Hamlet's Ghost

We loved viewing Hamlet's Ghost.

You've never seen Shakespeare like this. The set-up in this script written by Walker Haynes is part Noises Off, part X-Files, part John Grisham, part Shakespeare, and all engaging.

The concept is intriguing; the story is involving. You won't want to miss a minute. The cast represents both veteran and new actors. Everyone is cast perfectly. The handsome Hayes is in the lead role. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Hayes has turned some heads with his mildly successful previous projects. Hamlet's Ghost got some good talk and energy at this summer's Cannes film festival, too. Not bad for an independent filmmaker.

And Stephanie Zimbalist is Queen Gertrude. How could anything featuring Stephanie Zimbalist be anything but classy? Good work, all.

1. Cheap home movie style cinematography. 2. Poor audio level clarity. Poor enunciation. No subtitles so it was difficult to follow dialogue. 3. Cheap special effects of time travel was just editing a person out of a scene - poof (not even a poof) he's gone. 4. Acting was amateurish. 5. Worst of all, and Shakey himself would be rolling around in his grave (unless he was cremated), was the unintelligent time travel plot. Wouldn't pass a grade school science class.

I really enjoyed this movie...there were a number of unique twists to the overall plot and it really kept you guessing. If you like suspense and enjoy attempting to "figure out" the writer's intent this movie is for you. The movie pulls you in quickly, but doesn't lag...I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writers utilization of Shakespearean drama was interesting and while I am certainly not an expert in the genre that portion of the film was easy to follow and should not throw the casual movie watcher off. The Acting was solid and I know many watchers will be attracted to the movie because of the appearance of Daniel May an actor who also plays in the Walking Dead. The old Southern theater utilized for a portion of the film was unique in and of itself and added to the overall effect of the stage actors in the movie.

Hamlet's Ghost was a surprise. When I saw Stephanie Zimbalist was attached to the project it added a bit of credibility. The story is an interesting one - a mystery involving time travel, murder, and staging of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Instead of following conventional story-lines about time travel, the movie slowly unrolls inexplicable events that become more confusing even when more clues are found. The resolution puts the streams and pieces together without tying up everything into a nice bow. Nicely done. Walker Haynes is growing in his craft. The writing and production were quality; the special effects were exceptional. A fun and intriguing film.

This lame, badly-written, poorly-acted, ill-conceived dumpster-dive of a film really doesn't deserve a review... except to warn potential viewers to ignore the 9 & 10 star reviews as bogus hype posts, and avoid this cow flop of anti-cinema.

1. Worst bald-head wig job in the history of... anything. Grade schoolers could have done better using a swimming cap.

2. Worst straw-hat-wearing looney with fake white hair. Of course, he *was* indeed wearing fake white hair, but that is irrelevant. Wouldn't fool a child, much less adult viewers.

3. Terrible sound editing and marble-mouth dialog makes parts of the movie impossible to understand.

4. Just to nitpick, main actor pronounces the game "Soduko" instead of "Sudoku"... and no one in production or editing catches it?

The basic plot is hum-drum done before. The story line is lame and leaves about a zillion strings hanging. There are several plot elements that are emphasized but never explained. I want to tie up the director for at least an amount of time equal to the time he cost me watching this under-baked turkey.

Seriously, this is a total mess of a film and a waste of an evening. Feel totally free to give it a pass and watch oh, anything else. This reeks.