Carney's own Bogart and Bacall

Title: Once
Director: John Carney
Producer: Martina Niland
Writer: John Carney
Starring: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova
Music By: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Interference
Distributer: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release Year: 2007



Once is a very simple story. Glen Hansard is "Guy" and Marketa Irglova is "Girl". Both of them are struggling musicians. The guy works at a "Hoover Fixer" shop (vacuums) that his father owns. When he isn't working there, he plays his guitar out in the street, leaving his case open for any caring donations. He plays covers in the daytime and saves his originals for the nighttime, since he feels that people don't care enough about hearing his songs to give him any money. One night, the girl stumbles upon the guy while he is playing his songs and starts up a conversation with him. What starts out as a guy helping out a girl with her broken vacuum begins to blossom into a great friendship and eventual romance. Together, with his guitar skills and songs and her piano skills, the two collaborate. Soon enough, they find the money that makes it possible to record the songs in a professional studio. They both have their own personal troubles, and end up finding consolation in each other.

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Ever since first hearing about Once at last years' Academy Awards, I've been waiting for the day when I would be able to see it. The film, budgeted at the small amount of $160,000, was the "dream-come-true" story at the ceremonies, taking home the Oscar for Best Original Song. Since then, I've seen the film in stores such as Barnes and Noble, but at too expensive a price. I was so excited when I found the film waiting for me on the shelf at the Broome County Public Library yesterday afternoon.

I really enjoyed this film. It's not very often that you come across one such as this. The story is very romantic and genuine, one that most likely will pull on anyone's heartstrings if they aren't too embarrassed to let it (obviously, I'm talking about the guys. Remember, the ones who are closet Notebook fans?). The film is a musical, but not in that typical musical fashion that you think of when you hear the word, with all the bright colors and crazy choreography. Not a musical that you would find Gene Kelly in, but one that he would most definitely approve of.

The film only cost $160,000 to make, and grossed in $14 million dollars (and that's only as of December 6th, 2007)! Hansard and Irglova are not professional actors, but professional musicians; this really helps in giving the film its genuine authenticity. All but one of the songs are written by the two musicians, with Hansard taking the cake for most of them. It's really great to watch the film and then get really excited about listening to the soundtrack. I once tried to listen to the soundtrack before seeing the film, but it didn't work for me. I recommend seeing before listening.

Director John Carney is the former bassist for Glen Hansard's band, The Frames. Originally, he intended to cast Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, Red Eye, Batman Begins) for the guy role, but Murphy didn't like the idea of acting opposite non-actor Irglova and having to sing Hansard's octave-leaping songs, so he dropped out. I'm glad he did, because I cannot picture him fitting well with the role. Fortunately, Carney was then able to convince Hansard to take the job. It makes the film even greater, having the musician responsible for all the film's songs be the one to act in the role of the guy who writes them all!

Something I really love is the fact that Hansard and Irglova ended up getting together in real life, forming their romantic relationship while on a promotional tour across North America. The two had known each other for nearly six years at that point. Hansard was quoted in Entertainment Weekly, stating, "I had been falling in love with her for a long time, but I kept telling myself she's just a kid." At the time of shooting the film, Hansard was 37 and Irglova was 19. Carney did a good job at predicting their relationship while they were still filming.

Check this film out if you're in the mood for a film that will make you smile while you listen to some great singer-songwriter-type songs that go hand-in-hand with the memorable story of two ordinary people who end up falling into each other's lives; a story of something that only happens once (yup, I had to do it).

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Scenes from Once set to the film's original song, "Falling Slowly"


"Falling Slowly" winning Best Original Song at the 2007 Oscars

"It's the hunger - the hunger for an alternative and the refusal to accept a life of unhappiness. "

Title: Little Children
Director: Todd Field
Producer: Todd Field
Written By: Tom Perrotta (novel and screenplay), Todd Field (screenplay)
Starring: Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly, Noah Emmerich, Jackie Earle Haley, Phyllis Somerville
Distributed By: New Line Cinema
Release Year: 2006


Based off of the 2004 novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta, the story revolves around the lives of a group of people who live in the same suburban town.

Sarah Pierce (Kate Winslet) is having trouble in her life, unable to feel comfortable and happy with the life that she lives. She can't help but feel that her daughter is a real nuisance for her, and her husband is too busy enjoying a sexual obsession with some strange woman online who posts up pictures of herself on a website, surrounded by nude men and getting off with kitchen items (very memorable scene involved here). Meanwhile, Brad Adamson (Patrick Wilson), a stay-at-home dad, feels as if there is something missing in his life, that special something that makes one feel alive. Most people would think he has it all: a beautiful wife (Jennifer Connelly) with whom he had a son that he is able to spend a lot of his time with, a "homey-home" in a nice suburban neighborhood, the ability to become a lawyer if he can just pass the bar exam... all this he has, but all of it does not add up to enough in his world. Sarah and Brad meet each other (an interesting first-time meeting, for sure) and begin to have daily meetings at the local public pool, where not only they begin to get well-acquainted, but also their children. A steamy love affair soon blossoms, and they both begin to embrace this fantasy world where their relationship can go on forever.

The subplot focuses in on the lives of Ronnie J. McGorvery (Jackie Earl Halley), May McGorvey (Phyllis Somerville), and Larry Hedges (Noah Emmerich). Ronnie has just been released paroled from prison, after serving a two-year sentence for indecent exposure to a minor. He moves back into the neighborhood to once again live with his mother, May. Ronnie has a very close relationship with his mother, feeling that she is the only person who truly loves him. May wants to try to put Ronnie back on track, convincing him to agree to an ad in the paper in order to find him a date with a woman. Even with May's efforts, it is nearly impossible for Ronnie to try and lead a normal life. The number one reason for that is Larry Hedges. Larry is an ex-cop who is in denial about being taken off the force over an incident that he was involved in. To feel as if he is still doing the job that he loved so much, he starts a committee made up of parents to create awareness about Ronnie. Although this sounds like a responsible thing for a father of twins to do, Larry does not go about the whole thing with any sense of maturity; instead, he harasses the McGorverys to an extreme extent (I'll leave it to you to find out examples of this harassment).

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I've watched this film three different times now, and each time I do, I feel as if I am being given a very important lesson on what it means to be human. The themes that are explored are so vital to what it means to live a life with proper decency, it would be hard for me to believe that anyone could watch this film and not feel refreshed afterwards. It just resonates with me so much. If I were to choose one aspect of the film that hits me the hardest, it would have to be everything that happens in Ronnie's story. Whenever I speak to anyone about Little Children, I always talk about the film's ability to bring forth sympathy for Ronnie. The first time I ever saw the public pool scene that he is involved in, I was left with my mouth dropped. You cannot help but feel bad for him, being outcasted like that. The thing is, it makes you think to yourself, "Alright, maybe he brought everything upon himself, but does that mean that he shouldn't be given a second chance? isn't it possible that he is trying to change his ways?" The audience is actually forced to think about this moral issue, and that is what makes this film so damn important for everybody to see. It has the ability to smack you across the face with something that you might rather leave untouched, but in the end you have no choice but to question yourself.

Then there's all the questions that arise from Sarah and Brad's situation. On the one hand, you have Sarah, who's marriage is obviously falling apart. I think it is safe to say that the majority of viewers will feel that she is justified in getting involved with Brad. On the other hand, there will definitely be a split between the audience in regards to whether Brad's decision to get involved with Sarah is justified. He has a family that he is responsible for, and a loving and caring family at that. A lot of the times, the things that his wife does gets to him, and he feels that they are not on the same level. He seems to having what would be called a "beginning-life-crisis", feeling as if his life is becoming too mundane. This is something that many people would debate. If Brad feels that he is not enjoying the way his life is going, shouldn't he have the freedom to leave that life and start a new one? Some might feel that way, but just as many people (and probably tons more) will feel that Brad has responsibilities that he committed himself to, and it is not right for him to abandon them, especially when they will hurt people who are so close to him.

Little Children puts the spotlight on these issues, as well as others that are just as important. All the actors portray Perrotta's characters amazingly. Most importantly, there are a lot of messages in the film. Personally, I feel it will be difficult for any one viewer to refuse to accept these messages, and that makes this one special.