Here is a summary of the films reviewed on today's show:
Focus is a mixed effort. Will Smith and Margot Robbie are a lot of fun to watch and the movie is never boring but the filmmakers botch a promising start with stupid plot twists and contrived character motivations.
The Lazarus Effect may entertain adolescent horror fans whose idea of cinematic terror is Paranormal Activity. But for everyone else, The Lazarus Effect lazily rips off a lot of other and better movies and throws them together in a horror mishmash that doesn’t make sense.
Thirty years after its release, Re-Animator remains an
impressive piece of sci-fi horror. It is a cult film and it is
certainly flawed but it’s also got a level of energy and imagination
that differentiate it from virtually any mad scientist picture made
before or since.
You can find full text of every review on the Sounds of Cinema Review Archive.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Songs Inspired by Movies
Today’s episode of Sounds of Cinema featured songs inspired by motion pictures. What follows are some tunes that didn’t make it into today’s show.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The metal group Austrian Death Machine is a tongue in cheek tribute to Arnold Schwarzenegger. A side project of As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis, the band has released three albums and each song is based upon a piece of dialogue from Schwarzenegger’s movies such as “Get to the Choppa” and “I Eat Green Berets for Breakfast.”
Bette Davis
The biggest hit song of 1981 was “Bette Davis Eyes” performed by Kim Carnes. The song paid tribute to the actress, who was best known for roles in movies like All About Eve and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Blade Runner
Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is one of the most influential films ever made but its impact goes beyond other science fiction movies. Synthetica, the fifth album by Canadian rock band Metric, was inspired by Blade Runner and the songs made parallels between the Replicants of the movie the artificiality of contemporary pop music. Blade Runner has also been the subject of Moments Lost, a music and visual art project inspired by the film.
Casablanca
Many of the lyrics to Al Stewart’s song “Year of the Cat” were inspired by the dialogue in the Humphry Bogart classic Casablanca.
E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial
Neil Diamond was inspired to write the song “Heartlight” after watching Steven Spielberg’s 1982 hit E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial. In that film a boy befriends an alien who is stranded on earth and whenever E.T. becomes stressed or emotional his heart glows.Unfortunately, the song writers didn't secure the rights ahead of time and were required to pay Universal $25,000.
Forrest Gump
Frank Oceans’s 2012 album Channel Orange included the track “Forrest Gump” which references the events and characters from the 1994 movie.
The Grapes of Wrath
Featured on the album Dust Bowl Ballads, folk singer Woody Guthrie paid tribute to John Ford’s 1940 feature film adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath with a song about Tom Joad, played in the film by Henry Fonda.
The Red Shoes
Based on a fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, the 1948 feature film The Red Shoes was about a woman who must choose between the man she loves and a career as a ballerina. The film inspired British musician Kate Bush who released the album The Red Shoes in 1993. Along with the album, Bush also released a companion short film “The Line, the Cross and the Curve.”
Scarface
1983’s Scarface made a profound impact on rap music. Throughout the 2000s, MTV ran the popular reality show Cribs, in which a celebrity would take the audience on a tour of their home and virtually every time the show visited a rapper’s domicile he or she would show off their copy of Scarface or a movie poster would be seen hanging from the wall. The influence of Scarface was so far reaching that a new audio mix was proposed for the home video release, in which the 1980s disco tunes would be replaced by contemporary rap music. Scarface composer Giorgio Moroder was on board with the idea but it was shot down by director Brian De Plama. On the twentieth anniversary of the film a Scarface tribute album was released and it included artists like Jay-Z, N.W.A., and The Notorious B.I.G.
Un Chien Andalou
The first song on The Pixies 1989 album Doolittle is “Debaser,” which was inspired by the surrealist film Un Chien Andalou directed by Luis Buñuel in collaboration with Salvador Dali. The film was quite controversial at the time, mostly for its opening scene in which an eyeball is sliced open with a razor. That controversy is reflected in the title of the song.
Wonderwall
The 1968 film Wonderwall was a surrealist movie about an eccentric professor who becomes obsessed with a young woman and gradually loses his ability to distinguish between reality and illusion. The film featured music by former Beatle George Harrison and it later inspired the song “Wonderwall” by Oasis.
A lot of the information on this post and in this week’s edition of Sounds of Cinema was collected from this article at songfacts.com.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The metal group Austrian Death Machine is a tongue in cheek tribute to Arnold Schwarzenegger. A side project of As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis, the band has released three albums and each song is based upon a piece of dialogue from Schwarzenegger’s movies such as “Get to the Choppa” and “I Eat Green Berets for Breakfast.”
Bette Davis
The biggest hit song of 1981 was “Bette Davis Eyes” performed by Kim Carnes. The song paid tribute to the actress, who was best known for roles in movies like All About Eve and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Blade Runner
Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is one of the most influential films ever made but its impact goes beyond other science fiction movies. Synthetica, the fifth album by Canadian rock band Metric, was inspired by Blade Runner and the songs made parallels between the Replicants of the movie the artificiality of contemporary pop music. Blade Runner has also been the subject of Moments Lost, a music and visual art project inspired by the film.
Casablanca
Many of the lyrics to Al Stewart’s song “Year of the Cat” were inspired by the dialogue in the Humphry Bogart classic Casablanca.
E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial
Neil Diamond was inspired to write the song “Heartlight” after watching Steven Spielberg’s 1982 hit E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial. In that film a boy befriends an alien who is stranded on earth and whenever E.T. becomes stressed or emotional his heart glows.Unfortunately, the song writers didn't secure the rights ahead of time and were required to pay Universal $25,000.
Forrest Gump
Frank Oceans’s 2012 album Channel Orange included the track “Forrest Gump” which references the events and characters from the 1994 movie.
The Grapes of Wrath
Featured on the album Dust Bowl Ballads, folk singer Woody Guthrie paid tribute to John Ford’s 1940 feature film adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath with a song about Tom Joad, played in the film by Henry Fonda.
The Red Shoes
Based on a fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, the 1948 feature film The Red Shoes was about a woman who must choose between the man she loves and a career as a ballerina. The film inspired British musician Kate Bush who released the album The Red Shoes in 1993. Along with the album, Bush also released a companion short film “The Line, the Cross and the Curve.”
Scarface
1983’s Scarface made a profound impact on rap music. Throughout the 2000s, MTV ran the popular reality show Cribs, in which a celebrity would take the audience on a tour of their home and virtually every time the show visited a rapper’s domicile he or she would show off their copy of Scarface or a movie poster would be seen hanging from the wall. The influence of Scarface was so far reaching that a new audio mix was proposed for the home video release, in which the 1980s disco tunes would be replaced by contemporary rap music. Scarface composer Giorgio Moroder was on board with the idea but it was shot down by director Brian De Plama. On the twentieth anniversary of the film a Scarface tribute album was released and it included artists like Jay-Z, N.W.A., and The Notorious B.I.G.
Un Chien Andalou
The first song on The Pixies 1989 album Doolittle is “Debaser,” which was inspired by the surrealist film Un Chien Andalou directed by Luis Buñuel in collaboration with Salvador Dali. The film was quite controversial at the time, mostly for its opening scene in which an eyeball is sliced open with a razor. That controversy is reflected in the title of the song.
Wonderwall
The 1968 film Wonderwall was a surrealist movie about an eccentric professor who becomes obsessed with a young woman and gradually loses his ability to distinguish between reality and illusion. The film featured music by former Beatle George Harrison and it later inspired the song “Wonderwall” by Oasis.
A lot of the information on this post and in this week’s edition of Sounds of Cinema was collected from this article at songfacts.com.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Songs Inspired by Movies on Sounds of Cinema
The episode of Sounds of Cinema airing on March 1, 2015 will feature a look at songs inspired by motion pictures. The program will include music from artists such as Elton John, The Coasters, and Weird Al. After the show airs be sure and check back here at the Sounds of Cinema blog for more songs that didn't make it into the broadcast.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Film Reviews: February 8, 2015
Here is a recap of the films reviewed on today's show:
Taken 3 is no better or worse than the movies Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Segal were making in the 1990s and so it is satisfying as a dumb action movie.
The filmmakers of Black or White try to have it both ways; the film has complicated characters in an overly simplistic story. Black or White is acceptable as a feel good movie but the optimism is forced.
The Boy Next Door is a stupid movie that’s not sexy enough to be an erotic thriller nor is it trashy enough to be any fun.
As a film directed at the youth market, Project Almanac is an acceptable sci-fi movie. For older viewers, Project Almanac is a frustrating film because it possesses the potential to be a much better movie than it is.
Earth to Echo is a fine family-friendly adventure. It’s no classic but the picture is sufficiently entertaining for both children and their parents.
You can find the full text of each review in the Sounds of Cinema review archive.
Taken 3 is no better or worse than the movies Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Segal were making in the 1990s and so it is satisfying as a dumb action movie.
The filmmakers of Black or White try to have it both ways; the film has complicated characters in an overly simplistic story. Black or White is acceptable as a feel good movie but the optimism is forced.
The Boy Next Door is a stupid movie that’s not sexy enough to be an erotic thriller nor is it trashy enough to be any fun.
As a film directed at the youth market, Project Almanac is an acceptable sci-fi movie. For older viewers, Project Almanac is a frustrating film because it possesses the potential to be a much better movie than it is.
Earth to Echo is a fine family-friendly adventure. It’s no classic but the picture is sufficiently entertaining for both children and their parents.
You can find the full text of each review in the Sounds of Cinema review archive.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Best and Worst Films of 2014
On today's episode of Sounds of Cinema I counted down my picks of the best and worst films of 2014.
Best:
1.Boyhood
2. Birdman
3. Whiplash
4. Noah
5. Gone Girl
6. Happy Valley
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel
8. Life Itself
9. Selma
10. Nymphomaniac
Worst:
You can find more information, including rationales for each film and lists of honorable mentions and cinematic trends of 2014, here.
Best:
1.Boyhood
2. Birdman
3. Whiplash
4. Noah
5. Gone Girl
6. Happy Valley
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel
8. Life Itself
9. Selma
10. Nymphomaniac
Worst:
- America: Imagine a World Without Her
- A Haunted House 2
- No Good Deed
- Persecuted
- The Expendables 3
- And So It Goes
- Deliver Us from Evil
- Sabotage
- Transcendence
- Men, Women & Children
You can find more information, including rationales for each film and lists of honorable mentions and cinematic trends of 2014, here.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
2014 Year End Wrap Up Coming Soon
Sounds of Cinema will feature a year-end wrap up on January 25th in which I will announce my picks of the best and worst films of 2014. Be sure to tune in and see if your favorites made the cut.
Until then, here is a look at best and worst lists from other critics:
Best:
The A.V. Club - The Best of Film 2014
BFI - The 20 Best Films of 2014
The Dissolve - The Best Films of 2014
Entertainment Weekly - Chris Nashawaty - The 10 Best/Five Worst Movies of 2014
Film Comment - Best Films of 2014
The Hollywood Reporter - Todd McCarthy's 10 Best Films of 2014
IndieWire - The 20 Best Films of 2014
Kermode Uncut - My Top Ten Films of 2014 Part 1 and Part 2
Richard Roeper - Best Movies of 2014
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers' 10 Best Movies of 2014
Rotten Tomatoes List of the 100 Best Reviewed Films of 2014
Slate - Top 10 Movies of 2014
Time - Richard Corliss - Top 10 Best Movies
What the Flick - Critics Pick the BEST Films of The Year
Worst:
The A.V. Club - The 20 Worst Films of 2014
The Dissolve - The Worst Films of 2014
IndieWire - The 20 Worst Films of 2014
Richard Roeper - Worst Movies of 2014
RiffTrax's Worst Movies of 2014
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers' 10 Worst Movies of 2014
Kermode Uncut - My Worst Ten Films of 2014 - Part 1 and Part 2
Vulture - Simon Abrams - Critics Poll: What Was the Worst Movie of 2014?
What the Flick - The Absolute Worst Movies of 2014
Until then, here is a look at best and worst lists from other critics:
Best:
The A.V. Club - The Best of Film 2014
BFI - The 20 Best Films of 2014
The Dissolve - The Best Films of 2014
Entertainment Weekly - Chris Nashawaty - The 10 Best/Five Worst Movies of 2014
Film Comment - Best Films of 2014
The Hollywood Reporter - Todd McCarthy's 10 Best Films of 2014
IndieWire - The 20 Best Films of 2014
Kermode Uncut - My Top Ten Films of 2014 Part 1 and Part 2
Richard Roeper - Best Movies of 2014
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers' 10 Best Movies of 2014
Rotten Tomatoes List of the 100 Best Reviewed Films of 2014
Slate - Top 10 Movies of 2014
Time - Richard Corliss - Top 10 Best Movies
What the Flick - Critics Pick the BEST Films of The Year
Worst:
The A.V. Club - The 20 Worst Films of 2014
The Dissolve - The Worst Films of 2014
IndieWire - The 20 Worst Films of 2014
Richard Roeper - Worst Movies of 2014
RiffTrax's Worst Movies of 2014
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers' 10 Worst Movies of 2014
Kermode Uncut - My Worst Ten Films of 2014 - Part 1 and Part 2
Vulture - Simon Abrams - Critics Poll: What Was the Worst Movie of 2014?
What the Flick - The Absolute Worst Movies of 2014
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Film Reviews: January 4 and 11, 2015
Here is a summary of films reviewed recently:
January 11, 2015:
The Gambler has an awful lot of good stuff in it but for a movie that fancies itself as a throwback to 1970s-era grittiness, the film’s edge is dulled by commercial concessions. It’s a satisfactory piece of entertainment but it could have been much more.
The Interview may not be the subversive political satire that some viewers have been led to believe. However, it is very funny, highly entertaining, and the filmmakers accomplish exactly what they set out to do.
Tim Burton’s directorial career has been uneven lately, suffering from a lot of disappointing remakes, but he mostly rights himself with Big Eyes. This is neither Burton’s best work nor his worst but it is a successful drama about the relationship between an artist and her work.
At its most basic level, Wild successfully tells the story of a woman putting herself through a physical challenge and it features a career-best performance by Reese Witherspoon. The film comes up short in its deeper aspirations but what the movie does right far outweighs what it does wrong.
Calvary combines thoughtful filmmaking with wit, sensitivity, and compelling characters. This is a picture that has somehow slipped beneath the radar of a lot of audiences and critics but the picture is worth a look by both religious viewers and general audiences.
January 4, 2015
Top Five is the third feature film that Chris Rock has directed and he’s showing steady growth as a filmmaker. The movie is strained by some of its excesses but those flaws are far outweighed by its sincerity and the likable chemistry between Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson.
The 2014 remake of Annie is an admirable attempt and it’s well cast but the movie is lacking in too many critical areas. It’s dramatically limp and it fails to yoke the feel-good sentiment that viewers of this kind of thing will be looking for.
Night at the Museum: The Secret of the Tomb is at best a mediocre capstone to what’s been an unexceptional series. The first movie was fun but the sequels never justified their existence and the last entry is an underwhelming finale.
Into the Woods has a lot of talent in front of the camera but the filmmakers do not marshal the skills of their cast to serve a story that is interesting. The movie is ambitious but that ambition is never realized on the screen.
The tale of Unbroken is extraordinary and in terms of cinematic craft it is well made. Those two qualities carry the movie and make it an acceptable piece of entertainment. But as a dramatization it ultimately misses the most interesting part of its subject.
Adult World is a movie that could have been great but is merely good. That’s enough to merit a recommendation. Adult World is a pretty standard coming of age tale but has enough bite to distinguish the film from similar titles.
Remember that you can find the full text of each review in the Sounds of Cinema review archive.
January 11, 2015:
The Gambler has an awful lot of good stuff in it but for a movie that fancies itself as a throwback to 1970s-era grittiness, the film’s edge is dulled by commercial concessions. It’s a satisfactory piece of entertainment but it could have been much more.
The Interview may not be the subversive political satire that some viewers have been led to believe. However, it is very funny, highly entertaining, and the filmmakers accomplish exactly what they set out to do.
Tim Burton’s directorial career has been uneven lately, suffering from a lot of disappointing remakes, but he mostly rights himself with Big Eyes. This is neither Burton’s best work nor his worst but it is a successful drama about the relationship between an artist and her work.
At its most basic level, Wild successfully tells the story of a woman putting herself through a physical challenge and it features a career-best performance by Reese Witherspoon. The film comes up short in its deeper aspirations but what the movie does right far outweighs what it does wrong.
Calvary combines thoughtful filmmaking with wit, sensitivity, and compelling characters. This is a picture that has somehow slipped beneath the radar of a lot of audiences and critics but the picture is worth a look by both religious viewers and general audiences.
January 4, 2015
Top Five is the third feature film that Chris Rock has directed and he’s showing steady growth as a filmmaker. The movie is strained by some of its excesses but those flaws are far outweighed by its sincerity and the likable chemistry between Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson.
The 2014 remake of Annie is an admirable attempt and it’s well cast but the movie is lacking in too many critical areas. It’s dramatically limp and it fails to yoke the feel-good sentiment that viewers of this kind of thing will be looking for.
Night at the Museum: The Secret of the Tomb is at best a mediocre capstone to what’s been an unexceptional series. The first movie was fun but the sequels never justified their existence and the last entry is an underwhelming finale.
Into the Woods has a lot of talent in front of the camera but the filmmakers do not marshal the skills of their cast to serve a story that is interesting. The movie is ambitious but that ambition is never realized on the screen.
The tale of Unbroken is extraordinary and in terms of cinematic craft it is well made. Those two qualities carry the movie and make it an acceptable piece of entertainment. But as a dramatization it ultimately misses the most interesting part of its subject.
Adult World is a movie that could have been great but is merely good. That’s enough to merit a recommendation. Adult World is a pretty standard coming of age tale but has enough bite to distinguish the film from similar titles.
Remember that you can find the full text of each review in the Sounds of Cinema review archive.
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