Boombox Serenade

MFN Case Study: Another good question from a reader.

So a few days back a music supervisor wrote in with a good question: last year he'd worked on an independently produced documentary for which he negotiated festival rights. Now the filmmakers want to produce a DVD.

He has five songs to re-license and lucky for him, one of the big uber-mega publishers gave him the "crazy low" rate of 2k for an "All Media/Perpetuity/World’ buy-out license. He went to two other publishers with this and they fell in line with the deal. The remaining two songs are well known, and the publishers quoted a price that the filmmakers couldn't afford. As an alternative, the publishers offered a royalty option (a percentage of the profits) instead, and the filmmakers thought the rate was fair.

Only thing is, all the different parties involved want MFN status, but the filmmaker wonders, "How do I grant this when there are two different types of deals in play?"

It's not an issue. The 3 of the 5 publishers that fell in line with the flat fee buy-out rate are in their own MFN category, and the two royalty basis songs are in another. There's no real way to harmonize the two different approaches. For this film, there will be two different MFN categories—one flat fee, one royalty.

Five Days of Film-Music: Day Five, Remembering Sarah Marshall

 

Our special pre-Oscars retrospective continues...a dementedly detailed account of the music that populated the films of 2008. Today we'll tackle 38 through 48 on the list, where Forgetting Sarah Marshall Director Nicholas Stoller along with Music Supervisor Jonathan Karp showed humor and imagination by eschewing overplayed originals and instead using Hawaiian-language covers of well known break-up songs like "Nothing Compares 2 U," and "Everybody Hurts." They also get points for including traditional Hawaiian music (by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole and others), which helped to give the film a much deeper sense of place than most romantic comedies. Bonus points for using the neo-Tiki lounge stylings of a personal favorite of mine, Ursula 1000.

In this batch, I also like that the horror movie The Strangers played against type through soundtrack, favoring sweet, folksy tracks from the likes of Gillian Welsh and Joanna Newsom instead of the more predictable hard rock and/or metal sounds that dominates this genre.

38. The Happening, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Score by James Newton Howard.

39. Role Models, directed by David Wain. Score by Craig Wedren. Other music staff listed here. Non-score tracks include "Beth" by Kiss (this is the song Paul Rudd sings to Elizabeth Banks at the end of the film), "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra (beach & games scene), "Detroit Rock City" by Kiss (battle scene), "Chedda" by Big City (party scene), "Best Believe" by Pete Rock (with Redman and L.D.) (second party scene track), "88" by Cool Kids, "Call Me the Breeze" by Lynard Skynard, "Broken and Bent" and "Ladislas of Leisure" by Peter Sallet, "Love Gun" by Kiss (first credits song), "Love Take Me Down (to the Streets)" by Amy Miles and Charles Gansa (second credits song). 

40 . Forgetting Sarah Marshall, directed by Nicholas Stoller. Score by Lyle Workman (Superbad, 40 Year Old Virgin). Music supervision by Jonathan Karp (Pineapple Express, Superbad). Non-score tracks include "Dracula's Lament" performed by Jonathan Segel, "You Can't Break a Heart and Have It" by Frank Black,  "Love You Madly" by Cake, "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" by The Smiths, "Inside of You" and "We've Got to Do Something" by Infant Sorrow, "Get Me Away from Here I'm Dying" by Belle & Sebastian, "Animal Instincts" by The Transcenders and JD7 D'Star, "Baby" by Os Mutantes, "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. and performed by the Coconutz, "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" by Lee Hazelwood and performed by Coconutz, "F******g Boyfriend" by The Bird and The Bee, "Jungle Love" performed by Morris Day and The Time, "Intensified" by Desmond Dekker and The Aces, "More Than Words" by Extreme and performed by Aloha Sex Juice, "The Secret Sun" by Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos, "Nothing Compares 2 U," by Prince and performed by Sinead O'Connor, and another version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" performed by Coconutz with Daniel Ho (plays during credits). Still other tracks include "Agua de Beber" by Astrud Gilberto. "Aloha Ka Manini" and "Henehene Kou Aka" "Ka Huila Wai" and "'Ulili E" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, "Amber" by 311, "Character" by Van Hunt, "Colour Me" by Dot Allison, "Heavy Lifting" by Ambulence Ltd., "Ka A'noi" by Martin Pahinui, "Mai Ha'l la Hai" by Brothers Cazimero, "My Little Grass Shack" by Hawaii Tattoo, "Non Fermati Mai" by Classe 1900, "Playa Azul" by Los Amigos Invisibles, "Samba 1000" by Ursula 1000, "Stone Love" by Pepper, "Treasure" by Zuco 103.

41. I am Legend, directed by Francis Lawrence.  Score by James Newton Howard (The Dark Night, Sixth Sense). No music supervisor listed. Non-score tracks included a handful of Bob Marley hits including  "Little Birds," "I Shot the Sherrif," "Stir it Up," and "Redemption Song." 

42. Baby Mama, directed by Michael McCullers. Score by Jeff Richmond (30 Rock, Mean Girls). Music supervision by Kathy Nelson (Pulp Fiction, Enemy of the State). Non-score tracks include "Mistletoe" by Colbie Caillat, "December" by Ed Roland performed by Collective Soul, "Stay Up Late" by Talking Heads, "Party Nights" by E Sloane, "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, "This Street" by Marshall Crenshaw, "Red, Red Wine" written by Neil Diamond / performed by UB40, "Hot Cookin'" by G Love, "She Bangs" performed by Ricky Martin, "Careless Whisper" by Wham!, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" performed by Cyndi Lauper, "Throne of Bone" by Rob Laufer, "Bad Reputation," by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, "Hey Ladies" by Beastie Boys, "Back Again," by Mr. Cheeks, "Welcome to My Party," by Shut Up Stella, "Get Busy" by Sean Paul, "The Lady in Red" by Chris De Burgh, "Starry Eyed Surprise" by Oakenfold, "100 Days, 100 Nights," by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, "Fingerprints" by Katy Perry, "Jump This Joint," by Tom Hall, "Jump This Joint" by Flattop Tom, "Be Gentle With Me" by The Boy Least Likely To, "Don't Speak," by Gwen Stefani, "Miles Behind Me," by Hotel Lights, "Family," by Zach Gill and Jack Johnson, "Be My Baby" by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich / performed by The Ronettes. 

43. Burn After Reading, directed by Ethan Coen. Score by Carter Burwell (Fargo, Being John Malkovich). Other music staff listed here. Licensed tracks include "CIA Man" by The Fugs.

44. Saw V, directed by David Hackl. Score by Charlie Clouser (Resident Evil: Extinction).

45. The Strangers, directed by Bryan Bertino. Score by tomandandy (Arlington Road). Non-score tracks include "The Sprout and the Bean" by Joanna Newsom, "My First Lover" by Gillian Welch, "Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard, "At My Window Sad and Lonely" written by Woodie Guthrie performed by Billy Bragg, "Hopeful" by Jennifer O'Connor, "Ariel Ramirez" by Richard Buckner, and "At My Window Sad and Lonely (Jeff Tweedy Guitar Solo Version)" written by Woodie Guthrie performed by Billy Bragg. 

46. The Forbidden Kingdom, directed by Robert Minkoff. Score by Bill Brzeski (Ellen, As Good As It Gets).

Five Days of Film-Music: Day Four, Devil and a Blue Dress

Our special pre-Oscars retrospective continues...an unasked for and over-caffeinenated foray into the world of 2008 film-music. Today we'll tackle 28 through 37 on the list, where we travel into slightly more hipsterish territory but where Hellboy II nevertheless scored one of the most memorable film-music moments of the year with an old Barry Manilow hit. Still, an indie rock aesthetic is primarily what dominates here, despite the fact that half the "indie" bands are on big labels now, including MGMT, a couple of Conneticut fellas who broke out this year in part due to their song "Time to Pretend" having been used in the otherwise useless 21 (as well as Gossip Girl and the new 90210). But since that gorgeous, shiny little piece of pop has long since become overplayed, let's let it rest for the time being and click around on some of the other really good stuff here instead, especially Simple Kid, The Aliens (three members of Beta Band), Ratatat, and Joan as Police Woman.

28. Jumper, directed by Doug Liman. Music supervision by Julianne Jordan (The Italian Job, Swingers, Bigger Stronger Faster). Score by John Powell. Licensed tracks include "Ahead by a Century" by The Tragically Hip, "Look After You" by The Fray, "Blackened Blue Eyes" by The Charlatans UK, "Ladies and Gentlemen" by Saliva, "Tick Tick Boom" by The Hives, "Lay Down the Law" by Switches, Lil' King Kong by Simple Kid, "We Does That" by C.M.D., "Stompbox" by Qemists, "Sexy Boy" by Morning Musume, "Rabbit Hole" by Eastern Conference Champions, "Piu Forte Delle Bombe" by Colle Der Fomento, "Lucky Girl" by Black Summer Crush,

29. 21, directed by Robert Luketic. Score and music supervision by David Sardy. Licensed tracks include a remixed version of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by Soulwax, "Alright" by Knivez Out, "Big Ideas" by LCD Soundsystem, a clean version of "Time to Pretend" by MGMT, "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John, "Giant" by D. Sardy (composer) featuring Liela Moss, "Tropical Moonlight" by Domino, "L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)" by Mark Ronson featuring Kasabian, "Mad Pursuit" by Junkie XL featuring Electrocute, "Always" by Amon Tobin, "Sister Self Doubt" by Get Shakes, "I Am the Unknown" by The Aliens, "Hold my Hand" by Unkle, "Tender Buttons" by Broadcast, "Shut Up and Drive" by Rhianna, "Everybody Get Dangerous" by Weezer, and "Music is Happiness" by the Octopus Project.

30. What Happens in Vegas, directed by Tom Vaughan. Score by Christophe Beck (American Wedding, Bring it On). Music supervision by Deva Anderson (Charlie Wilson's War, My Big Fat Greek Wedding). "Grace Kelly" by Mika, "Jungle Rock" by Scott Schreer and Tamara Loeffler, "Steady" by Dukes of Daville, "Pink Flamingo" by Jo Part, "Can I Get Get" by Junior Senior, "Shake" by Ali Dee performed by DJ Melvin Paisley, "If You Love Me (TG Remix)' by the Buzz Junkies, "Freek U" by Bon Garcon, "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate, "We Are the Champions" by Queen, "Love" by Matt White, "Wanna New Drug" (written by Huey Lewis) performed by The Greenskeepers, "Hustle Man" by Tyrant the Don, "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet, "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)" by The Eels, "One Love" by The Blockheads, "Get Down on It" by Kool and The Gang, "Tonight I Have to Leave It" by Shout Out Louds, "Put a Record On" by Unkle Bob, "I'm Not Over" by Carolina Liar, "Save The Best for Last" by Vanessa Williams, "I Hate You (My Friend)" by John Oszajca.

31. Cloverfield, directed by Matt Reeves.  Soundtrack includes "Pankhida" by Lekha Rathnakumar, "West Coast" by Coconut Records (actor Jason Schwartzman's band), "Taper Jean Girl" by Kings of Leon, "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston, "Do I Have Your Attention?" by The Blood Arm, "Got Your Moments" by Scissors for Lefty, "Don't Make Me Wait" by Locksley, "Give Up The Funk" by Parliament, "19-2000" by Gorillaz, "The Underdog" by Spoon, "Pistol of Fire" by Kings of Leon, "Disco Lies" by Moby, "Do The Whirlwind" by Architecture in Helsinki, "Grown So Ugly" by The Black Keys, "Four Winds" by Bright Eyes, "The Ride" by Joan as Police Woman, "Seventeen Years" by Ratatat, "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Mind Games" by Of Montreal, "Fuzz" by Mucc, "Sunday Ticket" by David Robidoux, "Going Up" and "Cleanup in Aisle 19" by Stephan M. Sechi. Finally the Cloverfield Overture by Michael Giacchino.

32. 27 Dresses, directed by Anne Fletcher. Score by Randy Edelman. Music supervision by Buck Damon (Garden State, Erin Brockovich). Licensed tracks include "Be Here Now" by Ray Lamontagne, "Happy Together" by The Turtles, "So Here We Are" by Bloc Party, "Valerie" by Mark Ronson featuring Amy WInehouse, "Call Me Irresponsible" by Michael Buble, "Laleh" by Elton Ahi, "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson, "Sun/Rise/Light/Flight" by Kasabian, "The Cow" by Gene Loves Jezebel, "Cherry coloured funk" by Cocteau Twins, "Who Knows" by Natasha Bedingfield, "Paris Cafe" by Rick Rhodes and Danny Pelfrey, "Eastern Spirit" by Aaron Wheeler, "Unfair" by Josh Kelley, "Hips Don't Lie" performed by Wyclef Jean and Shakira, "Lady West" by Jamie Scott and The Town, "The Sky is Crying" performed by Albert King, "Freckle Song" by Chuck Prophet, "Anna" by Bad Company, "Bennie and the Jets" by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, "Under the Influence" by James Morrison, "Like a Star" by Corinne Bailey Rae, "Love Has Fallen on Me" by Chaka Kahn.

33. Hellboy II: The Golden Army, directed by Guillermo del Toro. Score by Danny Elfman. Music supervision by Kathy Nelson (Pulp Fiction, Gone in Sixty Seconds). Licensed tracks include "Noir" by Embers Deep, "Can't Smile Without You" by Barry Manilow, "All I Want to Do Is Rock" by Travis, and "Beautiful Freak" by The Eels.

34. Vantage Point, directed by Pete Travis. Score by Atli Orvarsson (Iron Man, NYPD Blue).

35. The Spiderwick Chronicles, directed by Mark Waters. Score by James Horner (Titanic, Braveheart, Troy).

36. Fool's Gold, directed by Andy Tennant. Score by George Fenton (Groundhog Day, Anna and the King). Music supervision by Julianne Jordan (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith). Licensed tracks include "Let's Get Crackin'" by the DeeTown Allstars, "Love and Affection" by Majek Fashek, "Could You Be Loved" by Bob Marley and The Wailers, "You Can Get it If You Really Want It" performed by Desmond Dekker, "Tighten Up" by Lee Scratch Perry, "Call Me Thumper" by Classic, and "Truly Madly Deeply" by The Dualers.

37. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour, directed by Bruce Hendricks. That's enough said about that.

Five Days of Film-Music: Day Three, The Red Headed Step-Blockbusters

Our special ramp-up to the Oscars continues...an ill advised and largely caffeine fueled attempt to document music that permeated the films of 2008*. Today we'll tackle 20 through 27 on the list, the segment I call the "Red Headed Step-Blockbusters," because somewhere around number 25, we dip below the $100M gross profit mark. Heaven forfend!

20. Eagle Eye, directed by D.J. Caruso. Score by Brian Tyler (Constantine, Alien vs. Predator)

21. Step Brothers, directed by Adam McKay. Some score work by Jon Brion (Synecdoche, New York, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Music supervision by Hal Willner (Gangs of New York, Talledega Nights). Licensed tracks include "The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "Ice, Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice, Queen, and David Bowie, "A-Punk" by Vampire Weekend, "You Make My Dreams Come True," by Hall & Oates, "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns N' Roses, and "Por Ti Volare" by Andrea Bocelli.

22. You Don't Mess With the Zohan, directed by Andrew Adamson (Shrek 2, Chronicles of Narnia). Score by Rupert Gregson-Williams. Music supervision by Brooks Arthur (The Wedding Singer, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry). Licensed tracks include "The Beautiful LIfe" and "Hallo Hallo" by the Ace of Base, "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja" by Bappi Lahiri, "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" by Human League, "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell, "Pump up the Jam" by Techtronic, "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz, "Strip" by Adam Ant, and "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd, and "Artillery" by Infected Mushroom/Swollen Members.

(Bit of trivia: "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja" is from a 1982 Bollywood movie called Disco Dancer. It was remixed by M.I.A. on her album 2007 album Kala. Disco Dancer was expecially known for its song "I Am a Disco Dancer," which in 1988 was possibly the inspiration for a song by Devo called "Disco Dancer.")

23. 10,000 B.C., directed by Roland Emmerich (The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day). Score by Harald Kloser (The Day After Tomorrow, AVP: Alien versus Predator) and Thomas Wanker (The Day After Tomorrow, AVP: Alien versus Predator).

24. Beverly Hills Chihuahua, directed by Raja Gosnell (Scooby Doo, Never Been Kissed). Score by Heitor Pereira (Team America: World Police, Shrek 2, Dark Knight). Music supervision by Buck Damon (Garden State, Mean Girls, Erin Brockovich). Featured a couple of licensed tracks including "Rich Girl" written by Dr. Dre and Eve, performed by Gwen Stefani and  "Wow" by Kylie Minogue.

25. High School Musical 3: Senior Year: directed by Kenny Ortega. Composition/soundtrack by David Lawrence XVII (American Pie, American Pie 2, High School Musical). This soundtrack album sold 297,000 copies in the first week and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, losing the top to AC/DC's Black Ice. The album sold over 920,000 copies in the U.S. and 2,000,000 copies worldwide

26. Bolt, directed by Byron Howard and Chris Williams. Score by John Powell (Shrek, Happy Feet). There were a couple of non-score tracks too: "Barking at the Moon" by Jenny Lewis and "I Thought I Lost You" by Miley Cyrus.

27. Four Christmases, directed by Seth Gordon (The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters). Score by Alex Wurman (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, March of the Penguins). Music supervision by Bob Bowman (Magnolia, Wedding Crashers). Licensed tracks include "Baby It's Cold Outside" by Dean Martin and Martina McBride, (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays by Perry Como, "Christmas All Over Again" by Tom Petty and "O Little Town of Bethlehem" by Sarah MacLachlin, among several others. 

27. The Pineapple Express, directed by David Gordon Green (All The Real Girls, Snow Angels). Score by Graeme Revell (Sin City, Daredevil). Music supervision by Jonathan Karp (Superbad, Knocked Up).  Licensed tracks include "Paper Planes" by M.I.A. (trailer), "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant, "Bird's Lament" by Moondog and the London Saxophonic, "Shaggy Dog" by Danny and the Velaires, "Pineapple Express" by Huey Lewis and the News, Grace Jones' cover of "Ring of Fire" by June Carter Cash, "Dr. Greenthumb" by Cypress Hill, "Lost at Birth" by Public Enemy, "Wanted Dread or Alive" by Peter Tosh, "Don't Look Around" by Mountain, "Coconut Girl" by Brother Nolan, "Hilawe" by Arthur Lyman, "Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs 'n' Harmony," "I Didn't Mean to Hurt You" by Spiritualized, "Woke Up Laughing" by Robert Palmer, "The Fixer" by Humble Pie, "Love is Blue" by Claudine Longet, "Time Will Tell" by Bob Marley and the Wailers, and "I Know I Got Skillz" by Shaquille O'Neal. 

*Note: our ordering is based on the-numbers.com's box office gross results for 2008. While their list includes any film that made money in 2008, we skip over those that were released in 2007.

Five Days of Film-Music: Day Two, The Other Blockbusters

Our special ramp-up to the Oscars continues...a long and totally unsolicited backward glance at the music that permeated the films of 2008. Today we'll tackle 11 through 19 on the list.

(Note: our ordering is based on the-numbers.com's box office gross results for 2008, but we're skipping over any movies that were actually released in 2007, such as Juno.)

One of the real soundtrack standouts in this group is Tropic Thunder. Ben Stiller is fantastically unafraid to turn up the volume on the music in his films and he rightly picks exactly the kind of turgid gas guzzlers that underwrite his broad sense of parody. Dropping Enigma's "Sadeness" during the fake trailer for Satan's Alley, for instance, had to be the funniest film-music moment of the year. The wonderful George Drakoulias did music supervision on this one too, which never hurts.

The other standout in today's list is Twilight, a project that managed to snag Alexandra Patsavas (The O.C., Chuck) to do music supervision. Patsavas has an ear for passionate, angsty music that really speaks to the preoccupations of youth, so she was a great catch for Director Catherine Hardwicke. However you feel about the whole Twilight phenomenenon, a Patsavas soundtrack is always worth a listen.

11. Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Music supervision by the talented Alexandra Patsavas (The O.C., Chuck). Used some score by Carter Burwell, but also a multi-artist soundtrack including "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse and "Leave Out All The Rest" Linkin Park, both bands that the author Stephenie Meyer says she listened to while writing the books. It was Patsavas though who brought in the real highlights of the soundtrack with "Full Moon" by Black Ghosts,  and "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" by Iron and Wine. Other tracks include "Let Me Sign" by Robert Pattinson, "15 Step" by Radiohead, "Spotlight (Twilight Mix)" by Mutemath, "Decode" and "I Caught Myself" by Paramore, "Go All The Way (Into the Twilight)" by Perry Ferrell, "Tremble for my Beloved" by Collective Soul, "Eyes on Fire" by Blue Foundation, "Bella's Lullaby" by Carter Burwell, "La Traviata" by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and "Claire de Lune" by Claude Debussy.

12. Mamma Mia!, directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Score by ABBA's Benny Andersson and music book by Catherine Johnson. A fully non-score soundtrack if ever there was one, Mamma Mia! features the music of pop band ABBA, as sung by an ebullient Meryl Streep, who looked like she was having the time of her life making this film.

13. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, directed by Andrew Adamson. Used primarily score by Harry Gregson-Williams, but also a few non-score tracks like "The Call," sung by Regina Spektor, "A Dance Round the Memory Tree" by Oren Lavie, "This is Home" by Switchfoot, and "Lucy" by Hanne Hukkelberg.

14. The Incredible Hulk, directed by Louis Leterrier. Music supervision by Dave Jordan. Used score by Craig Armstrong  and non-score tracks including: "Over Under Around and Through," by Joe Raposo,"Danto" by French pop band Kaoma, and the ultra-high energy "Soundtrack" by Balkan hip hopper Frenkie. 

15. Wanted, directed by Timur Bekmambetov. Music supervison by Kathy Nelson. Score by Danny Elfman, but also featured licensed tracks including "Every Day is Exactly the Same" by Nine Inch Nails and  "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman.

16. Get Smart, directed by Peter Segal. Used primarily score by Trevor Rabin, plus a few licensed tracks like "Take a Chance on Me" by ABBA, "Ain't No Other Man" by Christine Aguilera, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" from Dead Poet's Society), "Anna (El Negro Zumbon)" by Les Brown and the Band of Renown, and "Hey Come Over" by Ella Rouge.

17. Tropic Thunder, directed by Ben Stiller. Music Supervisor George Drakoulias. Used some score by Theordore Shapiro (The Devil Wears Prada, Blades of Glory), but primarily featured a multi-artist soundtrack including "Sadeness" by Enigma, "Name of the Game" by the Crystal Method, "Run Through the Jungle" by Creedance Clearwater Revival, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones, "The Pusher" by Steppenwolfe, "Frankenstein" by Edgar Winter, "Ball of Confusion" by The Temptations, "War" by Edwin Starr, "Get Back" by Ludacris, "Cum on Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot, and "Low" by T-Pain. And let's not forget hip hop parody "I Love That Pu**y" by Brandon T. Jackson (as Alpa Chino).

18. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, directed by Rob Cohen. Used score by Randy Edelman.

19. Journey to the Center of the Earth, directed by Eric Brevig. Used score by Andrew Lockington.

Five Days of Film-Music: Day One, The Blockbusters

 

As a special, extra-OCD ramp-up to the Oscars, Boombox Serenade will spend the next five days looking back at the music that filled the films of 2008, kicking things off today with the top ten grossing films of the year. These juggernauts tend to favor score (especially those by Hans Zimmer and John Powell) but still harbor some memorable non-score moments, most notably Pixar's WALL-E, which aptly and artfully reappropriated music from another film, the screen adaptation of Hello Dolly! 

Another truly memorable film-music moment this year took place in Quantum of Solace, which early in the film featured a stylized opera house sequence set to "Tre Sbirri, Una Carrozza" from Puccini's Tosca (also used prominently in Gus Van Sant's Milk this year). This scene hinged on a real production that took place at the Bregenz Festival in Austria and it benefited hugely from the authenticity of this choice as well as the enormous blue eye that served as the set's centerpiece. It was, of course, a reference to the source of Tosca's insane jealousy, but also a handy allusion to Daniel Craig's piercing gaze and Bond's single-mindedness in this chapter. 

In terms of soundtracks as a whole, one of the most informed releases this year was Hancock due, no doubt, to the presence of rock star Music Supervisor George Drakoulias, who always finds room for interesting artists like Louisville avant-chamber trio Rachel's, reggae gem Doctor Alimantado, and underground party rapper The 45 King. Certain trends did, understandably, prove too powerful to resist of course. No one including Team Berg/Drakoulias seemed able to turn down "Paper Planes" by M.I.A. in their films this year, making her 2008's undisputed homecoming queen of non-score film music. 

Last but certainly not least, of the strongest overall soundtracks this year was the multi-artist Sex and the City release. Whether you embrace the values espoused by this franchise or not, the music was an unapologetic exploration of those values and lived up to its ethos of a fun yet sophisticated take on girl-power. Tracks like the dreamy and glamorous "Click Flash" by Ciara perfectly embody the flirty, cosmopolitan image of Sex, as does a lighter-than-air number called "Kissing" by Bliss, and a champagne bubble of a song called "Look at You Now" by Katie Herzig. The soundtrack isn't all MAC and Manolos though. An achingly soulful cover of Don Henley's "Heart of the Matter" by India Arie gets at one of the supposed underlying themes of the movie, as does the exquisitely dejected "Fool's Gold" by Amy Winehouse. This soundtrack debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, the highest debut for a multi-artist film soundtrack since 2005's Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

And now, the top ten grossing films of 2008:

1. Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan. Music supervision by Hothouse Music. Used mostly score by Hans Zimmer, but also featured two tracks by an innovative Tokyo electronica duo called Boom Boom Satellites: "Scatterin' Monkey" and "4 A Moment of Silence." For the big funeral scene, it also featured a traditional Scottish ballad called "Balmoral," played by The Pipes and Drums of the Chicago Police Department. Hear a version of "Balmoral" here.

2. Iron Man, directed by Jon Favreau. Music supervision by Dave Jordan. Used mostly score by Ramin Djawadi (Blade: Trinity), but also featured a number of non-score tracks including: "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath (trailer), "Back in Black" by AC/DC, "Damn Kid" by DJ Boborobo, "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies, and "Slept on Tony with Dirt" by Ghostface Killah.

3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, directed by Steven Spielberg. Used mostly score by John Williams, but also featured tracks like "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley, "Wake Up Little Susie" by the Everly Brothers, "Little Bitty Pretty One" by Thurston Harris, and "Shake Rattle and Roll" by Bill Haley and the Comets. (For further thoughts on how music was used in this film, read this post.)

4. Hancock, directed by Peter Berg. Music supervison by George Drakoulias. Used a combination of score by John Powell (Shrek, Happy Feet) and licensed tracks including: "Whammer Jammer" by J. Geils Band, "The 900 #" by 45 King, "Move Bitch" by Ludacris (and later another version by DJ No Name), "Tippi Toes" by The Meters, "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights" by Freddy Fender, "Water From the Same Source" by avant-chamber trio Rachel's, "Best Dressed Chicken in Town" by Doctor Alimantado, "Colors" by Ice-T, "Paper Planes" by M.I.A., "Two" by Ryan Adams, and "Llego Cachaito" by Roberta Fonseca.

5. WALL-E, directed by Andrew Stanton. Music supervison by Tom MacDougall. Used mostly score by Thomas Newman, but also featured licensed tracks including "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" and "It Only Takes a Moment" (both from the Hello Dolly! soundtrack), "La Vie En Rose" as performed by Louie Armstrong, "Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel, and "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss. 

6. Kung-Fu Panda, directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson. Used primarily score by Hans Zimmer and John Powell, plus the licensed track "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas, plus a reprise of it for the credits, this time a cover by Cee Lo and Jack Black.

7. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath. Used primarily score by Hans Zimmer, plus the very Academy friendly original non-score track "The Traveling Song" by will.i.am plus "More Than a Feeling" by Boston and "Copacobana (At The Copa)" by Barry Manilow.

8. Quantum of Solace, directed by Mark Forster. Used primarily score by David Arnold (Venus, Casino Royale), plus the opening credits showpiece, "Another Way to Die" by the White Stripes. This film also had an interesting sequence set to the Puccini's Tosca (an opera that was also featured in Gus Van Sant's Milk this year). This particular production apparently took place during the Bregenz Festival in Austria and the giant eye is Tosca herself (played by Nadja Michael). The section heard most prominently is "Tre Sbirri, Una Carrozza" from the end of the first act.

9. Horton Hears a Who, directed by Jimmy Hayward. Used primarily score by John Powell, plus the REO Speedwagon tune "Can't Fight This Feeling," performed by the characters in the movie.

10. Sex and the City, written and directed by Michael Patrick King. Soundtrack produced by Salaam Remi, who took an "inspired by" approach with "Labels or Love" by Fergie serving as the theme music and "All Dressed Up in Love" by Jennifer Hudson for the closing credits. Other soundtrack highlights include hyper stylized "New York Girls" by Morningwood, a gorgeous and heartfelt cover of Don Henley's "The Heart of the Matter" by India Arie, the floatingly lovely "Kissing" by an "international chill out music pop collective" called Bliss. A second volume of tracks released in September had some good stuff too, especially the dreamy and glamorous "Click Flash" by Ciara, the carbonated sounding "Look at You Now" by Katie Herzig, bluesy and downcast "Fool's Gold" by Amy Winehouse, and the slow dance sweetheart "You Look So Good Tonight," by Owen Brady.