There’s no denying that May 2013 has been an incredible month for moviegoers, with Iron Man 3 becoming the first film to gross a billion dollars at the global box office this year, The Great Gatsby reaching $100m. in two weeks in the US alone, and Fast and Furious 6 and The Hangover Part III topping the biggest Memorial Day box office weekend of all time. With so many blockbusters behind us, it’s amazing to think that we’ve still got so many still to look forward to, and so we come once more to our run-down of the top 10 must-see movies of the month, with the June 2013 edition.
And it is a great one.
Much Ado About Nothing – June 7th (US Limited), June 14th (UK Limited), June 21st and Beyond (US and UK Expanding)
Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s play is the single greatest version of the bard’s work I have seen, no question. I was fortunate enough to see the film at its world premiere at TIFF last year – you can read our five-star review here – and have been looking forward to a second viewing ever since.
Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof are simply remarkable as the leading duo, Beatrice and Benedick. And with Whedon bringing together a slew of talents, many from amongst his frequent collaborators, this really is Shakespeare like you’ve never seen it before, cutting a perfect balance between comedy, drama, romance, and near-tragedy.
Alongside Acker and Denisof, Fran Kranz and newcomer Jillian Morgese are fantastic as the young Claudio and Hero, with terrific support from Sean Maher, Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, Spencer Treat Clark, Emma Bates, and Ashley Johnson.
And as if that wasn’t great enough, Tom Lenk and the ever-brilliant Nathan Fillion complete the cast as the comedy pairing of Verges and Dogberry.
Bringing his own interpretation of the play to the screen, Whedon updates the original text to a contemporary setting whilst keeping the original dialogue, and the result is a film that is all but guaranteed a top spot as my favourite film of the year.
Upon seeing it in Toronto last year, I fell in love with it, instantly becoming one of my favourite films of all time. There is so much of Whedon’s work to admire, across so many mediums, and this is truly something different to anything we’ve seen from him in the past.
His private readings of Shakespeare’s work amongst friends have been well known to us for some time, and I’m so glad that he finally decided to turn one into a film. Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing is a flawless example of why I love cinema so much.
Truly, this is a masterpiece worthy of your attention.
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