A Little Bit of Magic

(Picture credit unknown - I'm glad to rectify!)

You know that moment when an actor you like leads you into watching something you never thought you would, just because they're in it? And then you discover that you quite like this new thing, after all?

This happened to me, the other evening. Poppy Montgomery has fast become my favourite actress after watching her in the TV show Unforgettable , which has equally become a favourite. (Sadly it's been cancelled in the US, but I've got the first season on DVD and am waiting for the second to be released, plus hoping that Sky will show the final season soon...)

Having first seen Poppy Montgomery in Without a Trace, and now loving her in Unforgettable, I knew she is an actor who brings warmth, wit and a little bit of rebelliousness to her performances - so I decided to give the TV movie, Magic Beyond Words: The JK Rowling Story (2011, director Paul A. Kaufman), a chance. And I wasn't disappointed.

Regardless of what anyone might think of Harry Potter and the phenomena that resulted, it started life as a story. A story that an unpublished, unknown writer dreamed up. A story that was imagined, dwelt in and transcribed onto the page. A story that, through the actual writing alone, changed the life of its author.

Storytelling is a magic in itself (though of course I would say that!) : not everyone can do it. But this TV movie did: it captured the wonderment and warmth of creativity, the thrill of spotting story elements on the shelf of everyday life, and the liberty of what you'll do with them.

Storytelling can surprise you, move you and empower you - and I wouldn't be without it.

~ ttfn ~