Once (2007)

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Once (2007)

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Edgy MD
Aug 11 2007 08:29 PM

A soulful Dublin guitar busker meets a Chech chich and they make beautiful music together.

That's it. It's the movie without a subplot.

Edgy MD
Aug 17 2007 02:28 PM

So, I'm the only one who stumbled into this?

Irish, you'll be happy to know that there's some Thin Lizzy content.

metirish
Aug 17 2007 02:38 PM

I read about it in the Irish Echo a while back but I've not seen it,would Blockbuster have it...Glan Hansard is in it....Duan probably saw it.

Willets Point
Aug 20 2007 06:33 PM

I saw a trailer for Once this weekend. It looked like crap. Is it?

Edgy MD
Aug 20 2007 07:00 PM

No, but it's easy to think of it as such, as the plot is more linear and the approach more hook-free than any indy movie you ever saw.

It's about a guy and a girl, singing music written by that guy and that girl. Every scene is about such.

It has minimal editing, and you think that's a conceit to a budget that didn't allow them to do double shots, but I don't think that's it. In one scene, the woman goes to the convenience store late at night to buy batteries, so she can play the song she just wrote lyrics to on her Discman. She walks home five blocks and the camera tracks her singing her new song every step of the way. I thought "Any production that can pull that shot off could afford the reverse angle camera, but they didn't want to."

Other technical oopses were there though. At one point, I'm pretty sure saw the set lights reflected in a street window. At another, a baby in the scene reaches out to touch the camera. Also, for a film listing the sound editor as the third closing credit, the sound was pretty bad, with an audible hiss every time they started up another song.

I can add more critical gobbledygook about how creativity rescued these two drowning spirits. But it's a really honest story, that you'll either appreciate or think is shite, with music you'll either appreciate or think is shite, but hopefully will appreciate the honesty.

I like making music, and liked seeing a film about two interesting people making music.

Plus, there's Thin Lizzy content.

Willets Point
Aug 21 2007 03:21 PM

By looking like crap I wasn't referring to production values, but that the trailer made it look like the typical cliche-ridden tragic romance. With music (including an overwrought theme song courtesy of The Frames). And brogues! Whoopee!

Edgy MD
Aug 21 2007 05:57 PM

I don't know the Frames. It didn't correspond to cliches I know. It was a really minmalist script.

The writer/director is Irish (checking: he's the bassist for the Frames), and it starred the Irish singer from the Frames, so brogues come with the territory.

Am I really out of the loop and supposed to know that the Frames suck?

metirish
Aug 21 2007 06:53 PM

Glan Hansard singer/guitar for The Frames also starred in The Commitments as the bands guitarist.

Edgy MD
Aug 21 2007 07:19 PM

Right, Outspan.

Am I really out of the loop and supposed to know that the Frames suck?

Willets Point
Aug 21 2007 08:01 PM

I didn't say The Frames suck, I just said that one particular song is overwrought. Anyhow, thank you for letting me know that the movie is better than its trailer.

metirish
Aug 21 2007 09:33 PM

Check out "Revelate" from them,great song.

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jan 04 2008 08:37 PM

Just watched this. Nice little uncomplicated captivating funny sad ambiguous little picture. I never heard of the singer or his songs but enjoyed them.

metirish
Jan 04 2008 09:08 PM

Got this over the Christmas and started watching it one night, got to the scene where they enter the music shop and started playing "Falling Slowly" when company called round and I turned it off,went back to Blockbuster the next day so I've not seen the rest.

Did get the soundtrack, pretty good.

A Boy Named Seo
Jan 13 2008 08:35 AM

I completely dug this movie. I have 3 Frames albums and mostly like them, but I really, really love this guy singing with this chick.

I thought it was a perfect, little ending and you can't beat "Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy".

Two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Vic Sage
Jan 28 2008 09:39 AM

liked it alot.

Never heard of the Frames, but i absolutely loved the songs and will be picking up the soundtrack.

There's an honesty and purity about this film that i found touching and profound.

A Boy Named Seo
Jan 29 2008 11:06 AM

The soundtrack's really, really good. The versions of the songs are fuller in production than they appear in the movie, but they're no less beautiful.

Here's that Academy Award nominated tune performed on a sidewalk in Utah apparently.

metirish
Feb 21 2008 02:29 PM

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova will be preforming at the Academy Awards Sunday.

A Boy Named Seo
Feb 24 2008 01:49 PM

Best Foreign Film at the Spirit awards yesterday. Seen it a couple times now and still just love it.

Valadius
Feb 24 2008 10:12 PM

They won for Best Song at the Oscars.

AG/DC
Feb 26 2008 12:52 PM

Predict now the date of cultural Once saturation.

metirish
Feb 26 2008 01:26 PM

I'm avoiding the Irish Voice and Irish Echo this week.

sharpie
Apr 06 2008 03:53 PM

Saw it last night. It was okay. Two appealing actors but way too many cutesy montages.

AG/DC
Jul 28 2008 11:40 AM

AG/DC wrote:
Predict now the date of cultural Once saturation.

No more entries; we have a winner. If you had July 27, 2008, please step forward and collect your prize.

Vic Sage
Oct 30 2008 01:54 PM

Fred Zollo is producing a musical stage version of ONCE.

A Boy Named Seo
Jan 27 2009 06:14 PM

Splitsville.