It’s already three weeks into January and I just realize I haven’t done a Community Links nor a Music Break post. So why not combine the two again, right? Having just seen The Guest, I knew I had to do a post on the awesome 80s retro soundtrack! I really enjoyed the movie too, review up sometime in the next few days.
So here are what blogger’s been chattin’ about this past week:
There are still a lot of 2014 recaps circulating on the blogosphere and I actually still have one more year-end recap list on Top 10 MALE Performances that I’m hoping to finalize this week yet.
Well, speaking of cinematic recaps, Margaret and Keith just posted theirs and it’s an absolute blast reading ’em! LOVE all the creative categories highlighting the best and worst of the year.
Kudos to Eric for finishing his 50 Movies Project! Here’s how he ranked all those films, consider this a list of film recommendations too!
Now switching gears to 2015 Movie Watching plans and glad to see Melissa and Abbi joining the Blindspot series! Check out their film selections on their respective blogs.
I wasn’t going to include any more award-related stuff until Oscar telecast later in late February, but Josh just posted about how his Oscar predictions (which he started 9 months ago!) lined up with the actual nominations.
Now on to reviews!
Dell just posted his review of Selma and Andrew posted his thoughts on the Roger Ebert documentary Life Itself. Meanwhile, Natalie and Mark just reviewed the surprise box office smash American Sniper.
Last but not least, Tim just reviewed T3ken which I hope Bryan Mills won’t read, ahah. Seems like it’s as hilariously awful as the trailer!
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Now time for some awesome music …
… bad ass & deliciously creepy Dan Stevens!
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Here’s another fun action flick from last year besides John Wick that has a hint of 80s/90s retro, not just in terms of the film’s style but also in the soundtrack! Nerdist.com posted an interview with director Adam Wingard about how he crafted the soundtrack,
“…I was thinking more ’80s goth rock stuff like Death In June but as we made the picture, I realized the movie was going in a more poppy direction [becoming] less dark as the movie developed and that kind of evolved more into 80s goth electronica as opposed to straight up ’80s goth rock”
As with a lot of stuff, everything old is new again and the nostalgia factor is what makes it awesome 😀 My favorite track happens to be the same one that Stevens’ character David love! It’s called Anthonio by Norwegian recording artist Annie released back in 2009. I also love the ending score by Steve Moore.
Hope you enjoyed today’s Music Break!
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FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
Thanks so much for the link Ruth. I sure do appreciate it.
I’ve seen a lot of people talking about The Guest. It’s definitely one I plan on catching up with soon. John Wick is actually one that I missed at the theater. I let it slip by. For some reason it wasn’t here very long. Looking forward to catching up with it because I know you and several others had a blast with it.
My pleasure Keith!
The Guest and John Wick are really a blast! They’re only about 1.5 hour long and it’s full of action featuring two charming-but-deadly protagonists 😛
The Guest’s soundtrack is so, so good. And it’s more than just good, it’s infused into the film’s tone brilliantly. As the film gets weirder, so does the music. Loved it. Other than the songs you listed here, my favorite one is “Hourglass”.
Yeah, it’s a great example where the music is integral to the movie as a whole. I just listened to ‘Hourglass’ yeah it’s great, it kinda reminds me a bit of TRON which is also VERY 80s 😛
Oh, for sure!
Ooh, loved Anthonio. Reminds me of the awesome soundtrack for Drive.
Hi Fernando! It’s awesome isn’t it? I haven’t seen Drive but I might check out the soundtrack.
Yeah, the movie might be too violent for your taste, but the soundtrack is pretty cool.
Thanks for the link Ruth! 🙂
I LOVED The Guest, and the soundtrack was brilliant! Great idea for a music break!
My pleasure! Glad you like The Guest too! Took me ages to finally see it and it was a blast!
Still have not seen The Guest, but looking forward to chekcing it out…
Hope you check it out soon Nostra, I think you’d enjoy it!
I love The Guest soundtrack! The film dips in the second half but the music is always excellent. You’ve got great taste Ruth!
Why thanks Mikey! You too man 😉
Thanks for the link, Ruth!
AND YES, so much YES on The Guest love (and that awesome soundtrack).
You’re welcome Drew! I’m so late on The Guest bandwagon but hey, better late than never 🙂
Thanks for the shout out!
You’re welcome!
Thanks for mentioning me here Ruth! I missed The Guest when it was out here a few months ago but I’ll definitely catch up with it when it’s on Netflix or Amazon Prime.
Hi Natalie! It’s on iTunes, and maybe Amazon Prime too. That Dan Stevens is awesomely bad ass!
I definitely plan on seeing The Guest and John Wick. Keanu Reeves is the train wreck I can’t look away from. At least I hear this one is good. Thanks so much for the link!
Ahah, well I have a soft spot for Keanu and John Wick is tailor made for him! I think you’ll enjoy both!
I’ve never heard of The Guest, I assume it never got a proper release here in States. I’ll check out the trailer and if it looks good, I’ll give it a watch.
Hey Ted! It’s now on iTunes and I think you’d enjoy it. It’s got some fun shoot-out and plenty of action, kind of like John Wick in a way 😀
Yeah I just watched the trailer and it looks good. It’s made by the same people who made YOU’RE NEXT, a fun take on the home invader horror genre. Hopefully this one will be a fun take on the action genre.
Glad you liked the movie! The music was such a big part of its appeal, honestly it was even better than Drive in all aspects
Hi Sati! I haven’t seen Drive but given how I feel about Gosling, I don’t know if I will 🙂 Dan Stevens is really good here, glad you loved the movie too!
Good highlights here, Ruth. I really must get around to The Guest, though. Keep hearing great things.
Hello Mark! Hope you get to see this soon, I think you’d enjoy it!
Thanks so much for the link, Ruth! Those two tracks and the John Wick comparison have sold me on The Guest, too. Surprised I hadn’t heard anything about that movie before.
The Guest seems to be under the radar but it’s now on iTunes. I think you’d enjoy it Eric!
The guest had some excellent music, gave it a real 90’s feel. Also thanks for the mention 😀
High five on The Guest! 😀
Great stuff here lady Ruth! You know I was a huge fan of The Guest, the soundtrack and the delicious yummy Dan Stevens! So glad to see you liked it, too. Caught John Wick yesterday, loved it!
Ahah, ‘delicious yummy Dan Stevens’ – that’s a great way to describe him 😉 You should see him in BBC’s Sense & Sensibility, he’s sooo cute in it, but not as bad ass though.
Glad you love John Wick, too!
Great round-up and thanks for giving me a shout out! You’re too nice! I really want to see The Guest, after I read Zoe’s review, I really need to get on that. I have so many movies on my to-do list. Thanks again 🙂
Oh my pleasure! I have my review for The Guest done but haven’t posted it yet. I really enjoyed it and a must for all Matthew Crawley fan, though he couldn’t be more different from that character 😉
HAHA oh you know I cannot stop thinking of him as Crawley. He’s so sweet on that show. So top movies on my list right now are The Guest and Selma and if you liked them, well I will probably like them too.
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You know I approve of the song selections here Ruth! That synth-rock score was just tailor-made for ‘The Guest,’ and was part of why I had so much fun with it. Great feature once again.