NeoStuff

Etiqueta: life

  • RENT: no day but today

    RENT: no day but today

     

    I love musicals, I love Broadway, and I’m simply in love with Idina Menzel (who isn’t?). And yes, there are many productions that have been transformed into movies, like Chicago, Annie and The Producers. But the one I love the most is, without a doubt: RENT.

    Why is that? Well, RENT’s not just another musical. In fact, I believe Jonathan Larson give us more than a rock musical based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera La bohème. RENT, tells us the story of a group of friends, young artists and musicians, trying to survive in New York City, dealing with everyday problems and facing HIV/AIDS.

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    The story? RENT takes us through one year in the life of the characters. All this experiences filmed by Mark (one of the characters), in what seemed to be another boring year for them.  But, in fact, it turned out to be the most amazing year of their lives and a journey in which we accompany this group of friends through love, loss, AIDS, and life.

    I’m sure you’ll wanna see it for yourselves, so I better talk about the characters of this incredible production.

    Mark Cohen (Anthony Rapp), the filmmaker and currently Roger’s roommate. Maureen’s ex boyfriend. The one who’ll be in charge of filming a documentary with everything this group of friends will go through in the movie. And some also refer to him as the one who stays «forever alone» in this story, witness to the other’s love stories.

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    Roger Davis (Adam Pascal), the musician and ex-junkie. He was once successful, but he kinda broke apart since he knew he is HIV positive. His only hope is to write one last song before he dies, but he’s also tormented by the fact that his last girlfriend, April, killed herself after finding she was HIV positive too. He doesn’t allow himself to love, but Mimi may make him change his mind.

    Mimi Márquez (Rosario Dawson), the club dancer and currently drug addict. She lives in the same building as Roger and Mark. She’s only 19 and, like every teenager, she lives like there’s no tomorrow. She has a major crush on Roger and like him, she’s HIV positive. She’ll try everything to make Roger fall for her. She’s also Benny’s ex lover.

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    Tom Collins (Jesse L. Martin), the anarchist. He’s a teacher dealing with AIDS. He’s only dream is to open a restaurant in Santa Fe and stop dealing with NY’s problems. He was once roommate with Roger and Mark. He meets Angel by coincidence on the streets after he’s been robbed and becomes his lover.

    Angel Dumott Schunard (Wilson Jermaine Heredia), the drag queen. He’s a street percussionist with a beautiful soul and the ability to make everyone happy no matter what. He’s the one who tries to keep this group together despite their differences. Just as his lover Collins, he deals with AIDS.

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    Maureen Johnson (Idina Menzel), the bisexual. She was once Mark’s girlfriend and lived with him, Collins and Roger. Flirtatious and uninhibited, she’s a street artist with the passion to fight for what she believes in. She loves to get everyone’s attention and enjoys making protests to make her point. She’s currently Joanne’s girlfriend.

    Joanne Jefferson (Tracie Thoms), the lawyer. She’s a well educated woman and a well related lawyer. Despite the fact of being her opposite, she’s currently Maureen’s girlfriend.

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    Benjamin “Benny” Coffin III (Taye Diggs), the landlord. He once shared the dreams of his friends Collins, Mark, Roger and Maureen but then got married to Alison Grey, from the Westport Grey’s, a very wealthy family. He’s considered by everyone a sell-out as he tries to evict everyone to become the building a studio. In the meantime, he’ll try to «buy» Roger and Mark so they stop Maureen from protesting. He’s Mimi’s ex lover but he thinks if himself as her ex boyfriend.

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    As you can figure out, with New York as the scenery, this group of friends try to give us a very important message about love, life and dreams. Because, just as one of the songs title says: NO DAY BUT TODAY.

    Hope you can enjoy this film as much as I do, and before I finish this, I’ll leave my absolute favorite song from this musical.


     

  • Just a few months, dear.

    Just a few months, dear.

    I walked the streets aimlessly, still disoriented by what had happened. «A few months, dear», her words rang in my ears like a cruel torment.

    What could I do in just a few months? I just couldn’t accept it; all my plans, my dreams. All of them ruined by this news. Few months, not enough time. All the wasted time parting and been kicked out by about 3 different universities, wasting time.

    I sat on that bench without really knowing where to go, if only I had not wanted to know the future, if I had not wanted to know what fate awaited me. If only, if, it was too late for that.

    Suddenly I felt someone sitting by my side, an old man who looked disturbed. I stared at him for a moment before asking if I could help him with anything. “I’m fine, but you looked all alone, dear”, his voice was so comforting, that it automatically made me smile.

    “What’s the matter? A pretty young thing like you, alone in the middle of a park when the day is so bright, doesn’t seem natural”, he was right, it was a lovely day. I told him about the gypsy and her prediction on my imminent death.

    “Seems you have a problem, darling, you are more afraid of death than you are of life. When you die, you don’t have to worry anymore. But when you’re alive, you have to finish your mission, you have to leave a legacy. If I were you, I’d think about what I’ve done in my life”. I wondered if he was right. What would I leave when I died?

    “What would you do if you had more time?” I told him about my plans, my dreams, and my unfinished medical career. Told him I wanted to help, to make a difference. «Can’t you?”

    He was right, I could do it. I smiled at him and say thank you, I was about to stand up when he said. “We’re kinda making a deal you know? I give you more time if you promise to make a difference and help mankind”.

    He noticed my stare, not really understanding what he was talking about. He shook my hand and say “My name is Grimm and we have a deal, dear”.

  • Memories: Make art, be art

    Memories: Make art, be art

    There are memories that come and go, flashes in our minds that light up and off, like there was someone inside playing with electricity. They come in the most unexpected moment, sometimes to make us smile and sometimes to make us cry.

    We tell the same old story over and over, especially when saying it out loud fill us with joy, people notice and they let it repeat itself; just to see us smile.

    Sometimes, it’s like we have only few important moments, but there are more, even if they’re not so meaningful. We treasure the ones we love the most, like our first kiss, our fist accomplishment, our first love.

    Sometimes it only takes a song, a picture, an object to make the memory pop out. The song you dance together at the prom, the first gift you bought for your baby sister with your own money, the photo from when you went to the park with your BFF. Moments that defined us.

    So yes, there are memories that deserve to be immortalized. That’s what art is about, making memories last forever, writing about someone, keeping it alive in a video, a photograph. Just so you won’t ever forget it, just to keep it fresh a little bit longer.

    Hope you have very special memories popping up in your mind and that you’re able to let the bad ones go away. We are who we are for a lot of reasons, maybe we will never know most of them, but the ones you can recall, embrace them, take your notebook, camera or painting kit and make them immortal, make them last forever… make art.