This is a very sweet bit of irish whimsey, telling the story of BOY and GIRL (they're never named) - he an Irish 30-something hoover repairer, though more into his music, and she a very young (17 when the film was made, apparently, though obviously meant to be older in the film - I hope so anyway!) Czech girl, who is separated from her husband, living in Dublin with her mother and young daughter, selling flowers by day, and trying out the pianos in a music shop with the blessing of the shop owner for an hour at lunchtime to keep her hand in.

The film's called Once, presumably because it's the one time two people meet who we all know should be together - but will they?

The songs are great - Glen Hansard with his band The Frames wrote most of them and Marketa Irglova is very appealing.

Neither Hansard or Irglova are professional actors but I thought they came over really well.

This is a low budget movie that went down a storm at the Sundance Film Festival. By contrast, Elizabeth, which I saw last night, must have had a huge budget - most of it apparently going on Cate Blanchett's costumes - she had a new frock in every scene and then there was this Joan of Arc outfit she wore astride a white horse, trying to do a Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt. Unfortunately, she didn't have Shakespeare's words.

Some good performances - Cate was as good as ever and Samantha Morton was quality as Mary Queen of Scots - and I wouldn't chuck Walter Raleigh out of bed either. And it was nice to see the Cam looking so nice and Ely Cathedral too, but all in all, this was pants compared to the first Elizabeth. Why did the director want to do it again? Well, there was a Q&A after the film but to be honest I didn't care enough to stay.

'Elisabeth' has got Oscar stamped all over it and the Americans will love it. Did you know that the defeat of the Spanish Armada was the most humiliating defeat in Spain's history and that after their defeat and for the rest of Elizabeth's reign it was known as the Golden Age? New one on me, that - not.

If you've only got money enough for one ticket - then go and see Once.
The director of Elizabeth should have taken some advice from the title of the Irish film.

That's a shame about The Golden Age as it looks really grand. I can't wait to see the sea battle, and I loved Elizabeth. The new one looks more full of action than the first, which relied on human drama to stunning effect.

JB

Yes, the human drama in the second one is forced and frankly, I didn't believe any of the 'emotion' between the swashbuckling Raleigh and Elizabeth.

Whereas the emotion in Once was believable and touching.

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Oh, but JB this is just my opinion - you might love the film. You'll certainly love Raleigh (Clive Owen)!

Ooh, I

loved

Once - it was really sweet, but very real and unglammed-up.

And wouldn't miss Elizabeth for the world, just because of Clive Owen - yum! Already drooling at the thought.

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That was meant to be italics, not a box.

Sidewinder - you loved Once AND Bob Dylan! My kind of gal!

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Yes, Clive Owen was droolable over!!!!