Creativity With an Affinity for Darkness
The Dark Opera
  • Bio
  • Contact

Hey You, thanks for stopping by.

Scroll down for my latest work as well as for whatever's on my mind.

It's not all just dark stuff, so check back for a laugh, some motivation or for pure randomness.
 

I want to read a story

Must See "A Message For All of Humanity"

4/4/2013

0 Comments

 
Here is a remix of Charlie Chaplin's speech in "The Great Dictator" 

I simply had to include it here because I think it's truly inspirational (and a great example of music, picture and words coming together to create something uniquely powerful)
"More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness" 

I love that. Don't you find that in conversation there is a tendency to be clever, to 1 up each other. Don't we all get a little caught up in being 'clever'. Think of what kind of positive change we could make in our close relationships if we chose to switch out cleverness for kindness and gentleness even only half the time. 

I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, Gentile, black men, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each others' happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. 

Greed has poisoned men's souls; has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge as made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in man; cries out for universal brotherhood; for the unity of us all. 

Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say "Do not despair." The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. 

Soldiers! Don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you; who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder! Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men---machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have a love of humanity in your hearts! You don't hate! Only the unloved hate; the unloved and the unnatural. 

Soldiers! Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the seventeenth chapter of St. Luke, it's written "the kingdom of God is within man", not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people, have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy, let us use that power. 

Let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill their promise. They never will! Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world! To do away with national barriers! To do away with greed, with hate and intolerance! Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness. 

Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us all unite!
- Josh
0 Comments

Creating? Just add "The Snow Angel"

4/4/2013

0 Comments

 
Part of 'The Place Beyond the Pine's appeal is the soundtrack. In particular, what peeked my interest is "The Snow Angel" piece played in the second half of the trailer. It plays with such emotion and power that it really gets my creative juices going. Click below for a listen (it's an extended version found on Youtube):

What kinds of writing could you use this song with? What comes to mind when you hear it?

Mike Patton produced the Soundtrack for "The Place Beyond the Pines" and it can be purchased now on iTunes. 

If you write anything using this song, don't forget to share. I'd love to read it.

- Josh 
0 Comments

Everything Gosling 

4/4/2013

0 Comments

 
Two Gosling posts in one day? Sure. So I was looking through Youtube and came across two interesting interviews with Ryan Gosling.  First up is one in which he’s describing how his character, Luke in “The Place Beyond the Pines” was formed. If you like story, writing or acting, you might like this:

Doesn’t that character sound interesting? Highlights of what we can expect from Gosling’s Luke in the upcoming movie as per Ryan: 

“He’s a melting pot of masculine clichés…”

“He’s presented with this child he… didn’t know he had, and … it’s sort of like a mirror, and he realizes that none of these things [Those clichés] means he’s a man”

And finally,

“…Something that became a very important part of the character was this sense of shame, of regret, of becoming something that… now you couldn’t change, and then having to face that and be THAT openly…”

I can’t wait for this movie!

 Secondly, Here’s a Youtube video I think Canadians can feel happy about. Now, if you’ve seen some of Ryan’s interviews, you probably know that he’s got some interesting intensity, or shtick (maybe a mixture?). It all works out well in this short but entertaining “American Talk, the Oh Canada Edition” My favourite is Gosling’s awesome opener. 


- Josh
0 Comments

"Only God Forgives" Trailer

4/4/2013

0 Comments

 
If you’re like me, you’ve seen the picks of a beat up Ryan Gosling a while back and couldn’t wait to see more behind, “Only God Forgives”. Well, the red band trailer is finally here and this Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson) directmovie looks like it’s going to be pretty awesome. Check it out:

This looks to follow up with Gosling’s tough as nails persona, as seen in “Drive” and “The Place Beyond the Pines”. Maybe we’ll get a box set when it’s all done and over. In any case, if movies starring Gosling keep up with that vibe and the trailers continue to have those great and different tunes, I know I’ll be waiting to pick up just about anything he’s starring in. Let’s hope he delivers.

- Josh

0 Comments
    Welcome to the Dark Opera

    Celebrating and Inspiring Creativity

    'Like' our Facebook page
    'follow' us on Twitter
    'Subscribe' to the Youtube channel!


    Blog Writers

    Josh
    Kevin

    Archives

    October 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Book News
    Book Reviews
    Comics
    Creativity
    Dark Things
    For Your Life
    Game Review
    Gaming News
    Humor
    Humour
    Ideas
    Inspiration
    Interviews
    Movie Collecting
    Movie News
    Movie Review
    Movies
    Movie Short
    Movie Trailers
    Movie Trivia
    Music
    Poetry
    Recommendations
    Series Review
    Site News
    Ultimate Hot Chocolate Recipe
    Website Update
    What To Watch
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.