My Top 15 Halloween Television Specials

You might have discovered that I really love Halloween and every year my sister tries to gather the TV specials so we can watch as many fun stories as we can - even with the shows we don't watch. Among them we have some that have the funniest and most original stories I have ever seen. Others? They are simply good fun for the holidays!

15) Norm
Season 3, Episode 5 - Norm vs. Halloween

I grew up in Hungary, where the TV stations buy all of the sitcoms - even ones that are cancelled. Thankfully, the one we are talking about now lasted over a season and it was one of my favorites. In the Halloween special, everyone dresses up to impress somebody and end up doing a horrible job at it. But, at least they all get enough candy to enjoy the party! Not many people know this series, and that is a shame. This special will always be one of my favorites!

14) SpongeBob
Season 1, Episode 13 - Scaredy Pants

Who doesn't love SpongeBob? And the time when he finally gets to celebrate Halloween? It's about the funniest thing you can ask for! SpongeBob tries really hard to scare the citizens of Bikini Bottom by dressing up as a ghost. Not succeeding he accidentally reveals how he trimmed his sponge to fit in the ghost costume and his brain is revealed and he actually manages to scare every single friend of theirs! It is one of the dumbest and funniest cartoons I have ever seen :D

13) One Tree Hill
 Season 8, Episode 6 - Not Afraid

I was really mad at One Tree Hill because it never had a single Holiday special for seven consecutive years! You'd think that a series that is so focused on family would at least have a Christmas special! So you can imagine my delight when finally they had a Halloween special that was actually about Halloween and not just a masquerade party. The eight season wasn't nearly as good as the first ones, we all know that, but it made a great special with candy, costumes and even a zombie gag in the beginning! I love it!

12) Everybody Hates Chris
Season 1, Episode 6 - Everybody Hates Halloween

This TV show is way underrated. It is actually a diamond in the rough and the holiday specials are even better! Chris needs to take his brother and sister trick-or-treating even though he wants to go to a grown up party for once and he almost manages, but as always he is caught by his suspicious mom. The punishment, however is completely worth it! My favorite part about the episode is Chris' dad who tries to give the children cheap candy and keeps fighting with his wife about it. They are really hilarious!

11) Freakazoid!
Season 1, Episode 2 - Candle Jack

Another very stupid - but hilarious cartoon that I grew up with. There is one episode in particular, which isn't directly Halloween related, however it is very spooky. I mean foolish. It is simply idiocracy, but a very fun one :D The boogeyman Candle Jack snatches kids on a camping trip. He can only get them if they say his name, and well...

"- What are you gonna do to us?

- I'm not sure. I've never gotten so many at once... Not a very bright bunch, are you?"

10) ER
Season 9, Episode 5 - A Hopeless Wound

The whole crew refuses to dress up, with the exception of Abby and Carter - who become the butt of every joke during a very chaotic night in the ER. In the focus is Doctor Corday, who has no time to get to home to trick-or-treat with her daughter as she has to jump from surgery to surgery. I do no want to reveal the main storyline, but there were a total of four Halloween themed episodes during the 15 seasons and this is my favorite of all. All of the episode is focused around Halloween night and that makes it excel above the other specials - also these were my favorite cast members!

9) The Neighbors
Season 1, Episode 5 - Halloween-ween

I don't really know this show, but during the special I just kept on laughing hysterically! The new family tries to explain to the alien neighbors what Halloween is all about and it seems that they don't want to understand it, even if the idea of it really appeals to most of them. On the same hand, the family is struggling in dealing with the fact that perhaps the children don't need them anymore. You are in for a treat, so make sure you get this episode on you list of specials! (There was one in the second season as well, that was great too!)

8) Supernatural
Season 4, Episode 5 - Monster Movie

I don't actually watch Supernatural, my sister used to before the series changed around and took a more... let's say catholic route. And even though there is an episode that is considered to be a Halloween special, it is actually this one from season 4 that hit all the right spots with me. The guys investigate a person who can change its appearance - and he decides to change into Dracula... the one that Bela Lugosi portrayed! This leads to several comedic moments and the whole episode is in black and white, to add to the feeling.

7) Modern Family
Season 2, Episode 6 - Halloween

Here is another series that I don't watch, but it has the best specials ever! The first one I saw was from the second season and quite honestly it very quickly became a favorite. The families are preparing for a haunted house, but everybody seems to have had the worst day ever and they try to compete over who has the best excuse to drop out from the haunted house. Of course, in the end it all comes together, and well... "Enter, if you dare!"

6) Don't Trust The B---- In Apartment 23
Season 2, Episode 2 - Love and Monsters...

This has got to be my new favorite as it has absolutely nothing to do with any of the other Halloween specials I have seen in my life! It is downright hilarious how stupid it is. There is only one party in it and even that is about happiness, as the host doesn't like scary things... Have you heard anything so stupid before? It's genius! I can't tell you more, because it is so different than any other special - you just have to see it!

5) The Middle
Season 3, Episode 7 - Halloween II

Actually one special is better than the other, but I think the story-lines in this one appealed to me the most. This is one of the funniest families and in the specials they all do something extra sweet that really touches the heart. Mike convinces Sue to update her wardrobe, but he is scared by what he sees. Meanwhile, Frankie takes Brick's social group to trick or treat, and Axl takes his friends are not sure if they want to let go of trick or treating. The last one is the best story!

4) Roseanne
Season 2, Episode 7 - BOO!

 

This is one of my family's favorite series growing up. Every year there was a Halloween specials and each one is better than the other but the first one has got to be the best! The first of the annual Halloween episodes finds Roseanne doing her best to scare Dan who is waiting to hear about an important business deal going through. The fact that they keep pranking each other is so cute and to me it proves a very special and strong bond that not many sitcoms have.

3) Community
Season 2, Episode 6 - Epidemiology

The study group is left to fend for themselves by Dean Pelton during a rabies outbreak due to tainted food at Greendale's Halloween party. It is all one fun zombie special and it is unique as no other sitcom has tried this before. They had a holiday episode for each season, but as you get to know the characters better you appreciate the specials even more. No exception when it comes to this series! Just watch them, trust me!

2) Happy Endings
Season 2, Episode 5 - Spooky Endings 

Jane and Brad spend a scary Halloween house sitting for friends in the suburbs, while the rest of the gang heads to a warehouse party, where their respective costumes don't quite have the effect they anticipated, especially for Alex and Dave. They try to dress up as iconic characters, but everything seems to go bad when nobody gets their costume. It is again, out of the ordinary and ads something extra to the holiday and it is very very funny!

1) Gravity Falls
Season 1, Episode 12 - Summerween

A town that loves Halloween so much: They have it twice a year! Do I need to say more? I eternally love this cartoon and well, each episode actually has something creepy and scary about it that makes it very Halloweenie! And what is awesome, is that they used that opportunity to make a special for themselves, even though the series aired during the summer! You need to see it, even if you don't watch the others, trust me when I tell you that this cartoon tops every special you have ever seen!


I actually watch plenty more specials that are absolutely fantastic, but the 15 I shared are the ones I actually do re-watch every single year. But some others may be to your liking too - for example Last Man Standing, Cougar Town, My Little Pony and some awesome specials in Dawson's Creek.That said, I need to go finish my costume, I've got a party tomorrow night :D

Coming up, a very special comic-movie review, until then!

Building With CsorEsz: Halloween Beads

What better way to decorate the house than homemade decorations? I have been going all out this year as we have these big switches for the light that are able to hold the beads. So on one I have a black cat, on the other I have two pumpkins in a little window!

You will see that many are far better, those were made by my sister - and they are her own creations!We are very proud and I love everything I see around my house :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make sure you try these out - you will not be disappointed! This is especially fun when you are watching all of those Halloween movies that you re-watch every year and know by heart :D I always do beads when I am watching the TV specials, well... Re-watch them actually! Awesome series like Roseanne, sometimes even ALF, one great party in Friends and others alike!

Before the big holiday, I still have one very special list planned, so stay tuned because you're in for a treat!

What's Next On My List? Hotel Transylvania

Trying to find a lot of new things to add to my Halloween movie/TV show list. And I have found one that will always be a favorite of mine! Let us talk about one of the best cartoons I have seen in past five years:

Hotel Transylvania

Count Dracula has a daughter whom he wishes to shield from the evil that lurks in humans. He comes up with the idea of a secret hotel where all of his supernatural friends can hide and he can take care of his daughter Mavis.

But all seems to go wrong, when by accident a boy named Jonathan does find his way to the hotel. Mavis' 118th birthday is coming up and Dracula tries to disguise Jonathan as another Frankenstein monster to make sure nobody is freaked out by him. Dracula has been telling everyone about the evil humans do - not even knowing how they evolved into the 21st century and it is Jonathan that makes him realize that their kind won't be rejected by society the way it was in the 19th century. Only one thing is left to make right - he needs to see that Mavis and Jonathan have something special and he needs to allow for them to be in love without interfering.

I loved every second of this cartoon! It was simply amazing! First of all the animation was incredible. With every second passing I just fell in love with everything I was seeing. The details? And the attention to detail? I just couldn't get over it! There are so many things to see and so little time - you need to re-watch it and re-watch it to see everything. And it is very worth it :D I loved these characters and the when you think about it, there are a lot of Halloween specials, but not an entire cartoon devoted to these characters. This movie will become a classic in our family!

As far as the story goes - I was very pleasantly surprised. We heard so little about this cartoon, that I was convinced it was going to be awful. About two months ago I already discussed how I feel about Adam Sandler (click here to read that review!) and fart/poop jokes. So again, not having heard neither too good nor too bad about the cartoon, I wasn't sure what to think. But that didn't stop me because I knew that even if I didn't like parts of it, I will still enjoy that sweet Halloween feeling that comes with it - and I did! I loved every character, the story, the background and the colors: It all just simply worked for me! Despite the total amount of one fart joke and of course one necessary barf, it hit home run with me!

If you watch it, keep in my mind that my favorite characters were the werewolf family! They were downright hilarious, and you couldn't really tell that they weren't real characters - that is probably the thing I enjoyed the most.

Thank you for reading, Happy Halloween! I'll try to do one more post on the topic before I run out of time to make my costume :D Please check out my lists of favorite Halloween music here and favorite Halloween movies here!

Until the next item on my list!

_ _ _ _ _ _

Dracula - Adam Sandler
Jonathan - Andy Samberg
Mavis - Selena Gomez
Frankenstein - Kevin James
Eunice - Fran Drescher
Wayne - Steve Buscemi
Wanda - Molly Shannon
Griffin - David Spade
Murray - CeeLo Green
Quasimodo - Jon Lovitz

Top 10 Best Movies From The 90's

Just a few months back I told you all about my favorite movies from the 80's. I emphasized that although I didn't live back then, it is still the best decade in Hollywood history in my opinion. That said, I do have a lot of favorites that I watched growing up - literally, I was born at the very beginning of the 90's! And I couldn't let them go unmentioned! Also, while making the list I came to the conclusion that there are a lot of movies from that period that had a better sequel. At least, I preferred the sequel - which is very entertaining if you think about how much people hate sequels today! For example Addams Family Values, and another four that are on this list, so no spoilers :D However, keep in mind that because of growing up with them, these movies are way closer to my heart - even if they are a bit dumb. You might disagree with me, but trust me, you'll want to see them at least once!
Here is my list of the top 10:

10) Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls

OK, that didn't take very long! I'll be honest, I saw the second movie before seeing the first one. I love that too, but somehow this has always been closer to my heart. I know most of the lines by heart and well - who doesn't love Jim Carrey? That man is a genius! My friend thought this is a bit more adult, but I think the two are pretty much on the same level! And for a seven year old there really is no difference :D I love every second of it!

9) Beethoven's 2nd

Oh the typical American family that we all dream of! I do, that is for sure :D Here is another example where the sequel is better. If you have read my reviews, you must know that I hate fart and poo jokes and anything in general that turns on my gagging reflex. So, the sequel here has a more family friendly story in my opinion. I really love Bonnie Hunt and well the puppies... The puppies :3 This movie is awesome! (The following sequels are f*cking awful! Stay clear from all of them!)

8) Postcards From The Edge

Meryl Streep plays in a movie based on the life of Carrie Fisher - do I need to say more? I eternally respect Carrie Fisher and when I heard that she wrote this movie I couldn't stay away. Not only is she a good actress, but a great screenwriter as well. Her story of drug addiction along with conflicts with her mom, the famous Debbie Reynolds - played by Shirley McLaine - are truly touching. And Meryl? You don't get any better than Meryl! This movie is really wonderful and I can't stop rewatching it! Trust me, it is just as hilarious as it is moving.

"He's the guy that pumped my stomach. 

I'm tempted to marry him just so I can tell people how we met."

7) Empire Records

This is the kind of movie that you don't really see anymore. We follow the adventures of the staff of Empire Records for a whole day. All young kids with 30 some-year-old boss. The record store is going to close down, as it is more expensive to keep it open, not to mention that one of the staff members had gambled away most of their savings the night before... What I mean when I say that this is quite different, is that not many movies are capable of focusing on a single day. Action-action-action! Quick cuts and very deep and emotional stories and ADAPTATIONS! Name me a movie made in the past five years that didn't start with 'Based on a book by...'. You can't! It is only independent movies nowadays that try to aim their movies to a smaller audience, but even those are different! Here you have a group of teenagers and you get to experience how one single day in their life changed everything! It is a simple yet magnificient movie.

6) Father Of The Bride

So, my sister prefers the sequel. And to be honest, I love that one just as much - however, the initial wedding storyline was always closest to my heart, then the one where the main characters have a baby. In this case I would rather say, that I love both very much. And no, I have not seen the original version, just the remake, but I don't think I need to - this movie is great as it is! Not to mention the all-star cast that has all of my favorites :D

5) The First Wives Club

This movie is me in a nutshell. I don't particularly have high standards as far as relationships go; I value family above everything and my friends? They are my world! And well, I can be persuaded for a bit of revenge is the situation deems it necessary :D I was really angry at this movie, because Stockard Channing died in the beginning... but I love it for everything else in it! I can't even tell you how many times I have seen it - it is so good! And the song at the end? I sometimes think of it as my anthem! I adore these ladies.

4) Romy & Michele's High School Reunion

My sister and me love this movie! It's just freakin' hilarious! Initially we watched it because of Lisa Kudrow, at the time we loved her for Friends. But this movie? It just knocked it out of the park! I still can't believe how genius it is. Not only the main characters, but the supporting cast itself is short of wonderful! Janeane Garofalo? I fell in love with her here! And not to mention Alan Cumming? That guy is brilliant :D But it is really the chemistry between Mira Sorvino and Kudrow that sells the movie. You are in for a great time, trust me, you need to see this - it will make you recall every nightmare you had in high school - and you will laugh at them very hard!

3) Sister Act

Whoopi was my idol. She still is :D This movie was at the time very light hearted. Now that I watch it, understading what it actually is about - I don't really recommend it to young kids! Nonetheless, the songs? Fantastic and the acting is off the hook! They didn't give Whoopi Goldberg too many movie roles like this one - and I am sorry about that, because clearly she's awesome. This movie too had a sequel and it is actually quite OK, but the story is very generic - even though this was one of the first ones that did the 'school-needs-to-win' or 'they-will-shut-us-down' line. Also, less killing and less cops, so I guess it is very family friendly :D But screw it! Watch this movie! I'm gonna sing this song again:

2) Oscar

I still don't get why many people didn't like this movie! It is really here that you find out that Stallone is a wonderful actor and he doesn't only shoot people and look beat up after a box match! This has got to be the best movie I have ever seen in my life! It is second on the list for only one reason, and you'll see why in a second! Either way, we are in the roaring 20's: The story is about a gangster who decides to become an honest businessman, but things just really don't want to go his way! And all of that before noon! If you haven't seen this, you have no idea what Stallone is capable of! Do yourself a favor and don't waste even a second more!

"- Now you fired the maid?
- No! She quit to marry Bruce Underwood!
- When did that happen?
- I don't know... somewhere between my vest and my pants.
- WHAT?!"

1) Three Men And A Little Lady

And the winner - another sequel. I told you them 90's sequels are awesome!
So this was actually my mom's favorite - she is still in love with Tom Selleck, and although I love my dad, I can't really blame her! Have you seen Magnum, P.I.? Damn... - And we would rewatch this movie for years to come. This movie was actually the inspiration to many of my scripts and I still follow these actors religiously! CSI with Ted Danson, if you recall Nancy Travis is on my list of favorite actresses and well Selleck... do I need to say how many things I watched because of him? :) This movie has a very beautiful love story and it keeps the focus on every main character, which can be very hard, trust me! I rewatched it just a week ago, because I couldn't do without it anymore!
This is my number one movie, no matter what :)


Keep in mind, that if I have mentioned any other movie from the 90's on some other list of mine, then it immediately follows that I won't mention them here! Just to make sure you know about all of the good ones that I can recommend, read up on my other lists by clicking on them here below!

• Top 10 Best Movies Of The 80's
• My Top 15 Christmas Movies
• My Top 10 Favorite Halloween Movies

My Photos: Leaves Of Autumn

Akkor is ha nem a kedvence évszakom, egyszerüen nem lehet nem imádni az ősz színeit! A fák, az levegő és mintha a természetnek is még lenne egy kis édes illata!
Évek óta fotózni szeretek ilyenkor, parkokban, utakon, bárhol, ahol visszatudom adni azt az érzést, amit bennem vált ki. Hát nem voltam sikeres... Számtalan fotót készítettem, mire rájöttem, hogy mi a baj: Ezek a tájak háttérképek és nekem kell valamit az előtérbe raknom. Két évig keresgéltem, míg úgy döntöttem, hogy magammal rángatom a legjobb barátom és a kamera elé lököm :D
Végre sikerült olyan képeket csinálnom, amik tökéletesen visszaadják azt a hangulatot, amit annyira szeretek, amikor Októberben sétálok! Remélem tetszenni fognak mindenkinek :) (klikkelj a képre, hogy megnézd őket!)

Even if not my favorite season, you just gotta love the colors during Autumn! The trees, the atmosphere and and even nature still has sweet smell, don't you think?
For years now I wanted to take pictures out in parks, roads, anywhere really so I can give back the feeling of it - no success... Something was always missing. It was two years ago that I realized that all the pictures I take are background pictures. I needed somebody for the foreground. After searching for two years, I just decided to drag my best friend along and push her in front of the camera :D
I now finally have pictures that are awesome and give back the exact feeling of delight I feel when I walk around in October! I hope you all like them :) (click on the picture above to see!)

What's Next On My List? Much Ado About Nothing

No.

Much Ado About Nothing

People, this is my absolute favorite Shakespeare play and I REALLY wanted to see this movie and I was very disappointed. There are two version that I like very much, you can read about them here!

The Prince Don Pedro and his men after the war reside at the houses of Signor Leonato of Messina. With the Prince came three, among all other soldiers, who play an important part in the story. Benedick, the brave Claudio and Don John the bastard, the Prince’s brother, in his life previously accused of treason. In the house we have the only daughter of Signor Leonato, Hero, her cousin, Beatrice and two maids Margaret and Ursula. Benedick and Beatrice hate each other, to the point that they start to irritate pretty much everyone. So the Prince comes up with the idea of telling the two, that the other one is in love with them and to disguise their affection, starting to act as if they hated the other. This plan works perfectly and the two declare love for one and the other. On the other hand, Claudio falls in love with Hero. But Don John is highly bored and decides to mess with their heads.

He manages to make Claudio believe that Hero is already cheating on him. He and the Prince are easily deceived and at the wedding Claudio makes a scene. Afterwards the otherS decide to lie, and tell the men that Hero had died out of pain in her heart. Two basically idiots, the comic relief guys in the story happen to be two seeking to become detectives and they catch Don John’s men. The plot is then discovered, but it is too late, since Don John has already fled. Claudio is destroyed by the thought of having killed her beloved Hero and decides to take whatever punishment Signor Leonato chooses. He tells him that he shall marry his brother’s daughter. But that ends up to be Hero and they party happily together.

Here is the problem: NOTHING NEW HAPPENED! Movie is a fantastic medium as it can do a lot of things that books and theater cannot. Except for here! AS NOTHING HAPPENED. You know what this was? A Whedon cast reunion! I didn't mind as far as Alexis Denisof, Sean Maher, Nathan Fillion and Amy Acker goes, because they did OK in their part. Nobody else did! Like the guy playing Claudio? He was f*cking awful!

Here is the deal: In the original story Claudio loves Hero so much that just the mere thought of losing her drives him insane! That is why Don John can mess with his head! Here I just couldn't believe that Claudio loves her - not for a single second - therefore he comes off as a passive-aggressive idiot who is far too easily tricked into believing ANYTHING. Who the hell would want to marry this idiot?! Oh, and I guess Agent Coulson is here, as he has only one scene where I can look away from the fact that Loki killed him. (Avengers joke, you are welcome!)

I love this story so much that even I know it by heart and I just kept feeling that the movie does not do justice to it! There are far more comical elements in it and yet only a few have been really added here. They are funny nonetheless - like when Benedick hears the guys talking about how Beatrice loves him. That really made me laugh. But other than the music that enhanced Don John's evilness, - he was by far the most entertaining character in all of the movie - not much can be credited to the story as the main thing that kept interrupting the natural flow of the story was the real Shakespearean dialogue. I'm OK with modernizing - except it didn't modernize! At the very end Whedon remembered 'Oh, we have cellphones now. Let's just show Don John being caught on that and that'll be fine.' That is exactly it, in such a technological world, it is really impossible to believe that Claudio would blame Hero without asking a single question or looking for further evidence - emphasis on the evidence part...

And the photographer? There is this girl who keeps taking pictures and I swear I thought that she would be used to make a photoshopped picture, or to help Dogberry uncover the truth about the matter - nope. She had absolutely no f*cking function whatsoever. Why was that there? No clue.
Another thing is the setting. A house? In all the other plays you have this huge area, the whole of freaking Messina is available to us while here we have about 8 people or so. Am I really supposed to believe that Claudio didn't ask if anybody else had sex in Hero's room? That they keep calling Dogberry neighbor yet he is supposed to be just a bodyguard? The setting DOESN'T fit the original dialogue!

I'm OK with modernizing - like for example the BBC's version of the play. But there they managed a setting that adds to every single character and the dialogue is modernized in a way that makes the flow of the story more natural. Here? No.
While talking about it with my sister, she actually came up with a great story, think about Jesus Christ Superstar musical movie (1973): Friends get together and play out the story for fun. That would've been a great idea as it would explain why they speak Shakespearean - also it would greatly add to the fact that we never leave that stupid house. Hero fainting? Benedick and Beatrice reconnecting? Everything would've made much-much more sense if this was a gathering among friends! Hey everyone, we are here let's have fun and reenact that famous play for our friend Joss, who kindly invited us and have fun this weekend! And then, it would be clear why Don John gets away with what he did! JUST THINK ABOUT IT!

Speaking of reconnecting, we are given this extra story line in which Beatrice sleeps with Benedick, who afterwards leaves without saying anything. This would give reason to why she hates him, so OK, I'll buy that. But, then we have Benedick's original monologue where he admits to have never before noticed Beatrice for the woman that she is. YOU SLEPT TOGETHER! The whole scene is unbelievable because we already know that he does see her as a woman and even if he had no feelings for her when they did - it still doesn't explain why he is being just an ass to her!

What I adore about the love between these two has always been the fact that they love each other without ever realizing it! Not to mention that one can fall in love even if they have never had the pleasure to hold them or to kiss them! The fact that they had sex only decreased the value of their affection in my opinion. Yes - they have ruined one of my favorite couples. I will give you that the one sentence Beatrice has: "Use it for my love in some other way then swearing by it.", was the most beautiful execution of that line in any adaptation.

If the main goal was to really have 'much ado about NOTHING' - then congratulations as you have achieved your goal! Whedon, you are considered by some the God of nerds - so how'bout you stick to the kind of movies and series you are actually good at instead of ruining my favorite plays? I really hope nobody sees this movie.

Until the next item on my list!
Do read my other review about the good adaptations here!

_ _ _ _ _ _ 

Beatrice – Amy Acker

Benedick – Alexis Denisof

Hero – Jillian Morgese

Claudio – Fran Kranz

Leonato – Clark Gregg

Dogberry - Nathan Fillion

Don John – Sean Maher

Margaret – Ashley Johnson

Prince Don Pedro – Reed Diamond
_ _ _ _ _ _

UPDATE (2017.08.09)

About two months ago I attended a university recital in which the drama group prepared their own version of this masterpiece. Now... I gotta say, with all of my heart, that it was a one hour play which surpassed this pile of shit by mileeeeeess!!! I just still cannot wrap my head around the fact of how boring this was... They decided to make the university drama group the characters of the play, who are, in the meanwhile, preparing for the performance (thus justifying the need to speak in the original Shakespearean!). First of all, Claudio wasn't a loser and you feel his rage. Second, the Prince, without whom there would be no story, did not make me want to fall asleep... actually they made me want to watch the performance over and over again! The Prince made me feel for this group of people, they made me care. Something that completely got me invested from start to finish! They also merged the comic relief characters into one, justifying less cast members and as such there was no need to make a useless story line about detectives or body guards... she alone held the story together by being the one who causes turmoil and thus is also the only one who can set it right (having the evidence in hand). Above all there was a sex change and Don John was a woman, and to quote them "You are the only one who can do it justice!", and she was perfect... And finally, I did not feel that Beatrice and Benedick got together because it was already written in the script... See, a group of university students made a better rendition of this classic than the wonderful Whedon and I have no understanding of why people liked this movie... I just give up.