Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing had its U.S. premiere yesterday at SXSW, and its trailer was also just released. To commemorate, the Much Ado official party bus:
I had the opportunity to go to the world premiere of Much Ado at the Toronto International Film Festival, and I can tell you, it is incredible. I have written on it extensively for my own work, but don’t feel like sifting through all those pages to find something short enough and pertinent enough to share with you right now. So instead, I’ll just leave you with the beautifully jazzy trailer and extend an invitation to celebrate with me this wonderful film.
The hit showtime series Weeds has finally come to a close, with the season eight box set released last month. The final season is quite a bit different, though, than the show we all know and love, and the most striking difference is in the character of Nancy Botwin herself. Formerly a sultry pistol, the Nancy of the final season has significantly mellowed out, much to the detriment of the show.
The main reason most of us watched the show in the first place was to see what ridiculous predicaments Nancy would get herself into and the ballsy, half-cocked schemes she’d concoct to get out of them. Scared straight after a brush with death, the Botwin matriarch renounces her iniquitous ways and sets out to turn her family legit.
This is wrong in all kinds of ways. Nobody wants to see the Botwins actually get their shit together. They’re supposed to always fumbling through life–they’re a mess, but they’re together. Isn’t that the whole point of the show? No matter how fucked up your family is, you continue to fight for (and sometimes with) each other.
The Weeds finale seems to try to wrap things up a little too much, but it does redeem itself in the final scene. Passing around a joint on the front porch, the Botwin crew looks at each other in silence, seemingly begging the question “what next?” And this is exactly how the entire finale should have treated the show’s closing – it’s not an end. The Botwins are going to keep getting into trouble, and they’re going to keep being there for each other through it all.
But everything about season eight besides this final scene points to closure, to a resolution. It ties up the Botwin story in a nice little bow with all of them set on the right track for a quiet, legal lifestyle. I don’t know about you, but this isn’t what I wanted to see. What did you think of the end of Weeds? Did you find it as weird as I did?
Weeds has officially wrapped up its eighth and final season looking quite different from the intense, dark comedy it was in 2005. While returning to the suburbs and the satire that so characterized the early years of the show, the series’ conclusion feels haphazard. Much like Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) herself, the desultory final season of Weeds doesn’t quite seem to have a plan, hurriedly throwing one together at the last minute.
Jennifer Lawrence is the best thing to happen to Hollywood in years. And by far my favorite part of the Oscars. Everyone keeps talking about her tripping on her way to accept her Oscar, but can we please talk about this?
Jennifer Lawrence graciously accepting her Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Silver Linings Playbook.
mewling quim 