This week in NYTimes Arts, 9/26-9/28
What have you found of interest in the NYTimes Arts section? Add your comments to this post. I encourage you to leave multiple comments, and to comment freely on others’ ideas.
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24 comments
Inside Art in the Friday’s NYT was really interesting as it first talked about modern drawing that were going to be auctioned off by a trustee of the Museum of Modern Arts. It was just amazing how much some drawing are worth about 16 artist works totaled to about $15 to $20 million. That’s A LOT of money! It was also ironic that the trustee’s husband was the chief executive of Lehman Brother’s! Another section within that article talked about Picasso’s work that was sought after by Enrico Donati. He managed to get the “Arlequin” for about $12,000 in 1909 and now that work will sell for $30 million. Since Picasso’s works are very rare it’ll be interesting to see how much the two works “Arlequin” and ” Musical Instruments on a Table” will actually be sold for.
Another article was that interesting about “Milton Regained:A Helluva Party” It is a party that will be held to celebrate John Milton’s 400th Birthday. The article talked a little bit about Milton’s life and that one of his most popular work “Paradise Lost” was actually completed when he was blind. His poems were full of visual and descriptive details even though he was blind. I think that really shows how imaginative the human mind could be, some descriptions from his work include “crystal parpets of heaven, with the pendant universe hanging from a golden chain…” Although I’m not even sure what that exactly means (which I will look up after), it sounds really beautiful.
It was very exciting to find out that the Museum of Art and Design is going to reopen tomorrow with its new design at Columbus Circle. The last time I was at Columbus Circle, the building was still under construction. However, I had high hopes for what would become of it. In the article “New Face, Renewed Mission”, Nicolai Ouroussoff, author of the article, compared and contrasted the new building with its original design of the Edward Durell Stone building. This new building was designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture. He decided to keep the “lollipop columns” that were from the original design and added the feature of glass to the design. Ouroussoff criticized it as “meek and lifeless”. He also talked about how the interior was also disappointing by pointing out the how Cloepfil did not successful convey his ideas into the details of the design. However, he did compliment on how the windows allow light to shine in the galleries without using too much space.
It was disappointing to read all the criticisms of the newly renovated building. I, personally think that the building looks amazing, especially in the picture shown in the article that was taken at night time. The design might be no where near perfect in an architect’s point of view, but for an ordinary person like me, I really appreciate the sleek looking design Cloepfil had applied to the building. I am definitely looking forward to visit this museum, not only to see its new renovations but to see all of its galleries and to experience more in the art and design world.
I started to read the article about “Choke” thinking it was a documentary because it talked about the Heimlich maneuver. When I saw it was a movie, I read the article because I thought the plot was interesting. The main character being the son of the Son of God through cloning was such an imaginative idea that it made me want to see the movie. Reading the article I saw the movie was more than just a comedy. It dealt with the main characters relationship with his mother and his search for a father figure. I think the movie will be funny, seeing the main character act in different roles and fake choking each time.
Looking at the title “Students Book Passage to Comedic Ports of Call”, I did not know what the article was going to be about. When I read the article, I was surprised to find out that the show “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” had been running for 5 years. I kind of stopped watching the Disney channel and never really watched shows like “Hannah Montana”. My younger cousin always watches these shows so I randomly watch a few minutes of them. I always thought Zack and Cody were really young. I was surprised to see they were already 16. Reruns confuse me sometimes when I do not know they are reruns.
I was trying to remember who John Milton was as I was reading the article, Milton Regained: A Helluva Party. Then I realized he was the author of “Paradise Lost” I read “Paradise Lost” in high school. It was a deep book that had a theme of religion. The exhibit looks really interesting. I would like to see the part about the tv guide and “Paradise Lost”. I think combining modern inventions and old arts is really unique. It makes you imagine what it would be like if modern inventions were around during the older times.
“Ah, for a Simpler Time, When a Serial Killer Had No Moral Qualms ” is a great article that anyone who enjoys a good drama should read. The article is about “Dexter,” a show about a vigilante who kills those that the law cannot. The show has generated a lot of interest because of the psychological battle he wages on himself, and the science that he must use to keep himself below the radar, while still carrying out these crimes.
The show is described as if it were a work of art. The show’s intro is full of symbolism, and the author even goes as far to compare it to the work of a renowned artist. The subtleties in the dialogue and the manner which he carries himself (not fully elaborated on in the article) show a man who knows he’s doing something wrong and enjoys doing it, yet still manages to escape his moral compass to continue his work. Dexter acts as a superior being, capable of judging who is worthy is living, and who isn’t. He has gone beyond the role of a vigilante; he has taken on the position of God. And as this omniscient, powerful being, he kills for the greater good for humanity; until he realizes he’s murdered someone who wasn’t the culprit. This show is not an ordinary drama/detective show, there is a much deeper analysis of the character that leaves the viewer wanting more. So if you’re up for some drama, with a hint of iniquity, Dexter is the perfect choice.
Well after reading the NY times this weekend, I found an article that brightened my day a little: “More Pirates Ahoy for Johnny Depp”. As you might have extracted from the title of the article, there looks to be yet another sequel to the Pirates of the Caribbean box office hit. This will be the 4th movie of the series. The article didn’t say much more about it, but it didn’t need to. Just knowing there’s going to be another Pirates of the Caribbean was good enough for me.
I also happened to step upon a review of Irena’s Vow: “Hiding Innocents and Keeping Evil at Bay “. The reviewer felt the same way that I did about the play. Wilborn Hampton managed to summarize a lot of the major plot in the play without giving away too much of the ending. He also mentioned how Irena (played by Tovah Feldshuh) used different techniques to give us a look at her inner struggle to keep her vow. If I hadn’t already seen the play, I think the review would have convinced me to watch it.
I also read, “Modern Drawings Head for Auction ” by Carol Vogel. I know that Nancy read the article too. I found it kind of funny that the wife of former CEO of Lehman’s Brothers (Richard S. Fuld Jr.) happens to be selling her Art collection as soon as the financial firm went bankrupt. In the article Kathy says that she was selling the Art before the collapse of Lehman Brother’s, but no one payed notice until now. It made me think that the Art has gained more value because of what happened to Lehman Brother’s and the Fuld family. The 20 million dollar estimated amount that Kathy will be getting for her Art still won’t go toward paying the bills of the house; instead she will be using the funding to explore different, more contemporary, forms of Art that interest her.
Oh I almost forgot. I must have missed the article about Zack and Cody when I was looking at it online, but I had no idea that that show was on for 5 years! My brothers and sister always have it on the TV, and (I’m not going to lie) if they’re not in the room and I see the show on I normally don’t change the channel. I must say, after 5 years of acting, they still look the same age.
The article that caught my attention from the Friday Times is “Hiding Innocents and Keeping Evil at Bay.” I think it is perfect timing for this review to be written on “Irena’s Vow.” I was actually browsing through the top ten articles from the theater section and the name of the play caught my attention. It is amazing how the actress, Tovah Feldshuh can remember so many lines and play the roles of different people as just one person alone. Her acting adjusts so quickly and efficiently to the different situations that it is always convincing and flows throughout the show. Before I went to see the show, I thought there would be a lot of actors and that it would have glamorous props. I couldn’t believe how they were able to get the entire story across with only nine actors, very few props; yet it was just as splendid as a real Broadway show. As the actress Ms. Feldshuh successfully plays the role of Irena because her speeches and facial emotions depict really well a woman who has gone through much suffering earlier on in her life. For instance, her voice quivers naturally when it comes time to express fear that the Jews would be discovered by the Germans. In conclusion I completely agree with the review. Like Walter said, if I had not saw the play already I would definitely go and watch it.
Another article that I read is “A Retrospective of Many Artists, All of Them One Woman.” Catherine Opie is a photographer of landscapes, cityscapes, and architecture. Many of the subjects in her portraits were gay, lesbian, and transgendered in Los Angeles and San Fransisco. Her artwork displays friends and lovers against a solid-color ground. It is interesting how she expresses her feelings towards different sexual topics in the portraits, like how she uses blood and needles to show her anger at the politicians who despise AIDS sufferers. It is also interesting how when you normally think of portraits you think of people posing. However, they also depict how public transportation is not popular in Los Angeles as shown by the abundance of freeways. I never associated portraits before with anything else besides people.
One article that wasn’t too interesting but immediately caught my eye was “”Blonde’ to Close on Broadway.” I was very surprised to learn that after a year and a half, the musical will be closing its doors. Although it wasn’t the greatest movie, I still enjoyed it and I’m glad that I’ll be seeing the show exactly two weeks before it closes so if any of you want to catch it, do it now!
Like Sophia, I also read “Hiding Innnocents and Keeping Evil at Bay.” I read the article because since I saw the show myself, I knew I would be able to relate to it and perhaps see where I agreed or disagreed. Like Sophia said, I was expecting the show to be a grand event with many actors and many props. Even though it wasn’t so glamorous, it still kept my attention and I never fell asleep! I noticed that the writer is very heavy on description and tells the reader much of what happens in the play. As I scrolled down the page, I read one of the reader’s comments. Irene Gut’s daughter commented that the play does justice to her mother and the real story. I was glad to know that unlike many movies that are based on true stories, this play kept to the real events without twisting the details.
Another article I read was “‘Religulous’ Faith Doesn’t Have a Prayer.” “Religulous” is a new movie that will soon be coming out in New York as you may have guessed, it deals with the topic of organized religion but in a not so positive way. Apparently, the director criticizes many religions, in particular, Orthodox Jews. I believe that in this country, everyone has the right to express their opinion so I am completely for this movie, even if I personally don’t care for it. I did find an interesting fact in the article. Surprisingly, only 4 percent of the country describes themselves as atheist or agnostic but out of that, a majority say they still believe in God. WHAT!?! This made no sense to me…interestingly enough, both directors are not atheists themselves. They also directed ‘Borat’ so I’m sure this movie will be just as funny. In addition, instead of interviewing credible religious figures, the directors turned to men who play Jesus at theme parks and members of the Truckers Church, which is pretty amusing if you ask me. However, I know that this movie will receive a lot of criticism and there have already been a great deal of protests.
On the NY Times on Friday, I read the movie review on “Nights in Rodanthe.” Whenever I saw the commercial, I thought it would be a pretty good movie and would match up to “The Notebook.” The critic, Manohla Dargis, didn’t think so. He calls it insulting and a cliché. “Nights in Rodanthe” is a romantic movie that many critics call exhilarating and a “must watch.” I was surprised to read the review and hear that some people may not like the movie at all. I was planning to watch it sometime in the future and I guess I have to in order to have my own opinion on it.
In “New York City, Tear Down These Walls,” Nicolai Ouroussoff proposes an idea of tearing down the old buildings in NY. I completely disagree with this article because I think wrecking all these buildings at once is a very bad idea. Though they are not as beautiful as the other buildings here, they still have their own architectural strengths and are admired by certain people. I think people have different feelings when they look at art, so who is to judge which building is ugly, and which is pretty? In addition, rebuilding these would cost a lot of money, something we don’t have right now.
Another article concerning “The Tale of Desperaux” was also pretty interesting, though depressing. It’s about two directors having a dispute over the credits of developing the movie. This will be a cartoon featuring the popular children’s book about a little mouse with big ears. I think this would be a nice family film to watch. Though I never read the book, I do know it’s about bravery, loyalty, and chivalry, which seems very interesting. Reading this article made me realize how many directors or producers go unnoticed. I love watching movies, but I do admit that I never know which directors created my favorite films. I will try to appreciate their work more.
Finally, reading Walter’s comment made me want to read the article on Irena’s Vow and Johnny Depp. I find the review on Irena’s Vow very descriptive. It’s interesting to read on the newspaper about your own school, especially something you’ve just recently seen. I personally really liked the play. Tovah Feldshuh’s emotions are incredibly touching and expressive. I still recall seeing the actors cry real tears. It was pretty amazing.
Well, the article on Johnny Depp was really short, but like Walter said, it doesn’t have to say much. Pirates 1, 2, and 3 were some of my favorite movies and I look forward to watching the fourth one. I forgot how the third one ended, but I think I saw the sequel coming. Oh and, Johnny makes one good pirate, so go watch him!
In the Sunday paper, I read “The Genius of Little Things.” After we went to the Chelsea galleries, I realized that art is so much more than I had ever imagined. For example, who ever thought that you could make a living from recreating the backs of famous artworks. So when I read this article, I wasn’t surprised but was very intrigued. Tara Donovan uses everyday materials such as plastic cups to create works of art. If you look at the article, it shows one of her works made out of plastic cups, made to resemble clouds. I also think it’s mind-boggling that every time ‘plastic cups’ is shown, it must be freshly built although I can’t imagine why. In her other works, she puts materials together and uses a hammer and chisel to make unique patterns. In one of her works, she uses adding machine tape to create a rippling surface. That’s pretty neat if you ask me.
I also read “Songs of Strength, Sweetness, Soul and Blunt Truths.” This article caught my attention because I’m really big on music. There’s not one day when I don’t listen to my iPOD. In addition, I noticed that the article talked about Robin Thicke, which caught my eye because someone once told me that I look like his wife. Anyway, his new album infuses soul and disco into his typical r&b works. I’m excited to see what that’s like because it seems like a pretty strange mix to me. I’ve listened to Marvin Sapp before so it was interesting to compare my opinion with those of the writer’s. His music definitely calms you down and makes you feel good about life. The article also talks about the notorious Nas. Interestingly enough, he wanted to use a derogatory phrase as the title of his album but released it without a name in fear that certain retailers wouldn’t sell the album. I believe Nas should’ve went with his first instinct because we all have the right to express ourselves and if he wants to shed light on an issue, then go ahead!
By the way, sorry for my awful grammar …
The article “New York City, Tear Down These Walls” was amusing. It was interesting to read someone rant about how they did not like certain buildings in New York City. I have mixed feelings about whether the buildings belong or not. If the buildings had a problem, such as being too small to accommodate the guests, like the JACOB K. JAVITS CONVENTION CENTER, the city should consider changing it. But some of the buildings mentioned in the article, like the Trump was not much different from the buildings surrounding it. As the times change and the style of architecture changes, the buildings would naturally be renovated but sometimes I think some buildings should be left alone to keep a part of the past alive. I found the Verizon building interesting also because I also notice it when I look at the city. I do not know if it is the Verizon logo or the building itself that makes me notice it. I don’t know if I agree with everything in the article, but the article was definitely entertaining.
Reading the article “Making the Band, the Broadway Edition”, I thought that the actors and band members of the musical “13” were amazing. They are all younger than us and yet they are doing something so big. In all the musicals and plays I have seen so far, most of the cast members and musicians were adults. When someone young came out I always thought they were so talented at such a young age. I want to see the musical “13” to see how everything comes together and whether it will be at all different from a musical with adults.
I think Tara Donovan’s works are interesting. It is always fun to observe pieces of art that are made with ordinary objects and the fact that there is a lot of that one thing is different. But I also understand it when people say that something like that is not art. This brings up the question of “what is art?”. Tara Donovan’s works are something that people can debate whether they are art or not because in a way they are just piles of ordinary things. But I think they idea to put ordinary things into different shapes, like the pencils, can make her works art. Diane I also agree that it is really amazing that the plastic cups have to be frshly built and I also thought the cups looked like clouds!
“New York City, Tear Down These Walls” was a fascinating article, especially for someone who isn’t too familiar with architecture. The author blatantly expresses contempt for several buildings, but it’s also clear that he knows this isn’t the time for such unrealistic deconstruction. Reading this was like opening up his mind and diving into a fantasy of his, where the all ugly buildings fall [and are possibly replaced]. There’s a quote that goes “architecture is the public’s art,” and that all the beauty should be lionized, while the eyesores should be destroyed. This article isn’t a proposal for destruction or reconstruction; this article is a harangue.
This is a rant by a man who obviously appreciates architecture, but only good architecture. A connoisseur, if you will, who will not stand the “burdens” that the public has to deal with. Architecture is a different form of art from, for example, painting is in that if the public hates a building, the public still can’t avoid it; where as the painting can be tossed out. So if I were to look at Madison Square Garden and think “wow, this is actually quite ugly;” Nicolai has produced his intended effect: not necessarily to change the city, but to change the minds of the people who inhabit it.
Nicolai is a dreamer; and what he can’t avoid in reality, he will destroy in fantasy.
The article, “Paul Newman, a Magnetic Titan of Hollywood, Is Dead at 83,” talks about the greatest loss of Hollywood. Paul Newman, clearly defined in this article, is a true titan of Hollywood. He is a strikingly handsome actor, a director, a racecar driver, and an entrepreneur. As I was reading the article, I was surprise by his magnificent career. In total, he performed in more than sixty five movies and Broadway shows! Just like any other actors who have eye-catching looks, Paul Newman struggled to received an acknowledgment as an actor. For a while people doubted his acting skills and could not see what he could offer beyond his amazing face. This thought, however, vanished when he played Brick, in the film “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” earning his first Academy Award nomination for best actor.
One aspect of Paul Newman that I found charming is his kindness in giving back to the society. He believes that people should be like the farmer who “puts back into the soil what he takes out.” Ever since the establishment of the Newman’s Own, his company donated more than 200 million dollars to charity. It is a tragedy that we lost someone like Paul Newman to cancer. Paul Newman’s presence overshadows not only our film history, but also our society.
“New York City, Tear Down These Walls” is an interesting article about some of the dreadful buildings in the New York city. I enjoyed reading this article because I personally believe that some of the building should be definitely destroyed in an instant. Our city is filled with tall, slender, and defining buildings, however, some just do not carry those characteristics. I agree with the author’s point on the Madison Square Garden: “it is cramped and decrepit.” I remember when I talked about Madison Square Park located near our school, which by the way is doing an interesting project of building tree houses, my friends thought I was talking about the Garden. Their reaction to the Garden was that the place does not resemble its title. The garden is the mere establishment for another useless reasons. The author then goes ahead by mocking the trump tower as “inhumane.” I never thought of the trump tower in a negative way. But I was never amused by its presence either. The building only stands to glorify Trump’s wealth.
This article was a joy to read. Our economy is practically demolished and I do get annoyed with our city crying out for new building projects. Why not? I ask, why not renovate and remodel what is already made to make our city better? Hopefully an answer to that question will pop up soon.
I read the article “A Warmer, Fuzzier Kind of Serial Killer?”, which is about the show “Dexter”, that is currently airing on Showtime. I have seen many advertisements of the hit show on the subway; those ads usually consist of Dexter and a bloody dead arm touching his head. The ads caught my attention and made me want to try the show but I don’t have cable. According to the article, during the writer’s strike last year, CBS aired the show because it had nothing else to play; therefore, it was available for all of those people who do not purchase cable. On CBS, 7.1 million tuned in to watch the show each week, compared to the 2.4 million who watched it on Showtime.
After reading the article, I learned about the plot of “Dexter”, which is that he is a serial killer, who tries to kill only bad guys. This was very different from what I originally thought the show was about. I thought it was another doctor show like Grey’s Anatomy or House. Well it’s into its 3rd season already and I do not have Showtime so even though I want to watch it, I cannot.
It’s not that my room is painted black and my blinds are bolted shut. I don’t walk around all day with my head bowed low, my eyes constantly transfixed upon the ground. I don’t think about its actual occurrence, but rather its countless implications–I suppose you can say I’m just fascinated by death.
Death is life’s unifying theme. No matter who we are, what we do, how we feel, we all die at some point. The imminence of death is what, in my mind, makes war movies so intriguing. I know that I cried (not really) when Willem Defoe’s character dies at the end of Platoon. I also felt heartbroken (not really) when Ryan was actually saved by Tom Hanks’ character in the aptly named Saving Private Ryan. Up until this point, I had thought that I assembled a strong foundation of my most favorite war movies. Is Spike Lee’s new war drama “Miracle at St. Anna” worth my time?
In his review entitled “Hollywood War, Revised Edition,” A.O. Scott examines how the aforementioned film strays away from the traditional mold of the war drama genre, tackling an aspect of war that has long flew under the radar of filmmakers–the significance of minorities.
The author has conflicting views about the film–“‘Miracle at St. Anna’ is occasionally corny and didactic,” he proclaims, citing the fact that there are numerous breaks in the story for long-winded monologues and dialogues that discuss, quite bluntly, racial prejudices. I’m personally a huge fan of such monologues–Matthew Broderick’s numerous monologues in Glory were powerfully placed and very moving. It is my personal belief that the effectiveness of a monologue is a result of its strategic placement in the film. The author claims that the traditional use of such monologues is used to emphasize the irony in our own country’s blaring racial intolerance–in this aspect, the author is most certainly right.
The author’s biggest gripe against the film, however, is its confusing and at times convoluted story. According to the reviewer, there are three stories being told at the same time, each from a different perspective–two of the stories are encased by an encompassing third story. I think that this format of story-telling is not only inefficient, but enough to discourage some from seeing the film altogether. However, when a film manages to pull off multiple perspectives, this technique can be very powerful in reinforcing the underlying theme (which, in Spike Lee’s film, is racial intolerance.)
I thought the review was masterfully written. I think that the author’s arguments were credible and had a sufficient factual basis. My preference for war films will most likely lead me to the theater to see Spike Lee’s new film.
I’m not an idealistic person. Thus, I do not live an idealistic life. I come home every day and march up the stairs to my apartment, all the while completely ignoring my sister and my grandmother. Generally, I stay holed up in my room for the remainder of the night, and everyone generally leaves me alone. I feel at times that I’ve become a hermit in my own home, surrounded by people who “love” me, yet so easily and so irrationally pick 6-month long fights.
So then I ask myself: What does it mean to have a dysfunctional family? Does not having a dad make me some sort of oddity? Is my poor communication (or lack thereof) my fault or my mother’s? What powers do I possess that could somehow ameliorate the situation?
“A Family That Gets Together Falls Apart,” written by Jason Zinoman, is a satirically titled review of a play called “Close Ties.” The play, according to Zinoman, deals with an aristocratic family that is fundamentally dysfunctional.
Being able to relate to the play’s subject matter firsthand, I found its premise somewhat intriguing. My family is certainly not aristocratic by any means, but the way the author describes the grandmother character as someone “who talks to herself in a language from another time (“pish-tosh”) and frequently forgets whom she’s talking to,” I immediately drew parallels between my life and the play. My grandmother frequently calls me by my uncle’s name, despite my feeble repeated attempts to correct her.
“It isn’t just her mind that’s leaving her; it’s also the culture she grew up in,” says the author, perfectly epitomizing the typical struggles that families are forced to overcome. Different eras and different lifestyles are what makes us unique and different–it is the acceptance of these differences that simply does not trickle down from one generation to the generation that succeeds it.
The reviewer criticizes the chemistry between the principle actors, claiming that such a chemistry is necessary to give backing to the on-screen arguments. Without such, dialogue seems empty and drawn out.
The article was too short to have sufficiently covered reviewing the play. The author doesn’t speak of stage setting or lighting, but instead chooses to focus primarily on the acting and its flaws. While this approach might appeal to many, I would have liked a more thorough review from the prestigious New York Times. I’d still see the play though, based solely on its subject matter.
For the Sunday Times I read “New York City, Tear Down These Walls.” I agree with the author of the article. Some buildings in New York City cause you to stare in amazement because they just glorify the surroundings. Others you just wish were not there and just look to rush past them in a hurry. No matter how bad the buildings are, they should be remodeled to match the surrounding skyscrapers and should not be demolished with a wrecking ball. It would take more money to build a new building from scratch than to simply create a new outward appearance from what is already there. Although I agree with the author of how certain buildings are completely ugly, I think it is impractical to go on and construct new buildings. You cannot find perfection everywhere in a city or you would spend lots of money constructing new buildings to replace ones that you think are ugly. Some of them are workplaces, like the Metlife building, and I do not really think outward appearance is all that important for practical purposes.
From the Sunday NYT I thought “Paramount Steps Up to Contest for Oscars”. As I reading the article the author Scott Fitzgerald caught my attention because I really liked one of his books, “The Great Gatsby”. They are going to be making one of his books into a movie. It’s about the character Benjamin Button who is born 70 years old and continues to grow younger and younger until he turns into an infant. The character is played by Brad Pitt! That’s going to be really interesting to see him really old looking. I think this sounds really interesting because I’ve never heard of plot like that. I hope to be able to watch it when it comes out. I do wonder if its going to be a serious or comedy.
I would also like to comment on Sophia’s post. I completely agree that that knocking a whole building down and building it again it impractical. Also not to mention we’re wasting resources AGAIN! Simply changing the outside appearance will be better for everyone instead of destroying the whole building. I think I’ve actually seen a building like that. During the Christmas season, this really tall skyscraper would make everything green outside. I forgot which building it was but maybe Metlife can think of something without having to destroy the building
Michael Cera from “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”, “Superbad” and “Juno” is becoming an unlikely sex figure?
Michael Cera is becoming famous and popular way too fast and he isn’t sure whether or not he wants this to happen to him. He is still so young, and his personality is totally opposite of how he is portrayed in the movies. He wants to take things slow and make sure about what he wants to do for his future. He isn’t sure if this is the right path he wants to take.
Being a celebrity is hard. People don’t really see you for who you are, but think you are who is portrayed. That is why if someone sees a celebrity who they thought to be kind say something “wrong”, they will be ridiculed. I actually have one friend who is a celebrity, and she is having the same problem. Of course, shes probably happy, but its hard to be who you are when people see you for other people.
I try to understand how Michael Cera feels, and I can kind of understand. I think he is a smart person taking things slowly. I am surprised that he isn’t someone who just goes for money, but instead he thinks about where his life is heading (or the bigger picture).
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” seems very VERY very interesting. I went to the movie theaters the other day to watch “Eagle Eye” (which was okay), and I saw the previews for this movie. And now its in the New York Times.
It is about a story which happened during World War I. This movie is going to be very graphical. The main plot of the story is about a young boy, who looks very old, like a grandfather. As he grows older, his appearance seems to get younger. At first, I was thinking to myself, “This is the stupidest movie I have ever seen”. But after a caption appeared, I was pretty interested in the movie. Although I don’t remember the caption word for word, it said something along the lines of, “You wont know life until you live through it backwards.”
This movie was recognized by a man named Ray Stark, who died at the age of 88. He was known for looking both forward and backwards. Well, I’m pretty psyched and can’t wait until this movie comes out. I just hope i’m not being over-zealous and hope i’ll still be interested when it comes out.=)
On a trip to Washington D.C. a few years ago, I visited the Smithsonian Museum and got to see a few of the space exhibits but due to bad timing, I never got around to seeing other parts of the museum. Just this past week, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History opened the Sant Ocean Hall, the biggest transformation of a major exhibition space and also the largest renovation process the museum has ever undergone. The whole hall pays heed to 71% of our Earth’s surface, giving viewers the experience of being submerged in a humongous aquarium. The hall’s predecessor was focused on ” non-Western ethnography and the American Indian”, ranging from dinosaurs to old totem poles. This D.C. exhibit also bears similarities to its NYC counterpart with the 45 foot whale that hangs above the exhibit. The most prominent theme from the exhibit is the idea of the unknown: what humanity has accomplished or created matters not because in this watery world, we are dwarfed by the complexity and immensity of the ocean. In the three major halls of the museum, they present mammals, dinosaurs and now the ocean, all parts devoted to our natural world. These kind of ocean “shows” just remind us of all the things beyond our knowledge.
I was finally able to read the 9/26 review of ‘Equus’ this weekend. Personally, I’ve never had much interest in the play before — I only knew that it had been popular in England and had Daniel Radcliffe in it. But after my friend read the play and later attended the September 5 preview (and I know for a fact he is not a Harry Potter/Daniel Radcliffe fan, yet he decided to get tickets 3 months in advance), I saw the article and decided I wanted to know a little more on what this renowned play is all about.
I thought that the New York Times review “In The Darkness of the Stable” was quite insightful. Not only did it give me a general idea of what the play was about, but also a good idea as to why my friend liked it so much (even though the author had more reservations about the play than my friend did). Unlike some other reviews, it gives impressions on the whole of the contents of the play, not just Daniel Radcliffe’s performance (as others have done…). While it doesn’t exactly sound like the kind of play that I would personally be interested in seeing, I think it’s a good change-up from the kind of media that’s popular these days. I think that many popular movies and Broadway musicals don’t always touch upon the same kind of meaningful themes that plays approach with much less trepidation. And having a play that not only makes you think, but draws even more than the normal play-watching theatergoing audience? All the better, I think.
I also read the article “New York City, Tear Down These Walls ,” and I don’t think buildings should be torn down just for being “ugly”. A lot of those buildings have a unique, if not exactly important, spot in our city’s history, and they should be left alone as memories of the past. It was however, an interesting article, especially since I don’t think people even really notice buildings that much.
Explaining That Most Remarkable Structure ” also caught my attention; it was a review of a recent book by David Macaulay, titled “The Way We Work”. The illustrated novel is a travelogue through the human body, with descriptions of all parts of the human body. Readers, or “tourists” can travel through the body (ex. they can visit the nasal cavity like “Maid of the Mist passengers at Niagara Falls”). The book definitely seems interesting, it must have taken ages to compile all the information together and then present it in a fun, interactive way so that the book does not end up looking like a high school biology textbook. So, while it is a children’s book, I plan on checking it out when it gets released.
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