The movie doesn't see release till June 7th (remember that date...or don't, I'll mention it a few more times yet in this post), but lately it has been making the rounds to film festivals around the US (and the world). Lucky me, they brought the film to the San Francisco International Film Festival. Unlucky for me, I waited too long to buy a ticket and they sold out. Extremely luckily, I got an extra ticket from a former co-worker and off we went to the Kabuki Theater. Thanks very much Sarah and, indirectly, to Brian.
As the lights dimmed, the crowd got a welcome surprise when out stepped Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof (the two main actors in the film...themselves longtime Whedon collaborators). They thanked everyone for their attendance and began to introduce the film before realizing they didn't really know how to do so properly. So Alexis called Joss. The mobilephone-microphone connection didn't work out great but the crowd got a laugh and we got our film introduced. So off we go.
As one of Shakespeare's comedies, Much Ado has a lot of inherent humor in addition to addressing some serious themes of relationships. Joss did the directing, but the words came straight from the Bard. It made for quite a contrast of "olde" language and modern setting, but after a bit, you got used to it and that allowed for all the actors performances to really shine through. From Alexis' physically expressive turn as Benedick to Amy's beautifully witty Beatrice, all played their parts wonderfully. Also, special hats off to Fran Kranz as Claudio, a role which allowed him to showcase a wide range from joyful inebriation to dramatic indignation and so much else. Kudos also to the locale as, due to the small budget and short timeframe, they shot the film almost entirely at Joss' house. I could continue to wax lyrical about the film but really you all should go see it for yourselves when it hits the cinemas June 7.
After the film, Alexis and Amy came back on stage for a Q&A where they recalled little anecdotes about the making of the film. Chiefly, they spoke about their surprise at being able to participate in such a special project that involved something they loved, Shakespeare, and combined it with the opportunity to work with so many people they loved and had worked with before. Alexis mentioned when Joss first called him about the project, he told his wife Aly (Hannigan), that he thought it meant his scene would be cut from the Avengers. Amy talked about reviving the chemistry she shared with Alexis from their days working on Angel and how this little project had inspired her, her husband and their friends to work on their own film. Finally, they emphasized that June 7 would be important since the film will premiere only in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The success of the film in those first cities would be a big influence on how the powers that be will decide to provide additional opportunities for others to see the film. If you live in those cities, please experience for yourself a little movie magic and help to give others the opportunity to do so also. I promise if nothing else, you'll have enjoyed 100 odd minutes or so of entertainment from a great filmmaker and a brilliant cast doing what they love.
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