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The Tempest

Josh Spiegel: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I made the mistake - partly because I was reviewing it for the local paper, and partly due to genuine interest - of watching Across the Universe in theaters, and hoo boy. It's such a divisive film that I may well make enemies of my colleagues by saying so, but I hate, hate, hate that movie. Cannot stand it. And the trailer for The Tempest, from Julie Taymor, looks like a warning sign to all interested parties. Helen Mirren in a Shakespeare adaptation by the visionary who came up with the Broadway version of The Lion King should be a match made in heaven. But...yikes. I will skip this one and feel better for it.

David Mumpower: Across the Universe is one of those movies that I believe is playing on an endless loop in Hell. It redefines pretentious. That means I am feeling quite divided about The Tempest. I love Shakespeare although I prefer the comedies to the dramas/romances. And I adore several cast members of this film, in particularly Helen Mirren, Djimon Hounsou, Alfred Molina and David Strathairn. I guess that made me open-minded but guarded when I watched the trailer. Alas, this seems far too Julie Taymor-ish and not anywhere British enough, always a negative to me for the Bard’s movie adaptations. I give this clip a significant thumbs down and will have a hard time watching the movie with an unbiased eye.

Brett Beach: Having seen (and loved) both Titus and Across the Universe, I admit to being in tune with Taymor's stylistic excesses and willingness to go full board and risk overwhelming her potential audience. Knowing that - and with the Mirren factor - I am looking forward to this more than I might otherwise. The trailer indicates time has not tamed Taymor's instincts. As flashy as it seems, I somehow doubt it will top Peter Greenaway's multi-media overload on the play, "Prospero's Books" (i.e. no naked peeing cherubs in Taymor's version).

Kim Hollis: Oh, Prospero's Books. My goodness. There's a film I'd forgotten (somehow). I did not love Across the Universe, but there were many things I admired about it. The Tempest is a spectacular play, one that I love a lot (it's not my favorite of Shakespeare's, but then I do like the historical plays best). I do think Taymor's style lends itself well to this particular adaptation. I'm still not sure if it will be any good, but I'm surely intrigued.

Max Braden: I'm all for historical films, and Shakespeare has its place in live theater, but bringing his original dialogue to the screen always sounds like poncy gibberish trash talk to me. It will certainly keep away most audiences while baiting Oscar voters, but other than recognition for cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh, I don't the movie to be successful overall there either.

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