I'm a pretty big sucker for movie musicals -- I loved Chicago, am psyched for Nine, and three of my all-time favorite films are The Sound of Music, Grease and Xanadu (bring on the Xanadu ridicule, haters -- I can handle it!). But in 2011, it's quite possible that another titlewill be tacked on to that esteemed list: Rock of Ages. You might have heard of the stage production -- it was nominated for five Tony awards and is currently in the midst of a successful off-Broadway run starring American Idol Season Four finalist Constantine Maroulis. And perhaps most importantly, during a performance this past summer, the cast and audience joined together to break the Guinness World Record for the Largest Air Guitar Ensemble, with a total of 810 people jamming away on invisible instruments.
You might be thinking, "That's reeeeaaalllly impressive and culturally significant and all, but why should I have any hope that this play will translate well on the big screen?" And my answer to that is, "Because it's set to some of the best (OK, worst) music of the decade in which I grew up, the '80s." I think it could be one of those "so bad, it's awesome" scenarios. Plus, it will be directed by Adam Shankman who brought Hairspray to Hollywood -- and is currently a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, so it could be in worse hands. And, um, Tobey Maguire is one of the producers, so that must count for something, right? (Though perhaps he should be helping out the flailing Spider-Man musical instead...)
To fully comprehend and respect the power of Rock of Ages, all you have to do is watch the ad for the stage production. If you aren't cheering "YESSSSSS!!!!!" by the end of it, then fair enough, you probably won't like the movie adaptation. I do feel sorry for you if that's the case, though. How can someone not be moved by Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again"? That is beyond my comprehension.
While this crisis has been steadily building since the last Lord of the Rings film, my most recent cause for concern comes in the form of the new Star Trek trailer. Erika posted about the trailer last month, and you can read my take on the very first Trek trailer from late last fall.
In the past decade or so I've carefully developed a strong resistance to overblown summer movie expectations. These days I hold my emotions in check; I proceed with cautious optimism, not wild-eyed fanboy drooling. But lately that third Star Trek trailer, released almost two months ago and still dominating the cineplex previews, has got me in full stupidly hopeful, blindly geeked out mode. Against all my better judgment, I am giddy with foolish anticipation.
(Just in case you somehow still haven't seen it, check it out here. And yes, I'm talking about the theatrical trailer, not the Extreme Trek TV ads focusing on the fist fights, sex, and high-altitude sky diving instead of space battles in order to attract a new generation of energy-drink chugging, tattooed, X-gamers. "This is not your father's Trek." Bah.)
Some of my growing adoration of the trailer is from that All-time Great Trailer Moment when McCoy says "We've got no captain and no first officer to replace him," and Kirk steps up and says "Yeah, we do," and takes his rightful place in the Naugahyde seat of destiny. Yep, that's a full-blown 30-years-in-the-making, James T.-worshiping, galactic goose-bumpy, geek-gasm moment right there.
Plus, we finally get to see much more of the fully functional Enterprise in action. I'm not sure non-fans understand just how pure and perfect and beautiful that classic Enterprise shape is to us lifers. Star Trek may be all about Gene Roddenberry's hopeful, humanist view of the future; and about the lifelong friendship and philosophical balance between Spock (the brain), McCoy (the heart), and Kirk (the fists and, um... other parts). But it's also in large part a sea-going adventure story, Horatio Hornblower in Space, as it's often called--and at its heart is that beloved ship.
But all that aside, what really hooked me into the trailer--and the new film--is the music. Finally we get some truly stirring, inspiring, up-on-your-feet feeling it heroic music, and... it's not in the movie. In fact, unlike the trailer-friendly Children of Dune musical cues from Brian Taylor, the epic music in the Star Trek trailer is not from any movie.
As in all things redblog for me these days (Drive-in DVDs, geek news, DVD reviews, That Guy), I have some catching up to do on trailer music. You know when you're watching a trailer in the theater or online and you think either "wow, that's a great song--who is it?" or, as often happens for me, "that song/music is so familiar--I can't quite place it!"
Well, let's try to solve just a few of the World's Recent Trailer-Music Mysteries...
Where the Wild Things Are
Erika has already mentioned the fantastic Where the Wild Things Are trailer, and by now I'm sure those of you who had never heard of the Arcade Fire are getting familiar with the Montreal art band. Yes, that's "Wake Up" playing in the trailer--the original version is from their 2004 album Funeral. However, the version in the trailer has been specially re-recorded by the Arcade Fire for... well, either just for the trailer or perhaps for the film itself. Director Spike Jonze has been tight-lipped about who will be on the film's final soundtrack, but there has been speculation that Win Butler and the Arcade Fire might be contributing in some way.
The Arcade Fire has been one of my favorite bands of the past few years, but that doesn't put me in very exclusive company--they've become hugely popular among alternative-music fans. And "Wake Up" has gone from my favorite song of 2004, to making my top ten for the decade, and possibly earning a much-coveted spot on my All-Time-Favorite-Songs List.
The version in the trailer is different primarily in the opening--it's more subdued, less bombastic than the album or live versions. As fitting the dream-like, introspective nature of the trailer's start, the guitar is acoustic and there are no initial drumbeats or choral vocals. Instead, the focus is shifted to Butler's aching lyrics about the hopeful nature of childhood. (The original version wastes no time warming up, going to full, epic, anthem levels from the first note.)
The Arcade Fire often opens shows with "Wake Up" for obvious reasons--the percussionists come out first (there are usually seven or eight band members on stage) and begin that majestic drumbeat sometimes for a full minute before the wall of guitar sound hits and Butler starts to sing. There is also a terrific 2005 version of David Bowie and the band performing the song live at the Fashion Rocks benefit show.
More trailer music after the jump, including tunes from Public Enemies and Funny People.
Here at redblog, we try to stay attuned to what our readers like and want. And clearly this week, what you all like and want is more talk about your favorite film of the year, Rachel Getting Married!
Oh, I kid... As much as I liked the film, I get that it really isn't a lot of people's cuppa (bitter) tea. However, in the comments for Erika's review, Lucky Lu said "Now I want to know more about TV on the Radio cause that guy was cool--great blog opportunity here!!"
I was going to write a Hum Along piece about the new Star Trek trailer music today, but L. Lu's suggestion was a great one. One of the interesting (or annoying, depending on your taste) aspects of Rachel Getting Married is the big role music and musicians play in the film.
(Besides, lately I've been doing so many posts on geek topics, it wouldn't hurt for me to put down my authentic phaser replica for a day or two and write about something that doesn't have to do with aliens, superheroes, or serial killers. But don't worry Trek fans and geeks--I'll get that Star Trek piece up over the weekend.)
Jonathon Demme, the director of Rachel Getting Married, will probably always be best known for Silence of the Lambs, but throughout his career, music has often been if not the direct subject of his work, then a big part of his films.
The legendary 1984 Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense is always on everyone's top 10 list of Greatest Concert Films Ever. Since then he's also done concert documentaries of Robyn Hitchcock (1998's Storefront Hitchcock, in which the eccentric British musician is filmed literally performing in a storefront), and Neil Young (2006's Neil Young: Heart of Gold).
And for those of us in college in the '80s, Demme's alternative-music collections on the soundtracks of 1986's Something Wild (Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, and Ray Liotta) and 1988's Married to the Mob (Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine, and Alec Baldwin) were as delightful and ear-opening as all those John Hughes teen soundtracks of the same era.
(I believe Married to the Mob might have been where I first heard New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle"--to this day still the only song guaranteed to get me on the dance floor, where I rock the Molly Ringwald Breakfast Club moves to frightening perfection. No really, it's very, very scary.)
So it's not surprising that when Demme set out to create the perfect wedding for Anne Hathaway's Kym to try to destroy he filled the proceedings with some of his favorite performers.
First up is the actor to which Lucky Lu was referring, Tunde Adebimpe, who plays Sidney, Rachel's husband-to-be. Nigerian-born Adebimpe is one of the lead singers for TV on the Radio, last year's critically beloved alternative band. In the film, Adebimpe pretty much plays himself, as Sidney is also a hip musician. In real-life, Adebimpe is also an animator--he created the video for the Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Pin."
(Originally, Demme had wanted director Paul Thomas Anderson to play the groom. Would the film have then been filled with cast members from and references to Boogie Nights and Magnolia? Anderson had to pass on the role so he could shoot There Will Be Blood.)
TV on the Radio is often referred to as an "art rock" band, putting them in company with The Talking Heads, Radiohead, and the Arcade Fire. Their sound is a bit tricky to pin down and easily capsulize, but it can be cacophonous, funky, jazzy, and soulful. Often all at the same time. I first noticed them when their song "Staring at the Sun" was used in a 2006 episode of Entourage. As an old-school fan of glam Bowie, it caught my ear instantly:
If you're up for more TV on the Radio and to get a better sense of their eclectic breadth, check out these tracks from their critically acclaimed 2008 album Dear Science: "Golden Age" and especially "Dancing Choose":
More Rachel Getting Married music after the jump, including Robyn Hitchcock, Neil Young, and Fab 5 Freddy!
Peter Gabriel announced the other day that he will not be performing his song "Down to Earth" at the Oscars® ceremony Sunday. The WALL-E credits tune--a plea for a happier, cleaner, more hugable planet--is nominated for Best Song.
Gabriel is complaining that the ceremony producers are insisting the three nominated songs be performed in a single medley, giving each song about a minute of air time. The other two songs, "O Saya" and "Jai Ho" are from Slumdog Millionaire.
I'm not gonna get my '80s parachute pants in a bunch over Gabriel not being in the show. I'm an old-school Gabriel solo fan (Birdy soundtrack!)--and while I fully understand it, it always saddens me just a little to see iconoclastic songwriters I adore and admire like Gabriel, Randy Newman, and Lyle Lovett doing new Disney songs. (Ironically, and perhaps contradictorily, I do love hearing such performers cover classic Disney tunes, such as on the brilliant 1988 album Stay Awake.)
(Some Oscar trivia: In 1996 "You've Got a Friend in Me" did not win Best Song for Toy Story--it lost to "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas. Ah, remember a time when mediocre 2-D animated films were still respected more than them new-fangled "computer movies"?)
But as annoyingly self-righteous as he can sometimes be--and as forgettable as his WALL-E song is--Gabriel is right on this one. The Academy already gutted the Best Song category this year by only nominating the minimum three songs, in a year when they could have easily and rightly added Eastwood and Jamie Cullum's lovely "Gran Torino" and Springsteen's heart-breaking "The Wrestler." To now further diminish the category--and the show's entertainment value--by cramming them all into one mish-mash medley seems, yep, tone deaf. ("Down to Earth" will most likely be performed by some other musician during the show.)
With all the hot-air talk of making this year's ceremony more memorable and surprising, it would seem having more musical performances, not fewer, might be the way to keep the viewers' attention. Unless, of course, they involve Rob Lowe singing "Proud Mary" with Snow White. (Yes! Twenty years later and you can still milk that joke!)
Sure, A.R. Rahman's Slumdog songs are going to be great to see performed: They're perfect awards ceremony ear (and, we can assume, eye) candy. And I hope we get to see M.I.A. out there rapping in "O Saya"--how much fun will it be to have had her at the Grammys last weekend anchoring the Rap Pack summit while full-to-bursting preggers, and then two weeks later on stage again as a new mom?
But perhaps the Academy is stodgily trimming down the song performances because it's afraid M.I.A. will drop a little "Paper Planes" into the mix? (It has come to my attention that Miss M.I.A. does in fact have more
records than the KGB. Also, no one on any corner, it appears, is in
possession of as much swagger as the London-born singing sensation of Sri Lankan Tamil heritage.)
After all, there are blowhards on the prudish side of the culture wars who are still whining and moaning about Three 6 Mafia (and this year's supporting actress nominee Taraji P. Henson) performing "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" at the 2006 ceremony--and when it actually won, the protectors of American decency Lost. Their. Minds. (For the record, "Paper Planes," which is also featured prominently in Slumdog, is ineligible for an Oscar, since it was not created for the film. But I don't see why it would be controversial--judging by the video for the song, it appears to simply be about selling hot, tasty sandwiches.)
(And yes, just in case you were wondering--I'm mainly posting this Gabriel news as an excuse to jump this week off right by linking you to some "Paper Planes." It's going to be a long week of Redblog Oscar coverage--we need to keep our strength and spirits up!)
However, the Academy can still make everything right with this Sunday's ceremony and the musical performances. Just two simple words. Say them with me:
The Academy sent out the "short" list yesterday of those 49 songs eligible for Best Original Song at the Oscars. From this list, up to five songs can be nominated (though in the past as there have been as few as three).
Needless to say, High School Musical 3: Senior Year dominates the list with 11 entries. Because really, parents, you haven't heard those songs enough yet. (Don't panic, non-HSM fans--only two of those songs can be nominated.)
Most of the rest of it is stuff I don't recognize (all those instantly forgettable songs that play during the closing credits as you shuffle out or flip off the DVD). I haven't seen Repo! The Generic Opera yet (it has three in the running), so I'm outta the loop there, and sadly I missed Hamlet 2 and its "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" in theaters.
But I did see--and am growing to love more and more--Forgetting Sarah Marshall. And much of my love for the film (besides Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, and Paul Rudd) is for its three songs--each of them intended to be a silly spoof, but each also kind of charming and infectious in its own way.
And so, I give you "Dracula's Lament," which is eligible for a nomination and which I hope very, very much to see Jason Segel performing--with puppets--at the Kodak Theater in February.
Everybody join with me: "Dracula musical! Dracula musical! Dracula musical!"
Anyone else care to make a case for any of the other 48 songs on the list? Or for any that were ignored?
And for you fellow Aldous Snow and Sarah Marshall fans, there's more Infant Sorrow goodness after the jump.
The surprise success of Mamma Mia! last summer has rushed more sing-along pop musicals into production. New Line just snapped up the rights to Rock of Ages, a new stage production that follows two young lovers who meet on the Sunset Strip (not at the Whiskey, but a club called Rock of Ages--clever, eh?). They must then endure the trials and tribulations of the rock 'n' roll life--and the music of the '80s. The really bad hair-band anthems of the '80s.
Don't get me wrong, I loves me some Jovi, Journey, and Styx (my first-ever concert!), but most of RoA's songs are more along the lines of Starship, Poison, REO, Twisted Sister, Survivor, Whitesnake, Asia, and yes, Night Ranger. ("Sister Christian" was the soundtrack to another "first-ever" experience in high school, but we'll save that particular TMI for the memoirs.)
Allow me to point something out about Mamma Mia! I'm not really its target demographic, but it was an enjoyable cheese-ball grin. However, as fluffy as the Nordic warblings of ABBA might be, those are actually well-crafted, timeless pop songs that get people of all ages dancing.
Now, there's no doubt those of us of a certain age may hold Quarterflash and Foreigner in high nostalgic regard, but objectively these are some pretty dated, wretched tunes. "We Built This City" alone nearly ended popular music as we know it.
Do you people really want to risk exposing a whole new generation to Warrant? Fine, but don't come crying to me when your sons and daughters show up at breakfast in striped spandex and bangs that require aviation lights.
We're all preparing to watch the Earth stand still this weekend, and really, do we have any choice? There may be five-count-'em-five major films opening Christmas day, plus three more Oscar-baits getting wider release that day, but until Christmas, like kids drooling over the presents under the tree, we have to wait and get basically one big hyped and promoted release per weekend. This week it's The Day the Earth Stood Still, next week it's Yes Man. You'll go see them and you'll pretend to like them. I don't want to hear any complaining out there.
But I did want to take a moment to point out the music used in the primary DESS theatrical trailer. (It's Music Wednesday!) That ominous, haunting wave that builds and builds to a crescendo of doom? That's the infamous "In the House--In a Heartbeat" written by British composer John Murphy for the climax of Danny Boyle's fast-moving-zombie freak out, 28 Days Later.
What makes the track so perfect for thriller trailers is its relentless vibe, the sense that something big and awful is coming that you simply cannot stop. That gives your trailer a feeling of heavy, inescapable dread--whether it's of zombies or of Keanu Reeves. It's shown up (usually near the very end) in trailers for Death Sentence, Beowulf(trailer 1), and I Know Who Killed Me.
I'm a huge fan of Murphy's work, especially his soundtrack for Boyle's Sunshine--but we'll cover that when the increasingly ubiquitous (and more uplifting) "Surface of the Sun" pops up again in a new trailer, as it inevitably will in coming months.
In the mean time, enjoy the creeping fatalism of "In the House--In a Heartbeat" as it does its part to often make these trailers better than the film's they're selling.
Monday and Tuesday I covered my favorite one-off songs from the world of film. Today, let's talk about the whole enchilada -- entire soundtracks that rock.
I own a ton of movie soundtracks, so it was hard for me to narrow it down to my top ten. My criteria was that I had to like all, or nearly all of the songs on the album in order to include it on my list. So while, for example, Saturday Night Fever has some stand-out tunes, for every "Night Fever" that I adore, there's a "Night on Disco Mountain" that I can't stand.
Here's what I ended up with. Drumroll, please...
My Top Ten Favorite Movie Soundtracks
10. Magnolia
9. Walk the Line
8. Footloose
7. The Full Monty
6. The Wedding Singer
5. Grease
4. Once
3. Garden State
2. The Sound of Music
1. Xanadu
Yes, you read that correctly. After much deliberation, I decided that Xanadu really does deserve the top honor. There is not a song from the film that I don't like, and I can't say the same for any of the others on the list. Rest assured that I am fully aware that the movie itself left much to be desired, but what can I say? Olivia Newton-John + the Electric Light Orchestra = Pure Awesomeness.
My husband tried to convince me that the Singles, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Almost Famous soundtracks should've made the cut, but I would have none of it.
Do you agree with him? What other good ones did I neglect?
Sorry, I got way too sick of "My Sharona" and "Baby I Love Your Way" to include this classic Gen X flick on my list of best soundtracks. Instead, I'll highlight the song and the scene that I can still see clearly in my mind: Winona Ryder running down the steps to meet Ethan Hawke with U2's haunting melody in the background.
I used to love Kid 'n Play. I even learned the Kid 'n Play Kick Step! I still bust it out when the mood strikes (which is often).
9. Storybook Love by Willy DeVille The Princess Bride, 1987
The Princess Bride is the best movie in the world, so how could the lovely ballad that plays over the end credits not make my list?
10. Twist and Shout by the Beatles Ferris Bueller's Day Off, 1986
The "parade scene" in Ferris Bueller's Day Off is actually my favorite movie moment of all time. The joy! The silliness! The downtown Chicago setting! The fact that he chose to sing a great Beatles song was just icing on the cake.
There you have it! Check in tomorrow for my Top Ten list of favorite soundtracks...
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