2011: The Restrospect: Top 5 Best Soundtracks

I'm feeling... musical!

We're about halfway done with the retrospect. After today, we'll be getting into more heavy stuff. But today, we're going to be talking about that one piece of film you can take with you wherever you go, long before the movie is available on home video.

2011 brought a lot in compelling scores. Though there was nothing quite as good as the best score from last year, there was plenty to like. I had a bit of a hard time narrowing this list down, even changing one of the entries as I wrote the damn thing. But, I brave the hardships and trials, and am ready to face your judgement. Here are Films From the Supermassive Black Hole's Top 5 Best Scores of 2011!

5. Super 8 (Michael Giacchino)

It sounds like the best John Williams score, but it's not John Williams. It sounds like the best John Williams score, but it's not John Williams. It sounds like the best John... oh, the hell with it! It sounds great, bringing to mind the Spielberg films of old. Sweeping and memorable, this is a wonderful example of an old-fashioned, classic tinged score.



4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Alexandre Desplat)

The Harry Potter scores have always been good, but as the franchise moved into darker and darker territory, the music got better and better, changing to fit the more mature tone, and gradually distancing itself from the kiddy tones of the initial Williams score. "Lily's Theme" is a haunting ode to the loss and sacrifice that the heroes are facing. "Courtyard Apocalypse" is a foreboding piece that wonderfully illustrates the chaos of the final battle. And "Voldemort's End" is about as epic as epic can get!



3. Drive (Cliff Martinez)

Infusing techno, rock, and other genres, the score to Drive is sort of this year's Tron: Legacy score, in that it's a score that takes a styles of popular music and melds it perfectly into a hyper-stylized film. The syth-poppy score fits the film like a well worn glove, beautifully accenting the 70s vibe the film is inhibiting. A score like this would be in a film where the main character wears a jacket with a giant, gold scorpion on the back. I mean, that's just fate, man.



2. Contagion (Cliff Martinez)

Same guy, same style. Like Drive, Contagion's score relies on synthetic beats and rhythms above all things, but where Contagion surpasses Drive is in its embrace of the atmosphere. Contagion was a pretty scary movie, and the music that went with it is pretty intense as well. "Get Us to the Front of the Line" is not something you want to be listening to alone at night.



1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)

Wipe that shocked expression off your face. Did you expect anything else? Reznor and Ross deservedly won that Oscar for The Social Network, and even though they have no chance of winning this year, I'd say they deserve it even more. Let's be honest. Trent Reznor; he's a little fucked up. A little disturbed. A little twisted. So is the music he makes. And all three of those qualities are paramount in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. So... you know. Match made in heaven.

Also, "Immigrant Song"! There's a reason I can't stop listening to it!



And we are done with the silliness. Now we get into actors, directors, and the ultimate best and worst lists. Tune in tomorrow for the next installment of 2011: The Retrospect, and be sure to check out everything you might have missed up to this point. Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to go geek out about Sundance again!!

2011: The Retrospect: Top 5 Best Trailers

Day 3, and we're starting to get into the good stuff.

Where 2011 offered little in good posters, it offered lots in good trailers. At almost every movie, you would see something interesting in the previews that would add another to your "Watch List". I know that last year I included trailers for movies that would be coming out in the year, but I'm avoiding that this year. If I did, the top three trailers would be for 2012 films. I think you can guess which ones.

But, here they. 2011's Top 5 Best Trailers! Enjoy!!!

5. The Muppets (Dragon Tattoo Parody)

A lot of the best trailers this year came courtesy of Jim Hansen's creations. Those were some damn fine parodies. This one wins out above all of them because it had me laughing so hysterically the whole time! It tells you nothing of plot or gives any sense of what's to come. Just that there's going to be a lot of Muppets in the film. Point! Taken!



4. Contagion

Easily one of the scariest trailers I've seen in a long time, this one perfectly set up the terror and chaos of Steven Soderbergh's brilliant disease thriller. It's actually fairly minimalist, showing quick shots of the big carnage while focusing more on the individual characters. I knew a movie about one of my biggest fears would scare the crap out of me. Who knew the trailer could do so as well?



3. Drive

I don't really see how the crazy broad from Michigan or wherever thought that this film was like The Fast and the Furious after seeing this trailer? The Fast and the Furious never had no trailer set to a slow, melancholy symphony. This trailer beautifully alludes to the art house qualities that the film was pushing, as well as its more awesome aspects. That shot where Ryan Gosling is about to hammer a bullet into that guy's forehead? So tight!!!



2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

When it came to big, epic trailers, this was the cream of the crop. We all knew that the finale of the Harry Potter franchise would have some sweet action, but holy crap, we didn't know it would be that sweet. It's loud! It's rousing! It's altogether wonderful!



1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Well, yeah. Easily the coolest minute, thirty seconds of advertising you could catch in theaters all year. No dialogue at all. Hell, there's not even a single sound that was used in the film at all. Just Trent Reznor's totally bitchin' cover "Immigrant Song" over an elaborate montage of super quick cuts. I was all in for Dragon Tattoo before most, based on Fincher alone. But if there were any doubts on my mind, this trailer dispelled them all! It's the one I kept going back to watch again and again. Then again, that could just be because of the song.



Well, that's all for today. We're almost done with the silly stuff. Just a few more days before we get into heavy hitters like actors and directors. Stay tuned, and be sure to check into 2011: The Retrospect for anything you might have missed thus far. See you tomorrow kids. Always drink your Ovaltine!

Hypochondriac's Worst Nightmare

At this particular theatre, I was by myself. Flying solo. You know how it is. To that end, there were a few seats between me and the person next to me. About half way through the movie, right about where all the looting and chaos is going down, the person next to me coughed. I almost ran for my life! Why? Cuz Contagion got to me in a way a virus thriller never has. This is a smart, terrifying, absolutely believable piece of pandemic pandemonium. With strong performances, slick direction, and a chilling atmosphere, Contagion will convince you to never touch anything... or anyone... ever... again!

I've driven down that street before. 

Trailer Trash: Contagion

It's time to root through some trailers. What sorts of wonderful things will be alluded to today?

Not much to say on this one. It dramatizes one of my biggest fears, with a kick ass cast. Hell yeah, I'm there!