Category Archives: Odds and ends
Ramblings of a Cinephile Sporadic Scene: Young Frankenstein (1974) – Could Be Worse
Here’s my contribution to Sporadic Scene, hosted by the amazing Zoe.
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Sound & Motion Pictures: famous running scenes
This week edition of my Sound & Motion Pictures series is about running. As an amateur runner, I love to have a great soundtrack to my daily runs and the following are my all-time favorite scenes.
1. Chariots of Fire – Theme by Vangelis
The mother of all running scenes. On the unforgettable and beautiful notes of Vangelis’ theme, the crème de la crème of British athletes runs on a beach.
2. Rocky – Gonna Fly Now, Bill Conti
A great training montage with an iconic wrap-up! Inspired plenty of imitations and homages.
3. Trainspotting – Lust for Life, Iggy Pop
Renton regales us with his life manifesto on the powerful notes of Iggy Pop and now every time I listen to this song I see him running with a wild grin on his face.
4. Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt) – Running One, Tom Tykwer, Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek
I love how her decision making process is shown and then how she runs against time to save her boyfriend to an anxiogenic techno beat.
Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures
Sound & Motion Pictures: unexpected singing scenes
Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised by an unexpected singing scene in films that are not about singing at all. Usually it ends up being a feel-good moment, on occasions it turns out to be a remarkable bit of the film. Here’s my favorite ones:
1. Almost Famous – Tiny Dancer, cast + Elton John
Although the whole film is about music, the ensemble singing along with Elton John’s song on their way home is uplifting.
2. Ten Things I Hate About You – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Heath Ledger + Frankie Valli
Best way to apologise and win back the girl, it’s a tie with John Cusack holding a boombox under his girl’s window.
3. My Best Friend’s Wedding – I Say A Little Prayer, cast + Dionne Warwick
Effective way to tell a story and charm the audience with a classic song, plus Rupert Everett is at his best.
4. Young Frankenstein – Puttin’ On The Ritz, Gene Wilder + Irving Berlin
How would you present your recently-raised-from-the-dead creature to the wide world? With a vaudeville number, of course!
5. Muriel’s Wedding – Waterloo, Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths + Abba
Show the mean girls that you don’t care and sing some Abba!
6. The Fisher King – Lydia The Tattooed Lady, Robin Williams + Harold Arlen and Yip Armburg
A foolproof method to captivate a quirky girl’s attention is to sing a Groucho Marx’s song.
7. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – Space Oddity, Kristen Wiig + David Bowie
The confidence boost that an introverted needs: Kristen Wiig singing a Bowie’s song.
Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures
Sound & Motion Pictures: cool walk scenes
Strutting along like you own the place, walking tall like nothing can touch you while a great song is playing… here’s a short selection of my favorite cool walk scenes:
1. Saturday Night Fever – Staying Alive, Bee Gees (1977)
The mother of all cool walks… Tony Manero shows who’s boss to the undying notes of Staying Alive!
2. Kill Bill Vol.1 – Battle Without Honor or Humanity, Tomoyasu Hotei (2000)
O-ren Ishii is a force to recon with and she definitely owns the place, another music pearl from Tarantino!
3. Jackie Brown – Across 110th Street, Bobby Womack (1972)
Tarantino again… clearly inspired by The Graduate, he uses the charisma of Pam Grier and the soulful voice of Bobby Womack.
4. Blow – Black Betty, Ram Jam (1977)
When you think you can walk on water, Black Betty is a pretty good soundtrack.
5. The Breakfast Club, Don’t You Forget About Me, Simple Minds (1985)
Raise your fist to the sky as both victory and defiance…
Honorable mention to Guardians of the Galaxy – Cherry Bomb, The Runaways (1976)
I like this tongue in cheek homage to the heros’ preparation and badass walk on their way to save the world.
Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures
Sound & Motion Pictures: impromptu dance scenes
When you hear certain songs you just can’t help yourself: you must dance! These are funny, contagious dance scenes that happen rather unexpectedly and it’s impossible not to related to the characters. Music from the late seventies and early eighties gets the lion share, these are some memorable dance tunes used in many films.
Love Actually – Jump (For My Love), The Pointer Sisters (1983)
British Prime Minister blows off some steam when a great song comes on the radio (and the deejay dedicates it to him)
Los Amantes Pasajeros – I’m So Exited, The Pointer Sisters (1982)
Three flight assistants entertain the worried business class passengers dancing and lip-synching with hilarious results.
In & Out – I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor (1978)
Real men don’t dance… or so the self-help audio book “How to be a man” wants us to believe. Kevin Kline will prove it wrong.
Risky Business – Old Time Rock And Roll, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet (1978)
When the cat is away… iconic scene from the film that launched Tom Cruise’s career.
Full Monty – Hot Stuff, Donna Summer (1979)
Rehearsing their dancing routine while waiting in the unemployment line: priceless!
The Big Chill – Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, The Temptations (1966)
Tidying up after dinner with your friends looks like fun.
Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures
Sound & Motion Pictures: TV-shows titles part 2
Here is the second part of my post dedicated to TV-show titles and their music. This time around the songs are just instrumental, generally written for the show. Once more, these are my favorite opening credits.
1. Mad Men – A Beautiful Mine, RJD2
Stylish and sophisticated as the show.
2. Magic City
The intro song of this show created a controversy since, for season 1, they used an unauthorized version of Henry Mancini’s Lujon, which is beautiful and mixes well the sixties’ atmosphere with Miami settings (watch from 1:03).
To avoid legal battle, they used a song by Daniele Luppi in season 2, which is still intriguing but with more of a Bond flair.
3. Boardwalk Empire – Straight Up And Down, The Brian Jonestown Massacre
A quite smoke on the beach thinking about the business…
4. Southland – Canção do Mar, Dulce Pontes
Fado and seppia images are an effective and inspired choice.
5. Hannibal – theme by Brian Reitzell
This one is a little macabre but also mesmerizing.
6. Six Feet Under – theme by Thomas Newman
A weird mix of otherworldly and morbid.
7. Dexter – theme by Adam Ben Ezra
The morning routine of a serial killer… it says it all!
8. The Killing (US) – We Fell To Earth, Frank Bak
Melancholic and forlorn, like a day in November in the Pacific Northwest.
9. House of Cards – theme by Jeff Beal
Foreboding, perfect intro to the games of the mighty and powerful.
10. Sherlock – theme by David Arnold
Upbeat and bursting of energy like Sherlock on a case.
Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures
Ramblings of a cinephile 