Everytime I think about Once it moves up the list of my all-time faves list, currently sitting at #3... oh, whoops, now it's #2. Sorry, Miller's Crossing.
Beat - 6 years ago
oh wow, a coen movie winning, what a surprise.
Mark Hollopeter - 6 years ago
This is easy--Hedwig and the Angry Inch, John Cameron Mitchell's amazing directorial debut and Oscar-worthy performance. It has stick-to-your-ribs glam songs, and "Midnight Radio" is a show-stopper that brings me to tears every time I view it. PLAY LOUD! (Shh! Don't tell anyone, but I'm watching it at work right now.)
Michael Green - 6 years ago
After Adam made me aware of Sing Street in 2016, I have watched it 5 or six times and bought the soundtrack and worn it out. It has to be Sing Street, it has to!
djp - 6 years ago
Drive it like you stole it!
Josh Ashenmiller - 6 years ago
Tough choices. For me, the tie-breaker: Which movie has songs I can sing from memory right now? No question, it's Inside Llewyn Davis. 10 ... 9 ... 8765 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2, One second please! Sorry, Hustle & Flow. It's hard out here for a pimp.
Adam Fromm - 6 years ago
Some people make musicals, some make movies about music, and some make movies about musicians. John Carney's gift, however, is alone in giving us movies about the act of making music, and the fragile but real magic that act contains. The best music is the result of an unexplained alchemy that makes it exponentially greater than the sum of its parts. And while I adore Sing Street almost as much as Adam does, Once is one of those rare works that has crossed over from me from film to sacred text, precisely because of the way it lays that alchemy bare. There is no scene in film history like the one in the music shop where Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova first play "Falling Slowly" together. As a musician, I'm familiar with that breathtaking moment when you first connect with someone else through melody, harmony and rhythm, and you weave together something that's like falling in love, or prayer, or witchcraft, or a combination of the three. Carney captures that feeling like lightning in a box, conveyed through that magnificent piece of songcraft and the vulnerability and presence of his actors. The only time I've ever witnessed anything close on the big screen was the deathbed scene in Amadeus, as Mozart dictates the Confutatis movement of his Requiem Mass to Salieri, but as it's a biopic and thus disqualified my answer is Once, full stop, no hesitation. (Come to think, even if Amadeus WEREN'T disqualified, I'm not sure my answer would change.)
I’m baffled as to why La La Land was not one of the named choices in this category. It was Best Picture for like 30 seconds! More than that, it is the epitome of the modern American musical and hits every mark that you want your musical to have: amazing opening scene, great score, memorable original songs and plenty of dancing. La La Land gets my vote every time.
Jim Pallini
Bethpage New York
Steven Cherry - 6 years ago
Nashville was a year off, otherwise it would Walk the Line, at least down to 8 Mile. This was a tough poll, it’s hard not to feel Born to be Blue. Ack! So hard to make The Commitments to just one choice.
Nick - 6 years ago
Llewyn Davis is my favorite movie on this list, but I love the actual musical aspects of Once better, so I’m voting for it. Falling Slowly? When Your Mind’s Made Up? Oscar Isaac and the Coens can’t match those sublime musical moments.
Brendan - 6 years ago
Sing Street, Sing Street, Sing Street. All day long. There's no other answer. I built an entire Pandora station around this movie after the first time I saw it. The music sticks with you, and runs crazy circles around your head. It's like you're caught in a dream, it's like your back on the ceiling.
I love, love, love this movie, and it's one of the best original, coming of age movies made in the last 25 years.
Chris Massa - Pittsburgh, PA - 6 years ago
Of the movies listed here, I'd probably have to go with Once, although Inside Llewyn Davis would be a close second. But I just had to vote for "other" and go with a write-in: Amadeus.
I know, I know. The rules make it clear that no biopics are allowed. But I'm still sticking with my answer, my reason being that Amadeus is absolutely positively NOT a biopic. Yes, it's based on two historical figures, but everything about them — except for their names and the fact that they both wrote music — is complete fiction. I could bore you with details that you can easily find with a little Googling, but the fact is that Amadeus is no more a biopic than Braveheart or Titanic, in fact, a good comparison might be Fargo, where the "true story" designation is little more than a joke and is mostly there to lend the story credence. I'm not saying Amadeus is a bad movie — I think it's one of the all-time greats — but a biopic it is not, and considering how central music is to the drama, it should be on this list.
Alex Annear - 6 years ago
Actually surprised and happy to see Inside Llewyn Davis leading so far, as it was also my vote. I just love it’s mournfulness. It’s the one that transports me the most to that specific time and place.
Chris TN - 6 years ago
Would have liked to have seen 24 Hour Party People instead of two John Carney films, Once is a fine film but Sing Street has not set well after repeated viewings.
Eoin - 6 years ago
I was initially skeptical of just how vigorously a friend of mine recommended Sing Street, but when I eventually broke down and watched with a group of friends, I loved it!
All the little moments that I recognised from my own time in school in Ireland is just the icing on the cake of a fun journey through music and the family and relationship I think really works too.
I would 100% pass on a recommendation for Sing Street.
-Eoin from Ireland
Henrik Hansen - 6 years ago
All That Jazz. Case closed. I don't consider it a Bio-pic. ( A cry for help, maybe.) Fosse draws on aspects of his life, sure, but he also goes into the fantastic and the absurd in this excellent meditation on addiction, death and ego. You know, show business!
While I love Llewyn Davis, and Sing Street very very much, and Dancer in the Dark shook me from my teens all the way to my 33-year-old present day, I had to throw in an "Other" vote for the movie I've watched more times than I care to admit - Velvet Goldmine. It bypasses your biopic rule because while it draws inspiration from David Bowie (and Iggy Pop), it is decisively not about them. It takes the structure of Citizen Kane, it draws a direct line of inspiration between Oscar Wilde dandyism to glam rock, it is Todd Haynes experimentalism before I'm Not There, It is a glitter bomb of beautiful queer people, and the soundtrack is amazing. David Bowie not giving Haynes rights to his music was an unexpected gift to all of us. What's more, it's a movie made for cinephiles and music historians alike.
My runner-up would be Leningrad Cowboys Go America, because the ending is not resolved enough for it to be a comedy and thems the rules. (Yes, it's me, I'm back. I'm going to mention Leningrad Cowboys Go America at every opportunity until more people know about it)
Alice from Melbourne, Australia.
Franco Asmaeil - 6 years ago
So far the Coen Brothers movie has 50% of the votes. Not surprised! Y'all should consider pantheoning them from polls
:P
Steve Lucero - 6 years ago
Sing Street! Sing Street! Sing! Street! SING STREET!!
Tom Morris - 6 years ago
It’s Hard out here for a Pimp!
I voted for Other but my second choice is Hustle and Flow.
Memphis is a character!
Tennessee is a character!
American Music is Tennessee’s greatest product.
DeeJay is just looking to get his piece of the pie, man!
Jessica - 6 years ago
I chose Once but I love Llewyn and Dancer in the dark made tears shoot perpendicularly out of my eyes but I'm baffled at why La La Land was not included!
Tom Morris - 6 years ago
I assume you think Almost Famous is a comedy? I consider it a drama!
Here are a few others that should be on the list besides Frank.
Eddie and the Cruisers
The Commitments
The Fabulous Baker Boys
Mo Better Blues
8 Mile
Purple Rain
Quadrophenia
Pink Floyd’s The Wall
Across the Universe
Magnolia
Everytime I think about Once it moves up the list of my all-time faves list, currently sitting at #3... oh, whoops, now it's #2. Sorry, Miller's Crossing.
oh wow, a coen movie winning, what a surprise.
This is easy--Hedwig and the Angry Inch, John Cameron Mitchell's amazing directorial debut and Oscar-worthy performance. It has stick-to-your-ribs glam songs, and "Midnight Radio" is a show-stopper that brings me to tears every time I view it. PLAY LOUD! (Shh! Don't tell anyone, but I'm watching it at work right now.)
After Adam made me aware of Sing Street in 2016, I have watched it 5 or six times and bought the soundtrack and worn it out. It has to be Sing Street, it has to!
Drive it like you stole it!
Tough choices. For me, the tie-breaker: Which movie has songs I can sing from memory right now? No question, it's Inside Llewyn Davis. 10 ... 9 ... 8765 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2, One second please! Sorry, Hustle & Flow. It's hard out here for a pimp.
Some people make musicals, some make movies about music, and some make movies about musicians. John Carney's gift, however, is alone in giving us movies about the act of making music, and the fragile but real magic that act contains. The best music is the result of an unexplained alchemy that makes it exponentially greater than the sum of its parts. And while I adore Sing Street almost as much as Adam does, Once is one of those rare works that has crossed over from me from film to sacred text, precisely because of the way it lays that alchemy bare. There is no scene in film history like the one in the music shop where Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova first play "Falling Slowly" together. As a musician, I'm familiar with that breathtaking moment when you first connect with someone else through melody, harmony and rhythm, and you weave together something that's like falling in love, or prayer, or witchcraft, or a combination of the three. Carney captures that feeling like lightning in a box, conveyed through that magnificent piece of songcraft and the vulnerability and presence of his actors. The only time I've ever witnessed anything close on the big screen was the deathbed scene in Amadeus, as Mozart dictates the Confutatis movement of his Requiem Mass to Salieri, but as it's a biopic and thus disqualified my answer is Once, full stop, no hesitation. (Come to think, even if Amadeus WEREN'T disqualified, I'm not sure my answer would change.)
Splitting the Carney? How dare you. HOW DARE YOU!
I’m baffled as to why La La Land was not one of the named choices in this category. It was Best Picture for like 30 seconds! More than that, it is the epitome of the modern American musical and hits every mark that you want your musical to have: amazing opening scene, great score, memorable original songs and plenty of dancing. La La Land gets my vote every time.
Jim Pallini
Bethpage New York
Nashville was a year off, otherwise it would Walk the Line, at least down to 8 Mile. This was a tough poll, it’s hard not to feel Born to be Blue. Ack! So hard to make The Commitments to just one choice.
Llewyn Davis is my favorite movie on this list, but I love the actual musical aspects of Once better, so I’m voting for it. Falling Slowly? When Your Mind’s Made Up? Oscar Isaac and the Coens can’t match those sublime musical moments.
Sing Street, Sing Street, Sing Street. All day long. There's no other answer. I built an entire Pandora station around this movie after the first time I saw it. The music sticks with you, and runs crazy circles around your head. It's like you're caught in a dream, it's like your back on the ceiling.
I love, love, love this movie, and it's one of the best original, coming of age movies made in the last 25 years.
Of the movies listed here, I'd probably have to go with Once, although Inside Llewyn Davis would be a close second. But I just had to vote for "other" and go with a write-in: Amadeus.
I know, I know. The rules make it clear that no biopics are allowed. But I'm still sticking with my answer, my reason being that Amadeus is absolutely positively NOT a biopic. Yes, it's based on two historical figures, but everything about them — except for their names and the fact that they both wrote music — is complete fiction. I could bore you with details that you can easily find with a little Googling, but the fact is that Amadeus is no more a biopic than Braveheart or Titanic, in fact, a good comparison might be Fargo, where the "true story" designation is little more than a joke and is mostly there to lend the story credence. I'm not saying Amadeus is a bad movie — I think it's one of the all-time greats — but a biopic it is not, and considering how central music is to the drama, it should be on this list.
Actually surprised and happy to see Inside Llewyn Davis leading so far, as it was also my vote. I just love it’s mournfulness. It’s the one that transports me the most to that specific time and place.
Would have liked to have seen 24 Hour Party People instead of two John Carney films, Once is a fine film but Sing Street has not set well after repeated viewings.
I was initially skeptical of just how vigorously a friend of mine recommended Sing Street, but when I eventually broke down and watched with a group of friends, I loved it!
All the little moments that I recognised from my own time in school in Ireland is just the icing on the cake of a fun journey through music and the family and relationship I think really works too.
I would 100% pass on a recommendation for Sing Street.
-Eoin from Ireland
All That Jazz. Case closed. I don't consider it a Bio-pic. ( A cry for help, maybe.) Fosse draws on aspects of his life, sure, but he also goes into the fantastic and the absurd in this excellent meditation on addiction, death and ego. You know, show business!
While I love Llewyn Davis, and Sing Street very very much, and Dancer in the Dark shook me from my teens all the way to my 33-year-old present day, I had to throw in an "Other" vote for the movie I've watched more times than I care to admit - Velvet Goldmine. It bypasses your biopic rule because while it draws inspiration from David Bowie (and Iggy Pop), it is decisively not about them. It takes the structure of Citizen Kane, it draws a direct line of inspiration between Oscar Wilde dandyism to glam rock, it is Todd Haynes experimentalism before I'm Not There, It is a glitter bomb of beautiful queer people, and the soundtrack is amazing. David Bowie not giving Haynes rights to his music was an unexpected gift to all of us. What's more, it's a movie made for cinephiles and music historians alike.
My runner-up would be Leningrad Cowboys Go America, because the ending is not resolved enough for it to be a comedy and thems the rules. (Yes, it's me, I'm back. I'm going to mention Leningrad Cowboys Go America at every opportunity until more people know about it)
Alice from Melbourne, Australia.
So far the Coen Brothers movie has 50% of the votes. Not surprised! Y'all should consider pantheoning them from polls
:P
Sing Street! Sing Street! Sing! Street! SING STREET!!
It’s Hard out here for a Pimp!
I voted for Other but my second choice is Hustle and Flow.
Memphis is a character!
Tennessee is a character!
American Music is Tennessee’s greatest product.
DeeJay is just looking to get his piece of the pie, man!
I chose Once but I love Llewyn and Dancer in the dark made tears shoot perpendicularly out of my eyes but I'm baffled at why La La Land was not included!
I assume you think Almost Famous is a comedy? I consider it a drama!
Here are a few others that should be on the list besides Frank.
Eddie and the Cruisers
The Commitments
The Fabulous Baker Boys
Mo Better Blues
8 Mile
Purple Rain
Quadrophenia
Pink Floyd’s The Wall
Across the Universe
Magnolia
The correct answer is ONCE, but in what world does LA LA LAND not merit inclusion in this poll?