Five AWESOME Movie Soundtracks!!

From time to time, movie music really pisses me off.  First, there’s the “Best Original Song” award at the Oscars.  How many times have they given that statuette to a song that just rolls during the closing credits?  Bunch of crap.  A “best original song” should be directly linked to the plot and characters in the film.  Which is why “Lose Yourself” by Eminem is the ULTIMATE “Best Original Song” ever. 

But this is a post about movie soundtracks.  And let me first get out of the way why I HATE soundtracks that are really more like “Music INSPIRED by blah blah blah”.  In that vein, Madonna’s I’M BREATHLESS is really not a movie soundtrack – even though three of the songs are actually featured in DICK TRACY.  And the soundtrack from THE THING CALLED LOVE – more crap.  Most of the songs on that soundtrack were not featured in the film; and, actually, all the GREAT music from that film is what’s performed by the stars:  River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis, Dermot Mulroney, and Sandra Bullock. 

And I digress yet again.  For me, an AWESOME movie soundtrack is one you actually want to buy and listen to again, and again, and again.  It can feature instrumental music or lyrical songs.  It can feature music actually written FOR the movie (like a musical or rock-opera) or music that APPEARS in the movie.  And when it all comes together as a magical collaboration of plot, character, and emotion…THAT’S a great movie soundtrack.

1.        PURPLE RAIN – Prince (1984)

Seriously, how can you not love this soundtrack?  Well, I guess if you don’t like Prince, then you wouldn’t like PURPLE RAIN.  But then I would say you are a fool and can’t really appreciate popular music for what it CAN be and SHOULD be.

What’s really cool about PURPLE RAIN is that the songs help to tell the story.  It all starts with LET’S GO CRAZY, and you get a sense for who “The Kid” is and what he’s all about.  You learn a bit about his band, and how Wendy and Lisa get frustrated by Kid’s ego and selfishness.  By the time you get to DARLING NIKKI, you understand the conflict between Kid and his female bandmates.  And when Kid and his band finally perform PURPLE RAIN, which is actually Wendy and Lisa’s song, you see a performer who has turned a corner (personally and professionally) and is ready to move forward.  I WOULD DIE 4 U and BABY I’M A STAR are icing on the cake – and are actually my favorite performances of the film. 

2.       HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH – John Cameron Mitchell (2001)

A true “rock opera”, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a 2001 American musical-comedy-drama based on the stage musical of the same name about a fictional rock band fronted by an East German transgender singer.  The film was adapted and directed by John Cameron Mitchell; the music and lyrics are by Stephen Trask.  I"m not going to dive into the plot, but I'm just going to say the songs are some of the most poetic and "real" stories about love, life, and human relationships that I can think of.  They will make you laugh, cry, and sing out loud.  All will make you think.  And if you dig Michael Pitt at all (MURDER BY NUMBERS, BOARDWALK EMPIRE), you really need to check out this film, too.  He sings!!  

3.       A CLOCKWORK ORANGE – Walter Carlos (1971)

I have bought and sold a lot of CD’s over the years – this is one I still own from my earliest CD purchases.  Meaning I have never sold it only to buy it again.  Known more for being a misogynistic and violent film as opposed to having really kick ass music, if you love Beethoven then you already know about A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and its soundtrack.  The Ninth Symphony is the star, and it’s featured both as a “classical” performance and electronica as well.  All I can really say is….you’ll never think of SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN the same way again.

4.       SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER – The Bee Gees/Various (1977)

Disco may be dead, but this is one classic soundtrack that will live forever.  It’s the only disco album to have won a Grammy for “Album of the Year”, it sold more than 15 million copies, and is ranked number 131 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.  What’s not to like?  Seriously, even if you can’t stand disco, you need to experience this soundtrack.  Talk about music defining an era – this soundtrack did all that and more. 

5.       STAR WARS – John Williams (1977)

I can’t think of another film SCORE out there that resonates for me as much as the soundtrack from STAR WARS (1977).  My Aunt Judy got me this LP (yes, that’s the vinyl record) for Christmas and I played that thing to death.  I even owned the 45 single, too.  The “B” side was the song from the Mos Eisley Spaceport scene…CANTINA BAND.  This soundtrack won John Williams (the composer) the most awards of his career, including an Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, and three awards at the 1978 Grammy Awards.  If you are a Gen X’er, chances are you had access to this film score/soundtrack in your house somewhere. 

Even if you’ve seen these movies, check out the soundtracks separately.  You will NOT be sorry J.

Stig's Education - V2

As a favor to one of my former RA’s, Stig Strombeck, I’m posting Volume 2 of my favorite movies by genre.  Last time we tackled drama, comedy, horror, film noir, and action.  Today we narrow the focus just a tad and I offer up three more genres to review:

1.       Favorite Sports Film – BULL DURHAM (1988, Ron Shelton, Director)

Growing up in Chicago, baseball was my favorite sport.  I was a Cubs fan through and through (still am, most of the time).  And baseball continued to be my favorite sport throughout college.  So when this movie came out in the summer of 1988, I knew I’d be going.  Strangely enough, the first time I saw this movie, I didn’t like it.  I thought it was too long and had too many plot shifts that didn’t make sense to me (I’ve since learned that Ron Shelton, by definition, sometimes has problems actually ending his films).  But now that I’m an older, wiser person, I can appreciate why this movie is as special as it is.  It gets to the heart and soul of what it means to be a baseball player, and how you can really love (and hate) the game.  It dabbles in baseball superstitions, mentorship, and how winning can change a person.  And then there’s the romance between Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins….and the eventual romance between Susan Sarandon and Kevin Costner.  This is one of the mostly highly quotable movies OF….ALL…TIME. 

2.       Favorite Musical – WEST SIDE STORY (1961, Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, Directors)

I think this is my favorite movie musical because my father loved it so much.  My dad LOVED on-screen dancing.  And this movie, in true wide-screen, has some of the most amazing dance sequences out there.  Loosely based on ROMEO AND JULIET, two rival New York gangs fight it out for turf; meanwhile, a fella from the white gang falls in love with a lady from the Puerto Rican gang.  Bad words are said.  A couple people die.  Love doesn’t conquer all…but it gives us hope.  Although, sadly, I still have to tell myself it’s okay that Natalie Wood and Tony Beymer aren’t doing their own singing.  Oh well.  Nothing’s perfect.

3.       Favorite Foreign Language Film –

This category is a tough one for me – see, for something to be considered a “favorite” in my eyes, it means you have to be able to watch it over and over again and never having the film “die” in your view.  And I’ll be honest with you – I don’t think there’s a single foreign film out there that I’ve watched more than once.  The reason being – they are subtitled!  And you sort of have to “read” them.  And this isn’t a bad thing – I would prefer to view a subtitled film in its native language than to view a film that has been dubbed in English.  Having said all that, there are MANY foreign language films over the years that I’ve greatly enjoyed. 

                AMORES PERROS (2000, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

                Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN (2001, Alfonso Cuaron)

                THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (2007, Julian Schnabel)

                NO MAN’S LAND (2001, Danis Tanovic)

And I could list so many more.  So what I would like to highlight in this section are two directors that produce films in languages OTHER than English – and I’m highlighting them because I’ve actually seen most of their films:

Pedro Almovodar – VOLVER (2006), TALK TO HER (2002), TIE ME UP! TIE ME DOWN! (1990), BAD EDUCATION (2004) – what I appreciate most about Pedro is that he’s not afraid to make women tough and smart; and he’s as good (if not better) as a writer than he is as a director.  And he gave Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas their start.  Can’t take that away J

Chan-wook Park – THIRST (2009), SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGENANCE (2002), OLDBOY (2003) – this man makes some seriously dark and disturbing movies…that I truly enjoy, although I should probably have my head examined for it.  Many of his films focus on “pain and fear” – and there’s something to be said for a director who can evoke such interesting dynamics between characters. 

So that should get us through another week.  Stay tuned, Stig!  I have WAY more to share with you!!