I've been seeing some wonderful shows lately. Recently, I saw Dan in Real Life with Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche.
Dan in Real Live -web site
What a sweet, entertaining, touching movie. It hit every note just right. The dialog was believable and genuine, and the characters seemed like people I'd like to know. Excellent show.
I also saw Lars and the Real Girl with Ryan Gosling.
Lars and the Real Girl - web site
Wow. So funny and odd and charming. The story was original and just drew me in. By the end of the film I felt that I absolutely loved these characters. I was very happy and satisfied with the ending, but I also would have been happy to sit a few more hours to see what would happen to them next. I also felt that I learned something about people who, for whatever reason, needed to be treated a bit more gently than the norm. Wonderful.
A third fantastic film I saw recently was Once with Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová.
Wikipedia - Once
Makes you want to play the guitar. I don't know weather to call it "music with a plot" or "movie with fantastic music". This film was done without a big movie budget, and it's all the better for it. Very real, very fun to watch, and I could hardly help myself from humming along with it.
And that last review leads me to a live music review of Once/The Swell Season. The people who played the main characters in the movie are actually musicians, rather than actors, not that I ever noticed they weren't professionally trained actors while I watched the film. They've taken their music from the movie on a tour called The Swell Season. And their show is fantastic!!! If you enjoyed the movie, the live show is simply not to be missed. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová are so personable, besides being incredible musicians. Glen has a great sense of humor and tells fun little tidbits between songs. The sound quality was perfect. And everyone at the Moore Theater in Seattle was having such a fantastic time at the show, we were all singing along with Glen during the last song. I can honestly say that I've never been to a concert like that. One of the best!
