My Thoughts on . . . Fidelio

Fidelio is one of the best operas ever.

Like, legit.

It's awesome.

The plot's a bit convoluted, and I don't want to spoil anything by trying to explain it, so I'm just not going to. 

It sounds kinda rough, but that's just because it's in German. After a while, you get used to it, but there is this really funny part right at the beginning where this guard's trying to woo the jail keeper's daughter, and she's so sick of it that she pounds the table over and over shouting "Nein nein nein nein!"

Funniest. Opera scene. Ever. 

And it only works in German, so yeah.

But it's an awesome love (and sort of a spy) story, but not mushy. Totally not mushy. 

I'd give it a 5/5.

It's really that great. 

Any thoughts on my review? Did I miss anything or not give it enough praise? Comment below!

My Thoughts on . . . Carmen

So, Carmen's pretty much one of the most famous operas ever. 

Meh.

What would I rate it?

Gosh, probably a 2 or a 3 out of 5. 

I'm really not a big fan of it.

Why?

Well, not because it's "too mainstream" -- that really doesn't bother me. 

It just feels like there's something lacking in the ending, and if you don't know the ending, I'm certainly not going to spoil it for you. Go watch it yourself.

(Though I did stick a hint in the tags . . . )

The music is wonderful, and although the overture and music from the first and last acts are the most famous, there's some pretty good stuff in between, too. 

I have to admit, though, that the first time I watched it, I was struck by the irony . . .

It's an opera set in Spain, where they speak French, performed in Germany, while I was watching it in America, with English subtitles. 

(Oh yes, I do suggest watching operas with subtitles - very helpful. Unless you're actually going to one, in which case I'd suggest sticking a libretto in your mother tongue in your bag.)

But yeah, something just seems missing to me. And it's a bit overused (not the same as mainstream).

Overall rating: 2.5/5

Any thoughts on my review? Did I miss anything or not give it a fair shot? Comment below!

Next . . . Fidelio . . .

The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel ~ My Thoughts

Last Friday, the lastest Batman movie hit theaters.

Last Saturday, me, my brother, and my dad went to go see it.

Not in IMAX - they were sold out - but that was okay: we had a pretty big screen. Besides, maybe the Hobbit will be in IMAX . . . ?

So, first, the movie itself: EPIC.

I LOVED IT.

Definitely gonna have to have a Batman marathon someday after the DKR hits shelves.

I'd give it a 9.5/10.

(The missing .5 is for a personal preference, nothing huge.)

Now . . . onto the more important topic . . .

The Man of Steel . . .

Meh.

I'm not a Superman kind of gal.

Sorry Caroline.

Haha, nope!

I love Batman.

I love Young Justice.

I love Thor (and Loki.)

I love Captain America.

I love Iron Man.

I love the Avengers (read: Coulson).

But I just really can't get into Supes, even though I did watch the entire Animated Series last year.

What really got me, though, was the music they used for the trailer.

Oh. My. Gosh.

This is where I have to interject something about myself.

I am a complete soundtrack nerd. 

I have over a hundred of them, and I can generally identify the movie they came from within the first thirty seconds.

So, picture this.

I'm sitting the theater, yeah?

Watching previews, right?

All of a sudden, I hear really, really familiar music . . .

And some mournful woman singing (or maybe a choir boy).

I say to myself, "I've heard this before".

Not FIVE seconds later, it hits me: it's from Lord of the Rings.

Lord of the Rings.

DID YOU HEAR ME?!

I SAID LORD OF THE RINGS!

WHO ON EARTH USES MUSIC FROM LORD OF THE RINGS FOR A SUPERMAN TRAILER?!

You know what I think?

I think the person responsible for finding music for that trailer totally dropped the ball and picked the first thing he could find!

I mean . . . really?

*sigh.*