top ten at the eleventh hour



I know this is the time of year when everyone pieces together their top ten albums, books, etc of 2007. I've never put a ton of thought into my top ten anything, but if I did, I'd have to put Once into my top ten movies of the year in a last minute, "this just in" sort of way (though it actually came out in 2006...so I'm already behind).

I just picked it up at the video store having heard about its rave reviews. My interest was piqued when I initially heard that it starred Czech musician, Marketa Irglova. I hoped that it might take place in the Czech Republic or at least have a little more overt Czech influences, but it remained outstanding despite these omissions. The organic interplay between Marketa and Irish songwriter Glen Hansard seemed so authentic that you barely noticed the lack of a developed story. It was really more of an hour and a half music video with a loose storyline linking the songs together (I know what you're thinking and, no, it's nothing like "Trapped in the Closet"). And in the end (warning: spoiler), the two don't wind up together, but rather a broken marriage begins to heal.

It's really rare these days that you can feel good about a movie from start to finish. Check out the song that opens the film below for a taste, but you gotta give it about a minute and a half to take effect. I've never seen a street musician commit like this...see this movie!

long overdue...

Many apologies for the long delay between posts. Things have been extremely busy, but finally slowing down. I wrapped up the first term of business school and am enjoying a month off before the next round. I'm not taking much time off of work, but it's amazing that working only about 45 hours a week can seem like a vacation in itself compared to juggling grad school as well. The recent overdose on economic theory has forced me to dive headlong into poetry during some downtime. John Donne continues to rocketh my world from the 17th century.

Katie, meanwhile, is wrapping up her last showing of the Wizard of Oz tonight. Her and her high schoolers have done a fantastic job. Nothing makes me more proud than going to Katie's shows. I was struck last night by the fact that few people probably have the opportunity to so tangibly see the culmination of their spouse's many talents in one event. It's actually very, very cool. If you ever have the opportunity and aren't already otherwise engaged...marry a drama teacher.

Not much else to say at this point. Merry Christmas to all and, hopefully, we'll blog a bit more before the New Year.