Tag: Biography

[Victoria Fringe Festival 2018] Confessions of an Operatic Muse, A Review

Confessions of a Operatic MuseLocation: 
VCM Wood Hall
917 Pandora Avenue
*Victoria, BC

Remaining shows:
Sat Sept 1-9pm
Sun Sept 2-8:15pm

* Spoiler Alert

Canadian Comedy Award recipient Briane Nasimok had quite the life. His play, Confessions of an Operatic Mute is very autobiographical, and this playwright told me he does want to set this performance into a book. From a very young age of 8, he fell in love with theatre. He is perhaps best known as Ambrogio in The Barber of Seville when it played at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. This character did not sing. His talent is unique such that in opera, mutes are essentially movie extras. Thankfully, he has done other work in the entertainment industry. Other credits include writing for YTV’s Uh Oh!

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The Life, Times and Advances in Puppetry with Mike Quinn

Mike Quinn with the master!Mike Quinn is a man of many cinematic trades—a talent mentored by Jim Henson and Frank Oz—and he sees a bright future for puppetry, a style of performance theatre. His passion for it predates meeting these two icons and he is fully aware of its rich history. At an early age, he staged his own live puppet shows for family and friends, and he was always encouraged to pursue his dreams.

This form of entertainment can be traced back to the days of early man. Some simply manipulated the stuffed dolls with their hands and others took the form further, like to have a light source cast upon them so their shadows are projected upon a larger surface. This technique not only helped make them become larger than life but also create a mystique to enthral many a viewer. Quinn is well aware of the many styles of puppetry that can be used to tell a story. In the 90’s, his shift to work behind the camera showed his passion also included directing. He worked on many a TV pilot in the UK and said Mira Mara was one program where he brought in skilled shadow puppeteers to perform while a human actress was regaling fantastic tales to a cast of puppets. It went to full series production, was filmed throughout Wales and Scotland, and was broadcast in Gaelic speaking countries.

“I think this style is a very poetic and abstract artistic way of doing visuals. I also enjoy watching a different form known as bunraku (Japanese puppet theatre). You have three people working a full figure on a tabletop. They are usually seen behind the puppet, sometimes dressed in black, partially visible … they study forever to be very precise. It’s incredible!” observed Quinn.

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Bringing Ethel and Ernest to Animated Life, A Movie Review

Despite having some dark overtones in Ernest’s socialist ideals and we have to watch the inevitable (their death) unfold, this movie is one I wish to examine further with a fine tooth comb.

Confessions of a Operatic MuseBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Ethel and Ernest (voiced by Jim Broadbent and Brenda Blethyn) is a very nostalgic and sentimental animated film about these two individuals. It has an illustrative style reminiscent of Tintin. Based on the graphic novel of the same name written and illustrated by Raymond Briggs, this product certainly brings to life the ragtime era of Edwardian London in its opening act. Technically, the year is 1928 and all of this era’s sublime and romantic nature is the highlight. The music is recreated in its vintage glory and it steals the show. I was happily humming along.

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Top Five Most Anticipated Nerdy Films of 2018 that are not Marvel or DC

With the month of January in full swing, this new year offers plenty of films to look forward to. Not all of the lists have to include that comic book film. Yes, I will go see it, but no, Infinity War is not in my top five of the must-see. The better story from the comic book world is Infinity Gauntlet. This tale is told through short moments in the various films of 2018 and during the credits.

Confessions of a Operatic MuseWith the month of January in full swing, this new year offers plenty of films to look forward to. Not all of the lists have to include that comic book film. Yes, I will go see it, but no, Infinity War is not in my top five of the must-see. The better story from the comic book world is Infinity GauntletConfessions of a Operatic Muse. This tale is told through short moments in the various films of 2018 and during the credits. While that cannot be stitched together coherently to its own product, I feel that’s a missed opportunity Kevin Feige of Marvel Studios did not want to get explored; the War movie is a two-parter which puts this film out of the running for being a truly 2018 product.

Other movies I’m excited to go see are:

Iron Sky: The Ark (Feb 15, Germany)

This movie is technically a comic book product, but it is one that is non-American. The first film had an amusing premise of Nazis living on the moon and they decide to invade the Earth in 2018.  This year is happening now and fortunately, we do not have to worry about any real-life invasions.

Honestly, we do not know as the year has just begun, but to see this series of films which seems to borrow on the crazy conspiracies conjectured by Ancient Aliens will have some curious in how much fiction is going to imply reality. In this film’s case, it’s with two university dropouts (from China) who set out to decode a strange message coming from the moon. Somehow, the Illuminati get involved!

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No, The Lost City of Z is not about Zombies! An Analysis & Review

The Lost City of Z is one of those rare films which does not glamorize the pulps, where exploring the world means danger in every turn!

the_lost_city_of_z_28film29By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The Lost City of Z is one of those rare films which does not glamorize the pulps, where exploring the world means danger in every turn! Many old-time radio shows over dramatize these stories so listeners are invested to tune in next week, and not many — at least to my knowledge — lay the world grounded in reality. They are more like heroic fiction than anything else. When considering this biography takes place circa 1912 and spans nearly two decades, there’s a lot of ground to cover.

This film written and directed by James Gray does a fantastic job of detailing the life of adventurer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) from his days of being an intrepid socialite to explorer to soldier (and back), and his conflict with “high society” which led to whether or not he is accepted amongst his peers because of something his father did. Ultimately, this film is about father and son relationships instead of seeing how Nina (Sienna Miller) stayed devoted to him. Some may say he is out carousing through jungles in search for a lost city and fighting in World War I as a means of escape. He knew he had a duty to his country than to his family, and while the latter plight gets explored to a tiny degree, I doubt a full look at his family life could have been done. Sacrifice had to be made to emphasize which narrative matters. In this movie’s case, the various conflicts tends to focus on matters of male ego, especially when he has a rival of sorts in the Royal Geographical Society.

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On What Defines Love in the Theory of Everything, A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Theory of EverythingEvery once in a while, there will be a biopic that tugs at the heartstrings. The Theory of Everything shows how Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones) gets drawn into Stephen Hawking’s (Eddie Redmayne) world and it’s not necessarily bleak. This film highlights his years as a grad student a few months before the crippling Lou Gehrig’s disease would slowly devastate his body.

Time is the cruel beast here, and to see how these two fight against the odds is at the core of this movie than to unravel the answers as to how the universe works that Hawking is attempting to find. That also includes looking into just how truly supportive Wilde was to her husband.

In due time, the two separated; anyone following Hawking’s life will know this. This film serves to highlight more of the best of times than the worst of times of Stephen and Jane’s marriage. The performances by Redmayne will no doubt earn him an Oscar nod, and for Jones, perhaps a tear of affection in showing just how restrained Wilde became during her time with him. There’s something that wants to burst open from her but honour comes before duty and affairs of the heart.

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