Beautiful modern day musical: Once

Every once in a while I find a film that is just beautiful. Simply put, it makes you go all warm and fuzzy as you watch and after it's finished. Not in the cheesy loved up chick flick sort of way - but in the honest and heartwarming way a film based on character and realism mixed with just a hint of something extra sometimes manages.

Once is such a film. The last time I saw a film that did a similar thing was when I saw Before Sunrise (and then Before Sunset). This film is Before Sunrise with music. And such a beautiful soundtrack it is, sung by the two main leads of the film.

The plot revolves around a guy and a girl (they are actually credited as being called "guy" and "girl" to add to the anonymity of the characters) and centers on a guy who busks on the streets of Dublin and an immigrant girl who he meets. They become friends and start singing together after she shows her talents on a piano. He quickly makes it known how much he likes her but she is more reluctant to get romantic as she has 'responsibilities' in the form of a young daughter at home and a husband back home in her native country. As the film only spans one week, it is simply a snippet of their lives and how they impact each other in such a short period of time.

A modern day musical with beautiful songs and brilliant characters. Perfect.

4/5 FOBLES

Enjoy,

LE xxx

RATING: 4 out of 5 FOBLES

Musicals - one for every occasion

I have phases with my DVDs where I will stick to the same genre for a while. There will be a few weeks where all I want is comedy, then all I want is horror, then foreign - you get the point. My most recent has been the fab musicals which has leaked over into my Spotify account. As those who know me are well aware - once a musical gets going it's hard to shut me the hell up. I just love it. Whether it's the silliness of Hairspray guaranteed to make you smile, the power and tragic romance of Phantom of the Opera (which started my Gerard Butler obsession), the powerhouse performance of Wicked or just the brilliant ridiculousness of Glee, there is something for everyone.

Hugh Jackman and Beyonce do a medley at the 2009 Oscars - brill!

My Top 5 Musical films:

• Phantom of the Opera (Disfigured phantom haunts a theatre from the depths of the basement and channels his genius through the voice of Christine but then decides she should fall in love with him too. Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler are intoxicating)
• West Side Story (the modern day musical take on the age old tale of Romeo and Juliet set in New York - Still brilliant with a young Natalie Wood among others)
• Dreamgirls (Jennifer Hudson stole the show from the fab Beyonce - who saw that coming?!)
• The Wizard of Oz (You just don't get better than Judy Garland singing Somewhere over the Rainbow so don't even bother trying!)
• Fiddler on the Roof (The timeless If I Were a Rich Man before Gwen Stefani got her hands on it. Lost count of how many times I've seen this film but it still kills me when Hodel sings to her father before getting on a train into the unknown....) Beautiful.

The musical is back!

So enjoy,

LE xx