To celebrate the DVD release of A Caribbean Dream in the UK on the 12th February, we have a top 10 list of on-screen Shakespeare adaptations that take the classic plays out of their comfort zones. The Bard’s work has been transcendent through cinematic history and has inspired hundreds of retellings over its illustrious history but this time the story is flying south to the vibrant colour and entrancing heat of Barbados.
1. A Caribbean Dream (2017)
Adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream
This beautiful re-imagining of Shakespeare’s magical fairy tale “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is set modern day, under a full moon and during a Caribbean Festival.
2. Cymbeline (2014)
Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline
A gritty story of a take-no-prisoners war between dirty cops and an outlaw biker gang. A drug kingpin is driven to desperate measures.
3. Much Ado About Nothing (2012)
Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
A modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
4. Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)
Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
The neighbouring gardens of Montague and Capulet are at war, but the gnomes, Gnomeo and Juliet, are in love.
5. She’s the Man (2006)
Inspired by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
When her brother decides to ditch for a couple weeks, Viola heads over to his elite boarding school, disguised as him, and proceeds to fall for one of his soccer teammates, and soon learns she’s not the only one with romantic troubles.
6. O (2001)
Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello
An update of Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ with a young cast, set in an upper-class prep school, & centred around basketball player Odin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz1NIOjkJi0
7. 10 Things I Hate about You (1999)
Inspired by Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew
A pretty, popular teenager can’t go out on a date until her ill-tempered older sister does.
8. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare’s famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.
9. The Lion King (1994)
Inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Lion cub and future king Simba searches for his identity. His eagerness to please others and penchant for testing his boundaries sometimes gets him into trouble.
10. West Side Story (1961)
Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
Some of the more contemporary and exciting adaptations incorporate Shakespearian stories without you even knowing; West Side Story and 10 Things I Hate About You modernise his writing to excellent effect, even at times completely subverting the original casting or setting. To be able to alter Shakespeare’s original intentions in such drastic ways while respecting the story, is a testament to the lasting nature of his work, A Caribbean Dream aims to celebrate the old, while embracing the new and give the Bard a new lease of life; shaking off the dreary settings we’re so used to seeing his work portrayed in.
Once again, we are diving into the wonderful world of fan theories. We already covered a bunch of incredible theories in a previous post but there are so many great theories floating around the internet we couldn’t help putting together a new list full of those that slipped through the net last time. In this instalment, we are looking an array of amazing brands across some amazing fan theories. We have a Harry Potter theory which has come to life following the incredible fantastic beasts and where to find them, a though provoking look at Lord of the Ring’s Gollum as well as a two for one as we cover both The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario in one theory.
E.T
One of the best theories concerning E.T is that E.T is a Jedi. As a hugely popular series it is unsurprising that Star Wars was recognised in E.T but what is the explanation for, what is clearly, the same species as E.T appearing in the Senate Chamber in Star Wars Episode 2? Yoda is a well-known figure in the senate chamber so if one of the E.T species in the second Star Wars instalment was, in fact, E.T himself then it is reasonable to suspect that E.T would know or at least recognise Yoda, which if this theory is correct he did when he ran at a child dressed as the Star Wars character on Halloween. As for the flying bike, that could have easily been the work of the force at play. If the flying bike was indeed the work of E.T using the force, then E.T is not only from the Star Wars universe but he is a Jedi (or Sith).
Other nods to Star Wars in the E.T movie include Elliot playing with Star Wars toys and Star Wars merchandise. Although, this strengthens the idea that the Star Wars exists in E.T the same way it does in the real world – a movie series. Furthermore Attack of The Clones was released 20 years after E.T making it more likely that the appearance of E.T’s species was simply a fun Easter egg. However, it doesn’t hurt to dream, even if the idea that E.T could be a Jedi is too good to be true, especially when it means that Star Wars exists within a cinematic universe where Star Wars movies exist.
Ahead of the special screening of GHOST STORIES at the Horror Channel Frightfest Glasgow 2018 event, writer / director team Andy Nyman & Jeremy Dyson discuss their special relationship, the film’s journey from stage to screen and no, they don’t believe in ghosts…
We are beyond excited! It is honestly a dream come true.
Can we go back to the beginning…how did the idea of GHOST STORIES first materialise and take us through its initial stages of creative development.
Our friendship was born out of a shared love of horror films. We met aged 15 and used to call each other every time a new issue of ‘Starburst’ came out, or one of us would manage to get a copy of Fangoria. We used to read Alan Jones’s columns to each other!
About ten years ago we started talking about working together and how much we wanted to make that a reality. We had the idea of creating an Amicus style film, but on stage. The idea very quickly became ‘Ghost Stories’. The play opened at the Liverpool Playhouse and then went to the Lyric Hammersmith and the rest is history. It exploded! It’s now had 26 months in the West End as well as many international productions. It’s remarkable.
When you wrote the stage play did you ever envisage it in cinematic form?
The joy of the play was that it was almost taking tropes from horror films and putting them on stage. Putting that back onto film is a massive challenge, how to do it without it simply feeling like you’d seen it all before. So at the beginning, the idea of a film felt like a distant dream.
Here’s one for you Andy. How much influence did your background in magic inform the play’s creative process?
That’s an interesting question. My many years of work in the world of conjuring certainly helped with the ‘magical thinking’ within the play. The layering of clues and secrets definitely comes from mine and Jeremy’s shared love of magic.
Jeremy, you also share Andy’s love of horror, but how did your comedy background influence the play’s story-telling journey?
It happened in an unspoken way, perhaps through an emphasis on character. Each of the stories protagonists has comic elements that just emerged naturally in the writing. Don’t forget that Andy is a very funny man and a very gifted comic actor. Much of our time together is spent crying with laughter – so it was probably inevitable that comedy would be part of the mix. Also, we both share a deep love of American Werewolf in London – it was one of the films we first bonded over – and that is a perfect dance between comedy and horror.
What challenges did you both face writing the screenplay? Did it help knowing you were also going to direct?
It really was a case of unpicking everything and starting all over again. Whilst the key story is basically the same, we knew there were big sequences that were not achievable on screen as they were of a purely theatrical nature, namely Goodman’s story. What feels satisfying to us is that the film has many new shocks and surprises, so if you are a fan of the play, there are big new twists and moments waiting for you.
Andy, you also play the lead role in the film, so how did you both share the director’s chair?
It was always very natural. We continually talked about the shots and if it was scenes i was in, i had a stand-in so we could set everything and then i would go in for the actual shoot. In terms of my performance, Jeremy would always give me great notes and I totally trust him.
Can we expect another horror anthology from you?
No comment.
Have to ask…do you believe in ghosts?
No.
Finally, what’s next for you both?
Afraid you’ll have to wait and see!
Andy Nyman & Jeremy Dyson
GHOST STORIES is showing at the Glasgow Film Theatre on Thurs 1 March, 9.00pm as part of Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow 2017. Andy Nyman & Jeremy Dyson will be attending.
Some directors have earned the right to make movies about pretty much anything they want, and it’s fair to say that Curtis Hanson fell into this bracket after he made the truly incredible spectacle of L.A. Confidential. His career since may not quite have reached the awe-inspiring heights that this movie did, but he did manage to gross over $242 million worldwide at the box office by directing a movie (8 Mile) that many thought was solely an attempt to cash in on Eminem’s early popularity. When he passed away at the age of just 71, these successes meant that he was regarded as a highly respected director, and one who was arguably more of a critical success than a commercial one.
From Success to Flop
Evidence of this latter assertion can be seen in his failure to reap the sort of financial reward that the critical acclaim hinted at the movie deserving when it came to his follow-up to L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys. The movie is listed as one of the movie bombs of the year for 2000 and had to be re-released after a disastrous ad campaign that saw the movie sink next to its Oscar-nominated rivals and a fairly creepy poster that presented Michael Douglas as nothing short of a terrifying character! Critical response offered a stark contrast to its commercial response, with the movie earning an 81% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a decent 7.4 IMDB rating.
Wonder Boys may have hit the mark critically if not commercially, but the one that arguably got away even more, failing to showcase the skills of Curtis, was Lucky You. With Curtis having been born in Nevada, where draw poker (as opposed to stud poker) enjoyed such early popularity in its history, it seemed only right that he should return to his home state to create a movie, and it seemed fitting that the subject matter would revolve around the thrills, triumphs, and exhilaration that Las Vegas holds in its palm, especially for those pursuing the dream of winning big.
Why Didn’t Lucky You Strike It Lucky?
Bizarrely, the movie is actually claimed to be both too authentic and not authentic enough. Some claim that the movie used poker stars like Daniel Negreanu (the biggest live tournament poker winner in history) in the action simply, in a slightly desperate move, to give it an air of authenticity from a visual perspective, whilst others claim that they were there to add a serious depth of understanding and insights into the world of poker to help ensure that the research undertaken before shooting wasn’t wasted by poor actors not knowing how to behave during complex poker hands.
Indeed, while some might have claimed at the time that an online player winning the event was a bit of a strange twist at the end, the fact remains that a 2003 WSOP event was actually won by a player who had qualified by playing online, proving that the finale wasn’t too far-fetched at all, highlighting instead that poker movies had started to wake up to a changing landscape where people could emerge from nowhere to be big stars.
The real-life story of Moneymaker winning is told on his own site. However, perhaps the most interesting aspect to the movie is the disdain held by pro poker players towards these emerging individuals. Nowadays, things have changed; anyone can become a serious success by starting to play poker online. Indeed, the forms of poker played in the movie, including the final poker hand that happens to be a Texas Hold ‘Em game, can all be played online with operators including one of the main sponsors traditionally of the WSOP, 888poker, an online poker site with 10 million registered users, with a brand similar to the sort that Jason Keyes, the winner at the end of the film, would have used to achieve victory. While Keyes would probably have primarily indulged in the famous Texan variant of poker, the fictitious Jason Keyes would nowadays be able to enjoy a wider range of games if playing online, including quicker variants that get players instantly involved, with one of the newest versions, Flopomania, seeing betting skip straight to the flop, letting newer players get an idea of the card combinations that can occur and getting the chance to raise and fold faster than just betting on the possible outcome of their pocket cards. Perhaps this wouldn’t make for the best, most in-depth on-screen action, but the evolution of the game is still a point of interest.
Timehop bringing in the best of memories😂 Throwback to when I dealt to @CMONEYMAKER for the first time & thought he made up his last name in hopes of becoming famous! I then had to confess I had no idea who he was & get a picture taken with him! Thanks for the laughs Chris! ♥️ pic.twitter.com/2VaLs6Ir0y
Caption: Chris Moneymaker is still a celebrity draw for poker tournaments after his big win
In fact, perhaps the most frustrating thing for Curtis Hanson is that having spent a lot of money, time, and effort on ensuring that the sets were as authentic as possible, including recreating from scratch in a studio parts of the Bellagio, he failed to truly capture enough poker play to make the story truly engaging. With the movie also trying to discuss the changing nature of poker and how it had, in his view, lost some of its romance as it became easier to play online and more accessible on TV, Hanson arguably spent more time in the movie than was necessary lamenting what he perceived as a decline, rather than celebrating the innovation and democratic nature of the online boom. This New York Timesreview suggests as much in quotes from Hanson himself, but it is easy to look back in hindsight to suggest that this movie did not need to lament the end of romantic poker matches, but instead could have spent this effort on lauding the fact that poker has evolved and is more popular than ever before, with over 40 million people globally competing as regular poker players.
A Legacy or a Lost Chance?
With no mention of any sort of sequel on the books, the biggest legacy the movie truly can lay claim to is showing how poker has become so mainstream in recent years. With poker nowadays so popular that it can be played by millions at home on a daily basis, and the romance and challenge of the game very much respected around the world, the movie seems to have prematurely mourned the passing of an era that hasn’t actually passed. On the upside, it certainly showed that movies don’t just have to be about getting one over on other players or boasting that amazing, once-in-a-lifetime winning hand that changes everything, in order to be defined as a commercial poker movie.
All in all, looking back at the movie, you have to feel sad that for a film so carefully researched and with such an intriguing idea behind it, and with Hanson possessing both the skill and the budget to have done something so much better, it couldn’t have been crafted into something more enduring and successful.
In many ways, it’s much tougher for a short film to achieve its emotional goal than that of a feature film. The director has just a few short minutes to evoke the desired mood within their audience. There’s no time for character development, and very little room for dialogue, so more often than not the trick is to keep it as simple as possible, and this is where Chad Hamilton’s latest short, ‘Not Yet’, truly succeeds.
The film tells the story of a husband bringing his sick wife to the park to cheer her up. It’s no more complicated than that, which makes it all the more impressive that the story is able to evoke so many emotions in its mere 9 minute run-time. This is because we as an audience have been presented with a thoroughly relatable story that we can all understand and sympathise with, simple as it may be.
The most notable element of the film is its lack of dialogue. No real words are spoken by anyone. The closest it comes is with the occasional gasp or laughter, but the film primarily relies on diegetic sound. This is a terrific stylistic choice, stripping the story down to its bare bones, and it’s delivered with superb sound design from Luftar Von Rama.
There is also an exceptional score by Christopher Sisco. Who needs dialogue when you have music that is more than capable of telling a story all on its own? The score perfectly captures the ever-changing mood within the narrative, drifting from happy to heart-breaking with each passing moment, the highlight being an uplifting piano piece in the second act.
While the film has its simplicities, it’d be easy to turn a blind eye to the little details within it that really make it work. Chad Hamilton’s direction is very open, despite the limited location, creating a bright and freeing atmosphere, while he makes use of close-ups for the story’s more intimate moments, and uses a bright and vibrant colour palette to insinuate his positive message.
He wants to tell a joyous story, but never forgets the emotion at the heart of it. He finds a perfect balance, and there are some moments that really hit the viewer like a ton of bricks, including a scene in which the husband spots an old man sitting on his own, and contemplates his future. The film’s final shot is also extremely powerful.
Ultimately, this is a story about escaping, even if just for a moment. It’s a story about a husband who just wants to make his wife smile, and that feeling extends itself to the audience. It’s really very impressive how many emotions one story can express in such a short run-time.
Chad Hamilton (who also cameos in the film) won the Best Director award at Freedom Shorts XVI, and it’s not hard to see why, as this is a film that works solely due to the smart creative decisions he’s made. The story is communicated purely through visuals, alongside a truly brilliant score, and evokes more emotion than many script-heavy feature-length productions are able to achieve.
It’s short but sweet, simple but effective, and manages to be tragic and uplifting all at the same time. It’s a true masterclass in short filmmaking.
