BOOK: Laertes (2022)

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Laertes Year: 2022 Author: Carly Stevens Length: 208 pages While I rarely see it done, I appreciate the authors who give voice and context to the side characters from famous literary works. I also like adaptations of these works in different settings that show how timeless the story is. While movies like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990) follow the former and The Lion King (1994) follow the latter, one book I have read recently has fused both into a 1920s exploration of what Laertes was doing while the events of Hamlet unfolded in Denmark. The beauty of choosing to follow Laertes is that the (obviously titular) book about him explores the life of a man with royal connections, but who doesn’t fully rely on them to get ahead in life. Even without the intro flashback and eventual conflict with Hamlet, there’s a coming of age in Laertes that feels distinctly of the high society in the 1920s era. The old-school academic setting combined with...
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MOVIE: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)

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Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are DeadYear: 1990Rating: PGLength: 117 minutes / 1.95 hours While there are plenty of perfectly fine adaptations of William Shakespeare plays, I can appreciate the ones that take a different approach than just recreating the source material. Whether it’s making it into a musical like West Side Story (1961) did to Romeo and Juliet or shifting the setting to feudal Japan like Throne of Blood (1957) did to Macbeth, these plays are deep enough to allow for creative interpretations. Case in point is Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990), an adjacent adaptation of Hamlet. Most people know the events of Hamlet but few consider what these characters are doing when not in the presence of the main character. This movie tries to remedy this by following Rosencrantz (Gary Oldman) and Guildenstern (Tim Roth) as they discuss a variety of intellectual concepts—most of which might just come off as absurdist humor. Covering such ideas as probability, gravity, and logic, these...
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MOVIE: The Northman (2022)

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The NorthmanYear: 2022Rating: RLength: 137 minutes / 2.28 hours Robert Eggers doesn’t have many films under his belt, but he already has a bit of a cult following for his bizarre movies. Films like The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019) are distinct by themselves. However, these movies certainly have a psychological aspect that might leave certain viewers scratching their heads. Taking a more traditional storytelling approach, The Northman (2022) still has elements that make it distinctly a Robert Eggers film. It leans heavily on a plot that’s familiar to most high school English students, however. While it’s certainly less thought-provoking than his previous works, it’s perhaps what makes The Northman the most approachable of his filmography. Disguised behind the Norse setting, The Northman is basically Hamlet. Most of the story beats are similar to the Shakespearean play. That is, except that the duel between a man and his usurping and murdering uncle was much more epic in this movie. Considering the...
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MOVIE: The Lion King (2019)

by benmweilertNo Comments
The Lion KingYear: 2019Rating: PGLength: 118 minutes / 1.97 hours Many years ago, I learned that The Lion King (1994) was basically the plot of Hamlet reenacted with animals. And while many people consider the original 2D animated version of this story to be one of the greatest Disney movies ever created, I never really cared that much for it. Fast forward to 2019, and the new "live-action" version of The Lion King is released. Again, I wasn't really wowed by anything in it because I was ambivalent to the whole story anyway. I did find it odd that they marketed it as "live-action" when it was completely CGI. It was an animated remake of an animated movie. Perhaps my biggest issue with this new version of The Lion King was that they didn't really change anything. It felt like the 1998 version of Psycho (1960) that recreated the whole movie shot-for-shot in color. While it was technically as close to the...
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