Monday, March 30, 2009

Monday At the Movies: Soundtracks & Twilight

The Monday Movie Meme is brought to you by The Bumbles.

This week's movie topic is all about Soundtracks . . .
We watched Dog Day Afternoon a few weekends ago and it dawned on me as we watched that other than Elton John's "Amoreena" in the opening scene, there is not another note of music during the entire film. Not much of a soundtrack opportunity there. Typically, music plays such an important role in movies. Itzhak Perlman's haunting violin lives in the background of Schindler's List seamlessly setting the tone, whereas the ominous notes in Jaws jump right out to signal the villian. Songs carefully chosen for their lyrics or their tone can boost a scene too. These days, it seems the songs off of the soundtrack albums are more successful than the movies they appear in. Here are some of our favorite soundtrack albums - and we happen to think the movies were pretty entertaining too. What about you?

There was a time when I bought the soundtrack to every movie I saw. Well, just about. I love music. And movies. The combination together can be breathtaking when the right music is added to the right movie.

Some of my favorite soundtracks include (I am limiting it to 10 because my list could go on forever):

Slumdog Millionaire
The Princess Bride
Forrest Gump
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More with Feeling (I know this isn't a movie, but I couldn't leave it out)
‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?
St. Elmo's Fire
Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion
Runaway Bride
Sleepless in Seattle
Swing Kids


Monday's Movie hosted by Sheri at A Novel Menagerie

My husband and I cuddled on the couch Friday night and watched Twilight, which came out last week on DVD. My Harry Potter/Twilight fanatic friend was getting on my case just about every day, wondering when I was going to watch it. It was my husband's second time seeing the movie and my third.

For your sake, I am going to skip reviewing it again. One review is enough. I enjoyed watching it again and my impressions of the movie haven't really changed all that much. The sparkly forest scene--if you've read the books or seen the movie, you know what I mean--actually didn't look nearly as ridiculous on my television set as it did on the silver screen. My husband said it had to do with the resolution. It's not the greatest movie. Call it a guilty pleasure, if you will. There's just something that keeps me wanting to come back to it. I am really curious to see how New Moon turns out come winter.

Posted by at 3/30/2009 12:00:00 AM
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27 comments:

  1. What a nice coincidence! I watched Twilight on DVD yesterday and I knew I had to get it the moment it is released. Apparently I was late getting it, but still I'm thrilled having it as part of my DVDs collection! There's just something about this movie that I can't get enough of it! ;P
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  2. You're all cross-linked and highlighted on my blog post today!
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  3. I just adore soundtracks! I actually find myself listening to soundtracks more than anything else most often (especially Disney, surprise, surpise lol). I also like instrumentals from the Narnia movies, anything by Danny Elfman, etc. I also have that Buffy one too :)

    Once we get moved and settled in I'll finally get around to buying my copy of Twilight to re-watch.
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  4. I really like the Twilight soundtrack as well as the Slumdog one. I recently got the Juno one as well as Nick and Norah's Infinite PLaylist which I am looking forward ot listening to. Other favourites are labyrinth, The Crow, The Craft, Spawn and Velvet Goldmine.
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  5. I guess I am in the minority but I hated the Twilight movie, I couldn't even watch the entire thing.

    I can just guess how big your music collection must be if you bought soundtrack of almost every movie you watched.

    Like Rhinoa, I love the Juno soundtrack too. Watched the movie again yesterday. It was fab as always.
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  6. That is hilarious...I watched Twilight for the first time this weekend as well. It was OK, but I thought the music made the movie!
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  7. I have yet to see the movie. While I am not interested in reading the books I would like to take a peak at the movie.
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  8. I spent most of my day yesterday reading Eclipse. Then took a break to watch the movie Twilight - since I hadn't seen it yet!

    I really liked it, for some odd reason - you're right, it's not a great movie, but for some reason, it's definitely a guilty pleasure!
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  9. Thank goodness I'm not the only one who thought the sparkly forest scene was ridiculous. I liked the movie, but I didn't get that at all.
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  10. Hi Wendy, I've just watched Twilight again on Saturday on DVD. :)
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  11. Anna, The Girl, and I watched Twilight on Sat. for the second time and we were glued to it...LOL Can't wait for NEW MOON.

    I adore the soundtrack to August Rush!
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  12. Yes, yes, yes! Totally forgot about "O Brother, Where Art Thou" - that one was awesome! Now I'm gonna have bluegrass tunes in my head all day - which is a nice change of pace :0)
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  13. guilty pleasure is right. :) And you are so lucky that your husband watched this with you - and twice! Mine is perfectly content to leave me alone to watch it by myself ... not that I mind, as I get to drool and embarrass myself without an audience. ~LOL~
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  14. We all have to indulge in guilty pleasures sometimes! I can't wait to finally see Twilight sometime next month.
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  15. I still haven't seen Twilight but I must! :)

    I love finding music via soundtracks. Some of my faves are Chocolat, Garden State, and Juno.
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  16. Does the pasty pale makeup in Twilight look any better on TV than it did in the theaters? I have to admit that I was pretty disappointed with the movie, but there's this tiny part of me that wants to see it again... Probably without my husband this time around, though. I can't imagine he'd sit through it again with me, lol! Great post!
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  17. I really want to see Twilight and I'm not sure if I should read the book first or not.
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  18. i love the gump soundtrack...and another favorite is 'the big chill'.

    as for twilight...edward is eye candy. love him!
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  19. I love movie soundtracks too. I bought Juno's and Pride and Prejudice. I loved the music from Slumdog Millionaire so that will probably be a purchase I will be making soon. Twilight is a very guilty pleasure for me too!!

    oooh, I forgot that as soon as I watched Twilight in the theater I went immediately to Target and bought the soundtrack!!
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  20. Melody - I know exactly what you mean. :-)

    Sheri - Thank you, Sheri! You always beat me to it. :-)

    Jen - I like the variety that soundtracks offer. Back in the day when shuffling and mixing wasn't too common, I would get bored if I had to listen to the same person singing for an entire album. The instrumental soundtracks made for great study and reading companions I found.

    Rhinoa - Oh! I love the Juno soundtrack! My husband thinks I'm nuts, but I do really like it. The Craft soundtrack is a little too heavy for me, but I thought it was great for the movie.

    Eliza - You aren't alone. Quite a few people didn't like it.

    Yes, my music collection is pretty large. :-) Add to that my husband's and it's its own library.

    Sandy - The music from Twilight is pretty good, I agree.

    Caspette - Don't go in with high expectations and you might find you enjoy it. :-)

    Angela - There's just something about it, isn't there?

    Kristy - No, you definitely weren't the only one. LOL

    Alice - Are you still enjoying it? That's the real question. :-)
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  21. Serena - I haven't seen the movie August Rush yet, but I've heard bits and pieces of the soundtrack. I'll have to look into it further.

    I have slightly higher hopes for New Moon considering the higher budget and new director, but we'll see.

    The Bumbles - I love the 'O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. It's so much fun. Now I want to go put it on!

    Heather - Mine actually liked it more than I did, believe it or not. But then he counts When Harry Met Sally among his favorite movies so he's a romantic at heart. :-)

    Nat - Yes, indulging in guilty pleasures now and then keeps the heart young. :-) I'll be curious to know what you think of Twilight when you see it.

    Iliana - If only to say you have. :-)

    Yes! I've discovered some wonderful music through soundtracks. Even television shows. That's when google comes in handy. :-)

    Melissa - Only slightly. LOL Edward's red lips still stand out. I went into the film with really low expectations and ended up liking it--my husband even more so than me. I didn't think he'd want to watch the DVD with me when I got it, but he was more than willing.

    Yvonne - I guess it depends on your preference, which you prefer to do first. I personally prefer reading the book first if I get the chance, but I know not everyone feels the same way about movies and books. Good luck deciding! :-)

    Booklineandsinker - I love those old classic folk and rock songs. :-) I haven't seen The Big Chill and so am not familiar with the soundtrack. I've probably heard songs from it though without knowing it.

    Staci - I don't think I have the one for Pride and Prejudice. I probably should get a copy. I love the soundtrack to Juno. And you really must run out and get the soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire soon. Right now, if possible.

    My husband and I did that too--getting the soundtrack to Twilight immediately after seeing the movie. My husband was the one who said he wanted it first. :-)
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  22. Hi! Saw your link from The Bumbles blog for Movie Memes. And boy am I glad to click through! There's just so much to read here and I can stay for a while.

    Oh and yeah ditto with St. Elmo's Fire and Forrest Gump!
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  23. I have an entire CD case full of musicals and movie soundtracks. Now with downloads I just pick and choose the songs I want. Definitely have Romy & Michele's, though! :)
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  24. Daisy - Thank you for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed your visit. :-) St. Elmo's Fire is definitely one of my favorite soundtracks.

    Trish - Just like me! I do that sometimes too, pick and choose the songs I want to download, although I still buy a lot of CD's. If I had an iPod, I might download more. *hint to hubby*
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  25. I make a distinction between movie soundtracks and scores. My favorite movie scores are from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, especially Fellowship. And movie-musical soundtracks are yet another animal - I think my favorite current one is probably Hairspray.

    I'm another one who loves finding music via soundtracks - and as you mention, that comes just as much from TV these days as from movies. My favorite movie soundtrack is a period piece set in 1973 - Almost Famous.
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  26. I know what you mean about it being a guilty pleasure. Serena bought the DVD and we've already watched it twice. Now my daughter wants an Edward poster for her room. Oh, boy.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric
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  27. Florinda - Yes, there definitely is a difference. I tend to prefer soundtracks to movie scores. Hairspray is a great soundtrack. :-)

    Almost Famous is another good one. I'd forgotten about that one.

    Anna - I haven't yet watched any of the extras yet and I'd like to watch the movie with the commentary--probably when hubby isn't around. He likes the movie, but probably not that much. :-)
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