You won't be disappointed!

Touches You

Simply A Masterpiece

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

2001 saw yet another Shakespeare adaptation starring Julia Stiles. Tim Blake Nelson directed Stiles, Mekhi Phifer, and Josh Hartnett in the prep school version of Othello. Tough coaching and the emergence of star Odin James has lead the Hawks to a winning season and led to a season of disappointment for the coaches overshadowed son, Hugo. Isolation takes center stage in this modern-day adaptation of a Shakespeare classic.Odin James (Mekhi Phifer), star basketball player of the Hawks, is a standout as a black athlete in his predominately white prep school. The world is his oyster as the Hawks keep winning, he is dating the most popular girl in school, Desi (Julia Stiles), the headmaster's daughter, and is being scouted to play professional basketball. to top it all off, Odin is then named M.V.P. of the basketball team. Odin decides to share this honor with Michael (Andrew Keegan). Feeling overshadowed on the honor he feels deserving of; driven by envy at the declaration of love his basketball coach father Coach Duke Goulding (Martin Sheen) expresses for Odin, Hugo (Josh Hartnett) Stages an elaborate scheme to bring about the demise of the star. Creating an elaborate scheme involving the manipulation of everyone around him, Hugo sets out to bring Odin's life crashing down.The music was a central actor in this film. Playing on the racial divide within the school, the lyrics of the songs used highlight the critical racial issues playing out on-screen. As always, my favorite part of any Shakespeare adaptation is the allusions to the original, or other Shakespeare works in the film. In O, Shakespeare was being taught in literature class, and Hugo was often seen playing chess, as referenced in the play. The acting was pretty well-done considering the young cast, and I found the story engaging and exciting. Overall, I thought this was a great modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's work.

I can't judge what others, and some "So Called" critics, use as their sole rating of movies etc.. however, for this movie to receive less than a 6 is absolute ridiculous in my opinion.This has been a great movies collection for me for a number of years. I think it is drama at it's best with an modern re-script that wasn't all that bad. As the movie really had a heart felt ending that many movies as of post 2000 fail to do. This is exactly how Shakespeare wanted viewers to feel in regards to Othello.I'm no pro on how well he or she should act in a movie, but I would say Mekhi, Josh, and Julia Stiles did a quite a dam good job on their roles with this movie.Anyhow, each to their own as to how they rate a movie. Believe it or not there are probably over 70% of movie viewers who don't give much a flick about how well a actor/actress acted but how well the movie made them felt and was the plot and ending worth the watch.There really need to be a double standard on movie ratings.. Judgement on the Acting and Judgement on the overall movie plot and ending. You must agree there have been some quite poor acting in movies that however grossed well and many watch over and over. Just my opinion.

"'O' is Odin James (Mekhi Phifer), the school's star basketball player and future NBA hopeful. He has the adoration of all, including the team's coach (Martin Sheen) and Dean's beautiful daughter, Desi (Julia Stiles). Odin's troubled friend Hugo (Josh Hartnett), the coach's son is deeply resentful of his father's preference of Odin on and off the court. When Hugo plots a diabolical scheme to sow the seeds of mistrust between 'O' and Desi, it sets in motion a disturbing chain of events which erupts into a firestorm of breathtaking intensity. 'O' is a stunning tale that will stay with you long after its final, powerful frame," according to the promotional synopsis.And, like it promises: "O" features, "Hot young stars, a hip, driving soundtrack, plus a provocative tale of jealousy and betrayal combine to create this controversial modern-day version of Shakespeare's classic, 'Othello.'" The Shakespearian plot is still good, after all these centuries. But, the transference of these events to a "high school" setting doesn't work. As a whole, the actors do not look or act between 14-18 years old; at one point, Mr. James says they're eighteen (a wise age to pick, from range available). Granted, with retention and steroids, many athletes look much older, presently - still, "O" doesn't balance this with age appropriate casting (or behavior).Making the age matter worse is a script which really doesn't really ring true. This story, with its controversy likely related to violent real-life teenage mass murderers, doesn't possess the degree of teen angst and alienation necessary to bring that slant to the tale. And, it doesn't fit the "Othello" plot.The cast and direction are very good, though… why didn't somebody suggest a college setting? ***** O (5/26/01) Tim Blake Nelson ~ Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett, Julia Stiles

Strange, how effective "O" is, despite being somewhat of a mess. Taking one of Shakespeare's plays and updating it to a contemporary high school has been done before ("10 Things I Hate About You," for example, which also features Julia Stiles). But those were comedies, or if they were tragedies (like Baz Luhrmann's interpretation of "Romeo and Juliet"), they were made with some sort of gimmick, if you will, to distance them from reality (I guess). Here Tim Blake Nelson puts Shakespeare's tragedy "Othello" in a contemporary high school setting, but he leaves out any of the flair or flourishes that accompany the other attempts of doing the same. The result is a gritty, and at times highly disturbing, film.Odin James (aka O, played by Mekhi Phifer) is the star basketball player of an exclusive prep school. Resentful of O's fame, and the thankless spot that it leaves him, Hugo (Josh Hartnett) plots to ruin O's career by sowing the seeds of doubt in O regarding his relationship with Desi (Julia Stiles), the dean's daughter.The acting is solid all around. While the actors get off to a rocky start, they eventually come through. Mekhi Phifer is adequate as the jealous O, but he's outshined by Hartnett and Stiles.If you're looking for a chance to ogle Josh Hartnett, rent another one of his movies. He's too creepy here. He's rather quiet and standoffish, which is an effective way of portraying Hugo, because it makes him more frightening than if he was foaming at the mouth, or, God forbid, cackling with maniacal glee. Ditto for Stiles; while she's not creepy, this isn't an opportunity for her to play a sexy character (although she does have a steamy sex scene). Martin Sheen is too over-the-top as the coach (who is Hugo's father), but as the movie goes on, he begins to fit in with the rest of the cast.If there's any problem, it's with director Tim Blake Nelson. He broadens everything so much that it all threatens to blend together into one big soup. There's no crispness in his directing, where one would normally isolate each scene and bring it out individually (to a point). That said, the film's climax is so disturbing that it will leave a sick feeling in many people's stomachs. This is not a teen soap opera; "O" is as real and affecting as it gets.Nelson's directing isn't a hackjob, though. He may have over-broadened everything, but he knows what he's doing. His choice of camera angles is great, though it threatens to go overboard at some points. He uses shots of the characters at key moments where they don't speak. Because they are so expertly done, they are the most telling moments of the film.Despite its shortcomings, "O" is a worthwhile film, and one that needs to be seen (though it was perhaps wise that they pushed the release date back after the Columbine tragedy).