prince Tagged Articles at Cinematical

You all remember the romantic rite of passage known as the mix-tape, right? Where you would try and convey how deep, charming, profound, and downright cool you were by compiling a group of songs for your intended? In the world of movies, filmmakers use songs all the time to create a mood, explain an emotional 'state of mind', or even to fill in what they don't have time to explain. As it turns out, so do we, and that's where the art of the mix-tape comes in. But this isn't just about music, and Cinematical is a film site after all, so I thought it would be fun to put together a little mix tape of songs I've come to love thanks to hearing them in the movies.

Now before we start, I should warn you that my mix tape isn't just a collection of run-of-the-mill love songs, because as I keep telling everyone, I'm not a run-of-the-mill girl. Instead, I've put together a 'celluloid compilation', that if given to me would guarantee that I fell head over heels into film geek love.

After the jump; some movie songs that would woo me right off of my feet (in no particular order)...

I'll admit that when it comes to Batman, I'm a bit of a novice (I'll just take a moment to let you finish yelling at your monitor). Granted, I've been taking steps to remedy that situation over the past couple of years, but I'm still a long way from an expert. The reason I mention this is because I'm not steeped in Batman lore and I never really found The Joker to be all that scary. But because of Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger, I now understand what was so creepy about that clown thanks to the interrogation scene in The Dark Knight.

It's one thing to hear someone say they have nothing to lose, but it's a hell of a lot more frightening to watch that philosophy in action. What makes this scene so memorable is that in under five minutes the Joker sums up everything about the Batman/Joker relationship that makes it one of the most fascinating in comic book history -- it's an interesting idea that the person who is supposed to save you might not be able to because of his moral code. Batman's adherence to the law is his Achilles' heel, and no matter how many times I have seen this movie, I can't help but crack a smile at Ledger's gleeful maniac turning the knife on our Caped Crusader with "You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength." And the scary thing is ... he's right.

After the jump: "I'm not a monster, I'm just ahead of the curve..."

Ever since I found this story earlier today, I've been singing Purple Rain to myself all morning. And this is one of those songs I don't have memorized, so if you were near me you'd hear something like this: [To Purple Rain tune] "Don't tell me ... you could ever see me again -- Purple Rain ... Purrrple Rain." C'mon, like I'm the only person out there who fudges the words to songs. Guaranteed you will start humming this tune now, it's that addictive. Just don't blame me. Anyway, Vanity Fair magazine decided to list the 50 greatest movie soundtracks of all time, and at the top sits Purple Rain -- which consists of such memorable Prince tunes like Let's Go Crazy, When Doves Cry and I Would Die 4 U, among others. Personally, I think the soundtrack is great (even if the movie was kind of terrible), but I'm not crazy about giving the top spot to a soundtrack that featured one artist. Or perhaps that's more of a reason to reward it? Here's Vanity Fair's reasoning behind the choice: "[The] Purple Rain soundtrack was a flawless combination of funk, R&B, pop, metal, and even psychedelia into a sound that defined the '80s."

Be that as it may, but should Prince beat out, say, The Beatles? Yes, coming in at number two on their list is A Hard Day's Night, followed by an interesting choice in The Harder They Come. The rest of the top ten is as follows: Pulp Fiction, The Graduate, Superfly, Trainspotting, Saturday Night Fever, American Graffiti and The Big Chill. All very good soundtracks, although I may have pushed Pulp Fiction higher up on the list ... but I'm just a sucker for the music from that film. Unfortunately, Zach Braff's Garden State soundtrack did not reach the top 10. Sorry kids. And what's The Big Chill doing all the way at number 10? I mean, c'mon -- that soundtrack ruled (and as he says that, he opens up iTunes in a separate window). What do you think? Did they get the top 10 right? Would you have shifted things around. And please tell me which songs are now stuck in your head after reading this ...

I don't know how this news slipped past us for so long, but there's a Rick James documentary in the works called, that's right, I'm Rick James. (Reading the article about it, I was stunned to see that James died in 2004. Where the hell have I been?) According to UrbanMecca.com, the movie is being made by HiddenDoor Documedia, and will feature tell-all interviews with celebs like Janice Dickinson, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and Dave Chappelle, who was once planning to star in a James biopic. Based on the bits and pieces that HiddenDoor are leaking, there's a lot of dirt in some of those interviews, and "some celebrities may be warned to prepare their alibis now." ("Oh crap. Where was I during the entire 1980s? What did I tell my wife?") Included in the fairly hilarious list of those who allegedly partied with James -- at Studio 54 and elsewhere -- during his heyday are Tatum O'Neal, Linda Blair, Prince, Mick Jagger, Eddie Murphy and, of all people, Elisabeth Shue, who must have been about 17 at the time.

While producer Perry Santos claims that the movie will be a portrait of an era, the reality of the situation is that the studio is doing its damnedest to sell it as a good, old-fashion sex, drugs and "funk'n'roll" (as James himself once put it) story. Which, honestly, is probably the best way to put butts in the seats -- if the movie ever gets distribution, that is.