Film: Begin Again

I wasn't that keen on heading to the cinema again this evening - film fatigue, maybe! But anyhow, I said I would - Begin Again looked decent and is, conveniently, playing in my local cinema. So off I trotted in the evening sunshine, conveniently passing the postbox just as the postman arrived - an hour late, I might add - to make the final collection of the day. Handy - I had something to post!

Not so much of a queue this evening. Neither was I prevailed upon to go to a free screening next Thursday - I forgot to mention, but someone did offer me a ticket to one while I was queueing yesterday. Unfortunately, it clashes with Hard Facade's emergence from the studio into the light of day - well, night - for a one-off gig, at Suraya. Never mind. Today's cashier not only replaced my voucher - and let me choose my own seat - but gave me a second voucher when - well, I'm not exactly sure what happened, but it seems the system made her, not realising she already had. Never mind, I now have two again! And I got to choose my preferred seat.

Now, Begin Again has Keira Knightly as an undiscovered singer-songwriter in New York, who's playing a small club open-mic night when she's heard by Mark Ruffalo, an A&R man who's just been fired by his business partner, Mos Def, and who's massively impressed by what he hears. We soon get flashbacks to what led them here - not only has he been fired, he's separated from his wife (Catherine Keener), and misses her and their daughter very much. Keira has her own baggage - she's just broken up with her boyfriend, a rising rock star who's discovered the temptations of fame - played by Adam Levine, the real-life frontman of Maroon 5. CeeLo Green also shows up a couple of times.

But this film is all about the music. It reminded me so very much of Once - remember that? A few years back.. a somewhat iconic film, set in Dublin, about a busker who meets a young lady that helps him produce beautiful music, and an ambiguous love story between them, despite the differences between them, and despite other parties being involved. This film is also set in a city, and tells the story of music made under difficult circumstances. Albeit they're more successful in this one, and she's not actually a busker - but she is staying with one. That romantic attraction is there, despite their other partners. The music is even of the same style. Ah yes, I kept thinking of Once. And do you know, it's not surprising - they have the same (Irish) writer / director, John Carney! Hey, an Irish actor even makes a surprise appearance as a lawyer towards the end - take a bow, Simon Delaney!

So, it's quite simple. To decide whether you'd like this film, listen to some of the soundtrack. Or the iconic song from Once - Falling Slowly. There's nothing to equal it in this film, but the main track - the one in the trailer - is quite good. And if you enjoyed Once, you are bound to enjoy this film. Because, again, it's all about the music. I'd go so far as to say (assuming you don't hate the soundtrack) that this is the kind of film to make you appreciate music again. I was certainly tapping my foot in time..

Tomorrow is a double-bill of films of quite a different hue - I'm off to the BFI to see a pair of Dennis Potter films: Angels Are So Few and Only Make Believe.