x-rated
I didn't watch much TV this weekend, thanks to the gorgeous weather. We went on three great hikes: two shorter ones on Friday and Saturday, and a nice long one yesterday.
Of course, when I get home from a major hike and I need to rest my weary muscles, what else can I do but flip on the TV? And anyway, there's one program I never miss on Sunday nights: "Ebert & Roeper."
I love movies as much as, if not more than, television. And even though I don't always -- maybe not even often -- agree with Roeper and the guest filling in for Ebert, the show is a nice weekly check-in with the world of film. I get to say, "Oh yeah, I'd forgotten that one was coming out!" or "Hey, that actually looks better than I'd expected!" or "That looks horrible, and you're grinning like oafs about how 'clever' it is?" And I get to see clips and, maybe, get an idea whether I should venture out to see something I've been iffy on.
Like "Once," which I caught at an art theater in Albany after Saturday's hike. Oh, what a film. I'd read something good about it, but it was the clips on E&R and the all-around praise Roeper and guest had given the movie that made it a must-see for me.
And now it's a must-see for you! "Once" is a sweet little Irish film, a musical that works because it's not really a musical -- just a film about musicians. It's not Hollywood fare by any means, and I mean that in a very good way, but I'm really hoping it still gets the attention it deserves at Oscar time.
And if, like me, you go see the movie and start really, really hoping it's not too small and foreign to have a soundtrack available -- it isn't. Even my local Barnes & Noble, which is mostly a bookseller and has about 20 CDs total, carries it.