My Top 10 Favourite Song Soundtracks

10.  The Breakfast Club

Possibly one of my favourite movies from the 80’s (there are a lot of them) the soundtrack for The Breakfast Club is still played on my IPod regularly. Don’t You Forget About Me by Simple Minds and We Are Not Alone - Karla DeVito are the best song on the album and the ones that are found in playlists on my IPod (l have about 5 movie playlists all depending on the mood I'm in). While the rest of the Album is not as good as these two songs it’s still worth listening to.

9. Dirty Dancing

 I don’t recall the first time l saw Dirty Dancing, l do however remember my Nan being the one to let me watch it and l fell in love with it - not just the movie but the music as well.  Especially I've had the time of my life. I used to sit and rewind the ending over and over and it wasn't just to see the epic dance scene between Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray, most of the time l wasn't watching but dancing along to the music. From the opening song (Big Girls Don’t Cry) to the last song l love them all particularly Do You Love Me? And Hey Baby. Whenever l play this album in my head l am transported back to Kellerman’s and reliving the movie in my head all thanks to a great set of songs.

8. Dark Shadows

I'm a big Tim Burton fan and will give all his movies a go. Dark Shadows- one of his newer ones - didn't get amazing reviews but I enjoyed it for what it was - a bit of fun and with that being said that’s exactly what this soundtrack is. The soundtrack features a score of several contemporaneous 1970s rock and pop songs  along with others from later and slightly earlier, including songs by Alex Cooper, Top of the World by the Carpenters and T-Rex’s Get It On, my only complaint with this album was they left off two song used in the movie- Crocodile Rock by Elton John and Superfly by Curtis Mayfield, not worry now though as l simply added them in!

 7. Beastly

On the Radio lyrics - Regina Spektor 

Let me start off by saying l hated this movie. Apart from an appearance by Neil Patrick Harris this movie didn't have much going for it. Loosely based on the book by Alex Flinn It’s a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in modern day, the acting was mediocre and you could see what was coming way before it happened.  I was ready to give up and about to turn it off when Regina Spektor’s  On the Radio started to play this made me stop (l am a huge fan of hers).  l left the movie on simply to see if we would hear any more of her work, while we don’t the songs you do hear are pretty good. Pixie Lott has two songs on the album along with a fun song called Vanity by Hanover Swain & Garden of Exile by Toby Martin.  This Soundtrack remind of Twilight - while the movie isn't great the music choice is (I'm not a big fan of Twilight but l do love the songs they use, they have good taste when it comes to music) 

6.  The First Time

This my newest soundtrack and while it took me a little while to get into the movie l noticed the songs straight away, whoever was in charge of the picking the soundtrack for this movie did well. The movie itself is a little quirky and while it’s labelled a teen romantic comedy, l feel it’s more of a teen drama.  The soundtrack has a great mix of songs, all of them were unknown to me and when l searched the album l found a few songs missing and l had to go searching for the rest luckily someone out there listed every song. While this was only added to my IPod Sunday night it’s become one of my favourites to listen to. 

5. The Nightmare before Christmas

So while this is technically a musical of sorts , it is one of the most played albums l own and l could probably recite the songs word for word (especially Kidnap the Sandy Claws) this would have to be my all time favourite of Tim Burton’s and not one that l wait to listen to/watch till Christmas. Danny Elfman was in charge of composing and he was brilliant at it - not one song on this is boring; the soundtrack is fun to listen to and has that great dark undertone to it while still being upbeat in places. (I know technically this isn't a compilation of songs for a movie but l                                                                                       just couldn't leave it off my list). 

4.  Empire Records

Let’s face it as much as we love the characters from Empire Records (Lucas is my favourite) it’s the songs we hear that makes this movie a somewhat cult classic now.  The music varies in the movie giving you an eclectic mix depending on who is choosing the music within the store, there is the dreadful song by Rex Manning but you find it funny to listen to more than off putting and thankfully it’s only played in the film and not on the soundtrack. There are only 16 tracks listed on the soundtrack, you hear a lot more songs throughout the film and if you want any of these songs you need to track them down yourself, which is what l did and now have a playlist simply for songs used in Empire records l think it’s about 30 songs my favourite being Money (that’s what l want) by Flying Lizards.

 3.  Take Me Home Tonight

This film is obviously a nod to John Hughes work from the 80’s the film is great and you really get the 80’s vibe thanks to the clothes worn and the awesome music. Most of this album is in the top 25 most played on my IPod.  There are some fantastic songs on here including Bette Davis Eyes, Video Killed the Radio Star and Let My Love Open the Door. This soundtrack also have sound clips from the movie which l quite like - you finish a song then you get a small extract from the movie, it takes you back that scene and gives you a small chuckle. The only thing that annoys me is that the song by the same name as the movie (only used in the trailer) is not played in the movie so of course is not on the soundtrack. 

This clip was made for the movie the song is Don't You Want Me by Atomic Tom - try to guess all the 80's flick the cast act out through the clip!

2. Warm Bodies

I was waiting very impatiently for this movie as l’m a big fan of the book and while l wasn't 100% taken with it l did love the songs used. There is a mix of quite different songs on the Warm Bodies soundtrack - one minute you are listening to Roy Orbison singing Pretty Woman to then you get Midnight City by M83 and l think that’s why l like it, with such an eclectic range of songs it never gets boring to listen to and if you’re not really sure what you want to listen to this soundtrack is one of the best. It’s usually the one l choose driving home from work.  I was hoping for some Frank Sinatra songs as his music was used in the book quite a bit, but was left out in the movie so l simply added a few into the album when uploading to my IPod. 

                                                                                    1. (500) Days of Summer

“(500) Days of Summer is not a love story. It is a story of “boy meets girl", begins the wry, probing narrator, and with that the film takes off. This is also exactly how the soundtrack starts. We get our intro and then comes Regina Spektor’s Us (as mentioned in Beastly l’m a big fan of Regina’s) and bonus - this is not the only song we hear from her. Later on we get Hero, add in a few songs from The Smiths (one being There is a Light that Never Goes Out) and you have yourself a great soundtrack. The rest of the soundtrack could have been terrible and l wouldn’t have minded, having two of my favourite artists this was already a winner for me but luckily the soundtrack wins all the way - with songs from Temper Trap, Feist and Hall and Oats the soundtrack never falters. The final song is by Zooey Deschanel’s band She and Him and this is the cherry on top of an already perfect soundtrack. 

Come in close, because the more you think you see, the easier it'll be to fool you - Now you See Me Review

Can l just start by saying l adored this film - it’s got a bit of everything, it twists and turns and keeps you guessing through the whole time and just when you think you have figured it out they reveal another twist and move onto the next one. It’s difficult but I really don’t want to give anything away in this movie. The basic plot is four illusionists (who become the Four Horsemen) with different skills are mysteriously enticed into working for a hidden trickster. They devise elaborate crimes while being pursued by the FBI and Interpol, and if they can pull it all off they’ll get a reward beyond their imagination.

The cast in this movie is large but everyone had a part to play. There is a main character in my opinion but l’m not saying who or why- that’s something you need to figure out for yourself. Our four magicians are J. Daniel (Jesse Eisenberg), Merrit (Woody Harrelson), Henley (Isla Fisher) and Jack (Dave Franco). None of the actors or characters is weak & they all hold their parts and play them well. Woody Harrelson stood out for me, his comedic wit works well, it’s understated and he delivers his lines perfectly. I think Dave Franco (James Franco’s brother) has a promising career ahead of him. He acts well and even though he shares the screen with 3 other magicians you can’t help but watch him when he’s on screen. These were my favourite group of characters and they worked well together and drew you in, making you want to see more of them.

Mark Ruffalo plays Dylan Rhodes, a tired somewhat unkempt FBI agent who is the one tasked with chasing the magicians and he is always one step behind them. Even when he thinks he’s getting somewhere the tables are turned and the FBI is made to look like fools. He plays his part well and you almost start to feel sorry for him but this doesn’t stop you cheering on our 4 Horsemen. His partner is Alma, a French detective from Interpol (played by Melanie Lauren). For the most part l like her, she plays her part and she and Mark play off one another well, unlike Mark’s character she believes in the magic and is interested in figuring out the magician’s tricks. There is a small sub plot between these two characters, which while it didn’t bother, me l felt was a bit superfluous.

Michael Caine plays Arthur Tressler, as always Michael plays his part fantastically it’s not a large part but it’s needed, and then we have the magnetic presence of Morgan Freeman playing Thaddeus Bradley - his character is known for debunking magicians ...their characters are perceived as observers really - watching the goings on the side lines on and you’re not sure how much they really know or whose side they are actually on.

The cast in this movie is strong. Not one person puts in a weak performance & all characters are believable. I have read on some reviews that they felt there was no character development but l don’t think this is true. If we were to learn too much about our characters it would give away too many plot twists. We are given enough to know what drives them and their purpose in the main scheme & this is all that’s needed.

The Four Horsemen have 3 shows through the movie. We start in Las Vegas, then New Orleans and finally New York and they merged well together. The cinematography in this film was fantastic - especially the chase through New Orleans and the sweeping views of New York City at night, it drew you in enough to make you think you were there. Then there was the music, which subtlety changed depending on what city we were in, adding another dimension.

It’s clear the director and writers worked together on this film, the movie doesn’t falter and there is a good mix of action while not losing the storyline. While the story is not exactly light you can follow it if you watch closely and listen hard enough to everything being said (even so mum and l didn’t guess the final twist till it was nearly revealed.) From what l can tell the plot holes were little and only a few things weren’t explained (the bubble trick being one) and these aren’t enough to make you question the film story line or disappoint you.

Overall this has been my favourite movie of the year (so far) and one I want to see again before it leaves the big screen, l think a second viewing would reveal a lot more. l have read there are rumours of a sequel and l hope these are true as l don’t feel l have seen enough of our Four Horsemen.

Review of The Wolverine (2013)

Saw The Wolverine last night, and l have to say l was impressed. We all know not all X Men movies are great take X Men Origins: Wolverine, the writing was sloppy, there were plot holes everywhere and the directing seemed to be a mess at times, Hugh Jackman worked with what he had and you still believed him to be Wolverine but that’s where it stopped.

The Wolverine has been brought out as one of the big blockbusters of the year and it delivers that on quite a few levels. There is action, drama, character development and a good storyline and this is where it shines. Most blockbuster movies sometimes concentrate too much on the action or the main character. It’s clear in The Wolverine that the writers, Mark Bomback and Scott Frank, thought their story through, referred back to the comic as much as possible and in the end presented a good story. I’m not saying it’s a carbon copy of the comic; there are a few changes for the movie in some places allowing it to flow on from X Men the last Stand. There are some minor plot holes but nothing big enough to make you question the movie. (Full disclosure: l have not read the comic - l have looked up the differences between the comic/movie and now feel the need to read it.)

I like James Mangold’s style of directing (Walk the Line and Girl Interrupted are both great works of his) and according to him, this film is a sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand ("Jean Grey is gone and most of the X-Men are disbanded, so there's a tremendous sense of isolation for Wolverine"). But with extended flashbacks, done extremely well, together James and Jack have worked to show how tormented the Wolverine really is over Jean and how isolated he has become. There is also a flashback of Wolverine saving Japanese soldier Yashida's life when the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, and this is the main backdrop for the story. Fast forward many, many years and now Yashida’s an old man on his death bed and, using Wolverine, wants to become immortal.

Thus Wolverine gets sucked in to Yashida’s family and our story really begins. There were two other directors attached to Wolverine (Guillermo del Toro and Darren Aronofsky) but lm happy the job went to James he showed a good balance between action and story not leaving anything half done.

Most actors played their parts well. Hugh Jackman is, of course, perfect as Wolverine and his dedication is obvious (anyone who dehydrates themselves for 36 hours before a shirtless shot so he looks more defined is either purely dedicated or a little crazy- haven’t decided which). This is the 6th time he has played this character and l feel this is his best performance yet putting all his effort into portraying a somewhat broken man.

Rila Fukushima plays Yukio and we get a small back story on who she is and why she’s there. I liked her character - she had presence when she was in a shot and for someone’s first big screen appearance she is arguably the breakout star of the film.

Tao Okamoto plays Mariko, Yashida's granddaughter and Wolverine’s love interest, which l felt was one of the weakest parts of the movie, while l understood the love interest, to me it felt more like Wolverine’s need to protect Mariko. Tao plays her part but doesn’t stand out as one of the main characters that she is meant to be.

Russian actress Svetlana Khodchenkova plays Yashida's doctor, Viper and to me this is the films weakest character. I have heard two things about this actress 1. Her voice was dubbed for the movie and 2. It wasn’t and she has a flawless American accent. I’m not sure which is correct and honestly I’m not that bothered. I found her annoying and with a tendency to over act. Viper was a very one dimensional character & l’m still not sure what her drive was or why she was so angry. We get no background on her so l’m assuming she was in the movie as an extra villain and a bit of eye candy. If they had given her a small back story l would have found her character more believable.

All in all The Wolverine is worth seeing on the big screen from some of the kickass sword fighting scenes to the background of Japan (okay so it’s technically Parramatta in some parts but hey, it doesn’t look like it) which we don’t see very often on the big screen (if you like the Japanese backdrop try Push, it’s worth a watch). The music is by Marco Beltrami (also known for, I Robot, Hellboy, Warm Bodies and Die Hard 5) so flows perfectly with the tone of the movie, its subtle when needed but builds in anticipation. Take note to stay after the credits the scene shown is probably one of best this year and leaves you wanting more. I have heard rumours of an 18+ release on the blue ray edition, this would be interesting to see as l was surprised it was given a PG13 rating to begin with.