So, it's been a while...
Between my two jobs, preparing my grad school apps (which still aren't done yet- uh oh), and actually trying to have a social life (with a moderate degree of success), I've not had much in the way of time or inclination to share the happenings of my oh so exciting life of the last couple weeks, but I'm feeling the urge to gush about some recent artistic-type things that I really liked.
To begin, I must insist that anyone who likes movies that are good go see Stranger Than Fiction right away. I can go on about all the things I liked about it, but there is one thing that will sum up how good it is if you know me at all: I went to see this movie on date, and for several long stretches I was actually focused entire on the movie and not the fact that there was a very pretty girl sitting next to me (and I went to see it again a couple of days later and found it just as entrancing). Now, you might suspect that with Will Farrell as the lead it would be a gut-busting sort of comedy, but he reveals a completely different side of himself as an actor, and does it brilliantly. The story is clever and touching, and it manages to toy with convention in creative ways without descending into strangeness. Plus, I'm always happy to spend a couple of hours in a world where literature has meaning, writers live in gigantic downtown apartments, and Dustin Hoffman teaches literature and has an office that would make most university presidents jealous.
This afternoon I went to see The Magic Flute with my mother at the recently renovated opera-house downtown, and I was struck by the power of Mozart's music to touch me in ways that music rarely does. On the whole I enjoyed the production, which was designed by Maurice Sendak (best known for the book Where the Wild Things Are), and it had a very effective fairy-tale style. Of course, the plot is a bit loopy (as tends to happen when you try to work in freemasons), and the fact that it was a matinee meant that I had to deal with the small child behind me who did not understand that one must remain quiet during the performance. Thankfully, they left at the intermission, and I was able to fully enjoy the excellent music and extraordinary singing (the Queen of the Night's aria was everything it's cracked up to be). I don't find good opera riveting in the same way that I do a good movie or play, but the fact that I can still hear fragments of the music echoing in my head several hours later is a testament to Mozart's skill and the quality of that performance.
It should come as no surprise that I've been reading at a pretty steady pace, and while most of the books I've been reading recently have ranged from good to merely decent, I did want to give special consideration to one that I finished a few days ago. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was a surprisingly quick read, and I was impressed by the skill with which Susanna Clarke mimics the form of a 19th century novel to create something truly unique. I've read a lot of fantasy novels, and her world is one of the most vivid that I have ever had the pleasure of discovering. A very clever and entertaining novel.
Also, you should totally take this quiz about me. The winner will get a lovely postcard full of the natural splendor of Colorado, plus I'll probably scribble some stuff on the back about how much you rock.
To begin, I must insist that anyone who likes movies that are good go see Stranger Than Fiction right away. I can go on about all the things I liked about it, but there is one thing that will sum up how good it is if you know me at all: I went to see this movie on date, and for several long stretches I was actually focused entire on the movie and not the fact that there was a very pretty girl sitting next to me (and I went to see it again a couple of days later and found it just as entrancing). Now, you might suspect that with Will Farrell as the lead it would be a gut-busting sort of comedy, but he reveals a completely different side of himself as an actor, and does it brilliantly. The story is clever and touching, and it manages to toy with convention in creative ways without descending into strangeness. Plus, I'm always happy to spend a couple of hours in a world where literature has meaning, writers live in gigantic downtown apartments, and Dustin Hoffman teaches literature and has an office that would make most university presidents jealous.
This afternoon I went to see The Magic Flute with my mother at the recently renovated opera-house downtown, and I was struck by the power of Mozart's music to touch me in ways that music rarely does. On the whole I enjoyed the production, which was designed by Maurice Sendak (best known for the book Where the Wild Things Are), and it had a very effective fairy-tale style. Of course, the plot is a bit loopy (as tends to happen when you try to work in freemasons), and the fact that it was a matinee meant that I had to deal with the small child behind me who did not understand that one must remain quiet during the performance. Thankfully, they left at the intermission, and I was able to fully enjoy the excellent music and extraordinary singing (the Queen of the Night's aria was everything it's cracked up to be). I don't find good opera riveting in the same way that I do a good movie or play, but the fact that I can still hear fragments of the music echoing in my head several hours later is a testament to Mozart's skill and the quality of that performance.
It should come as no surprise that I've been reading at a pretty steady pace, and while most of the books I've been reading recently have ranged from good to merely decent, I did want to give special consideration to one that I finished a few days ago. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was a surprisingly quick read, and I was impressed by the skill with which Susanna Clarke mimics the form of a 19th century novel to create something truly unique. I've read a lot of fantasy novels, and her world is one of the most vivid that I have ever had the pleasure of discovering. A very clever and entertaining novel.
Also, you should totally take this quiz about me. The winner will get a lovely postcard full of the natural splendor of Colorado, plus I'll probably scribble some stuff on the back about how much you rock.