Soundtrack Review: Caddyshack (1980) -- Limited Edition Original Soundtrack

Original Theatrical Trailer

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In cinema, you don't get a much more loyal fan base than former MN Governor Jesse Ventura reportedly asking the Dalai Lama if he'd seen Harold Ramis' contemporary comedic cult classic Caddyshack. Additionally, as Tea Leoni shared, the work-- which was released by the now defunct, "name only" American independent studio Orion Pictures-- was the very first film she viewed with her future husband David Duchovny.

Simply put, Caddyshack, has only grown in popularity over the years. And with the box office success and reverence for its original cast, comprised of some Saturday Night Live alumni including Chevy Chase and Bill Murray along with The Mary Tyler Moore Show's own Ted Knight, the film hit audiences in 1980 at precisely the right time.

Namely, the feisty battle of "The Snobs against The Slobs" along with one tenaciously fierce little gopher at Bushwood Country Club that helped unconsciously foreshadow and usher in the subtle blue collar battles of the decade from the teen comedies of John Hughes (Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful) to Oliver Stone's Wall Street.

Fittingly, now in time for its anniversary, marking twenty-five years after Rodney Dangerfield first implored, "let's dance," the ten song soundtrack makes its official CD debut in a limited edition run of just 3,500 unites from La-La Land Records and Sony Music Entertainment.

And because the hilarity and off-the-wall characters along with their definitive one-liners is mostly what we remember when somebody says Caddyshack to us, I was startled to realize just how great the music was in this soundtrack that was sent to me for review on behalf of the labels.

Kenny Loggins' "I'm Alright."
-- The Film's Opening Credit Sequence

Obviously, most fans remember the opening sequence with the dancing gopher (see above), which undoubtedly would've been scrapped or replaced with CGI perfection today set to the rhythmic magic of Kenny Loggins' theme song "I'm Alright."

Yet I'd forgotten just how many other songs Loggins (aka the voice of the '80s with Footloose, Top Gun etc.) had contributed to the film that all combined together to establish the film's theme and moral to be true to yourself... no matter how wealthy or wild you may be, which was best evidenced in the character of Rodney Dangerfield's eccentric "new money" golfer.

Journey's "Any Way You Want It"
-- Rodney Dangerfield: "Let's Dance!"

Still, despite the wonderfully catchy Journey song, "Any Way You Want It," that remains the epitome of an '80s soft pop power ballad, it's the tunes by Loggins that lend a sense of unexpected heart to the movie along with the contributions of original score composer Johnny Mandel, best known for his creation of the theme from M*A*S*H.

A few exceptions aside with other guest artist inclusions like The Beat's download worthy "There She Goes" and Hilly Michaels' bizarre and very '80s "Something On Your Mind," it's Loggins and Mandel that fill out the brisk, roughly thirty minute running time of the soundtrack.

The album easily moves from paying homage to both Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and channeling its pop culture shorthand of "the scene from Apocalypse Now" in a nice musical spin titled "Divine Intervention," to more radio friendly hits by Loggins including what seemed destined to become a figure skating favorite track in the romantic hook-heavy "Lead the Way."

With a terrific sound selection, it's a nice eclectic mix for Caddyshack cultists and soundtrack collectors. And now that it's back after years of being out of print in other formats in a nice CD vintage (making it slightly retro since it's sans a digital component), the Limited Edition status fits the Members Only mentality of Bushwood.

Yet cleverly at the same time Caddyshack's Soundtrack proves that all Wagner aside, it's really a reminder that whatever happened the slobs, snobs and everyone in between like Loggins' favorite Danny "would be all right" with a selection of tunes everyone can appreciate

Therefore, to turn Chevy Chase's advice as Ty Webb around, instead of trying to "be the ball," "be the soundtrack" while it's still available and before the 3,500 total number of people discover how fun it is to dance.

Caddyshack Director
Harold Ramis

Text ©2010, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com

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Soundtrack Review: (500) Days of Summer -- Music from the Motion Picture (2009)

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It was no surprise that actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt's hotly anticipated Hasbro/Paramount blockbuster G.I. Joe squeaked into the top spot of the Top 10 at the U.S. Box Office this weekend (yet not with the numbers some were perhaps anticipating). However for lovers of cinema that falls just outside the mainstream, this piece of information was less important than another Gordon-Levitt related box office item.

Namely, months after it earned a standing ovation after screening at the Sundance Film Festival, the actor's sleeper hit (500) Days of Summer from director Marc Webb (which reunited the performer with Zooey Deschanel in their first onscreen reunion since 2001's Manic) managed to break into the Top 10 at the Box Office as well. And this is all the more incredible given the fact that it's only being shown on a fraction of the screens that Gordon-Levitt's Cobra Commander is currently occupying.

And no doubt the film's success has been bolstered by a terrific word-of-mouth campaign and overwhelmingly positive reviews which make this Summer the ideal contemplative antidote to an over-abundance of CGI, 3D and big budget extravaganzas since everyone can relate to a movie about the dual nature of pain and pleasure that go along with falling in love for the first time.

Likewise, the film is anchored by what I honestly feel as a writer is the most ambitious screenplay of the year so far for its bravery in boldly dissecting 500 days of a relationship in a non-linear format complete with musical numbers, an outrageous dance sequence, and other inventive takes that hearken to Webb's background as a music video director.

And as such, it's only fitting that the soundtrack is also proving to be quite popular among ticket-buyers as well as we can all relate to the same ideas put forth in the film that pop music not only provides the soundtrack to our lives but we seem to listen to music even more when we're going through an intense emotional experience whether it's falling in or falling out of love.

However, as a soundtrack, the selections for (500) Days of Summer are as unpredictable, uneven, passionate, and surprising as the relationship between the film's two main characters that consist of the dreamer Tom (Gordon-Levitt) and the cynical Summer (Deschanel). For example, it moves somewhat strangely from Simon & Garfunkel to Wolfmother, plays a lukewarm She & Him cover song of the superior Smiths track "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" so that the song is included twice, and inexplicably goes with Meaghan Smith's cover of The Pixies' "Here Comes Your Man" instead of the original or Gordon-Levitt's own surprisingly killer karaoke rendition from the movie. Fortunately, on iTunes, I did discover a "Bonus Track" version of the album so will include links to those songs below.

Leaving off some of the other tracks included or referenced in the movie by artists such as The Clash and Belle & Sebastian-- possibly due to cost reasons in securing the rights-- overall, the selections themselves as songs on their own are quite solid regardless of whether or not they happen to flow into one another very well as a new album.

Perfectly illustrating musically that sort emotional rollercoaster ride one goes on throughout a relationship from that pure high experienced in "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates to the music that bonds the two characters in the sweet, melancholic beauty of The Smiths-- in a sense, the soundtrack sounds a lot like the type of CD that a character like Tom would've made for Summer. And as such, it's filled with tracks that perhaps only the two of them would've gotten the full significance of when played from beginning to end.

Going from the mini-symphonic '80s sound of The Smiths to the vintage near Buddy Holly classic rockabilly sounds of Black Lips for their infectious "Bad Kids," before moving once again towards Smiths territory (possibly illustrating a moment of poignancy, then a lighthearted date, then a bummer evening)-- the middle of the album picks things up considerably.

Using my favorite Doves track "There Goes the Fear" as an ideal segue into the happier Hall & Oates territory, we're treated to the radio-friendly hook-filled "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap before we're interrupted one more time for sweeping romance given the French language sounds of the infinitely popular Carla Bruni with "Quelqu'un M'a Dit."

Feist contributes the appropriately titled "Mushaboom" which seems ideal for the musical collage being established by the disc that's confirmed by the emotionally charged, riveting tracks from Regina Spektor that seem to come from both ends of the spctrum of romantic mania established early on in "Us" to-- aside from the title-- the more hauntingly worrisome in "Hero." The way she sort of just echoes "ah uh ah uh" opposite her keys as the "Hero" ends makes an ideal lead in to Simon & Garfunkel's sad, nearly-over-before-it-starts "Bookends."

Yet making sure you haven't drifted off completely, Wolfmother inserts the alternatively folky yet hard rockin' "Vagabond" before Mumm-ra's "She's Got You High" kicks off with a familiar and friendly beat as the last recommended track on the disc.

While the last two covers are fun to explore once, I was particularly disappointed with the She & Him track as the band comprised of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward are usually completely solid and have proven in the past their unparalleled ear for taking on classic tunes from decades gone by. To this end, I couldn't help wishing that a different one of their songs had been included in its place.

Overall, it's been a fun disc to spin for a few weeks but one that likewise I've noticed I've been finding myself adjusting the track order and play list on pretty extensively with each subsequent listen, therefore making the fifty-one minute disc move much faster. While I'd say that over all, it's a mildly recommended disc, in the end, you may want to either go the iTunes route in purchasing it as an entire album and then rearranging it in the order of your own choosing or else choosing the tracks that speak to you that aren't already duplicated in your CD library.

Track-List

1. A Story of Boy Meets Girl - Mychael Danna and Rob Simonsen



2. Us - Regina Spektor



3. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths



4. Bad Kids - Black Lips



5. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths



6. There Goes The Fear - Doves



7. You Make My Dreams - Hall & Oates



8. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap



9. Quelqu'un M'a Dit - Carla Bruni



10. Mushaboom - Feist



11. Hero - Regina Spektor



12. Bookends - Simon & Garfunkel



13. Vagabond - Wolfmother



14. She's Got You High - Mumm-Ra



15. Here Comes Your Man - Meaghan Smith



16. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - She & Him

Bonus Tracks on iTunes

Sugar Town - Zooey Deschanel



Here Comes Your Man - Joseph Gordon-Levitt



At Last - Kevin Michael

(500) Days of Summer Music Montage

Text ©2009, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com
Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.

Soundtrack Review: Watchmen -- Music From the Motion Picture (2009)

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Music From the Motion Picture

Watchmen: Original Score
By Tyler Bates

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While I'll be the first to admit-- although friends assure me that I'd enjoy reading the Watchmen-- I was bored out of my mind watching the Watchmen on the big screen this past March. However... when it comes to listening to the Watchmen in the form of Watchmen's Original Soundtrack comprised of classics by such diverse artists as Nat King Cole, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Billie Holiday, and Jimi Hendrix-- well, that's a different story altogether.

For, when this soundtrack landed in my lap courtesy of Warner Music Group and Reprise Records, it quickly found its way moving into the "most played tracks" list in my computer's iTunes application.

Opening with My Chemical Romance's punk anthem styled take on Bob Dylan's classic "Desolation Row" from my personal favorite record of all time-- Highway 61 Revisited-- in a chaotically crazed rendition that perfectly fits in with the film's 1985 setting, 300 director Zack Snyder was able to get Gerard Way and My Chemical Romance to break their tradition of seldom contributing to cinematic works based on the guys' major affinity for the original graphic novel.

Likewise, he managed one hell of a coup in persuading "Row"'s original singer/songwriter Bob Dylan to lend his '60s smash "The Times They Are A-Changin'" in the film's most effective usage of visuals and music transposed over a montage illustrating the glory, madness, nihilism, and bizarre re-interpretation of history when the Watchmen's actions are taken into account.

And it's precisely for this reason that the disc becomes far more successful than its overly long-winded and clinically cool film by establishing an attitude, immediacy, and instant connection with its audience based on the strength of the amazingly talented roster of artists whose music has become twentieth century staples.

This is emphasized by the darkly ironic utilization of Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" as the film opens and the most notorious Watchmen member is pushed through the glass window of his tall apartment building in the unforgiving night sky several stories down until he lands on the hard concrete. And it's solidified even more by Snyder's bold decision to avoid period trappings in this historically strange alternate reality by weaving in classics like Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence," K.C. & The Sunshine Band's "I'm Your Boogie Man," and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" into some very atypical cinematic places.

Yet amazingly-- and just like Jackie Earle Haley's remarkable performance as Rorschach that constantly changes as the picture spirals out of control making his turn the movie's sole saving grace-- this gamble pays off extremely well from the Apocalypse Now images of "Ride of the Valkyries" that are called up in our mind and more.

The only song that seems like a strange fit and indeed, wasn't actually used in the feature film but rather its tie-in DVD and Blu-ray Tales From the Black Freighter that worked in a missing piece of the graphic novel in its animated Warner Brothers release is the otherwise talented Nina Simone's ill-placed closing number "Private Jenny." By including "Jenny" as the finale, the soundtrack meanders where it should have simply placed a final stamp on the powerful compilation.

Although undoubtedly, music fans most likely have all of the records and CDs in their collection or the wildly popular songs like "Me and Bobby McGee" in numerous other albums-- it's a cool, compact musical tapestry that weaves together some of last century's greats from various genres and for fans of the Watchmen universe, it has the added bonus of containing an insanely colorful CD insert comprised of portrait snapshots of its central ensemble cast of characters.

Music From The Motion Picture Watchmen
Track-List

1. Desolation Row - My Chemical Romance
2. Unforgettable - Nat King Cole
3. The Times They Are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan
4. The Sound Of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
5. Me & Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin
6. I'm Your Boogie Man - KC & The Sunshine Band
7. You're My Thrill - Billie Holiday
8. Pruit Igoe & Prophecies – The Philip Glass Ensemble
9. Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
10. All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
11. Ride of the Valkyries - Budapest Symphony Orchestra
12. Pirate Jenny - Nina Simone*
* - used in the end credits of the Tales From The Black Freighter DVD.

Watchmen Original Motion Picture Score
Track-List

1. Rescue Mission
2. Don’t Get Too Misty Eyed
3. Tonight The Comedian Died
4. Silk Spectre
5. We’ll Live Longer
6. You Quit!
7. Only Two Names Remain
8. The American Dream
9. Edward Blake – The Comedian
10. The Last Laugh
11. Prison Fight
12. Just Look Around You
13. Dan’s Apocalyptic Dream
14. Who Murdered Hollis Mason?
15. What About Janie Slater?
16. I’ll Tell You About Rorschach
17. Countdown
18. It Was Me
19. All That Is Good
20.Requiem (Excerpted from Mozart’s Requiem)
21. I Love You Mom

Video Game Soundtrack Review: SimAnimals

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Most of the time video game enthusiasts are so busy trying to get to that next level-- or in my day-- get to the end of Donkey Kong or Pac-Man that they don't stop to realize the music that seeps into their subconscious as they push the buttons.

Yet it's retained there as the theme from the Pac-Man series, Super Mario Brothers, and Sonic the Hedgehog when heard again instantly transports you back to hours wasted at the arcade or in front of your television risking the prospect of getting "video game thumb," long before text messaging injuries or too much Guitar Hero were even in our vocabulary.

While the music just seemed to magically fit the game as yet another integral part of the experience-- much like the right graphics or right characters-- it wasn't until I was presented with the opportunity to review a video game soundtrack that I realized the amount of artistry and hard work that's involved.

Much like a cinematic score-- composers work with images to create an entire fitting audio experience but unlike most films that are presented with dialogue or special effects, creating a video game soundtrack in reality seems as daunting as the task set to those who work in the sound design departments on animated movie.

As four-time Game Audio Network Guild award winning composer Winifred Phillips noted in the SimAnimals press release, "working on a brand new game allows me to have creative control over the sound from the start with nothing to compare it to, which is invigorating and quite an honor."

In a world where female composers are rare, it's an even rarer experience to find one working in the male dominated industry of video games yet Phillips has been an increasingly popular and accomplished artist-- bringing imaginative arrangements to games that-- in the case of SimAnimals at times infuses the natural world sounds of birds with some dissonant jazz backed by electronic instruments, mellifluous classically laced melodies and more which makes her work all the more intriguing when analyzed away from the visual overwhelm of a game.

Recently garnering a Hollywood Music Award nomination for Speed Racer: The Videogame, Phillips-- who has also been dubbed a "goddess of music" by Cinescape Magazine-- has scored such video games as God of War, Shrek the Third, The Da Vinci Code, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

And sure enough the industry has taken note as Phillips was tapped to contribute to the newest entry in the wildly successful Sims label franchise by Audio Director Robi Kauker who stated the goal for SimAnimals was ultimately "to give a unique and sophisticated voice to the game" that found original source "inspiration from pieces like Prokofiev's Peter and The Wolf." In the accompanying music, Phillips changes tone and styles effortlessly throughout a soundtrack that's additionally been made available as a digital download from both iTunes and Amazon, among other retailers.

As "each location starts off with a unique score, from strains of Celtic music for ancient castle ruins to the funky groove of the old junkyard," Phillips' richly inviting music lures you from the opening "SimAnimals Theme." Blending together woodwinds and strings to create a naturalistic yet classy introduction, the theme-- which is referenced throughout-- changes over the course of the roughly thirty six minute album that's designed to change with "the mood of the game," as players can hear the way their "choices are affecting the forest through the music, whether that be upbeat and light when the forest is happy or dramatic and dark," when the opposite is true as SimAnimals Executive Producer Sam Player indicated in the press release.

In the follow up second track "Trailhead," uplifting melodies are blended with the sounds of nature and birds as the music sort of fades from its complex start and emphasizes instead the ambiance of the game's setting before "Free Play" engages listeners in a lovely musical dance. This becomes far more serious with the more urgent "World in Need," that layers the strings with a driving force underneath striving for gamers to succeed through the more perilous sounding "Dry Gulch."

In the highly original "Castle Ridge" that transposes both the sides of the journey and pleasant and unpleasant possibilities by also imbuing it with a "royal" undertone, we're enchanted by the inviting blend that makes the title of the subsequent "Friendship" seem all the more fitting. Especially given that-- over the course of the album-- we're constantly reminded that as easy as it is to move through the forest, missteps and danger lies just around the corner if one isn't careful. Moreover, finding the right balance between the two makes it a friendlier prospect all around in the track's call and answer approach near the end that matches some rich usages of strings with woodwinds.

The appropriately titled "Hard Times," begins slightly ominously. And then roughly forty seconds in it recalls something straight out of the mind of Tim Burton and collaborator Danny Elfman with its fittingly Halloween-like sounds of unpredictable orchestral styled fusion jazz where nothing seems to go together easily with various earlier motifs utilized amidst dissonance as you imagine gamers trying to redirect their energies to get to the follow-up titular "Happy Place."

Recalling some of the earlier strains used in the theme but played at a faster pace-- "Happy Place" seems like it could double as theme music for a character and a whimsical smile inducing string heavy "Orchard Playground" that lightens things up with the rhythmic plucking of strings before the theme returns once again is in stark contrast to the ominous foreboding sounds of an orchestra in disarray in "Danger Woods."

Using more natural sounds of water rushing at the start of "Foggy Wallow," Phillips continues on painting great musical pictures as we hear the sounds of the water mixed in with the electronic rhythms of her score, making the album's release as a solo work seem all the more justified throughout as certain songs like the next tracks "Absolutely Positive," and mini-ballet styled "Woodlands" played together would work great as a nice background music to relax to, help clear your mind when you drive, or appreciate while doing some light reading.

As the last few tracks play-- alternating between the inspired classical rhythms and quirky use of solo instruments put together in an upbeat manner-- you can practically envision moving closer towards the ultimate goal of finishing the game which culminates in my favorite and the most addictive number. More specifically it's the final end credits work "Forest Song" that delivers on a superior level touching on the strengths served up earlier in the album by crafting one catchy all-encompassing theme. It's confident, multi-layered, and definitely worthy of an immediate download for those even the slightest bit curious about the artistry involved in composing for video games as it fades out naturally with the sound of birds.

A worthwhile and engaging listen that makes you appreciate the art of composing on a new level-- Phillips' impressive work is quite eye-opening and feels fresh throughout since-- as opposed to having to underplay scenes in films where an action or line of dialogue steals the moment, the musical contribution to the game can make or break the experience by taking the visuals of the work and expanding them into a completely engrossing experience for the player.

It would be a fascinating experiment to try and utilize some of the video game composition techniques to film compositions and see if it would re-invigorate some of Hollywood's typical go-to composers to try and think outside the box and give filmgoers a new range of music to hear from those working in the arena of games.

Yet luckily for those who take the opportunity to try something different such as this reviewer who can barely play Tetris to stop for a moment and analyze a soundtrack for a game-- I think you'll find it's an unexpected experience for music lovers, gamers, and those who appreciate animation alike. Highly recommended-- SimAnimals from composer Winifred Phillips and producer Winnie Waldron is available now via iTunes, Amazon, and many others.

Track-Listing

1. SimAnimals Theme
2. Trailhead
3. Free Play
4. World In Need
5. Dry Gulch
6. Grassy Glen
7. Castle Ridge
8. Friendship
9. Hard Times
10. Happy Place
11. Orchard Playground
12. Danger Woods
13. Foggy Wallow
14. Absolutely Positive
15. Woodlands
16. Perfect World
17. Misty Bog
18. Quality Time
19. Forest Song (End Credits)