Category Archives: Odds and ends
Sound & Motion Pictures: endings with a dance scene
In the holiday spirit of good and uplifting feelings I thought that some happy group dance scenes would be the right thing this week. These scenes wrap up good films, some of which are cult classic that live forever in the collective imagination. The music is catchy and light and you can’t help but feeling good. As always this is a list of favorites: enjoy!
Dirty Dancing – (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (1987)
Nobody puts baby in a corner!
Swayze knows his stuff and it’s memorable! You finally get to see the famous jump.
Footloose – Footloose, Kenny Loggins (1984)
A whole school learn to dance and have a good time (very fast and very proficiently!). Kevin Bacon is a hero of the eighties (as Peter Quill reminded us!).
Slumdog Millionaire – Jai Ho, A.R. Rahman (2008)
A happy ending to a tale of woes in modern India with… a Bollywood musical number! That’s just perfect. The song stays with you for days.
Beetlejuice – Jump In Line (Shake, Senora) Harry Belafonte (1961)
Floating Winona Rider dancing with ghosts to an Harry Belafonte’s song… only Tim Burton could have come up with it. Plus shrinking heads!
The Blues Brothers – Jailhouse Rock, The Blues Brothers (1980)
Well, what’s better than making the best of it when you end up in jail with a classic song? Perfect conclusion to an epic film.
Shrek – I’m a Believer, Smash Mouth (2001)
The most irreverent fairy tale of them all and the best wedding party in animation history.
Bonus for a laugh: Tropic Thunder – Get Back, Ludacris (2004)
Unrecognizable and with a great sense of self-irony, Tom Cruise gives us this pearl of comedy.
Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures
Sound & Motion Pictures: TV Shows nostalgia 4
Here we go again with a blast from the past! There are many hit shows from the 1990s but the following are both emblematic and with an unmistakable intro music. As I have done for the previous decades, they are listed in chronological order.
Twin Peaks – theme by Angelo Badalamenti (1990)
We all wanted to know who killed Laura Palmer! This eerie, haunting and occasionally creep series stems from the wild imagination of David Lynch, heralded by an equally spooky music.
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air – theme by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (1990)
The face that launched a thousand ships… oh no, sorry, I meant the show that put Will Smith on a path to stardom. The hip hop answer to the Huxtables with its memorable lyrics.
X-Files – theme by Mark Snow(1993)
I’ve often wondered: why did Scully and Mulder always end up in dark places with tiny flashlights? Another mystery related to this TV cult. The music has an uncanny feeling that stays with you for a long time.
Friends – I’ll Be There For You, The Rembrandts (1994)
Misadventures of a group of twenty-somethings in New York, you know, it’s like Girls but for Gen Xers. The upbeat music of The Rembrandts will always bring a smile to your face.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – theme by Nerf Herder (1997)
Kickass leading lady that fight vampires and the forces of evil while painstakingly punning and making clever pop culture references: awesome! Welcome to the genius of Joss Whedon. The rock intro just sets the pace… in every generation there is a chosen one…
Sex and the City – theme by Douglas J. Cuomo (1998)
The life of four thirty-somethings: their sexcapades and troubled relationships in the Big Apple. All told with humour and style.
Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures
Sound & Motion Pictures: great character introductions
Gentle readers, here’s another post on amazing combination of music and film. This time it’s about how characters (mostly, lead characters) are introduced to the audience and songs that helped making them emblematic and enduring in our collective memory. The following is a top 5 of my favorite intros.
1. Jake and Elwood, The Blues Brothers – She Caught the Katy, The Blues Brothers (1980)
From a cult movie, this intro to both the film and the characters is iconic. It was James Belushi’s favorite blues song.
2. Harmonica – Man with a Harmonica, Ennio Morricone (1968)
Charlie Bronson shows who’s boss from the get-go on the unforgettable notes of Morricone’s music.
Did you bring a horse for me?
Looks like we are shy one horse.
You brought two too many.
Absolute badass!
3. Jesus Quintana, The Big Lebowski – Hotel California, The Gipsy Kings (1988)
Nobody fucks with the Jesus!
Do I really need to add any word to this?
4. John Connor, Terminator 2 – You Could Be Mine, Guns ‘N’ Roses (1991)
Sulking teen with a penchant for motorcycles… and future legendary leader of the human resistance against the machines… What can I say? It works very well with the energy and grit of Guns ‘n’ Roses.
5. James Bond, Dr. No – James Bond theme, Monty Norman (1962)
That’s how it all began! Suave and wordly Mr. Bond’s first appearance is both charming and intriguing. The memorable theme plays softly in the background. Sean Connery will always be my favorite incarnation of 007.
Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures
Ramblings of a cinephile 