Thursday Movie Picks: Shakespeare Adaptation

Honestly, I had to use the Internet for this one because while there are of course the obvious adaptations, I didn’t want to pick between them and instead, picked between the not so obvious ones that might appeal to the younger generation (as it did when I was a teenager). So with a little help from my all knowing friend, I tracked down three picks that are not so much Shakespeare but a little outside the box. PS: Yes, I have seen Romeo + Juliet, but I didn’t really care for it… even though Leo looked amazing in it – sorry!

1. GET OVER IT, 2001

This is not a great teen movie from the past but it’s a nice example how Shakespeare translates into the genre of teen comedy. Based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Get Over It makes everything a little cheesy and too over the top. But the reason I watched this movie in the first place was Shane West.. I used to have such a huge crush on West, and I think I watched every possible movie he was in and I could get my hands on it. Sadly, he played the bad guy in Get Over It.

2. SHE’S THE MAN, 2006

Honestly, I love this movie! Sure, it’s silly and it’s stupid, but it’s also fun and me and my best friend still quote the cheese scene every now and then. Inspired by the play Twelfth Night, Viola decides to pretend to be her twin brother in order to play football (soccer) in a boys team. She as Sebastian becomes roommates with Duke, played extremely well by Channing Tatum, and then the fun begins. It’s hilarious and it’s a great popcorn movie, plus, Tatum showcases his comedic timing that became more known to everyone 6 years later with 21 Jump Street.

3. 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, 1999

All right, I had an alternative motive for listing all teen comedies this week because I wanted to emphasis the importance of Shakespeare in a very different kind of genre. And well, I wanted to high light the brilliance of 10 Things I Hate About You – because it is brilliant and it will forever remain my favourite. Based on The Taming of the Shrew, this teen movie won everyone’s heart and I was definitely one of those people who adored this movie then and even more now. And even though ever since the tragic loss of Heath Ledger I haven’t been able to watch 10 Things I Hate About You (it pains me to admit it), but I know there’ll be a day I will again enjoy this 90’s teen comedy which should never be forgotten.

THIS SERIES IS CREATED BY WANDERING THROUGH THE SHELVES

mettelray

February 16, 2017

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10 Things I Hate About You, Get Over It, She’s The Man, Thursday Movie Picks, TMP

32 responses to “Thursday Movie Picks: Shakespeare Adaptation”

Big Screen Small Words

February 16, 2017 at 5:51 pm

Love your last two picks, haven’t seen the first one.

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1. mettelray
  
  February 17, 2017 at 7:16 pm
  
  The first one is not a stand out movie for me but it’s still quite entertaining!
  
  Reply
Maria Casacalenda (Big City Bookworm)

February 16, 2017 at 5:58 pm

As soon as I saw the topic I was hoping 10 Things I Hate About You would be included! Absolute classic. It definitely is a lot harder to watch now, but hopefully one day we can both enjoy it again!

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1. mettelray
  
  February 17, 2017 at 7:17 pm
  
  I could not include that one.. and I hope to some day watch it without being sad!
  
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Brittani

February 16, 2017 at 6:32 pm

Yeah 10 things! I actually love Get Over It. That movie is so great. Kirsten Dunst has a nice singing voice.

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1. mettelray
  
  February 23, 2017 at 11:49 am
  
  Hah, well I don’t remember it too fondly but I think they don’t really make teen movies like that any more, so there’s something to be loved about Get Over It.
  
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Birgit

February 17, 2017 at 4:45 am

I have not seen the first 2 but do want to see She’s All That from what I learned today. I do really like 10 Things and I found it very funny, original and sweet. It first put me on to Heath Ledger who is a great actor

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1. mettelray
  
  February 23, 2017 at 11:51 am
  
  She’s All That is a Shakespeare adaptation too? Cool. I remember only the spoof version things about it, Chris Evans wearing whipped cream is the first image that comes to mind. I think 10 things was the movie for me too when it came to discovering Ledger.. and from there on, I think I’ve seen pretty much all his movies with a few exceptions. I will watch them some day though..
  
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ninvoid99

February 17, 2017 at 5:02 am

I do love 10 Things while I also enjoyed She’s the Man as the latter has that funny moment of Amanda Bynes saying “I can do this. I’m a dude. I’m a hunky dude. I’m a bad-ass hunky dude”. Get Over It is alright because Kirsten Dunst but I really want to punch Shane West in his fucking throat for butchering “Alison”.

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1. mettelray
  
  February 23, 2017 at 11:54 am
  
  I think She’s the Man is filled with great little liners.. I like their cheese conversations because Duke can’t flirt. I like that she puts her ex-boyfriend to his place. I sort of even like the carnival scene where she keeps changing back and worth between Viola and Sebastian. Damn, it’s so silly but I have good memories with that movie.
  I wish West would have played the good guy in it.. it’s a shame to see him in a negative role doing negative things! 😀
  
  Reply
Paskalis Damar AK

February 17, 2017 at 5:51 am

I’ve seen some of these (and mostly forget) and have no idea if they’re Shakespeare adaptations. Well, that’s new to me. But, I agree if Shakespeare’s works as genre-proof and time-proof.

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1. mettelray
  
  February 23, 2017 at 11:56 am
  
  That’s what I was going for, listing movies you wouldn’t think were Shakespeare adaptations. And I guess it worked!
  
  Thank you for the comment!
  
  Reply
Kat Impossible

February 17, 2017 at 1:54 pm

She’s the Man is SO hilarious and reading the play afterwards made it kind of more hilarious then the first time around.

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1. mettelray
  
  February 23, 2017 at 11:58 am
  
  Well I haven’t read any of Shakespeare plays….. *dramatic pause* but then again, I grew up in Estonia and we focused on Estonian and Russian authors, poets etc. throughout our education. But I would be curious about Twelfth Night..
  
  Reply
  1. Kat Impossible
    
    February 23, 2017 at 12:00 pm
    
    I had this phase in High School where I was intent on reading British classics. We only covered Romeo & Juliet in school in terms of Shakespeare, but I actually didn’t like that one.
    I think I like Much Ado About Nothing best though. I’ve always been more interested in his comedies.
    
    Reply
    1. mettelray
      
      February 23, 2017 at 12:12 pm
      
      It’s a shame Shakespeare is more known for his dramas than comedy because considering the fact that the theme of his comedies makes for great teen comedies, I would assume his humour should stand the test of time better than the dramas.
    2. Kat Impossible
      
      February 23, 2017 at 12:14 pm
      
      Yeah, right? One would assume that .. but what can you do?
    3. mettelray
      
      February 23, 2017 at 1:24 pm
      
      Spread the word about him being funny? 😀
    4. Kat Impossible
      
      February 23, 2017 at 1:27 pm
      
      Hahaha well, that I am already trying to do.
readerlygeek

February 17, 2017 at 3:12 pm

10 Things I Hate About You is my favorite! I also watched Get Over It because of Shane West, and from what I remember, that movie definitely’s an odd one. (I’m thinking that’s the film where someone gets shot in the leg with an arrow?)

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1. mettelray
  
  February 23, 2017 at 11:59 am
  
  I think so… I remember only bits of it and the play they put on and how so much of it goes wrong. Someone could have been shot.. 😀
  
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joelnox

February 17, 2017 at 5:00 pm

A mini theme within the theme!! LOVE those.

I really enjoyed Get Over It, moreso I think because I went into it expecting very little but it was charming and sweet.

Glad to see She’s the Man since Twelfth Night is one of the Bard’s plays that hasn’t had any mentions at all yet. I preferred Get Over It to this but I liked it when I saw it. Might have to give it a rewatch…it’s been years.

I went into 10 Things I Hate About You with an disinclination to liking it since Julia Stiles’s appeal completely eludes me and while that still held true after the film I did enjoy it very much for everything else it offered, Heath, JGL, David Krumholtz, Allison Janney etc. A fun adaptation.

In a circuitous way our last picks match both being very different versions of the same source, which honestly must be one of Shakespeare’s most adapted. There is also a very fun version from the 60’s with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton that’s a more traditional reading of the play. Anyway this week was a snap since there was such a wealth of choices.

Hamlet (1996)-Kenneth Branagh adapted, directed and stars as the tortured Dane supported by a cast that is drawn from the cream of the British acting world with a few choice American stars pulled in for good measure. What makes this version stand out from the myriad others is Branagh’s decision to pull the play out of the dingy and poorly lit 14th century to the lush baroque 19th, resulting in deserved nominations for Art & Costume design, making it a far more vivid experience. That’s a great help since he has also chosen to present the entirety of the play’s nearly four hour run time. In a cast that includes Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Robin Williams, Gerard Depardieu and Judi Dench among so many others it’s difficult to choose any MVP’s aside from Branagh but Kate Winslet as Ophelia and Rufus Sewell as Fortinbras, the crown prince of Norway are memorable. It’s a challenging view but worthwhile.

Joe MacBeth (1955)-Updating the Scottish play to the criminal underworld of 1930’s America this violent take on the tale (it begins with the title character blowing away a crime boss then going directly to his own wedding) is an inventive twist on the material. Excellent work by Paul Douglas and Ruth Roman as the murderous mobster and his rapacious Lady M hold you rapt as the homicidal pair climb the ladder of success over an ever increasing pile of bodies.

Kiss Me Kate (1953)-The Taming of the Shrew moved into the world of the modern theatre and musicalized by Cole Porter. Famous stage star Fred Graham (Howard Keel) tries to dissuade his equally famous ex-wife Lilli Vanessi (Kathryn Grayson) to postpone her upcoming marriage so she can co-star with him in a musical updating of The Taming of the Shrew. She agrees reluctantly since their relationship post-divorce is as combative as their married life so it’s not smooth going. Add in several flies in the ointment including second lead Lois Lane(!) (Ann Miller) and some mobsters who are mistakenly putting the squeeze on Frank for a debt Lois’s boyfriend owes and it’s a wacky time backstage. Onstage though there are some amazing dance numbers performed by four of the best dancers of the 50’s (Miller, Carol Haney, Bob Fosse and Bobby Van) and great music sung by all including “It’s Too Darn Hot!” and “From This Moment On”. One of the great musicals, originally shown in 3-D.

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1. mettelray
  
  February 23, 2017 at 12:05 pm
  
  Thank you so much for the comment! A mini theme within a theme sounds exactly what I was going for!
  
  I’m surprised you liked Get Over It over She’s the Man, but then again, I’ve seen She’s the Man many many times so I guess the love for it comes from there. (I worked in a video store and She’s the Man was sometimes on during my entire shift because I was too lazy to change it, and I didn’t get tired of it – can’t explain why).
  
  I haven’t seen your picks, which isn’t a surprise, because I think I haven’t seen many serious Shakespeare adaptations or any movies from the 50’s that come to mind. I always like reading the summaries though and scribble down the ones I’m interested in, so maybe some day!
  
  Reply
Sonia

February 17, 2017 at 5:51 pm

I didn’t love 10 Things I Hate About You as much as you did but it was nice.

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1. mettelray
  
  February 23, 2017 at 12:06 pm
  
  It has sentimental value for me.. and that value grew a lot when Ledger passed.. I think I will love it forever.
  
  Reply
Dell on Movies (@w_ott3)

February 18, 2017 at 8:05 am

I’ve only seen She’s the Man, which didn’t work for me. I’ve been meaning to see 10 Things, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Thanks for the reminder.

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1. mettelray
  
  February 23, 2017 at 12:07 pm
  
  Omg, watch 10 Things now! It’s great! She’s the Man is really not for everyone but I think 10 Things is.. it is very relevant in many ways even today!
  
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Katy

February 18, 2017 at 11:49 pm

10 Things I Hate About You is timeless. It’s so funny – Heath/Julia are so good together. Nice picks!

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1. mettelray
  
  February 20, 2017 at 6:08 pm
  
  Thank you.. me and my friend quote the “we’re screwed” bit sometimes and it always brings back bitter sweet memories.
  
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SheLikesMovies

February 21, 2017 at 1:00 am

10 Things is brilliant no excuse needed. But I really dislike She’s the Man….Bynes is just so annoying….plus its football, not a fan. Ah Get Over It has an awesome intro song when hes walking down the street but Shane West’s terrible fake accent is sooooo bad, but Sisqo saves the day.

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1. mettelray
  
  February 23, 2017 at 12:08 pm
  
  Oh, I like sports movies… hah, whether it’s soccer, American football, basketball, running, swimming, I like it! Oh, shame on Shane for that but I do think he should have been the good guy, the bad guy thing was wasted on him!
  
  Reply
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