IMHO. 'ShakespeaRe-Told ~ The taming of the shrew'

It's probably the fourth time I watch 'Taming of the shrew' as a movie or stage performance. And therefore it should be the fourth time I cannot make myself like this story.

The biggest problem is, I like very much stories about love growing out of  testing, probing, mocking, taunting, 'will you still love me and accept me if I do this?' and if yes, there comes happiness - but here, this is not the way of testing I find very attractive. One reason is that creating such problems as in 'Taming' is not the right form of doing that. 'But he does think the world of you in his own strange way', says the kind-hearted friend. But then you see, it's scary. Supposing that I am still single when I am 38, will I also be as desperate for sex to find just any man as to agree to such treatment?

The second reason, the main one is that I personally prefer give-and-take to just give-in. Up until the very end I couldn't find a single thing she would need in him. The submission is only glorious when it's mutual. And showing the worst of you is only justified when you devote yourself to delivering the best.

Oh yes, Henderson and Sewell were absolutely great, and it's rare to see a performance like that, but then, I didn't care for a second whether their characters would be happy or not.

IMHO. 'Romeo x Juliet' ~ give me back my month

It seemed as if several people were working on this series simultaneously, but in different rooms and without bothering to tell each other what they were working on.

In the end, I cannot even tell you what this series is. I can only say what it isn't.

So, it starts as a story about a tomboy girl fighting to protect poor people, and a boy from a rich, almost royal family. It could be a Shakespeare-inspired story about love that transcends boundaries such as social status and blood relation... but it's not.

And the main dialogue from the original was completely screwed.

Oh, two guys with no hope for reciprocity detected.

For those female viewers who start to get bored, here is a small collection of young handsome men ready to fight for the sake of their princess. Or at least lend her a shoulder to cry upon when she's blue.

It could be a proper reverse harem... but it's not.

Then it turns into a story about big social changes in an imaginary world. To be precise, the boy goes to the country to dig up some potatoes while his sweetheart makes a revolution. And some people fall victims in the process. It could be a historical drama... but it's not.

Or it could be a great story about personal tragedies... which it is not again because the characters' interests and motives are not elaborated upon enough to make me call them anything more than paltry and petty.

Then they wanted to conclude but a supervisor came and said they still had two more episodes to make according to the plan. So they made the final episodes in a completely different manner, which made all the struggle in the previous episodes absolutely meaningless, and my time, spent watching them, too.

If they made something more serious than making boring statements like Captain Obvious they could actually make a very touching story... but it's not.

By the way, people in New Verona know at what angle to bow when addressing elders

 and are very skilled in organising mass evacuation.

Don't be misled by the fact that they live on an island in the sky. I wouldn't be surprised if the sea it fell into in the end was the Sea of Japan.
What warm praise I can give to the series would go to the aspects such as art, with an astonishing design of the Neo Verona city landscape, interiors and elements,

and cute animals

Not all faces were admirable, though

But the only character I'd distinguish for his performance would be Willy and his seiyuu, Kazuhiko Inoue.

I could probably say thanks for introducing a group called 12012, who have maybe 5 or 6 good songs in their discography, but the rest of the contributing performers were bleak and boring again. I never knew I could hate 'You raise me up' so much before I watched this anime.
In the end, I regret spending a whole month on this anime, but I couldn't do faster. It could be a mediocre anime for one evening, but it's not even that. It was so dragged and boring, despite so many things taking place, that I was constantly finding myself distracted by something else.

my humble opinion on 'As You Like It' 2006 ~ international modern Shakespeare?

plot and characters

I am no fan of Shakespeare but the truth is that I like his comedies more that tragedies. so this is the kind of story I enjoy very much

performance

let me be brief. this is the kind of modern movies that don't offend the original by its 'modernness' and retains enough impressive power from the play itself, but adds the scenery (not only in terms of nature) which only makes it more interesting to watch. 'international' cast, 'international' clothes and 'international' background set were all to the point and fitting absolutely. the child, the little girl in me loved the wedding scene greatly

 but the rest of the scenes were not less perfect

cast

Bryce Dallas Howard was good, really good... I wonder if 'twas her character that didn't allow me to fall in love with her

Janet McTeer as Audrey - weeeell... I didn't recognise her >___< for the sake of justice I must say she was almost impossible to recognise when I saw her only once and only as a 'male role player'
and finally, Romola Garai - this is who really impressed me and made me like her character. this I understand perfectly - if not for her acting I wouldn't like Celia so much, but Celia was already a character just for an actress like this. well of course I don't know much about Ms Garai, but she seemed very natural here

let me only say about others that they were very, very good. perhaps the English style of acting is closer to me, that is why I am saying so...

conclusion

a lot of fun, a bit of romance and enough original philosophy - that is what I would call this movie

The world's a stage ~ and something else

Many cite this phrase in their blog entries, put it into their status or into the 'favourite quotations' sections in social networks, which, of course, adds lots of philosophy to the image of those who do so, and increases charisma greatly, but I highly doubt all of them know the rest of this memorable part, provided they heard at least which Shakespeare's work has it. I sincerely admit I am no lover of Shakespeare and I don't feel too ashamed I learnt just an hour ago that this famous quotation belongs to 'As You Like It'. And it does seem to me that the next lines are important and interpreting the first two without the following is incorrect. And I thought, after hearing the monologue, - hey, nothing has changed since Shakespearian times in the world, huh?

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.
At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.
And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow.
Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth.
And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part.
The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound.
Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.