I don't know, it's a mystery.

Shakespeare in Love

I love theater, therefore loving a movie about theater is a given for me. Shakespeare in Love is Tom Stoppard & Marc Norman's imagining of what William Shakespeare's inspiration for Romeo & Juliet was. The film is accessible to mainstream audiences and gives beautiful insight on the creative process.

As much as the film is about love, it truly is about creativity and inspiration. In his daily life, Will Shakespeare picks up inspiration, from a religious figure shouting about a plague on two houses to names of characters. Everyone plays a role in the creative process, not just the writer. Additionally, we see how a piece of work can start out as one thing, and end up as something completely different. In the film, Romeo & Juliet starts out as an comedy about pirates, much like we think the movie will be. But as Romeo & Juliet evolves, so does the movie. It becomes what we know Romeo & Juliet to be, a tragedy.

Inspiration is such a beautiful and fascinating experience, but we don't have the pleasure of knowing how Shakespeare was inspired to write some of his best work (and I believe he wrote all of his work). This film does not market itself as true but simply a "what if" or "wouldn't it be cool if." This film plays with history and creates a wonderful story about an incredible man we don't know a lot about. It paints such a wonderful picture of who Shakespeare's inspiration for Romeo & Juliet could have been, part of me wants to see portrayals of who his inspiration for Othello or The Merchant of Venice were.

The film is incredibly accessible to audiences less familiar with Shakespeare. Director John Madden juxtaposes scenes in Romeo & Juliet to happenings in Will & Viola's life, helping the audience understand the play's text. Will & Viola recite "The Balcony Scene" as they make love, and it's both romantic and witty. As well, Shakespeare is portrayed brilliantly by Joseph Fiennes not as some brooding intellectual but a creative, horny young man looking for his next meal ticket. The film brings the accessibility less Shakespeare-literate audiences need and the personality and imagination Shakespeare lovers would expect.

The film ends with tragedy and hope, as many love stories do. It's wonderful to see Will not only immortalize Viola in Romeo & Juliet but truly capture her spirit and self for Twelfth Night. This is one of my favorite endings in a film. The lovers depart with poetry ("You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die." What a goodbye.) and Viola goes on her ship to America with her loathsome husband, the always entertaining Colin Firth. We hear Will's voice describing Twelfth Night as images of a woman who could or could not be Viola struggling in the ocean play in front of us. We never see her face, just her long curly hair and the fuzzy figure of a man who could or could not be her husband. We are left wondering who this "Viola" is: the Viola we watched for the last two hours living her own Twelfth Night or Shakespeare's new fictional heroine.

Many cried foul when this beat Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture. Though Saving Private Ryan is remarkable, the films are completely different and it is almost ludicrous to compare them. I believe Shakespeare in Love is one incredibly imaginative and tells a story everyone wants to know. The Academy was right to award it with Best Picture.

Kyle Chandler in Friday Night Lights

Yes, I realize I am talking about TV again. But a good performance is a good performance. Chandler plays Coach Eric Taylor, (formerly) of the Dillion Panthers. Chandler gives a very commanding and sensitive performance as Coach Taylor. He is incredibly human. He is a likable guy, but no where near perfect. He cares about his family and his team, whether they are Panthers or Lions. And man, does Chandler know how to rally both his team and an audience. If coaching football doesn't work out for Eric, he's got a career as a motivational speaker.

Netflix

The Magdalene Sisters-I really couldn't tell you why this is here. It has been for months. But Netflix thinks I should watch it.
Up-Missed it in theaters.
The Bicycle Thief-Netflix Instant.I learned a lot about Italian Neorealism last year, and this is one of the movement's poster films.