just ...

I've been obsessing about this film
ever since I read about it a couple
of months ago.

The Irish indie was the darling of Sundance,
and critics were, well, singing praises.


Thanks to my brothers in Quiapo,
I now have the DiBiDi,
complete with all the Special Features (!),

and it certainly lived up to its advance billing:



ONCE in a long while,
you discover a movie that's grand,
brilliant, uplifting, smashing, inspiring...


a movie that will knock you off your feet;

you know,
like head over heels!

It's the most real movie about musicians
since Cameron Crowe's SINGLES;

it's got the best musical performances
since Baz Luhrmann's MOULIN ROUGE;

and

it's got the strongest chemistry between actors
since Richard Linklater's BEFORE SUNSET;

it's simply that good.



Twenty minutes into the film,
as the "Guy" and the "Girl" sing this song,

you'll find yourself humming the tune,
then you'll find yourself singing along,
(go ahead, do it like KTV and turn on the accurate subtitles!),

and as you do,

and as the couple onscreen start falling in love,
you'll realize that you're falling for the film too.





The movie is set in U2's hometown of Dublin,
and the city plays a major role in the story,

a dreary backdrop that gradually
escapes from its gray industrial shadows

into a sunny horizon of bright-eyed optimism
reflected in the relationship of our new couple.

And the songs...


since both the leads are played not by actors who can sing,
but rather, by true musicians who happen to know how to act,

the music is quite spectacular;
don't expect pop duets a la Hugh & Drew in Music & Lyrics though.

Think Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter"
and Dido's "Here With Me" and "White Flag".


It's not all angst-y singer-songwriter stuff,
don't worry!

I now find myself with a jaunty LSS
(Last Song Syndrome):

"I'm just a broken-hearted Hoover-fixer sucker guy!!!"


Most of my favorite songs have a
sly, sweet, surprising "coda",

and lest I reveal too much of ONCE's own coda
and detract from your own pleasure of discovery,

I won't place my own coda here.


However,
if you really want to know,

I've placed it in,
where else?


The "comments" section!!!