Wicked

I am a huge fan of Broadway musicals and Wicked is one of my favorites.  I have seen it twice and will see it again.  I enjoyed parts of the behind-the-scenes clips but sometimes I would rather not know how something is done.  It takes away the illusion like learning how a magician performs a trick.  As an artist, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the first sketches and how those simple sketches transformed into what is seen on stage.  It helps me grow as an artist to see that side of the musical and hear thought processes of the artists who create it.

Oculus

This technology will create an amazing movie experience.  Three-dimensional technology took the action from the screen and moved it toward the viewer.  The Oculus will do the opposite and move the viewer into the movie.  Becoming one with a movie is an awesome concept and you will no longer have to be annoyed with people talking during a movie.  It will probably cause a lot of motion sickness depending on the type of movie.  I don't think I could wear it and watch a movie like Gravity.  I can't wait to try it. 

Toy Story 3 - Deus Ex Machinae

LOTR - The Eagles are Coming Deus Ex Machinae

Deus Ex Machinae

Three examples of Deus Ex Machinae in popular culture:

1.  The claw that saves all the toys before they burn in Toy Story 3.  

2.  The bacteria that kills the invaders in The War of The Worlds.

3.  The giant eagles that save the day in The Lord of the Rings.

The Birth and Life of Opera

I have never been a fan of opera.  I always thought it was boring and only for old snobs.  The one time I considered attending an opera, my partner vetoed the idea.  Apparently I have been missing out on a beautiful art form.  I have always been a fan of Broadway but never knew the connection with opera.  This video offered a very informative history lesson.  I did not know opera was associated with revolutions and made powerful, political statements.   I now see opera as a very interesting form of art and entertainment.  After watching the powerful scene from Salome in class, I now want to watch the entire opera.

Pjotr Sapegin's Madama Butterfly

Pjotr Sapegin's Madama Butterfly animation is a very creative interpretation of the opera.  It creates a roller coaster of emotion from the throes of passion to the depths of despair.  The music climaxes in both pleasure and pain and easily connects the listener to both scenes.  Even though I could not understand the lyrics, I could easily follow the story and experience the emotions.  The expressions of sexuality, passion, loneliness, despair, rejection and heartbreak were easily interpreted in the simple animated characters.  It was a very sad moment when the umbilical cord was broken.  The couple's last connection was severed; leaving her alone with a broken heart.