Movie Moment: Once

At a trip to the local Blockbuster a while back, I picked up "Once", that little musical indie-that-could from last year. And a note... I don't know if it's just the Blockbusters here in DFW or what, but they are fastidiously becoming the one place I purchase cheap, like-new DVD's. During my latest trip, I picked up copies of "American Gangster", "The Lives of Others", "Network" and "Once" in the 4 for $20 bin. All of them played with no problems and no noticeable disc scratching that's indicative of some rental movies. Score one for me.

So, in watching "Once" again for the first time since late last year, this movie holds up just as nicely on repeat viewings. The relationship between Hansard and Irglova remains moving and nuanced. The music rattles across the screen with heart. And the ending is still perfect. This is just a pure joy to behold. And the above scene stands as my favorite of the movie... the way that the musicians (who are basically strangers) gel and spontaneously create some awesome music together, and in the way the jaded music producer slowly looks up from behind the glass and recognizes the brilliance of this rag-tag group. If I ranked my end of the year film moments lists, this scene would probably make it pretty close to the top.