Masterpiece Cinema

Welcome to the first edition of the column "Masterpiece Cinema". Every week, I'll be using this space to discuss a great film. It's sort of like a film review, only I don't bother with the crappy, mediocre movies. Instead, I'll be discussing movies that I think are worth your time and effort, and why they're worth your time and effort. It's meant to be this whole life-affirming, positive outlook thing, and it keeps me from having to go to screenings for crap like Torque and Scary Movie 28, just so I can confirm to you all how big a gob of phlegm these gobs of phlegm are.

But with a mission outline like this, you might imagine that I'll only be discussing elitist, loved-by-fourth-year-film-students, inspired-by-David-Lynch highbrow films that are acted with a French accent and are all very badly lit. And yeah, I will be. Maybe. I don't know. But I'll also be taking a look at action movies, comedies, and musicals. I might even, for lack of self-control or lack of ideas (or both) delve into TV shows, albums and books that are worth a look at. Basically, if it's fun, if it's good, if it blows your mind in that way that great movies do, I'm going to cover it here.

And so with all of that information covered, let me introduce you to the very first movie well be covering in Masterpiece Cinema.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead
Starring Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, Richard Dreyfuss.
Written & Directed by Tom Stoppard
Genre: Comedy/Drama (does Shakespearean count as a genre? Yes, no?)
Released: 1990
Running time: 112 minutes.
Rated: PG.

A friend introduced me to this one, and I loved it so much that I went out and bought the DVD (not too shabby at twenty bucks). It's difficult to know where to start when it comes to extolling the virtues of this film, so I guess I'll just start where I can.

Written and directed by the playwright, Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is based on the play of the same name. Incidentally, Stoppard also co-wrote that darling of the 1998 Oscars, Shakespeare in Love.

Biting comedy

Roscencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is not Shakespeare in Love. I think that bears repeating; Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is NOT Shakespeare in Love. If you want a cute little romantic comedy/period drama, with cute little references to Shakespeares plays and a cute little actress, go rent Shakespeare in Love. If you want a clever, biting comedy that examines themes ranging from the nature of performance to the issue of mortality, get this instead. And believe me when I say, its much, much better than any cross-dressing Gwyneth Paltrow film could ever be.

If you're familiar with Hamlet, then you may or may not remember Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, as the Prince of Denmarks double-crossing friends. Then they were nothing more than a footnote in one of the greatest plays ever written. This time round however they take centre stage as the two hapless heroes trying to come to terms with the affairs theyre embroiled in, doing their best to keep their lives. The results are hilarious, but at the same time lead to a great deal of contemplation over life, death, and everything in between.

...what do I know?

And if that's all not enough for you, it has Richard Dreyfuss, Gary Oldman and Tim Roth in it. I mean, come on! Tim Roth?? Gary Oldman?? How could you have not seen it by now?! Add to the fact that its the film that made Quentin Tarantino decide to cast Tim Roth in Reservoir Dogs, and it really makes you question your film geek status for not having seen it. Of course, I'm yet to see The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, so what do I know?

I would say Do yourself a favour and go pick it up today, but not only is that clich, you also don't really need me to. You already know you need to see it. Just make sure you do.

That's it for this week. I intended to keep this whole thing at about 500 words, but I've already gone way over that. In any case, go watch Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, and if you have an idea for a film that I should either cover or check out myself, email me at stevenlochran@hotmail.com

Next Week: Who knows? Be surprised!

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