The God I Love Prog thread made me think of the film I Love You Man. It’s a pretty feeble bromance comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. It’s a bearable watch for someone with low expectations and nothing else to do but I’ve watched it 3 times. Why? Because the heart of the bromance is a shared love of Rush. There is Rush music all over the film and there’s a scene in an actual Rush performance. As a result, I find it really enjoyable when without the music I might well not have watched to the end on the first viewing and would certainly not have bothered to see it again.
There must be plenty of films out there that no-one would bother with but for the music.
I’m hoping that no-one is going to respond by suggesting The Last Waltz or A Complete Unknown but let’s see…
And here’s the concert scene from the film
As a slight aside, I don’t think I have ever seen a realistic depiction of a rock concert in a film. There are never enough people crammed in, the main characters always have far too much space, the music is not loud enough and the whole thing is just too organised. And rock dancing is always shit. That clip has all the normal traits.
Even worse is a nightclub scene, actually a far more common staple than a concert as it enables boy to meet girl, evade Terminator etc. Movies about clubbing get it better occasionally (eg ace French movie Eden) but usually:
1. Far too well lit.
2. Characters can miraculously hear each other talking without shouting in someone’s ear only go get ‘what’back.
3. Bar is amazingly devoid of customers and barkeep is happy to oblige.
4. No door policy (even for Michael Douglas’ v-neck sweater with no t-shirt look in Basic Instinct).
Here’s someone from the New Statement backing up all these points!
https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/film/2019/06/why-are-club-scenes-film-always-so-cringeworthy
Agreed. it was because of this, i posted this beauty on YouTube:
I think that’s Chas n Dave, plus a bit of Fairport.
Is that The Union Chapel?
I would say so.
You would have thought that all of those extras were being paid, so they would have demanded that they could all clap in time.
I nearly always find crowd demonstrations unrealistic too in films
I agree with the exception of the David Essex “That’ll be the day” scene which was actually a gig at Belle Vue in Manchester I think. My mate Steve’s twin sister, on whom I had a massive crush, was there and you can see her in the clip in a pink top for a split second at 1.52. She said the audience were told off for screaming David rather than Jim. The sound track has obviously been replaced but it’s not bad.
The live scenes in Almost Famous aren’t bad but they obviously can’t actually play which I always think looks crap but I might be more sensitive to it being a guitarist myself.
I doubt there’s too much love for the films Absolute Beginners or the oft-forgotten Electric Dreams, but both spawned hits that are very fondly remembered. There’s also a proto-Expendables movie called The Wild Geese, starring Dickies Burton and Harris, plus Roger Moore. The film is far from great, but I love the main theme (The Flight of the Wild Geese) by Joan Armatrading:
For some odd reason I love “The Wild Geese”. It is what it is but it’s a good story based on fact and a great cast, the action is convincing, the surprise ending well done. Also handles some tricky issues well given its era.
I thought the recent Alex Garland movie “Civil War” was disappointing and underwritten but the soundtrack (Silver Apples (!) , Suicide) was terrific
Had exactly the same experience. Wasn’t over-enamoured of the movie itself, but the feeling of being sat in the cinema as Rocket USA suddenly made an appearance was pretty memorable.
I gave up after 40 minutes and they were still sitting in a minibus talking Very poor.
Help!
The movie that springs immediately to mind is Dead Presidents.
It’s a pretty forgettable heist movie, and nowhere near as good as the Hughes brothers’ previous flick (Menace II Society), but it has those iconic painted white faces and an absolutely superb soundtrack that is more than worth the price of entry on its own. See tracklist below.
1. “If You Want Me to Stay” Sly and the Family Stone
2. “Walk On By” Isaac Hayes
3. “The Payback” James Brown
4. “I’ll Be Around” The Spinners
5. “Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up” Barry White
6. “I Miss You” Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
7. “Get Up and Get Down” The Dramatics
8. “(Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below We’re All Going to Go” Curtis Mayfield
9. “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” Aretha Franklin
10. “Where Is the Love” Jesse & Trina
11. “Tired of Being Alone” Al Green
12. “Love Train” The O’Jays
13. “The Look of Love” Isaac Hayes
14. “Dead Presidents [Theme]”
I don’t know if music can rescue a bad movie, but I think it can make a good one a lot better. I remember John Carpenter writing that Halloween was not really frightening test audiences, which led him to go away and write the soundtrack, which changed significantly how they responded.
To go off at at a tangent here, there was an exploration of the impact of music in film in an excellent radio drama, recorded a few years ago starring Toby Jones and Tim McInnerny, about the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Hermann.
I was fortunate enough to be in the audience for the recording.
You can still hear it on BBC Sounds here:
Benny and Hitch.
I am gobsmacked. Thankyou so much for that tip @Carl.
A play with an excellent orchestra playing Benny’s finest compositions live. What more can we ask?
And you were in the audience. Respect!
The tickets were free as well.
I’m on the BBC Audiences mailing list. I put my name down and was lucky enough to get a pair of tickets.
Lucky indeed @Carl.
I’ve posted a link to the play on my FB page and am getting some very enthusiastic comments.
Here’s a review of the play..
https://2ndfrombottom.wordpress.com/2023/03/07/benny-and-hitch-review/
The Blues Brothers would be a series of weak SNL sketches without the music, I suggest.
I think The Commitments is a pretty by-the-numbers film, with an absolutely stellar set of musical performances and ace song choices.
Easy Rider would be embarrassingly bad without the music.
In retrospect, it has a reputation that belies the content.
Are you George?
The cinematography is amazing, and the finale (Spoiler Alert) where the rednecks blow to smithereens the ‘liberals’… oh, no, actually that is pretty dated… who could possibly imagine that happening in real time in the America of 2025?
Not me, squire, never gonna happen, not in a million years.
So you’re suggesting that the ending redeems it because it could still happen today?
Natural Born Killers.
Excellent soundtrack collation by Trent Reznor
High Fidelity – the weakness of the movie may be caused by my expectation. The book was flipping great, the film OK (at best), the soundtrack album did indeed offer redemption
The Beta Band and John Wesley Harding being two discoveries from the soundtrack, plus mention of Stiff Little Fingers and a burst of Suspect Device
(yes, I am easily swayed)
John Cusak has form … Grosse Pointe Blank is not a bad film at all, but does also have a superb soundtrack
Films based on Nick Hornby books always have a great soundtrack, ‘cos he’s a proper music nerd. Fever Pitch was another alright view but a great listen.
The Hot Spot, by Dennis Hopper, is a pretty dull film only really worth watching because the soundtrack is amazing. Miles Davis and john Lee Hooker.
I’ve not seen the film, but agree the soundtrack is great. Time to play it again.
Coming up to date, we went to see Sister Midnight last week. We thought it was bonkers and great, but I suspect views will be mixed. In any event, it has a terrific, globe trotting, soundtrack.
Back in the day, kids would go to a dull movie just to see one scene featuring their favourite artist.
We all remember Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.
But do you remember the Scottish bloke playing a secret agent or the film it comes from?
The answer is No.
And then there’s Gonks Go Beat, generally regarded as a contender for the title of worst film ever made but with a soundtrack including Lulu and The Luvvers, The Nashville Teens and the Graham Bond Organisation featuring Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Dick Heckstall-Smith. Here’s the drum battle initiated by Arfur Mullard
I think your Paul Rudd film is suddenly looking so much more appealing.
Are there any movies soundtracked by Can? Then we could adjust the thread title with neatly placed ‘s’ – and Bob’s your uncle!
Can do have an album called Monster Movie, I don’t think it’s a soundtrack though.
The did a lot of soundtrack work, and their second album Soundtracks compiled together music from several films. This included Mother Sky from the film Deep End, which starred Jane Asher.
They also did music for the TV move Das Millionenspiel. Here’s the opening titles, which surface on the Lost Tapes compilation a few years ago:
I was going to mention Deep End (1970) as it has Can’s “Mother Sky” and some Cat Stevens on the soundtrack, but it is actually a good, if offbeat, film in its own right.
Any votes for Never Too Young To Rock or Can’t Stop The Music?
Good music, no matter how amazing, cannot save a bad movie, it can only make it a bit less dreadful.
Perhaps the most obvious point ever posted but would anyone give a fuck about the film Superfly if it had literally anyone other than Curtis Mayfield doing the soundtrack? I mean the film is actually crap, but I’ve seen it something like three times.
Perhaps also obvious, but I also wonder of anyone would give a fuck about Star Wars if it wasn’t for that soundtrack?
See also literally any Tarantino flick.
Jackie Brown was the one I was trying to remember – great music in a lazy, self-indulgent film.
I haven’t seen it since it came out but I remember it as being good.
It probably was, but I remember disliking several of the characters, particularly the de Niro role, which is why I made the provocative statement. Good doesn’t necessarily mean enjoyable. Sometimes it can feel like homework.
Blimey, this post was a rollercoaster. Started off nodding along and ended it horrified. Going for a lie down now.
That trailer for Can’t Stop The Music is unforgettable. In a very bad way.
@ganglesprocket : I think you forgot to finish your last sentence, which should read “See also literally any Tarantino flick”, however, for an example where good music programming slots into largely decent cinematography, complementing the constructions this literate, if occasionally self-indulgent, film maker crafts.