An all-new Pop Culture Beast is coming!

An all-new Pop Culture Beast is coming!
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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Movie Trailer: Taken 2 - International Trailer



He is still a man with a particular set of skills...in ass kicking.


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Music Review: Paul Simon "Graceland 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition Box Set"

As a returning college senior in the summer of 1986 it was not cool to show up in the dormitory with a copy of a new Paul Simon album tucked under your arm.


The album in question was Paul Simon's "Graceland" and my fellow collegians had no idea what I already knew... Come Grammy season everyone would!


While Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Genesis and Huey Lewis (for the record I liked some of those albums too) were blasting from adjacent dorm rooms, I was experiencing something I hadn't heard before; a strange mixture of musical styles that a kid from small town Pennsylvania never gets to hear!


Back then I didn't know the names of all the influences I was listening to. All I knew was that it was unique and good and that I LOVED it!


It's been 25 years since the release of Paul Simon's best selling solo album and "Graceland" sounds as fresh and interesting today as it did then. So, to celebrate it's anniversary, Sony Legacy has released the "Graceland 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition Box Set."


"Graceland 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition Box Set" is one of the best documents of a single album that I have ever seen. It includes a remastered edition of the original album, a second disc containing 6 bonus and unreleased tracks, plus an audio track called "The Story Of Graceland" as told by Paul Simon. Add to that a pair of DVDs which include the original 1987 "Graceland: The African Concert" and the newly produced documentary "Under African Skies: Paul Simon's Graceland Journey."


The documentary was directed by Joe Berlinger, the man behind "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" and it tells the story of Simon's journey to South Africa during the height of Apartheid. Simon's visit had absolutely nothing to do with the political climate in South Africa. He was simply there to meet fellow musicians, learn about the music they were creating and play music. His visit and what happened afterwards are told through archival footage and recent interviews with all living musicians who took part in the making of the "Graceland" album. The documentary culminates with Simon reuniting with his South African friends and performing the "Graceland" album. When Simon reunites with his former band mates you can see the love, affection and respect they have for each other after all these years. These are men in their late 60's from different social and economic backgrounds who share a common bond: they love music and are proud of the legacy they created with "Graceland."




Drumroll please...


Graceland CD... 10 out of 10 drumsticks!!


Graceland 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition Box Set... 10 out of 10 drumsticks!!


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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

THE IDLER WHEEL by FIONA APPLE : Reviewed by Marques Wayne


Remember back in 2005 when Extraordinary Machine came out reminding us of why we initially fell in love with Fiona Apple and confirming that she was well worth the wait?  Well now here we are in 2012, and after another lengthy hiatus the indie/pop goddess has graced us with a fourth album and once again our patience has been duly rewarded.  Where Extraordinary Machine found her at the sunniest we've ever seen her with songs like the title track and "Better Version of Me," on this latest offering she's more of the angsty, sullen girl we met on Tidal back in 1996.  In "Valentine" she sings about cutting herself (hopefully only figuratively) and wonders how she can ask someone to love her when all she does is beg to be left alone ("Left Alone").

The major difference is that this album could have just as easily been titled Tribal (It would have been less of a mouthful than the 23 word moniker it ended up with).  From the guttural wails on the opener "Every Single Night," to the rumbling drums and overlapping vocals on the closer "Hot Knife" every track feels raw and primal.  "Periphery" contains what sounds like marching feet on gravel, and on "Werewolf" she seems to be yelling at her lover over a pack of screaming children.  Thematically this is nothing new for her.  Her famously poetic lyrics lay her emotions so bare that she might as well be singing stark naked.  On past albums though, this emotional nakedness was often accompanied by lush strings, plaintive horns and Apple's own sturdy piano, making her the alterna-jazz chanteuse that provided the soundtrack to all of your break-ups.  This time however, the instrumentation is so stripped down and simple it borders on experimental but, in the end, the arrangements work by punctuating the visceral lyrics.  As she sings in "Every Single Night" she just 'wants to feel everything' and apparently she wants us to do the same.


********* 9/10 Stars




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Movie Trailer: Breaking Dawn Part Two




Were I not immune to the insanity that surrounds these awful awful movies, I might be excited about this movie.  Fortunately, I am of sound mind and know they are terrible and bring no good to those that view them.

Still, enjoy the trailer.


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Recap: True Blood - The Authority Always Wins (Episode 5.2)


Season 5, Episode 2: The Authority Always Wins
Since I’m starting a week late well just begin with “previously, on True Blood”: Sookie and Laffie mop up the aftermath of last season’s finale…with actual mops. Pam shows up to bitch and also wears “a Wal-Mart sweatsuit for y’all” while attempting to turn a partially de-brained Tara.  The honorable Reverend Newlin pays a visit to a naked Jason (thank you Jebus, but seriously, move that goddamn door). Steve is apparently an out gay vampire now and is in lurv with Jason, who gives a resounding “no thanks broseph!” and makes him fly away by rescinding his glamoured invite. Jessica shows up and is really hot, but really annoying. Eric’s sister Nora is now in the mix, so of course they get busy. Thanks HBO, for again making the hottest guy in the cast act all incesty.  Also, werewolves have gross funerals and Marines can set fires with their brains. Oh, and Russell Edgington escaped. Yay!
We pick up with FeralTara having a Sookie snack until Pam, as her maker, tells her to cut it out and confines her to the house. This is Tara once inside:

Cut to Bill, Eric, and Nora (gag) who are taken to some giant Authority compound thing. I don’t know, and there’s like a bank lobby happening here…honestly, once Bill comes on the screen my eyes kind of glaze over. Anyway. There’s a vampire called Salome that reminds me of Rhea Perlman in Cheers for some reason, I think it’s the hair. Carla Salome slaps Nora; I like her already.
The werewolf funeral buffet continues, and Alcide refuses to partake and thus take over the pack. Martha is basically my mother-in-law, and reminds me so much of her I'm automatically scared. Feel for me, she’s cray.
Tara’s still tearing the shit out of everything; when she’s not doing that she’s crouching on furniture like a lunatic. Her hair looks pretty though.
San Francisco, 1905, Miss Pam is as fierce as ever and a madame in a brothel. Uh oh, dead hookers. Never a good sign! Present Pam tries to call Eric, but he’s all locked up with the rest of the three amigos in Silver Jail, where they all have a nice tanning session under some UV lights.
My MIL shows up at Luna’s house wanting to see her grandbaby Emma. Luna says gtfo, and then she and Sam argue about whether Emma will be a shifter or a wolf, and blah blah blah. She tells Sam he is not the baby daddy and the she knows what’s best. Because she’s obviously done such a bang up job up until this point.
Jason and Andy cruise and talk about chicks. For some god-awful reason Jason is sporting a thin moustache and pirate goatee. This…this has to go asap. They run across Debbie’s crashed car, in which Andy finds a vial of V and hands it over to Jason. One day at a time, Sherriff!
Reverend Newlin is back on the news circuit, and he wants you all to know that Jesus loves vampires. Bumper stickers with this on it, yes/yes?
Terry’s frying up some meat, which causes war flashbacks. Totally normal. Arlene comes in and catches him off guard so he throws her across the room and refuses to give any info up. He runs away, probably due to her horrible wig.
As Sookie booby traps her house, Lafayette decides to off FeralTara. I don’t know what kind of crazy grandma sweater he’s wearing, but I would like to know where he got it because I need one. Sookie talks Grandma Laffie out of killing Tara, but to be honest I’m with him. She's just no fun anymore.
Madame Pam is back in SF, walking around looking for crabs or something. She’s attacked by a terrible actor, but, pip pip! Eric shows up and puts him out of his misery. Eric looks absolutely ridiculous in his little hat and wee fluffy tie. All he’s missing is the monocle and he would be quite the proper little gentleman.
In the Silver Jail, we get a long winded story about the origin of vampires and their bible. Bill and Eric are tortured by having silver pumped via IV into their veins. Eric is told that Nora is dead, and the Authority vamps try to get Bill and Eric to turn on one another in between shots of silver.
Steve shows up at Jessica’s house and gets his groove on. Kind of adorable really. But he has ulterior motives: buying Jason off of Jessica. The bidding begins, they talk about Jason’s ass, and Jason’s ultimate price is 20 grand. Jessica says "just kidding lol!" They fight, Jessica wins, and she tells him and all the humans to get off her lawn.
We cut to Arlene, Patrick and Terry. Arlene tells them to fix this nonsense already, and Pat and Terry decide to track down who they think may be responsible for the fires. More hot Marines, yes please (see what I did there?).
Hoyt is living back home with Mama now, so Jason and his pirate facial hair visit to offer him a place to stay. Hoyt tells him to skedaddle and Mama is so excited she’s gonna bake Jason a pie.
All my snuggles!!!
At Luna’s house, Emma is being ornery and refusing to sleep, so Luna heads into her room only to find an adorable wittle wolf puppy in jammies. Tiny. Wolf. Jammies! Everyone say it with me: awwwww.
Tara tells Grandma Lafayette and Sookie she’ll never forgive either of them, for their taste in sweaters and their terrible accents, respectively. As she bolts out the door, the silver mist gets in her eyes and she screams, so hey, at least we know that works in case Russell shows up.
Back at the Authority palace, Christopher Meloni is apparently Roman, the Vampire Pope. Vampope? Sure, we’ll go with that. Sharon Osbourne makes an appearance as they partake in a vampiric sacrament. Roman/Vampope again sends Nora to death. Please make it stick this time. He also runs down the list of stupid shit Eric and Bill have done, but he’s mercifully brief. He yells that he’s the Authority and I can tell he’s going to like reminding us of this fact. He asks the boys if they’re involved in the Sanguinist Movement, and they say “nope!” The counsel debates over whether to kill them or not, and as it’s really not looking good, Bill says he’ll offer them Russell for their lives.
In the midst of a bloody hospital room, we pan in to Russell lying on the bed looking all kinds of nasty. I think he’s supposed to look dried out but he reminds me of those lizard people in Skyrim instead. He makes gross noises and opens his eyes. Welcome back you crazy bastard!

Fun fact! This was the 50th episode of the series.

The Reverend thanks you for your time.




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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Love Birds DVD Review

Love Birds is a romantic comedy starring Rhys Darby as Doug, a man who loses his girlfriend and finds a duck (a shelduck, actually), which then leads him to finding someone new. 

Doug is introduced to us cleaning off an old LP (hurrah for vinyl!). He's a Queen fan, and Susan, his girlfriend, leaves him as he listens to "Somebody To Love." That is seriously so cruel that we immediately dislike Susan. But then while Doug is boxing up her stuff, an injured duck enters his house. He takes it to the zoo to seek advice from a bird expert named Holly (played by the wonderful Sally Hawkins, whom you might remember from Never Let Me Go, An Education, Cassandra's Dream and Vera Drake, among others).  She is the one who tells him it's not a duck, it's a shelduck. And there is a definite attraction between the two that Holly's friend is quick to notice.

She gives him the name of a vet - Dr. Buster (played by Bryan Brown, who was in Spring Break Shark Attack and Australia), who tells him he'll be able to help the bird, but that Doug will have to take care of it for a week or so.  While at first eager to have the bird taken off his hands, Doug soon develops a bond with the shelduck (perhaps in part because he's bathed and slept with it). And he takes the bird with him wherever he goes (at first carrying it in a cardboard box, which is frankly adorable - I particularly like the images of him carrying the duck through the grocery store).

He decides to keep the bird after realizing the woman who would take it in is a bit of a loon herself.  This of course leads him to seek more help from Holly, and the two grow close. The relationship is complicated by the fact that Holly has a young son who doesn't immediately take to Doug.

The basic story is something we've seen before, of course. But the chemistry is good between the two leads, and  the shelduck adds a certain quirky (and welcome) element.  As for the supporting characters, we of course have the obligatory friends.  However, when Susan shows up again, I'm surprised. It's like she's invading this other story, and taking away from the main romance. I frankly don't care about her storyline. Susan gets the story going by leaving, but that's it. Her job is done. She does begin to question her choice to leave Doug, and tries to win him back. But she's just not that compelling as a character, so her presence is more of a distraction than a source of conflict or interest.

There are some things in this film that seem a bit forced, such as the car being towed, and the runaway lawnmower. And how did a vet get a hot air balloon?  But I do love the "Flash" bit near the end. And you can never go wrong with a montage to "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." Plus, it's a sweet film with lots of heart.  And isn't that what people are looking for when they watch a romantic comedy?

The DVD's special features include interviews with director Paul Murphy (he talks about Queen and casting), actor Rhys Darby (about taking on the project and working with great actors) and actor Sally Hawkins (who talks about her character). There is also a short featurette titled "The Birds In Love Birds," which is footage of the actors being introduced to the birds used in the film.  And of course the trailer is included.

Love Birds was written by Nick Ward and directed by Paul Murphy. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray June 11, 2012.


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Workaholics Season Two (2012) DVD Review

Workaholics is a Comedy Central series about three young guys who work together and live together, and get into some ridiculous situations together, often involving one of my personal favorite items in the world, alcohol.  This two-disc set includes the ten episodes from the show's second season, all with optional commentary tracks (called, not very cleverly, "drunkmentary" tracks). The bonus features on the second disc include a blooper reel, alternate takes and deleted scenes (the hamster line from the deleted bit from "Temp-Tress" is hilarious, and should have been left in), and a 15-minute behind-the-scenes feature (which is mostly just the guys screwing around in the writers room).

Workaholics stars Blake Anderson, Adam Devine, Anders Holm (who are also three of the show's six creators).  The show also features some very funny supporting roles (particularly that of Jillian played by Jillian Bell, and Alice played by Maribeth Monroe).

Here is a brief rundown on the second season's episodes:

Episode 1: "Heist School" - The guys take a cool dragon statue from a park to put on their lawn after realizing that as tax payers the dragon sort of belongs to them anyway. But then it's stolen from them by some high school kids, so they go undercover at the school in order to reclaim the statue.  It's weird, because even though they're kind of losers (particularly in this episode), you end up identifying with them. After all, they're the characters driving the show. And because of that, it's frustrating watching them putting up with stuff that I would never put up with.  They're bullied and manipulated by teenagers.

Episode 2: "Dry Guys" - The guys wake up and discover that their house and yard have been trashed by teenagers. They decide not to drink, a promise one of them quickly points out they'd made last week too.  But they swear they'll remain sober for a week. After fighting at work, they have to go to an addiction class, and that's where the episode's funniest moments occur.  The sock puppet bit is great, mostly because the camera stays on the puppets rather than on the guys too.

Episode 3: "Temp-Tress" - There are two things I hate seeing destroyed even for the sake of comedy: musical instruments (that acoustic guitar in Animal House, for example) and books. At the beginning of this episode they destroy a lot of books when their television stops working.  That aside, this episode is seriously hilarious, and is probably my favorite of the season.  A hot temp from Australia makes it impossible for the guys to concentrate, and they realize they need release. My favorite line is this: "It reminds me of like when you were a kid and you masturbated in the car on the way to church."  This episode also has references to This Is Spinal Tap (one of my favorite films).  Anders Holm wrote this one.

Episode 4: "Model Kombat" - Blake spends his free time playing video games, while Adam decides to become a male model.  This episode actually has a Shakespeare reference.  Adam is upset because Anders was chosen to be the company model instead of him. So as Anders sleeps, Adam puts pepperoni on his face, hoping it will cause him to break out. While doing this, Adam whispers, "Good night, sweet prince" (a line from the end of Hamlet).

Episode 5: "Old Man Ders" - Ders turns twenty-five, and tries to deal with aging by acting younger. Damn, I feel old watching this show. I love the line, "Legitimately scary, too drunk to care."

Episode 6: "Stop! Pajama Time" - Their boss goes home sick, so everyone at the office has a good time.  This line totally cracked me up: "I'm fired because of some stupid Earth law?" Blake Anderson wrote this one.

Episode 7: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Roommates"  -  While trying to escape from one of those silly neighborhood security guys, the fellows end up in the sewer. I've never seen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so I didn't get any of the references, and the long argument about which turtle Anders is was consequently dull to me.

Episode 8: "Karl's Wedding" - Their friendly neighborhood drug dealer changes his entire world in order to marry the girl he loves.  The wedding is held at the guys' house.  My favorite bit in this episode is when Adam goes looking for a date, deciding on a young girl who'd promised to marry him when they were kids. Rachel, the girl he ends up with is wonderful (she's played by Katee Sackhoff).  Karl, by the way, is played by Kyle Newacheck, one of the show's creators who also directed many of the episodes.

Episode 9: "Man Up" - At a karaoke bar (something I've never understood the appeal of), some bonehead deliberately pours a beer on Adam. So the guys decide to buy guns. At the gun store, Adam argues, "If a man disrespects you in a bar and pours a beer on your head, you have a right to shoot that man."  But instead of shooting that man (which he probably deserves), they end up acting more like him, trying to be Men.  Anders Holm wrote this episode.

Episode 10: "6 Hours Till Hedonism II" - The guys are off on a trip to a big party called Hedonism II, but Blake has no passport.  Adam Devine wrote this episode.

Workaholics Season Two was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 5, 2012.


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O Hai Maleficent!

Our friends at Nerd Reactor scored this pretty great shot of Angelina Jolie as Maleficent in the upcoming Disney prequel.

I wonder what it is she is looking at.

Suddenly, I'm a little intruiged.

Maleficent arrives 3/13/2014!


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Moonrise Kingdom Enchants Visually and Aurally

Film:
There's something about Wes Anderson's films that remind you that you're watching a movie during his films. That escapism is usually interrupted by some element or the other. Maybe it's his film's bizarre music selection (more on that later) or his pretentious film school shots that do this, but I enjoy his films, most of them anyway (The Darjeeling Limited being the exception). Moonrise Kingdom is his grand return to live-action filmmaking after his departure in stop-motion animation with The Fantastic Mr. Fox, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic.

I personally enjoyed The Fantastic Mr. Fox the most of any of his other films, including Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, maybe because it captures what most of his films are about, love, and he doesn't taint it with all the other depressing elements that permeate his other films.

Whether it's unrequited love between a teenager and his teacher, between a dying father and his children, brotherly, or just love for a past time gone by, Anderson has a very innocent idea of what love is and it's usually at odds with the world his characters are put in.  Nothing is different in the world of Moonrise Kingdom.

That being said, Moonrise Kingdom captures this innocence most effectively with the story of two 12-year-olds, Sam and Suzy, who fall in love and run away together into the wilderness to escape their depressing lives in the real world, only to be perused by several authorities, including Suzy's neglectful parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand, respectfully), the town's sheriff, Mr. Sharp (Bruce Willis), and a hapless Khaki Scout troop leader, Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton), to bring them home before an approaching hurricane hits the island of New Penzance.


Like The Fantastic Mr. Fox, the film feels like a children's book turned into a feature film, having Bob Balaban as the omniscient narrator who seems to know more about the story, emotions of the characters, and future events than any one else in the film, and even intervenes to provide some help. If God were to exist in a Wes Anderson film, I would fancy he would like this:

The real heart of the story comes with Sam and Suzy because of the honest portrayals by Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, respectfully, who capture the awkwardness of first love, of discovering one self, and of just fitting in. There is no pretension in their acting, and maybe this is because they are relatively novice in their careers, this being Gilman's first acting gig and Hayward having only acted in school plays. Either way, these kids should have a bright future as long as they don't go through the Osment effect.

At first, it's hard to relate to Sam, because he just seems like a "weird" kid, the way everyone describes him to be. Even in his early introduction, when he's chewing his gum obnoxiously, you just want to punch him in the face. He pretends to know more than he does, carries an air of superiority, but he is really just a scared child, and as his backstory unfolds, so do your early perceptions of him. Suzy, on the other hand, disappears in her books, all fairy tales about girls who don't belong or are different. At first, it's hard to believe that a cute girl would ever give this weird kid a chance, but then you learn more about her. As she states, "I prefer stories with magic powers in them. Either in kingdoms on earth or on foreign planets. Usually, I prefer a girl hero, but not always." Like her books, such as The Francine Odysseys, The Girl from Jupiter, The Disappearance of the 6th Grade, she would rather disappear into her own fairy land. But Sam and Suzy complement one another.  Each character, in a way, brings each other down to earth, and provide a tether to humanity. For the first time, someone is just treating them like normal individuals and so they begin to drop their exoskeletons. This is why their love story works, because it's more about being accepted than actual love. 

The irony of the film comes from the adult characters, these authority figures, who are more lost than the children characters, the ones that they are trying to stop from ruining their lives by eloping and being happy. What do adults know of happiness? Apparently, not much, for all they do is bicker, drink, and fight, at least according to Wes Anderson. Anderson knows how to devise a lost character, and for the most part, each character works except for the Bishops, who are caricatures that seem to waste the great acting abilities of Murray and McDormand. Unlike the other adult characters, their realization comes in acknowledging that they are horrible parents before going to bed. And like that, they roll over to their respective sides of their bed and go to sleep to just continue being horrible human beings. Murray is playing a version of his lost soul character seen in Lost in Translation and Broken Flowers and as much as I like Murray, I feel he deserves a little bit more range than just being a walking zombie.

Norton and Willis shine as mostly inept members of their own professions, both relatively having empty lives but their jobs, and finding their calling through the search for the missing kids. In a way, these missing kids represent the innocence, the love, the adventure that has gone amiss in their lives, and only by finding them, can things be set right. It's their search for the elixir of their youth and their journey brings change unlike with the Bishops.


The slow-paced momentum of the film will detract some viewers, but most people should come to expect this from a Wes Anderson film. It's a modern day fairy tale that is full of enchantment for those who are willing to allow the ridiculousness to unfold without cynicism. It dares you to put on your goggles of innocence and enjoy these extreme characters, their absurd journeys, and most importantly, the hope that things can change. Coming off the magical coattails of The Fantasic Mr. Fox, Anderson captures the same magic and creates a modern classic that reminds people that original stories are still possible in Hollywood.  It is currently playing in select theaters and seems poised to be the summer's sleeper hit if gets released in more theaters.  Like Suzy's binoculars, this film should be sought out and given a closer look.

Soundtrack:


What can I say about the soundtrack to Moonrise Kingdom to pay it justice? The music is weird. It's eccentric. It has classical, country, opera, French music, some original musical pieces by Alexandre Desplat, and I'm pretty sure I'm still missing something. And I love it. On it's own, it works like a weird smorgasbord of sound, having Hank Williams yodel his way between several classical pieces by the English Opera Group Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and much more. 

During the first time seeing the film, it does seem intrusive and distracting, but the more I've listened to the soundtrack, the more I see how without it, part of the magic would be lost.  It interlocks with the film to create an experience, an emotional resonance with the characters and the setting.  The music provides each character their own theme song.  The Hank Williams songs ("Kaw-Liga," "Long Gone Lonesome Blues," and "Ramblin' Man") chosen for the film reflect the adventurous and wild nature of Sam and Suzy.  The classical pieces feel like a call to war, sometimes instruments battling within the musical piece itself for dominance, sometimes angelic voices battered against the instruments as if shouting back.  The sharp contrast makes for exciting music, regardless if you are an avid classical music listener, which I'm not.  


The melodies created by Alexandre Desplat are haunting in a very fanciful way, as if wandering through an enchanted forrest that is full of mystery and adventure. It makes you want to scan the entire screen as if searching for Waldo in the beautiful landscape. Coming off working on scores for Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, Tom Hooper's The King's Speech, David Yate's two Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows films, George Clooney's The Ides of March, and David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, just to name a few, it shows his versatility.  He is definitely a composer who is in the prime of his game. What I like about Desplat is that you can't always recognize that it's his work, say like a Danny Elfman or even a John Williams or Hans Zimmer. He is a chameleon of form and doesn't seem to be pigeon holed in his ways. Like Anderson, he is always trying new things and I hope that they continue to collaborate together, because I feel that Desplat's music complements Anderson's type of storytelling very well.

Unlike most other soundtracks to Anderson's films, this is most likely his least mainstream, but it is also his most fully-conceived collection of music, full of imagination as he captures so many moods that it works as a standalone component.  If you are a fan of movie soundtracks, I would suggest to pick up a copy even if you haven't seen the film.  The Moonrise Kingdom soundtrack is currently out.


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