Jason Toney

The Soundtracks To Your Lives

"I know your image of me is what I hope to be." - Donny Hathaway, A Song For You

I asked a question yesterday:

The reason for the inquiry is that I have spent much of the last week or so listening to Hans Zimmer composing solo on the Inception soundtrack and with James Newton Howard on The Dark Knight score. I was reminded again Saturday night whilst watching the Kill Bill movies how powerful strong music for a film can be. It can be an emotional or mental trigger setting the right mood or tone for a moment long after the relevant scene or dialogue has been at the top of mind.

I've long had a go-to soundtrack list of my own:

• Jackie Brown
• Ocean's 11
• Dead Presidents
• Clockers
• Love Jones
• Love and Basketball
• Brown Sugar
• Kill Bill Vol. 1

But I wanted to know which film scores inspired you. I got a lot of responses. The first was one from Melle who reminded me that she had asked a similar question two years ago. After some light prodding from a friend on twitter, I decided to compile a comprehensive list of the responses from yesterday and two years ago.

So, without further ado, your favorite soundtracks are:

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. A Clockwork Orange (2)
3. A Hard Day's Night
4. About Last Night
5. Above The Rim
6. Across the Universe (2)
7. Almost Famous (3)
8. Amadeus
9. An Education
10. Any Given Sunday
11. Basquiat
12. Batman
13. Blaxploitation flicks
14. Boogie Nights
15. Bram Stoker's Dracula
16. Broken Flowers
17. Car Wash
18. Cashback
19. Crooklyn
20. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
21. Dances with Wolves
22. Dazed and Confused (3)
23. Dead Man
24. Dead Presidents (2)
25. Dirty Dancing (2)
26. DIVA
27. Dogs in Space
28. Eve's Bayou
29. Footloose
30. Forrest Gump (4)
31. Garden State
32. Glory Daze
33. Good Morning, Vietnam
34. Grosse Pointe Blank
35. Hackers
36. Hair
37. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2)
38. High Fidelity (2)
39. Honey
40. I Am Sam
41. Inception
42. I'm Not There
43. In Bruges
44. In the Mood For Love
45. Into the Wild
46. Italian Music: 31 Invalid Movie Themes
47. John Williams
48. Judgment Night
49. Juno
50. Kill Bill, vol. 1
51. Kill Bill, vol. 2
52. Kinky Boots
53. Koyaanisqatsi
54. Last American Virgin
55. Last of the Mohicans
56. Little Miss Sunshine
57. Lonestar
58. Lost in Translation
59. Mishima
60. Motorcycle Diaries
61. Moulin Rouge
62. Mulholland Drive
63. O Brother, Where Art Thou
64. Once (2)
65. Out of Africa
66. Outside Providence
67. Pan's Labyrinth
68. Parade
69. Passion
70. Philip Glass
71. Pretty in Pink
72. Pump Up the Volume (2)
73. Purple Rain
74. Repo Man
75. Requiem for a Dream
76. Roots
77. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
78. Saturday Night Fever
79. Shopgirl
80. Singles (2)
81. Solaris
82. Some Kind of Wonderful
83. Soul Food
84. Star Wars: A New Hope
85. Super Fly (2)
86. The Big Lebowski
87. The Breakfast Club
88. The Crow
89. The Dark Knight
90. The Empire Strikes Back
91. The Fountain
92. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
93. The Graduate
94. The Hours
95. The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love
96. The Jewish Americans
97. The Lord of the Rings
98. The Matrix
99. The Mission
100. The Pirates of the Caribbean
101. The Proposition
102. The Royal Tenenbaums
103. The Saint
104. The Shawshank Redemption
105. The Social Network
106. The Virgin Suicides
107. The Wiz
108. Top Gun
109. Trainspotting (2)
110. Transformers (animated motion picture)
111. Trouble Man
112. Virtuosity
113. Waiting to Exhale
114. Wes Anderson movies
115. Wicker Park
116. Wings of Desire

Those in italics represent soundtracks I own or have owned, in whole or in part. Those in bold represent the ones I've decided to check out first. The real motive behind my question, you see, was an interest in growing my instrumental score library. I spent much of October listening to Danny Elfman and that sparked this early November interest in Mr. Zimmer and now, I just want good orchestral sounds of which I'm familiar to fill my ears.

So, the ones in bold are the ones I'm considering. They represent movies I've seen that I have fond memories of and that have distinctive soundscapes. Last night I got to sampling and buying.

First up was Kill Bill vol. 2. An easy choice to be sure and mostly meets the criteria. While there are some vocal tracks, the bulk of this album are tracks from Italian movie composers (highlighted, of course, by Ennio Morricone). Next was Once. Not instrumental at all but it's a travesty that I didn't already have this in my iTunes considering how much I enjoyed their show at the Hollywood Bowl this past Summer. And, finally, I completed my Nolan/Zimmer collection with Batman Begins.

I also picked up tracks I missed/was missing from The Dead Presidents soundtrack, Above The Rim, and that one Teenage Fan Club/De La Soul mashup I liked from Judgment Night.

I thought about finally getting the Star Wars soundtracks digitally but, at least last night, the music all felt a little too familiar. I love John Williams but Star Wars doesn't get much chance to get out of sight, out of mind and it just served to remind me that I should get back to playing Lego Star Wars again.

I also really wanted to finally own the Almost Famous soundtrack but it isn't available digitally. It's a good excuse to visit Amoeba, though. Once I tire of Hans and the gang, though, I think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Pan's Labyrinth are next on my hit list.

What say you?

The Nightmare in 4D

"A pox? How delightful a pox." - Danny Elfman, Town Meeting Song

Per usual, my Halloween is consumed with Nightmare. I've spent two Saturdays this month singing the songs all around the Park; I bought Nightmare Vinylmations of my favorite characters; we've got a little Oogie Boogie hidden in the music category. And, finally, last night we saw The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D at the El Cap.

Really, though, it's a 4D experience with an assault to the senses. Ghosts fill the theatre. "Fire" bursts from the balconies. Spotlights track Jack. Fog envelops the audience. The chilly wind of Christmastown blows through the seats. The smell of gingerbread and pie arrives on cue. And, of course, there's snow.

Maybe all movie experiences should be like this. We got similar experiences this past Sunday with Captain EO and the Tron Legacy Sneak Peek at elecTRONica. If you're looking for real immersion, the glasses can help but when the environment truly comes to life, well, you get applause and smiles and a century old medium that can still inspire awe.

Next time, though, we're going to get there in time to enjoy a few cocktails at The Library Bar. There we can visit spirits of a different kind.

Oh, and if you happen to kidnap Mr. Sandy Claws, would you please ask him about my gift request? I needs it.

Two Notes on The Social Network

"I cashed my check. I'm ready to go." - Janet Jackson, Escapade

First, the applause. At the end of the film during the updates about the people featured, the crowd clapped in appreciation. I was surprised because, to me, this isn't portrayed as a story of triumph but Steve Woolf tumbled something that makes sense to me:

Many older people will watch the movie, which was No. 1 at the box office last weekend, and see a cautionary tale about a callous young man who betrays friends, partners and principles as he hacks his way to lucre and fame. But many in the generation who grew up in a world that Mr. Zuckerberg helped invent will applaud someone who saw his chance and seized it with both hands, mostly by placing them on the keyboard and coding something that no one else had.

I'm not sure if it's generational but I do think that the crowd gets something about Zuckerberg and Parker in spite of the movie not because of it—they simply refuse to work and play by your rules.

This leads me to my second note, how geeks work. The movie crackles with energy but, for me, the most exciting scenes were the moments that showcased how work came together. That scene early on when Eisenberg's Zuck puts together facesmash by hacking house websites; how he hires his Summer interns (clue: it involves a drinking game and an audience); our first glimpses of Facebook's open space offices.

If there's anything that's real in this dramatization about privilege and access and friendship and business, it's this—we work differently today. We're not really interested in doing things the way previous generations have done it.

I was reminded of how infectious and exciting the idea of working differently is when I got home from the movie and saw a tweet about facebook's analog lab*

Digital Natives aren't just different in the digital realm. They're breaking your analog conventions, too.

*I love #newtwitter, don't you?

Even Super Girls Don't Sell

"I made mistakes back then. I'll never do it again." - The Black Keys, Next Girl

What stuck with me last night was Director Lauren Montgomery's candor. Here she is, the director of many an animated film, sitting next to Andrea Romano, the top voice director in the business, who is sitting next to the voices of Wonder Woman and Artemis, and she's explaining why a collection of stories that in print are titled Superman/Batman: Supergirl, had to have a title change:

Since Wonder Woman didn't sell well, we were told we couldn't use Supergirl in the title. We even had to fight to have her on the cover...It's her skanky version.

Ugh. Ultimately, Superman/Batman: Apocalype is about women kicking ass. It's a retelling of the Supergirl origin featuring long periods with Wonder Woman and the Amazons on Paradise Island and battling The Furies on Apokolips. It has epic fight scenes where Supergirl (voiced by Summer Glau) takes it to one of the most powerful beings in the universe, Darkseid (voiced by Andre Braugher). It introduces/reintroduces fantastic female characters like Big Barda and Granny Goodness and, yet, she can't get proper credit?

Come on.

Look, I realize this is a trend in the industry and there's this belief that boys (apparently of all ages) won't go see movies about girls and I want these kinds of things to sell because I love animation and comic books and smart animated comic book movies but at some point, we have to get over ourselves. At some point, we have to call out people for being, if not sexist, then, at least, stupid.

I might quibble with some of the animation in this one--the late Michael Turner's great illustration style doesn't translate as well on screen--but this is fun and entertaining (although not nearly as good as that animated Wonder Woman that no one saw) and that we assume or that it's true that the fandom for this kind of entertainment wouldn't go see it because it had a girl in the title, well, just aargh.

I don't know who to blame for this epic lameness so I will just implore you, true believers, go check out some stuff featuring powerful women and not just because they are in skimpy costumes. And don't be mad if I call this flick by it's rightful title with it's female lead front and center.

Super girls rock.

The Two Zeros: The Best Movies of the Decade

After spending an hour or so with Flickchart, here's what I've come up with. Potentially more detail on some of these choices later.

1. The Dark Knight (2008)
2. Almost Famous (2000)
3. Training Day (2001)
4. Children of Men (2007)
5. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
6. The Prestige (2006)
7. Spirited Away (2001)
8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
9. Memento (2001)
10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
11. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
12. Wall-E (2008)
13. Up (2009)
14. Inside Man (2006)
15. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
16. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
17. Best in Show (2001)
18. Signs (2002)
19. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
20. Sin City (2005)

Other movies of note for their pure repeatability or memorableness (regardless of quality): The Bourne Identity, Ocean's Eleven, The Matrix Reloaded, The Departed, Minority Report, Amelie, Little Miss Sunshine, Star Trek, Brick, Pitch Black, 25th Hour, Kung Fu Hustle, and 28 Days Later.

My least favorite movie of the decade that everybody seemed to love? Wedding Crashers followed closely by Meet the Parents and Borat.

Conspicuous Consumption: One-Sentence Reviews

"Where you gonna hide?" - Talib Kweli, Where You Gonna Run (featuring Jean Grae)

Game Theory - It doesn't fit my current mood.

Little Miss Sunshine - Easily my favorite movie of the year.

Ultimate Avengers 2 - Anything with The Black Panther is the awesome.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Surprisingly fun even if Val Kilmer creeps me out constantly now.

Exodus into Unheard Rhythms - Quite possibly the best hip-hop album of the year not by Madlib or J Dilla

Right About Now - It's no Reflection Eternal but it's funky.

Return to Cookie Mountain - Afro-Hipsters Unite for this album!!

Alias Vol. 1, 2 and 3 - Anything with Lucas Cage is the awesome.

Batman: Under The Hood, Vol. 1 - I really like Judd Winick's comic writing and this really worked for me.

Get Lonely - The Mountain Goats got my attention at Revenge of The Book Eaters and keep it with this album.

Day of Vengeance - More Winick but this time I can't get with it because I tend to not like the mystical super books.

Food & Liquor - Ahhhh, fuck me, I hate the cover but really like the album.

Reina - Kinky still can't do a great studio album but this is 40 minutes of fun.

The Dutchess - the worst thing I have listened to this year.

The Very Best of Aretha Franklin: The 60s, The 70s - Hat Tip to Soul Sides for getting me on a big Queen of Soul kick this month.

The Science of Sleep - Michel Gondry really needs Charlie Kaufman to help form his stories as this is no Eternal Sunshine but it's fun and amusing and led directly into the weirdest night of my September.

V for Vendetta

"You're burning both sides of the rope and just pulling." - The Roots, Water

V for Vendetta's futuristic England is an all caucasian country. Apparently the neo-conservatism masquerading as fascism in the film involved the complete white-washing of what is currently a pretty diverse community. Dark skin is no where to be found. It's odd for me that the Wachowski Brothers would make that choice (or allow that choice to be made by the director). One of the reasons I connect and enjoy the Matrix trilogy so much is that it's a world of many hues with the heroes, to a person, reflecting that multicultural aesthetic. I know that Alan Moore's source material serves to guide this choice but if they're going to gloss over the big picture concept of fascism vs. anarchism -- the two extremes that are the base of everything within the comic books -- and essentially bring it down to a question of neo-conservatism vs. revolutionary action, then maybe we could have had some brown people on the screen. Modern Day England has roots in the Middle East and Africa and those groups are growing. Surely, a near future UK would be even more culturally mixed.

But enough of my race hangups.

Or maybe not. It's interesting when we, as Americans, are confronted with revolutionary images we can sympathize with. After all, our country is built on the overthrow of one government for the creation of our own. Those images don't reconcile well in a post 9-11 America but V is compelling. He's seeking to overthrow a government who lies to its people, who institutes curfew, who seeks to keep order by opression and suppresion and the populace goes along with this very easily. My mind kept going to John Brown. How important were his "terrorist" actions at Harper's Ferry and before in moving the cause of abolition forward? Is he a hero or villain or something in between?

The same can be asked about V who uses violence and destruction to move his cause forward. The film is supposed to be raising the question of whether or not this push towards revolution, which is fueled mostly by vengeance, should be celebrated but doesn't really. Even at the key plot twist, we aren't really left with questions about V's "goodness".

There are some thought provoking elements to the film, however. Afterwards, there was a deep discussion about torture and terror, death penalties and revenge. For that I'll forgive the silly and unnecessary love story elements at the end, the sometimes ridiculous dialogue and the pacing of the flick. It felt longer than it should have and took far long to get to the hook of the story. But, for all its flaws, it's a good film and worth the money.

Just remember 2 things: In the future, the cool guys wear masquerade masks and speak in iambic pentameter and a revolution without dancing is one we don't want.

tags: movies | v for vendetta | john brown | race

The Saturday: How I Do It

"Recognize that this game can be hard." - The Alchemist, Hold You Down

I could listen to KRS-One talk about MCing all day. People debate this all the time and I assume it is generally agreed upon but it needs to be said: KRS is the embodiment of the MC. His voice, his energy, his command of whatever conversation he is a part of whether it's on stage or in the alley or at the kitchen table, his vibe just screams MC. If there's anything to get from The MC: Why We Do It it's that. The hour and twenty minute doc wastes some time, in my opinion, going through the history of hip hop before really delving into the nuances of it all. The debates between artists, through interview, about the difference between MCing and rapping are intriguing; the discussion of the idea of keeping it real and the current trends in hip hop and why they exist are insightful with varied outlooks giving weight to the idea that hip hop has splintered and subgenre-d enough where there might be room for all.

There isn't much in the way of new ground here and, outside of MC Lyte, the female MC is missing even when the discussion turns towards mysoginy. Interesting in that conversation, though, is Too $hort's open struggle with how his rhymes might effect the world. He clearly hasn't made peace with it yet despite his attempts at explaining what he does and who he is. Also of interest? Talib Kweli's frank discussion of what he feels are his shortcomings as an MC, Q-Tip's quiet philosopher in contrast to KRS's all-knowing teacher styles, and the literal breaking down of rhymes by MCs and why they are amazing.

Slightly less impressive was a 5 year old retrospective on Spike Lee from The AFI Director Series. It was a little jarring to see Ossie Davis as the first speaker in the piece but his view of the director is probably the strongest in the hour. Maybe my problem with the doc is that it is 5 years old and two of my top five Spike films have come since then, Bamboozled and The 25th Hour. I'm of the opinion that The 25th Hour, while not Spike's most important film, is his best film, just edging out Malcolm X. Wesley Snipes's candor about the problems he sees in Jungle Fever (he doesn't think Spike did enough relationship scenes to show why these characters care about each other) are something to think about though.

I've got She Hate Me tonight as well but it's time to go out. Tomorrow for that. And for some reason, I've been thinking about He Got Game lately too and feel like it deserves another shot.

See, Ray Allen's resurgence with the Sonics this year is worth somethin'.