Could not finish a quarter of the movie. It's that bad.

I believe you will find that filming in black and white is not cheaper than color. Whether Joss used it as an artistic flair or to hide that it was his home and not an Hollywood set I haven't a clue. Either way you are right & it was the best choice for this movie.
I agree with you about Amy. I believe this is her finest performance yet. Just excellent in every regard!!

Amy Acker was just godawful! She has utterly no ability to speak the verse, but uses whatever inane cadence pops into her head. The play is written in iambic pentameter for a reason.

I love it when people are proud of their ignorance and lack of education. It makes me proud that I went on to graduate from a university.

Straightedge means I'm better than you.

Not everybody is a fan of Shakespeare, I get that and you're entitled to your opinion on that (even though I think you were a little nasty towards people who enjoy his work). But who exactly said the movie was a "huge bomb"? If you are going only on that the movie made $4 million, your opinion is a bit misguided. The movie was shot at Joss Whedons home, in 12 days and while Joss hasn't said what the exact budget was it has been stated this was a micro-budget film. Also it was only played on max 200 screens. This isn't The Avengers where it's played on 4,000+ screens.

On its opening weekend when it played on only 5 screens, it made $180,000. It also broke the box office record at New York's Lincoln Film Center Society Theater in that weekend. For a micro-budget, indie, Shakespeare movie this is all pretty damn good. That 4 million isn't even accounting for DVD/Blu Ray Sales, rentals and On Demand purchases. So can I ask again, what exactly makes this movie a "huge bomb"?

The film made 5 million dollars from a budget of about $100,000. And it managed to do this with barely any advertising. The film is critically acclaimed with about 84% on RottenTomatoes despite it being filmed in 12 days. That's, objectively, an overwhelming success. Try to do a little research before spewing complete nonsense.

"Shakespeare is irrelevant to today's society and only literary snobs keep his painfully boring works alive."

That bit of profound criticism is one for the ages, yet it has somehow been overlooked by those benighted hordes who worship the "deities" of the "secular humanities" (whatever the heck THAT means). Poor deluded fools! They just do not seem to realize how insignificant Shakespeare is supposed to be, especially in the eyes of those dolts who haven't got a clue as to what "his painfully boring works" are about. Still, as one of those clueless idol worshippers, I confess this film only came alive for me at mid-point, when the plot thickened, the direction tightened-up and the line-readings improved. I was disappointed at first because the film was shot in black-and-white, but I soon adjusted to the lack of visual color and concentrated (as Shakespeare intended) upon the verbal hues. The major actors delivered Shakespeare's lines as though they actually understood what the words meant. The subtle and blatant bits of "business" which accompanied the speeches indicated that the director "got the meaning" as well. The lesser characters (Don John and "the clowns" excepted) were portrayed by less skillful actors, who tended to garble the words and add unfortunate inflections. This led to an irritating number of rewinds in an attempt to decipher their lines. (The actors playing Borachio, Conrade and Margaret were among the chief offenders). The comic scenes were laugh-out-loud funny, thanks to inspired direction and the comedic skills of the actors . (The Dogberry/Verges scenes, along with the two eavesdropping sequences, were masterful in design and execution.) By the time I reached the aborted-wedding scene, I was thoroughly hooked. Kudos especially to Fran Kranz, who conveyed so beautifully the uncertainty, disillusionment, and ultimate penitence of Claudio. In fact, the accusation scene was well acted by all, and the film became a joy ride from there to the end. The final scene contains the song-and-dance coda which works so well in Royal Shakespeare Company productions and is no less enjoyable here. All things considered, I gave this film a solid 7, verging on 8.

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Since you haven't seen the film, we'll give your opinion all the consideration it deserves. Thanks for letting us know you're so weak willed that there's a real chance watching a movie will turn you into a "boring tea sipping *beep*".

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Sorry, sometimes my wife forgets that she is not an alien from outer space.

It's not a remake, it's an adaptation. Try to keep up.

Sorry, but a show with murder, torture, and sex is not children's programming. Unless you had a very weird childhood.

Using the original dialogue does not take away "50% or the work." Unless you think theater performers aren't working hard. The actors still have to interpret the meaning and tone. They still have to memorize the words. And give the right performances. Using the original dialogue took away about 1% of the actual work.

P.S. I can change my oil just fine.

Straightedge means I'm better than you.