I don't ordinarily go in for romantic movies, but I made an exception last night to see Once, the Irish film starring the Frames' frontman Glen Hansard. The film, which is a musical of sorts, with Hansard writing and performing songs with Czech pianist Marketa Irglova, won the World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance and got a fawning write up in last Sunday's New York Times.
The director, John Carney, was at the screening last night at the Valley Art Cinema in Tempe, as well as Hansard and Irglova, and the three stuck around after the movie to answer questions, and after that the stars performed four songs from the film. While I thought the songs in the film were brilliant, it was nothing compared to when Hansard and Irglova performed them afterwards, with no amplification, for the forty or fifty people who'd stuck around. You can get an idea from the video below or by clicking the link above to the movie's site, where you can hear the soundtrack's songs. The film's getting limited release, so if you missed the screening last night you'll probably have to see it in another city or grab it on DVD. At the very least, I suggest you grab the soundtrack once it's out in a week or so.
