we dont watch too many movies, and there arent too many that we both really like. but thanks to a recommendation from a friend, we picked up “Once” the other day, and we both loved it. if you havent heard, it’s about a singer/songwriter in Ireland who meets a Czech piano player and they have a whirlwind week of writing music and playing together. I really liked the music and how it fit with the plot, and I really enjoyed the lack of any of the usual hollywood stuff (except for liberal use of the F word, I think it could almost be rated G). I especially enjoyed the scene where they first start playing together, where that rare magic of both literally and figuratively harmonizing is so wonderfully depicted.
as an aspiring/dabbling songwriter, I found it very inspiring. some stuff I listen to I find intimidating, like Sufjan for example: I like most of his stuff, but I dont think I could ever pull it off, so eventually I just sit back and enjoy (although I did dabble with his song “the Transfiguration” the other night and found the chord progression quite transfixing, but I digress). but, for example, Gillain Welch is another story…her stuff just begs me to give it a try, and to try to write stuff like it. the way she makes simple songs so beautiful in a homely way is something I want to do.
and so it was with my first impression with the music from the movie. not that I’ve listened to the songs much yet (I bought the soundtrack last night), but I came away feeling like “I could do that,” or perhaps more to the point: “I *should* do that.” I havent written too many songs yet, and even fewer that I actually like, but I feel like I should be doing it more. I just wish I had more time and energy to do so. sometimes I wonder what I’m doing here in cubicle land, but then again perhaps my “day job” can make this other stuff possible?
but that brings me back to the movie, as according to what I’ve read, the title is for friends of the filmmaker: “who put off their career by saying ‘once’ they get this and that sorted out, but never succeed because they’ve put it off too long.”
ya, good film. If you watch the extras you learn that the actors were actually musicians that were friends of the director.. that ended up “acting” in the film. Makes for an authentic feel not found in similar movies.
I enjoyed this one. Joel’s main critique was, “It sounds just like Damien Rice”, yeah, that’s hard. Damien Rice I associate with a film full of infidelity and perversion (Closer). ‘Closer’ ruined Damien Rice for me! This film was wholesome in comparison. I think it celebrates the simple, the tragic, the artistic, and do I dare say: the wise. There aren’t that many romantic movies that are worth my time these days because they romanticize sin. I was biting my nails waiting for the screw up. I really did enjoy the music, and watching it the 2nd time with Joel I found I knew all the melodies already. A lot of hooks and very pretty.
I think we all struggle with the balance of what we have to do to pay bills and what we have to do to stay “alive”. Keep the fires burning Bob, I’m walking that path too.
yeah! I’m so glad you liked it too. I’m always a bit hesitant to reccomend movies. I thought you might dig the music. I loved the harmonies and the emotion behind the composition’s. It’s nice to watch something inspiring, huh?
I must admit that while I enjoyed the music the film as a whole just didn’t do it for me. It seemed sort of a movie by singer/songwriters for singer/songwriters. Aside from the songs they wrote and sang the charaters seemed a bit flat and uninteresting. There were only vauge and undeveloped stories from their lives why they wrote these songs. The flat backstories kind of ruined the good songs. I think I would have prefered to get the CD of the songs and skip the film all together. The movie felt dull to me as soon as the characters put down their instruments.
I guess I can see what you mean JD, but I think I liked the sparseness of it all. it seemed to lend an authenticity to it.
and yeah Katie, I was waiting for it to come crashing down too, and I’m glad it didnt. I was expecting even a small thing like his dad to be mean or something. it’s kinda nice to have a pleasant story once in a while.
I too loved this movie.
JD- I think this movie begs to be watched from a different perspecitve. We usually watch movies following plot line, trying to get to know the characters and figure out where their story was going to take them. But it seems the point in this movie is that the music is the main character. We never learn the couple’s names for instance, nor do we learn anyone else’s for that matter. The music told the stories and created the emotion. I was more than happy with that. But would not be happy with the CD alone, I think the music does need the backdrop of the actual film to carry it. Though now that I’ve seen the film, listening to the music feels like visiting an old friend. Sorry you didn’t enjoy it, this is a movie that will be hard to top for me.
[...] finally, I had some thoughts on the movie Once that I posted on the family blog here. [...]