Once

Just a quick note; this film isn’t out yet, but it did well at Sundance, and got a distributor, and you should keep your eyes peeled for it at festivals or art-houses. It’s called Once and it’s set in Dublin, and it’s remarkably well acted by Irish singer Glenn Hansard of the Frames and Markéta Irglová, a Czech singer. The music can sometimes go on a bit too long (they play songs for each other in real time), but it’s remarkably well acted and written, with an ending neither sappy nor crushing. And a small plug as well. The Frames’ new album is just out, called The Cost, and is much more available than this movie is currently. I think most people here except Arnab would enjoy it.

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mauer

Mark Mauer likes movies cuz the pictures move, and the screen talks like it's people. He once watched Tales from the Gilmli Hostpial three times in a single night, and is amazed DeNiro made good movies throughout the 80s, only to screw it all up in the 90s and beyond. He has met both Udo Kier and Werner Herzog, and he knows an Irishman who can quote at length from the autobiography of Klaus Kinksi.

4 thoughts on “Once”

  1. i take it then that this is more of that crazy rock and roll music you kids like to listen to? whatever happened to nice, wholesome people singing nice, wholesome melodies? like that andy williams fellow–he never had to back his ass up to sell a song or get giggy with it, as they say on the street. he was a fine figure of a man; very firm thighs.

  2. I really enjoyed The Frames 2001 disc “For the Birds” but was less pleased with 2004’s “Burn the Maps” (probably because I think the melodies and arrangements are stronger). Does “The Cost” favor the earlier or the later?

  3. I think this is a better album than Burn the Maps, but I have to admit that I still love Fitzcarraldo and the louder, earlier records. The songs are much more “slow burn” now, and sometimes it just takes too long for them to get moving for me.

    And the music in Once is by no means rock. More folk-y. Lots of busking actually.

  4. Just wanted to note that this movie got picked up by Fox Searchlight and is playing in bigger cities. It’s getting a lot of really good reviews as well from the biggies: LA Times, NY Times, WSJ, EW and even the Onion. Hope some of you get a chance to see it before it gets sloughed off to dvd.

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