A few months ago I saw an episode of Ebert and Roeper that featured a little Irish movie called Once. It was a small musical shot in 17 days for $150,000 and Richard Roeper and the fill-in reviewer that week both raved about it. I was intrigued so I jotted the title down since it sounded like exactly the kind of movie that would not play in a theater near me. When I saw it on Blockbuster.com last week I added it to the top of my queue and I finally watched it last night.

I love this movie. It’s definitely the best movie I’ve seen in the last year and one of the best movies I’ve seen in many years. I stopped the DVD once because I wanted to see if the soundtrack was available on iTunes. It was and I bought it. That piece of business taken care of, I started it back up and watched until it was over and when it was, I let out a happy sigh. In his newspaper review Roger Ebert said, “It’s one of those films where you hold your breath, hoping it knows how good it is, and doesn’t take a wrong turn.” And he’s so right.

The plot is very simple and I won’t bore you with the details. You can read a summary online somewhere if you really need to know. I will say that the un-Hollywoodness of the movie is absolutely its best feature. The two leads are musicians and not experienced actors. (Glen Hansard is the writer/lead singer for the Irish band the Frames and Marketa Irglova is a classical pianist from the Czech Republic). Both are attractive but in a mussed, slightly beat-up real world way instead of a spit and polished Hollywood way. Everything about their interactions in the movie feels genuine. They don’t Meet Cute and they don’t engage in witty but too perfect banter. They just… talk to each other like people who are just getting to know each other do. The main characters (they’re never given names so that’s why I’m not referring to them that way) don’t fall into bed with each other upon first meeting and they’re not all over each other. Their relationship – like the movie – is sweet and gentle.

Even if you don’t like musicals you should check it out because even that is different here. There are a lot of songs in the movie and they serve the usual purpose of moving the story along and letting the audience in on the characters’ lives and feelings but because the main characters are musicians, the songs fit into the movie in a very natural way. They’re messing around in an old music store, they’re singing for money on a street corner, they’re goofing around on the bus. And unlike in your typical Hollywood musicals everyone else doesn’t jump up and join in or pretend there’s nothing unusual going on. The old lady on the bus turns around and stares, bristling at the use of a swear word and the singing characters see and respond to her reaction.

I beseech anyone reading this to rent Once as soon as humanly possible. It’s sweet but not saccharine, simple but not simplistic, and full of heart. I think you’ll like it. But if you don’t, don’t tell me because we’ll no longer be friends. Seriously.

(Watch the trailer here.)

On the side with the two screws I fractured that little part of the bone that juts down over the joint. On the other side I fractured the bone the plate is attached to. While I could do without the inability to use my left leg at all, it’s kind of cool.

The doctor removed the staples – just felt like a little pinch – and I got a good old-fashioned plaster cast put on for now. There are not words to describe how disappointed I am that I wasn’t allowed to choose a color. I guess that’s only for kids, but I had it all planned out. (Sabres blue and gold, of course.) Once I realized what the guy was doing though I was too embarrassed to ask for something else. I could probably put a dent in someone’s head with this thing it’s so solid, but it still manages to be lighter and less awkward than what I had on when I went in so that’s nice. I need to get up and around a little more though. By the time I got from the front of the hospital to the elevator to the orthopedics wing and back I was completely exhausted. I felt like I’d just run a freaking marathon. I’m still nervous about going outside – no exaggeration, the first spot I put a crutch on outside the front door of our building was a tiny ice patch and I totally freaked – but I suppose I could walk around the hallway or something until I’m feeling better about the out of doors.

Anyway, I go back in a month at which time we’ll saw this sucker off and take some x-rays. If everything still looks good I’ll get a boot that can be taken on and off – oh, to wash my foot again! – and maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to start putting a little bit of weight on it. One can dream!

Overall my spirits are a little better. Not being so groggy has helped because it’s easier to get up and around the apartment. I’m trying to focus less on medical bills and lost wages and time and more on having time to read, watch movies, email, and maybe actually write something constructive. I mean, don’t I usually complain that I don’t have time to do that kind of thing?

Jon and Kate Plus 8 - This show follows the Gosselin family, Jon and Kate, 6-year-old twin girls, and 2-year-old sextuplets (3 boys, 3 girls). I’m completely addicted to this show. There was a marathon on on New Year’s Eve and I was so taken with the show that when I started to nod off I made sure to set the Tivo to record all the remaining episodes. I’ll admit, when Mark and I were pursuing fertility treatment, there was a little part of me that hoped we’d end up with multiples. I know the likelihood of having six healthy babies is slim to none and it’s a miracle it happened here, but even with the constant noise level I would be extremely happy surrounded by a gaggle of kids, especially ones as cute as these guys. Kate’s a bit of a neurotic mess and she doesn’t seem to grasp that young children take cues from adults – she freaks out about every little thing which of course sets off the kids – but I like the kids enough that I’ll definitely check out the new season which starts on Monday.

America’s Next Top Model - I’ve never watched this show when it’s in first run, but I sometimes catch the marathons that VH-1 does and, I don’t know, I get a kick out of it. VH-1 had a marathon of all 9 seasons, but it didn’t work out quite the way I planned. Turns out I’ve seen atleast parts of more seasons than I thought and I kept catching parts of the seasons I’d already seen. But this show was good background noise for when I wanted something on but didn’t really have the energy to play close attention to what I was watching.

Veronica Mars – I’m working on season one – the disc I just finished ended on a big cliff-hanger so I’m dying to see what happens next – and I see why my little brother Lee tried to get me to watch this. It’s really good and Kristen Bell is fantastic. Her line delivery is so perfect. I’m planning on watching this along with a few other TV shows I’ve meant to watch and haven’t gotten around to, Battlestar Galactica, Sportsnight, How I Met Your Mother, and the first season of 30 Rock being the shows currently at the top of my Blockbuster queue atleast for now.

I’ve also been watching tons of episodes of House Hunters and Mythbusters both of which I adore along with new discoveries, Iron Chef America and Ace of Cakes.

In closing, I have to admit, I am ridiculously excited about the return of American Gladiators. I don’t remember sitting down in front of the TV to watch the original every week but I do remember occasionally watching it and being fascinated by it. I was totally convinced that were I a bit older, I would absolutely be able to survive to the end. My favorite competition was the one where the contestants had to get from the back of the course to the front while the Gladiators shot balls out of a cannon at them. I’m fully aware that I’ll probably sit down to watch the premiere (two hours?!) and think it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen, but hey, I’m gonna give it a shot. Not like there’s anything else on these days. (Note to Hollywood: You need writers. Please give them what they want.)

Scratch that. I destroyed my ankle. I lit it on fire and burned it down. I tore that baby up. From what I understand, the entire joint is currently being held together by a steel plate and a handful of screws. Because of the severity of the injury and the fragility of the bones involved, I can’t put any weight on my left leg for three months which…. yeah, kinda stinks. I mean, I don’t mind having a couple of extra weeks off but this is a little much especially since I’m going to be more or less stuck inside. The doctor did say I was free to leave the house once I was comfortable on the crutches but our parking lot is such a mess – that’s how I got into this situation in the first place – that I’m kind of nervous about venturing out.

So what am I going to do for the next 100 days or so? Heck if I know! But I’ll be here blogging about every boring minute, that’s for sure. It’s all in the name of killing time.