David Bowie (1981)

Quentin Tarantino recently plucked this gothy Bowie gem from Paul Scrader’s remake of  Cat People, putting it back on the cinematic map by powering the big eyeliner application scene with its eerie slow build and dramatic tempo shift. Despite its rather anachronistic inclusion in Inglourious Basterds (which boasts an otherwise era-appropriate score), it’s definitely the only thing salvageable from the 1981 dud.

I’m a fan of the original Cat People, so it was with high hopes that we began Schrader’s interpretation the other night; hopes that were quickly dashed. Even a singularly creepy (even for him) Malcolm McDowell, a dopey young Ed Begley Jr, a bra-less Natasha Kinski and an atmospheric Egyptian sex ritual sequence couldn’t save this drag.

Even though Bowie lends his unique vocal stylings, it’s producer Giorgio Moroder that gets the credit for the song’s unique spooky synth mood, as the music was written before Bowie’s involvement.

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Posted on March 28, 2010

by Queen (1986)

If you’re anything like me then you have more than a few X Files reruns filling up your DVR; and if you’re a lot like me then you get to relish, albeit ever so briefly, the final seconds of the Highlander theme song (“I am immortal/ I have inside me blood of kings!!”) as the sub-par television show comes to its rightful end and the the compressed credits, which have been running at triple speed below and to the right of a Caprica teaser, increase to their full size and the song’s volume increases… It’s a moment of sheer bliss for me (find joy in the little things, right?), that I try to take in at least a couple of time a week.

Unsurprisingly, the song’s awesomeness is due to the glittery talent of Queen who, back in the day, were the go-to act for science fiction epic songstressing (see the incredible Flash Gordon theme). The theme is actually entitled Princes of the Universe and has a video where Freddie Mercury does battle with Chris Lambert (see below) – although I wish it were Clancy Brown as The Kurgan sparring with FM… though how could so much greatness accurately be captured on-screen at one time?

Click here for the rest of Princes of the Universe

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Posted on February 14, 2010

by Nino Rota (1960)

Nino Rota made beautiful music for films, and never more beautiful and fanciful than when working on a film by Federico Fellini, and never more whimsical and wonderful than his theme to the classic La Dolce Vita.

It’s a piece of music that can whisk you away to glamorous and magical worlds.

Fellini said of Rota, “He was someone who had a rare quality belonging to the world of intuition. Just like children, simple men, sensitive people, innocent people, he would suddenly say dazzling things. As soon as he arrived, stress disappeared, everything turned into a festive atmosphere; the movie entered a joyful, serene, fantastic period, a new life.”
Click here for the rest of La Dolce Vita Theme

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Posted on November 22, 2009

Exorcist II: The Heretic has the reputation as “one of the most notorious disasters in movie history” but it boasts an impressive Ennio Morricone soundtrack. Lacking even the great Brad Dourif and the image of an old lady crawling across the ceiling that factors so heavily into the enjoyment of part three, most people agree that the haunting music is the film's only worthwhile element.

I've been informed that this is a rare find, my friend Shaun purchased his CD at the excellent treasure trove Amoeba Records, but you can also pay a higher price on an Amazon import. If you're a fan of creepy Morricone dissonance and haunting melodies, it's worth the investment and time to track it down. It bounces from soft, almost romantic sounds to frenzied intensity. Definitely makes the work day more dramatic.

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Posted on October 26, 2009

Why do I mention it now?

Because it's confirmed that the franchise that shaped by childhood, that started Johnny Depp's career, and introduced this fabulous song to the world (in a scene featuring invisible kung fu fighting no less) is finally getting the inevitable Offspring video director turned crappy movie director remake treatment, and essentially destroying a small part of me. At least we have the music and can reminisce.

Here's what I said back on 10/16/06:

I have been in love with this song since I bought the single in Jr. High and even then I was royally disappointed by the look of the band. Clearly, these dudes are not cool, even the band in Lost Boys was more respectable, and yet this song is cool–way cool.

It also became a mystery, I knew it was from a movie at some point, but which one? I thought Valley Girl, perhaps. Wrong – it is from the movie I was obsessed with for a long time – Nightmare on Elm St. 4 – The Dream Master . You know, the one with Alice, who starts meek but ends up doing nun-chucks; the one with her totally fine brother who has to fight an invisible Freddy in a Steven Seagal worthy set and ends up a meatball on Freddy's pizza; the one with the brainiac girl with asthma; the one with the girl who works out to Sinead O'Connor's “Put Your Hands On Me” only the be turned in a roach at Freddy's Roach Motel; the one that starts with Kincaid's death in the car junkyard…. Yes, that one! See I can remember nearly every frame, but couldn't remember that this, one of my very favorites, was in it. Oh, for shame, Brittany.

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Posted on June 15, 2009