Once

I keep forgetting to blog about this movie and I honestly feel really bad about it. Once is one of the most genuine, beautiful, moving and funny films that I've seen in awhile. It's a different take on the movie musical -- there's no random bursting into song. Rather, the two main characters are musicians, lost in their own ways, who find each other and find themselves in the music they create together. We learn about both characters through their songs, which are so perfectly snuggled into the plot that you don't even realize it's a musical. And, as an extra bonus, both lead roles are played by real life musicians -- Glen Hansard, lead singer of Irish band The Frames, and Marketa Irglova, new to the Czech music scene -- and add a healthy dose of charming realism to the movie.

I was so obsessed with the film that I bought the soundtrack as soon as I got home and have been listening to it nonstop ever since. Hansard and Irglova wrote most of the songs and lyrics featured in the film -- the melodies are haunting, the lyrics will capture your imagination, and the vocals are so raw and full.

Okay, enough gushing. You probably won't find it playing in any mainstream theaters, but find your neighborhood indy cinema, treat yourself and just go. You'll love it.

"Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now"