2011 Calvin Awards: Best Use of Music
February 15, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Our winner in this category is The Social Network, thanks to Trent Reznor's blazing score (with writing partner Atticus Ross) that is almost a character in the film in its own right. The music compliments the varied emotions and themes that occur throughout the film - corruption, anger, vulnerability and loneliness. There are themes that match the character of Mark Zuckerberg himself, and driving beats that hammer the listener with the ideas that are being evoked. Normally, the word "hammer" would likely be used in a negative connotation, but here, it's an appropriate description and meant in the best possible way. The BOP staff is universally impressed.
The runner-up for use of music is Black Swan, where composer Clint Mansell took the score for Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and made sweeping changes to the compositions to match them thematically to the moods embodied in the movie. The orchestral arrangements are exceptionally striking throughout the film, and anyone who has seen Black Swan will confirm that the music is an integral part of the overarching success of the picture.
Inception takes third place for its memorable score by Hans Zimmer, one of the finest composers in the business. One particularly noteworthy approach taken by Zimmer is the adaptation of Edith Piaf's "Non, je ne regretted rien," which is integrated into the score, particularly in the brass instrument portions. Also, if you haven't seen the Inception Button by now, you're missing the big, deep, brass note that will be inextricably linked with the film. You probably just want to go ahead and bookmark it right now. You can find it here.
"I've liked you for a thousand years, a thousand years." These are the simple lyrics of Plumtrees song "Scott Pilgrim," which never features the name of the hero of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but nonetheless inspired Bryan Lee O'Malley to write the series of graphic novels by the same name. Since many of the primary characters in the film belong to various bands, it's obviously critical that the music be fun and memorable. As the battle of the bands progresses through the movie, we get to see Crash and the Boys play such songs as "We Hate You, Please Die," while Sex Bob-omb has such masterpieces as "Garbage Truck" and "Threshold." Musicians such as Beck, Broken Social Scene and Metric provided the "voice" for the different bands, and the film also incorporated a number of songs that O'Malley says were important to him as he wrote the books. Edgar Wright, here's a tip of the imaginary hat to you.
Fifth place goes to Toy Story 3, which saw the return of composer Randy Newman to bring the movie to life with his musical accompaniments. The whimsical, sentimental score is the ideal counterpart to the bright, vivid colors and beloved characters appearing onscreen for a final time. "You've Got a Friend in Me" returns (both in English and in Spanish - featuring The Gipsy Kings!) and other songs like Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" and Chic's "Le Freak" have their part to play, too. Of course, Toy Story movies wouldn't be Toy Story movies if there weren't an original Newman tune to jerk at the heartstrings, and the candidate this time around is "We Belong Together." It's nominated for Best Song at this year's Oscar ceremony, and we remember how awesome it was when Newman told the orchestra to stop trying to play him off the stage when he won for "If I Didn't Have You" and Monsters, Inc. We bet he'd be fun if he won again. Just sayin'.
Next up is Tron: Legacy in sixth place, and how fun is it to see a top ten that includes movie scores from Trent Reznor and Daft Punk? In the case of Tron Legacy, the duo, known for their synthpop electronica, combined their boops and beeps with orchestral music for a completely unique sound that was absolutely perfect for the technologically updated sequel to a franchise (yes, Tron is a franchise) that got its start in the 1980s. My only regret is that they didn't include a reprise of the original film's closing tune, Journey's "Only Solutions."
The music and films in seventh and eighth place couldn't be more different, as True Grit bases its soundtrack on classic hymns while 127 Hours relies more on new tunes that are appropriate to the youth and vitality of its protagonist. Much of True Grit's score, including Mattie's theme, is based on the 1887 hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms," and strains of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" can be heard as well. These old-timey sounds feel perfectly appropriate for a film that has Old Testament notions of retribution and revenge. For 127 Hours, we have A.R. Rahman's original score mixed with songs like "Lovely Day" (Bill Withers), "Ca plane pour moi" (Plastic Bertrand) and "Festival" (Sigur Ros). Rahman's songs are meditative but never depressing, always maintaining a spark of hope even when Aron Ralston is at his lowest.
Finally in ninth and tenth we have Tangled and Easy A, both movies that center around female heroines. Composer Alan Menken worked alongside lyricist Glenn Slater to combine a folk music feel with medieval sounds that were just right for the instant Disney animated classic, which featured singing from Mandy Moore, Broadway star Donna Murphy, and Zach Levi. It's perhaps not quite on the same level as other classic Disney musicals, but we bet the songs feel more memorable as the film ages. As for the Easy A soundtrack, it features updates of songs from '80s films such as "If You Were Here" (originally by the Thompson Twins, remade by the Cary Brothers) and "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (originally by Simple Minds, remade by AM to evoke the fact that this movie's poking a little fun at those classics of cinema, but also reveling in them.
Finishing just outside the top ten are Get Him to the Greek, Blue Valentine, The Ghost Writer and The Fighter. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
The Calvins Introduction
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Album
Best Cast
Best Character
Best Director
Best Overlooked Film
Best Picture
Best Scene
Best Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best TV Show
Best Use of Music
Best Videogame
Breakthrough Performance
Worst Performance
Worst Picture