Have you ever been seated in a movie theater and experience the start of a song so perfect that it makes all the hair on your body stand on end? Behold the power of the “needle-drop.” This month’s theme will celebrate some of our favorite film soundtracks (not scores) with some of the best needle-drop moments we’ve experienced. Diegetic to soundtrack? Soundtrack to diegetic? That’s in here too. Give me more of that, always.
I, Tonya (Craig Gillespe, 2017): Margo Robbie stars as Tonya Harding, in this film that chronicles her rise through US Figure Skating, and her talent being undermined by her personal life when her husband, and then ex-husband starts getting involved. Favorite track: Goodbye Stranger by Supertramp.
The Bling Ring (Sofia Coppola, 2013): based on the true story of a group of fame obsessed teenagers living in Los Angeles, who used celebrity gossip sites and other internet sources to track celebrities whereabouts, and in their absences from home, to rob their houses. Favorite track: Bad Girls by M.I.A.
Garden State (Zach Braff, 2004): When Andrew returns to his hometown for the funeral of his mother, he is reconnected to his old friends. A chance meeting with Sam, a girl who might just understand him, the trip opens Andrew up to the opportunity of rekindling some real feelings, and perhaps beginning a new life. Favorite track: The Only Living Boy in New York by Paul Simon.
The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001): Royal Tenenbaum and his wife Ethel have three children, all extraordinary, all geniuses. But all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was erased by years of betrayal and disaster. All believed to be their father Royal’s fault. This is the story of their sudden reunion. Favorite track: Me and Julio Down at the School Yard by Paul Simon
Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990): The true story of Henry Hill, a Brooklyn kid adopted by neighborhood gangsters who climbed the ranks of the mafia under the guidance of Jimmy Conway. With a soundtrack so good, it feels like a blueprint that everyone else is following. Favorite track: Baby, I Love You by Aretha Franklin.
