Apropos of nothing, I'd just like to share my delight that the lecturer for my Shakespeare and Film class suggested that our essay-list might include the topic 'In Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing, Keanu Reeves is crap. Discuss.' Hee.

I love your lecturer.

Poor Keanu. He is. He really is. But, that said, I can't but respect Branagh's decision to include leather bepanted and oiled-up Keanu as a means of stealth-Shakespeare-indoctrination. And his accent is less atrocious than it was in Dracula. Other than that? I got nothin.

Sorry, but any movie that gives me leather-panted Denzel on horseback can be forgiven. And the Keanu-oiling scene was good until he started talking.

...someone really, really should write Claudio/Benedick. 'Cause it's canon. Um.

(Not particularly thinking of the movie, yummy though RSL was, with his cheekbones. But I do like that play. It's got irritating bits, but the Beatrice/Benedick stuff is fabulous. Man, I love Beatrice more than words can say. Still, Shakespeare pretty much gave us Beatrice/Benedick already - looking at the play's relationships through the lens of...oh, God. Somebody stop me.)

But the thing is, it's anti-slash because one of the big Themes is Benedick's moving on from his immature relationship with the immature Claudio to the mature relationship with Beatrice.

But that would be fine. I'd be fine with that. I'm not all about Twu Big Gay Wuv - I just think that, storywise, it would be fun to look at the play's events in the light of the fact that Claudio and Benedick had been together - 'cause it's arguably canonical, but it's also not explored in much detail. It's an interesting complication.

Yeah, and Beatrice is played by a boy pretending to be a girl (who in the play pretends to be a boy)....

A driveby to post a "Buffy" related UnAmerican story: last night my roommate was watching tv and I was half asleep next to her. There is an Israeli humor show (quite a good one, too) that is ending in a few weeks, and they're broadcasting promos for the final 'special collection' shows. I had my eyes closed, and didn't follow what was going on on the tv. Suddenly I realized I know the music they're using, in the promo, as background, but the Hebrew words the announcer used didn't seem to go just right with it, it didn't belong there - it was no other than the end credits for "Once More, With Feeling"! Without the singing "Grr Argh" in the end, but definitely the end credits from the musical.

Now, it was the same channel (and company) that used to broadcast "Buffy" (for the first 3 seasons), and the same company owns the channel (for which you have to pay extra on top of the cable payments, so I don't get it, and this is not a whine-y post, so I'll stop), that shows BtvS 5th season now (no "Angel"). But it was quite a surprise.

And now to work some, then cook, clean, and then rest because it's shabbat. Shabbat Shalom!

[Edit upon reading some posts back and actually trying to take part in the conversation: I really like "Much Ado About Nothing", and not just because I can say to myself, when I return from a bad blind date: "Good Lord, for alliance! Thus goes every one to the world but I, and I am sunburnt; I may sit in a corner and cry heigh-ho for a husband!" and think I may be Beatrice-y for just a couple of lines.]

[Another Edit: 4+5=7+2=9]

Sorry, but any movie that gives me leather-panted Denzel on horseback can be forgiven.

Major wrod.

Sorry, but any movie that gives me leather-panted Denzel on horseback can be forgiven. And the Keanu-oiling scene was good until he started talking.

Leather-panted Denzel on horseback not achieving Emma Thompson. Glhglhglhglh.

I actually had moments of liking Keanu in MAAN. He skulked nicely. But, as has been pointed out? He also spoke. Luckily, since I'm mellow about the comedies, I could just sort of go lalalala and concentrate on Ken, Emma, Denzel, and Miss Beckinsale, who is adorable. Oh, and Michael Keaton, just a weeeeeee bit over the top as Dogberry. Beetlejuice, as written by Shakespeare - yowsa!