Midsummer Night's Dream

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted.  Life and such.  Today, I'm very strongly recommending this version of a Midsummer Nights Dream.  It's also available on Hulu here.  Oddly, Netflix is wrong about which version this is.  Although it says its this one, its actually this Royal Shakespeare Company production.  This is very much a theater production, with limited (and somewhat surreal) sets and costumes and .  If you're looking for a movie style adaptation, try this one.  If you enjoy theater, you'll like this production, I think.  The sets I liked, but the costumes were boring and ugly.  The acting is very good, and the direction innovative without being too pretentious.  It's faithful to the spirit of the play, but makes significant changes, some of which are questionable.  In particular, it cuts some scenes that help the flow of the play (like the hunting scene near the end). I wouldn't recommend this if you're unfamiliar with the story, or if you don't like theater, but it's highly recommended for Shakespeare geeks.  It's very original and really feels Shakespearian to me (whatever that means).  A-


ps: Although it's not available to stream, go out of your way to see the recent Helen Mirren version of The Tempest.  I LOVED it.

Practical Magic

Practical Magic is one of my favorite movies ever (although the book is much better, darker and stranger).  It's the story of two adult sisters, Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, who happen to be witches.  Sandra Bullock, the older of the two, has renounced magic, and is trying to live a sedate, normal, suburban life, but the world has other plans.  This is technically a romantic comedy, but the real sparks come from the completely believable sister relationship between the two leads.  Stockard Channing and Dianne Weist are fantastic as the elderly aunts.  Aidan Quinn is a very good as the romantic lead, with a folksy, down-home, protective vibe that I don't really find appealing, but I imagine is very sexy for middle aged hausfraus.  Mostly what I love about this movie is the magical realism and the awesome sets and production design.  Also, keep an eye on everyone's hair; the more magic they do, the thicker, wilder, and more awesome the weaves get.  Bonus: a tasty fine, very young Goran Visnjic in a sexy role as a "vampire cowboy" bad-boy love interest for Nicole Kidman.  I think this was one of his very first American roles.  A- for witches, probably B for anyone else.

A short catch-up list

So, I haven't added anything in a while.  Here's some quick suggestions.  Full reviews coming soon:

Practical Magic is one of my favorite movies.  Romance, quirky fun, family, necromancy... what more could you ask for?

When Do We Eat? is a hilarious movie about hallucinogens and Passover.

The Iceman Murder is a cool documentary about Otzi, an early neolithic man.

Veronica Mars is just an awesome TV show.  It reminds me of Buffy.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a story about a traveling magical street circus?  Count me in!  Heath Ledger, Jude Law, Johnny Depp...sounds good so far.  

This movie is beautiful.  The effects, the acting, the script, they're all beautiful (except maybe for the midget).  It's magical, and astonishing, and all about using art and magic to bring about liberation from social norms.  You would think that this would be an A+ movie, but it's kind of preachy, and its ideas about "right" and "wrong" are much less Luciferian that I would like.  


That being said, if you love Terry Gilliam, you'll love this movie, and if you hate Terry Gilliam, I imagine I just don't like you.  A-