Today is my little sister's birthday. I say "little," but today is actually her TWENTY-FIFTH birthday, so she's actually NOT so little anymore (well, that's not entirely true. She is still "fun-sized", i.e. 4'10", and is petite, and adorable, but she's not freakishly small or anything - like, I can't put her in my pocket like I'm the big baby from "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid" :P). But since she's five-and-a-half years my junior, she'll always be my "little sister" - even when she's the one giving me the advice, comfort and wisdom of someone beyond her years.....
I don't know if she's ever truly allowed herself to believe just how awesome a person she is. Not just awesome, but talented, intelligent, witty, beautiful, courageous, compassionate.....I would run out of words before I could come even remotely close to describing all that she is, and all that she brings to this world simply by being in it.
I'm sure I never told her enough when we were younger just how amazing it was to have her in my life - what can I say, kids are not always the most conscientious about stuff like that. But it was because of her that I became a big sister. I had someone to play with (because I could only force persuade my big brother to play Barbies and house for so many years). Someone to wear matching outfits with. Someone to be my buddy. She was always willing and ecstatic to play with me when all of my "friends" were too busy or forgot about me altogether.
My memories may get foggier over the years, but one sticks out pretty vividly when I think about my sister. I'm not sure how old she was - maybe 3 or 4? I was having a friend sleepover one night, and my mom told Mia that she could stay up with us, and she was so excited. My friend and I went to get ready for bed, or something, and when we came back to the living room to watch our movie, or do whatever it was we had planned to do, there was my little sister, proudly presenting her gift to us - which was on the coffee table. There, she'd set out 3 sandwiches that she'd made all by herself. Ok, so the bread was cinnamon raisin, and she'd piled about a pound of roast beef on each sandwich so that the top slice was barely staying on, but the look on her face was one of pure happiness and delight from being able to surprise us. And it is this sweetnessand fun-loving that she's brought to life through the years with her beautiful smile and bright, smiley eyes.
Sisters & Monkeys
She's always been such a creative, capable, compassionate person. She dreams big, laughs often, and smiles with her whole being. She knows what she likes, what she wants, and she doesn't let herself get deterred by fears or critics. And one of the things about her that I admire most - she loves with her whole heart. She is a true, loyal friend, and will be your biggest supporter. (And if anyone messes with you, she's got your back!)
Buddies
So, happy birthday, my dearest sister!!!! I hope you can recognize all that you've accomplished in the past 25 short years. I hope you can see yourself for all the goodness and light you bring to this world. And most of all, I hope you can cherish yourself and feel how cherished you are by those who know you and love you.
"Keep smiling, keep shining"..... I love you forever!
About a month or so ago, I caught the end of "A Few Good Men" when it was showing on FX. And I have to say, what stood out to me wasn't the "You-can't-handle-the-truth" drama, but the music scoring at the end of the film. I had to IMDB it to find out who the composer was (Marc Shaiman, for those of you who were wondering). What can I say, I'm a soundtrack nerd. I love how composers can create moods and heighten the emotions of a film. It's like they have this gift where they're able to take what a situation or experience feels like, or what a character feels or thinks, and express it musically. It's magic. And brilliance.
On the rare occasion, I can guess who the composer is while listening to the score in the film. I admit it, I'm the one in the group that states, "This score is FANTASTIC!" while watching a totally AMAZING movie. I still appreciate the acting, the direction, the special effects, the cinematography....
But, oh, the SOUNDTRACK!!!
Here are just a few of my favorite composers, and a very brief showcase of their genius.
Michael Giacchino
The man behind Up, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Star Trek, Lost, MI:4 - Ghost Protocol....just to name a few!
Alan Silvestri
I decided to share this track from The Avengers since it's one of his later works - but I could've also shared Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Practical Magic, Night at the Museum......stop me at any time....
Hans Zimmer
There's a lot to choose from among the repertoire of Mr. Zimmer - The Lion King, Rain Man, Days of Thunder, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, 3, & 4, Inception, Gladiator, The Prince of Egypt, As Good As It Gets, A League of Their Own, Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, or something from one of the other 149 titles listed on IMDB.com. But one of my all-time favorite scores of his is The Holiday. It's been in my radio alarm clock for the past year.
Patrick Doyle
He may not be as familiar a name as other composers, but in my opinion, Mr. Doyle has created some of the most beautiful scores, including Sense & Sensibility (1995), Mrs Winterbourne, Love's Labour's Lost, Thor, and Brave. This track from Nanny McPhee is overwhelmingly beautiful. Listen to it with your eyes closed.
Rachel Portman
Only You may be one of her lesser-known works, but it's a gem. Other must-listens by Rachel Portman: Benny and Joon, Chocolat, Emma, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas.
James Newton Howard
Like Hans Zimmer, J.N. Howard has many, many film scores to his credit (135, according to IMDB.com), including E.R., The Hunger Games, Pretty Woman, The Fugitive, The Sixth Sense, Signs, and Peter Pan (2003). What I love about this track from The Village is how JNH can make the score to a thriller beautiful. (Check out the music around 2:38 - it's ridiculous!!)
Mark Isham
My sister shared this track with me, and I fell in LOVE with this, because....well, it just sounds like love. So now, if I don't hear this in my head when I'm with a date, I'll dump him. (Heehee - name that movie!) Not only has Mark Isham composed such emotionally-powerful pieces for Once Upon a Time, but his credits also include Miracle, The Majestic, Life As a House, October Sky, and Of Mice and Men (1992). Just try to keep your eyes dry. (Oh, yeah, he also did Point Break....)
Thomas Newman
Listening to the Finding Nemo soundtrack, I always feel like I'm floating in the ocean....or flowing in the EAC. That's just the brilliance of Thomas Newman - he somehow melodiously captures very specific atmospheres and moments. Some classic soundtracks of his (besides Nemo) are WALL-E, Meet Joe Black, Phenomenon, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Jumpin' Jack Flash.
John Williams
Known as the "composer of some of the most recognizable themes in the history of film," this post wouldn't be complete without John Williams. Besides the above track from Episode IV (one of my fav pieces - it's gorgeous), this genius' opus also includes the original Harry Potter theme, Indiana Jones, E.T., Home Alone, Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Catch Me If You Can....the list of fantastic scores just keeps on going. Referring back to Star Wars - Episode IV, a piece of trivia that I found fascinating, courtesy of IMDB.com:
"George Lucas planned to score the film with existing classical music like Stanley Kubrick had done on "2001: A Space Odyssey" before Steven Spielberg introduced him to composer John Williams. Lucas and Williams agreed on a classical 19th-century Romantic music style with liberal use of leitmotif for the score. Since the movie would show worlds never seen before, the music had to serve as an 'emotional anchor' for the audience to relate."
That's one of the elements of film scores that I love: they can transport us to new worlds, while still keeping us emotionally anchored. Film scores help us to connect and relate to the world we're viewing - whether it's a familiar-looking neighborhood, a well-known city, or "in a galaxy far, far away."
