My middle-school English teacher once told me that I would never understand Shakespeare until I heard the words read out loud. I was incredibly pissed off when she then made me recite a soliloquy from Richard II, but that motherfucker was right—it suddenly made sense in a way that reading it never did, and I’ve loved Shakespeare ever since. David Tennant (Doctor Who) plays the scurrilous king, bringing a quiet rage with him to what is sure to be an intense performance. (SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N, siff.net, noon, $20, May 10–11)