New Appreciation for Opera

So I watched Phantom of the Opera the other day, and after thinking about it for some time, I actually really enjoyed it. It was directed by Joel Shumacher, and is an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber's 1986 Musical. It stars Emmy Rossum, Gerard Butler, and Patrick Wilson who all light up the screen with some amazing musical scores. Emmy Rossum was downright gorgeous playing the part, and it makes me wonder why she hasn't had any other success recently. The story consists of a woman who gets caught up in a love triangle between a prince and the phantom of the opera and she must choose one. The movie is full of powerful music, sets, and choreography. I would put it in a category above typical musicals such as West Side Story or Chicago, and put it with the masterful likes of Amadeus.

So I've began to see Opera in a new light and have come to really appreciate it over the past few days. I've always enjoyed Classical music, yet Opera is a whole different thing where dialouge is sung in extremely dramatic fashion. It is sung in duets, trios, quartets, and so forth all in the backdrop of beautiful classical music. I remember the first time I really experienced an opera was while watching Amadeus. It's beautiful music yet at the same time it can drag on back and forth, up and down, overly dramatic. This is one thing that comes with the Opera. It's a story through music, yet far more sophisticated than those noisy Broadway musicals. It's music at it's highest potential, vocalization at it's ultimate peak, and I think for this reason it should be appreciated. It's probably safe to say that your best singers in the world are Opera singers. Consider the list of masterful composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and Stravinsky, all of which were operatic geniuses. I would definetely like to one day experience a show perhaps maybe in Vienna or Prague. Here are some pieces I would want to see:

• Mozart: "The Marriage of Figaro", "Don Giovanni", "The Magic Flute"

• Richard Wagner: "The Rhinegold", "The Valkyrie", "Siegfried", "The Twilight of the Gods"

• Georges Bizet: "Carmen"

• Leo Delibes: "Lakme Flower Duet"

• Giacomo Puccini: "Turandot: Nessun dorma", "Madame Butterfly"

• Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman: "Con te Partio"

Looking Back at History: The Ruins of Warsaw

During World War II there was no city in Europe hit harder than Warsaw, Poland. It all started in September 1, 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland so to have more land and resources. Under the rule of Fascist leader Adolf Hitler, a new system of totalitarianism and conquest was put into order so that Germans could be the superior race. This meant squashing those whom they considered inferior, most notably the Jews. The invasion itself was very fast moving and the Polish could hardly put up much resistance against both the Nazis and the Soviets. By October 6, 1939 Germany had annexed Poland. It wasn't long after until the terrible persecution of Jews began.

Following the invasion of Poland, the Jews were first branded so that the soldiers could tell them apart from others. They were then sent to ghettos, a tightly condensed area that was walled off from the rest of the city. Here they were forced to live with one another, secluded from the rest of society. It was only a matter of time before they begun to die of starvation and disease. The Warsaw Ghetto was by far the biggest in all of Poland, with over 400,000 Jews living in this tight area. To put things into perspective the area took up 2% of Warsaw, while it had over 30% of Warsaw's population. So basically what you had here was Jews living on top of one another.

By 1942 Hitler came up with his Final Solution, which was to totally exterminate all the Jews. Trains began loading Jews by the thousands, and sending them off to these far off secluded camps away from civilization. Most of the Warsaw Jews were sent to Treblinka, the largest of extermination camps, where over 850,000 were killed. There were many other camps throughout Poland, such as Auschwitz, Belzec, Sobibor, and Sajmiste that either forced the Jews to labor or sent them to total genocide. It was by far the darkest period of the Holocaust, and perhaps the darkest time of humanity.

Of course it was only natural that the Jews would revolt and uprise against their oppressors, the most famous of these being the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943. I saw this battle recently portrayed in the Polanski film, The Pianist and was inspired by the Jew's courage. First was the actual coordinating of the uprising, which surely was no easy task for these harshly treated Jews. The Jewish workers managed to smuggle weapons into the ghetto, and create an underground resistance. On April 19th of 1943 they began their attack from the rooftops and windows of buildings firing handguns and gasoline bottles. These first few days of insurgency proved to be most damaging to the Nazis, who eventually had commander Jurgen Stroop take over the situation. Stroop neutralized the fighting by burning buildings down, and by May 16, 1943 the uprising was terminated. The conspirators were all executed, and in the end the total numbers were estimated at about 17 dead Nazis and 13,000 dead Jewish insurgents. And to top things off, Hitler had the entire ghetto razed to the ground following this uprising.

About a year later, with Germany beginning to lose their advantage in the war, the Polish Underground also decided to coordinate an uprising. They knew the Russians were closing in on the Nazis from the east, and felt that they had to win back their government before the Russians took over it. And so on the 1st of August 1944, a scattered uprising took place all throughout Warsaw where the Polish insurgents caught the Nazis by surprise. They fought in the streets, dugouts, and trenches using a wide variety of weapons. The uprising was intended to only last a few days, so to coincide with the arrival of the Russians. However it is believed that Soviet leader, Josef Stalin, did not want to enter Warsaw during this conflict and instead preferred to defeat the Nazis himself. And so after a month of fighting the Polish resistance was defeated by the Nazis, and once again much of the city was razed to the ground. Following the end of the uprising nearly 85% of Warsaw was in shambles.

By late September of 1944 the Soviets had defeated the Nazis on the eastern borders of Warsaw, and had control of the city of Warsaw. It is clear in my opinion that the Soviets chose not to aid the Polish resistance, so that they themselves could take over the country. Following the end of the war, Warsaw began its reconstruction as a Communist regime. Although much of its historical buildings had been destroyed it once again became the center of political and economic life in Poland. By 1979 Pope John Paul II helped liberate his native country to a democratic society. And so to this day Warsaw has moved forward from this terrible destruction brought upon them, and are now experiencing it's greatest economic boom. Yet it will always remain a significant historical sight. After reading up on the role Warsaw played in WWII, I myself am very interested in visiting the city.

Movie Masterpiece: The Pianist

Very rarely do I watch a movie so good, that I need to watch it a second time shortly after. I recently obtained this DVD from Lindsey's grandma Billy, may she rest in peace, a new film to add to my collection. I remember first hearing about it, at the 2003 Academy Awards when Adrien Brody accepted the Oscar, gave Halley Berry a kiss on the lips, and gave a passionate acceptance speech. I knew I would enjoy it for it's subject matter, and the many awards it won, yet wasn't exactly sure on how good it would be. Well after watching it a second time, I can say that the film is truly a masterpiece, Top 50 material, 2nd greatest Holocaust movie behind Schindler's List. Roman Polanski teams up with the incredible artistic production of Focus Features, to bring a unique and more visual perspective on the Holocaust. It is a true auto-biography of a famous Jewish pianist named Wlayslaw Szpilman, who gets separated from his family and must hide in Warsaw for several years. The story begins with the Nazi invasion of Warsaw in 1939, and spans for five years as things get worse for the Jews. His family is shipped off to extermation camps, yet he is saved and manages to hide from the Nazis. During this time he must fight starvation and sickness. He also witnesses several uprisings such as the Jewish Ghetto Uprising of 1943 and the Warsaw Uprising of 1944... It's a very realistic eye-opening film, with an incredible classical music soundtrack. Pieces from Chopin, Bach, and Beethoven. Brody does an amazing job delivering as a classy pianist who grows weaker and weaker throughout the film. Polanski also won the Academy Award for directing, which was definetely deserved. This was surely a very personal project for him, since he also was a Holocaust survivor. I have to admit that Polanski has lived quite a crazy life full of ups and downs; from his escape of the Jewish ghetto, to having his wife murdered by the Manson family, to creating masterful films such as Chinatown, and now this recent sexual scandal with a 13-year old girl. Speculations aside he definetly hit a homerun with this passionate film.

Looking Back at History

Over the past few years I have grown a deep admiration for the study of History. It began mostly after I finished high school where I discovered that I could finally develop my own opinions. Through my appreciation for movies as well as my discovery of Wikipedia, I quickly found a new source of information. And so I began to unlearn what I was taught in High School, and understand history with a more open perspective. I have often spent hours on Wikipedia, jumping from one link to another, one event to another, one name to another, one picture to another, and so forth. Lost in time with stories of Corruption, Conspiracy, War, Genocide, Depression, and Rebellion... So much information, and it's all here online! And with this easy access to all this information, I can dig deeper than ever before, trying to understand the significance of these events. History is truly an incredible thing... It is true stories of epic proportions... Stories that have shaped our society today... And the most interesting part is that these stories hardly ever have one side to them...

Coming Soon: The Ruins of Warsaw

Avatar

More than ten years in the making, James Cameron (director of Titanic) once again creates a giant, with this Sci-Fi movie of the year. Avatar is without question the future of movies, with groundbreaking sound, visuals, and effects that are simply jaw-dropping. Just as director George Lucas created Star Wars, Cameron uses his creative directing approach to bring his vision to the screen. Set in the future year of 2154 Cameron creates a planet known as Pandora full of many species such as the native Na'vi... The story itself is nothing new, very similar to the 1992 animation Ferngully, where basically humans invade the environment to obtain it's resources. In this particular matter, humans seek to obtain a precious mineral that lies under the Tree of Life, which is home to the Na'vi. The Na'vi are extreme environmentalists and obtain their energy from the plants and the animals. When the humans disguise one of their own, he is quickly discovered for his reckless ways and is thus trained and taught in the ways of the Na'vi. He eventually comes to understand their way of life, and prefers it over his own species. He thus helps them in standing up against the humans, and sending them away from the planet. It's a movie that has a little bit of everything for everyone; Action, Comedy, Romance, and Drama. It's colorful visuals make for a very imaginative and unique viewing experience that I highly recommend to see in theaters! And the best part is that the movie has a very important message which is that we should take care of our nature and not give in to this terrible Corporate Exploitation that really does happen in real life...

Fifa 10

I can't get enough of this game right now! It was the biggest reason I encouraged Gabriel to purchase an X-Box 360. And I am very happy that I bought it for the X-box instead of the Wii... Such amazing graphics... It's easily the best part of the game, which transforms you from your seat and puts you there on the field. When I play this game I lose track of time, match after match, sucked into these realistic stadiums, the fast game-play, the detailed weather, the sound of the crowd, and the passionate commentary of Andy Gray. The players themselves are also full of detail; from Peter Cech's Helmet, C. Ronaldo's infamous dives, and Kaka's glorious goal celebration. It's all here, with thousands of real players and hundreds of real clubs. Even the international squads are up to date, including Netherlands' full roster (a rare thing). Of course it has a few minor kinks here and there, but with the amount of detail in this one, they are completely insignificant! There are many new features to this game, such as the arena mode that sets you on a practice field, before you select the menu. It's a great way to work on shots, dribbling, free-kicks, etc, while waiting for a game to load. I 've had the game for about a month now, and am just now beginning my obsession. No question as to what I"ll be spending most of my vacation doing! Getting lost in some Fifa!

Invictus

I didn't waste anytime to see this one, opening night, and I must say that it truly met my expectations! I think I can already say it is my favorite movie of the year, and should easily be nominated for several Academy Awards. First for director Clint Eastwood, who has now established himself as one of the best directors of our time. Over the past few years he has released a string of successful dramas, starting with Mystic River(2003), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Letters of Iwo Jima (2006), Changeling (2008), Gran Torino (2008), and now this one. I think the thing that makes him so good is that he is just great at telling stories! Then there is Morgan Freeman, Eastwood's equally talented friend. He is one of the most likable characters in film, and plays the part of Nelson Mandela to perfection. Finally even Matt Damon, an actor of which I have always had low regards for, comes through as a South African Rugby player. He must of put on 20 pounds of muscle, and truly looks and speaks the part with a passionate South African persona.

The story itself is all based on true history, set in 1995 during the South African apartheid. Mandela is the newly elected president and seeks a way to unite the whites and the blacks. He does this through the Rugby World Cup, and encourages team captain Francios Pienaar to not only lead his team, but to set an example for the entire country. The team quickly gains momentum and success throughout the early stages, and soon become contenders against the stronger countries. In the final match they face the All-Blacks of New Zealand in a very intense match. The film does an incredible job of actually putting you there in the stadium in the midst of the action. Never have I appreciated the sport of Rugby until now. Along with the great acting, and amazing visuals, its just an all around inspiring story, that I think everybody should watch.

Random Notes

So come this January, I'll be starting a new career in autism, starting as a therapist at my uncle's clinic in Indianapolis. Sure I probably wouldn't have this opportunity unless I had the connections, but it's not like I'm walking completely into the dark on this one. Over the past year now, I've emerged myself into a social work atmosphere, and have found that I truly enjoy it. It's something that I could probably do for the rest of my life. It's the type of work that you can get engaged in, lose track of time, use your creativity, and do some good for society! Sure the pay isn't high, but it's a small price to pay for actually enjoying what it is you do. It's that gratifying feeling of doing something good for society, instead of robbing it...

The past month now has been incredibly busy, dating back to early November. I've managed to coordinate a Scout field trip, work 2 football games, buy a new car, bag a new job, find a new apartment, and still make it in for each of my jobs. It's been a chaotic month, yet I think things will finally slow down.

December 18th is a big date on my calender! My last day working at the YMCA and my last day at UHA... I can already tell that it will be sad to leave both places, especially UHA, but it's just something that has to be done. Also on this day is our family reunion up in Michigan. That's when my 2 week vacation will begin!!

Still haven't even started Christmas shopping yet, but I intend to do it all at Glenbrook this year, and hopefully get it done in one clean sweep!

Over the past few months now, I've found myself caught up in a hip-hop phase, most of which I just can't escape from... I think it began this summer, going out to the clubs with Jackie and Gily... Then at UHA, listening to the radio while driving Big Bertha... Or with the students singing these tunes.. It's just all around here, and I guess there's nothing wrong with that. I myself have gotten into Shakira lately, and am not afraid to admit it... haha

The other day I watched Michael Clayton, and must say that I really enjoyed it. It is a very complex movie about a fixer who covers up corporate scandals. Well one of his clients takes a turn for the worse, and he gets sucked into a complicated scenario threatening not only his job but his life... If you can make it to the end on this one, I gaurentee it's worth it! Great performances by George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, and Tom Wilkinson! Georgy has become the king of complex movies...

Then on the other hand I saw Wanted, and wasn't quite as impressed. It's a typical summer blockbuster full of action, sex, and violence, full of terrible acting by James McAvoy, and a creepy looking Angeline Jolie... The movie is flat-out ridiculous, with impossible stunts that defy the laws of physics... After watching the opening scene, I knew it was going to be a joke! I fell asleep half way through this one, and don't think I intend to finish it.

I think my good ole HP lab top is in its final days here, moving slower than slow... Yet as of now, there's just no room for a replacement, due to a very tight budget... It would have been nice to get one at the Black Friday sales, where they were going for $200, but even then I don't think there would have been enough money. So I guess I'll just have to suck it up, and hope it can last me another few months...

All Eyes on South Africa

To my knowledge the World Cup is the most followed sporting event in the world, surpassing even the Olympics and the Super Bowl... For this reason it is no surprise that all eyes have recently turned to South Africa, this summer's host of the 2010 World Cup. Although it's still a good 6 months away, I myself have been caught up in the hype. With the recent group selections, and the unveiling of the new game ball, it seems all the closer. Then there's this new Nelson Mandela movie coming out this winter, Invictus, which will gives us a good taste of South African history and culture. Over the next few months I'm very excited to learn about this country. I've even considered buying a plane ticket to Cape Town, yet not sure if I could afford it... (We shall see) For now though all I can do is wait for that first opening game on June 4th between South Africa and Mexico. It's still a while, but I definitely have lots to keep me busy in the meantime... Here's a look at the Groups... I intend to make predictions as the Cup gets closer...

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France (Another strong group)
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, Korea, Greece
Group C: England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, Korea DPR, Cote d'Ivoire, Portugal (The Group of Death)
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Batman Villains: The Joker

Bio: There are many back stories to the Joker, none of which reveal his real name. It is generally understood that the Joker has an extremely confusing background, of which he himself doesn't even remember. Some of his back stories tie him to the name Jack, or with a secret identity as the Red Hood. One of the most popular stories is that he was an engineer at a chemical plant and was strong-armed into helping some criminals break into the plant. During the robbery, he was cornered by Batman and the police, and escaped by jumping into a tub of chemicals. He managed to escape the plant but came out with a terribly damaged face. White skin, red lips, and bright green hair. Other portrayals describe that the Joker worked his way up the crime world, and after a confrontation with Batman, he became disfigured and turned insane. All we know is that after some form of conflict with Batman, he was transformed into the Joker, Batman's ultimate arch-enemy.

Powers and Abilities: The Joker commits his crimes with a twisted sense of humor. He is extremely intellegent with a good knowledge of chemistry and engineering. His arsenal consists of comedic weapons; from razor sharp playing cards, acid spraying flower, exploding cigars, joy buzzers, and his most infamous is his Joker Venom, a deadly poison that causes his victims to laugh to death. His hand-to-hand combat is slightly above average, where he can often stand his ground against the Batman, yet usually avoids this option. Instead he uses his masterful schemes to put Batman in extremely daunting situations.

Media Portrayal: Starting with the comics, the Joker is instantly portrayed as the Batman's number one arch-enemy, modeled after the Joker playing card. In his first comic portrayal he announces over the radio that he will kill three of Gotham's most prominent citizens. With this publicity he instantly becomes the defining villain of Gotham City. The Joker often teams up with many other villains in finding a way to defeat Batman and cause havoc for everyone else. In one story he teams up with the Scarecrow, who eventually turns his fear gas on the Joker, and to his surprise discovers that the Joker is not afraid of anything.

In the cheesy TV series, he is portrayed in 22 episodes and a film by Cesar Romero. This portrayal is merely a comedy of which the Joker is more of a clown than an insane killer.

In the 1989 film, Batman, Jack Nicholson gives a strong performance as the Joker. In this film, the Joker is given a back story as Jack Napier, who works as a right-hand man for a major crime boss, Carl Grissom, as well as the murderer of Bruce Wayne's parents. Keeping true to the comics, Jack is disfigured in a tank of chemicals during a confrontation with Batman. He later kills Grissom, takes over his gang, and becomes the insane Joker. Throughout the film he causes havoc upon Gotham City, yet eventually falls off a building and dies in the end. His most glorious moment in the film was when he pulled out a long gun from his pants, and shot Batman's jet down. Major Kudos to Jack Nicholson for this brilliant performance.

In the animated series he was portrayed by Mr. Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. In this portrayal he was given a history as a hitman who went on to start his own gang. He is once again given the name Jack Nipier and is foiled by Batman during a plot to rob a chemical plant.

Yet his hands down most memorable portrayal to date, is in the recent film The Dark Knight. Here he is masterfully portrayed by Heath Ledger, as not so much of a clown but as a psychotic anarchist. Throughout the film he uses masterful schemes to turn Gotham City into total chaos. This portrayal won Heath Ledger numerous awards including the Academy Award for best supporting actor. Some believe he put so much into the role that it was the cause to his death. Speculations aside, Heath truly created an iconic villain, arguably the greatest fictional villain ever, and for that reason he shall always remain a legacy.

The Appeal: The Joker is a mad genius, with a twisted humor, a great sense of creativity, and a taste for the theatrics. He's got a unique style to him, a man with nothing to lose, out for total chaos. He's a masterful schemer, always one step ahead of the Batman, and really knows how to turn people against one another. I think of him as a masterful pupeteer, creating twisted schemes to manipulate the people of Gotham City into total anarchy. He wants to turn the city into a zoo of freaks, just like himself. Throughout his countless battles with the Batman, whether he wins or loses, he always seems to come on top, laughing with his infamous red smile.

Lionel Messi wins the Ballon D'Or

Futbol's greatest honor is the Ballon d'Or (French for the Golden Ball) and it is awarded each year to FIFA's best international player. The award dates back to the 1950s, and began as only a European award, thus omitting South American greats such as Pele and Diego Maradona. Yet in 1995 the award became international, and it's list of names is now truly note-worthy. Names such as Beckenbauer, Platini, Ronaldo, Zidane, Luis Figo, and so forth... Just last year the award went to my favorite player, the Portuguese superstar, Christiano Ronaldo. This year he was unable to edge out Lionel Messi, the Argentinian/Barcelona star who brought his club a UEFA Championship with one of the most memorable goals of the year. His header in the final game of the Championship League had to of been a deciding factor. I can't help but notice a building rivalry between Messi and C. Ronaldo. These two are easily the greatest players in the world, perhaps along with Kaka, and have been toggling for this award for the past three years now. It's actually kind of funny, just last night I was playing a tense match as Portugal verses Argentina in my new Fifa 10 game (full review on the game to come)... and wouldn't you know it, Messi scored the equalizing goal in the final 90th minute, sending the game into OT, of which I later lost... I was greatly frustrated at the time, yet I can't be mad at Messi... He's the Maradona of our time, and has the potential to lead his country to winning the Cup. I just hope both he and C. Ronaldo can bring their A-game next summer in South Africa, and make it a truly unforgettable World Cup!