NYTimes Arts rolls on! In your comments this week, draw connections between at least two different articles AND at least one event you’ve attended this semester. Provide your own original thinking, not merely a summary of an article.
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In article, “Let’s See What’s Inside that Pretty Head,” Terrence Rafferty discusses the psyche of women in various films and movies. Rafferty points out that in general, “movies would rather look at women than analyze them.” However, in many Woody Allen movies, “women, however, are presumed to have actual emotions, and to be willing to verbalize them.” While it is “still a little unseemly for males to exhibit, much less talk about, deep feelings…on the screen, the crazy guys are usually sociopaths, who have no empathy at all.” Also, in article, “Switched at Rebirth,” Patrick Healy discusses a musical “On a Clear Day you can See Forever,” which involves a plot in which “a psychiatrist…draws out Melinda through hypnosis and then falls for her.” Both articles connect with the event we attended last week, “The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer.” I thought it was interesting how people are so obsessed with the psyche of others and how people love to psychoanalyze others and figure delve into people’s “unconscious.” Also, there seems to be a fascination with serial killers, as others try to figure out the reasoning behind their actions, such as in “The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer.” We expect serial killers to repent, have some sort of conscience, or was abused and traumatized as a kid. Like the main character in the play mentions, his mother was never a prostitute. Hence, he has no underlying psychological reasons for his murders. Both the articles and the event made me think about whether or not it is necessary to analyze everything in such incredible depth.
Earlier this Fall I attended a comic book festival at the University of Connecticut. At this festival, there was a display of graphic novels which immediately caught my eye. Prior to attending this festival, I had not previously been exposed to this type of literature. It was interesting to see how the artist was able to tell a very detailed story through a variety of images. This seems to be a great way of conveying a story through a unique form of literature. In this week’s New York Times Art Section, an article, titled “Graphic Books Best Sellers”, discusses two best selling graphic novels that the author of the article, George Gene Gustines, has read and reviewed. Gustines gives a synopsis of what seem to be two very interesting graphic novels that I would highly consider reading. As I continued to read the New York Times, I came across another article that also discusses graphic novels.This article,titled “Graphic Books Best Sellers: Twin Sightings”, discusses another graphic novelist, Jacen Burrows,whose books have made the top of best seller lists for graphic novels. I thought it was very interesting to read these articles as prior to attending this comic book festival, I had not been exposed to this type of literature and now have a newly gained appreciation for graphic novels. I think graphic novels are a great leisurely read for people of all ages and enjoyed reading these articles as they relate directly to a previous event I attended. I am thrilled that such pieces of art are making headlines in the New York Times art section as more and more people will now be exposed to this form of art.
“Saluting a Serial Seducer and His Steamy Tell-All” : the title itself reminds me of the “Infernal Comedy” we’ve seen. However, the article is about another great seducer and memoir-writer – Casanova. While our hero finally got a book with blank pages, Giacomo Girolamo Casanova has words in his book. The original manuscript of “The Story of My Life” and other works of his can be seen in the “Casanova — The Passion for Freedom.” exhibition in Paris (France for those who wonders). Having written the book before his death, he gave the manuscript to his nephew (a famous publisher, what a coincidence!). And here we are, reading/writing about the dear uncle’s adventures. Can any of those presented in “100 Notable Books of 2011” (gift guide) even wish they will sometime have their works in the National Library of France? I doubt that: “The Last Worewoolf” by Glen Duncan or “My New American Life” by Francine Prose – all these plots, even titles are cheesy. And I don’t want to offend those admiring this product (oh, I’m the fan myself!), but why don’t we just all write “Heart of Darkness” of owr own? Why invent? By the way, I should consider writing “My New American Life” myself, wait for the next year’s gift guides (and subscribe for NY Times!).
My connection between the articles and the Don Giovani event has to do with art and injury. Before we saw the Don Giovani production, I read some articles stating that the lead actor had been injured in a sword fight. Despite his injury, his voice and performance were both top notch when we saw the opera. Likewise, the broadway musical, “Spider-man Turn off the Dark” has turned countless injuries into a solid success. As the article “Turn on the Cash: After a Year, ‘Spider-Man’ Earns Its Weekly Keep” points out, the musical went from being a joke and something that was parodied to well-respected and acclaimed show. Another article relating art to injury is “Cutting the Pain of War With a Punchline.” The article by James Dao tells of a comedian named Bobby Henline: despite being a former Army staff sergeant in the being badly burned and injured by a roadside bomb, the comedian is able to kinda humor in his condition. These articles show us that despite injury or hardship, if people are determined and willing to try, the show can and will go on.
The articles “Miami, City of Sun and Beaches, is Now About Art” and “Double, Triple and Quadruple Toil: Alan Cumming Will Star in One-Man ‘Macbeth’” both reminded me of “The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer”, but each in two distinct ways. The first article, which talked about how Art Basel has made Miami more known for art, something it has never really been before. This reminded me of where we saw The Infernal Comedy. Located on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, it seems like the last place one would imagine for a location of an opera house and renowned music stages. But that’s exactly where BAM is; in the middle of Brooklyn, letting the borough be seen in a more artistic light show after show. The second article, profiled famous actor Alan Cumming and his plans to play every role in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ when it comes to Lincoln Center this summer. This made me think of how important star power is in all forms of show business, including the theater world. The Infernal Comedy was largely a one man play as well, carried for the most part by John Malkovich who is pretty famous. I wonder if it is common for plays where there are not many characters for the lead character to be someone with star power in order to draw an audience, and I wonder how heavily that factor is weighed in the casting process.
Two headline pieces in the Arts section today are stories detailing the financial status of two major Broadway plays, “The Book of Mormon” and “Spider Man: Turn Off The Dark.” The first article “Turn on the Cash: After a Year, ‘Spider-Man’ Earns Its Weekly Keep” details the complex and somewhat gloomy situation the blockbuster is having at the box office while “In Only Nine Months, ‘Book of Mormon’ Earns Back Its Broadway Costs” highlights the smooth sailing of the Trey Parker-Matt Stone production. ‘Spider Man’ is a high budget play; in fact its $75 million bankroll is the largest in history. ‘Book of Mormon’ cost only $11 million and as of just this week began turning profits. It’s easy to see why ‘Spider Man’ cost vastly more; dangerous stunts, sleek expensive costumes, etc. But it seems risky to think that the production would make back their investment based on the acrobatics and flair of the scene. ‘Book of Mormon’ is quite the opposite. It’s not overdone or extravagant and that strategy seemed to work. I wonder what “An Infernal Comedy” cost to produce. In terms of staging I’m sure next to nothing was spent. The actors and the orchestra have to be an enormous cost, especially with a name like John Malkovich headlining. I’m curious as to where exactly the money was spent for Spider Man and why it’s having a harder time than expected making that money back.
In the New York Times article “Prosecutor Who Can’t Avoid Trouble” by Alessandra Stanleythere is a new series on CBS about a lawyer who is accused of murdering a colleague that he was involved with romantically. The plot behind the show reminded me of the Infernal Comedy show saw at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In the show, the narrator murders the prostitutes who he is romantically pursing. Moreover., the article “Tony Kushner Wins $100,000 Award for ‘Creative Citizenship” by Patrick Healey is related to the first article because Stanley discusses how books are sometimes adapted into television series and even though the book maybe successful it does not guarantee that the series will experience the same success. In Healy’s article he discusses the winner behind the Creative Citizenship award who is also the author of noteworthy books from topics ranging from AIDS to Afghanistan. It reminded about the murderer in the Infernal Comedy show and how became a writer while in jail.
This may be a really arbitrary connection, but the article on the new Legend of Zelda games and the new Human Centipede sequel are my picks, because both of these topics have come up several times in conversation with a friend of mine who has attended movies, a dance performance and a showing of Les Miserables with me. We’re both huge fans of Zelda, and Human Centipede is a sort of inside joke within our group of friends! With both of these new releases, we really see the question of “is this progression?” If I wave my Wiimote around like a sword, does it make me feel more like Link? The author of the article remains dubious and thinks that the traditional pressing of a button in lieu of paralleling the physical action can keep us better engaged in gameplay and story. I agree, having dealt with the fickle Wiimote in a previous Zelda release. The Human Centipede movie, known for its utterly gruesome scenes, is going to be followed by a sequel which has already been banned in Australia. It does say wonders about our graphic technology that we can create movies of such shock value without placing the actors in the actual situation (ugh), but what exactly does this prove? Is the point of a movie merely to prove what kind of disgusting ideas we can come up with, and show the extent of inhumanity we can imagine? With this movie, it seems so. Of course, I will definitely get around to playing this Zelda game and will most likely be exposed to at least a snippet of the Human Centipede 2 movie, but I acknowledge that their artistic contribution is small.
In the article “Older Music Refracted Through a Modernist Prism,” Anthony Tommasini talks about a recital by Ian Bostridge and Thomas Ades, in which they teased out the modernist resonances in older music. The music “seemed at once old and new.” He discusses the piano playing and the singing that tends to alternate and gives hommage to certain songs. In the article “A Warm-Hued Beginning for Quartet’s New Violinist,” Allan Kozinn discusses the recent debut of the Julliard String Quartet’s new first violinist Joseph Lin. Then his background and the different pieces that were played on the night that he debuted at the Alice Tully Hall on Monday evening. The group was at its most muscular and sumptuous in the Beethoven. These two articles relate to the “East Meets West” music performance we went to. In that performance, there was a infusion of different instruments from different parts of the world. The violin can be considered as more moder when compared to the instruments from India. Anyhow, the music that was created was marvelous.
This may be an out of the ordinary connection but I chose to connect the review of “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword”, “Nostalgia Trip With an Old Friend” and the review of and the review of the play ‘Golem’; “Creatures Big and Small, Remaking a 16th-Century Legend”. I can connect them to me because they’re both things I grew up with. The play ‘Golem’ is a remake of a story I’ve been hearing since I was a child about the Rabbi of Prague, Rabbi Yehuda (also known as the Maharal who was the chief Rabbi of Prague and his books are still read today ) who made a Golem to help protect the city from the Holy Roman Empire’s persecution. Eventually the Emperor asked the Rabbi to remove the Golem because he was growing to violent and the Rabbi did so. The play was supposed to be very well choreographed and well done with the music telling the story. Another thing I grew up on is The Legend of Zelda, I poured hours of my childhood with my brother and friends playing the one on Nintendo 64 ‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’ (which I still play until today) Supposedly this new one is supposed to be just as puzzling difficult and irritating as the other Zelda games which is making me look forward to the challenge. I can connect this to the New York Red Bulls game I went to. I grew up on Soccer as my favorite sport and it was the greatest connection I had to my cousins in Mexico (until I learnt Spanish). It makes me happy to see the things I grew up with have an impact on the arts of the current day and I look forward to continuing to grow with these and I hope they continue to make more impact in the arts as well as my future.
J.Edgar, staring Leonardo Dicaprio and Armie Hammer, is a fascinating tale into the unknown life of one of America’s most influential people. The movie depicts Edgar, who is known by many as a hero, as a complex person who was too self-absorbed to be holding the position of FBI Chief. Throughout the film there is an underlaying debate on what is the absolute ‘right’ thing to do, and what is the legally ‘right’ thing to do. This debate is not limited to movies. Dr. Conrad Murray (Jackson’s Doctor is Sentenced to Four Years) was recently convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Although it is unclear if he technically broke any laws, he recklessly put his famous patient in danger. Because of this break of ethic and moral code, he received the maximum sentence.
Dicaprio’s performance is J.Edgar was splendid, especially when taking in to account he played the protagonist during his young and old ages. As Oscar season draws closer, it is unsure who will be included in this years nominations. As the article “Good Boy! Good Supporting Actor!” reviles, there is a surprise contender gaining a stung following. This actor is called Uggie, who just happens to be a Jack Russell Terrier. Uggie plays a very large part in the movie “The Artist”, and has a stellar hollywood resume. It would be interesting to see if the Oscar committee allows a dog to be nominated for an award typically reserved for humans.
I know that we’re technically not allowed to write about movies for our blurbs and reviews, but cinema is still an art. This semester, I’ve seen a lot of great films, from “Drive” to “J. Edgar”, and a few purely entertaining ones like “Puss in Boots”. It was cute and childish, but I think that it connects perfectly to Melena Ryzik’s article called “Good Boy! Good Supporting Actor!”. The article deals with the upcoming Oscar nominations, and is challenging the idea that the nominees have to be human. A recent film that gained a lot of critical acclaim was a silent film called “The Artist”, and several critics and fans believe that a dog named Uggie should be nominated for the category of supporting actor. In all fairness, the movie was silent, so the nomination is not entirely ridiculous. Apparently Uggie has quite the resume as well; he starred in films such as this year’s “Water for Elephants”. This idea of an animal getting the public’s and the media’s attention ties directly to “Puss in Boots”. The advertising campaign for the film was massive (as far as animated movies go), and of course, since the main character is a funny and lovable cat, it generated much interest. Humans seem to be obsessed with animals that possess human characteristics–with the cat talking, dressing, and even walking like a person, and the dog begin nominated for human awards. The second article that I read is simply a review of a play at the Metropolitan called “Faust”. In Anthony Tommasini’s article, “This Faust Builds Atom Bombs (He Still Sings)”, we get a general idea of what to expect from this performance and the production in general. The reason i chose to compare this article with the event I attended and the article about Uggie is because there was a certain emphasis on the supporting actors and how they round out the play. Tommasini writes, “There are moments of aching vulnerability in the dramatic performances that Mr. McAnuff draws from a talented cast…Ms. Poplavskaya is a spontaneous, uninhibited artist whose singing, however compelling, can be uneven and quirky, as it sometimes was here….Mr. Pape’s vocally stentorian Méphistophélès was all suavity and calculation.” Neither Poplavskaya’s or Pape’s characters were the central focus, but they added much depth to the opera. This just goes to show that a show can’t usually rely on a strong lead and that the “supporting actor” category can apply to more than just movies.
Two articles which explore alternative musicals forms are “Saharan Anthems, Ethereal but Insistent” and “Christian McBride at Village Vanguard.” The theme of alternative musical forms is inspired by one of the cultural events our class attended. This was a multi cultural event conducted a by talented musician Daniel Hope. The musician drew upon eastern and western cultures as inspiration.The former article discussed the story of the rise of african rocker Bombino, a native of Niger. Bombino has had a mass effect on the african music scene and culture, finding popular appeal throughout the continent of Africa. The latter article inquires into the career of jazz bassist Christian Mcbride. Mcbride continues to perform as a mainly jazz musicians within the greater alternative music subculture. He is currently touring jazz bars in the village. In the articles, one can see how different groups of people see music differently, often times based on cultural predispositions. In addition , the desire to explore other cultures has inspired some in an increasingly globally linked world. The articles illustrate the eclectic drawings of different musician genres in musical synthesis, and the validity of alternative art forms.
The two articles that I decided to compare were “War Horse” and “Getting Persona” I felt that both articles reviewed material that are seen as proficient contributions of art. Although the subject matter for the two works of art differ greatly, for example in “War Horse” we are looking at a modern movie made by Stephen Spielberg, a director who is both known for his intensive science fiction movies which are very artistically made, and example would be the movie “ET”. Spielberg’s movie “War Horse” is made using film and many can say that the movie uses a classical style to make it more into a old school movie.”Getting Personal” on the other hand looks at the effectiveness of Renaissance Art and more specifically critiques the exhibition in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition showcases 15th century Renaissance art and can be seen as positive look at the use of different painting styles. In so many respects these paints are made by masters who try their best to fully captivate their audience. These two reviews are similar to common event of when we saw the blend of East and West and we heard the violin mix with the sounds of the sitar. The two types of music blended perfectly just like the art exhibition. And also the same can be said about Spielberg’s movie because it is also a piece of quality art. Classical art would be the unifying theme since Spielberg uses a classical style of film making, the paintings in the Met are Renaissance classics and the violin recital used a majority of its songs from the late 19th century.