Much Ado

As requested by Professor Burton, I will update everyone on my experience with The LDS Film Festival's "Much Ado About Nothing."


The Environment
Scera never ceases to confuse me. I mean, just what IS it? A water park? A movie theater with horrible parking? A good way to waste at least $7.00 on an out door theatrical performance? Ranting aside, I have got to say the place is under staffed. It took forever to clean the theater before Much Ado started, and I had to stand around looking awkward for fifteen minutes. There were only two ushers that came out of the theater after they opened the doors.

The Film
Brandon Arnold and Matt Thomas both had a hand in the writing, Brandon Arnold directed, and Matt Thomas produced this piece and casted students from East Hollywood High School as the main characters. The script followed the original mostly, with a few modernizations (for instance, Benedict wishes that his Jeep were as fast as Beatrice's mouth rather than his horse). The acting was decent, considering that teenagers were reciting Shakespeare. 


What I liked
The film was hilarious. It poked at the bureaucracy of high school cliques, mocked teenage drama, and showed that Shakespeare's love triangles and rectangles are still entertaining today. The music was well suited to the themes. The filming itself made me dizzy at times, but there were a few creative scenes. The opening credits, for example, were exceptional. It screamed "Napoleon Dynamite" fused with angst.


Why did I do This?
To be honest, I am not sure why I did this. I am not planning on reading "Much Ado About Nothing," nor did I arrange to meet anyone from class to make this a social experience. I was rather lonely, since my wife did not feel up to going. I did venture to find some new Shakespearean media. Maybe thats why.