Two Films That Have Restored My Love for Cinema

I'm sure you've heard a little bit of the buzz surrounding this

amazing masterpiece by now, however, if you have not yet gone to see it…GO!

This movie was such a touching and original trip filled with 

nostalgia and beautiful, real moments. 

If you haven't heard about this film, the writer/director assembled 

a crew to shoot the movie for a couple of weeks each year for twelve years. 

In doing so, he captured the characters growing and changing significantly

and packed it into a 2 hour experience. 

The film is not filled with plot twists or special effects but is a heartfelt and 

extremely real-feeling story of a family and a boy's experiences and

relationships evolving as he goes through life.

The acting was incredibly impressive, the soundtrack was 

perfection and the raw emotion

that the film evokes made me so appreciative for the experience.

If there has ever been a movie that you should go out and see in the theater,

it is this one because it is completely the first of it's kind and a true work of art.

Talent this large should be celebrated and experienced without 

interruption. Please, please, please - find the time, 

do yourself the favor and pay the $12 to go experience this.

(A big thank you to my friend Nicole for taking me to see this with her

on our last evening together before her year-long journey in Colorado. It

was the best departing gift you could have given me.)

The second film I saw recently that I found extremely refreshing

and well worth the money was Begin Again. 

I have to admit, I was a bit speculative going into this one. 

The poster is a bit cheesy, as is the title, Keira Knightley has never

been my favorite, and, well, Adam Levine is in it…acting…so, 

to me, there was a lot that could've gone wrong here.

Forget all that surface crap --- this movie was amazing. 

It was not cheesy at all, Keira Knightley was actually much more

likable than usual for me and Adam Levine was actually a pretty decent actor.

On top of that Mark Ruffalo and Hailee Steinfeld's performances

were extremely impressive -- both so refreshingly not over-the-top.

What really makes this movie amazing is both the message and the music.

I'm not sure whether it's where I happen to be in my life that made it

so impactful for me but it touched upon

extremely important topics like not selling out, fulfilling your

dreams and goals, doing what you believe in and 

finding a way back to true passion and contentment in life. 

This movie wasn't too heavy or overdone. It was light but touching and

the music reflected that perfectly. You won't be able to get the songs out of your 

head. It was the perfect combo of comedy and depth.

It also didn't hurt that it was set in New York and captured

the city in a really original way. It gave the city a soundtrack, which I really enjoyed

This movie will not disappoint you and will restore your love

for a lot of things: Mark Ruffalo's curls, vintage cars, really well written

songs, British accents and, of course, the best city in the world.

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So, it looks like movies are still one of the best ways to escape today,

while still inspiring us to connect to the beauty of life.