and when you combined that with the faces she was making, basically she was SO EXCITED that Olivia had fallen in love with her. It was pretty great. Also, did I mention? Viola and Sebastian are played by the same actress (grr random actress, you're LIVING MY DREAM). Which was awesome, except that Olivia and Sebastian never had an on-screen kiss. Oh well. (At lease Sebastian looked manlier than Cesario.) There wasn't much Antonio/Sebastian (they merged their two scenes into one!), except for the end: see, because of Yay 60s! technology, they couldn't really show Viola and Sebastian together. They would start on one's face (the actress) and then zoom out until you could see the back of the other's head, which was some poor extra. But anyway, at that scene, when Viola's working out all her issues, the camera's focus is pretty much exclusively on her (of the two), and the actress is in that role. But Sebastian can't just stand there awkwardly, SO: he goes over to Antonio! And Antonio puts his arm around him! And they just STAY THERE. Later after Viola's worked out her stuff, he's still there, talking with Olivia "LOL YOU WERE GONNA MARRY A CHICK", and he's STILL THERE with Antonio. Oh, lulz. So cracktastic.
Get Real I was diddling around looking for icons of The Line of Beauty (which I will discuss when I have finished it), and one of the posts also had icons of this movie, so I watched it. It was basically like Were the World Mine, only with less singing and sparkly things and Shakespeare, and more sleazy bathroom hookups and ANGST WOE ETC. Basically, obviously gay boy at all-boys school gets jock to fall in love with him, deals with parent issues, goes up on a stage. This film was also English, and had more sexytiemz, and the jock was more of a jerk. QUESTION: Why do American films about gay couples end happily, whereas British ones are more ambiguous? Is this just a culture thing, and not gay-specific? (Mind you, I've seen two of each, so I'm not one much to judge...)
Latter Days Another gay film, hoorah! This one was about a Mormon missionary and a party-boy slut waiter. [Insert joke about 'converting' here.] Very sweet, although there are several parts when you want to GAG PEOPLE for their stupidity. Anyway. Pretty Mormon boys are awkward love.
The Lion In Winter Dude, FUCKED UP ROYAL FAMILY. GOOD GOD. This has also rekindled my interest in early English kings, and I must go find that wonderful book I read years ago and re-read it. It was called Here Be Dragons, has anyone else read it?
(Also, I called Philip/Richard being canon before it was. I think it was canon, Philip's just a sneaky little prick. They were holding hands! And being sweet! Even though I totally shipped Philip/Geoffrey, because they were the only two people I found attractive. Yay, priorities! BUT, according to Wikipedia, that was actually historically canon. They were close, and, at Geoffrey's funeral, Philip may or may not have tried jumping in the coffin. AWW <3)
Ugh. Why is shipping so EXPENSIVE? (lulz, almost wrote 'why does shipping cost so expensive'. oh, me.) For reals. CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I AM CHEAP/POOR, BARNES AND NOBLE, AND THAT THIS GIFT CARD IS ONE OF MY FEW GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES TO BUY THINGS ONLINE WITHOUT GOING THROUGH MY MOTHER? WHYYYY
Erm. I bought this book. I also really want this book, because I saw it cited after a mention of Julius Caesar in a queer reading of Hamlet. I don't know why, here's a link and a quote:
A later manifestation of this theory, according to Paul Hammond in his book Love Between Men in English Literature is the idea of the erotic triangle or the Oedipal triangle. The males usually rival each other for the female's affection, when in reality, the female is simply an object used to disguise the latent or forbidden sexual feelings between the men. These men cannot openly express their erotic feelings, so a fierce Oedipal competition develops. Some classic Shakespearian erotic triangular relationships appear in the plays Romeo and Juliet, between Romeo, Mercutio, and Juliet; Othello, between Desdemona, Othello, and Iago; and in perhaps the most compelling triangle in all of Shakespeare, in Julius Caesar, among the characters of Cassius, Brutius, and Caesar. These cleverly written examples exclude the female element and reinforce the homo-social bonds and erotic intensity between men (59-61).
I am not sure what Romeo and Juliet is doing there, but it's a lovely concept. Also, 'most compelling triangle in all of Shakespeare'? TELL ME MORE. (Who is rivaling who for whose affections, I wonder?)