5 Songs From Soundtracks

Fairly straightforward- five of my favorite songs from films (ooh, alliteration). Here goes:

1. Surfjan Stevens- Chicago
From Little Miss SunshineThe film: Charming and darkly humorous indie drama about one family's roadtrip- and how being cooped up inside a VW takes its toll on this group of oddballs. One of my favorite films of all tiem,with some truly brilliant acting performances. Especially from Paul Dano, who manages to hold his own amongst many industry heavyweights (Alan Arkin, Greg Kinnear and Steve Carrell, to name but a few)- no mean feat, considering his character, Dwayne is selectively mute for a good part of the film.
The song: A beautiful, soaring song- joyous, pretty, and always on my playlist when I travel.

2. Cat Power- I Found a Reason
From V for VendettaThe Film: Based on the highly acclaimed the graphic novel, V for Vendetta chronicles the exploits of V, a Fawkesian terrorist with a penchant for spectacle, and his plot to overthrow a futuristic, dictatorial English government. The plot is both astoundingly intricate and linear at the same time- very good stuff.
The Song: The song that got me into Cat Power. A beautiful cover (the original was by Velvet Underground), Cat Power's deliciously imperfect vocals ring true in this song, as they do in all of her work.

3. Letters to Cleo- Come On
From 10 Things I Hate About YouThe Film: One of the 90's rom-com greats, '10 Things I Hate About You' is a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew'. Only, in true rom-com style, this adaptation unfolds in an all-American high school where even the outcasts are pretty, and there's a cliche happy ending. Of course, the actual finale is Letters to Cleo, singing on the roof...
The Song: Letters to Cleo appear throughout the film, singing both cover versions and songs of their own. It was, however, when they were going through their pop phase, so none of their older (cooler) stuff was included. However, this unreleased little gem is definitely worth a listen- it was the song that launched my teenage love affair with Letters to Cleo.

4. Led Zeppelin- That's The Way
From Almost FamousThe Film: Highly-acclaimed and semi-autobiographical, 'Almost Famous' tells the story of a teenage journalist working for Rolling Stone- as well as mingling with his heroes, losing his virginity and falling in love, our young hero gets to hear some pretty bitchin' music too.
The Music: The soundtrack to Almost Famous won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. Amongst The Who, The Beach Boys and Yes, there's this little sliver of serenity. Check it out:

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Sealings
From Spider-Man 3The Film: Spider-Man 3 (or 'The Good Spiderman Film') sees Peter Parker fighting bad guys (again) and having commitment issues with Mary-Jane (again). I went to see the advance screening of this film at the cinema- there were loads of cool kids dressed as Spiderman there. It was a film of contrast- loved the twistin'-in-the-kitchen scene, hated the fact that The Black Cat appeared nowhere in the trilogy. Ho hum.
The Music: Old-school Yeah Yeah Yeahs just like it should be- rad. Yeah Yeah Yeahs generally do awesome songs for movies- you should also check out the song they did the 'Jackass Number Two' soundtrack, Backass.