Thursday, October 20, 2011

50/50

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

50/50

Okay, so perhaps it's not the "feel good" movie of the year. And maybe it does reveal the worst in people facing a terrible situation (the protangonist's girlfriend, in particular). And so what if it shows how unemotional and unattached doctors can be to their patients when delivering a blow as traumatic as "you've got cancer"? It still has a great soundtrack (as well as an insanely lovable dog, dubbed "Skelator" due to its long, bony frame). The soundtrack is as mixed as my emotions were when watching this film, which I suppose is only fair.

The trailer (misleading as it may be) also has some great music that is not included in the film, namely, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. You can hear their song "Carries On" in the last thirty seconds of the trailer (above).

While the film showcases some favorites such as Radiohead, Bee Gees, Pearl Jam and Roy Orbison ("Crying" is a classic, afterall), there are some newcomers worth mentioning. They hail from many genres-Punk, Folk, Dance, etc. One song, "Stay the Same" by Autokratz, stands out as the clear non-"depressing movie"-accoustic-type song on the album with their British, electronic duo, underground club sound. They also win for strangest video:



But where would a film about cancer be without those aforementioned "depressing movie" accoustic-type songs? The Walkmen do it well, with their track "New Country," almost reminiscent of the sound that made Bob Dylan so iconic. You can find the link to The Walkmen's "New Country" below (#27 on the band's playlist):

http://www.myspace.com/thewalkmen/music/songs?filter=popular

My other favorite in this genre? Hands down, "The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack" by Liars. If you're into this sound, do yourself a favor by checking out the video for this and other tracks on their MySpace page (link below).

http://www.myspace.com/liarsliarsliars/videos/the-other-side-of-mt-heart-attack/16142518