Well, hello there, almost-free weekend! Long time, no see! I thought you were going to be MIA for the semester.
Also, as of last Sunday, I'm sick again. But this cold is one of those "why-can't-every-cold-be-like-this" colds: it's an extremely mild one. Mild sore throat, I only started sniffling a few days into it and said sniffles are all but gone now, a handful of coughs every now and then... Even the sneezes are mild.
Monday: A working class. I got most of my project done for Reconfigured Image.
That evening, I watched the NY Times' video of Obama's inauguration. If you haven't read/heard his speech, please do! Sounds like the Obama I (and many people) got excited about in '08, and I'm glad to hear that sort of tone from him again.
Tuesday: I spent the day reading and writing for Writing for the Arts and Obsolescence.
SUNSCAD had called an emergency, extremely important GA for that evening, which I went to. The manifesto had been edited for the final time, and we needed to pass it. FUNSCAD had already stated their approval of the manifesto. And... It passed--to the sound of applause. I then headed off to the movie theatre to see Les Misérables. As I watched the students' fight on the big screen, I couldn't help but think about our own (nonviolent) struggles at NSCAD. You can read my review here--and you can read SUNSCAD's manifesto here.
Wednesday: I spent the day doing homework.
Class was devoted to discussing our ideas for our projects.
Thursday: I went to school early so that I could proofread and print my focus paper for Obsolescence, and the gallery review and the rest of the citations for Writing for the Arts.
The latter half of class was a working class, and I ended up finishing my project and printing it out.
That day, the NSCAD Board of Governors met. When the manifesto came up in the meeting, the students were there to read parts of it aloud and to put some major pressure on the BoG (which is decidedly not in solidarity with the struggles of SUNSCAD or FUNSCAD, and is extremely out-of-touch with our needs and desires) to vote in favour of it. As expected, they didn't, and "half the BoG left almost immediately (including chair and NSCAD interim president) and remaining BoG tried to guilt students for taking direct action" according to Alani Caruso-Fitterer (SUNSCAD's VP Cultural). Because of my class that afternoon, I didn't attend the action--but I supported it. The next day SUNSCAD put out a press release, which you can read here. You can also see photos from the action here and here.
Friday: When writing my blog posts, Obsolescence is always a difficult course to write about. We discuss the week's readings, five of the students present stuff that they've found that's related to the readings and I try to wake up (a 7:30 AM/6:30 EST wake-up call is a bit too early for me, especially on days when the windchill dips to -25˚C/-13˚F). This week was no different, except for the fact that we handed in our focus essays and this week was my turn to present. In one of the readings the author talked about the fact that back in the early days of digital cameras, the cameras didn't look like their SLR cousins--and I couldn't help but think about the fact that my first digital camera was one of them. I pulled up the DPReview page for that camera (a Nikon CoolPix 995) and also showed a couple of photos that I took with the camera within a few months of getting it. I also talked about the QuickTake, which was a digital camera by Apple (as in computers). That camera was, in some ways, similar to a film camera in that you couldn't see the photos until you downloaded them. The camera was mentioned in one of the readings and me being me, I stopped what I was doing and googled it.
Rebecca Young visited and gave us another rundown of the university's resources, and Anna did a workshop on semiotics.
Saturday: Because I had very little homework (nothing for Reconfigured Image, work on the cover for Graphics, nothing but the usual readings for Obsolescence and the weekly journal entry and starting research for a presentation that I have to do in about a month for Writing), I spent much of the day being lazy, though I did get some stuff done. After two weekends of working my butt off to the point that I'm surprised that it's still there, I have to admit that I'm used to the stress, and my brain couldn't quite process the lack of stuff to do. Which meant that I felt a bit guilty about taking most of a day off.
Sunday: A mix of work and fun. And more work.
This weekend the BSO took on Mahler's fourth symphony (as well as Bach's Brandenberg Concerto No. 3 and Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate). I came across an article about the concert yesterday on the orchestra's Facebook page, and it got me really excited for the BSO, and made me fall in love with the orchestra all over again. This is why I'm a fan, and have been for eight years (nine in May). Well, that and the fact that the musicians are so awesome--especially the violinists.
Showing posts with label Les Misérables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Les Misérables. Show all posts
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Les Misérables
First things first, I loved the movie. It's well-acted and well-sung. Unlike Mama Mia!, there weren't any truly bad singers.
However, the orchestration was very different from the stage production (I have the tenth and twenty-fifth anniversary concerts on VHS and DVD, respectively), and because I'm used to the stage version it threw me off. But once I got used to the orchestration, I ended up liking it. The movie's orchestration works as well as that of the stage production. Also (and this is what really drove me nuts), they cut some lines from the libretto. The first one I noticed was "Drink from the pool. How clean the taste / Never forget the years, the waste. / Nor forgive them, for what they've done. / They are the guilty, everyone." (Sung by Valjean.) That was closely followed by skipping "You'll have to go / I'll pay you off for the day / Collect your bits and pieces there / And be on your way.
"You've given me half / What the other men get! / This handful of tin / Wouldn't buy my sweat!
"You broke the law / It's there for people to see / Why should you get the same / As honest men like me?" That part was whittled down to Valjean asking for work and being turned away during an instrumental part (while I filled in the lyrics in my head). There were several other cuts throughout the movie, and while most of them were smooth, the lines "Don't think about it, Marius. / With all the years ahead of us! / I will never go away / And we will be together / Every day." which immediately followed "Every day / You walk with stronger step / You walk with longer step / The worst is over" didn't exactly fit: what exactly is Cosette telling Marius not to think about? I know he's wondering who brought him out of the barricades, but that fact isn't clear enough.
Moviegoers were divided over whether or not Sacha Baron Cohen's accent-switching during Master of the House worked/was necessary. I liked it, as that's the kind of guy Thenardier is: he'll pretend to be one thing when he's really another. Russel Crowe was criticized as someone who can't sing, but while he isn't exactly Philip Quast, I'd prefer Russel's singing over Pierce Brosnin's performance in Mama Mia!.
But the movie did something the stage performances didn't: it cleared up for me Éponine's back story. Neither the 10th anniversary nor the 25th anniversary performances make mention of the fact that she is the Thenardiers' daughter--except for the fact that she joins M. Thenardier's gang when she's older. I'd first stumbled across that fact when I scrolled through the libretto, and it was nice to see that part of the story cleared up.
The fact that everything was sung live added to the movie in a major way. Singing live meant that the actors could experiment, that they didn't have to make their acting decisions months in advance. And because it wasn't a stage production, they didn't have to sing everything loud. It meant that, for example, Hugh Jackman could whisper the Soliloquy, which he did.
Seeing Les Mis acted out brought it to life, and I gained a new appreciation for the characters, especially the student rebels. The story felt more real in the movie than it did in the stage performances, and it sucked me in. The battle scenes were more heartbreaking than your average movie battle scene. But while they were upsetting, I appreciated that fact: the rebels were young people, some only kids, and Marius and Valjean were the only survivors of the barricades. It was like listening to La Bohème, which never fails to turn me into a sobbing mess by the end. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables was especially heartbreaking.
And yes, I cried--several times. The first was when the first notes of the Work Song boomed out of the speakers (yay, surround-sound). This was what I'd been waiting for since '96!
I also lip-synced most of it, especially Do You Hear the People Sing?.
At the end, the audience applauded. Yes, really. This is something I've only witnessed during Met Opera simulcasts.
My life is now complete.
4.5 out of 5.
However, the orchestration was very different from the stage production (I have the tenth and twenty-fifth anniversary concerts on VHS and DVD, respectively), and because I'm used to the stage version it threw me off. But once I got used to the orchestration, I ended up liking it. The movie's orchestration works as well as that of the stage production. Also (and this is what really drove me nuts), they cut some lines from the libretto. The first one I noticed was "Drink from the pool. How clean the taste / Never forget the years, the waste. / Nor forgive them, for what they've done. / They are the guilty, everyone." (Sung by Valjean.) That was closely followed by skipping "You'll have to go / I'll pay you off for the day / Collect your bits and pieces there / And be on your way.
"You've given me half / What the other men get! / This handful of tin / Wouldn't buy my sweat!
"You broke the law / It's there for people to see / Why should you get the same / As honest men like me?" That part was whittled down to Valjean asking for work and being turned away during an instrumental part (while I filled in the lyrics in my head). There were several other cuts throughout the movie, and while most of them were smooth, the lines "Don't think about it, Marius. / With all the years ahead of us! / I will never go away / And we will be together / Every day." which immediately followed "Every day / You walk with stronger step / You walk with longer step / The worst is over" didn't exactly fit: what exactly is Cosette telling Marius not to think about? I know he's wondering who brought him out of the barricades, but that fact isn't clear enough.
Moviegoers were divided over whether or not Sacha Baron Cohen's accent-switching during Master of the House worked/was necessary. I liked it, as that's the kind of guy Thenardier is: he'll pretend to be one thing when he's really another. Russel Crowe was criticized as someone who can't sing, but while he isn't exactly Philip Quast, I'd prefer Russel's singing over Pierce Brosnin's performance in Mama Mia!.
But the movie did something the stage performances didn't: it cleared up for me Éponine's back story. Neither the 10th anniversary nor the 25th anniversary performances make mention of the fact that she is the Thenardiers' daughter--except for the fact that she joins M. Thenardier's gang when she's older. I'd first stumbled across that fact when I scrolled through the libretto, and it was nice to see that part of the story cleared up.
The fact that everything was sung live added to the movie in a major way. Singing live meant that the actors could experiment, that they didn't have to make their acting decisions months in advance. And because it wasn't a stage production, they didn't have to sing everything loud. It meant that, for example, Hugh Jackman could whisper the Soliloquy, which he did.
Seeing Les Mis acted out brought it to life, and I gained a new appreciation for the characters, especially the student rebels. The story felt more real in the movie than it did in the stage performances, and it sucked me in. The battle scenes were more heartbreaking than your average movie battle scene. But while they were upsetting, I appreciated that fact: the rebels were young people, some only kids, and Marius and Valjean were the only survivors of the barricades. It was like listening to La Bohème, which never fails to turn me into a sobbing mess by the end. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables was especially heartbreaking.
And yes, I cried--several times. The first was when the first notes of the Work Song boomed out of the speakers (yay, surround-sound). This was what I'd been waiting for since '96!
I also lip-synced most of it, especially Do You Hear the People Sing?.
At the end, the audience applauded. Yes, really. This is something I've only witnessed during Met Opera simulcasts.
My life is now complete.
4.5 out of 5.
Monday, January 21, 2013
free time? what's that?
I think I better get used to these crazy-busy weekends. It's a good thing I love my major.
I forgot to mention who won the hockey game: Graphics, as per usual. For once I'd like to see Photo win.
Monday: We talked about composite images and where the word "montage" comes from (turns out, it's strictly related to photography).
Tuesday: I got a bunch of homework done that afternoon, and then went to a general assembly at NSCAD, where we approved SUNSCAD's manifesto that will be presented to the Board of Governors (in a nutshell, the school must maintain it's position as one of the best art schools in the country, and the quality of a NSCAD education must not be compromised). We also discussed taking direct action, such as occupying the Granville Campus (classes would continue, but administration wouldn't be allowed in) or withholding our tuition, which would only work for those of us who don't have student loans, because the money for tuition is automatically taken out of the loan when it's processed and sent to the institution, and then the remainder is sent to your bank account.
Wednesday: I spent the afternoon getting most of the scavenger hunt done for Writing for the Arts, and by the end all I wanted to do was collapse.
We got an intro to Adobe InDesign that night--and then Jeff let us go early due to the storm (and just when I was getting used to the lack of white stuff on the ground **pout**)
Thursday: We discussed our projects. The theme is "private/public", and I'm doing mine on surveillance (both the visible kind--surveillance cameras--and the invisible kind--e.g., internet tracking). I'm doing composite images and using the "subtract" blend mode, which I've never used beyond clicking through the list of modes.
Friday: As usual, we discussed the week's readings and then five of the students presented things related to the readings. I'm in the group that presents next week. And on top of everything else, we have to write a thousand-word focus essay by next Friday--which is both a lot and not a lot at the same time.
We presented our findings for the scavenger hunt. I missed three items and had to go find them in the NSCAD library over the weekend.
Saturday and Sunday: I spent the weekend doing homework and almost nothing else, including finishing the scavenger hunt and working on my Graphics project (I don't have InDesign, but the Photo Dept. does)--partly because I felt like I was swamped with work and partly because I wanted to get as much as possible out of the way so that I can go see Les Misérables on Tuesday (I may review it).
I forgot to mention who won the hockey game: Graphics, as per usual. For once I'd like to see Photo win.
Monday: We talked about composite images and where the word "montage" comes from (turns out, it's strictly related to photography).
Tuesday: I got a bunch of homework done that afternoon, and then went to a general assembly at NSCAD, where we approved SUNSCAD's manifesto that will be presented to the Board of Governors (in a nutshell, the school must maintain it's position as one of the best art schools in the country, and the quality of a NSCAD education must not be compromised). We also discussed taking direct action, such as occupying the Granville Campus (classes would continue, but administration wouldn't be allowed in) or withholding our tuition, which would only work for those of us who don't have student loans, because the money for tuition is automatically taken out of the loan when it's processed and sent to the institution, and then the remainder is sent to your bank account.
Wednesday: I spent the afternoon getting most of the scavenger hunt done for Writing for the Arts, and by the end all I wanted to do was collapse.
We got an intro to Adobe InDesign that night--and then Jeff let us go early due to the storm (and just when I was getting used to the lack of white stuff on the ground **pout**)
Thursday: We discussed our projects. The theme is "private/public", and I'm doing mine on surveillance (both the visible kind--surveillance cameras--and the invisible kind--e.g., internet tracking). I'm doing composite images and using the "subtract" blend mode, which I've never used beyond clicking through the list of modes.
Friday: As usual, we discussed the week's readings and then five of the students presented things related to the readings. I'm in the group that presents next week. And on top of everything else, we have to write a thousand-word focus essay by next Friday--which is both a lot and not a lot at the same time.
We presented our findings for the scavenger hunt. I missed three items and had to go find them in the NSCAD library over the weekend.
Saturday and Sunday: I spent the weekend doing homework and almost nothing else, including finishing the scavenger hunt and working on my Graphics project (I don't have InDesign, but the Photo Dept. does)--partly because I felt like I was swamped with work and partly because I wanted to get as much as possible out of the way so that I can go see Les Misérables on Tuesday (I may review it).
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