London 2012 Opening (While We Wait Once Again)

  Hello, Internet World!
Mary Taylor here. So sorry for my long periods without posts! Just finished an unusually good run of Hairspray. We did not think it would go as well as it did, but it went really well. ANYWHO!

  The big topic of the summer that simply cannot be ignored: London Olympics! Let's start with the opening ceremony (and end there, because that's all I really have to talk about in this post).
A great, great, great way to start things off, I believe. Starting with an appropriate theme of The Tempest, and only getting greater and greater. Starting with that really set the mood for the kind of show, and warned tha audience what, really, they will be witnessing from that moment on. Danny Boyle was the best choice to direct that opening. He is notorious for never making small choices, and he flaunted that aspect of his directing quite well in the opening. The whole opening was quite beautiful, and took us beautifully through the history of Britain. He wanted the opening to be "loud and thumpy," and he did more than fulfill that want. Musically, it helped everything transition and made what seemed to be random scenes thrown (I use that term as lightly as I possibly can) together seem very flowy. Music was a major aspect to the whole opening; it helped the audience understand what was going on, bringing us, loudly, to the Industrial Revolution, which Britain is famous for leading. Pausing for a moment of silence, while the "Britain Through the Ages," was poignant as it was where The Great War was in the tribute.

  Moving to the tribute to Great Britain's literary excellence was amazing. There was a great tribute to GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital), which J. M. Berrie gave generously to throughout his life. My personal favorite was the dance the nurses and children did that represented what it was like trying to put children to bed at night. Moving into the dream sequence, the children dreamed of the great literary villains, including the 10 foot tall Voldemort.

  Made almost entirely of volunteers, you can tell the opening ceremonies took months upon months of planning and rehearsing!

  Lighting the torch was BEAUTIFUL! The NBC's camera shot from underneath was brilliant, and the luscious soprano singing as it was being raises. Gah! Amazing. From then, the best part of the evening, the world singing as one with Sir Paul McCartney in Hey, Jude.
  Of course, though, the great huge event of the evening is the Queen's James Bond entrance. She let down her hair for the event and cheered wildly.
  Overall, amazing.

  I have to say, the NBC newscasters spoke far too much and gave too much commentary when there didn't need to be any. Of course, little tidbits about the history why they are doing certain things, sure, but a lot could have been easily cut out. Further, NBC cut a dance tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack in Britain and put a rather pointless interview with Michael Phelps in its place. Truly, I think it is rude of NBC. It was another moment the host country had to show what it had to offer and what they had spent months preparing, and we put a two minute interview with Michael Phelps in. I understand the importance of Michael Phelps, but that is disrespectful to the host country and to the victims of the attack.

So! The opening ceremonies were, indeed, loud and thumpy, and simply cannot be missed! It told a story as opposed to parading around. Musically, gorgeous. The Queen, excited and proud. NBC, think before you act.

Thanks, lovelies!!

Love always,
MT


Set fire to the rain! London 2012 Opening

Ted: Official Trailer

Here is the trailer for this week's critique: Ted. Enjoy!
MT

Ted: The Critique (Critique #4)

  Here is my critique on the new comedy movie, Ted. Let me know what you guys think and what you guys think I should do next!
Thanks,
MT

While We Wait... Again.

Hello, Internet Lovelies!

  First, let me apologize for my inexcusable absence! I know all the both of you are so crushed (Mom and Dad), but while we wait for my next film critique video, I'll write something on television! So, on to it.

  PBS is a magnificent, fantastic, lovely television privilege. At the very least, 50% of our DVR list per week is PBS. Such things like Great Performances, in which they show different concerts. The awesomeness doesn't end there! That's right! They hold different television specials, I know, boring, BUT! In those, they have tons and tons of clips. For instance, Victor Borge (which was my fav). Furthermore, they have a magnificent, lovely series called Masterpiece Theater.
 
  Masterpiece Theater is basically the British miniseries, and sometimes films, that American television does not show on BBC America. Masterpiece consists of three different areas: Masterpiece Classic, Masterpiece Contemporary, and Masterpiece Mystery; Masterpiece Mystery being the most popular in our home. It is always important, in my opinion, to see things from other countries, even if it is just across the pond. The style is completely different and quite interesting. 

  The particular series of Masterpiece I will be talking about is a series called Sherlock on Masterpiece Mystery, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (actor info here) as Sherlock Holmes, and Martin Freeman (actor info here) as Dr. John Watson. Sherlock is a modernized look at the classic stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, and created by Steven Moffat (info here) and Mark Gatiss (info here). Some of you Whovians may jump at those names. Steven Moffat, for those who may not watch the British hit television show, Doctor Who, is a writer for the sci-fi series. Mark Gatiss also writes for Doctor Who, and has actually acted in an episode. In fact, Mark Gatiss not only writes for Sherlock, but also plays Sherlock's older brother, Mycroft Holmes.

  For those who have no clue of what I am talking about when I say "Sherlock Holmes," allow me to give you some background information, even though it is not necessary to know in order to watch the series, or anything Sherlock Holmes, for that matter. Anywho! Sherlock Holmes is a consulting detective (only one in the world), and when the police are completely out of their element and have not the slightest clue as to how to solve the case, they go to Sherlock. To put his gift simply, Sherlock Holmes is one of the quickest observers and thinkers in the UK. By one look, he can deduce nearly every detail about you; some details you may not even know about yourself. So, as he should, he put those skills to good use. Sherlock is a high-functioning sociopath, and gets bored very easily.

  Now, I must go on with the critique.

   I am certain I will critique individual episodes in the near future, but for now, let me speak of the series as a whole. Sherlock is a brilliant show that really brings Sherlock Holmes to the 21st century in a more deliberate, if I may, way than Fox TVs House did. There are six, one hour and thirty minute episodes of this series, and two seasons (three episodes per season). The series is magnificently cast with a tall, lengthy Sherlock Holmes, and a home-y, slightly average looking Doctor John Watson. Martin Freeman actually won a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for his interpretation of John Hamish Watson in the first season. One character, however, who held the attention of the whole audience, yet has so little camera time is Andrew Scott playing the arch nemesis, if I may, of Sherlock Holmes, James Moriarty (or "Jim" in the 21st century).

  When it comes to performance, Benedict Cumberbatch is absolutely fantastic as Sherlock Holmes. Andrew Scott (who also won a BAFTA for his interpretation of Moriarty this year) takes risks and makes huge choices not to be missed by anyone. Martin Freeman was hilarious in The Office and Love Actually, but shows his amazing talent as a doctor who thought he'd seen just about everything. Laura Pulver, who plays The Woman, or Irene Adler, is absolutely stunning and played Irene with the class that made me want to bring a country to its knees. Pretty much what I'm saying is there are no weak performances.

  The thing I really, really, REALLY love about this series is the fact that absolutely everyone makes big choices. Acting choices, directing choices, you name it. Another big thing with this show that everyone seems to love is the fact that text shows up on the screen as a character is, for instance, reading a text, typing on the computer, etc. It is quite interesting and has never been done like this before.

  Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, and the other writer, Steve Thompson do a wonderful job at keeping all choices up to date while being true to canon. Obviously, liberties have been taken; the episodes are "based" on certain stories, and sometimes more than one. However, the series is sure to be loved by classic Sherlock Holmes fans.

  In conclusion, Sherlock is a brilliant series brought to America by Masterpiece Mystery on the Public Broadcasting Stations. Sherlock can be enjoyed by lovers of the stories and new comers alike. I could not recommend it more, however not fit for younger children, really. They'd find it boring and there are some more mature themes. I hope you've not only learned about an awesome new series, but also all of the awesomeness that is PBS!

Any questions or comments, comment below, or tweet at me! Always free. 

Thanks, lovelies!
MT

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