Staff Pix 11/13: Needle Drops!
“A.M. 180” by Grandaddy (28 Days Later)
The empty streets of London are shown through digital grain and a score that tries to rival the works of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, everything is grimy, sticky, bloody and there are zombies everywhere. Considered as the greatest zombie movie by some (me), 28 Days Later holds four incredible needle drops, including aforementioned band GY!BE but more importantly Grandaddy’s 1997 indie rock love anthem A.M 180. It plays as Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Megan Burns rush into the only building that holds life, a supermarket. They run around, laugh and experience one of the few final glimpses of happiness they never knew they would. Opening up with a synth riff that just gets catchier every time, A.M 180 in 28 Days Later is still one of my favorite needle drops ever as it emphasizes the eve of a group of people who barely even know each others’ final days. Doing whatever together to stay alive. – Mario Sierra
“Say No Go” by De La Soul (Civil War)
Synced with a gasp following a gunshot, De La Soul’s “Say No Go” finds itself in the middle of an industrial shoot out. Dead bodies are littered amongst the floors of the building in flames. Most are unfazed by the violence, some reveling in it with power-hungry grins as they continuously shoot at deceased militia men. With several fourth-wall breaks situated in the minute-and-a-half scene, there is a sense of recognition extended upon the viewer. The machine gun is directed at our line of sight, a war photographer staring mercilessly and a photo journalist pointing her camera – her weapon of choice – at us. Contrasting the brutality is an upbeat track detailing the dangers of the world at large. They rap about addiction and propose a pattern of generational decline, one which becomes mindless to those affected. Extended to the addiction of cyclic violence depicted on screen, “Say No Go” directly comments on the danger of being a careless bystander, of perpetrating violence for personal gain. – Sophie Parrish
“Judy is a Punk” by The Ramones (The Royal Tenenbaums)
What is a Wes Anderson movie without a musical montage of some kind? “Judy is a Punk” captures the chaos of elusive middle-child Margot Tenenbaum’s life as her current lovers–her husband Raleigh and her non-biological brother Richie–open up her secret file and discover that they are far from the only ones in her life. The montage goes through Margot’s past 20 years of life: from becoming a smoker at the age of 12 to her affair with family friend Eli Cash at 32, and all her spontaneous romantic pursuits and adventures in between. The best thing about the scene is that to Raleigh and Richie, Margot’s autonomy, sexual freedom, and other more unsavory habits come as a devastating discovery that prompts some pretty tragic reactions. But to the viewer, it’s totally in character, and it’s delightful to see Margot march through life unapologetically. The quickness and zest of this underrated Ramones pick feels like a perfect fit for the frenzy that characterizes Margot’s life and the somehow heartwarming dysfunction that characterizes the Tenenbaum family as a whole. The montage is typical Wes Anderson, pastel colors and title cards that progress until Raleigh slams the file shut, perhaps realizing that he really doesn’t know anything about Margot at all. – Julia Schramm
“Chick Habit” by April March (But I’m A Cheerleader)
“Hang up the Chick Habit / Hang it up daddy / or you’ll be alone in a quick” plays to an indie French pop beat, opening But I’m A Cheerleader. The song accompanies the opening credits, spliced with suggestive cheerleader footage, displaying the main character Megan’s true focus and desires as a closet lesbian. The song is a sexy and mysterious introduction to the campy bright aesthetics and themes of the movie. Punchy, bright, a little suspenseful, April March’s English cover of the French song “Laisse Tomber Les Filles” serves as the perfect opening for the iconic queer film But I’m A Cheerleader. – Andy Brown
“Under Pressure” by Queen ft. David Bowie (Aftersun)
Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” is already a song about the weight of love, life, and everything in between, but its use in Aftersun makes it hit even harder. As Sophie watches old footage of her father, the song becomes a heartbreaking bridge between childhood memories and the realization of everything she couldn’t understand at the time. What starts as a fun karaoke moment turns into one of the film’s most devastating scenes, making the song feel completely different by the end. Used to love this song in Happy Feet 2, but now it makes me cry just thinking about it. – Oona Schulweis
“Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse (Twilight)
The opening of 2001, “you’re gonna need a bigger boat”, Julie Andrews bringing the hills alive with the sound of music, all iconic scenes in cinema history; however none of these scenes are more influential, dare I say more important, than the baseball scene from Twilight. The aggressive dutch angles, intermediate use of slow-mo, all aided by the absolutely ridiculous needledrop of “Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse. It’s a concoction of unapologetic 2000s campiness and I can’t get enough of it. There is no better feeling than putting this on the tv with someone who’s never seen it, eagerly anticipating that electric guitar riff, and seeing every emotion cross their face in the span of two minutes. Confusion, laughter, cringe, adoration, it is genuine over-the-top fun. – Nick Hendrickson
“15 Step” Radiohead (Twilight)
It isn’t “Supermassive Black Hole,” and it definitely isn’t “Decode” (how can a song that good be relegated to the secondary credits?), but there’s still something to be said for Twilight’s whiplash-inducing final drop into one of Radiohead’s most propulsive bangers. If anything, the shock of reaching those intensely hammy, melancholy-inducing final moments – backed by Iron & Wine’s “Flightless Bird, American Mouth,” of course – and then immediately being chucked against “15 Step”’s frantic breakbeat like a ragdoll against a brick wall is an entirely necessary part of the Twi-hard experience. It’s the fated moment in which any viewer will be reflecting on their first Twilight watch, thinking that they’ve finally weathered all the hilarious visual effects and fishtank color grading and “I have the skin of a killer, Bella” – tier dialogue, before that final drop into the credits comes with a vengeance and absolutely annihilates any sort of effective mood setting that the movie managed to establish in its final ten minutes. It’s like a sacred walk across hot coals, the last ascent towards true Twi-hardom. Many will understandably be pushed away. But those who are worthy will be blessed with a moment of cinematic ecstasy, a microinstant of understanding where they come to fully comprehend Twilight as an ineffable camp masterpiece – which also just happens to have one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. Thank you, Radiohead. – Lucca Swain
“Waters of March” by Art Garfunkel (The Worst Person In The World)
By the end of The Worst Person in the World, I was already in a dazed melancholic state so when “Waters of March” started to play, my jaw hit the floor. This song, as well as the Portuguese original “Águas de Março” by Antônio Carlos Jobim, both hold a spot among my favorite songs ever. Hearing it in a film was a shock, especially in a film like The Worst Person in the World. It’s a beautifully strange and reflective film about the inevitability of time passing and having to make decisions about life and the person you want to be. To me, it’s a very human film and “Waters of March”, with its calm melody and simple stream of consciousness lyrics, is a very human song. This song choice truly suits the film and concludes it in a very beautiful way. Nonetheless, as the song played on and the credits rolled, I was left gaping at the TV both comforted and scared for the future. – Fiona Cunningham
“Lonely” by Swamp Dogg (High Fidelity)
“Lonely” by Swamp Dogg was released in 2018 on the album Love, Loss, and Autotune, and is my favorite needle drop in a television show. Swamp Dogg is an autotune and techno heavy artist with traditional soulful roots. “High Fidelity” is a television show that was released in 2020 and is based off of the movie “High Fidelity” (2000), starring John Cusack. The show centers around Rob (Zoe Kravitz), a record store owner, as she goes through a life altering breakup. “Lonely” by Swamp Dogg is played in the beginning portion of the sixth episode and makes for a memorable scene. “Lonely” creates a distinct sound and instantly reminds you of the show’s originality. As customers browse around the record store, “Lonely” sets the mood through its unforgettable instrumental and experimental mix of autotune and traditional country soul. – Makayla Markus