Opera

A dramatic, thrilling scene from a long-running TV soap opera is probably one of the last places Bills Mafia would expect star receiver Stefon Diggs to come into discussion, but this odd combination came to fruition recently.

As part of an ongoing ad group to promote upcoming new episodes for Love glory and beauty, CBS – which houses the program and NFL on CBS – Did two characters named Hope and Liam take part in an intense argument over… fantasy football?

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In most fantasy football leagues, the championship game takes place in week 16 of the NFL season. Thinking back to Diggs’ “nuclear” effort in Week 16 against the New England Patriots, we can see why Liam lost.

Seeing the clip, Diggs even responded with a cheeky backlash on Twitter.

Diggs’ week 16 performance against the Patriots was epic

GettyBuffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs in a game against the New England Patriots in 2020.

Ahead of the start of the 2021 season, let’s go back to one of the many highlights from the past year. On a four-game winning streak heading into Week 16 against rival-Pats in New England, the 11-3 Bills were fortunate enough to assert themselves as the main threat for the Kansas City Chiefs in AFC, while also putting the last nail in the coffin of Bill Belichick’s team.

In national television Monday night football battle, Diggs had an unforgettable night, racking up nine receptions on 11 targets for 145 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bills in a 38-9 laugh. Diggs was Josh Allen’s favorite target that night and throughout the season, as he tallied 127 receptions, a league record and 1,535 absurd receiving yards.

Unsurprisingly, the 27-year-old forward and one of the best players in the NFL, took home the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week honors after the blast. With recent injuries and COVID-19 issues plaguing the Bills receiving body, it’s nice for Buffalo fans to have a reliable weapon like Diggs.

With Diggs at the head of a group that includes slots catcher Cole Beasley, fourth-year pro Isaiah McKenzie and others, the Bills could bequeath to retired Terrell Owens and recently released Steven Sims.

Where does Diggs rank ahead of the 2021 Fantasy Football season?

GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans and Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams in the 2019 Pro Bowl.

Since Liam made it to his league title game last season – maybe Love glory and beauty the cast has a league – chances are they had a pretty solid draft, even though they didn’t pick Diggs. After last year’s huge campaign that saw him be named to his first Pro Bowl and be part of the All-Pro First Team, the No.14 is deservedly ranked high on the draft boards. experts before the last weekend for the drafts.

Depending on league settings – non-PPR, PPR 1/2 point, PPR, etc. – Diggs appears to be ranked second, third, fourth or fifth wide receiver off the board. Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams was the near-consensus No.1 player for the fantasy job this summer, while names like DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals, Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons and Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs also are generally placed in the top five group of fantastic wideouts.

The preseason is over and fantasy football is just around the corner, so “hopefully” – for Liam’s sake, it will never be done by Diggs again.

READ NEXT: Bills Roster Cut Tracker: the old Steelers RB among the latest releases

Atlanta Opera has announced its return to the stage with four stage productions planned for the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center and two planned as part of their Discovery series presented in their Big Tent venue.

Atlanta Opera 2021-22 season

Starting in November, the four main productions are: JULIUS CAESAR IN EGYPT by Handel, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE by Gilbert and Sullivan, BARBER OF SEVILLE by Rossini and THE (R) EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS, written by Mason Bates on a libretto by Mark Campbell. . This follows a season of productions in the Big Tent, which was custom-built to keep audiences, performers and crew safe during the pandemic, but proved popular beyond all expectations.

It was the company’s Discoveries series, dedicated to mounting new, adventurous productions in alternative spaces, that inspired Big Tent’s much-loved performances, and the venue rightly returns this season for the Discoveries Series’ Come As You Are ”(June 2-19, 2022), featuring a production of the hit musical CABARET performed in the repertoire with the critically acclaimed chamber opera CABARET.

In the words of Atlanta Opera Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun

“We believe that what unites us is much greater than what divides us. CABARET and AS ONE take place a century apart: one at the start of the 20th century and the other at the beginning of the 21st. But they’re all about the same theme: we’re all different, but as human beings we look a lot more alike than we sometimes say. History proves again and again that great dangers lie ahead if we choose to focus on what separates us rather than what unites us.

“During the pandemic, the Big Tent became the symbol of unity. A safe place, where we can come together as a community and enjoy live performances regardless of the turbulence outside. We can’t wait to get together under the marquee to enjoy these two masterpieces.

CABARET

The Atlanta Opera’s CABARET production is adapted from the 1998 Broadway revival that lasted over 2,377 performances at Studio 54 in New York City. Zvulun will conduct and James Lowe, Music Director and Conductor of the Tony Award-winning Broadway cover of ANYTHING GOES with Sutton Foster and Joel Gray, will conduct the members of the Atlanta Opera Orchestra. Award-winning decorator Alexander Dodge will transform the great tent of the Atlanta Opera House into the Kit Kat Klub, a decadent cabaret where singer Sally Bowles entertained Berlin’s elite in the 1930s. Erik Teague, the designer responsible for the whimsical costumes of last spring’s production of THREEPENNY OPERA, will take care of the costumes.

A versatile singer-songwriter also capable in opera houses and on Broadway, Curt Olds will sing the role of the flamboyant Emcee. He has been seen in productions ranging from Don Pasquale and The Magic Flute to musicals such as A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC by Sondheim, THE THREEPENNY OPERA and RIVERDANCE by Broadway. Hailed by Opera News as “a wonderful singer actor, as skilled at pointing dialogue as at phrasing a song,” Olds recently performed the role of Monsieur André on the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA world tour.

Actor and tenor Anthony Laciura will sing the role of Herr Schultz, the old owner of a fruit shop. With more than 800 performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Laciura has taken his opera talents to travel around the world, singing supporting roles in several of the canon’s most famous operas, including LE MARIAGE DE FIGARO, LA FLUTE MAGIQUE, CARMEN, TURANDOT and FALSTAFF. From 2010 to 2013, he was seen on the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire as Butler Eddie Kessler.

The rest of the casting has not yet been announced.

LIKE A

In CABARET’s repertoire there will be the Atlanta premiere of Laura Kaminsky’s critically acclaimed chamber opera AS ONE, “One of the 35 Best Classical Composers” (Washington Post), in which two voices – Hannah After (mezzo-soprano) and Hannah Before (baritone) – share the role of a single transgender protagonist. Kaminsky’s music is set to a libretto by Mark Campbell and transgender filmmaker-librettist Kimberly Reed, who also created the multimedia opera film. Since its world premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, AS ONE has become America’s most produced modern opera.

Transgender baritone Lucia Lucas – recognized as a “rising star” (The Guardian) with “a voice that can rock the rafters with her power, without ever sacrificing subtlety of expression” (Tulsa World) – sings the role of Hannah Before. Lucas sang the title role in DON GIOVANNI with Tulsa Opera in 2019, becoming the first trans woman to sing a lead opera role on an American stage. The performance was the subject of James Kicklighter’s feature documentary, THE SOUND OF IDENTITY.

Blythe Gaissert, American mezzo-soprano and expert in new classical music, will perform the role of Hannah After, a role she has sung in eight previous productions, including the 2019 version at the New York City Opera. Known for her “rich, earthy voice and dramatic skills” (Broadway World), as well as for her impeccable musicality and technical prowess, Gaissert is “impossible to ignore” (Denver Post).

During last fall’s Big Tent series, Atlanta Opera’s first foray into its bespoke venue was hailed by ArtsATL as “a welcome breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively.” Whatever the state of the pandemic next spring, for the productions of the Discoveries series, the large tent is the ideal choice. Zvulun explains:

“Over the past year, the Big Tent has become our favorite ‘home away from home’. We really enjoyed playing in a venue that we can set up almost anywhere and easily turn into a Texas saloon one night and Victorian London the next. And the public response has been out of this world. I don’t think anyone is ready to see the Big Tent in storage, certainly not me. The large tent will be pitched on the grounds of the Atlanta Opera House at 1575 Northside Drive, less than half a mile from I-75.

About these tickets …

Tickets for CABARET start at $ 50 while tickets for AS ONE start at $ 15. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, August 17 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at atlantaopera.org or by calling 404-881-8885. Both operas will be performed in English with English surtitles.

Visit AtlantaOpera.org for more information on the entire season.

When you think of opera, most people imagine a majestic theater filled with people dressed in fancy clothes and dramatic musical performances, but a group of music students want to change that and make it a much more accessible experience.

Can of Soup Collective is a non-profit organization founded by three graduate students from Western University who try to create professional opportunities for other young and emerging artists in the city, while making opera more “consumable” for the general public.

“We think London is sort of short of professional opera opportunities,” said Mabel Wonnacott, the group’s creative director and Western master’s student. “We basically have opera happening at the university, but outside of that there just aren’t a lot of opera productions in London.”

“Our goal is to make opera accessible and to create a better relationship between London audiences and classical music, so we are going to offer operas that are not pretentious, but rather relatable.”

Starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, the band will do just that by hosting their Music in the Park event. About ten local musicians will be scattered around the park and will play different genres, from folk to opera. These performances will be followed by a full staging of Aunt Helene at the bandshell.

“Rather than feeling like you have to get dressed and that is something to be prepared for, it will be available to people who walk their dogs, who ride bikes … There will be fewer obstacles. to consumer opera, ”Wonnacott said.

“Aunt Helene is peppered with Canadian folk songs, things I’m sure people will connect with and recognize from their childhood… It’s consumable and relatable, rather than being big and intimidating. “

Being relatively new to the city, Wonnacott said it took her time and research to discover the city’s creative arts.

“I think a lot of the arts are sort of contained in their own bubble and so I think an important and important part of making these things more popular or more common in London is just the visibility. people that this is a very accessible thing. ”

Wonnacott said that at the moment Can of Soup Collective is operating on a voluntary basis, but the hope is to raise funds to create paid opportunities for opera artists.

“I think the music, especially the opera which is this fusion of all art forms – we have the visual aspect, the theatrical aspect, the music, the wonderful libretto – I think it’s a wonderful kind of vessel for us to explore the human condition and there is no better time than now to share that. “

Here is an excerpt from Ellita Gagner from Can of Soup Collective singing What are you doing, Blanche Tourterelle?

The Chicago Opera Theater is about to open its season with Bizet’s “Carmen”.

The semi-staged production will give audiences a rare opportunity to hear two new world-class dramatic roles of mezzo-sopranos facing each other. Jamie Barton will debut in the title role while Blythely Oratonio, the tenor alter ego of legendary Stéphanie Blythe, will sing his first Don José.

COT’s musical director, Lidiya Yankovskaya, who will conduct the semi-stage concerts, said: “Although Bizet’s melodies are familiar to many opera lovers, it will be a very different perspective from a classical one. opera. It is also a unique opportunity to hear these inimitable artists explore a whole new territory. Jamie Barton is long overdue in her debut as Carmen, and I’m delighted that Stephanie Blythe is joining us in a new role that matches her truly unusual voice like a glove.

The company will present two free community events offered before the opening night. Tuesday August 31, “What The Fach?” will explore the fluidity of vocal types, with a discussion between Stephanie Blythe, Anthony Roth Costanzo and Aiden Feltkamp, ​​who curated the recently released Anthology of New Music: Trans & Nonbinary Voices.

On Thursday, September 9, the public will be invited to the Center on Halsted, the Midwest’s most comprehensive LGBTQ community center, for a close-up with “Carmen.” With Katherine Syer, opera historian, playwright and professor at UCLA, this conversation will focus on the history of cross-dressing in opera.

The production will also star Michael Sumuel, Kimberly E. Jones, Brandon Cedel, Rachel Blaustein, Leah Dexter and Evan Bravos. Joachim Schamberger heads the production

“Carmen” will be performed on September 16-18 and all participants will be required to wear a mask covering both nose and mouth inside the Harris Theater, which will be filled to a maximum of 60% of its capacity. The public will also need to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination.

Annette looks a lot like opera. It’s quite long, the story can be confusing at times and there is a LOT of chanting. The majority of the film is sung, not spoken. Like opera, most viewers might be put off by these aspects of the film. However, if the viewer can look beyond unconventional creative choices, a tragic and deeply emotional story can be found in what is, essentially, an opera in the form of a film.

Annette is a romantic drama that follows Henry McHenry (Adam Driver), an irreverent comedian, and Ann (Marion Cotillard), a famous opera singer. The film revolves around the relationship between Henry, Ann and the family they create with the birth of their baby girl, Annette (Devyn McDowell). Annette lack of a traditional story structure that works to its advantage and to its detriment. The lack of a conventional plot may put some viewers off, but it also helps audiences focus on the emotions displayed.

There isn’t much of a major conflict for the first half of the movie. The first half focuses primarily on how much Henry loves Ann and how Ann’s love for Henry seems illogical to the average viewer. It’s a smooth first half that displays real love, but also little real direction. The second half of the film dramatically increases the conflict. It feels like there is a direction with the display of strong emotions. If the first half is the joyous life and eternal bliss of Henry’s perfect life, then the second half is the tragic and depressing road it takes after Henry’s actions.

Contrary to what most movies should be told, the story isn’t what matters Annette. What really does Annette shining is the performance of each. As in a play, a musical or an opera, it is the actors who stand out and leave the audience in awe. As mentioned before, the whole movie is sung. Annette is almost exclusively a musical with the exception of a few spoken dialogue. There are times in the movie when large crowds of people sing together, and it’s really amazing. Large choirs sing in response to what the main characters are doing throughout the film.

Said performance is shown in a manner very reminiscent of a scene. Most of the scenes are shot in such a way that the viewer focuses more on the actors than on the environment, and the environments presented appear closed and almost artificial. There is rarely a scene where a character does not occupy the majority of the shot. It helps the audience focus on the characters, their struggles, and their reactions to those struggles. It also makes the film feel like more of a play by removing the distraction of elaborate sets or the use of heavy CGIs. While not everyone will like this choice, the film definitely gives the impression of being in a theater watching a play.

Like any good musical, the main characters steal the show. Two characters in particular narrowly outperform the rest of the cast. The first is The Accompanist (Simon Helberg), Ann’s unnamed accompanist in his opera. Most viewers will recognize Helberg as Howard Wolowitz from The Big Bang Theory. While this is a drastic change, Helberg makes a graceful transition from a goofy sitcom actor to a wonderful dramatic singer. Admittedly, Helberg’s voice is a bit difficult to disconnect from his The Big Bang Theory character, but the performance he gives is so good that the viewer will forget the wacky old Howard Wolowitz for the duration of the film.

Helberg’s performance is incredible, but Driver’s performance is simply phenomenal. Much like The Accompanist, Henry will also be widely recognized by fans watching. Annette. Henry is played by none other than Adam Driver. Most will recognize Driver for his performance as Kylo Ren in the Star wars sequel trilogy, but his performance in other films such as BlackKkKlansman, Lucky logan, and Annette, prevent it from being labeled as the capricious antagonist of the Star wars sequel trilogy. The driver’s performance is spectacular. This particular viewer was very captivated by his character and the range that Driver was able to achieve with Henrey McHenry. Driver makes audiences love and hate the tragic character of Henry with ease. Driver performance is the highlight of Annette and that’s the only reason you have to watch Annette. Who knew Adam Driver could sing?

Rating: 4/5

Annette is not for everyone. It takes about thirty minutes to realize that everyone in the movie is singing for the entire movie, unlike traditional musicals. However, if the viewer chooses to stay after this achievement, they will be in for a tragic modern day opera that is enjoyable to watch and listen to. Once you accept this Annette more like a Shakespearean tragedy than a modern Hollywood movie, so the experience should be very powerful.

The applause began long before a note from Puccini’s romantic tragedy “Tosca” was played or sung on the long-awaited opening night of the San Francisco Opera’s 99th season on Saturday, August 21. A fully vaccinated crowd of 2,253 (74% capacity) cheered when the lights at War Memorial Opera House went out shortly after 7:30 p.m.

General manager Matthew Shilvock received a loud reception when he took the stage to make some remarks.

“We have all been looking forward to this moment,” he said. “Tonight, the collective power of opera returns: orchestra, choir, soloists, team, staff, board and you, the audience, united in this glorious and shared expression of humanity. “

There were more huzzahs for it and for his observation, about pandemic performance, that the opening was taking place in “one of the safest cities in the country.”

A historic comeback @sfopera with one of the most glorious Tosca performances I have ever seen! Intense passion and energy, moving forward with our new Music Director Eun Sun Kim and @ailynperezsop Tosca has made it the start of a spectacular new chapter! We are back! pic.twitter.com/09toTDrPT5

– Matthew Shilvock (@MatthewShilvock) August 22, 2021

Shilvock greeted the approximately 500 healthcare workers in attendance who were offered tickets at $ 10 each.

Obviously, the audience was in the mood to celebrate. Beginners and committed opera enthusiasts alike felt palpable pleasure in the resumption of the large-scale live musical drama. It came after a 20-month hiatus – the last pre-COVID performance of the San Francisco Opera at the Opera House was the closing night of “Hansel and Gretel” in December 2019. (The company produced a drive- in “Barber of Seville” this summer at the Marine Center in San Rafael.)

“The beauty of San Francisco is the celebration of music, art, food, community and diversity,” said Jackie Smith of Oakley, who was settling into her 45-minute Dress Circle seat before the curtain. “It’s like coming home.”

What to expect for SF Opera’s fall 2021 season

SF Opera House renovation completed in time for ‘Tosca’ opening night

Indeed, the crowd, though masked, looked almost normal as patrons took group photos and selfies in the arched, golden lobby. They filled the restaurants of the Opera for the pre-show dinners. They lined up in bars for sparkling wine and other libations.

Maged Salib and Bassam Kassab, both from San José, were all smiles as they joked about seeing “Tosca” “for the hundredth time”. Salib added: “We are more than excited.”

Micah Archer had bought a top hat for the occasion, while Emily Archer sported puffy faux fur. The couple, who left Massachusetts for San Francisco in January, were attending their first opera. “We wanted to deck ourselves out for that,” Archer said.

While there were a few adornments to be seen – long dresses and off the shoulders, a silver lamé jacket, a few tuxedos – this was, under restrictive circumstances, no gala opening. There were no fancy gift dinners or luxury flower shows. Members of the public showed their vaccination cards to ushers and volunteers outside, received a sticker to show they had been approved for entry, and then entered to have their electronic tickets scanned. Aside from a few long lines on the Grove Street side, the process went smoothly.

During a conversation in his office, Shilvock said he was keen to put audiences back at ease with live performances. A more festive atmosphere is planned for the concert “Live and in Concert: The Homecoming” scheduled for September 10th. The performances will be broadcast simultaneously and free of charge at Oracle Park.

Principal violin Kay Stern was warming up at home three hours before the curtain. Both “nervous and excited and humiliated to come back,” she told The Chronicle over the phone, “I also think it will be nice to play for people other than my cat. “

Estate mistress Lori Harrison relished the backstage tradition of opening night’s ice cream thematically dubbed (the strawberry was “Strawpia,” in honor of villainous “Tosca” Scarpia). “It’s like waking up from hibernation,” she said.

In a production first seen here in 2018, “Tosca” made some powerful impressions. New Music Director Eun Sun Kim took control of the score and led a performance of startling intensity, subtle mood swings and piquant details.

Tenor Michael Fabiano, as the idealistic painter Cavaradossi, unleashed a powerful air praising female beauty. Soprano Ailyn Pérez, voice and allure, was its very embodiment in the title role. The San Francisco Opera Choir shone in the finale of Act 1 against the imposing setting of the church.

Weaknesses appeared later. Baritone Alfred Walker, more pensive than poisonous like Scarpia, lacked vocal weight and dramatic weight. There was static play under the direction of Shawna Lucey. The third act, despite the breathtaking spectacle of Fabiano “E lucevan le stelle”, seemed somewhat studied.

Pérez, making his debut in the role, was the big story. Resembling a Valentine’s Day in her pinkish-red dress, she was from the start flirtatious and playful coquettish, tickling her painter lover and taking on jealous airs, her voice cheerful and luminous. In her fateful second act encounter with Scarpia, she took on a stature that was both meditative (in a dreamily slow and fascinating “Vissi d’arte”) and fiercely, brutally determined.

When the ovation fell on his encore, Pérez looked genuinely moved and almost overwhelmed, burying his face in his hands at one point. As the final curtain fell, she ducked down to wave a few final waves at the crowd, as if she couldn’t stand the end of the night.

Puccini’s “Tosca”: San Francisco Opera performances continue at 7:30 p.m. on August 27 and September 3; 2 p.m. August 29 and September 5. $ 26 to $ 398. War Memorial House, 301 Van Ness Avenue, SF 415-864-3330. sfopera.com

Western films are the vectors of the evolution of civilization and culture in the world of cinema. You must be amazed to see these cinematographic works of the lives of people devastated by war, thinking how horrible their normal life was back then! The functionality is prepared this time by the list of these best western movies which have been famous in different countries of the world. Let’s get to know them.

Top 10 Greatest Western Movies Ever Made in the Film Industry

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly | 1966 | Western Italian

IMDb: 8.8 / 10

In the screenplay of Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni and the direction of Sergio Leone, it is the most influential film of the reign of Western cinema.

The story follows three fortune hunters who end up pointing their guns at the buried gold after the death of its owner.

Popular actor and director Clint Eastwood won the “Audience Award” for “Best Actor” at the Faro Island Film Festival in 1966 for playing in the film. The film won the OFTA Film Hall of Fame award in 2016.

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Django unleashed | 2012 | American West

IMDb: 8.4 / 10

This groundbreaking film tells the story of a slave who struggles to save his wife with the help of a dentist-bounty hunter from the Mandingo Battles – a brutal game of fight to the death.

The film was made as a tribute to the Italian film Django (1966) by Sergio Corbucci. Famous detective genre filmmaker Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed the film starring Christoph Waltz, Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Tarantino and Waltz won the Oscar for Best Original Screenwriter and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.

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Sholay | 1975 | West Indian

IMDb: 8.2 / 10

It is the furious and dramatic story of two inmates who accept a former policeman’s proposal to bring the most ruthless bandit back to life.

Ramesh Sippy directed this film in the script by Salim Javed and under the production of his father GP Sippy.

Among the main actors in the film were Amitabh Bachchan, Amjad Khan, Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar.

Amjad Khan, Dwarka Divecha and Ram Yadekar respectively won the Bengal Film Journalists Association awards for Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Artistic Direction.

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The New Earth | 1972 | West Swedish

IMDb: 8/10

The main idea is taken from two novels by Vilhelm Moberg – The Settlers (1956) and The Last Letter Home (1959). The film portrays the difficult effort of a Swedish immigrant family to start over in America.

Bengt Forslund and the director of this film Jan Troell contributed to the script of the film.

The film stars Liv Ullmann, Max von Sydow and Eddie Axberg.

This dramatic film received the Oscar nomination and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

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White desert sun | 1970 | Russian Westerner

IMDb: 7.8 / 10

This action film is about a Red Army soldier who must guard a guerrilla leader’s harem despite the end of the Russian Civil War.

The film is shown to astronauts for a positive vibe before most space missions.

Valentin Yezhov and Rustam Ibragimbekov wrote the screenplay for the film under the direction of Vladimir Motyl. Anatoly Kuznetsov and Pavel Luspekayev played the main characters in the film.

President Boris Yeltsin awarded this film the State Prize in 1998.

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a place in the world | 1992 | Argentinian Western

IMDb: 7.8 / 10

This philosophical film portrays a simple life in the Argentine wilderness through debates among idealistic family members. With a political intrigue, this film creates a Western attitude without violence.

Alberto Lecchi, Kathy Saavedra and the director of this film Adolfo Aristarain co-wrote the screenplay for the film. The film stars Federico Luppi, Cecilia Roth and Jose Sacristan.

This film won the Goya Award for Best Foreign Spanish Language Film and the Silver Condor Award in eight categories at the Association of Argentinian Film Critics Awards.

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Aferim! | 2015 | Romanian Westerner

IMDb: 7.6 / 10

An estate owner hires a policeman to capture his slave who has had an affair with his wife.

Based on such a story, Aferim! was directed by Florin Lazarescu and the director of this film Radu Jude.

Teodor Corban, Victor Rebengiuc, Mihaela Sirbu and Alexandru Dabija were in the main actors of this comic film.

The film won the Silver Berlin Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for Best Director and the Tiantian Award at the Beijing International Film Festival for Best Cinematography.

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Joe Lemonade | 1964 | Western Czechoslovakian

IMDb: 7.5 / 10

Oldrich Lipsky co-wrote the screenplay for this film with Jiri Brdecka, the film’s director, based on his own play and novel of the same name.

This western parody depicts a funny business rivalry between lemonade and whiskey based on a small town full of rural characters.

The musical comedy film, also titled by Horse Opera, stars Karel Fiala, Rudolf Deyl, Milos Kopecky.

Lipsky won the Silver Seashell Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in 1964.

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The tracker | 2002 | Western Australia

IMDb: 7.4 / 10

A brilliant native tracker joins in the quest of a group of three white men, including the disciple, the veteran and the fanatic, to capture the murderer of a white woman.

The film, written and directed by Rolf de Heer, ends with an incredible twist with such a story.

Gary Sweet, Damon Gameau and David Gulpilil star in this historic film.

Gulpilil won the Australian Film Institute Award, the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award and the Inside Film Award for Best Actor.

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The good, the bad, the strange | 2008 | West South Korean

IMDb: 7.3 / 10

The story of this film centers on the wilderness of Manchuria where three hidden treasure hunters are involved in a conflict with Japanese forces and Chinese dacoits while fighting each other. This movie is actually a remade version of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966).

The action-comedy film starring Jung Woo-sung, Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-Hun is written by Kim Min-suk and film director Kim Jee-Woon.

Jee-Woon Kim won the Blue Dragon Award, the Cine21 Movie Award and the Sitges – Catalonian International Film Festival Award as best director.

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Final result

The best western movies of all time about the nomadic life of bounty hunters torn apart by civil war still stuns today’s moviegoers. The combination of the characters’ emotions with the artistic visuals of this era has influenced many films of the 21st century. Suddenly, Western films appear in new forms in front of the new generation of moviegoers.

Robots perform opera in Graz, asking audience to sympathize with the machines

Nessun Dorma is a play that tells the story of love, betrayal and longing … but in a non-human form

On August 5, an opera production with robots premiered at the Forum Stadtpark cultural center in Graz. The opera is called “Nessun Dorma”, after the famous aria from the opera Turandot by Giacomo Puccini. Thea Hoffmann-Axthelm, Elsa-Sophie Jach and Markus Schubert composed the piece, while funding came from the Graz Culture Year 2020 initiative.

It tells the story of the industrial robot Akra – programmed to be a painter, and the self-made chaotic vacuum robot – Putzini. The play is about love, death, artificial intelligence and nostalgia – asking viewers to empathize with the machines. The robotic opera combines these subjects.

An air of nostalgia and death

Arka is an elegant industrial robot, reprogrammed to be an artist. He paints in a gallery while listening to a cassette of opera arias from death scenes. One night, Arka meets Putzini, a chaotic robot vacuum cleaner made by him.

As in any good dramatic opera, the two develop a relationship that contains love and suffering, betrayal and separation. When the relationship breaks down, Putzini learns to compose his own death tunes through a complex neural network.

The interaction of the two robots combines emotional-philosophical thinking and digital science with lyrical genre and tells a story of emotions. Love has always appeared in stories as a motive that enriches the humanity of a character. He tempers rage and greed, melts a cold heart and pushes the characters to go further: be it Romeo and Juliet or Wall-E.

This is what also motivates the Putzini robot. Is it then too strange to sympathize with a machine?

In the wings

It took the team three years to bring this project to fruition. Markus Schubert, the “creative technologist” behind the work, explained the interactions of the robots, saying the team had programmed a set of repeated basic movements, including movement, painting or dancing.

However, when robots move and how those movements interact, it depends on chance. Thea Hoffman-Axthelm, the set designer, explained that the team doesn’t know exactly when and how the robots will move and what those movements will be.

At the same time, they set up specific triggers for the robots to look at each other, but the team were often surprised when the machines did so in a particularly visible or appropriate way. The idea was to make them seem spontaneous – like two people in a love game.

In addition to the carefully programmed robots, the essence of the project is artificial intelligence (AI) because the air of death at the end of the play was composed by an AI.

Director Elsa-Sophie Jach is adamant that this is a relevant dramatic piece, as robots tell a story of love, betrayal, disappointment and self-expression, with one big question looming: is a robot capable of being artistic?