Fiddler on the Roof, Lyric Opera House (2012-02 USA-MD Musical)

Performers: 4
Structure: 3
Technical: 2
Emotional: 4

Overall: 3.5

The Lyric put on a solid performance of Fiddler on the Roof. It was impressive to see older members of cast having such strong parts— and they delivered. With great numbers, comedic timing, and difficult situations, it was a strong performance with a light beginning and emotional ending. I felt the gravity of such situations is not as relate-able this day in age, but it still provided a healthy amount of emotional investment.

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John Preece proved to be a master with Tevya. With so much experience, he added the right amount of nuances to the character, making me really believe him and his situation. The comedic touches, while perhaps feeling a tad out of place, gave the play an extra edge in enjoyment.

The first act was energetic, lighthearted, and fun. It had a lot of energy and drew the viewers in. The transition to the second act felt a bit jolting, both in its change in feeling and the fact that its execution and screenplay did not feel as consistent. Nevertheless, the gravity of the situation is still communicated and felt; Tevya finally draws a line that is consistent with "Tradition".

"Matchmaker, Matchmaker" featured harmonizing vocals from the three eldest daughters and synchronized mop play. The first Christian dance scene was intricate and fun. The wedding ceremony "Sunrise, Sunset" provided relaxing backing vocals. The "Do You Love Me?" showed off Golda's chops and made the viewer appreciate and understand their relationship.

The front lighting of the set was simply too strong and contrasty. Yes, the viewer needs to focus on the character, but it somewhat distracted from the ambiance; especially because the sets themselves looked to be detailed. The flow from scene to scene, however, was done seamlessly, with several scenes beginning before it was finished.

Photo Bundle #1

"black and white", crazy-ivory (2010 Germany People)


This photo feels cold and lonely. A dark figure, shielded by the umbrella, walking into the distance past the never-ending beams.

The figure itself is an exception. The motion blur and muted contrast/lack of white add to the feeling of departure, of the fleetingness of moments. The symmetry and framing of the beams and support connections to the top, with the shadows of the poles on the ground add both a nice natural frame and a pleasing repetition. The fog and snow that gradually hide the repetitive structures creates a nice gradient. The white snow on the ground adds an excellent mirror to the dark structure at the top of the frame. The processing of the photo reflects the feelings of the subject and composition well.

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Everything is relatively, although not tack sharp in this frame. I would have liked to see some of the surroundings or footprints more detailed.

There are some minor elements of that distract the eye. The alignment of the bottom of the support beams, especially in the foreground, the only slight blurring of the figure, the figure's long black coat, and the high contrast graffiti. While the graffiti can be a distracting element to the eye, it gives good context to the time period, and contrasts well with the old time feel. Coupled with the motion blur of the figure, it gives a relative feeling of permanence. But my eye is still naturally drawn to it.

Subject: 4
Composition: 4
Technical: 2
Emotional: 3

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"orbiting", chrys (2010 Unknown People)


The bliss captured in this moment is priceless: a father bonding with his daughter. There is a lot of great positive emotion captured in this: it feels like I am the one swinging the child around in a circle. I can hear the laughter and screams of joy.

The child is sharp and focused, while the background is blurred just enough to indicate the motion. A longer exposure could have added to the dizzying effect. The lighting appears soft and cloudy, allowing me to focus on the expressive liveliness and emotion.

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The composition and tilt add to the feeling of motion and that we are spinning the girl. But the longer I look at it, the more I become aware that I am at chest level: the location of the hands in the frame, the girl looking up, etc. Cropping some of the upper left of could alleviate this, but too much will throw off the balance of the light sky.

Typically I find I like expressive photos in monochrome, but the slight desaturated look works out well here as the red and green are not too much, and are happy colors nonetheless.

Subject: 4
Composition: 2
Technical: 3
Emotional: 5

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"Sunlit alley", _Downfall_ (2010 Unknown Place)


This alley has a bit of a classy and timeless feel, as if it was taken any decade. The processing does a good job amplifying this. The lighted pathway and reflections off the window do a good job of leading my eyes. The reflections particularly are unique and grabbing. The gradient in the sky adds a nice soft feel.

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But then my eyes are led to the center of the image and stop. They are then drawn back towards the bright left side of the image and that's it. The repetition in this photo is a strong point that could be amplified. The windows on the left, the balconies/windows on the right, and the subtle street lamps. I feel the right side is buried a bit too much in the darkness in comparison to the left, yet has more interesting structures and patterns. Of course, overdoing it would be unnatural. The bottom right is all black to me and throws off the balance. A bit of shadow detail there would let me feel more at ease and less like a 3 legged table. The perspective and leaning buildings, coupled with the perceived thin aspect ratio, add to this uneasiness.

Subject: 2
Composition: 2
Technical: 3
Emotional: 2

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"Kids at Night (#128)", ct_ucla (2010 USA-MA People)


This photo reminds me of young weekend nights back in school. Looking back on those days, all you remember is the feeling, with no details. This photo captures that in its blurry simplicity. The lights in the background windows and water are great. Motion blur and lack of sharpness mimics the feeling that you get from looking back on those lazy days that blend together.

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Colors and tint don't add much in my eyes: I'd like to see monochrome.
Lack of shadows on the subjects is disappointing and could have been interesting.
I feel the leading lines actually distract a bit. The right and bottom could be cropped out some as I don't feel the center-ish subjects works best. Also, the darker vertical pole is distracting.

Subject: 2
Composition: 1
Technical: 2
Emotional: 3

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"P053110PS-0148", Pete Souza (2010 USA-IL People)


This photo reminds me of how the job of the President isn't always exalting. It makes me think of him addressing the public after some horrible event, out of his control.

The capture of the rain and the umbrella is brilliant with the backlighting, silhouetting Obama and edge lighting the crowd. Leading staircase is lighted wonderfully. The stadium lights add to the feeling that all eyes are on him.

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However, I feel the composition could be improved: the space on right is distracting and the center composition is okay. The colors from the flare and the crowd are distracting. The stadium lights and forest background aren't the most aesthetic, either.

Subject: 3
Composition: 2
Technical: 3
Emotional: 3

Shooting Star, Everyman Theatre (2011-02 USA-MD Play)

Characters: 2
Structure: 2
Technical: 2
Emotional: 4

Overall: 3.0

The two characters, Reed McAllister (Paul Morella) and Elena Carson (Deborah Hazlett), are former lovers who cross paths on their layovers. Snow causes delay after delay, and the strangers' conversation traverse the superficial small talk, amusing reminiscing, and awkward recollections.

Interspersed are well placed lines of wit and throwbacks to college romance of their time, of which not everyone can relate to. As the delays pile up, how much will they open up to each other? It's one of those rare opportunities, usually just a thought experiment, where you can go back with your ex-significant other and say or ask anything with no consequence. It's not like anything you say will be of any real consequence.

The two characters, on the surface, appear to have drifted down different paths with the decades that separated them. In a feat of discovery, they uncovered their misunderstandings and misconceptions about each other and their relationship. Slowly they begin to trust themselves with secrets long past and deep in their lives.

There is a wee air of fabrication with the unwinding of the story, and the airport feel just wasn't there, but the director made the right choice in focusing on the characters. I couldn't help but get wrapped up in the emotion and messages. The play felt intimate with one set and two actors, who did a great job. The concept itself is great, and the execution is good (though lacking a certain something), but the ending was surprisingly well suited.

The characters eventually realize that there isn’t much point in focusing on the past, so they move to their imperfect lives and connect on a new level. Once the snow blanket is lifted, the magic is gone once again as they revert to the usual formalities.

The ending hits home for me. They talk, they make plans, but never actually show up. They are strangers once again.

True Grit, Coen Brothers (2010 USA Western)

on IMDB

Characters: 4
Screenplay: 4
Cinematography: 2
Emotional: 2

Overall: 3.5


It was very refreshing to see such a strong young female role. She brought back memories of Natalie Portman in Leon: The Professional, except with a more prominent role. Steinfeld does a stunning job on screen. At only 14 years, she fills the boisterous snarky shoes extraordinarily. And her character is rounded out quite well with the more natural undertones of her character as the stories goes on. Cogburn is a great as the drunken headstrong fool. Sprinkled with silly antics and one liners, his character is less fleshed out, but provides a great deal of entertainment when interacting with Mattie and Laboeuf. LaBoeuf rounds out the trio well, with the logical and structured side, albeit a bit odd. The interplay between the characters is priceless.

The film starts of strong. The introduction scenes are entertaining and memorable. The short caricature introductions each match the flavor of their characters exceptionally. The pacing is well done, with nice downtime scenes between. The film does a good job of rewarding careful viewers: little tidbits of foreshadowing that are followed through. Interspersed throughout the film are bits of comic relief between the trio, and it is well timed and fresh. Thankfully the film rewards logic over brash courage in the end.

My only concern is the ending. It’s a bit anticlimactic, which initially is a letdown. But there is a bit of appreciation for an unorthodox ending for an unorthodox story. It leaves you high and dry, which one may not always appreciate

Following the clichés of westerns, True Grit begins looking like standard fare. With a slow fade in scene, silhouettes, and warm tones, we’re pleasantly surprised when the film strays from the beaten path character wise. Some scenes are very well shot, such as the ending frame. The only problems I had with the cinematography were the stereotypical traveling fades: a bit too much. Yeah, I presume they were trying to mock westerns, but the cuts were too fast and short.

While the film attempts to build up the sympathy for Mattie, the emotional investment of the story is diluted by the unorthodox humor. It wouldn’t suit this film to become too invested in the film, it’s more akin to something you just sit back and watch. At the climax points of the film, I just didn’t find myself caring all that much.

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After the climax, the epilogue’s continuation of the story shows how unremarkable everyone’s life is after such crazy events. It does a good job toying with our expectations. Mattie was totally supposed to go off and live a crazy life. She had some cojones, but nope, nothing. We never even get to see the others. It’s very well played. No lose ends were tied and it was refreshing.

But it was still highly entertaining and the ending was unique in a good way, once the initial dissatisfaction fades away. A radical western that will keep you entertained.

Inception, Christopher Nolan (2010 USA Sci-Fi)

Characters: 2
Screenplay: 4
Cinematography: 3
Emotional: 4

Overall: 3.5

Although not without its flaws, the premise and execution stands out as an epic. To draw unnecessary comparisons, it had Taken's pacing (not action scenes) and excitement with Matrix's imagination and depth, combined with good directing and immersion. The film had bits of action, suspense, drama, and of course thrills while touching on worthwhile subjects like love, family, meta-thought, and the evil of that men do. It does a great job of getting the viewer invested in the outcome of the movie.

Its weaknesses include mostly flat characters, unrealized ambition, unimaginative action scenes and a bit of hand-waving.

I'd think it was a competent release. Close to excellent, but not quite. An intelligent, thrilling ride that immerses you from start to finish.


Characters:

One of Inception's weak points is its characters. Amongst the one-dimensional characters, weak character development, and minimal character exploration is the character-driven story. I never was able to identify with characters or care about their outcomes.

The story revolves around the classic dark and mysterious protagonist. To me, it is a slight dissapointment that the other characters remain within the shadows. It does keep the movie focused and from getting too complex, as well as give headway to one interesting interpretation.

DiCaprio does -okay- with the only role requiring strong acting. I would've liked to see more emotion in him, given what he was dealing with. You could attribute the other parts of his personality being played by his projections. The rest of cast does a good job of filling in their respective characters. I really wanted to see bigger shoes to fill for Page, who did feel a bit miss-cast.


Screenplay:

A smashing success. This is what made this movie such a big hit across the board. The viewer is thrown into the action, and runs along with the movie. From the opening scene, the film establishes that you will have the pleasure observing something special, grandiose, and unique. It succeeds in maintaining that level of novelty throughout the majority of the film. The last hour of the film is complex and beautifully done. And there are little gems of depth are sprinkled throughout.

However, there is no downtime to process, and if you get caught up on the psychological insights, it can be a little hard to digest. The pacing could have used a bit more variety. There are points where it felt the story was being pushed along. For example, Cobb and his team constantly seemed to jump around all over the world. Also, due to the narrow focus of the film, there world of Inception seems a small and obscure and is juxtaposed against the grandiose premise.

Overall, plot was very pleasingly intricate, with a twist-and-turn, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat type feel. The beauty of the screenplay is its symbolism and the open interpretation of the story. There are red herrings placed all throughout. Analysts and film buffs can be gluttons for discussion. I have included a list of theories in the ROT13 spoiler section.


Cinematography:

The world of Inception is captured quite well. This film was very good at drawing me in for hours and transporting me to an alternative world. The viewers, having been explained parts of the concept, get to both see and feel premise and rules of the world around them. Suspension of disbelief becomes natural. The music flows wonderfully, save the never-ending climatic music at the end.

That said, in the aftermath, I was left wanting more imagination in a dream movie. The premise was novel, but the sets, action/fight/chase scenes could have been much more.


Emotional:

Despite the weak characters, Inception had everyone invested in the outcome of the story. Why? It felt so epic, with nuggets of insight, imaginative expansion on what we experience every day, and pacing.

It set out to be very ambitious and very deep, but the ideas are never developed and aspects remain unexplained. I didn't care about what happened for most of the characters and whether or not their lives were at stake. I just liked watching it because it was well put together.


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Cobb's subconscious was the only one to enter in the dream worlds. Six characters' subconsciousness with everyone's own issues would be a convoluted mess.

Cobb's issues tie intimately with the premise. We see the impervious and knowledgable yet fragile and flawed man fight with his demons and jepardizing his heist.

Arthur really gets to step up and steal the show in the Matrix-feeling climax of level-2, and you feel a bit proud watching the young man from 3rd rock kick some butt. He gets one comic relief moment, his move on Ariadne, which was otherwise unnecessary, except for proving that they may not be projections.

Ariadne is expectedly introduced as an outstanding born-with-it prodigy, and it just kind of happens. Instead, the spotlight shines on the fact that she is the only one that even wants to come within 10 feet of Cobb's mess.

The rest of Cobb's heist-style team consists of the standard experts. Fischer's character also is portrayed as a little weak.

And what the hell Mal? Calm down, Stabby McStaberson. Okay, okay, she's a projection.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/board/nest/167276283?p=1

If anything shows the strength of the screenplay, it is the conception of the paradox theory: Inception was made to be an impossible staircase. It was crafted in such a way that there red herrings whether we walk up towards the idea that it is reality, or down towards the dream theory.

The film leaves much up to the imagination. The dream-sharing phenomenon/technology and architect's process is never explained, along with the time and place.

High points of the screenplay are the opening scene, explanation of the premise, Cobb being caught between two buildings while being chased, and Mal's suicide. I also enjoy the allegory of shared-dreaming to shared-movie-watching that occurs when we all enter the theater together.

Low points for me are Ariadne's training (went on too long, basically turned into her showing off 3d rendering. Although, the mirror thing was neat.), militant dream projections (I feel it is out of place for a movie of this premise, but certainly helped it's mass appeal), and parts of exploring Cobb's issues.

Mal's arc, an underlying drive for the whole movie, was also disappointing to me.


Everyone enjoyed the links between the dream world and the one above, with the water, music, and of course the van flipping around.

One question: why did the 3rd dream not experience free-fall? Also, Ariadne's physics bending is never used, not even in limbo. It felt like a tease. Okay, we do get a freight train.


The concept of the movie resonated very well with me. I used to be very into lucid dreaming, where you manipulate and control your dreams. Obviously the concept of this movie borrowed some from the art of lucid dreaming, which can include dreaming within a dream.

Although, it has a lot in common from this Scrooge McDuck comic "Dream of a Lifetime" circa 2004:
http://disneycomics.free.fr/Ducks/Rosa/show.php?num=1&nzc;loc=D2002-033&nzc;s=date
http://comicbookmovie.com/fansites/blinkuldhc/news/?a=21055

We are never told much about the corporation, and in turn the whole operation feels like a bit of a sham and a vehicle for Cobb's emotional trip.

The Berklee World Jazz Nonet (2010-06 USA-DC Concert-Jazz)

The Berklee World Jazz Nonet

Aesthetic: 4
Technical: 3
Structure: 2
Emotional: 3

Overall: 4

This was some kind of youngin Berklee jazz supergroup. Nine Berklee students from all over the world (Canada, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Palestine, Puerto Rico, and USA) had the pleasure of kicking off the D.C. Jazz Festival. The Saxophonist was the youngest ever to be named downBeat's "rising star alto saxophonist". Outside of music, the singer worked on Bolt, Shrek 3, and some others.

Anyways, on to the performance. First off, the bad. The Millennium Stage is just in the halls of the Kennedy Center, with a little stage facing a gigantic hallway. The sound was, well, better than I thought it would be, but still not that great. There was a lot of lagged reverb which hurt the clarity, and as always, parts of the bass were too high in the mix. This posed a problem during many of the complex jazzy passages. Also, I probably always think this, but the piano was too low in the mix! The second thing was that these kids were young and a little nervous, particularly the vocalist. This included her awkward semi-dancing during the instrumental parts.

However, a couple songs in, they got real relaxed and let themselves groove. They let out some groovy jamming and hit the audience with some sweet sax and guitar solos. Oh and the piano and qanun playing duets was heavenly. I absolutely adored that middle-eastern instrument. And the way they played off each other and in sync was awesome!

One of their songs was a slower number. Normally I am not the biggest fan of slower jazz, but it progressed really well. The vocalist was warmed up and started some powerful singing. She was much more comfortable, you could see it as she moved around stage. She also had some nice duets and exchanges with the sax player. Oh and boy was the sax player good. In this number, her sound was so soulful. Following this, the song progressed to some nice slower groves with other instruments joining in. They really started putting the feel into it.

Although some sections got lost in the echoes and bad mixing, I was overall quite impressed with the group.

Mahan Esfahani (2010-05 USA-DC Concert-Classical)

Harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani performs Baroque and Classical music

Aesthetic: 3
Technical: 4
Structure: 1
Emotional: 2

Overall: 3

This was an emotional performance for Mahan Esfahani, who was able to play on Wanda Landowska's own Pleyel harpsichord. She's the one responsible for bringing it back for the harpsicord in the 20th century. Only after the performance, at the Q&A, did I learn more about the technical differences of this instrument and how it was more difficult to play. We were lucky to have some serious instrumentalists there asking questions.

Esfahani's performance was masterful. The technicality of the pieces and layered notes did not prevent me from closing my eyes and relaxing. I am not the biggest fan of the harpsichord sound, especially the baroque style tuning and melodies, but I was able to enjoy the performance. Some of the other pieces he chose to perform were excellently delicate or foot-tap inducing and different from the standard affair. I particularly enjoyed sections where he played notes where certain strings were decoupled and it sounded similar to a classical guitar.

Also, Esfahani was like a comedian in between songs. A nice treat to the performance, I must say. It was a tough crowd, though, many seniors and real technical instrument people!

Ensemble Caprice (2010-05 USA-DC Concert)

Ensemble Caprice perform Bach, Telemann, and the Bohemian Gypsies

Aesthetic: 4
Technical: 2
Structure: 2
Emotional: 4

Overall: 4

This was quite a unique performance and delightful surprise to the performances that typically grace the Library of Congress. Along with interesting anecdotes of how Bach was an asshole at times, calling someone a "Zippelfagottist", the music was refreshing and energetic. It perhaps can be described as Classical Baroque in Gypsy style. Gypsy music, like jazz, contains much improvisation and melodic twists, expanded through shorter melodies.

Ensemble Caprice's performance was just enthralling, it was a treat to watch the performers feast off of each others enthusiasm. Needless to say, it was entertaining just to watch them. And it was nice seeing some serious recorder sections.

At times they were perhaps a bit too into it and did not seem as in sync as they could be, and their solo's were not technically impressive, but their style and energy did induce rhythmic clapping in the audience, something I can't say I've seen before in a classical music environment. If it was a little warmer (we were informed the room was colder than normal for the instruments, and oh did they sound sweet), there totally would've been some shindigging!

All in all, it was a great performance, too bad their CD's sold out!