Much Ado About Nothing (2013)

I guess I should have known, but wasn't aware this film was done in Shakespearean verse until it began, and even then I thought the opening scene was going to give way to modern dialog. It took some getting used to, but once well under way, the picture turned out to be quite entertaining. I'm not a Shakespeare buff, so the material was all new to me and the actors involved did a fine job of presenting the play. Maybe this would be a good way to introduce classic literature to an otherwise disinterested audience. I recently watched "Shakespeare in Love" and that was cleverly done as well, however the black and white filming using a present day setting in this film was rather unique. For added poignancy, I think I'll now seek out the Kenneth Branagh version for comparison. I might become a Shakespeare buff after all.

Joss Whedon has taken off his brown coat and hung up his superhero costume for the time being to give us a laugh-out-loud and fresh telling of Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing'. With an amazing cast, comedy at every turn and an excellent eye for direction, Whedon pulls off this amazing tale with grace and fun. The movie's also different enough to stand on its own apart from Kenneth Branagh's version from twenty years ago. I imagine that fans of 'Firefly', 'Buffy' and 'The Avengers' will be first in line to support their hero, but I also expect this to gain a bigger following in the weeks to come.Whedon has set this classic comedic tale in the present day while still using Shakespeare's original language – similar to Baz Luhrmann's 'Romeo + Juliet'. It's great to see these historic characters live in the present with mobile technology, fancy cars and fun parties as this account of engineered love comes to fruition in a light-hearted and comedic light.Alexis Denisof (from 'Buffy' and 'Angel') plays the fumbling and charming bachelor Benedick, whose friends tell him that Beatrice (Amy Acker, also from 'Angel'), his friend with whom he spends a lot of time joking around, is actually deeply in love with him. The same is told to Beatrice separately, which leads the two characters to spy on one another in hopes of hearing the other confessing his or her love. This is all done in a slapstick manner that works on every level as the characters provide a bit of physical comedy in their quests.Claudio (Fran Kranz, 'Dollhouse') tries to impress the love of his life, Hero (Jillian Morgese, a bit player in 'The Avengers'), which brings about a few funny moments as well. Meanwhile, the villain Don John (Sean Maher, 'Firefly') plans to sabotage both relationships for his own enjoyment. He's not the smartest man, but he's very aware of what's happening around him, and Maher pulls off this character perfectly. Some of the biggest crowd reactions will come from Nathan Fillion ('Firefly') as Constable Dogberry. He and his idiotic deputies make mistakes and provide a treasure trove of physical comedy every time they appear on screen. Seeing Clark Gregg ('The Avengers') come down from his Agent Coulson role to play the fun part of Leonato getting drunk and dancing the night away is not something to be missed either.Whedon is a master with the camera, and this is actually one of his best photographed films. The angles and creative shots he uses all make sense to the story and are used for a precise purpose. It's a magical experience and I'd definitely love to see Whedon tackle other Shakespeare works. For someone who just made a $1 billion dollar superhero epic to follow that up with this artsy black-and-white movie based on one of Shakespeare's most beloved creations shows just how much range Whedon has and how successful he is as a storyteller and filmmaker.Not only will this version of 'Much Ado About Nothing' make you laugh and have a hugely entertaining time, it's also true to the original work. With amazing acting, a killer cast and stellar direction, this little gem is highly recommended.

OK, using "Shadow" in the title is a poor attempt at a pun over the use of black/white film... Which never works because there's never enough contrast. There is no Black, there is no White... It's tedious Grey, start to finish. Comparing this to the 1990's version is completely unfair, as in spite of 20 years of technological upgrades, the "original" sounds, looks and just feels better. This is using a TV-actor cast, and it unfortunately shows, as it's just wooden. The charm, banter and wit of the original (movie or story) is completely lost because nobody looks like they are actually enjoying themselves - making for a very strange "comedy".I had to watch the Thompson/Branagh version as soon as I finished with this, just to get the poor taste out of my head - and I'm glad I did.

The only other Shakespearian adaptation I've ever seen is Coriolanus, and it was a bit tough to follow. I was hesitant about this for that reason, but after about the first 10 minutes I was constantly riveted and entertained. The story, the characters, the cast are endlessly charming and the story never falters or lets go. Amy Acker is just fantastic in this, and many supporting players do great things. Nathian Fillion, in particular, steals his scenes in just the short screen time he has. It helps that I was so entertained because I didn't know the story. It's a wonder how much Joss Whedon does with such a limited amount of resources. This is truly one of the best films of 2013.