O

Rating:
Summary: Big Fan of Josh Hartnett
Review: Okay Im not going to take the time to write a summary of the movie since the people before me already did. This is a great movie. Its definatley worth watching. This movie was suppose to be out in theatres in 1998 but because this movie had school shootings and the Columbine shooting happened recently the movie was postponed 2 years. Its a modern-day version of Shakespheare's "Othello". Some of the things the characters say during the movie really keep you thinking about it. Listen closely to what the characters say. Josh Hartnett plays his role as Hugo Goulding very very well. This is definatley a great movie that people should watch!

Rating:
Summary: Great Shakespeare update....
Review: I just watched this yesterday, and after reading some of the online reviews, I couldn't help but wonder if I saw the same film. I'm probably the biggest Shakespeare fan I know, and I think this film updates Old Willy's story admirably, even going him one better, IMHO. One problem I always had with Othello is that I never could figure why Iago feels he has to go to such lengths to destroy everyone; in "O" Hugo's jealously for his father's attention, coupled with his 'roid rage, make his motivations believable. However, I think you really should be somewhat familiar with Shakepeare's work to truly get the most out of this film.

The film is beautifully photographed and the brooding intensity of the main character is reflected in the murky sensuality of the foggy, Spanish moss-hung Charleston campus.

There are some very good performances, and the film doesn't try to soften what remains, after FIVE HUNDRED YEARS, a very powerful storyline. Mekhi Phifer is very good, Josh Hartnett is excellent, and Rain Phoenix gives a very strong performance. I thought Julia Stiles was the weak link in this ensemble, however. Though physically right for the role, (Desi should be the preppiest, whitest girl on campus, and Stiles is a fresh-scrubbed teen-model beauty) Stiles' performance irritated me, coming off as more than a little wooden. For reasons I can't fathom, she played one entire scene (a two-shot with Phifer) looking just over his shoulder rather than at him. Did she have cue cards over there, or what?

Note to parents and teachers: This film has graphic depictions of psychosexual violence that disturbed me greatly. One earlier reviewer is a teacher who showed this to her AP English class; if I did that, I would be fired. I'm no prude, and Othello is all about sexual jealousy; it is right for the character, but it is probably too intense for many kids under 18. I wouldn't let my daughter watch it, and she's fourteen. It's an intense film, and a great film to discuss with grownups. Movies like this prove that Shakespeare has unlimited potential on stage and on screen.

Rating:
Summary: A good surprise
Review: I actually never even heard of this movie, until I looked up Julia Styles on Amazon, after watching it. I didn't know what to expect when I started watching, but was quickly intrigued. Although the plot wasn't particularly difficult to read, it was well laid out and acted. I also have never read Othello, so made no parallels as I watched. Maybe now I will, some day.
Anyway, if you get a chance watch it, you'll probably like it too.

Rating:
Summary: The Feel-bad Movie
Review: Tragic endings are pretty rare these days in the movies that are spewed from big studios. For that alone, this movie should be worth some credit, but it isn't.
This movie is just another dud in Hollywood's growing list of titles that bastardize classical works and their creators by turning them into into products suitable for the "smurf" generation. Is there really such a shortage of talented writers now or is it that Hollywood finds it easier to milk the spirit of easily-recognizable dead literary figures than to create something fresh?
This movie, like a film about an aids victim or someone who gets terminal cancer, reveals itself from the start. The viewer knows the bad situation is just going to get worse, and the characters are going to do something to regret. Unfortunately, like some better tragedies, in this case, there's no reason for us to CARE. There is no message here; no lesson to be learned - only a shallow dialogue with shallow characters who look like they just stepped off of Baywatch or a Gap billboard (incidentally, another prerequisite of Hollywood films now).
Avoid this movie unless you just happen to be in the mood to watch a jealous, over-privileged high school snot, for no reason, destroy his own life and the lives of everyone around him.

Rating:
Summary: ~*^ Amazing Movie~*^
Review: I just wanted to tell everyone who reads this that if you buy this DVD or VHS you won't be dissapointed. I highly recommend you purchase this. I dont know anyone that has not loved this movie.It is such a great movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat and makes you cry to feel the characters pain. It is a moderization of the Shakesphere story "Othello" but definately modern and not the least bit boring. The main characters Julia Stiles / Mekhi Phiffer/ and Josh Hartnett do a great job as they bring out love hate angry jealousy envy to the story.

Rating:
Summary: Exceeds Expectations
Review: At first, I wasn't certain I wanted to see this movie. I mean: an adaptation of the Shakespeare play Othello that includes a basketball team? How was that going to work? It works perfectly! This tale of a man, who seems to have it all, betrayed by his friend's jealousy is adapted into a boarding school setting. Mekhi Phifer is Odin, the tragic hero. Odin is the star of the boarding school's basketball team, dating the teams daughter, popular and loved by all. The basketball team's coach, played by Martin Sheen, has told Odin that he is like a son to him, much to the chagrin of his real son, Hugo (played by Josh Hartnett). Hugo is insanely jealous of Odin, especially Odin's relationship with Hugo's father. Hugo wants to be the center of attention. He hatches a plan to bring Odin down, deceptively drawing everyone into his web of deceipt. He enlists his roommate as an assistant to his plot, promising Odin's girlfrined Desi (played by Julia Stiles) as the reward for a job well done.
Jealousy, rage, betrayal - this movie has all of the original elements of Shakespeare's Othello. The actors are brilliant in their roles. Julia Stiles has once again turned in a great performance in another Shakespeare adaptation (her first being 10 Things I Hate About You aka: Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew). Josh Hartnett is chilling in his portrayal of Hugo. The movie is a bit violent, but most of Shakespeare's tragedies involve violence, so this is not surprising. I definitely recommend seeing this movie!

Rating:
Summary: Nice adaptation that proves Shakespeare still has it....
Review: The thing about this movie that I loved was that it proved that Shakespeare still holds his own hundreds of years after he wrote "Othello." Having never seen this movie before (and actually hearing negative things about it) I saw the preview once, and went out the next day and bought it. I was not disappointed. This is a great movie, and one that should be heralded as a Shakespeare classic. However, the one complaint that I have was the music. It was grasping too hard to be "hip." They should have gotten music like in Leo's Romeo and Juliet. That was good stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Good movie for teens, not good taste for old people.
Review: This movie is a decent allegory of the Shakespeare play Othello. However, its told in teen and modern fashion. I as a Senior AP English teacher in High School, do not think this movie is truly a allegory of Othello. I always tell my students not to too much rely on this movie. I also recommend that to read the play first, then watch this movie for further understanding. I think it's great movie for teens. The ending was abrupt, however. However, I do not think this is appeasing for old people like me. READ THE PLAY FIRST. Then you get it.

Rating:
Summary: So Bad It's Laughable
Review: The movie is so shallow and absurd. Josh Hartnett for some reason is able to control the other characters in the play so well they will do whatever he wants them to, even commit murder. It's absolutely awful. There isn't a good thing about the movie. I suppose that you're supposed to feel sorry for the people's lives Josh ruins and hate him for it, but in reality he was my favorite character and I thought all the drama he created was mainly their own fault for being so dumb.

Rating:
Summary: "O" lord please help me
Review: This movie is garbage. Mekhi Pfiffer is a peice of junk. Shakespeare must be doing a double gainer in his grave. I have seen better film on teeth. Josh Hartnett's character must be Machiavelli because he convinces people to do anything he wants. Strangely enough he can not convince his white trash dad to like him more than Odin. Julia Stiles is horrible as well, her dome looks like someone hit her in the forehead with a ball peen hammer and then broke a bottle of hot sauce on it. Shakespeare's stuff was good when he was alive, but today it does not work.