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In Reply to: My view too of "pop songs on the soundtrack". (Feh!) posted by clarkjohnsen on October 26, 2005 at 08:43:23:
>the unavoidable snag in any Crowe film -- whatever the balance of embarrassment and ingratiation -- is the limitless playlist of pop songs on the soundtrack -- however eclectic, however catholic, however punditic, the selection. (You will easily recall, because Crowe will never let you forget, his Rolling Stone credentials.)>Besides his 'Rolling Stone credentials', he's married to Ann Wilson of Heart - the blond guitar player. Sometimes the assembly of pop songs on his soundtracks can enhance what is taking place in the film. As to the soundtrack of 'Almost Famous', Crowe's most biographical film, it's one of my favorite compilations.
Anyone can be a film critic, sit a keyboard and tear things apart bit by bit, injecting pithy comments that some will regard *cosmic truth*. Your Mr. Shepherd doesn't impress me, but then I'm not from Boston.
Follow Ups:
It was a movie about music in the 70's and they, uhh, played some classics from the period. The music added tremndously to my appreciation of a great flick. Favorite music moment wasn't one of the set piece songs, but a smidgeon heard when Crowe's character was trying to get into his first concert thru the back door. Yes was on the bill and when the door opened, Jon Anderson's vocals doing Roundabout just spilled out of the door with just the RIGHT amount of concert hall echo. Just a perfect, understated moment.
----------------------------------------------------------
"Do I have to spell it out?
C --- H ---- E ---E ---- S --- E
A --- N --- D
O ---- N ---- I ---- O ---- N ---- S"
"Your Mr. Shepherd doesn't impress me, but then I'm not from Boston."Mr. Shepherd is not *my* Mr. Shepherd, but his own man. And far from reading only Boston-based critics, as you have wrongfully accused me of doing before, I get around. For instance, to San Diego -- where Mr. Shepherd writes.
clark
PS For the insider view you are unable to offer, here's sjb's message, which he's reworking:
The music in Elizabethtown is used with less effect than in any of Crowe's
other films.
------------------------------
Instead of supporting or underscoring a moment or theme in the film (which,
while overused, his musical choices usually do) the music in Elizabethtown
seems to have it's own agenda and it mostly succeeded in pulling me out of
the film. Among the problems with the music was its frequent use as a
foreground element when it should have been a background element or it
starting too soon during a potentially heartfelt moment or it stepping on
the actors' lines and, more than ever, they were just poor choices of
songs.Crowe wasn't able to work with his regular editor which could have easily
been a factor in how poor the weaving of the music into the fabric of the
film was.[Exactly!]
...while I have no insider view to offer, I didn't communicate my thoughts very well.For those of us who are passionate about music, like you and I, and I suspect Mr. Crowe, any autobiographical work most likely will contain music that is important to us in that time of our life, but may not resonate the same way with everyone else, particularly film reviewers who don't know what it's like to be passionate about music.
As trite as it is, 'music is the soundtrack of our lives' and if it were my life being portrayed, I can think of some of the music which would be included that made a big impression on me at various times.
As 'Elizabethtown' is also somewhat biographical, it is difficult to say whether Crowe's musical choices were for effect or because they were important to him at that time in his life.
As for Mr. Shepherd, you have quoted him numerous times here and IIRC, labeled him as your favorite.
Or audio reviewers who seem able to read into the hearts and minds of other people?clark
...sort of the opposite of Roger Ebert who can find something to like in just about any film.When it comes to criticizing a film for its choice of music on the soundtrack, I guess where Elizabethtown is concerned, there are a lot more valid things to criticize.
Having a good reason and/or a deeply peronal reason for using the chosen music is entirely separate from implementing those musical choices well (Almost Famous) or poorly (Elizabethtown).
"Where are we going? And what am I doing in this hand basket?"
I spoke knowing he wasn't Crowes regular guy but hadn't looked him up. For what it's worth... a quick check with Allmovie.com reveals that the editor on Elizabethtown also edited on Jerry Macguire and on a film that I thought made excellent use of pop music to underscore and support it's moments and themes, Rushmore.
"Where are we going? And what am I doing in this hand basket?"
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