NYTimes Arts is coming to a close. 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. Make it a good one–it’s the last one.
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“Life Is Grim, and Then Things Tend to Get a Lot Worse” and “A Setting, and Score, Befitting a Thoroughbred” are two articles written in this weekend’s New York Times Arts section which contrast the mainstream and the off-piste; a theme we have explored in our tour of culture this semester. “A Setting, and Score, Befitting a Thoroughbred,” covers the premier of the movie “War Horse” directed by famed film director Steven Spielberg. The movie is considered a standard hollywood darling with a large budget backing the production, and several high-profile hollywood players adding credits to the project including composer John Williams. The Upper West Side’s Lincoln Center played host to the world premier.The audience was largely composed of whom would be considered members of the entertainment “intelligentsia.” Among those seated during the performance were celebrated director Doug Liman, Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt, and actor Adrian Brody. The premier was located in the same venue where our class saw a production of Mozart’s lauded opera “Don Giovanni.” The opera has come to be seen by many as the epitome of classical culture. While not trying to discredit either Mr. Spielberg’s “War Horse,” and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” these are examples of traditional notions of culture and class. “Life Is Grim, and Then Things Tend to Get a Lot Worse” is a review of the prevention of short plays by Ethan Coen in the Peter Northan Space; a small venue theatre. Mr. Coen is known for his off-kilter humor and odd hallucinatory visuals in his films. His works are rarely viewed as mainstream and often involve avant-garde and nuanced techniques to convey themes. The presentation of his short plays allowed me to reflect on our class’s attendance to a production by musician Daniel Hope. In the performance, Mr. Hope combined elements from eastern and western music. This non-traditional approach produced something entirely new and unique. This year’s cultural events featured performance from wide range of the cultural spectrum. While some were rather mainstream and conventional such as the “Don Giovanni” production, others were rather avant-garde and unconventional such as Mr. Hope’s recital and John Malkovitch’s performance at BAM. The year demonstrated that both mainstream and off-kilter events all merit some cultural significance.
In article, “Chipper Remnants of a Life Turned Sour,” Jon Pareles discusses Amy Winehouse’s posthumous collection album, “Lioness: Hidden Treasures.” Pareles implies that there is more to be desired in this particular album and says that, “Lioness is just the scraps of what might have been.” In another article, “That Wish for a BB Gun, Set to Song and Dance,” Erik Pepenburg talks about the recent hit of a Christmas musical, “A Christmas Story.” The musical “has been turned into a $5 million musical.” Both articles remind me the subway performance I have witnessed at the Canal Street Station where a man was playing the erhu. Although Pareles has a less than positive review of Amy Winehouse’s last album, Pareles neglects that Amy Winehouse’s music has still made a lasting impact in many people’s lives. Her power is such that Pareles is still writing about her music even after she died. On the other hand, the musical, “A Christmas story,” is so entertaining that it has generated $5 million dollars. The musical probably had left a lot of smiles on many audience members faces, putting them into the holiday spirit. When I heard the man playing the erhu in the subway, I was also moved by the nostalgia and wistfulness his music managed to convey. What I see from these two articles and the event I attended is music’s power to move people to feel different emotions-anger, disappointment, distaste, sadness, happiness, etc. Music brings us into a whole new world and without it, our lives would be much more boring and dull.
Is it possible to deal with intense, age specific themes on screen while keeping it relatively clean off-screen? In “Only One Thing On His Mind” by A.O. Scott the new film “Shame” is reviewed. The film was recently awarded an NC-17 rating due to its strong sexual content. The story deals with actor Michael Fassbender’s addiction to sex. While director Steve McQueen aims to highlight the more overarching theme of addiction as a whole and its societal repercussions, it’s difficult to do without showing some skin. Dave Itzkoff comments on a similar conflict of inappropriate screen imagery in his recent article ‘Human Centipede’ Sequel Is Banned Again, This Time in Australia.” David Six’s new film “Human Centipede 2” was just banned in Australia for its “gratuitous, exploitative and offensive depictions of violence.” Is it possible for Six to convey his cinematic message without hurting his viewership? This conflict reminds me of “The Infernal Comedy” a story about a serial killer. The production that we saw wasn’t violent, or at least didn’t seem to be from sixty rows up. I wonder if Six or McQueen could learn a lesson from director Michael Sturmingers technique.
“Behind the Camera, but Still the Star” tells us about Angelina Jolie’s directing experience. As it says, the actress drew her interest from political issues. That made me remember the performance of “The Sonnet Man”, who drew his from the need to remind people of SHakespeare and make his works easier to understand for the general audience (which may be interested in such great writers after). While Jolie wasn’t politically aware of the war when it started, she had 10 years to change her opinion to the one of now. The sonnet man did it much faster – he finished college just recently. Meanwhile, people standing behind the renaming of Miami museum in “Resisting Renaming Of Miami Museum” don’t seem to change their minds about that: Jorge M. Pérez (in honor of whom the institution is likely to be freshly named) donated whole $35 million! In fact, renaming in honor of generous and chubby-with-money people has become a trend in Miami (I would argue that it’s not the matter of one region, huh). People want be remembered, so why not help a place and also achieve the goal? So, that’s an easy way to get famous (provided you’re not afraid of being robbed several days later): people name stars, benches, asphalt (hey, Hollywood), and now museums. Somewhat legal way of scrawling one’s name on a tree or a classroom board. But wait a minute, what am I saying? Am I not the student of the Baruch college? Indeed, I am. And so I will get my silence together.
In “Even Before Off Broadway Opening, ‘Once’ Announces a Move to Broadway” and “Behind the Camera, but Still the Star”, both articles reveal new steps that are being taken that are unusual in a sense. The musical show, ‘Once’, is going to be put directly onto Broadway before any Off Broadway reviews were published. This is peculiar and very rare. Likewise, in the latter article, Angelina Jolie, a well-known actress, decided to direct her own movie. However, nowadays, stepping outside the lines and thinking outside the box is what gets people places. The public does not have a very long attention span and gets bored extremely easily. As a result, entertainment needs to constantly be changing and coming up with the unconventional. This is very much like one event I went to which was an improvisational show at a venue called The Pit. Improvisation is always a success because it’s so unconventional, done right on the spot. I’m sure the producers of the musical ‘Once’, as well as Angelina Jolie, were both improvising a bit when they decided to do what they did. Being in the entertainment business requires the confidence to conjure up something and showcase it to the audience.
The article “Fleet Fingers Illustrating Eclectic Influences on Composers From Bach to Ligeti” focuses on Jeremy Denk’s recital of several pieces by famous composers at the 92nd Street Y. According to the review, Denk added an improvisatory flair to each piece and chose ones that were more infrequently performed. This performance was at the 92nd Street Y, which reminded me of the performance we went to there, East Meets West. The performance was unusual, as a popular western instrument, the violin, was paired up with a famous eastern one, the sitar. This event is similar to another unusual collaboration, Angelina Jolie and directing. In the article, “Behind the Camera, but Still the Star,” Angelina Jolie’s first attempt at directing a movie is in the form of “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” a film about the Bosnian War of the 1990s. People generally see Angelina as an actress, not a director; this new role for her may come as very unusual to some.
The articles “Behind the Camera, but Still the Star” and “Obsession, Reignited” both talk about the directorial side of the creative process. The first article talks about actress Angelina Jolie’s foray into directing, with her first directorial debut with the film ‘In the Land of Blood and Honey’. The article talks about how she has wanted to make a film about world issues and policies for a while and that it’s only because of her star power that she is able to make a film that is completely her vision. The second article is also about a a more renowned director, David Fincher and his latest film, ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’. The article mentions how Fincher has also lent his own vision to the work, and although not an original production like Jolie’s, he did venture away from the novel a bit, changing the ending for example, as well as portraying some of the main characters a bit differently. These article about the directors of major works made me think back at some of the performances we’ve seen over the course of this semester, specifically ‘Don Giovanni’ and ‘The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer’. I wonder how much say the directors of both the works had in the way things were portrayed. In the case of ‘The Infernal Comedy’, which as far as I know is an original work, which parallels the article about Angelina Jolie, and I wonder how much say the director had and whether it would have been any different had their been a different one. In the case of ‘Don Giovanni’, however, which is a classic piece, the directorial role parallels that of David Fincher. I wonder how much if at all, the performance we saw strayed from the original story and production of the work as well as others before it and how much the director had to do with those changes. Directors roles, although important, are often overlooked in how the story is portrayed and these articles made me think back and wonder how much of an influence they had in the works we saw throughout this eventful semester.
The articles “David Fincher Directs The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” and “Angelina’s First Directing Effort is Serious” reminded me of the Phantom of the Opera convert I saw in that the first article about Girl with the Dragon Tattoo put a big emphasis on the casting go relative newcomer Rooney Mara. The director commented that he received a lot of criticism for his choice of casting even though he felt, as an artist, that she was the perfect choice for the role. In the second article, Angelina Jolie tackles directing her first movie. She also faces some opposition mainly because the subject matter is controversial to some people. A similar thing happened with Andrew Lloyd Webber, the composer of Phantom of the Opera. Fans of the show were angry with him for not chosen to cast an actress that had done the role in London before, even though Sierra Boggess is no stranger to performing Christine in several Phantom productions herself. Ramin Karimloo was also a controversial choice because many people felt that he was chosen for his looks and popularity rather than actual performing ability. Many fans also think that Webber has no right to play such an important role in adapting the production because he only understands the musical aspects of the show; critics have the same concern about Angelina Jolie since she has spent more time on the other side of the camera.
In the article “Fleet Flingers Illustrating Electric Influences on Composers From Bach to Ligeti,” Vivien Schweitzer talks about the recital by pianist Jeremy Denk who performed a thoughtful interpretation of “The Alcotts.” His combination of composers, such as Bach, Beethoven, Ligeti and Ives, is a very unusual thing to do. She goes on to review the specific pieces that Mr. Dent plays and the possible reasons for why he incorporated them in his recital. In the article “Obsession, Reignited,” Charles McGrath talks about the upcoming movie version of Stieg Larsson’s “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” The director of this movie, David Fincher, is afraid that because the movie does not follow exactly what was said in the book, avid readers who believe in the book as religious will not appreciate the movie. He goes on to talking about the movie and the different changes made to the book and the various roles of the characters. These articles remind me of the “East Meets West” performance at the 92nd Street Y because the performance was also a combination of different cultures of music and different instruments. The performance was better than I had expected it to be so, similar to the “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” I had mixed feelings about the performance at first, but after hearing to it, I was amazed with the talent of the musicians.
The articles I chose to use are “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts Guns-n-Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Beastie Boys” and “David Fincher’s Embargo Solution” with my experience of the Yellowcard performance. So when I read the article about the inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame I saw that the voters included critics and this bothered me a lot. I don’t really like critics. Mainly because they always focus on the negative parts of the art and can never just enjoy the positive, there always has to be something wrong. So, I connected this to David Fincher who was agreeing with a critic who lied and released a review before he was supposed to. I normally am all for breaking rules and beating the system but the guy gave his word and I don’t like it when people go back on their word. That’s why I like being my own critic. Truthfully, I never understood the point of a critic, someone who tells other people whether something is good or not they basically think for others. Now call me crazy, but I like to have my own opinion of things this is why when I went to the Yellowcard concert and I had an awesome time I didn’t then go home and see if a critic agreed with me that it was good I had my opinion. Relating this back to the hall of fame inductees I dont think critics should have a special right to vote, all professionals and all people should have the right because the bands don’t make music to appease a critic they do it because they love it and for their fans. In closing, I’d like to see that while other opinions are sometimes important it’s up to every person to take on the responsibility of making their own opinions about the art and not just listen to critics or follow their words blindly.
In the articles “Obsession, Reignited” by Charles McGrath and “Behind the Camera, but Still the Star” by Larry Rohter David Fincher and Angelina Jolie both take unconventional approaches to directing new films. Fincher is the director behind the movie “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” who is based on the best selling book. Fincher is a director who is experienced with the subject matters of solving crimes and obsession. With this being said, Fincher has high expectations from the eight million fans who read the novel. Being that the novel is so popular, Fincher is in a difficult position in regards to editing the book to fit along side the movie. So far Fincher announced that he will be changing the novel’s ending for the movies purpose. With having a opportunity to direct a major motion film comes draw backs because it is very difficult for the director to edit the novel and maintain the interest of the fans. Similarly, Angelina Jolie is also directing a movie titled “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” which is about the Civil war in Bosnia. Jolie has a reputation as an actress, but she is also very much involved in social issues around the world and is an ambassador in the United Nations. Since Jolie is switching into the more respectable field of directing she faces some ridicule because she is an actress. However, Jolie is clearly talented because she helped write, direct and film the movie and Christiane Amanpour of ABC called her film “remarkable and courageous.”Both of these articles reminded me of the Infernal Comedy Show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music because it is strange to hear that a murderer is an author, there are negative connotations that society associates with being a murderer that it becomes hard to imagine that he could also be a best selling author.
In Larry Rohter’s feature article entitled “Behind the Camera, but Still the Star”, the focus is on Angelina Jolie’s directing pursuits. Her directorial debut will be about an almost forgotten time in recent history: the war in the Balkans. The film is entitled “In the Land of Blood and Honey” (interesting fact: bal translates to honey, and kan translated to blood). It will be a fictional drama but also a historically accurate portrayal of the savagery that went on in Bosnia and Croatia. Critics have praised Jolie’s efforts, and as the title of the article suggests, Jolie is still a star behind the camera. In another feature article entitled “Obsession, Reignited” by Charles McGrath, an upcoming movie is discussed. David Fincher’s cinematic reinterpretation of the novel “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is said to be an enlarged and more introspective view of the main character, Lisibeth Salander. Fincher is the director of movies such as “Fight Club” and “The Social Network”, so quality and power is expected from him in this upcoming film. I can compare both articles to John Malkovich’s performance in “The Infernal Comedy” (although I feel like I always make that comparison). Malkovich is an extremely talented actor both on the stage and in films, just as Jolie is proving to be a talented director and Fincher is further strengthening his directing portfolio.
The parallel that I’m drawing today, is how art can sometimes take people outside of their comfort zones. Like when I first experienced the “Infernal Comedy” –which might I add, I have never seen anything like it–these two articles talk about people going out of their comfort zones and trying something new. In the article “Jonah Hill’s Expanding Comfort Zone,” writer Dave Itzkoff explains how Jonah Hill’s performance in his new movie “The Sitter” one of the most poignant and heartfelt of his career. As opposed to his regular slapstick comedic roles, some of the scenes he shot in “The Sitter’ were so raw and realistic to the point that the director thought they might be inappropriate for his comedy. Moreover, Itzkoff also describes the recent changes in Jonah Hill’s career, which include his performance in the movie “Moneyball.” Jonah attributed his recent changes (including his loss of weight) to the fact that you can’t ” continue to play funny young immature men for long” and that “you can’t be post-collegiate forever.”
Another Art-article that describes a change that may fall outside some people’s comfort zones is “At Top Public Schools, the Arts Replace Recess.” The article describes how recess is being replaced with extra art classes in school. This reminds me of how people in our class said that art is educational and it seems that it is being looked as such more now then ever. The idea of art instead of recess is fairly new and for some very controversial. I for one think its great that kids in these schools will get more involved in the arts. But I have to ask myself, can’t kids have both art AND recess?
This week I drew a connection between my visit to the International Center of Photography as well as two articles, one titled “A Moment in the Sun for Television”, the other titled “Leo Friedman, Photographer of Broadway’s Glamour Years, Dies at 92”. When I visited the International Center of Photography, I was amazed by one exhibit that included many photographs from a magazine called Bazaar. The artist had taken photos of a variety of famous people, including Lady Gaga and many other mainstream artists. I had never really paid much attention to photographs from magazines and not considered them to be “art” until I visited this museum and was able to get a close look at the great work that goes into the production of a magazine and the photos taken for such purposes. This exhibit reminded me of the article discussing Leo Friedman, who has taken photos for Broadway. It was interesting to read this article as prior to it, I had not considered the art or craft of photographing Broadway actors and shows. My visit to the museum, as well as reading this article, made me realize the wide variety of branches of photography there are. After reading the article titled “A Moment in the Sun for Television”, and learning about the predicted increase in use of TV ads, I realized that the future for magazine ads and print photography in general might not remain as popular as TV’s success continues to grow.
We as media consumers have gotten used to having things we listen to, read, and watch, be close to perfect. This is because our experience is almost always through a medium, whether this is through your iPod, an online article, or a television show. But what happens when we experience some of these things in there unaltered state, live? Reactions tend to vary greatly. In the article ‘Finally Taking the Stage, Direct from the Internet’, we learn of a review of Lana Del Rey’s first live concert at the Bowery Ballroom. Del Rey has become an internet sensation, and many, including myself, enjoy her music. Even so, the review sheds a light on Del Rey that is not very flattering, and critiques her live music as greatly sub par. The article ‘Happy Little Bluebirds May Fly, but Jody and Mom Just Crashed and Burned’ tells of a show that, while not as spectacular as anticipated, is not terrible. The story of Judy Garland has been told countless times, and many times it has been a success, especially on television. Even so, the author praises the lead, but reviews the play overall as rather average. Contrary to the two articles, seeing The Daily Show with Jon Stewart live exceed the experience one can have every day in front of the television. The experience was amazing and made me wish I could see all of his shows live. In a society where the unadulterated version is consistently worse than the overly-edited-to-the-point-of-being-almost-fake is the norm, Jon Stewart is a exception to the standard.
The event that I connected with the two articles “X-Factor Watch its still a toss up” and ” Varieties of ‘Messiah’: Smooth and Mild or Piercing With Male Altos” is the event when we went to see Don Giovanni. Don Giovanni was an exceptional performance and the opera was filled with talented singers who had amazing ranges from the teners to the baratons. The article “Varieties of Messiah” looks at just that as the singers are evaluated for their signature singing styles and exactly how successful they are. Overall the article is quite scrutinizing because these singers are evaluated harshly and even though that is the job of the critic they should be cut some slack because in actuality singing in front of a stage is a nerve racking experience especially for amateurs such can be found in the X Factor article.
After all it is one thing to sing professionally and have all the practice one needs to do a good job whereas many of the contestants on the X Factor are amateurs and therefore lack the necessary professionalism to do well in such a environment. The X Factor, I feel is a rip off of American Idol and such talent shows are becoming a bore what was all the fad in the early 2000’s is definitely waning away and the article when compared to the “Varieties of a Messiah..” we see that art as become more pop and less classical.