2008-12-07 - 7:12 p.m. Meredith Monk is up for a Grammy Saw Rachel Getting Married this weekend. There is much to enjoy and admire about this movie. As with all Jonathan Demme ventures, the music is great. There is live music playing in almost every scene, and Demme regulars Robyn Hitchcock and Sister Carol appear, as do Cyro Baptista, Fab 5 Freddy, and TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, who plays a major role. The performances are natural and engaging, and the whole vibe of the wedding scenes feels exactly right--warm and vibrant and real. I felt like I had actually been to a great wedding, and knew the characters intimately. But the story itself--the conflicts between family members who are celebrating but not quite past an older tragedy--didn't pull me in. It veers into hysterics and melodrama just a little too often for my taste, and it seems like the central character--Kym, a young suburban drug addict/12-stepper played by Anne Hathaway--is not a very interesting or compelling character. So...I loved everything about RGM except for the story, which is a slightly unsatisfying way to feel about a movie you've invested 2 hours in...but still recommended. And today, I met Jane Siberry (Issa). She was selling copies of her new CD in the lobby of the Chelsea Hotel. No gig, just a-sittin' there with a stack of CDs and a sharpie to sign 'em. She was exceedingly nice. How is her new album, Dragon Dreams? I am the wrong person to ask. Ever since I had my Issa/Jane awakening, I am only capable of loving everything she does. And I am already predisposed to love anything with the word "dragon" in it. She has wee feet: thoughts? (9 comments so far) previous - next blog archive contact