Monday, April 13, 2009

monsters in 3d?

I watched Monsters vs. Aliens over the weekend -- it was also the first movie I'd watched that was in 3d. I had to put the 3d glasses on over my regular glasses because I'm too scared to put stuff in my eyes = no contacts. I really appreciated the 3d, but not sure if it made the movie more real. I think the next step for movie theaters is virtual reality, in which the action is actually happening around you. ..that'd give directors a headache to film though.

I think I might've vaguely talked about movie theaters in an earlier post, so this one will explore the entertainment options offered at UVA. The first thing that comes to mind is definitely the theather in Newcomb. The theater is where tour groups go first for their information sessions, and it transformed into a movie theater from Thurs - Sat for students. The movies are pretty recent, with showings of big favorites such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter. The biggest thing is, they're only $3, and popcorn is only $1. Definitely a big money saver on the college student's wallet.

Another one of my favorites is to attend the UVA drama department's production. Each student receive $35 worth of Art$ dollars every semester, and they're free to spend those on free drama production tickets. I can't say enough good things about our drama department. Quality acting, excellent sets and costumes, and amazing directing. I took a drama class my second year and watched my teacher in the production of Hedda Gabler, and then watched some friends in.. ooh darn I forgot the name! But it was also an amazing production.

The student activities building (where you go for orientation) also hosts several productions -- ones from the First Year Players are the most notable. Only first years are allowed to actually perform in the First Year Players, the other years are delegated to set and crew. This is so that first years aren't shunted into the background just because they're first years -- I remember feeling very impressed when I first learned about this at the activities fair. I'm a big fan of FYP as well, I went to watch a musical/modern take on the Princess and the Pea my first year and spent the night laughing. Their production this semester was Sweeney Todd, but alas and alack, I didn't have time to watch it.

Then there's always the Lawn to watch Shakespeare on the Lawn -- they perform exclusively in front of the Rotunda. I think a tour group passed by one of their productions a couple of weeks ago, I hope the tourists weren't too weirded out. =P They have a couple impromptu performances too I think, but I've yet to bump into one.

Speaking of impromptu, we have two impromptu troupes here -- the Weathermen and Amuse Bouche. Amuse Bouche is a relatively new one, I think they started last year. I've seen their shows at several club meetings I was present at, and was definitely entertained. Thinking about all the performance opportunities I've attend and heard about at UVA, I'm definitely impressed by the level of talent found here. I haven't even gotten to talking about our musical productions in Old Cabell Hall yet! But class calls, I'll be back!