The Missed Adventures (Part 3)

Looks like I have some catching up to do with my blog here. It's been a while since I updated, and school has started since then, so I guess I should have a lot to say about that. I'll get to it, but first of all, let me just complete the Missed Adventures series. On another rainy evening (I believe it was a Friday) while my parents were out of town in July/August, I decided to check out the art museum again. This time I had fun taking photos of the Greek and Roman sculpture section. Gotta love those muscular male figures. I was also very excited to explore the Asian art wing, but I didn't get many good photos because the lighting was just too dim and my camera sucks that way. It was so beautiful though. There were lots of Chinese and Japanese paintings with that simplistic, Daoist aesthetic that I love, and all sorts of fascinating Buddha and Bodhisatva statues of the ancient Far East. And I absolutely love the feeling of Zen within the Chinese Garden Court. You'll see a peek of that part towards the end of the slideshow.

I'll have more on my recent happenings soon! Not that college is all that exciting to talk about anyway. Or is it?

The Missed Adventures (Part 2)

In this episode of The Missed Adventures, we'll take a look at New York City's vibrant Chinatown! You may remember a few weeks ago (July 29) when I tried to visit there but the pouring rain ruined my plans. Well, I think it was the next day when the sun came back so I finally got to go out and explore the busy streets of Chinatown. And boy, was it bustling! The amazing thing about Chinatown is the sheer number of jewelers, as well as shops with Asian gifts, trinkets, decorations, and collectibles--not to mention the overwhelming selection of Asian restaurants. I'm in heaven! But I didn't go to Chinatown just to check out out all the neat little buddhas, dragon statuettes, and jade jewelry. I had a list of specific stores I wanted to visit--stores with anime collectibles. As usual, I had my radar set on DragonBall. Like my experience here last winter, most of the stores turned out to be a little dissappointing--maybe some keychains, unimpressive mini figures, and random crappy bootleg action figures. However, I found an underground gem in a sort of mini-mall called the Elizabeth Center on Elizabeth Street. The basement floor of this mall is crammed with a bunch of little shops devoted to otaku culture! There are toys, plushies, DVDs, manga, cards, posters--you name it. Some shops are stuffed with cute Sanrio and Japanese Disney stuff, others are lined with Gundam models and shonen action figures. I found a number of great DragonBall figures and sets, but with my poverty I could only get one. It's a pretty badass one though.

Anyways, I won't bore you anymore with that. Take a look at the photos below to see around Chinatown. You'll see a few photos of the Mahayana Buddhist Temple, which is a somewhat touristy temple, but still a sacred place I love to visit. I also really like the statue of Confucius which stands in Confucius Plaza. The plaza itself, though, doesn't feel much like a plaza at all. It's basically just an intersection. Confucius deserves better. Hehe. And of course I love the Chinese style architecture that pops up here and there. Fun stuff!

The Missed Adventures (Part 1)

Since the awesomeness of Billy Elliot the Musical seemed to overwhelm anything else remotely interesting in my life, you've missed out on some of my other recent adventures. If you can even call them that. Pictures speak louder than words (or something like that?), so I'll just let my photos tell the story. Plus it saves me the headache of trying to remember or describe exactly what happened weeks ago.

These photos of Central Park were taken when I went with Mom and Dad one sunny afternoon, shortly before they left on their trip to Wales around the latter part of July.

The Grand Tour

I told you a while back I would show you our apartment. Well, finally, here it is. I figured a video tour would be more effective since I can't get a decent indoor photograph with my camera. Plus, it showcases the features better. Enjoy!

In other news, school starts in about 9 days--on a Friday. How weird and pointless is that? And oh geez, I don't even have my books, because last time I checked, the required texts weren't even posted yet for most of my classes. Hunter College really has their act together, don't they? Here's hoping my relationship with this school improves when my learning experience gets under way.

PONYO (on the Cliff by the Sea)

I seriously spent about a total of 8 hours working on this post, so you better read it, dammit! Haha... No, really. Read it nice and good.

This past Sunday was exciting for me, because I got to see a special pre-release screening of Hayao Miyazaki's latest film Ponyo at Symphony Space (which is right in our neighborhood) as part of the New York Children's International Film Festival. I had heard about the screening about a week before, but for some reason I procrastinated and didn't buy a ticket right away. I was mad at myself when the Symphony Space website announced the movie was sold out. But after church on Sunday, I decided I would show up their early to see if by chance they had a waiting list so I could get a last minute ticket. I wasn't expecting to get so lucky, but it paid off, and I got to buy a ticket! I felt so relieved, because I was regretting not buying a ticket back when I first heard about it. I even got in line in time to get a great seat. People were lining up pretty early; it was clear everybody was excited for Miyazaki's latest. The theater filled up, and I was surprised, yet not surprised, to see so many adults excited about Ponyo. Many were there with their kids too, of course. Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli have an ever-growing American fanbase of people of all ages. I will present you with my review of Ponyo, but first...

Some important notes:
For the North American release, the film's title is shortened from the original international title Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. My comments are based solely on the English language dub produced and distributed by Disney. That's the version that will be released in theaters here, so that's the only version I've seen--or rather, heard--so far. Whenever possible, I always try to watch an anime film in the original Japanese language first (with subtitles) because I feel very strongly about enjoying any work of art in its original form. But in the case of Ponyo, that won't be possible until the DVD is released domestically. This is a problem in the context of a movie review for a couple reasons: 1) The original Japanese language version of any anime (or for that matter, the original-language version of any movie) is almost always better than the dub, if for no other reason then because it's the original. 2) One of the producers of the dubbed Ponyo stated that: "It's not a direct translation. We have tweaked the story so it is an understandable story for our audience." This was upsetting when I first heard this, but supposedly any script changes made were given Miyazaki's blessing. As of now, I have no idea what these "tweaks" actually entail, and they very well could be negligible. I'm sure they kept the same basic story. Still, I don't support altering a movie so that it's "understandable for Americans." Anyhow, it is what it is, so my review will be based on my experience of the Disney dub. At least it's the complete uncut movie, right?

Here's my review of Ponyo:

Walt Disney Pictures Presents

A Studio Ghibli Film

PONYO

Rated G

1 Hour and 40 minutes

Written & Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Voice talents of Frankie Jonas, Noah Cyrus, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon

Opens (today) August 14th at a theater near you!

Ponyo is the latest animated film from world-renowned Japanese writer-director Hayao Miyazaki, and the most adorable movie to hit cinemas in a long time. This sweet fantasy tells the story of a little boy named Sosuke who stumbles upon a goldfish-girl trapped in a jar on the sea shore, and after freeing her from the glass entrapment, develops a loving bond with the funny little creature. He names her "Ponyo”—a cute and perky name for a perky little fish—and promises to protect her always. Ponyo's instant love for Sosuke makes her long to become human like him, so that they can be together forever.

The beautiful fairy tale that unfolds with this premise is decidedly a more simplistic work of art than Miyazaki's other films (I confess I haven’t seen all of them yet), but a thoroughly enchanting work of art nonetheless. Ponyo once again proves the auteur’s ability to see the world through a child’s eyes, abandoning all realism in favor of a capricious sensibility. Like his previous two works (the Oscar-nominated Howl’s Moving Castle and the Oscar-winning Spirited Away), the story employs what some have called “dream logic,” but with fewer layers and more purity.

For instance, Ponyo's overprotective father Fujimoto is the sorcerer who lords over the ocean like a god of nature, and he won't have any of this disgusting human business. He fears it will upset the balance of nature, so he forces Ponyo back into the sea. However, the persistent little Ponyo taps into her own magical powers, grows a set of limbs, and frees herself from the ocean, all the while upsetting the balance of nature and thrusting the sea into a violent tsunami. Thus we see Fujimoto’s greatest fears come to fruition, but the connection between Ponyo and the ocean at large is never defined literally. It’s this kind of “dream logic” that exemplifies Miyazaki’s brand of surrealism: the connection is in the subtext, not in the plot, and Ponyo weaves its subtext innocently, delicately, and light-heartedly, without having something to prove.

It is clear in the style as much as in the content that Miyazaki intended to do something a little different this time around. Whereas the background paintings in his previous movies had an almost classical sense of realism (especially in Howl’s), he and his team of artists at Studio Ghibli infuse the artwork of Ponyo with the look and feel of a spectacularly illustrated children’s storybook, all without the help of computers. The rounded landscapes have a beautiful texture that makes them look like pastel drawings rendered with childlike whimsy. The new, more abstract artistic approach that Miyazaki explores in Ponyo is of course especially epitomized in the design for Ponyo herself: in her goldfish form, she is not drawn literally like a fish, but more like a 5-year-old boy like Sosuke might draw a fish. The look is both bizarre and charming.

The poetry on screen is matched, or perhaps surpassed, by Joe Hisaishi’s glorious musical score for Ponyo. Now, I admit I’m prone to hyperbole, but honestly, I believe Joe Hisaishi is one of the greatest composers alive today. He has composed the music for all of Miyazaki’s films since the 80’s, and when these two geniuses overlap their art forms, the result is a truly magical experience. And I daresay Ponyo is Hisaishi’s best score yet. I’m no expert on music history or theory, but the way his layered compositions rise and fall, build and burst, wax and wane between the simplistic and the exuberant—sounds as wonderful as anything the classical composers of old could compose. Again, I hyperbolize, but it seems apparent that this is the kind of standard to which Joe Hisaishi aspires, and certainly Western classical music is a source of his inspiration. No other film composer, except perhaps John Williams, has composed a score so richly orchestrated, so varied in tone, and so downright joyous to the ear. I really hope it gets submitted to the Academy Awards next year, because it will win Best Original Score hands down. It has to.

Something about Ponyo that may not be as joyous to the ear is the English dub voice acting. This comes as a great surprise, considering the all-star cast: Tina Fey as Sosuke’s mother Lisa, Liam Neeson as Fujimoto, Matt Damon as Sosuke’s dad Koichi, Cate Blanchett as Ponyo’s mystical mother Granmamarre, Noah Cyrus as Ponyo, and Frankie Jonas as Sosuke. I think the root of the problem for Ponyo is that the Disney folks made the mistake of thinking great screen actors will make great voice actors. Alas, not necessarily so. Don’t get me wrong, the voice acting is not bad, it’s just not the best Miyazaki dub work. In fact, compared to the English dubs for Howl’s Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke, for example, the dub acting in Ponyo is sub-standard. I do think that Neeson is decent as the eccentric Fujimoto, and Blanchett is perfection as the sea goddess that is Ponyo’s mother, but honestly all she had to do was talk like that Elf queen she played in Lord of the Rings. Cyrus actually pulled off the title character quite well, voicing her with an occasionally obnoxious but always adorable sense of childish spunk. Jonas sounded a bit too old to play a five-year-old, and his intonation lacked the variation and dynamism that would have served Sosuke well, but all-in-all he sounded just fine. The problem is, I’ve come to expect more than “just fine” for a Miyazaki movie—his work deserves an English dub that is no less than great.

At 68 years old, the master Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki has not lost his touch. In Ponyo, he unleashes a vision from his inner child enhanced by underlying sophisticated understanding that comes only with old age, and paints a wholesome, kid-friendly tale about innocent love and living in harmony with the natural world, as embodied by the deep blue sea. It has many of the marks of a Miyazaki story—environmental consciousness, brash female characters, mystical guardians of nature, and most of all that feeling of being in a daydream you don’t fully understand. Unlike American animated cinema, Ponyo’s sense of wonder and humor are not bogged down by modern cynicism or references to pop culture. No, this is a freer kind of storytelling with a Japanese aesthetic that isn’t calculated or contrived. It doesn’t try too hard to make you believe because realism or believability is not the point. Despite the storm brewing around them, Sosuke couldn't be happier to reunite with Ponyo after he lost her once to the sea, and even though she has somehow become a little human girl, he accepts her new form without question—as does his mother Lisa, declaring, “Life is mysterious and amazing.” This refreshing matter-of-factness pervades Miyazaki's childlike artistic vision—the vision of a world where anything is possible.

There’s so much more I could say about it, but I’ve already gotten carried away, just as you will be carried away in the imaginative simplicity of this movie. Take your kids, siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, or whoever to see Ponyo!

More Billy Elliot

I have so much more to talk about in regards to Billy Elliot: The Musical!

The role of Billy is currently alternated among four actors--the three original Billy's who opened the show (and who all won a joint Tony Award): Kiril Kulish, Trent Kowalik, and David Alvarez; plus a former understudy who was added to the main cast rotation earlier this year: Tommy Batchelor. As I mentioned before, I was hoping to get to see one of the original Billy's perform at the Saturday matinee I went to, but Tommy Batchelor was fantastic and all my concerns over that issue dissolved during the show. I was also hoping to see Tony Award-nominee David Bologna in the role of Michael because he performs like an absolute professional, but Keean Johnson shined as Michael in his own adorable way. Oh, and interestingly enough, Trent Kowalik actually played a couple small roles in the show I saw, namely "Tall Boy" and "Posh Boy," so I think what they do is they have one of the actors who isn't starring as Billy in the given show take over those smaller roles for that performance. So I guess you could say I did see one of the original Billy's perform, ha, just not as Billy.

Anyways, after the performance ended, I waited at the stage door with other fans and got the autographs of Tommy Batchelor, Keean Johnson, Trent Kowalik, and a couple of the ballet girls. I also got just a few pictures before my camera battery died. How convenient. But, I wanted more autographs and more photos, so I decided I would come back to the stage door later that night to catch the stars after Saturday's evening performance! I got there at around 10:30 PM, which is about 15 minutes before the performance would end, but before it did, I was surprised to see David Alvarez come out of the stage door all of the sudden. Wasn't expecting that, but I got his autograph! I presume he had played one of the small roles (perhaps "Tall Boy") in that night's show. He left quickly, but not before a fangirl noticed him and told him what a great job he has done in the show. Cute!

As I continued to wait at the stage door for the show to end and other cast members to show, I talked with a nice lady and her young daughter, who had a similar idea as me: they had come back to the stage door for a third time to get pictures with more of the stars. They were both very sweet and it was nice to actually share a conversation with someone other than myself. I also tried to get some photos of the actors that night, but my camera struggles (shall we say) in low light. It turned out that Trent Kowalik was Billy for that evening's performance. Here's a couple photos I have from that night. None of the others turned out well.

The back doors of the Imperial Theatre, plastered with this awesome huge poster thingy:

Me with Tony Award-winner Gregory Jbara ("Billy's dad")--sorry about the awful blur, but like I said, my camera stinks (and so does my beret, gah!):

Okay, so that night, I added the autographs of David Alvarez, Gregory Jbara, and Kyle DesChamps (I think he was a fill-in for "Tony" or part of the dance ensemble--I'm confused; either way, he's part of the cast) to my collection. But still no Kiril Kulish! So I decided to go back again Sunday afternoon (yesterday) because I have to collect the autographs of all the Billy's. Hopefully nobody will think I'm a stalker, haha. But guess what? Kiril Kulish wasn't there yesterday, either. Trent Kowalik played Billy again. How does this rotation schedule work, anyways? Oh well, looks like I'm gonna have to go look for Kiril again later this week. Here's a couple photos from yesterday.

Trent Kowalik signing autographs for fans:

Signing more autographs:

Merle Louise ("Billy's grandma") signing autographs (I got hers, so it made the afternoon worth it):

And here's some videos I took!

This first one I took outside the Imperial Theatre before I saw the show on Saturday. You can't really understand what I'm saying because of the street noise, but it's okay, you get the idea:

This one primarily features David Bologna greeting fans on Sunday afternoon:

These next two videos feature Trent Kowalik signing autographs and posing for photos yesterday:

It was so exciting getting to see these amazing young stars in person! I admire them so much and wish I could have as much drive and talent as they do. Trent Kowalik seemed quite shy in person, and hardly said a quiet word as he signed autographs for people (aww). I suppose even though he's been doing this since last October, he still isn't used to all the attention! Keean Johnson also seemed pretty shy and really gracious. Tommy Batchelor was kind and enthusiastic about it all, and radiated with as much joy in person as he did on stage. David Bologna was all smiles when he came out of the stage door; he was very outgoing and mature when greeting fans. He has a sense of professionalism that is very impressive, which you can sense when you see him perform or do an interview. Adorable!

Wow, okay, I have spent way too much time on this post. You may have noticed I'm doing something a little new with my posts--I'm adding links here and there that you can click on for more info, videos, or goodies related to what I'm talking about. I've even gone back on a few older posts and added some. Be sure to click on them and check 'em out so it isn't a waste of effort on my part! Thanks for reading. I'll let you know soon enough how my quest for Kiril's autograph goes, and I'll show you what my complete autograph collection on my souvenir program looks like.

Peace and Love!

Billy Elliot: The Musical

August 1, 2009 has been a hell of a day. Those who have me on facebook may have already known this, but today was the day I finally got to see my favorite musical ever, Billy Elliot: The Musical. Earlier this week, my loving father bought me a ticket for today's 2:00 matinee. So this morning, I got up at a decent hour (being 10:30 am) to get ready for the big day. I headed down to Times Square and got to the Imperial Theatre way early ahead of the crowds.

Now, I had been crossing my fingers that it would be one of the original three Broadway Billy's (Kiril Kulish, Trent Kowalik, David Alvarez) performing in this showing (they rotate/take turns playing the title role), but I found out that the cast line up was Tommy Batchelor as Billy (he's a new fourth Billy, formerly an understudy, added to the rotation), and I admit I was upset that I wouldn't get to see one of the Tony Award-winning originals, but of course, as soon as the show began, I forgot all about that, because Tommy Batchelor was every bit as wonderful! Keean Johnson was also adorable as Michael.

But I'm getting ahead of myself now. As a mildly interesting subplot, just ten minutes before they opened the doors, I realized I forgot to bring a sharpie (for autographs after the show) so I had to make a mad dash to the Walgreens to waste my money and buy a pack. Ah well, I didn't want to miss the opportunity for autographs.

Anyways, I got back to the theater, but not ahead of the crowds this time. Still, it only took a few minutes to get in and find my seat on the front mezzanine row F (which wasn't a sucky seat, in case you're wondering, but it wasn't fantastic either). The lights dimmed, and over the speakers the voice of a boy with a Geordie accent prompted us to turn off our cell phones.

And so the dream began... and ended. Like a flash. I've been in a tired daze ever since.

That's the kind of effect an experience so moving has on me. Billy Elliot: The Musical was one of the single most joyous times I've ever had in my life--the fulfillment of a dream. So naturally, now that it's over, I am incredibly depressed. That's just how it goes with me.

Some photos to document the day... Disclaimer: Please ignore the fact that I look gross and my hair is a disaster.

The Imperial Theatre

Front:

Back:

Inside the Lobby:

After the performace, Keean Johnson (dark hair) and Tommy Batchelor (light hair) sign autographs:

Me with Tony Award-winner Trent Kowalik:

Me at home with my autographed souvenir program:

"Wow. Huh? Did that really just happen?" That kinda sums up how I feel right now. I've anticipated this day since I first saw the Billy Elliot movie and bought the Musical soundtrack two years ago, and now it's gone in a flash. It was such an emotional day. And I would give you more details now, but I'm pooped.

Latest update: Tonight at around 10:30, I went back to the theater and waited at the stage door to catch some more of the stars as they exited after their evening performance. I got a few more autographs. More details on the day and possibly more photos coming tomorrow!