the harder they come Tagged Articles at Cinematical

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 ...

• Henry Alper (c.1917-2006) - Talent agent and manager who worked with Jerry Lewis, Maureen O'Hara, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Gogi Grant and composers John Williams, Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith and Henry Mancini. He died of cancer November 22, in Cathedral City, California.
• Seth Arnett (c.1969-2006) - Stunt man who worked on The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, The Rocketeer, Ladder 51, Deep Impact and Basic Instinct. He also appeared as an actor in Alive. He died November 25, in Westlake Village, California.
• George Brenholtz (c.1930-2006) - Former executive film producer for the U.S. Naval Media Center. His work includes a documentary on the Challenger disaster called The Salvage of the Challenger, a widely viewed training film called Trial By Fire: A Carrier Fights for Life and a monthly film series on the life of President Johnson, which are now archived at the Johnson Library in Austin. He died from injuries sustained after a car accident November 20, in Virginia.
• Phyllis Cerf (1911 or 1916-2006) - Writer, actress and socialite who appeared in Winds of the Wasteland. She died of complications from a fall November 24, in New York.
• Jan Hartman (c.1940-2006) - Playwright and screenwriter, mostly for television, who co-wrote the story for Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor. He died November 9, in Wareside, Hertfordshire, England.
• Beverly Hecht (c.1925-2006) - Hollywood agent, and cousin of screenwriter Ben Hecht, who represented Sammy Davis, Jr., Janet Leigh, Cicely Tyson, Drew Barrymore, Brad Garrett and Debra Winger. She died of cardiac arrest November 19, in Los Angeles.