soundtrack 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 bet you never thought in a million years that you would see the words Scenes We Love and Basic Instinct in the same headline, did you? But here we are, so before you swear off this feature for ever more, keep in mind that this particular edition of Scenes We Love is going to be for the music (because, frankly, if we're talking about quality filmmaking we need to look elsewhere). Basic Instinct is a guilty pleasure of mine and there is plenty of cheese to choose from. You've got the laughable sex, ridiculous plot and dialog, and really, when did you ever think you would see Michael Douglas try and get down ... in a V-neck no less?

Now for most audiences, we were supposed to be titillated and shocked by the sight of Sharon Stone getting it on with Roxy (played by Leilani Sarelle), and even though it was pretty risqué at the time, it's almost quaint if you think about it now. But I wasn't that shocked or titillated by what I was watching, so I was left listening to that kick-ass song: Blue, by Latour.

I've been known to have a bit of an obsessive personality when it comes to tracking down a song used in a movie, and music is a big part of my life ... really, I can't help myself. So, for a long time, Blue was my 'White Whale', and even Napster (remember, this was the 90's) couldn't help me out. That is until one night in a Quebec City nightclub when I'd had a few too many cocktails and that tune began to pump out of the sound system. So I ran (OK...stumbled) to the DJ booth, and begged him to tell me what he was playing, and he handed me a mix tape. So thanks to that kindly Francophone, this track has been in my nostalgia play list ever since.

After the jump: Girl-on-girl action, 90's style...

The best movie scores don't just add extra depth to a movie, but they take on lives on their own; they sneak into your subconscious so that the next time you hear Nino Rota you feel like downing some espressos and dancing in the Trevi Fountain.

Post-punk/death rocker turned mustachioed Southern Gothic philosopher Nick Cave and his fellow Bad Seed bandmate Warren Ellis* have become standout film composers in the past few years, beginning with their collaboration on The Proposition, a Western from the land Down Under directed by The Road's John Hillcoat and written by Nick Cave. They also created the soundscape for the sadly underseen and somewhat overlong The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Their most recent collaboration on the score for The Road is worthy of an Oscar nomination -- subtle, appropriately dark but not overbearing, and elegant.

However, the two have also written scores for other, lesser-known movies like the documentary The Girls of Phnom Penh, about young Cambodian sex workers, and The English Surgeon, a doc about a brain doc who regularly travels to the Ukraine to perform surgery on the poor, sick, and often desperate.

White Lunar is an upcoming 2-disc compilation of these scores, along with a few extra bits from the vaults:

Some things just go together like peanut butter and jelly, right? Well how about Radiohead front-man Thom Yorke and the vampire romance, New Moon? According to an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Moon's director Chris Weitz spilled details about his plans for the music, and while Weitz will be working again with his Golden Compass composer Alexandre Desplat on the score, rumors have started to pop up about what's in store for the soundtrack. A few weeks back there was talk that Coldplay and Kelly Clarkson would be contributing to the official soundtrack, but music snobs out there might want to hold on to their hat because Weitz now tells RT the following: "I am surprised at some of the bands that have said they're interested. It's kind of great. The criterion will still always be what's right for the movie at that given moment, but Thom Yorke is interested; we might, if we're very lucky, get Kings of Leon to do something... "

Now you might remember that Yorke provided the track for Radiohead's 15 Step to play over Twilight's closing credits, but I wonder if Yorke does sign on, will he be creating something original, or just hand over the rights to another one of his songs? We will have to wait and see, because neither Leon or Yorke have confirmed their involvement with the soundtrack, and like so much of the news surrounding New Moon, the rumors are running wild. But Yorke's spokesperson tells MTV that they were, "not denying [the story], but there's nothing confirmed as yet" and Kings of Leon's spokesperson told MTV "They like the film a lot, but it's a little too early to tell if they can be involved."

After the jump: does Twilight have some unlikely fans?

They claim that Seppuku Paradigm did the score for the harsh-as-hell horror flick, Martyrs (now on DVD -- beware the Blockbuster cut!), but I don't remember hearing any music... just Scott Weinberg screaming and squealing and squirming about when we saw it at Fantastic Fest last year. It was pretty much like watching The Love Guru with him all over again.

Well, those handy-dandy fellas over at Twitch say that the film's composers, Alex and Willie Cortés, have made their score for the film freely available online. In fact, their only other score -- for the unseen-by-me sci-fi mystery Eden Log -- has ALSO been made available to all. It's a veritable festivus for soundtrack junkies!

And why? Hell if I can tell, though tempted as one may be to throw around the phrase 'economic generosity' these days, I won't. Maybe these are just two cool guys who made two cool scores that they'd rather have people to listen to than pay for. It's a downright hippie stance, if you ask me, but we'll let it slide this time -- but only because, y'know, it has something to do with movies.

Well before Watchmen even went into production, we knew that a killer soundtrack would be involved -- not only because the graphic novel's universe revels in a slightly different form of pop culture, but because Zack Snyder is pretty into the world of cinematic music. Just a year ago, I wrote about Snyder raving about the lounge wonders of Richard Cheese, and wondered if that was a hint for things to come. It was merely wishful thinking, but I'm very happy to report that even without some campy lounge, this is going to be one hell of a soundtrack.

Three days before the film hits theaters, Sci Fi Wire reports that Warner Bros. will release two discs -- the soundtrack and the original score. Considering the huge number of people that will see this film, I can only hope that this inspires a new wave of retro apprectiation (sort of like Wayne's World and "Bohemian Rhapsody"). There's the hauntingly melodic "The Sound of Silence," some iconic Nat King Cole with "Unforgettable," "Pirate Jenny," which will grace the end credits of Tales From the Black Freighter, and my personal favorite -- the wonderfully haunting and pretty much perfect "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen.

But that's not all -- aside from these tunes, fans can pick up Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic on Blu-ray, and also watch out for a special Watchmen Music Collectors Edition later in the month which will go retro with picture discs. If you're a fan of this whole production, I suggest you start saving your pennies now. I think a lot of promotional trinkets will be headed our way.

Hit the jump to see the song lists for both the soundtrack and score.

There is nothing new about the debate over rampant commercialism and Sex and the City. So, I'm not even going to go into whether empowerment can be achieved through shopping. But, Fergie's new theme song for the big-screen SATC has hit the web, and she has no qualms about making an ode to designer labels. Titled Labels or Love, the track sounds like a My Humps redux, and frankly, it's pretty awful. For starters, throughout most of the song I had a hard time understanding what she was even saying. But when you can make out the lyrics, they include such philosophical statements as: "Love is a like a runway," "Stop chasing those boys and shop some more," and "No emotional baggage, just replace it with Dior."

Fans of the show have been awaiting the feature film version with bated breath since the news first hit, and the fever pitch has only risen now that Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker have been letting the spoilers fly. Unfortunately, SATC was never really my thing, so I only have a passing curiosity to see how they translate Carrie and the gang on the screen. One thing is for sure, if this theme song is an indication of the music for the movie, I definitely won't be buying the soundtrack.

Take a listen and tell me what you think: Did Fergie improve upon the original? Or is this track best reserved for the closing credits?

After the girls, James Bond theme songs are probably one of the hallmarks of the franchise. Yahoo! music is reporting that the Finnish metal band, H.I.M are the front runners to record the theme for Bond 22. According to Yahoo's report, Bond composers David Arnold and Don Black "were allegedly impressed by the band's track 'Wings Of A Butterfly.'" Yahoo! reports that sources told The Daily Star, "David Arnold and Don Black were in deep conversation with [frontman] Ville on the night. They love the song that won him an award. They think he has just the right ear to write a classic Bond hit with them." H.I.M was formed in 1992 and has released six-full length albums, one of which earned them the distinction of being the first Finnish band to go gold in the US.

It might just be me, but what is with the 'hard rock' themes? I was a big fan of Casino Royale; unfortunately, Chris Cornell's contribution to the soundtrack wasn't exactly my idea of a quality Bond theme. Although to be fair, it did snag an award for "Best Original Song Written Directly For A Film". So while I fully get that they are trying to go in for a more "macho" theme for the new Bond, I'm just not convinced that metal power ballads are the way to go. As Bond fans are well aware, Bond 22 is still in production and updates have been few and far between. Although, there is still the off chance of a delay since script-polisher Paul Haggis hinted to Empire magazine that there were some serious re-writes on the way (fingers crossed that they have axed some of the more comical material). Since this is all just speculation, stay tuned for Bond updates as they come our way.

For Simpsons fans, the Danny Elfman theme song is probably considered sacred, but it looks like there could be some changes planned for the big-screen release. TV Squad reports that pop-punk trio Green Day will be making an appearance in The Simpsons Movie and that they will also be doing their very own version of the theme song -- hey, it worked for Sonic Youth.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the band will be appearing in the film as themselves and "crazy things happen" but obviously the details are being kept under wraps. Green Day's theme will also be released as a single on July 24th, three days before the film's release for a little extra buzz for the movie. Fox Music president Robert Kraft is planning on a three-part approach for the release of the soundtrack, which includes the single, making the soundtrack available for download and the more traditional CD (your choice of a regular jewel case or a limited edition pink donut.) TV Squad could not say if Green Day's version would be replacing Elfman's, but it might be the next major musical change Fox has planned for the film -- series composer Alf Clausen was the first casualty when he was ditched in favor of Oscar winner Hans Zimmer for the score. Or it could just be one in a series of celebrity cameos, you never know. We'll just have to wait until July 27th, when The Simpsons Movie hits theaters to find out.