Lost Stars

Totally digging Keira Knightley singing. Way better than the shrillness that is Adam Levine.

Also, this song should have won the Oscar for Best Song. Hands down.

Comme une rosée de larmes – Ludovic Bource

I imagine this being played as a guy is waiting in a restaurant on a date.  He nervous — fidgeting with the tablecloth, and adjusting and re-adjusting the utensils on the table to their exact place.  He constantly turns to look at the front of the restaurant, hoping, wishing to see his date.  He waits and waits.  Couples are all around him, laughing, smiling, and enjoying themselves, while he sits alone at his table with a candle burning.  A bottle of red wine sits unopened at the table.  A loyal waiter comes to check on him now and then, but the guy only gets refills of water in his glass.

Hours have passed.  The last couple leaves the restaurant, while the guy still sits there, the last bit of hope in his eyes dying.  He gives the restaurant a last look around, searching for that one person, then lets out a sigh of defeat.  He puts money on the table, gives the waiter a smile for tending to him the entire night, and trudges home.

The waiter goes over to the table, and blows out the now-short, barely flickering candle.

Milk

Not in the mood to write anything long, but I wanted to say I just saw Milk again tonight.  It really reminds me of a time when gay people literally had to fight for their rights, lead by such a passionate and ambitious leader like Mr. Milk, and it makes me angry that things were the were they were, but it also makes me proud to know and see the history of my people.

“The King’s Speech” — Alexandre Desplat (from The King’s Speech soundtrack)

Well, I don’t know what to write about tonight and though I could easily spew something random and post it under Random stuff, I’ll push myself to instead write about The King’s Speech instead, since the Oscars were tonight and all.

Alright, so Alexandre Desplat may have lost out to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network (I can’t criticize that decision since I haven’t seen the film nor have heard the score) but that doesn’t mean he did a bad job with TKS.  I’ve posted the main theme from the film, of the same title.  I like the simplicity of the production and the instrumentation that Desplat is so very skilled at doing.  In just under 4 minutes, I feel like he encapuslates the entire emotion, the experience of the film: from the opening, hopeful melody changing into more dramatic, then into the minor key, if you haven’t seen the film before, it’s a good preview of what to expect.

After watching clips of The King’s Speech at the Oscars and hearing the score, I want to see the movie again!  But alas, the confines of school and my so-called life prevent me from venturing out to the theatres.  Guess I’ll just have to listen to the soundtrack on repeat, and continue to want to see the film again until I implode.

Forbidden Frienship — John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon Soundtrack)

Up against veteran composers like Alexandre Desplat, Hans Zimmer, and also Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman, John Powell’s resume is just as comprehensive and long as Desplat and Zimmer’s.  According to IMDB, his first break in scoring happened in 1989, so he’s been around for a while.  It’s just taken him a long time to get noticed by the Academy, apparently.

How to Train Your Dragon is an alright film.  It’s enjoyable, yes, and I haven’t seen Toy Story 3 so I can’t compare it to that one but it probably won’t win the best animated feature film at the Oscars on Sunday.  However, I think John Powell does have a relatively good chance at winning the Oscar for Original Score.  When I saw HTTYD, the melody and the score really stuck out to me, particularly the main theme that’s played again and again in the film.  I’ve chosen to feature a different track from the film titled “Forbidden Friendship” which I think is really moving and full of some wonderful stuff, not to mention it’s not as popular as the main theme.

I haven’t heard the soundtrack from Rahman or Trent Reznor for The Social Network but from the other three films I’ve seen, it’s between Zimmer and Powell for the Oscar for original score.  In the meantime, enjoy this track!

Saturday Morning Documentary: Street Fight

It’s been a while since I’ve seen this film (ie. last year) but I do remember how I felt about it pretty well.  In 2002 in the town of Newark in New Jersey, Cory Booker runs for mayor, hoping to unseat the longtime mayor Sharpe James.  You’re probably thinking, “So what?  Why should this be notable?  Mayoral elections happen all the time.”   Director Marshall Curry calls it “Street Fight” — as the fight for mayor is taken to the streets of Newark where both parties try to win over individual citizens.

Things are not as they seem, however.  While the film is primarily focused on Cory Booker and his campaign, he does try to film James’ campaign as well, only to get denied time and time again, sometimes meeting violence.  Sharpe James, as the film shows, is manipulative, arrogant, and his supporters seem to be out of control at times.  And since no one seems to be challenging James’ authority or the outrageous stunts he pulls, the street fight escalates, right up until the last vote is counted.

I would rank Street Fight with Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, in terms of how pissed off it leaves audiences feeling (or at least, me).  Despite the amateur look of the film, there is a reason why this was nominated for an Oscar: showing the corruption and true face of American politics.

Street Fight

“Time” — Hans Zimmer (Inception Original Soundtrack)

Since the nominations for the Oscars a few days ago, I decided to take a listen to some of the nominees for Best Original Score.  I have seen How to Train Your Dragon, The King’s Speech, and Inception but seem to be the only person not to have seen The Social Network yet.  127 Hours is also a film I wanna watch though the prospect of watching James Franco cut off his arm is a little off-putting at the moment.  Anyway, I remembered that there was quite a good melody/theme in Inception, and since it had been a while since I saw it, I went on the awesome site that is youtube to hear the soundtrack.

Although I absolutely love the pulse-pounding Inception theme in “Dream is Collapsing”, I particularly like the nostalgia and the emotional impact of “Time”, the closing track on the soundtrack and if I remember correctly, also played during the end credits of the film.  Although I do feel like Inception lacked strong emotional connection with the characters, this track almost (*almost!*) makes up for it.  It’s slow and contemplative in the beginning, add in the orchestra later and it bursts into true Zimmer spirit.

(Eww.  I just had a kettle corn kernel and it tasted like a cherry tomato… yuck.)

I’ve always been a fan of Zimmer, and I think this is a better, more rounded soundtrack than Sherlock Holmes.  I have a feeling this won’t win the Oscar for original score but oh well.  This is a great score nonetheless.