lotus0kid: (Default)
lotus0kid ([personal profile] lotus0kid) wrote2009-08-28 07:30 pm
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Holy crap, look, it's a distraction!

For both f-list people and myself. From [livejournal.com profile] fannish5:

Name five effective uses of songs in movies or tv shows.

1. "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan in Watchmen. Just inspired, really. The song gets a brief mention in the GN, IIRC, but the way they used it in the opening credits is amazing.

2. "We Will Rock You" by Queen in A Knight's Tale. Hee, okay, I know the film's not a classic by any standard, but I love the way they brought together modern music and the "medieval" setting. I lost it when I noticed that during the guitar solo, there's a guy with a trumpet playing along. A close second is the music playing when William's crew make the bet with the Frenchmen. If you listen closely, you'll realize it's regular bar music, kind of blues-y country, just in a whatever-century pub. There are even people inexplicably dancing to it. Awesome.

3. "Staralfur" by Sigur Ros in both The Life Aquatic and The Girl in the Cafe. Oh man, this song. Okay, you know in Shawshank Redemption when Red talks about the opera song Andy plays, and how he doesn't want to know what the words are in English because he likes to think they're singing about something so beautiful it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it? That's this song, for me. It comes at what I consider the emotional climax of both movies, and it just.. makes your heart ache, appropriately enough.

4. "Whole Wide World" by Wreckless Eric in Stranger Than Fiction. The scene in which this song features is proof positive that anyone can look hot while playing guitar, even an almost terminally dorky Will Ferrell. Also, I guess, something about the power of music, how it can build deep bonds between people in an instant.

5. "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Aww. Everybody dances! I get chills, TBH, seeing a street filled to bursting with people all dancing and singing together. It's just.. nice. And, of course, the Beatles- I mean, 'nuff said.

Runners-up: "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Nancy Sinatra in Kill Bill Vol. 1. "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John in Almost Famous. "Lucia Di Lammermoor" by Gaetano Donizetti in The Fifth Element. "Goody Two Shoes" by Adam Ant in Hot Fuzz.

ETA: Links to vids-
1. "The Times They Are a-Changin'"
2. Couldn't find one, sorry.
3. "Staralfur" in Life Aquatic WARNING: Serious spoilers. I mean it. I hesitate to even have the link at all. DO NOT WATCH this if you haven't seen the movie.
4. "Whole Wide World" WARNING: Not entirely work-safe.
5. "Twist and Shout"

Runner-up vids I could find:
"Tiny Dancer"
"Lucia Di Lammermoor"

[identity profile] visiblemarket.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
Aw, this is a nice meme. I honestly don't think I could do it, because the minute I wanted to I'd have to track down all the songs mentioned and buy them or something. But you've already got me thinking about it, so darn, I probably will.

I love A Knight's Tale, anachronistic as it is. It's just so damn fun, and honestly, not that much less "historically accurate" than certain other more legitimate period pieces. Plus Wash is in it. With an accent and everything.

Also, I seriously do need to watch The Girl in the Cafe, don't I? I put it on the netflix queue but I still have others in front of it that I haven't watched.

[identity profile] lotus0kid.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:04 am (UTC)(link)
It helps when you actually already own all of the songs. You have fun now!

I think you just kind of have to go into it thinking that it's set in an AU Middle Ages, pretty much. Then it works just fine. XD It does indeed.

If you want to, sure. I only saw it the one time, but I definitely enjoyed it.

[identity profile] visiblemarket.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
Bah! I got bogged down after I realized all the ones I could think of where from Scrubs and Casablanca. That's seriously about it.

Hee, indeed. What with the medieval-style London Eye and the princess's neon-dyed hair tips. The peripheral characters are much more interesting than the leads, but I always think that.

[identity profile] lotus0kid.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
Ooh, Scrubs has some very good ones indeed. Ah well. I'm comfortable with my list. I actually had to pull up my iTunes library, just to make sure I didn't forget anything really important. Almost left off "Whole Wide World," which would've been a crime.

There was a London Eye? Don't recall that, hm. I couldn't agree more, though at least the leads were nice to look at.

[identity profile] visiblemarket.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
Just the whole musical episode on its own, and the "Waiting for My Real Life to Begin" scene, and "99 Luftballons", and Turk singing/dancing along to...well, anything, but "Safety Dance" and the Sugarhill Gang song...this is why I could not do this meme. It would be all Scrubs, and then the "La marseillaise" scene from Casablanca.

It's in London (clearly) near the Thames in some scene where they pan up. But it's basically just a medieval-looking ferris wheel. Mm, yeah, Heath Ledger was lovely, as was the girl whose name I can't remember right now.

[identity profile] lotus0kid.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
Hee, the "99 Luftballons"- I forgot about that. How about Dr Wen and his love of "A Little Respect" by Erasure? I never would've heard that awesome song (and subsequently included it on a Plaude mix) if not for that episode. Well, I think if you really tried you could pick a favorite Scrubs song and move on, but okay.

Hm, I'll keep an eye out for it next time I watch the movie. Shannyn Sossaman, who has done surprisingly little since. I dunno, maybe she's doing theater nowadays or something.

[identity profile] visiblemarket.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
No, the best Dr. Wen music moment, in my opinion, is the "A Surgeon and a Doc!/Above it all!" duet with Dr. Cox. If I had to absolutely gun to my head pick, I would say the "Waiting for My Real Life to Begin" is my favorite Scrubs music moment. But...still.

I remember spotting it on the second (maybe third?) viewing and thinking it was just such a cute little touch to have; completely random, but still. Ah yes, Ms. Sossaman; I remember her in 40 Days and 40 Nights, and she was probably the best part of it.

[identity profile] lotus0kid.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
Annnd now that's stuck in my head. Thanks. I don't recall "Waiting for My Real Life to Begin."

She was in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang too, for a little bit. She wore a pink wig. That's.. the only thing I've seen her in besides A Knight's Tale.

[identity profile] visiblemarket.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
Hee, sorry. I just looked it up on youtube and it's as hilarious as I remembered. Waiting for My Real Life to Begin; it loses a bit in just being the song, because the way it's tied into the episode is great, but it always breaks my heart.

Oh, that's right, she gets killed, doesn't she?

[identity profile] lotus0kid.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, right, I thought it might be this. Sorry, I got distracted by John C. McGinley's pathetic excuse for chest compressions. Dude, were you trying to save her life or gently nudge her awake from a light nap? You can do better than that.

Yeah, and consequently has that cool, completely random moment with Harry under the bed.

[identity profile] visiblemarket.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
*laughs* I didn't even notice that. Of course I just got distracted by the Polyphonic Spree episode as well. *sigh*

Does she? I don't even remember. I know she was sort of a baddie, only in the end she redeemed herself. Or maybe I'm confusing her with someone else.

[identity profile] lotus0kid.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
Oh yeah, I remember when the Polyphonic Spree all trooped in. Good times.

Eh, I wouldn't say she redeems herself. It's just kind of sad the way she dies. And, of course, there's poor Harry under the bed, watching her die.

[identity profile] visiblemarket.livejournal.com 2009-08-29 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
Seriously. I just recently ended up downloading that song as part of a fanmix and was so happy just to have it, it always cheers me up.

Ah, that would be; I remember feeling sad when she died, at least.