skygiants | (no subject)

When I found out that Grand Theft Hamlet was playing at one (1!) theater in Boston on Saturday, I immediately rearranged my whole schedule to see it. I am posting about it Now in case this is true for anybody else, because I do think it's worth seeing in theaters if you can -- the whole thing is, of course, shot entirely within Grand Theft Auto and the fact that it looks absurdly beautiful on a big screen is I think part of the absurd charm of the whole thing.

Grand Theft Hamlet is a documentary about a pair of out-of-work actors who decided to stage a production of Hamlet during the pandemic, using the tools at their disposal: to wit, the virtual world of Grand Theft Auto and any Grand Theft Auto players who could be convinced to turn up and recite Shakespeare instead of committing random acts of violence at auditions. It's a documentary because one of the actors happens to be married to a documentary filmmaker, who decided to join him in GTA to find out what the appeal was.

For those who haven't seen it, here's the trailer:

Watch on YouTube

I enjoyed this movie exactly as much as I thought I would enjoy it, which was a tremendous amount.

aria described it as "like watching Slings & Arrows and Staged kiss while cool funny explosions happen in the background," which I think is extremely accurate. I love people getting through rough times by getting very invested in artistic passion projects; I love backstage problems; I love extremely that it is apparently impossible for any actor to go through the experience of putting on Hamlet without having an existential crisis about "To be or not to be," even if they are doing it in Grand Theft Auto.

As a sidenote, I think it's very funny that I seem to have backed myself into being a fan of Hamlet by becoming very passionate about several pieces of media about people putting on productions of Hamlet ... I am a simple person with simple enjoyments. Show me an actor going into an absolute tailspin about how to deliver a soliloquy that's previously been performed by all of history's greatest while something about the production blows up metaphorically or literally in the background and I am contented every time.

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When I found out that Grand Theft Hamlet was playing at one (1!) theater in Boston on Saturday, I immediately rearranged my whole schedule to see it.

I didn't know it was even in a theater around here! I'm so glad it lived up to its reputation!

I'm so glad it was everything you hoped

I did not know this existed until now, but I am enthralled by this, oh my god.

I must see this.

Well, now I need to figure out how I can see this.

I had no idea this existed, and I'm absolutely delighted to learn about it. What a fun project!

Perhaps the dream of this Dinosaur Comic has finally been realized??

I didn't know about this. Knowing about it has made my day!

This sounds absolutely amazing.

omfg I want to see this SO badly but I don't think I can excuse dropping a half day at work today to go to the seaport for it. Why such a limited release???

How did you find out baout this? I need to get on whatever mailing list you're on.

That sounds like such a fun movie. Have you read Judi Dench's memoir yet about Shakespeare since she really captures the vibes of theater.

I spent about 15 minutes last night trying to explain Grand Theft Hamlet to Eaglet. Eventually the funny of trying to perform Shakespeare while avoiding the mayhem of a public server got through.

..... I have never read or watched Hamlet in my life but now I really really want to watch THIS version of Hamlet.

Wow! What a thing to exist in the world! I love humans!!! I must figure out a way to watch this!!!

I really want to see this at some point, but I don't tend to do well at cinemas, so I'll have to hope it comes out in some more domestic-friendly format!

OH MY GOD I WANT TO SEE THIS SO BADLY

I am SO glad you got to see grand theft hamlet and I am even gladder that it was everything you hoped it would be! I just watched the trailer and honestly it looks incredible

This sounds amazing.

Honestly I think many more people would end up Hamlet fans if we introduced people to Hamlet via media about people putting on productions of Hamlet.

I am so captivated by this existing, and delighted that it was such a good time!

That sounds like a fun movie!

I love extremely that it is apparently impossible for any actor to go through the experience of putting on Hamlet without having an existential crisis about "To be or not to be," even if they are doing it in Grand Theft Auto.
What about "What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, / That he should weep for her?"

It was here VERY briefly and I caught it by lucky chance; I hope it becomes available more broadly soon!

It really was a film more or less designed in a lab for me.

brilliant concept executed brilliantly. one of my friends who saw it elsewhere came into the groupchat like 'surely that must have been at least a little scripted?' and the immediate consensus was, no, theater is just like that!

YOU MUST SEE THIS.

Absolutely you should!!

I wish I could've seen the original GTA Hamlet production as well tbh but for that I think you need to have actually had GTA ....

THIS IS WHAT SHAKESPEARE MEANT

I'm so glad to be spreading the good word!

It really genuinely was!

I'm trying to remember how I first heard about it! I know I found out about this screening in particular because I'm on the Alamo mailing list and I occasionally click through to see what's on, but I've been hyped for it for months and I have no memory as to what kicked it off. It kills me that it's not playing in every indie theater around here, though! It should be!

Yes, I had a great time with that book!

The fact that they're immediately gunned down the very first time they try to perform a little -- chef's kiss. Perfection.

you know I have no idea how it would hit as a first Hamlet exposure but I really want to find out

I really hope it becomes available more broadly soon, I desperately want you and everybody else to be able to watch it!

I am crossing every finger for this to happen soon!

YOU NEED TO SEE IT. I want to hear your thoughts on it so desperately!!

We were just all sitting there in the theater laughing in delight all through! INCREDIBLE experience.

It absolutely was!

The thing is that they are universally fun! I can't think of a piece of media about people putting on a production of Hamlet that I have disliked! (Is this confirmation bias? SURELY not.)

It really was!

I am disappointed that we did not see them doing in-theater theater tbh .... but we had only ninety minutes and A Lot to get through, and if you're demanding random Grand Theft Auto players listen to you soliloquize on the virtual beach they are probably more likely to recognize 'to be or not to be'...