Once More With Feeling
Let’s face it, the offerings presented to us at the cineplex this summer have either been really sucky (Pirates 3, Potter, Oceans) or really meh (Transformers, Knocked Up, Hot Fuzz). And while I would wholeheartedly encourage every member of the FOW Nation to get out and see flicks like Sunshine, Live Free or Die Hard, Ratatouille and 1408, there’s really only been one must-see movie to hit theaters in the last few months — Once.
This low-budget indie film, which debuted to raves at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, compassionately details the blossoming relationship between an Irish busker (Glen Hansard, lead singer of The Frames) and a Czech maid (Marketa Irglova) struggling to make ends meet in present-day Dublin. Not only does the film turn the entire concept of the movie musical on its ear (best soundtrack evs!), the chemistry between the film’s two leads crackles and pops in a way that I haven’t felt since Ewan McGregzies used the words of Bernie Taupin to seduce Nicole Kidman (in Moulin Rouge, natch). And if you don’t believe your Uncle Grambo, the film scores a whopping 97% Fresh rating on the Tomatometer, so it’s got that going for it.
All of which leads me to this. Thanks to some last-minute shenanigans that my friend Penny was able to pull, your Uncle Grambo was able to score a ticket to last night’s sold-out show from The Swell Season at the Gramercy Theater. If you are unfamiliar, The Swell Season is the name that the aforementioned Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova perform under. Armed only with a beaten up acoustic guitar (the one from the film!) and a Yahama keyboard, the two real-life lovebirds (along with a backup keyboardist) performed a dazzling set of songs from the Once soundtrack to a rapturous crowd last night (one that included SNL’s Jason Sudeikis and the one yuppie scum dude from the Dawn Of The Dead remake). It’s been a long while since your Uncle Grambo been to a rock show with 1,500 other people who showed such adoration and respect for the evening’s performers — it was so quiet in there that, during the songs, you could HEAR THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT rattling slightly somewhere backstage.
This was the first time that Glen and Marketa have performed in concert since the limited theatrical release of Once, and it was obvious from the get-go that the two were slightly stunned by the fans’ overwhelmingly positive reactions both to the movie and their music. While I won’t reveal any spoilers about the goings-on in the movie, I can say that seeing these two interact with each other on stage was a perfect (and almost necessary) coda to the film. They brought the same kind of passion and intensity to their performance last night that they did in the film, which fans of the film will attest is next to impossible to do. Whether they were performing key songs from the film like “Falling Slowly” and “When Your Minds Made Up” or covering tracks like The Pixies’ “Cactus” or Van Morrison’s “Into The Mystic,” the two could do no wrong in the audience’s eyes. Although the tour that they are headed out on will be brief, your Uncle Grambo HIGHLY suggests that you hit that shit up if their show comes through your town. Even if you haven’t seen Once yet, I guaran-god-damn-tee it will be the best show you see this summer.
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24 Comments so far
1. Grizz wrote on July 25th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
first!
2. Grizz wrote on July 25th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
Hansard and Irglova aren’t real life lovebirds. I think everyone that sees “Once” wants them to be, but it’s not the case. They addressed the situation when Damore and I saw them at the Magic Bag in May, but the conversation quickly derailed when Damore told Hansard the Frames were “only OK” at Coachella, and Hansard told Damore, “fuck off.”
3. University Update - Ratatouille - Once More With Feeling wrote on July 25th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
[…] Transformers Link to Article ratatouille Once More With Feeling » Posted at whatevs (dot org) | p.h.c.f.y.s.b. on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 Once More With Feeling [ Say It To Me Now!] Let’s face it, … or Die Hard, Ratatouille and 1408, there’s really only been one must-see movie to hit theaters View Entire Article » […]
4. Damon wrote on July 25th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
WYT?WYTATMB?
5. Peabs wrote on July 25th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
They are actually together now, but were not during the filming:
http://www.reverseshot.com/article/once_interview_carney
Obvs.
6. Yale Bloor wrote on July 25th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
300 best film sofar…as for your review? the concussion must be more severe than expected…….”it was so quiet in there that, during the songs, you could HEAR THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT rattling slightly somewhere backstage.” …… BALLS TO THE WALL!
7. DJ1Luna wrote on July 25th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Live Thursday: Music from the Film ‘Once’
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12100950
webcast live on NPR.org July 26. Hear the performance from Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club online, beginning at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET.
8. Grizz wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 7:49 am
Kot says false:
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2007/07/once-couple-mus.html
By the time of a promotional tour for the movie last April, their relationship had turned into a romantic one—but only briefly.
“We didn’t actually kiss until then, and it was really nice and very enjoyable,” Hansard says. “But very quickly we realized it wasn’t for us, that we were better off being mates. So it’s not a romance anymore, just a very close friendship. We’re best friends.”
Irglova wouldn’t have it any other way. Just as she thought a kiss would ruin “Once,” she felt a romance would upset the deep connection she has with Hansard.
“It [a romantic relationship] was always a possibility for us, and when we tried it, it was a different dynamic,” she says. “We ended up worrying we’d lose our friendship, and with it the music we make together. It’s always been a huge part of us. And it still is.”
9. Peabs wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 7:55 am
I only trust Derogatis. Duhvs.
10. Uncle Grambo wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 8:10 am
There’s lots of evidence on The Interweb to prove either side. Howevs, my educated guess is that they’re a couple. When you see the way they interact with each other with your own two eyez, you can just tell.
11. Johnny Loftus wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 8:27 am
“When you see the way they interact with each other with your own two eyez, you can just tell…”
…It’s hard to make mad posts when you’re pledging Kappa Alpha Theta. Jesus Grambo, are you going to add a “Mood” meter to Whatevs, too?
JTL
(Mood: squishy)
12. JPMcKrengels wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 8:53 am
I’ll just assume that you spent your hiatus from this site eating barrels of “I’m not good at picking movies” pills because Die Hard dude? Die Hard? Really Grambo? You’re going with Die Hard? OK.
Consider these upcoming gems:
The Ten
This little known project
Bourne Ultimatum”
Super Bad
13. The Senator wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 9:12 am
He mentioned on stage that they were a couple, making a joke about how you start looking like your partner and dressing alike, etc.
14. Uncle Grambo wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Loftus - I only have two moods, antsy and testy. And right now I’m antsy.
JP McKrengels - Per usual, your reading comprehension skills are lacking. Which part of “there’s really only been one must-see movie to hit theaters in the last few months” don’t you understand? Not a single one of the films you mentioned has “hit theaters” yet. That said, I’m geeched for all of the flix you mention above, along with No End In Sight.
15. JPMcKrengels wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Well OK. You’ve got me on a technicality. But I still stand by my Die Hard comments. It’s PG-13 for fucks sake and he can’t even say the Yippee Ka-yeh line because of it. They cut it off before the MF part.
And I agree, No End in Sight is a must see.
Also, how many letters have you written to Glen and Marketa asking to document their love in an artsy pictorial? You totally want to bang Glen. I bet you think he has soft hands.
G. A. Y.
16. thigh master wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
nice to have ya back
but…….
yer wrong, this summer has been thumcredible for flicks, considering this sunny season usually blows more goats than balki bartokomous…
and once was good, not great. a fab soundtrack does not make up for a movie that i actually took a 7 minute nap during. me thinks 11 bones is better spent on shia la beef and the formers of trans, than a flick that’s truly juss a great rental
i am jealous that u got to see em live, but i found out too late and i already had white stripes tix
anywho, i still think yer SWELL
yers thighly
me
17. Claire wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
on one hand, visually this movie left some things to be desired, but on the other, maybe the simplicity was better to let the soundtrack shine through. personally, I think the music makes this movie as romantic and deeply human as it is. whether good or great, no other movie this summer can hold a candle to it.
18. Grizz wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Glen and Marketa are the biggest are-they-or-aren’t-they since Vince Vaughn and Jen Aniston.
Krengels, I saw Superbad, and I say weak sauce.
19. thigh master wrote on July 26th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
first of all i dont remember anything being transformed in once, so lets not even go there, and second of balls, the bestest movie of the summer is away from her, which didn’t even need music to make it magical
20. thigh master wrote on July 27th, 2007 at 11:31 am
and oh, la vie en rose is another one to see, even though edith p didnt transform into a GM car
21. J.S. Nelson wrote on August 3rd, 2007 at 5:15 pm
My girlfriend and I went to see this on a recommendation. For the first few songs, that it was going to be one of those movies where the guy writes incredibly terrible “oh I have emotional issues and a really high pitched voice” songs and then the girl comes along and makes him into something that is not a joke. When we realized we were supposed to be taking him seriously from the beginning, we walked out.
It’s (obviously) probably a much better movie for anyone who is into the whole “tender singer/songwriter” thing.
22. fast size wrote on August 6th, 2007 at 1:54 am
Three phrases should be among the most common in our daily usage. They are: Thank you, I am grateful and I appreciate.
23. typer wrote on September 15th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Jeśli interesują kogoś darmowe typy bukmacherskie to zapraszam na moją stronę: http://serwisybukmacherskie.com/typy
24. Lanzarote Car Hire wrote on November 5th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
and oh, la vie en rose is another one to see, even though edith p didnt transform into a GM car