SOUNDTRACKS

I usually concentrate this blog on movies in general. But, I feel a lot of movies are made or broken by their soundtracks. While in editing, they place the (sometimes) perfect tune to help with the feeling of the scene. Some movies have accomplished this better than others. Here’s what I think…

Hard Day’s Night (1964)/Help! (1965) – Soundtrack by the Beatles

I’m combining these movies only because it’s the same band. My mom is a HUGE Beatles fan, I’ve been force fed their music ever since I can remember. Being force fed wasn’t such a bad thing. I’ve grown up to become a Beatles fan in my own right. Anyway, I digress… I enjoyed both of these movies; however, “Help!” is my personal favorite out of the two. Both movies follow the Fab 4 around through all kinds of hi-jinks & hilarity. I’m sure that these movies were just a ploy to sell more records, but I guess that’s ok. The music was really good. These movies had a much better soundtrack than “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (1978). Whose idea was it to put Peter Frampton, Aerosmith (SUPER high Steven Tyler), George Burns & the Bee Gees all in the same movie? Don’t get me wrong, I dig the disco, but that was a really awful movie! Do yourself a favor & chose one of the above Beatles originals over the awfulness that was SPLHCB. This makes me wonder who exactly gave permission for Beatles songs to be presented in such a crap-tacular format. Both of these movies & soundtracks = FAB

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – Soundtrack by Various Artists

Oh how I love this movie! I spent many a Saturday/Sunday evening/morning at my local theatre (which is now a giant Walgreen’s) singing/dancing/acting along w/ Dr. Frank & the crew. Richard O’Brien first wrote this for the stage, and then turned it into the most popular movie (shown @ midnight) ever! I honestly don’t know of any other film that has run continuously for the last 30-some years. Don’t think it’s playing in your area? Just go do a Google search – you’ll find it somewhere, I guarantee it. The soundtrack for this movie was so good. From the opening sequence, all the way through to the end – they’re all really good. Tim Curry was brilliant in his first movie ever as the sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania. It was also debuts for Barry Bostwick (asshole) & Susan Sarandon (slut). This movie even made a star out of Meat Loaf. “Bat Out of Hell” wasn’t released until after his performance as “Eddie” – the cryogenically frozen rockabilly dude. Who knew he could play the saxophone? This is hands down one of my favorite movies of all time. Even though I’ve seen it more times than I can count, I still have to watch it every year around Halloween – just for an excuse to get up & take a jump to the left…come on…you know the rest. If you don’t, you need to rent this ASAP. Movie & Soundtrack = GENDER-BENDING GREATNESS

Saturday Night Fever (1977)/Grease (1978) – Soundtrack by the Bee Gees

I’m combining these 2 movies only because both soundtracks were done by the Bee Gees. Like most other girls growing up in the 70’s, I had photos of the brothers Gibb on my bedroom wall. Next to that was my poster for “Saturday Night Fever” & right next to that one was my poster for “Sesame Street Fever”. The resemblance between John Travolta & Grover Monster is uncanny. I had the soundtrack for this movie well before I was allowed to actually see it. I was only 2 when it came out. Years later, I finally saw this cinematic masterpiece (feel free to disagree if you want) & it’s been one of my personal favorites ever since. The music was great. The characters were great. The story was great. From the opening scene w/ John Travolta’s boots walking down the street to “Stayin’ Alive” to the dance practice with “More Than a Woman” to the end with “How Deep Is Your Love” - I love it all! Not only that but this soundtrack is still one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time going certified platinum 15 times!

Another movie I enjoy is “Grease”. This 50’s era movie chock full of memorable scenes & lines is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Sandy & Danny (Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta) have a star-crossed lover story until the end when Sandy shows up at the Rydell High senior carnival wearing black spandex & smoking cigarettes. I like to assume that they flew off in their car to a house in the suburbs w/ a white picket fence & had 2.5 children. Then someone decided to make “Grease 2” (1982) – oh boy! I know the soundtrack to this movie too. I’m still amazed that this movie didn’t single-handedly kill Michelle Pfeiffer’s movie career. Adrian Zmed? Really? Maybe that’s what sold him to producers of TJ Hooker. The only original cast member to sign on for this awful sequel was “Frenchie”. If you’re in the video store & have a choice between the 2, please be sure to get the original. If you’re only left w/ “Grease 2” – quickly make another selection or leave the video store all together! Both of these movies & soundtracks = GROOVY

Rock & Roll High School (1979) – Soundtrack by the Ramones

Hey! Ho! Let’s Go! I’ve been a fan of these boys from NY as long as I can remember. I was even lucky enough to see them (front row) at a small theatre a few years before they started dying off. I saw R&R HS on one of those Saturday Matinee Million Dollar Movies back in the day. That’s when I first developed my love for the Ramones. Riff Randall (played by PJ Soles) is head of the Ramones fan club & does everything she can to meet her idols. When the local parents/teachers/principals decide to start burning records, the Ramones show up to save the day & blow up Vince Lombardi High. DO NOT mistake this film w/ the 80’s sequel starring Corey Feldman called “Rock & Roll High School Forever”. I also just found out that actor turned director Alex Winter (Bill of “Bill & Ted” or the vampire w/ the mullet from “Lost Boys”) has been hired (by Howard Stern of all people – someone who was “friends” w/ Joey Ramone) to do a remake of the Ramones classic. Since they’re all dead now, I guess they won’t be making any cameo appearances. I have to say I’m shocked & appalled at this latest remake. Frankly I’m sick to death of Hollywood remaking movies 2, 3 times over. It’s old – how ‘bout a fresh, new idea? This movie & soundtrack = LOBOTOMY WORTHY

Flash Gordon (1980) – Soundtrack by Queen

Flash! Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! The film based on the old radio/TV show of the same name seemed like a good idea at the time. Then Queen signed on to do the musical score. What could go wrong? If you’ve ever seen this movie, you know that all 111 minutes were just plain wrong! My father was a HUGE fan of both Flash & Queen, so this is just another in a long line of sci-fi movies I was forced to watch. I’m sad this movie was never watched on the “Satellite of Love” that was MST3K as there are so many campy bits/bad dialogue/bad acting/bad effects - it’s right up their alley. Anyway, I don’t really think any of the actors in this film did anything else – with the exceptions of Timothy Dalton (bad James Bond) & Richard O’Brien (Riff Raff/Rocky Horror mastermind). This movie was a box office dud, but has acquired a cult status over the years. I think they left the end open for a sequel, but when they realized what a suck-fest it really was, that idea got shot down right quick. The only thing good about this movie was the soundtrack. However, as a Queen fan, it’s not necessarily their best work. They did go on to redeem themselves in a soundtrack by letting Mike Myers & Dana Carvey use the classic “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the first “Wayne’s World” movie. Movie = ONLY GOOD IF YOU’RE SERIOUSLY INEBRIATED Soundtrack = OPERATIC

Pulp Fiction (1994) – Soundtrack by Various Artists

This is one of the only soundtracks that I actually went out & bought after watching the movie. “Pulp Fiction” is one of my favorite movies of all time. The soundtrack in this was just brilliant. Al Green, Dusty Springfield, Dick Dale, Chuck Berry… come on – all legends! Just like in “Reservoir Dogs” where the music was used in key parts, I can’t hear songs from this movie without thinking about the scene the song was used in. I heard that The Knack were originally approached to use “My Sharona” during the uber disturbing Gimp scene. However, “Reality Bites” came out the same year & they instead used the song for the Winona Ryder/Jeaneanne Garafolo dance scene in the quickie mart. I think I have a better memory attached to the use of it in “Reality Bites” than I would have if they really did use it for “Pulp Fiction”. Both the movie & soundtrack = BAD ASS

Trainspotting (1996) – Soundtrack by Various Artists

This movie opens w/ what I consider the 2nd best scene ever – next to the opening previously mentioned in “Saturday Night Fever”. Your ears are immediately assaulted w/ Iggy Pop’s “Lust 4 Life” & your eyes are assaulted w/ Ewan Mc Gregor running down the street. Then there’s that whole toilet thing…eww! This scared me away from public restrooms for a while. And it REALLY scared me away from ever thinking about using heroin! This movie (like “Requiem for a Dream”) should be used as a tool in drug awareness classes about what will happen to you if you ever dabble w/ the hardcore stuff. I don’t ever wanna be high enough that I’m seeing dead babies crawling across the ceiling! Both the movie & soundtrack = AN ASSAULT ON THE SENSES

Detroit Rock City (1999) – Soundtrack obviously by Kiss & some other various artists

You wanted the best? You GOT the best! The hottest band in the world…KISS!!! I vividly remember my 1st time seeing KISS. It was the video for “Shout It Out Loud”. I was very young - the MTV was new & still showing music videos. There they were – in all their makeup, leather & bloody glory. I was hooked ever since. Being a KISS fan isn’t always easy. I’ve put up w/ my fair share of taunts & other people who just don’t understand. I know they don’t write the best songs, I know that they’re just about making a buck, I know all that, but I still love them. When “Detroit” was released in the movie theaters, a girlfriend of mine in the KISS Army & I went to see it opening week. When we sat down, we were 2 outta maybe 5 people total in the theater. I should’ve known it was gonna be downhill from there. The movie was slightly entertaining. Boys obsessed w/ KISS (even have their own cover band) but have parents who wanna burn records (much like “R&R HS”) do whatever they can to go to the show to see their idols & fight “the man” in the process. I didn’t feel totally robbed only because I loved the music. Watching Edward Furlong strip in the bar to “Strutter” was pretty funny too. Lots of cliché stuff like love interests named “Beth” & “Christine”. There were cameos by Ron Jeremy, Shannon Tweed (Gene Simmons’ main squeeze) & of course the band themselves. If you’re a fan of KISS, or a fan of 70’s era hard rock, you might want to check this movie/soundtrack out. Movie = OK IF YOU’RE A FAN. Soundtrack = GOOD IF YOU LIKE 70’S ROCK(not to be confused w/ Freedom Rock)

I Love You Man (2009) – Soundtrack mostly by Rush & some other artists too

Ok, let me start this off by mentioning how much I absolutely HATE the “rom-com” (aka romantic comedy) genre. I was pretty skeptical about this movie just for that fact. But, I saw some previews/reviews & they seemed positive, so I decided to save it in my Netflix queue. It was alright @ best. There were a few really funny parts. I wish there would’ve been more story between the 2 guys, because I was annoyed by the fiancé chick. But, what REALLY annoyed me about this movie was the serious overuse of the band Rush. I believe they referred to them as “the holy trinity” in the movie. Not only do I hate the rom-com, but I hate Rush about 20 times more. I’d rather have my eyeballs propped open w/ toothpicks & forced to watch “Beaches”, “Love Story”, “Terms of Endearment” & “The Notebook” back to back rather than be subjected to those Canadians w/ their floppy little heads & beady little eyes! Here’s what I find about hardcore Rush fans…they suck! They will proclaim that Rush is “the best band ever” & anything else simply isn’t music. Now, I got a problem w/ that. I’m a huge music fan & I have very diverse tastes. I’ll listen to just about anything (exceptions being country & crap rap – old school is another story) But, if you’re hardcore into Rush, that’s all you’re willing to accept/listen to. So not only was I forced to hear all these awful Rush songs, but then they were stuck in my head for the next 2 days! AAAAAHHHHH! I was almost inspired by a scene from another movie “Pi”. I really wanted to take a drill to my skull just to get the awfulness to stop. Movie = OK. Soundtrack = ONLY GOOD IF YOU LIKE CANADIAN MUSIC

NOT SO FUNNY

Black comedy or dark humor are terms used to describe movies that are violent yet funny at the same time. I’m a fan of some of these movies. “Trainspotting”, “Pulp Fiction”, “Fargo”, “Heathers”, “American Beauty”, “Secretary” & “Die Mommie Die!” are just a few good examples of this genre done right.

However, they don’t always turn out as promised. Below are some examples of movies that I went into thinking they were gonna be funny, but really were NOT. I felt completely ripped off. Nothing worse than sitting down for a relaxing evening, popping the DVD in – thinking you’re gonna laugh & you don’t! Movies like this make me want my money back!

HAPPINESS (1998)– Sometimes you can judge a movie by the cover. “Happiness” is NOT one of those movies. I saw & enjoyed “Welcome to the Dollhouse”. I thought this would be right up my alley. I really enjoy Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I think he’s a fantastic actor. I rented this one night interested to see these various stories of suburbia played out. This is one of those movies that you only need to see once. I guess the movie as a whole was alright, but sometimes I just don’t like to see certain things in movies. Pedophilia & rape are 2 of those things. This movie has all that & more! Don’t rent this thinking you’re gonna LOL a lot & aren’t easily offended. This movie is bleak & unforgiving. I really think it should’ve been classified as a drama.

IGBY GOES DOWN (2002)– Jeff Goldblum was really good in this movie about a really dysfunctional family. He’s been good in other movies too (Jurassic Park & The Fly). But he played Igby’s drug using, bed-hopping, abusive godfather role to the max! This movie is about a boy (Igby – played by Kieran Culkin) who’s very unpopular. Not just at school, but at home as well. His mother sends him off to military school where he’s beaten w/ broomsticks. Not really my kind of humor! This was compared to “Catcher in the Rye”. I think people are too quick to use that to compare teen angst. This movie was ok, yes. However, like other movies mentioned in this rant, it’s not really a ha-ha comedy. Can we call these “Dromedies” maybe?

BAD SANTA (2003)– Billy Bob Thornton has been able to do 2 great things since coming to Hollywood…”Sling Blade” & Angelina Jolie. That’s it. I know others disagree w/ me on this pick, but I really didn’t find anything funny about an alcoholic who dresses up as a jolly old elf. Billy Bob is a thief, blah blah blah…I got about ½ hr into this & shut it off because I just didn’t care about any of the characters or anything else that was going on around them. Feel free to watch at your own risk. Personally, if I want a funny movie about a grown man in an elf suit, it’ll be Will Ferrell in “Elf”.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006) – The previews showed this as a fun-filled family road trip to take Abigail Breslin to a beauty pageant. “Vacation” was a fun-filled family road trip…LMS is certainly not! Steve Carrell is funny as hell. He just got done “40 Year Old Virgin” (which I previously identified as a “gut buster”). I thought for sure this movie would be funny. Boy was I wrong! There were a few parts that made me chuckle – like the whole scene with the van rolling along & everyone trying to jump inside. Other than that, it wasn’t very funny. Everyone had their own issues. Let’s put ‘em all together in a VW bus to travel cross-country & hilarity will ensue! No, I don’t think so. The characters put in good performances, but this is just another drama marketed as a comedy because a funny guy was in it. I think they did the same thing w/ Adam Sandler in “Punch Drunk Love”. There’s another movie that wasn’t very funny.

CHOKE (2008) – Yet another dysfunctional family unit! I don’t even know where to start on this one. I guess because I loved “Fight Club” & expected the same thing out of this movie. I didn’t get that – at all. Here’s another movie where they show the 3 funny parts in the commercial/trailer & you’re duped into thinking this is a comedy. Nope, sorry, didn’t do it for me. My hubby & I sat down for a Saturday movie night thinking we were gonna see something funny. The first 5 minutes were so promising! It went downhill from there. It follows the story of Victor, a sex addict/con man son of Anjelica Huston who has lots of her own issues (how Victor got his I guess) & is now suffering from dementia. I had a grandfather w/ Alzheimer’s. This really touched a nerve & I wasn’t enjoying it one bit. Anyone who’s gone through that w/ a loved one knows what it’s like to see someone slip away from reality. It’s not pleasant or funny. Maybe it put me in Victor’s shoes too much & hit too close to home for me. But, even so, I watched the whole thing expecting it to get better and/or funnier. It didn’t. If you enjoyed “Fight Club” & want to watch something similar, watch “Fight Club” again. Just be sure you don’t tell anyone about it.

SUNSHINE CLEANING(2008) – Dysfunctional families seem to have a common theme in these dark “comedies”. Here’s another movie (like “Choke”) where they showed the funny bits in the commercial/trailer. I really thought they could do a lot w/ the subject – 2 sisters go into the crime scene clean-up business. That really could’ve been funny – but it wasn’t! Really, I should've known better as this movie was done by the same folks who did "Little Miss Sunshine"! Amy Adams played 1 of the sisters – supposedly the “normal” one. However, she’s got a kid by a guy that she’s been having an affair w/ since high school, her sister’s an even bigger loser & their dad is always making promises he can’t keep. I thought I would like this movie, but by the end (which had me crying) – I was so mad that I’d been suckered again!!! I don’t ever think I will trust another movie w/ “Sunshine” in the title again!

Next time you’re going to choose a movie, choose w/ great caution. Otherwise, you’re gonna put that DVD in & be seriously disappointed. Good luck!