Note: I made an updated list just a day or so before going live - TopicsExpress

Note: I made an updated list just a day or so before going live with this challenge, so we will stumble a few non-consecutive days. That said, heres my: October 31-Day Film Challenge: Day 14 Favorite Musical Performance TIE - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova as Guy and Girl in Once (2006, John Carney) There were many options here. Rita Moreno (West Side Story), Gene Kelly (Singin in the Rain), Judy Garland (The Wizard of Oz) or Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins, Victor Victoria, The Sound of Music) perhaps. But Im going to think outside of the box and go for something truly original and REAL. The storyline is almost like a reality TV show. The people are not actors, and they are naturally doing things in their lives that they just want to do. This is not your typical Hollywood movie as to the ending and especially the costs. The writer/director John Carney made the film in 17 days for an unbelievable $130,000. John Carney did not have the expensive steady cam cameras, but he used hand held cameras with telephoto lens so he wouldnt have to get a permit to film in Dublin. You will notice the movement of the pictures and hopefully it will not give you motion sickness, because it gives the film a raw feeling which in turn makes it feel real to the audience. Hansard and Irglova are charming together and very supportive of each other. All three people were at the screening that I attended, and they had a Q&A session and sang 4 songs after the movie. The three have been friends for many years. That is why I said that the movie is like a reality TV show, where friends got together to make music. Hearing them perform live after the movie, I recognize that it was the same performance that I saw on the screen. Now as for the music, personally, I liked some of the songs, but most of the music was not the type of music that I would listen to on the radio. Overall the film will give you a unique experience and realism that we normally dont get out of Hollywood. Its a simple, unpretentious, lovely film. This movie has moments of humor and its songs are so telling. Hansard is charming and Irglova is candid. Both are very talented musicians turned actors.The story shows a different kind of love, a friendship that provides confidence to steer the characters in the right direction for each of them which isnt always easy to do.