Nine

Today, I saw Nine. A movie based on a musical based on a movie. Ever since I saw the trailer in movie theaters (which was a few months ago) I wanted to see this movie. I couldn't wait for the movie to be shown in theaters! So finally I saw the long anticipated movie and... it wasn't that great.

Daniel Day-Lewis plays Guido (I found this so funny because of all of the hype from "Jersey Shore") so well. He is a great actor and he was so into his character. He played Guido perfectly. I don't understand what the title of the movie represents. I assumed that it represented nine women who influenced Guido's life in some way. But there were only 7 women that did so. The spiritual aid/costume designer for all of Guido's films (Judi Dench), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his wife (Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose!!), his mother (Sophia Loren), a world famous actress (Nicole Kidman) who starred in all of Guido's past films, a representative from Vogue (Kate Hudson), and a woman from his childhood (Fergie).

Kate Hudson had a very good performance, obviously her vocals were altered digitally though. She can dance! Really well! I loved the choreography. Fergie's song, "Be Italian', reminded me so much of "Mein Herr" from Cabaret because of the choreography. Fergie and the ensemble used chairs to dance on, just like in Cabaret, and the style of the dance was very similar to "Mein Herr."

All of the actors in the movie were excellent. But there were parts in the movie that didn't make the plot clear. I think the movie was a little bit of a mess. I understood Guido's problem. But I didn't understand the point of Fergie's character. The movie didn't explain why Guido was thinking about a woman from his childhood. Or was it just because he is a pervert?

The big numbers were really great! And I thought the filming was done really well. But besides that the movie was kind of bland and a little messy (does that contradict eachother?). If your into Fosse, definitely see this movie! The choreography is really great! Otherwise, I would not expect to be blown away.

Evil Artists

The advertising industry lures consumers not only by catchy slogans but the pretty, colorful, eye-catching layouts. These layouts are created by artists. The artists are hired by the company who wants to advertise a product and ultimately make money.
What I have learned so far from "Can't Buy my Love" is that certain companies are evil. Alcohol companies, for example, hire artists to create an eye-catching design to promote the consumption of alcohol. In some alcohol ads I saw in the book, the photos and slogans give off the impression that the company is encourage heavy drinking.
Not only do I think poorly of these companies but I also think poorly of the artists who do the artwork. I understand that the artists could be designing the layouts just to make money. Not everyone is like that. I think poorly of them because they are supporting a company that encourages bad actions. Therefore, they are encouraging bad actions.
This may seem a bit too extreme but this is what I think. Of course I have respect for artists, but how much respect could I possibly have for them if they are creating something for a bad cause?

Let the Right One In

These were the questions I was able to answer. After having a discussion in class, I still don't know what plot point 1 and 2 are and the difference between them.

How is camera movement used?
- For most of the movie, there is no camera movement. It is still. The stillness provided a serious tone for the movie. The serious tone worked well because it made the situations and characters much more intense.

How is camera distance used?
- The shots were either very far away or very close, almost too close. The shots that were very far away were tricky because the director wants you to notice what is going on in the background rather than the clearest closest thing in the shot. The very close shots helped me notice how each character was feeling at a certain time. In the scene when the girl is in the hospital telling the guy she wants to die and to open the blinds, the camera is zoomed in on her face. This helped me take the girl more seriously. If the shot was not as zoomed in, I wouldn't have taken her as seriously.

How is character developed other than with dialog, or how does the director develop character visually?
- Facial expressions, posture, clothes, actions.
- Without dialog, I was able to tell that the boy playing the bully was the bully. He was wearing a tough leather jacket, had a mean look on his face, had that certain type of walk that basically said "Don't even bother trying. I'm the shit."

Sound is used to incrediblyt effect in this movie - how do the filmmakers use soung?
- In important scenes, scenes that further the plot, it is so quiet that you could hear the characters breathing and doing things that you wouldn't be able to hear in real life.
- When there is violence going on, there is loud scary music. This emphasized the effect the scene had on me.

Plot point 1?
- Established the characters. What they are about, there problems, needs, and wants.
- Est. the setting.

Plot point 2?
- Oscar and Eli growing up.
- Oscar gaining confidence when he hurt the bully.

You can go back if you want to vs Go back I don't care if you want to

Someone is pushing me to start dancing again. It's not that I dont want to, I am not ready yet. I am not confident that I will do well and not hurt my knee. Not dancing for three months was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. my knee doctor said that I can go back to dance class, which is great! But, I am so afraid that I will hurt my knee again and create a worse situation.

"You have to go back to dance. You have auditions coming up." Yes, I know I have auditions... I'm the one that scheduled them. But, the auditions start at the END of January. Two months away. I have time. I'm not going to rush myself and feel like I'm putting my knee in danger to please someone else.

Personal Statement

I'm freaking out. I have to write a personal statement for a college that I'm applying to. I still don't know what my artist statement is!
Directions: On a separate sheet please type your statement, detailing your special talents and accomplishments during your high school years.

Seems easy, right? maybe I am just over thinking it because it's for applying to college. But it's for a college I don't care if i get in or not. Honestly, I would rather get rejected from the college so that I don't have the option of going there if all else fails.

Now that I am reading the directions again, it's seems really snobby and show-off-y. my special talents? I can have the same special talents as other people.

Stress? No thanks.

Its 11:34 at night. Sparknotes is calling my name. But I love the book I have to read for Women Warriors. I want to go to sleep. What do I do?
I have been a procrastinator for as long as I could remember. my mom says I have been procrastinating since elementary school. I completely believe her.
What makes us procrastinate? What in our minds makes us say "I'll just do it tomorrow, I'll just get it done another time."
Professionals (in art or anything else) dedicate themselves to a certain thing. Have they ever procrastinated to get to where they are today?
I don't get stressed. Krinsky says everyone is stressed all of the time (even if it is the littlest bit). I think that is bull. I get frustrated, angry, and pissed off, but never stressed. I am not stressed now that I have not finished my homework. I am not stressed out that I need to hand in a college envelope to my guidance counselor. Even if I was an inch away from a wall of death, I still wouldn't be stressed.
I consider this a gift. I see stressed out people everyday and it scares me. It makes me feel uncomfortable. The worst is when someone doesn't know how to handle their stress. I don't like being around people who don't know how to handle stress. Because in the end they take it our on other people and who wold want to be a target? I certainly don't.

REDO! and Improving

I had so much fun in STAC yesterday. Our own version of a Jewish holiday I don't think I have ever heard of was great. I really liked the idea of writing on the paper because it made me think about my flaws that I want to change. Then I started to think about other STACies and what they could possibly be writing on the page. Would people catch themselves when they go against what they wrote on the paper?
I also realized why I did things last quarter. I was afraid to apply to college because I didn't want to mess up an application or a resume or anything else I had to give to the colleges. I kept avoiding it which just made me more overwhelmed.
I would want to write promises for people. I would not write things that would make me seem like a bitch but things that could make them a better person than they already are.
In fact, I wouldn't mind if someone did that to me. As much as I don't care about what people think about me, I am always listening to other people's opinions and isn't improving a part of life and growing up?

Kontroll

Since my first year in STAC, I have heard about Kontroll so much. Finally, after three years, I watch Kontroll! It was not as good as I thought it would be. The first time I saw Kontroll, I wasn't able to completely focus on the scenes because I had to focus more on the subtitles to understand what was going on. I also thought that the movie was okay. Some people said that they wanted to get into the movie more, but I didn't. I do not think Kontroll was such an amazing movie. At times, I would get really bored watching the movie, watching the clock hoping that the 2:40 bell would ring so that I could leave and stop watching the movie.

The second time I watch Kontroll, the movie seemed much shorter. I was able to focus more on the movie in that I had a better understanding of the movie. I still didn't love the movie. It was good, just good. I couldn't get into it.

If I had the choice of watching Kontroll again, I wouldn't watch it.

Be Kind Rewind

Last Friday was the most fun I had making a movie! It was because everyone in my group got along, there were no big egos, and we didnt't waste time because we knew we were on a time crunch. This project was successful because we were on a time crunch to finish and Luke enforced that the movie had to be done at a certain time. If there was no due date (wall of death), creating the storyboard, characters, and costumes, and filming would have been a much longer process.

Stephen Chbosky quotes

I was just on Facebook reading a note my friend Victoria posted. I met Victoria a few years ago in dance class. As I got to know her, I found out more about her life and how she thinks.
The post consisted of 15 or so quotes. When I first started to read the post, I thought that these quotes were something she has said or something a friend had said that relate to her life. I would have never guessed that these quotes were from another person. I thought, "Wow. How can so many of this guy's quotes can relate to one person's life so much?" Stephen Chobosky is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director.
After the quotes, she posted a picture to represent the first few quotes. Each picture had a quote on it and the quote matched the picture perfectly. They told a story about each photo.
Then I tried to relate the quotes to my life (as an artist) only to find that most of the quotes relate to my life too.
How can an novelist/screenwriter/film director's words relate to people who obviously did not based any of the quotes on them? Is that part of being an artist? Being able to relate to people who you do not know at all?

Kidnapped Love

Transform to good culture.
Bad pistols disappear, presenting the beauty within.
Literal acts of kindness provide influential change.
Daily activity stimulates happiness.
Society walks around happy now
Doors open to you!
Love is all around!
People give you money!
And for your mega-watt smile
your sweet tooth
your shy ambition
rule the world and munch us all down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQTa61aPdXk&feature=player_embedded this is a youtube video of setting up Roxy Paine on the roof.

Trust

I had so much fun on Friday in the community center. I liked being blind folded running across the stage more than guiding people because you don't know what is coming next. Someone could come up to you any second to guide you to the other side of the stage. When I was blind folded I was a little hesitant running fast because I didn't want to run into anyone. But I realized that there was no way for me to tell if I was going to run into someone. I had to allow myself to trust the other STACies.

I was the first one who was blind folded for the comm center tour. This was the second time doing this so I knew anything could happen (like walking into people at any second). However, at the same time, I still didn't know what was going to happen on the tour. When Luke said "pair with someone who your are uncomfortable with" I knew who to pair up with. I wanted to put my trust in Nick because I wanted to put my trust in someone who I don't normally trust. I also wanted to allow myself to trust someone I don't know well. When you are blind folded, you have no choice but to trust the person who is guiding you because you can't control what you do in your surroundings.

Even though I enjoyed being blindfolded during the tour, I had more fun guiding Nick around. I had fun making him confused: I walked him around in circles, took him outside and in a girls bathroom, and made him hive-five other STACies. Unlike the tour I was taken on, I didn't make Nick touch a lot of things. Instead, I took him to different places in the community center because I did not see a lot of weird textured things for him to feel.

And as for payback for him making me dip my hand in dirty water, I sat him down on the stage at the end of the tour, facing the curtain with his blindfold still on while everyone else was talking to each other.

Johannes Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer was a Dutch Baroque painter in the mid-1600s. Baroque art is known for its rich, deep color, great drama, and intense light and dark shadows.

Most of his paintings are used with the Pointillé technique. Similar to engraving or embossing, Pointillé is when the artist manually punches dots on a surface so that it creates a pattern.

Vermeer's art career began working as an apprentice in Delft, his home town. He taught himself how to paint. However, some scholars believe that he "was trained under the Catholic painter

December 29, 1653- Vermeer became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke, a trade association for serious artists.

Vermeer was a slow worker, only completing three paintings a year. A few years after he became a member of the Guild, he was elected head of the Guild (1662, 1663, 1670, and 1671).

Towards the end of his career, Vermeer was known as a respected artist and an established craftsman in Delft.

Today, Vermeer's art work is shown all over the world. Some of Vermeer's artwork is now at The Met.

My Version of "The Sisters"

Look how they're the same.
But oh so differnt.
Different looks rooms possibilities

In their opposite demeanors
and ages they support each other
Blood resting on blood

My Version of "Going Blind"

She sat like the others
But she seemed a little different.
Her smile
almost painful.

They finished
and left together.
I saw her moving
far behind.

She followed slowly behind
the others all self absorbed.
Taking her time,
she flew on the surface of the pool.

Twyla Tharp

Sunday morning, I was eating my french toast while looking through the New York Times when I can upon the Arts section. While I was flipping through the pages, reading the headlines and looking at the pictures I saw an article about Twyla Tharp. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/arts/dance/20kour.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=tharp&st=cse) The article is about Twyla's new show! Just like "Novin' Out" and "The Times They are A-Changin," Tharp's choreography is set to Frank Sonatra songs (the show is called "Come Fly with me."

I thought it was so funny how this show was started. A few dancers went to Twyla's apartment and said "We want to dance." That's all they said. At first Twyla didn't give in to the dancer's request. But finally she gave in to doing technique. Well, one thing lead to another and now she has a new show! They cast is rehearsal in Atlanta, Georgia right now but soon it will tour the north America. Hopefully it will come to new york!

After I read this article I thought about what the contents of Dina's magazine should be. The article in the magazine should tell the reader something they never knew of before. If I never decided to skim the newspaper, I would have never found out about Twyla Tharp's new show.

Changing Your Mind About Someone

Ever hear a person who loves you and cares about you say something that can immediately change the way you think about that person? That what they said was something so out of line that it makes you reconsider how much they love you and care about you? And makes you reconsider what you think about them?

Doing things you are asked not to do

How come people do things they are asked not to do? After being asked to not do something so many times over a long period of time, they still do not do what is asked of them.

I'm talking about being asked not to do small things. Like staying away from someone's personal space, or not talking during class, or other small things like that.

If I was asked to not do something that small, I would do what I was told because I want to respect the person who asked me what to do.

If you do what your not suppose to do you automatically say "sorry." But eventually "sorry" doesn't hold any meaning. It's just another word that comes out of a persons mouth.

Saying "sorry" so many times can make the word lose its meaning. And making forgiveness seem harder to do. Sometimes I think some people don't forgive anyone, they just put the past behind them and never look back at that bad moment ever again.

Matt DeNicola Deep Dish Pizza

You will need a bowl face, and a deep dish pie and extra shyness seasoning

DeNicola Dough:
1 c. water
1/4 c. trolls in a dungeon
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups of guns n' roses
1/2 c. lukewarm water
3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
3 or 3 1/2 c. flour
yellow cornmeal
a pinch of shyness seasoning

Toppings:
1 cup of curly hair
orange slices
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
2 cups of marinara sauce
sushi (any type is fine)
Krabby Patty meat (from "Spongebob")

Directions:
Put dough ingredients into a bowl face. Kneed dough with a screw driver until dough looks like a ball.
Sprinkly shyness seasoning on the pie pan so that the dough doesn't stick.
Spread the DeNicola dough into the pan.
Add toppings in any order you want.
Put the pizza in a 400 degree for 20 minutes or until the crust has fully risen and is still pale.
After you take the pizza out of the oven, top the pizza with a few more trolls and Matt DeNicola fingers then it is ready to eat!

Favorite First Day Pictures

I really like Dina's hair color against her skin tone. I also like that her face isn't on an angle.


Silly face :)


I really like Ilana's smile and she looks so pretty in this picture.


As ridiculous and ugly this picture is, it's so funny!


I like the expression on Molly's face in this picture.


Hilary looks so sweet and innocent in this picture.


I like the angle this picture was taken. It's so different from the other photos because of the angle.


This is a really good picture of Nick. I also like the angle on this picture.


I like the expression on Zach's face in this picture.


Hahah this picture reminds me of her "happy and creepy" character during improvs.


I like that her face takes up the whole picture. Cute smile, Elisa!

Funny picture, Jess.



aww cute face. sweet dreams Bobby


I love that this picture was taken while Juliana was laughing.


I like the expression on Mairead's face.


This is the only picture that makes me wonder what Megan is thinking about. I really like the expression on her face.


Even though the picture is a little blurry, I really like his smile. It looks really genuine and I also like that he looks like he is in the middle of laughing.


I really like Jack's smile in this picture.


So much expression.


I love this photo of Doug. He looks so calm and happy.


Alex looks like he just heard really crappy news and he said "are you kidding me?" Maybe the bad news was that he is going to a Cher concert...



This photo makes me laugh. When I first looked at this photo I came up with a story for it- Frustrated after staying up late doing homework and studying.


I love Leah's eyes in this photo: so big and beautiful.


Lizy looks really perky in this photo. I also like that there is not a lot of distraction in the background.

She looks like she's giving someone attitude. "What the hell are you doing?"


Becky in the middle of laughing with her bright and contagious smile. Gotta love the one earring



I don't know why but when I first looked at this photo it made me smile


Cute smile and cute haircut!


Flirtatious. She looks like she is in the middle of saying "Hey you..."

I love Leah's smile in this photo and I also like that it is candid.

Artist Statement

Every time Luke mentions "artist statement" I draw a blank. I don't know what my artist statement is. And to be honest, the term still confuses me. A few people explained what an artist statement is to me, but it just makes me more confused. I assume that every artist has an artist statement. I just wish that I knew what mine was. Or maybe it's right in front of my face and I am making it hard for myself to realize what it is.