I didn't have high expectations heading into watching Once for the first time. I heard it was a love story and that the music was a big part of the movie. Well, I was in for a treat.

Once is a low-budget movie about an aspiring singer/songwriter in Ireland that meets a girl from the Czech Republic and they embark on a musical journey together. I don't want to give too much away but once you get past the hard to understand dialog, you're left with a great diamond in the rough movie that almost anyone can enjoy.

Well Juno quickly became one of my favorite movies of all time. I understand the Oscar for best picture is given based upon many factors, other than likeability. I just don’t care as much about all those other factors. To me a movie lives and dies by the script and the acting. Too often cinematography and special effects play a more important role. With Juno, we received the best of my favorite characteristics.