This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

I don't know if anyone else out there has a thing for soundtracks, but I do. Ever since I was a little girl and my parents and I would listen to this radio program in Ohio that only played science fiction and fantasy movie soundtracks. It was fantastic. I was fairly young so my cinema knowledge was limited, but  used to just listen to the music and imagine in my head what was happening. I love when an artist, regardless of what medium, is able to communicate a story with the fewest words, if any at all. I don't know that my little offering is up to the AFI's standards or anything, but here goes it, anyway.

FILM SCORES

Fellowship of the Ring | Ron Howard
Alright, alright, I admit I am completely biased! I have so much nostalgia invested in this movie and in this soundtrack that it would be utterly bizarre if I did not think to include it. Hell, it would be utterly bizarre (and a lie) to say that it was anything other than this soundtrack that even inspired me to compile this list! I used to fall asleep to this as a kid, and it still gives me chills. Hearing this is like kryptonite to any fan of the series.

O Brother Where Art Thou | Various
So I am guilty of straying a little bit; not exactly a film score anymore, but I think that the music in O Brother was so goddamn perfect that I just cannot miss the opportunity. This movie made the Odyssey and fiddles cool to me when I was in Middle School! That is an achievement. Coen Brothers never disappoint, and this movie seems to get better every time I revisit it.

Altered States | John Corigliano
This is a really disturbing sound, for lack of a better word. It captures the feeling of the movie perfectly. It is experimental and bare in a way that most contemporary noise punk bands would have an apoplectic fit over. The sound is sometimes beautiful, delicate and sweet, but at other times harsh and terrifying just like the film protagonist's own transformation into something frightening and primitive.

Slum Dog Millionaire | AR Rahman
This movie lived up to its name, I suppose. One day I was making fun of my Bolly Wood-obsessed mother for wanting to drag me to that movie. Then the next day, that move is collecting Oscars left and right! I can't lie, it's a great soundtrack. Rahman was not deemed the "world's most prolific composer" by TIME magazine by coincidence.

Schindler's List | John Williams
What can one say? Schindler's List is the quintessential downer movie of the century, with a soundtrack to match. If the piano solo alone does not make your eyes sting and well with tears, the I just do not know what will.

Wings of Desire | Jurgen Knieper
This movie comes up a lot for me, because I really do consider it to be at least among the best of all time. I'm hard to impress, but I consider this movie so fuckin near perfect, that it hurts. It literally hurts, that is how haunting and beautiful this movie is. The soundtrack, interspersed with spoken word pieces from the film, is meditative and somber.

2046 / In the Mood for Love | Shigeru Umebayashi
Umebayashi composed the music for both of Wong Kar-Wai's films. I really don't know what it is, but something about this music just makes me want to simultaneously slit my wrists and have hot, steamy, passionate sex. It is sensual, vulnerable, and tense; never too sweet nor too harsh. Truly one of the most beautiful scores I have ever heard.

Amelie | Yann Tiersenn
Who has not heard the music to this very special and very French film about a shy young waitress in Paris? This soundtrack is single-handedly responsible for turning my graduating class into a bunch of raging hopeless romantic closet Francophiles. For good reason though, it is beautiful.

Requiem for a Dream | Clint Mansel 
Another soundtrack that has become just about an essential. Making a very depressing youtube video? Need to make your short film more powerful and overwrought? Well, then chances are a piece of music from this film's score is your first choice. You can just about feel the needle puncturing your viscous flesh when this music shutters to life.

Inception | Hans Zimmer
The soundtrack, like the movie, bludgeons you with its intricacy and beauty. I've heard the film criticized on account of its soundtrack; although some may argue it becomes overbearing in the film, it is still incredibly beautiful and well-crafted. Like all of my favorite film scores, the music stands on its own.

Vertigo | Bernard Herrmann
Hell, it's a classic composed by a guy responsible for bringing us a whole goddamn plethora of other classics as well. With so many iconic soundtracks spanning decades and genres, it is hard to pick sides; there is Star Wars, Psycho, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Jaws, etc.; the list could go on and on! How does one decide which of these deserve mention, and which do not? I suppose being rather avoidant in nature I tend to opt not to mention them as to allow something new its fifteen minutes. I could not quite do that with Vertigo. It's a rather underrated soundtrack (and movie) despite being such a revered classic. It breaks my heart that the wonderful music in Vertigo will most likely only be remembered by my generation as the intro music to that that Lady Gaga video with the egg. This is not the manifesto of Mother Monster. This is Bernard Fuckin' Herrmann.

RIP

Oh the Ides of March turned out to be a bitter day in the LBC. This calls for a ceremonial sparking of the blunt, in fond memory of G-funk master Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, a.k.a. Nate Dogg. RIP. He succumbed to a long battle with health complications following two strokes; he died last night in Long Beach, California on March 15, 2011. He was 41 years-old.

I don't pull this out of my arsenal of secrets too often, but I am a huge fan of old school hip hop and rap. It's like another little sliver of my childhood gone.

RIP

Download the 1994 St. Ides Tape

213 released a cassette in 1994 for St. Ides a brand of malt liquor for Promo.

''St. Ides In The LBC''

''When We Sippin' On Tha Brew''

''Drank Anthem''

''Dogg Food 'N' Drank''

The world is an unfair place, my friends. I had a list about thirty strong compiled, when I accidentally deleted it all and it was lost forever. Yeah, I am a little bitter. So, with that being said, here goes my slightly shorter less in-depth list of movies. This list is in no particular order and is compiled because I am a film-enthusiast, not necessarily because I am any expert on the Occult and religion aint my thang. I'm the wrong one to ask on accuracy for any of the rituals or concepts, and I assume there are holes and misrepresentations in the majority of these films. But anywho, as requested, and without further adieu, I present to you...

MOVIES ABOUT THE OCCULT

I remember my initial list having a bit of a Polanski theme going; Polanski probably has the worst luck in all of Holly Wood. Polanski was a man who seemed to draw inspiration from the Devil, so it became appealing fodder for the media when a ritualistic slaying befell his wife. Tabloids circulated rumors that perhaps Polanski's relationship with the Devil existed not only on film. I do not think Polanski was at all in league with the Devil, but art unfortunately imitated life. Following the murder of his wife Sharon Tate, a certain darkness seemed to follow him. The many emotional scars of his life cast a shadow over his work. My first film is Rosemary's Baby. This is a movie that my mother used to watch religiously throughout her pregnancy with me; this raises a few suspicions as to what she was anticipating from me! Released in 1968, Rosemary's Baby focuses on a young expecting couple who move into a new apartment filled with some very peculiar neighbors. Seems benign enough, but there is of course a lot of supernatural corruption pulling the strings of Rosemary's pregnancy. There is a rumored cameo by Anton LaVey, making the movie even more appropriate!

In 1976 Richard Donner released a similarly chilling film about cinema's most unnerving villains: children. The Omen is essentially the story of how an unsuspecting family adopts the Antichrist. What do we learn from this? Abort, abort, abort.

Wes Craven has had a somewhat spotty track record lately, but he remains a favorite of mine none the less. The Serpent and the Rainbow is his go at voodoo, ritual, and zombies. It's quite exciting if that sort of business tickles your fancy any.

Another Polanski film, yeah, I have a theme going as it seems. This was not exactly his most popular film, but The Ninth Gate is a favorite of mine. My mother is a connoisseur of horror, and I fully credit her for introducing me to this film when I was a kid. It's slow to unravel, but it is beautiful and brooding the whole while. Johnny Depp plays a collector of rare books on the hunt for a book rumored to be penned by the Devil. As he travels Europe in pursuit of the elusive book, he begins to discover that evil follows him as well.

Ken Russel's 1971's classic The Devils is about a (conspiracy to convince the towns people that a) demonic possession has befallen a nunnery. Loosely based on factual events.  As much about the Occult as it is about corruption.

I really do credit The Manson Family murders for issuing forth a new era, especially for Holly Wood. The sixties were over, and suddenly Los Angeleans had reason to lock their doors at night and be wary of strangers. I think trends in cinema can be a very good allegory for the fears and concerns of society at the time, and in the late sixties and early seventies, the Devil was Holly Wood's leading man. Evil was an exciting anomaly for movie-goers, and thank goodness for it because it led to the creation to some of the best horror movies. One of which is 1973's The Exorcist. This is the quintessential horror movie that continues to make movie-goers today a little uncomfortable. This series has had quite the legacy, spawning dozens of (bad) sequels and prequels. It's got to be commended when a film comes along with as much lasting power as The Exorcist.

Haxan is a silent pseudo-documentary with dramatic reenactments of certain events pertaining to the business of witchcraft in Europe. It is an interesting addition to anyone's collection whether you are a movie-buff or an aficionado of the Occult. Just be advised, despite my love affair with William Burroughs, the original silent version is far superior to the version he narrated.

Lucifer Rising is an obscure little entity. A little creepy, and very much 1960's New Age kitsch. The film has an eccentric cast including Marianne Faithful, Kenneth Anger, and Bobby Beusoleil of Manson Family fame. Beusoleil made most of the music in the film while in prison; he was arrested for the murder of his music teacher Mr. Hinman. Hinman was the first victim of the Manson Family. 

Just choosing to forget the dismal remake, the 1973 The Wicker Man is definitely a worthy addition for its depiction of Pagan Rites. A classic, the film follows a police officer as he investigates the mysterious disappearance of a little girl in a very strange town.

Above video is proof of how ridiculous the remake is. For your laughing pleasure only.

The Black Cat stars Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, in a role possibly inspired by Aleister Crowley as he was rising to prominence and media notoriety at the time. Released in 1934, the movie is a dark and moody classic, that culminates in a Satanic Ritual.

Polanksi makes another appearance on the list in his 1970's adaptation of Macbeth. This was Polanksi's first film following the traumatic Manson murders.

Eyes Wide Shut was Kubrick's final film and I thought it was so close to being a perfect film; if you can ignore its minor flaws and Tom Cruise's crazy scientologist eyes, it is a beautiful film so thickly drenched in symbolism. The pace is slow, but all the better to absorb the images

House of the Devil is a more recent addition to Horror movie history. It is made in the tradition of the scary movies of yester-year, and culminates in gloriously campy style.

(the following scene is a potential major spoiler)

Fuck you, Hocus Pocus is a good movie. An accurate fair portrayal of Witches that does not pawn them off as one-dimensioal villains? Of course not. But they do ride flying vacuums through the night sky. I watched it all year round as a kid, and twice as often around Halloween. Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker (and that other woman, but she doesn't matter) as witches scouring the town for kiddies to eat? Sounds like a plan to me!

I'll add more as I recall them. I'm uh a little short on my list of thirty :|

8.9

As many of you know, there was an 8.9 magnitude earth quake in Sendai Japan, followed by a seven meter tsunami that devastated the country. The wave has been steadily making its way across the Pacific, anticipated to reach as far as my own home town in Southern California. As I type this, an advisory is still in effect for much of the region. The water is receding in what is called the "trough" of the tsunami. Powerful after-shocks continue to shake Japan, with magnitudes of above 5. 

This comes after a mere matter of weeks after a series of other bizarre, benign, and terrifying events. Mother nature has been angry in Australia and New Zealand. Birds and fish have been mysteriously dropping dead from Alabama to Redondo Beach. Political turmoil has been erupting in Egypt and Libya. With a quick survey of these events, the forecast looks grim. It comes as little surprise, it has even been frightening a great deal of people, people who are grasping desperately for a way to explain this surge of negativity. It feels like Apocalypse Fear-mogering has been mounting for years, and is perhaps near to reaching its apex. People are buzzing, swinging back and forth between worry for the victims, and worry for their possible impending doom of Biblical Proportions. Armageddon is the New Black, and it disturbs me. Not because I have an aversion to the idea of Armageddon, but because I feel it is misguided and unnecessary. If God is sitting up in the clouds pointing his angry trigger-happy smiting finger down at us, so be it. We mere mortals have little chance of escaping a fate of that gravity. What we do posses the strength to do however, is band together and be noble in the face of this tremendous adversity. Rather than cowering from death, we need to embrace life because we are breathing now. Instead of fearing the unknown, we need to look up and out and at the throngs of people needing assistance right now. We're a universal nation, a universal brother and sisterhood, and we are in crisis. 

I don’t know if it’s the product of being raised around too much fear mongering news or if it’s the inundation of Holly Wood disaster flicks, but people seem oddly fascinated by disasters. Disasters, the real ones, have become just another more compelling extension of reality TV. They get high off of their own morbid curiosity. I just overheard some people outside remarking how excited they were about the tsunami advisory in effect and how they were going to go do yoga on the beach and watch the waves. I mean, Darwin would be proud, really. But I digress….

Walking around town there have been crude hand-made stickers on telephone poles and mail boxes warning of the “Rapture”, the “End of Days”. Sun bleached, peeling, neglected. They have been sprouting up like paranoid weeds for weeks. The mix of fear and anticipation seems almost sexual. It’s odd. Really, really, odd. If we want to be honest however, people have been warning about the end of days since…the beginning of days. It’s not really new. I’ve just never seen it become quite as sensationalized and widespread before. I don’t know if, in the last few months, I have been able to make it a full twenty-four hours without hearing some sort of paranoid or humorous jab to the effect of, “Hey, the world’s going to End. Sorry God?”

I suppose the bottom line is, the end of the world is always a threat. Beyond a threat really, but an inevitability eventually. No one can really say if we in this generation will be around for the end of the world, but I do firmly believe it will happen one day. That’s always been a risk. Hell, I remember in Elementary School being told very matter of factly that things expire, and one day either our resources will dwindle or the sun (being a star and not a battery) explode, and life on Earth will end or be largely destroyed. I think this was told to us while we were learning about the Dinosaurs. Then years later learning about Pangea, then the Ice Age, yadda yadda. I don’t really think Planet X is going to punch Earth in the face, and I don’t really think God is going to be zapping the Faithfuls off to the Heavens tomorrow; but everything does end. Tides rise and recede. Empires are built and fall. Everything is cyclical. We just don’t like to face the reality of that, because it brings into light our transiency, and ultimately our mortality.

It’s the way of nature. Even the religious nuts kind of had it right; Armageddon doesn’t mean “Call Tom Cruise We are all gonna dieeee!!!”. Apocalypse actually means “unveiling”. Kali, the Goddess associated with Death is also associated with eternal energy and life. Destruction is all a part of life, the less pretty side of it, maybe. I just think people should simmer down a little bit. Kind of like how mopey assholes in high school used to always remind each other that, “Hey, our cells are deteriorating and we are dying every day”, so is the whole goddamn world. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. It is just life, and there is not much we can do about it. We try to prolong life and evade death (or the evidence of it) in medicine and cosmetics, but we can’t really do that with nature.

Anywho. That’s my sleep-deprived nonsense rant of the day. I think in light of the disasters happening recently, focus needs to be shifted; we need to worry less about how this might be “the end”, whatever that means, and we need to worry more about just helping our fellow human beings in the here and now because the need is so great. No one knows how long our stay in this world is. I think if anything, it is our duty to make that stay a productive one. Help each other and live your life. Now I’m going to bed, finally.

3/5/11

I have a few finished pieces to share with you! I'm still experimenting, trying to settle back into some sort of artistic routine. I don't really care if what I end up producing is "good" or not, I just feel a need to produce something. I just need something to pour myself into, something to challenge me, get my brain churning, get my hands messy.