3) Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing
Defying the notion that Shakespeare must be handled with the utmost reverence, care, and preparation, Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing is rather a brisk trifle that was made in the director’s back garden in 12 days. Shot on digital cameras with a cast of Whedonverse regulars, the film feels like a great home movie, an amateur black and white cheapie made with such confidence it could inspire aspiring filmmakers into having a go at their own.
Updating Shakespeare’s farcical comedy by setting it in the modern day, Whedon highlights its inherent sitcom-iness (it’s clear from this film that so many sitcom staples come from the Bard’s work), and crucially renders the play actually laugh out loud funny. Those aren’t words that the sceptics would ever associate with Shakespeare, but Whedon has Much Ado About Nothing feeling refreshingly contemporary, utilizing the likes of Alexis Denisof and Nathan Fillion to charming comic effect.