Lost: The Passion of John Locke

Oh, what a tangled web Lost weaves, and yet here we are getting more and more answers (sometimes to questions we didn't even think to ask). The title "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham," works in a couple of ways. Sure John Locke's journey is a lot like the trials of Jesus (with Jack in the role of Thomas, Benjamin as our Judas, and our other clue provide to us via last week's title, "316" - which references John 3:16,) but there's more to it than just the great acting of Terry O'Quinn, as we also find out a bit more about the two sides of bad: Charles Widmore and Ben Linus (badass and, it seems, badderass).

For the "Life of Jeremy Bentham" it's Charles Widmore who gives life to the alias, so we begin with him. In choosing the name as a commentary on his birth name of John Locke, as Bentham was pretty much the opposite of Locke (Natural rights=hogwash, ends>the means, I feel like this has been hashed out plenty since the name was revealed in the season 3 finale, "Through the Looking Glass"). Does this makes us trust Widmore now? Hardly...sending Keaney w/ a boat full of C4 to the island hardly begs one trust (but the crack science team that he and Abaddon rounded up sure seemed to be sympathetic to the island's needs... so there's that). He wants John back on the Island, and interestingly enough, so does Ben.

Speaking of Ben, our 'Judas' is the one who provides the "Death" part of the title, in one of the best scenes shot for the series. He also manages to take out Abaddon along the way, which I thought would be much harder. (I guess there's no more conflict for actor Lance Reddick with Fringe now.) It's his second time killing John -- let's see how he talks his way out of this one. My guess is he'll quickly get the other passengers on his side, being the manipulator that he is (and tying it to the dream Walt shared with Locke/Bentham). They're on the secondary smaller island, as evidenced by the Hydra station, while it's more fully understood that our A-list passengers were pulled in the flash of light to 30 years or so in the past (because the Island apparently needs them at that time?)

More:
This episode was originally set to air last week, with "316" slotted for last night. Not sure why they changed plans, but I couldn't help thinking how it would've worked seeing Locke resurrected with the plane landing on the island. The ending, where we John finds out that at least Hugo was on the plane and then eventually finds Ben in the makeshift infirmary, would've been a real head turner without having seen "316."

Hurly yells, "He's Evil!" at Matthew Abbadon, which is the title of Charlie's favorite song by the Kinks. Charlie, of course, visits Hurley as a ghost, and we have to assume, is the one that ultimately prods him into buying the tickets for that flight (with Charlie's guitar in hand).

Previously: Turn it up... I love Geronimo Jackson (Episode 5.05)

Life on Mars - Almost Famous

"Don't eat the brown acid!" - Ray (Michael Imperioli)

Oh Life on Mars, what are we to do with you? Week to week you show occasional flashes of brilliance, and then this week you deliver UFO's and Sebastian Grace and The Electric Insects. I'll admit, though, there were a lot of great 70's rock cues, like Max's Kansas City and the great Crawdaddy magazine. The rest felt like it was cribbed from Almost Famous, right down to the Penny Lane-like super groupie Rocket Girl. And there was even a throwaway reference to Bad Company's "Shooting Star," when Rocket Girl's father says "'Love me Do', I think it was," describing the moment he really lost his daughter. So there's that.

Besides Sebastian, Rocket Girl had apparently shacked up with Frank Zappa, David Crosby, Keith Richards, Rod Stewart and members of Black Sabbath, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Steppenwolf. And with Led Zeppelin coming to town next, she was about to open her own Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This week's song choices were inspired, as LoM continues to avoid the obvious choices. Take for example the bands The Action and Traffic Sound, both bands who never quite made it here in the U.S. The short-lived Mod band The Action, were precursors to power pop, fusing the Byrds and The Beatles, anticipating the likes of Badfinger, The Raspberries and Big Star.

Meanwhile, Traffic Sound were Peru's answer to Os Mutantes, part of the surprising South American psychedelic rock scenes. The 'go to' compilation of their stuff is Yellow Sea Years 68-71, from Light in the Attic records, the best label for reissues of this sort. The other two songs were a lot less obscure, to say the least, but no less inspired. The Kinks' "Supersonic Rocket Ship" and David Bowie's "Starman" are both great songs, and fit the 'paranormal' subject matter, obviously. I expected to hear a lot more Bowie in the series, given it's title and subject matter, but the music supervisors haven't disappointed otherwise.

There's good and bad news on the ratings front, based on last night's numbers. The numbers are way down in total viewers, but LoM excelled in the coveted 18-34 male category. In fact, ABC had it's best Men 18-34 number in the time period with regular programming since October 2007. That was in the first half-hour, though, boosted by the Lost lead. The second half-hour saw the numbers plunge again.

Playlist: Life on Mars - Episode 1.10
1. "Look At The View" - The Action
2. "Yesterday's Game" - Traffic Sound
3. "Supersonic Rocket Ship" - The Kinks
4. "Starman" - David Bowie
5. "The Last Planet I Kissed" - Sebastian Grace and The Electric Insects



Previously: Out of Order (Episode 1.08)

Life: Neither Fruit nor Cake

One of the casualties of burning off so many episodes early, like NBC did with Life to start the fall season, is that you end up airing a Christmas oriented episode ("Black Friday") weeks before we even get to Thanksgiving. At least there's no more worry that it will be cancelled, as it's been picked up for the full 22 episodes. Add to that the news today that the other series that had moved into Life's previous two timeslots, My Own Worst Enemy (Monday at 10PM) and Lipstick Jungle (Friday at 10PM) have both been cancelled, and I'm thinking perhaps they should add a Charmed to the series' title.

At least this episode was a step up from weeks prior, relying heavily on Damian Lewis' dry delivery as Detective Charlie Crews for humor. "It's fruit and its cake, what's not to like?" Crews wryly observes, revisiting his obsession with fruit. Of course, upon further inspection "there's a distinct possibility that this is neither fruit nor cake." Besides Lewis, though, the running gags about the missing dead body and "do we have our first jumper of the season" remind me that the humor is not only dry here, but fairly often it's black as well. One complaint: they need to find better ways to shoehorn in the over arching story, as the episode lost momentum when Crews shifted his attention to finding who set him up.

Since it was a holiday episode, there were plenty of carolers, and The Kinks' "Father Christmas," which is second only to "Christmas in Hollis" as far as modern holiday music goes for me. Meanwhile, Cat Power makes a return with the eerie "Cross Bones Style," making this the second song from her great 1998 album Moon Pix to make an appearance this season ("Metal Heart" appeared in episode 2.03). The haunting qualities of these tracks heavily foreshadows something far more dark about Charlie's ex-wife Jennifer, and I'm thinking it has to do with a potential connection between her current husband and the person who set up Charlie. Considering how closely the storyline of Life matches up with the classic The Count of Monte Cristo, it's not much of a leap to imagine Jennifer's husband as a sort of Fernand Mondego, or more likely in cahoots with that that line of evil.

Playlist: Life - Episode 2.08
1. "Happy Day Today" - Jim Noir
2. "Father Christmas" - The Kinks
3. "Jingle Bells"
4. "Deck the Halls"
5. "Cross Bones Style" - Cat Power
6. "I Don't Live In A Dream" - Jackie Greene

Previously: Logue and Dulli (Episode 2.08)

So Nice, So Smart

With all it's critical buzz and an opening weekend per screen average that was through the roof, Juno is already this year's little movie that could -- ala Little Miss Sunshine. One of the reasons that it's such an easy movie to root for is the underdog soundtrack that backs it, revolving around the music of Kimya Dawson, and we have actress Ellen Page to thank for that connection:

(Director) Jason Reitman and I were meeting...and he simply said, "Well, what do you think Juno would listen to?" ...I hopped on his computer and I played the Moldy Peaches for him. The next thing I knew he'd fallen in love.... and was in contact with Kimya Dawson, who is the female in the band, and he added the song ("Anyone Else But You") at the end of the film, which is a Moldy Peaches song. That song's been in my life for years, actually; there's a lot of sentimental value there. And the next thing we know Kimya Dawson is doing the music for the film. It was really incredible how that all worked out because it just feels perfect.
--Ellen Page, interview Pitchfork, 11-21-07

Dawson's quick and clever delivery in her songs are the perfect match for the Juno character, as the songs also evoke a strong feeling of innocence. While screenwriter Diablo Cody has such a strong presence in the film that the characters around Juno start to sound like her, the same could be said of Kimya Dawson and the rest of the music in the movie. As a result, we get "All I Want is You" by children's singer/songwriter Barry Louis Polisar, The Velvet Underground's "I'm Sticking with You," a Cat Power cover of "Sea of Love" and even Buddy Holly's "Dearest" -- all sounding like extensions of Dawson's music in the context of their surroundings.

Even Sonic Youth gets pulled into this precious sphere with their smart Carpenters cover of "Superstar," taken from the tribute album If I Were A Carpenter. Mark (Jason Bateman,) the prospective adoptive father, tries to use this song to connect with Juno -- the point where he turns from cool to slightly creepy. It's an interesting parallel having Mark identified with Sonic Youth, and Juno with The Moldy Peaches, as both bands were leaders of NY art-based reactionary movements some 20 years apart -- No Wave and Anti-Folk respectfully.

Besides the artists already mentioned there's The Kinks, Belle & Sebastian and Mott the Hoople to please the ears, but it's what's missing that is surprising. Juno, when asked to name her favorite band, says "a three-way tie between The Stooges, Patti Smith and The Runaways" and none of these appear in the soundtrack -- they're instead accompanied by a flash of black & white photos. It's just as well, because it's a construct of her character that seems too fantastical to believe, even buried under the spitfire of Cody's witty dialogue.

Playlist: Rssmbld Sndtrck - Juno
1. "Tire Swing" - Kimya Dawson
2. "My Rollercoaster (Juno Film Version)" - Kimya Dawson
3. "Once I Loved" - Astrud Gilberto
4. "All I Want Is You" - Barry Louis Polisar
5. "So Nice So Smart" - Kimya Dawson
6. "Besame Mucho" - Trio Los Panchos
7. "I Like Giants" - Kimya Dawson [mp3 - kimyadawson.com]
8. "A Well Respected Man" - The Kinks
9. "Doll Parts" - Hole
10. "I'm Sticking With You" - The Velvet Underground
11. "Dearest" - Buddy Holly
12. "Reminders Of Then" - Kimya Dawson
13. "Why Bother" - The Drop
14. "Sleep (Instrumental)" - Kimya Dawson
15. "Superstar" - Sonic Youth
16. "Up The Spout" - Mateo Messina
17. "12/26" - Kimya Dawson [mp3 - kimyadawson.com]
18. "Piazza, New York Catcher" - Belle and Sebastian
19. "Tree Hugger" - Kimya Dawson
20. "Expectations" - Belle and Sebastian
21. "Loose Lips" - Kimya Dawson [mp3 - kimyadawson.com]
22. "All The Young Dudes" - Mott the Hoople
23. "Anyone Else But You" - The Moldy Peaches [mp3]
24. "Sea Of Love" - Cat Power
25. "Vampire" - Antsy Pants
26. "Anyone Else But You" - Ellen Page, Michael Cera

More: Topless at The Mall - Juno and Iggy Pop

Soundtracking Anderson: Rushmore

One of the big misconceptions in use of soundtrack in film, is that the music should be a cue as to the time period the film takes place. If anything, Wes Anderson (like Scorsese, Tarrantino, et al.) uses music from a certain era to instead transcend time, or bridge today with what reminds of of a more innocent time (even though, it's often less so.) Anderson's first film, Bottle Rocket, did this to some extent, but it was his second film Rushmore, where he found the perfect context to break down time and space.

While writing the screenplay, Anderson was researching and listening to British Invasion music, and even briefly toyed with the idea of an all Kinks soundtrack. Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is like a misfit school boy character from a Ray Davies or Pete Townshend song, transported across the Atlantic and three decades of time, and in Anderson's hands, it's nearly impossible to separate the music from the character. In many cases, he had a song in mind for a scene before he even fully conceived it*. So Anderson had British Invasion songs in mindgreat from The Kinks and The Who, along the more obscure The Creation. Their song "Making Time" backs one of the greatest opening montages of a movie (showing Max' extracurricular activities at Rushmore,) and nearly works by itself as a music video (and contains a reference to photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue's famous Zissou's bobsled photo, with the still of Max in a go-cart for the Yankee Racers club.)
The next praiseworthy music scene comes to the backing of "Nothing In This World Can Stop Me From Worryin' Bout That Girl" from the Kinks, when we're introduced to the anguish of Herman (Bill Murray,) and he cannonballs into the pool. The ending shot of him underwater is reference to The Graduate, and underscoring that is the remarkable similarity between The Kinks' song and the opening lick to Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" (they share the same rhythmic first five notes on an acoustic guitar).

The musical highlight, though, might just have to be the revenge sequence, utilizing the final section "You Are Forgiven," from The Who's 9-minute mini-opera "A Quick One While He's Away" (see video). Interestingly enough Anderson/Post actually use a live version of the song in the film, from the live album Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus, but since that's on the Rolling Stones' stingy ABKO label, they instead use a version from Live at Leeds on the released soundtrack. Speaking of the Stones, there's always a song from them, and for Rushmore it's "I Am Waiting," another song which Anderson had picked before even coming up with the scene. It's a beautiful scene where Herman and Max call a truce, and in the end, all are left feeling miserable.

The music of Rushmore follows it through the seasons, starting with the fall and slipping into a winter of discontent, marked by these last few songs. The next scene with song in the film uses Donovan's "The Wind" while Max flies a kite (video). It starts chilly, but ends with some with some warmth as Max decides to put on a play, and now we're slipping into spring. Cue John Lennon's bouncy "Oh Yoko!" as Max and Herman devise a plan to build the aquarium for Miss Cross. Like the season, it's the start of something new. The film ends with Max's new play ("best play ever,") and the wrap party features "Ooh La La" from the Faces, a song providing a nostalgaic look back with the line "I wish I knew then what I know now, when I was younger". And with Anderson's bending of time, you sort of can.

Playlist: Rssmbld Sndtrck - Rushmore
1. "Making Time" - The Creation - Montage introducing of all of Max's extracurricular activities
2. "Take Ten" - Paul Desmond - Max gets a haircut from his dad (video)
3. "Concrete And Clay" - Unit 4 + 2
4. "Nothing In This World Can Stop Me From Worryin' Bout That Girl" - The Kinks - A depressed Herman cannonballs into the pool (video)
5. "A Summer Song" - Chad and Jeremy (video)
6. "Blinuet" - Zoot Sims - Dinner after play, Miss Cross brings a guest (video)
7. "Here Comes My Baby" - Cat Stevens - Max makes a go of it at public school
8. "Jersey Thursday" - Donovan
9. "A Quick One, While He's Away" - The Who - Montage of war between Max and Herman (video)
10. "I Am Waiting" - The Rolling Stones - Max and Herman call a truce and everyone is miserable
11. "The Wind" - Cat Stevens - Max flies a kite and decides to put on another play (video)
12. "Rue St. Vincent" - Yves Montand
13. "Oh Yoko!" - John Lennon - Max and Herman devise a way to build the aquarium for Miss Cross (video)
14. "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" - Vince Guaraldi
15. "Manoir Des Mes Reves" - Django Reinhardt - Wrap party after the premiere of Max’s play (video)
16. "Ooh La La" - Faces - Wrap party after the premiere of Max’s play (video)
Score by Mark Mothersbaugh

*For this film, and all that followed, Anderson and music supervisor Randall Poster began trying to secure the rights to the music before shooting, so the actors had a better feel for how the scene a going to be played.

Previously: The Music of Bottle Rocket
Jansch, Poster, The Squid and the Whale

tags: music, film, soundtrack, wes anderson, mark mothersbaugh, rolling stones, the kinks, rushmore, the who, randall poster, playlist

Caught by the Fuzz

You certainly wouldn't confuse the soundtrack to Hot Fuzz with a buddy cop movie (thank goodness.) Featuring classic Britpop from The Kinks, T Rex, The Troggs and recent indie rock acts like The Fratellis and Jon Spencer (Blues Explosion), the soundtrack instead pays respects to the genre by using pieces of score from these films it looks to for inspiration: Lethal Weapon III, Bad Boys II and that pantheon of buddy cop movies Point Break. Even with those diversions, this soundtrack is a rarity... one that actually follows a narrative without the need of actual dialogue.

After the opening theme (penned by 007 veteran David Arnold,) our first taste of narrative music comes as co-writer Simon Pegg's character, supercop Nicholas Angel, introduces himself to us over the top of Adam Ant's ’80s camp classic "Goody Two Shoes," and the mood is set. Then XTC's "Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me") helps further Angel as the bobby who gets things done.

When Angel's exploits makes the big city bobbys look bad (turning the usual buddy cop formula on it's ear,) as punishment he's promoted and sent off to Sandford ("the village of the year,") the place with the lowest crime rate in England. It's here that Angel warns a model citizen "this isn't your village anymore," while we hear songs from The Kink's great album Village Green Preservation Society, which frontman Ray Davies wrote with the idea of feeling nostalgia for a simpler time and place. Director Edgar Wright, feeling nostalgic himself, chose to use the town he grew up in (Wells) for this idylic setting, making for the ultimate (and therapeutic) geek fantasy: turn the town you grew up in into the set of a smash-em-up action movie.

One song that didn't make the soundtrack, to my great disappointment, was The Move's "Night of Fear," which hints that there's more going on this village then meets the eye. The Move is a band still begging for discovery here in the states some 40 years after the fact, and while this release wouldn't break them, it at least would have furthered the cause (and got at least a song from them in the Rhapsody music service.)

It's about this time in the film when, to quote Martin Lawrence's character in Bad Boys II: "This sh*t just got real!" Bits from the scores to both Point Blank and BBII make appearances here, but really it's original music contributed to the film by mutual admiration director Robert Rodriguez that steals the show. Pegg's Angel gets his Desperado on, and Rodriguez's score is the perfect marriage for the scene. The movie's only sticking point with me is that Wright falls in love with the Michael Bayisms a bit too much, and the action goes on a little too long (with about two too many climaxes.)

To finish up the film, I couldn't think of a better song then the great Supergrass classic "Caught by the Fuzz," but that's not the ending. Instead there's another Fuzz song, this time written for the film by indie rock legend Jon Spencer called "Here Come The Fuzz."

The stateside release is a trimmed down affair, but as is my want to do, I've included every song as it appeared in the film (and a couple from the trailers) for my Rssmbld Sndtrck (reassmbled soundtrack) series.

>Playlist: Rssmbld Sndtrck - Hot Fuzz

1. "Souljacker Part 1" - Eels - Used in trailers for the film (note: song is mismarked as 'Part 2' in Rhapsody)
2. "Chelsea Dagger" - The Fratellis - Used in trailers for the film
3. "Goody Two Shoes" - Adam Ant
4. "Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me)" - XTC
5. "The Village Green Preservation Society (Hot Fuzz)" - The Kinks
6. "Down Bond Street" - Tommy McCook and the Supersonics
7. "Baby Fratelli" - The Fratellis
8."Kick Out the Jams" - Tub Thumper
9. "Slippery Rock 70's" - Stavely Makepeace
10. "Lethal Fuzz (Osymyso Remix)" - John Eric Alexander
11. "I Can't Control Myself" - The Troggs
12. "Lovefool" - The Cardigans
13. "Night Of Fear" - The Move (YouTube)
14. "Romeo And Juliet" - Dire Straits
15. "Blockbuster" - Sweet
16. "Solid Gold, Easy Action" - T Rex (Marc Bolan)
17. "Foot Chase (from Point Blank - Mark Ishram (Download)
18. "Hostage Situation" (from Bad Boys II - Trevor Rabin
19. "Fire" - Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (YouTube)
20. "Village Green" - The Kinks (YouTube)
21. "Dance With The Devil" - Cozy Powell (YouTube)
22. "Heston Services" - Robert Rodriguez (Chingon)
23. "Avenging Angel" - Robert Rodriguez (Chingon)
24. "Caught By The Fuzz" - Supergrass
25. "Solid Gold Easy Action" - The Fratellis
26. "Here Come The Fuzz" - Jon Spencer & The Elegant Too
27. "The Hot Fuzz Suite" - David Arnold (score medley)

More: To underscore even more the significance of music in the film, Pegg's character Nicolas Angel is a nod to music supervisor extraordinaire Nick Angel (who also worked with the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg team on Shaun of the Dead.)

tags: film, hot fuzz, music, soundtrack, the kinks, the fratellis, jon spencer, adam ant, movies, point break, t rex, rhapsody

I bet they're riding around and running red lights

Song: "Somebody Stole My Car" - The Kinks

Someone stole our 11-year old Acura Integra last night. We're in the middle of a home remodel and have been having to park on the street, and this morning it was no longer in front of our house.

We've been assured by the police that in 98% of cases like this (old Hondas/Acuras) the car is found mostly unharmed. These models are just easy to steal and folks take them on joyrides.

Thankfully, not through Liberty City.

Mr Gone in 60 Seconds has got our baby's carseat and stroller.