Chatting over a pile of Disco Fries at my local Jersey diner tonight everything was business as usual until one of my favorite songs "Do You Believe in Magic" came on the radio. Sitting, not talking for the duration of the song I realized that one of the greatest uses of music in movies is of this song in In America. This realization made me think of my other favorite songs in movies. Away we go…
"Do You Believe in Magic" by the Lovin’ Spoonful seen In America
Why this scene is great:
I think if a scene gives you chills up and down your body it’s special, right? To set up this scene: An Irish family is emigrating to New York after the loss of one of their children and to chase their father’s dream, they’ve pretty much given up everything. You feel so sad for them, until they hit the tunnel and "Do You Believe in Magic" comes on the radio. As they come through the tunnel and into the heart of Manhattan their two little girls Ariel and Christie bounce around to all the walks of life and the city and you feel like this is really the first time that this family has felt any joy in a long while. I’ve lived outside the city my whole life, gone through the tunnel what feels like a thousand times and I never lose that sense of wonder when I enter Manhattan. It’s amazing, but I’ve never felt a that a scene captured an emotion that I’ve experienced like Jim Sheridan did with this scene. Why you need to watch this movie (or watch it again):
Well if the above wasn’t enough, let me elaborate on the performances of the sisters Ariel and Christy (real life sisters Emma and Sarah Bolger). These little girls are simply enchanting. Their performances weren’t pretentious or forced, they’re naturals, they made you feel like you were looking through that magic window into this family’s Hell’s Kitchen apartment. Sarah Bolger is already starring in "The Tudors" as Princess Mary and Emma Bolger has appeared in some Irish films since In America. Once you watch them in this, you will want to see everything they’re in. "Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel seen in Say Anything…
I just got done watching Pushing Tin and realized that John Cusack where’s a trench coat in just about every movie he’s made (seriously, The Ice Harvest, America’s Sweethearts, Serendipity…you get the idea), but probably his most famous trench coast scene is "the boom box scene" from Cameron Crowe’s Say Anything.
If you haven’t seen it:
Llyod (Cusack) is hopelessly in love with Diane (Ione Skye), but because of complications out of his control Diane has broken up with him, "I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen". As a last attempt to win her back Lloyd stands outside her room for what seems like forever blasting Gabriel’s fantastic 80’s ballad and holding a boom box above his head. If you’ve been in a girl’s dorm in the last five years then I’m sure you’ve seen this poster hanging up at least once (especially if you’ve been in my room). Why this movie works:
John Cusack! If you like him now has a bumbling, love sick 40 something than just wait ‘til you seem him as a love sick 18 year old, priceless. I think this movie has become such a cult favorite, especially among teenage girls because Lloyd does and says and means the things that most girls wish most guys would do and say and mean. PS:
Premiere Magazine rated Cusack’s performance of Lloyd as the 72nd best film performance of all time. PPS:
"Your Eyes" wasn’t playing when they filmed the scene, a song by the band Fishbone was. "The Scientist" by Coldplay seen in Wicker Park
Why this scene is great:
Matthew (Josh Hartnett) has spent the entire movie obsessing over his ex girlfriend Lisa (Diane Kruger). There’s plenty of lying, mistaken identity, and general deception to make the movie last almost two hours. But all of that is okay, because when Matt gets to the airport and sees Lisa standing there…well it’s one of my favorite romantic moments in the movies. Then "The Scientist" comes on and you really need some tissues. Matt stands behind Lisa until she finally senses someone is there behind her and turns around. Then they both cry and "The Scientist" plays and no words are spoken. "Show, don’t tell" is what a former English teacher of mine always used to say and it’s so true. Great dialogue is very important, but sometimes a simple scene enhanced by the right song is just so much more powerful. "The Only Living Boy in New York" by Simon and Garfunkel seen in Garden State
If you haven’t seen it:
Andrew (Zach Braff, "Scrubs") has just come home to Jersey after being in LA for ten years to attend his mom’s funeral. Andrew is an actor with some minute success, but has stopped for a while as he’s depressed, well near catatonic, so the whole mom dying suddenly thing ought to help. So, Andrew comes home, refuses to takes his antidepressants, gets together with his grave robbing, drug using buddies from high school and meets a zany girl named Sam (Natalie Portman, V for Vendetta). Why this scene is great:
Like in Wicker Park you can feel the characters’ emotions without a single word of dialogue. Andrew, Sam, and Mark (Per Sarsgaard, Orphan) have just ended a treasure hunt at the bottom of a gigantic quarry and as they’re leaving Andrew climbs up onto a piece of machinery and screams at the top of his lungs into the empty gorge. Sam follows him with intensity like I’ve never seen an actor portray (Roger Ebert said Portman deserved at least an Oscar nomination for this role and I agree). From the opening shot of Garden State it’s obvious that Andrew is desperate, but that scene coupled with the haunting music of Simon and Garfunkel and the torrential rain, just really works, you feel Andrew’s emotions radiating off the screen. "Hey Jude" by The Beatles seen in Across the Universe
Why this scene is great:
The movie is dedicated solely to music by The Beatles and the main character is called Jude (Jim Sturgess), so you know it’s coming, but it takes so long to get there that you think "Maybe not". But the best really is saved for last (or second to last) in this case, because "Hey Jude" in Across the Universe makes my list (obviously). Jude is pretty down in the dumps, he’s lost his girl (Evan Rachel Wood), his best friend (Joe Anderson) is in Vietnam, and he’s been deported back to Liverpool from NYC and he’s wallowing in a pub when movie magic brings his best friend right to his side telling him, "Hey Jude, you were made to go out and get her". I love this whole movie, but I picked this scene not only for its general awesomeness and because it spans from Liverpool to the shores of New York, but because it feels so (for lack of a better word) organic. Jude leaves the pub and suddenly seemingly everyone who’s ever known him is standing in the streets singing to him, motivating him so much that indeed Jude does go out and get her. Why you need to watch this movie (or watch it again):
A lot of my friends haven’t watched this because they don’t like musicals or they don’t really know The Beatles. Don’t worry, you don’t need like/know either of the former in order to love this movie. It’s not your grandmother’s musical, it feels real, the lyrics are just dialogue enhanced and it’s not about The Beatles, so you don’t have to really know anything about them other than that they were from Liverpool just like Jude. And one last thing, if you’ve seen Mama Mia, don’t be afraid, the cast of Universe can actually sing. The cast with exception of Wood were virtual unknowns when it was released in ’07 and thus were hired for their capabilities and not their names, figure that.
And I can’t do a list about music in movies without including my favorite movie, about music Almost Famous…
If you haven’t seen it:
William Miller (Patrick Fugit, Wristcutters: A Love Story) is just your run of the mill super genius sixteen-year old high school senior when he gets hired (through a series of seemingly implausible but based on real life) events to go on tour with his favorite band as a reporter for Rolling Stone. He then falls in love with groupie Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) and chases the band all over the country trying to get an interview with lead singer Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup, The Good Shepherd). William comes of age during his tour with the band and also jeopardizes his entire future. Why I Love this Movie:
Basically, I’m a sucker for movies based on true events and for Crowe’s directorial style, put them together and it’s gold in my book, especially with one of the greatest movie soundtracks ever compiled. Writer/Director Cameron Crowe based this movie on when he in fact was a sixteen-year-old reporter for Rolling Stone sent to tour with The Allman Brothers Band. Some of the scenes in the film are almost unbelievable, but I’ve done plenty of reading up on Crowe and it’s those unbelievable scenes (like ending up catatonic in an airport and running into his sister he hadn’t seen in years) that are true. The character of Russell is based on Gregg Allman and Penny is based on two groupies whom Crowe fell in love with, Penny Trumble and Bebe Buell (mother of actress Liv Tyler, Lord of the Rings Trilogy). As great as the three leads in this film are, the supporting cast (including two Oscar winners) is even better. You have William’s control freak/uber liberal/professor/ widowed mom (Frances McDormand, Fargo), his runaway sister turned flight attendant (Zoey Deschanel, (500) Days of Summer), a band manager no one likes (Jimmy Fallon), a narcissistic lead singer (Jason Lee, "My Name Is Earl), and groupies Polexia Aphrodisia (Anna Paquin,"True Blood") & Saphire (Fairuza Balk, American History X).
If I started talking about individual songs in the film, we’d be here all day, just know that if you’ve never seen it and you like classic rock, it’s definitely worth your time.
As wonderfully awkward as Joaquin Phoenix himself.
