FMX 211 Blog

Gruesome, gritty, and disturbing don’t give justice to what Rigoletto truly is. The mind only can wonder when presented with a plot based around adultery, murder, and fallacies. The opera was first performed in 1832 and was immediately banned and declared “immoral” by the French government due to the portrayal of the monarch (Schwarm & Cantoni). The ban was well within reason due to the time period in which it was first written. Additionally, when first viewed, it can be compared quite similarly to Romeo and Juliet which has aroused controversy in the past. When I first watched the opera, it was rather confusing due to the language barrier. There were no translations or captions so I had to rely heavily upon the acting and character portrayals. That being said, once I figured out the characters, protagonists and antagonists, it was easy to follow. I discovered a few things while watching the opera for the second and third times that I had missed when I first viewed it. First,...

    Madama Butterfly Blog  At first glance, "Madama Butterfly" claymation was quite horrifying. It wasn't due to the plot or the characters, but rather a personal taste, or distaste, of claymation films. Most claymation films have given me a bone-chilling feeling after viewing them. There isn't a particular reason behind it. I wasn't haunted by my toys, nor was I afraid of Toy Story.  Aside from the eerieness of the film, I thought that the plot was unsettling. It was predictable that the man would have sex with Madama then leave because he's in the Navy and can't stay on a deserted island with a random woman from the woods. A few incidences stood out and caught my eye in a distasteful manner. After Madama gave birth to the child, she kept the umbilical cord attached. I understand that it was supposed to be symbolism for how in love and attached she is to the man and the child was her only memory of him. However, was it really necessa...

At first glance, Raul Cuero appears to be rather tall, awkward man who doesn't seem like much. However, this was his exact inspiration to become a well-regarded scientist and inventor. Cuero wasn't born into wealth or education. He wasn't given the privilege that many others take for granted, and for that reason, he decided that he wanted to be different from what everyone expected of him. He started being creative at a very young age due to the fact that he had no toys growing up. Cuero recounts that his first experience using his hands and being creative was with his observations with the roaches. The roaches were a product of his environment and rather than exterminating the stimulants, he embraced them and studied them. This, in turn, forced him to make observations that would be used to further his education and his life experiences. Personally, this was a moment in the documentary that raised goosebumps. The fact that he had no toys or anything to pla...