July's 2 x 3: What's Working

Here’s a new feature we’re doing each month — 2 x 3 — two movies, two books and two ideas worth sharing. Everyone can see my first choices. The Wonderfuls (our paid supporters) can see them all.

MOVIE 1:

As you’ll hear in Sunday’s Thanks for Being Here, I count myself in the wide circle of people who were mightily affected by the sound and spirit of Glen Hansard, who died this week in Dublin. ’ll be watching Once and The Commitments this weekend to celebrate that great Irish creative.

As for what’s in theaters, my pick is The Invite by Olivia Wilde. The acting, the dialog, the social commentary, the score, the cinematography. Every department came to work with their thinking caps on. The alignment of vision was pristine. Can’t wait to watch it again.

BOOK 1:

Life Form by Jenny Slate. Quirky, candid, wicked smart. Laughed out loud, got choked up, admired her originality so much it made it hard to write for a few days because my own prose seemed so boring.

IDEA 1:

People don’t judge us by how articulate we are but how WARM we are. (Thanks Nicholas Epley.). This mistake — thinking we have to be clever all the time — undercuts our willingness to connect and that’s dangerous to both our well being and the cohesion of society at large. Turns out, the research says, a smile, some eye contact, a nod of agreement, adds up to way more interpersonal juju than some smarty pants pontificating.