Month: July 2010

A sudden storm…

Emma1 Comment

Hi everyone,

There was a brief, BUT very powerful, storm in DC area yesterday (SUN, 7/25).  There was no electricity in the house from 4 p.m. onwards.   Our neighbor’s aunt was locked out of the house, so she came to hang out w/ us for a while.  (The nabes had gone off to an event.)  I felt bad b/c we ONLY had little 4 stubby little candles (and I was in a cranky mood)!  This lady, who looked young and in good shape for her age, immigrated to the US just 3 yrs ago from Gazipur (a village).  Back in Bangladesh, she raised 2 kids (now grown and settled).  In recent years, her husband and both in-laws passed away.  She had to wait 10 yrs to get the visa to join her relatives!  Luckily, ALL her brothers and sisters are in the West (Canada and US).  These days, she’s working and trying to become more of an “independant” person. 

I went to bed around 10 p.m. and listened to the iPod nano radio until midnight.  I woke up at 3:30 a.m. for a few mins. and saw that the electricity was back.  In the morning, I saw that several trees were uprooted; one big tree blocked a road.  The storm caused most damage in Montgomery County, MD.  (On NPR this morning, I heard that VA folks didn’t have it so bad, except some rural parts of Loudon County.)

But here’s something COOL… 

A few weeks ago, a lady named Muriel, who manages Diego Hartfield’s official web site, contacted me about using my ’08 US Open photos of Diego.  Those photos are now on the site! 

http://diegohartfield.net/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=233

What I’m currently reading:

Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez

What I’m currently watching:

Lark Rise to Candleford (Series 2)

Quantum Leap (Season 3)

The Tudors (Season 2)

All the best,

EMMA.

“Hamlet” (2009)

EmmaLeave a comment

A hit, a hit, a palpable hit!  The Bard’s most popular, and arguably best-written, play springs to life w/ a fresh, modern adaptation by the RSC.  (It is now available on DVD in the US.)  This one is a must-see for all Shakespeare fans!  Tall, wiry Scotsman David Tennant (Dr. Who) tackles the title role and theater veteran Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation) portrays the ghost of Hamlet’s departed father and Claudius (Hamlet’s “uncle-father”).  They played these roles on stage, so are well prepared for the screen version.

Hamlet (sometimes in a single scene) must be able to convey much- anger, intelligence, melancholy, and wit.  Tennant creates a Hamlet for our time;  he shows us Hamlet’s isolation, emotional torment, confusion, and self-awareness.  I feel Tennant does a GREAT job in showing us Hamlet’s muti-faceted personality.

Unlike in the theater, here we get close-ups of the actors.  Hamlet can connect more deeply with the audience (a glance into the camera, a side joke).  The use of a pistol in a pivotal scene rendered the scene less dramatic in my opinion.  The dark main set didn’t appeal to me, but the use of the large broken mirror was a good directorial choice.  The use of surveillance cameras was interesting; Hamlet is always under watch.

On to the supporting cast…  Claudius is played with grace and subtlety by Stewart; often villains pretend to be just like ordinary people.   I thought he was VERY effective as the ghost as well.  Polonius and Gertrude did a fine job, as did Horatio (who had a sense of gravitas and a marvelous speaking voice).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYZHb2xo0OI