The latest movie-related Trending Topic on Twitter is #nicerfilmtitles. That’s “nicer film titles” (not “nice firm titties”), and it’s basically a meme for coming up with alternative names for movies so that they seem a little friendlier and wholesome in their content. But since 140 characters aren’t enough for users to include synopses for their contributions, we’ve selected 10 favorites (so far) and elaborated on the story details.
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She went from the Bible to Stephanie Meyer and now she’s finally working with a great writer’s work. Having been dumped from the Twilight franchise, Catherine Hardwicke has selected her next film project: a modernized version of Hamlet starring her Lords of Dogtown star Emile Hirsch. And, of course, everyone has jokes that this umpteenth adaptation of the Shakespeare tragedy will be filled with vampires. But clearly Hardwicke is trying to get away from the series that left her behind. Instead of moving on to a more Twilight-related play like Romeo and Juliet or A Midsummer Night’s Dream, she has gone for the great Danish prince.

Of course, having already seen Hamlet updated to modern times, I would be happier if Hardwicke was making a high school-set version (this one will supposedly take place at a college), since my favorite contemporary takes are those adapted to teenage characters (see 10 Things I Hate About You, O and even She’s the Man). Maybe nobody wants to go there since Focus Features bombed so badly last year with the high school-set Hamlet 2.

I doubt many Twilight fans care about what Hardwicke does next — unless she casts Robert Pattinson as Horatio — but the film blogs think she should cater to their needs. Check out their responses to this news after the jump:

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Though I first buzzed about an Academy Award nomination for Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight more than a month before his death, I now want to take it all back. I feel all the talk of Ledger’s posthumous Oscar chances will cloud my mind when I finally do see it, and it will probably also cloud the Academy’s judgment, too. Six months from now, when the nominations are announced on January 22 (coincidentally the one-year anniversary of Ledger’s death), if Ledger is not recognized for his role as The Joker, there will surely be an uproar — actually, Hollywood might just up and self-implode.

I’m not the only one annoyed by all the Oscar buzz. Terry Gilliam, who directed Ledger in The Brothers Grimm and the upcoming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, is calling “bullshit” on the whole thing, particularly against Warner Bros., which Gilliam accuses of exploiting Ledger’s death and chance of a posthumous Oscar for publicity purposes. Considering most Oscar campaigns for live actors are really just part of movie marketing, he has a good point.

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