My list of movies, books, and music that touched me the most in 2007:
- Movies — Before Jack came along, Glen and I went to at least one movie every weekend, sometimes two. We still rent DVDs, but since we only make it to a theater about once a month — if we're lucky — going out to any movie is a big treat for us these days.
That is to say, I'm sure I haven't seen all of the year's best movies, but the one that touched me the most was Once, a little Irish musical with a documentary-like feel, starring Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard, the lead singer of the Frames. Even though I've been a Frames fan for years, I didn't realize going in that Hansard was in the movie, so that was a nice surprise; the soundtrack is lovely. Once takes an intimate look at a friendship/musical partnership/would-be romance that has a significant impact on both people even though they only know each other for a couple days. Although I enjoy the occasional action adventure flick, I'm really a sucker for a movie like Once that is quiet and tender and sweet, that really lets me get to know and care about the main characters, that reminds me of people who have come and gone from my life and touched me in some way.
In my favorite scene, it's the middle of the night and Irglova is writing lyrics to Hansard's music when her borrowed Walkman dies. She raids her sleeping daughter's piggybank (with a whispered promise to pay her back), walks several blocks to the convenience store in her pajamas and slippers to buy batteries, and then walks home listening to the Walkman and singing aloud (the song is If You Want Me, my favorite from the soundtrack). If you've ever been inspired to drop whatever you're doing to follow a creative impulse (like I'm pausing now to type these words between washing the broccoli and chopping it), this scene will speak to you.
I've been telling everyone who crosses my path to see this movie, but if you live in a small town like Fairfield, you may have missed it. Lucky for you it came out on DVD last week, and includes lots of great special features, so run, don't walk to your nearest Netflix queue and check it out.
Our favorite documentary this year was King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, which was especially fun for us because it co-stars a Fairfield native who hosted a Q&A after the movie and posed for a picture with me. Glen wrote more about this one on his blog. It will be out on DVD shortly.
- Books — I listened to several books this year on my weekly round-trip to Des Moines. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is one of the few books I read the old-fashioned way this year, devouring it in about two days. Like me, Gilbert is in her 30's, practices yoga, and is a writer and spiritual seeker, so it especially hit home for me. This memoir follows Gilbert on her year abroad: four months in Italy seeking pleasure by learning Italian and eating great food, four months at an Indian ashram seeking spiritual insight through yoga and meditation, then the last four months in Bali seeking to integrate her previous experiences. I especially like that she shares her spiritual insights without coming across as at all preachy. I rarely discover a book that inspires me as thoroughly as Eat Pray Love did.
- Music — My favorite albums in 2007 (I think some of them actually came out in 2006) were Begin to Hope by Regina Spektor, Alright Still by Lily Allen, Canon by Ani Difranco (a retrospective that includes a couple new songs; Ani and I are the same age and had our first children in the same year, so her album hit home for me in much the same way Eat Pray Love did), and the Once soundtrack. Of course, most of the singles I bought this year were Gender Benders. My favorite non-Gender Bender singles of the year were 1234 by Feist and some Rilo Kiley songs from a mix my sister Jana made for my birthday. I hope she remembers to bring the whole CD when I see her at Christmas. ;-)
