Category Archives: Music Break

Posts relating to movie music

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Music Break: The Great Gatsby’s Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey

I have the Moulin Rouge!‘s soundtrack frequently playing in my car, so I admire Baz Luhrmann‘s creative use of music in his films. He’s known for using contemporary music in his films set in retro setting, and this one is no different.

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NPR calls the Aussie filmmaker “…cinema’s boldest remixer, infusing familiar works with new rhythms that refresh their relevance…” Instead of going with what the Jazz Age that F. Scott Fitzgerald prominently featured in his novels, Luhrmann boldly mixed in hip hop, R&B, indie pop, rock, etc. in the film’s soundtrack. Music mogul Jay-Z executive produced the soundtrack, so naturally it also featured his wife Beyonce’s music.

Now, I’ve been obsessed with Lana Del Rey‘s track Young & Beautiful. I’ve been listening to it endlessly, sometimes half a dozen times in a row :D

“Will you still love me when I’m no longer young and beautiful / Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul / I know you will, I know you will / I know that you will.”

That music is used in this extended TV spot:

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After seeing the film last night, I still regard this song as my absolute favorite. Del Rey wrote the track with Rick Nowels and she described Luhrmann’s take on the F Scott Fitzgerald classic as “highly glamorous and exciting”. “It was an honor to work with Baz Luhrmann on his amazing adaptation of one of the most extraordinary books ever written,” the singer said. (per Digital Spy)

LanaDelReyGreatGatsbyI LOVE the melody of the song and Lana’s evocative and seductive voice makes for a soulful yet poignant rendition… Just like Jay Gatsby’s life where he’s surrounded by so many beautiful things, the mansion, the clothes, the endless parties… he’s still aching for that something that money can’t buy. That ‘I know you will‘ line uttered over and over again perfectly captures the nature of this tragic figure… as hope and dream is the prominent theme in Fitzgerald’s literary classic.

I’m glad that this song is featured prominently in the movie, instead of only playing during the end credits. In fact, I thought the scene fits the song nicely, and it’s actually played more than once. I hope to have my review done yet this week but my initial reaction is I dug it, I think Baz’s style and his ‘more is more’ philosophy fits the theme of the story and despite my initial quibble about the 3D aspect, it’s actually one of the best use of such format I’ve seen so far.

Hope you enjoy this music break. Thoughts on this song and/or The Great Gatsby‘s soundtrack?

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Music Break: Ennio Morricone’s The Mission – Gabriel’s Oboe

I’ve been wanting to feature this haunting score for a while now, and since Easter was just a few days ago, I thought it’d be fitting to feature it this week.

TheMissionPosterEnnio Morricone is one of my favorite composers of all time, with Cinema Paradiso being one of my favorite scores ever. There’s something so highly evocative about his music, and whilst Cinema Paradiso is more lush and romantic in nature, this score for Roland Joffé 1986′s film The Mission has a poignant and haunting quality to it. It’s one of those pieces I’d describe as so achingly beautiful as whenever I listen to it, it pierces my heart and stirs my soul.

I saw this film years ago and after seeing the trailer last night, I’m compelled to see it again. The story centers on 18th century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American Indian tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal. It features fantastic performances from major thespians such as Jeremy Irons, Robert DeNiro and Liam Neeson.

The main theme, called Gabriel’s Oboe, is one of the most stirring piece of music I’d ever come across. The name of the score refers to the scene where Father Gabriel (Irons) travels to Iquazu Falls, climbs to the top and plays his oboe. The Guaraní community who lives above the Falls had tied a priest to a cross and sent him over the falls to his death, but the Guaraní warriors were captivated by the music and allowed Gabriel to live.


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Morricone’s score for The Mission was ranked on #1 in a poll of the all-time greatest film scores and is ranked 23rd on the AFI’s list of 25 greatest film scores of all time. Morricone received a second Oscar nomination for The Mission, but lost out to Herbie Hancock’s jazzy score for Bertrand Tavernier’s Round Midnight. (per Wikipedia)

I owned a couple of Sarah Brightman‘s CD, and one of my favorite songs from her is Nella Fantasia (In My Fantasy). Well, apparently it was based on Morricone’s Gabriel Oboe theme he did for this film! Brightman was such a big fan of that music that he begged Morricone to put lyrics to the theme to create her own song.

My next song was originally an instrumental written by the composer Ennio Morricone for the film The Mission. About three years ago I wrote to Mr. Morricone, asking whether he would give me permission to turn this particular piece into a song. He flatly refused. So every two months I would send yet another begging letter, until I think he became so sick of me that he finally relented. And I am really glad that he did, because I think it works beautifully as a song. (per Wikipedia)

Here’s the Sarah Brightman’s rendition of Nella Fantasia with the English lyrics translation:

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Few scores are as exquisite and powerful as this one… Mr. Morricone is certainly a legend amongst even the best film composers ever, and this stands at the top of his amazing work.

I hope you enjoy today’s Music Break. Thoughts on this film and/or its music?

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Music Break: Life Of Pi Soundtrack

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Ang Lee’s beautifully-made Life of Pi‘s released on Blu-ray/DVD this week, and since I had just been talking about Asian directors, might as well feature his film on today’s music break.

Canadian Composer Mychael Danna has won a Golden Globe and Oscar for his astounding soundtrack work for this film. This is Danna’s third collaboration with Lee, previously scoring his films The Ice Storm and Ride with the Devil. Though he’s got nearly 100 titles under his belt, Life of Pi is perhaps his most celebrated work to date, winning an Oscar in his first ever nomination. Certainly the win is well-deserved, the score is just as beautiful as the visuals, so talk about ear and eye candy!

My favorite is Pi’s lullaby in the opening sequence where we’re introduced to Pi’s family-owned zoo. The music literally has that soothing effect, it’s just so wonderful to listen to and it really takes me to another place. There’s obviously a soulful, spiritual quality to it that adds to its appeal.

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Danna worked with Mumbai-based singer Jayashri Ramnath on this opening song, and her beautiful, calming voice is just so perfect for it. Ramnath also worked on the lyrics, so naturally she’s credited in the Oscar’s Best Music (Original Song) nomination along with Danna who composed the song. This article talks about Ang Lee’s direction to keep the song simple and soft — “A child sleeps not because he is sleepy, but because he feels safe.” They certainly captured that sentiment splendidly!

Per Awardsline, Danna spent a year on the score that uses music and sounds from around the world. … incorporated the sounds of Asia—especially India—into a multicultural stew of a score. Along with a full studio orchestra, accordion, piano, celesta, and mandolin, Danna added Balinese gamelan, Persian ney, basuri (an Indian transverse flute), Indian percussion, and, of course, the sitar. Plus, the venerable Pandit Jasraj (still going strong at 82) contributed vocals.

Thanks to SoundCloud.com, I was able to embed the tracks below for your listening enjoyment:

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Hope you enjoyed today’s music break. Thoughts on Life of Pi’s soundtrack?

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Music Break: The Artist’s Waltz for Peppy

Happy Friday everybody. Hope y’all had a nice Valentine’s Day yesterday.

I listen to Classical MPR radio on my commute to work and yesterday morning there were a lot of Valentine dedications and they’re playing some beautiful, sweeping waltzes. One of them is Waltz for Peppy from the gorgeous soundtrack of The Artist. Oh I just love that music so much I wish I could play it on repeat!

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Somehow I missed including George Valentin & Peppy Miller in my list of 14 favorite movie couples! So this is my way to make it up for them. I love this scene when Peppy auditions as a dancer and George spots her, and he then insists that she gets a part in Kinograph Studios’ next production, despite the studio boss’ objections.

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Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo are simply sublime. Apparently director Michel Hazanavicius played music from classic Hollywood films throughout the shoot while the actors performed.

The soundtrack is composed by French composer Ludovic Bource and was recorded in Belgium by the Brussels Philharmonic. It has won pretty much every single film award that year, including BAFTA, César, Golden Globes, and the Oscar for Best original Score. The music is even more crucial and affecting the fact that it’s a silent film, and it fits the playful yet sweet tone of the film so perfectly.

I remember being absolutely enchanted by this film when I first saw it two years ago (I gave it a 5 star review). I haven’t seen it since. Listening to this makes me want to watch it again real soon.
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Hope you enjoy today’s music. What do you think of The Artist?

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Music Break: 1995 Sabrina’s Soundtrack

sabrina1995posterI just realized I haven’t done a Music Break since last November! Well I’m feeling rather melancholy tonight so I watched a little bit of the 1995 version of Sabrina. I adore this movie… it’s just sooo enchanting. It’s a modern-day Cinderella story of sort. Sabrina Fairchild, the chauffeur of the billionaire Larrabee family, is a bit of an ugly duckling whose sudden transformation into a beautiful woman end up standing in the way of a Billion dollar deal.

Harrison Ford and Greg Kinnear are not what one would expect as the Larrabee brothers but both worked well here. Julia Ormond is lovely as Sabrina… gorgeous but vulnerable. People who love the original probably scoff that Ormond & Ford are no [Audrey] Hepburn & [Humphrey] Bogart, I think it’s a bit unfair. I thought Ford is perfect as the workaholic, a bit curmudgeon Linus who unexpectedly falls for the carefree Sabrina. And Kinnear is surprisingly charming and affable as the billionaire playboy David. They made those roles their own and they suit the time and era they’re in. Truth be told, after seeing the original, I actually enjoy this remake better [sorry Michael!]

I never get tired of this movie… Syndey Pollack’s direction mixes drama and comedy deftly and boy does he have an eye for scenery. This movie is just gorgeous to look at, everything from the Larrabee estates to the streets of Paris where Sabrina took her long walks are exquisite shot.

But even more beautiful that the scenery is John Williams’ music. This theme song is one of my favorites from his extensive collection, definitely made my top ten scores from this genius composer. It’s so elegant, lush, mesmerizing… and also heartbreaking.

I love Sting’s voice and it works surprisingly well for Moonlight. I listen to this track often… it never fails to sweep me off my feet. Linus tells Sabrina “It’s as though a lovely breeze has swept through this whole house” And the song has that same quality to me… it’s just mesmerizing and the melody has such a timeless feel to it.

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There is another song called How Can I Remember sung by Michael Dees that is lovely as well, and I love the moment La Vie en Rose was played as Sabrina recites the quote from Gertrude Stein “America is my country, and Paris is my home town.”

Williams composed this soundtrack two years after Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List, two other favorites from his work. It’s amazing how he could make one iconic score after another. Even hearing just a couple of notes you instantly know what that music is and it’d take me back to that specific movie.

Sabrina was nominated for Best Original Music and Best Original Song (Moonlight) at the Oscars in 1995, but neither one won.

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Hope you enjoyed the soundtrack. What’s your favorite score by John Williams?

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Music Break – Favorite fairy tale music inspired by ABC’s ‘Once Upon A Time’

I just started catching up on the ABC show Once Upon A Time this past weekend, so that inspired me to pick the music for today’s Music Break. I’ve only watched two episodes from the first season but I quite like it so far, though some of the acting is a bit over the top. As someone growing up with Disney fairy tale movies, the premise appeals to me so we’ll see if the show has enough going for it to keep me interested. Nice to see Robert Carlyle in it as Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold. The Glasgow-native is easily the best actor on that show, and no I’m not just saying that for my penchant for Scottish actors ;)

Anyway, inspired by that show, here are three favorite fairy tale music from the classic and current fairy tale movies:

SNOW WHITE (1937)

You can’t beat the classics. Even 75 years later, Snow White is still hot property, what with two films made with that character this year alone! There are really too many to choose from as the whole soundtrack is great, but I love this finale of Love’s First Kiss. It’s enchanting, sweet and full of hope, the kind of stuff Disney music is known for, and the choir singing Someday my Prince will come really warms the heart.

Original music by Leigh Harline and Paul J. Smith, with Adriana Caselotti and Harry Stockwell as the voice of Snow White and Prince Charming, respectively.
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P.S. My all time favorite music from Disney ‘Princess’ movies is actually Once Upon a Dream from Sleeping Beauty, which I’ve highlighted in a stand alone post a year ago.

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TANGLED (2010)

Tangled is Disney’s 50th animated feature and it boast the maestro that is Alan Menken as the composer. I grew up listening to his Disney songs, it’s amazing how he could keep churning up beautiful music for every piece that fits the theme of the film so perfectly! According to IMDb trivia, he’s currently tied with famed costume designer Edith Head for third most Academy Awards won, with eight Oscar win. He has won best score and best song for four Disney animated movies: The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992) and Pocahontas (1995).

This romantic piece is by far my favorite from the film. I always tear up every time I watch it. The scenery with all those lanterns are pure Disney magic, I love Rapunzel’s face as she watches them fly to the sky. I LOVE both Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi’s voice in the duet, I had no idea he could sing so well! I was rooting for this to win Best Original Song at the Oscar, but ironically, Randy Newman’s We Belong Together for Pixar’s Toy Story 3 ended up taking the trophy.
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BRAVE (2012)

I was thrilled when I heard that Scottish composer Patrick Doyle was going to work on this film! I LOVE his work in Sense & Sensibility and Thor, among others (see my tribute post). Per Wiki, in order to bring some of Scotland’s native flavor to the music, Doyle used native Scottish instruments such as bagpipes, a solo fiddle, Celtic harps, flutes and the bodhrán, with an electronically treated dulcimer and cimbalom to give it a more contemporary feel. “I employed many classic Scottish dance rhythms such as reels, jigs, and strathspeys, which not only serve the action but keep it authentic,” said Doyle.

Well the result is a gorgeous and lush Celtic music that adds so much to the authenticity of the film. I like the joyful and rousing Touch The Sky that matches the exuberance of Princess Merida, but my favorite is the instrumental piece that captures the Scottish theme so well. I LOVE this one called Legends Are Lessons, especially after the 2:35 mark when the bagpipes start playing. I wish I could be transported to the Scottish Highlands as I’m listening to it! :D
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I hope you enjoy these songs. What are YOUR favorite Disney/Pixar soundtrack?

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Music Break: The American President (1995)

Welcome to another edition of the Music Break series! Apparently I skipped one in October with the TCFF festivities. Well for this week, I was raking my brain to see what soundtrack I would highlight. Well, given today is post-election Wednesday, I figure it’d be fitting to highlight this Oscar-nominated score as Barrack Obama has been re-elected to stay on as The American President!

This film by Rob Reiner is one of my favorite rom-coms ever! Even though it does have political theme, the movie is more about the relationship between the widower commander in chief Andrew Shepherd and an environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade. In the movie, the popular Democratic President was also running for re-election. I love Michael Douglas and Annette Benning in this film, they have such an effortlessly playful chemistry and the dialog is full of wit, thanks to Aaron Sorkin’s script. No wonder it ranks number 75 on AFI’s Greatest Love Stories in American Cinema!

One of my favorite part of this movie is the lovely music. It has that dignified, ‘presidential’ feel to it but also kind of romantic.

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Composer Marc Shiaman has frequently worked with director Rob Reiner, previously on When Harry Met Sally and A Few Good Men. He’s been nominated for Oscar five times, starting with Sleepless in Seattle (1994), The American President (1995), The First Wives Club (1997), Patch Adams (1999) and South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut (2000).

It’s interesting to note that this movie inspired Sorkin to write the TV show The West Wing, and Martin Sheen got an upgrade from playing the White House Chief of Staff to playing President Bartlet on the show. Though the film’s president is from the Democratic party, the music apparently transcend party lines. According to its IMDb trivia, the theme was also used as the background music in ABC television’s coverage of President Ronald Reagan’s funeral.

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What’s your thoughts on today’s movie music?

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Top Five Favorite Andy Williams Songs

A piece of sad news came over the radio waves this morning as I heard that legendary crooner Andy Williams passed away after a year-long battle with bladder cancer at the age of 84.

My mother was a huge fan of his music, along with other popular vocalists in the 60s and 70s like Frank Sinatra, Matt Monro, etc. so I grew up listening to his songs. There might have been at least a half dozen Andy Williams CDs at my house, and every Christmas, his holiday album would be a staple.

His photos in his album covers always show a warm, inviting smile… on top of being one of the world’s greatest singers, the Iowa-born gentleman is also a natural entertainer. No wonder his TV variety show aptly titled The Andy Williams Show was a huge success, it ran for almost a decade from 1962 – 1971. If it were around now I’d sure be watching that as he often showcased fellow singing legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, etc. His charming, easy-going personality made him the perfect host for a variety of award shows like the Grammys, the Golden Globes, etc. which he did a few times.

I LOVE his high baritone voice, it’s just so beautiful and soothing to listen to. Somehow his vibrant, genial personality always come through his songs, whether it’s an upbeat tune or a more melancholy one.

A lot of his songs have been used time and time again in various films. Hi signature song is of course Moon River, one of my personal favorites that got a lot of play in my house growing up. The song from Audrey Hepburn film Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) won an Oscar for Best Original Song and Mr. Williams sang the song during the Oscar ceremony.

As a tribute to the music legend, here are five of my favorite songs:

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A Time for Us

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Can’t Get Used to Loving You

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Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You

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It’s The Most Wonderful Time in the World

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Moon River

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So what’s YOUR favorite Andy Williams’ song(s)?

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Featurette Spotlight: Les Misérables … Can’t get ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ out of my head!

One thing for sure, there won’t be a lack of awesome films this December. There are a few I’m giddily anticipating, Gerry Butler’s soccer comedy Playing for Keeps and of course, The Hobbit!! I’m not posting the second trailer as right now I’m already sold on it long ago anyway, but if you haven’t seen it, it’s on Terrence’s Trailer Time Thursday post.

Now, I had been curious about Les Misérables, and the first trailer has certainly sold me. This new featurettes shows just another reason why this movie quickly shoots up to be my most-anticipated musicals ever!! It’s not enough that Tom Hooper has assembled a brilliant cast that seems to fit the roles, he’s also got this shrewd technique of having all the actors sing the songs LIVE on set! Check it out:

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I LOVE this kind of featurette as you get a glimpse into the actors’ and filmmakers’ head and the challenges they face in portraying their roles. I’m a sucker for all the behind-the-scenes stuff that go on before the final piece is presented, and to me, for a story that’s already so well-know, the magic is not lost. I that high level of authenticity in the way the actors perform the song.

I could easily title this post ‘the year I’m warming up to Anne Hathaway‘ as I have been quite impressed with her lately, first with her performance in The Dark Knight Rises as Selina, and now this. Even before seeing the final film, she seemed to have worked her super hard on this film and obviously she’s got a great set of pipes for all that singing. The crucial part is the emotional resonance, as without that this film wouldn’t have made a dent. On that note, I think Anne pulled it off as I truly feel for Fantine’s well, misery. There’s something authentic about her portrayal that the words of the song I’ve heard over and over again somehow feels fresh and oh so heart-wrenching!! I’m a crier by nature but for the life of me I can’t stop my tears from falling even just hearing a few notes of this song!! I definitely will be packing a BOX of tissue going to the movies on Christmas day. I Dreamed A Dream has been stuck in my head since yesterday, and every few minutes I find myself humming it, just ask my poor husband, ahah!

Now, I realize you can’t compare the two stories but since both are costume dramas, I just want to say that Keira Knightley’s attempt to evoke her marital despair in Anna Karenina fails to elicit even the slightest pity from me.

Nothing much to say about the two main male cast: Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, both certainly have the charisma and showmanship to carry off the roles of Valjean and Javert, respectively. I can’t wait to see these two hunky Aussies to square off against each other, in tunes no less!

I’m also excited to see Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thénardier, and Eddie Redmayne in the second movie I’ll see him in. He was quite good in My Week With Marilyn. Now, since I haven’t seen Victor Hugo’s stage adaptation before, this will be my first introduction to one of the most celebrated musicals of all time. Can’t wait!!

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Are you excited for this one folks?

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Labor Day Music Break: 80s Workplace Movies

Happy Labor Day my fellow American & Canadian friends!

Hope you are enjoying your day off, but if you somehow have to work today, well hats off to you and I hope you are well-compensated for it! :D In honor of labor day, I thought I’d post a couple of soundtracks from two workplace movies from the 80s. I’m sure there are a whole bunch of 80s/90s workplace movie out there, but I just picked these two movies as the soundtrack are quite memorable.

Working Girl (1988)

Just a year after Gordon Gekko professed that ‘greed is good‘ in 1987′s Oliver Stone’s film, comes Mike Nichol’s comedy/drama on what it takes for an ambitious woman to get ahead in a man’s world in Manhattan. If you could get past the 80s fashion of big shoulder pads and big bouffant — not to mention Melanie Griffith’s little girl voice — the movie is really quite enjoyable. It’s a Cinderella story set in Wall Street, with a boss from hell (scenery-chewing Sigourney Weaver) as her wicked stepmother and a handsome radio executive Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford) as her dashing prince.

One of the most memorable part of this movie is the rousing anthem from Carly Simon, Let The River Run. The song, which was also written by Simon, won an Oscar for Best Original Song. I always think of the Staten Island ferry with the Manhattan skyline every time this music is played.

I also like the instrumental version, the beat is just so catchy. Nice touch having Carly humming the theme and the subtle choir in the background.

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The Secret of My Success (1987)

I used to LOVE this movie growing up. Even a couple of years ago when I was in a hotel and the movie was playing on TV, I couldn’t help but watch it. It’s a comedy satire about a kid from a small time in Kansas who’ve always dreamed of making it big in The Big Apple. 80s ‘it boy’ Michael J. Fox is just perfect as Brantley Foster, I really can’t imagine anyone else in this role and all his antics pretending to be an executive under the name Carlton Whitfield yields a lot of laughs. But it’s Margaret Whitton as her lustful auntie Vera who steals the show, whilst doe-eyed Helen Slater is relegated to nothing more than eye candy as Brantley’s love interest.

Being a massive David Foster fan throughout high school, of course I LOVE his score, especially his Golden-Globe nominated theme Water Fountain. I used to listen to David Foster’s CDs constantly and I think this is one of my favorites. This music and the movie is just pure 80s nostalgia.

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Happy Labor Day everyone! Have you seen either one of these movies?