The first trailer for Tim Burton ‘s Dark Shadows was unveiled today, revealing what Burton really has up his sleeve for his adaptation of the cult soap opera. Namely: Gothic guffaws! 1970s humor! Johnny Depp playing vampire Barnabas Collins with that unmistakable Johnny Depp quirk! Seriously, is every Depp role for the rest of time going to feel like some variation on his Hunter Thompson? Anyway: Check out the trailer and unleash your thoughts. Head to Apple to watch the trailer in hi-res. I’m sure hardcore Dark Shadows fans will have the most to pick over here, seeing as Burton’s take isn’t quite exactly a straight translation of the ’60s-era melodrama to the big screen. And yet the tone feels so very Burtonesque, the sets and cinematography are lush and vintage, and despite the soundtrack of disco cliches it’s starting to grow on me. Plus, how can anyone resist sardonic teenager Chloe Moretz? Dark Shadows is in theaters May 11 and also features Eva Green , Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonny Lee Miller, Jackie Earle Haley, Bella Heathcote, Gulliver McGrath, Christopher Lee, and Alice Cooper as himself, because of course. [via Apple ]
It’s too rare that we get to bring the tunes around here, so Movieline is extra-pleased to debut three songs from the soundtrack to the SXSW premiere Daylight Savings — all featuring singer/songwriter (not to mention the film’s leading man) Goh Nakamura. Director Dave Boyle’s sequel to last year’s Surrogate Valentine bows Thursday in Austin ; the official synopsis goes a little like this: San Francisco-based musician Goh Nakamura (playing himself) is at the height of his career. With a national tour on the horizon and his song being featured in a national TV commercial, Goh has the life he always wanted. When his long distance girlfriend Erika (AYAKO FUJITANI) breaks up with him over Skype, Goh feels lost, as though no one could ever heal his broken heart. One night in San Francisco, he meets a fellow indie musician Yea-Ming (playing herself). Unexpectedly, Goh experiences a special connection with Yea-Ming and finds himself on a road trip with his cousin Mike (MICHAEL AKI) to see her in Las Vegas. And there’s more where this came from, which the filmmakers hope to release on a soundtrack album with a little help from Kickstarter. You can check out and/or contribute to that campaign here . Turn it up! Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
The reviews are in for the Todd Phillips-produced uber-party comedy Project X , and three out of four critics agree: It is the douchiest, most mean-spirited debauch of the year. (To date, anyway; we’ll see what kind of revisionist zest Steven Spielberg and co. bring to Lincoln .) Hop aboard Movieline’s scorched-earth golf cart and let’s go for a spin… 9. “You’ve got to hand it to Warner Brothers and producer Todd Phillips: They have painstakingly engineered the perfect film for today’s attention-impaired audiences. Are you a texter? A talker? Have at it. There is no way you could make this movie stupider or more pointlessly noisy than it already is.” — Sara Stewart , NY Post 8. “It would be easy to say Project X objectifies women, if the word ‘object’ didn’t imply too much dignity.” — Keith Phipps , AV Club 7. “Although it behaves as if its closest antecedent is a John Hughes teen movie, Project X plays more like a blend of music video, College Rules-style porn, and apocalypse-gazing. It’s all hyper-sensory flash and amateur titillation, ain’t it cool party-dogging and an ecstatic taxonomy of all the different ways you can drink a beer.” — Michelle Orange , Movieline 6. ” Project X ’s title has no bearing on its premise: a teenage house party in a quiet Californian suburb that spirals out of control. Nor is it connected to the 1987 film of the same name in which Matthew Broderick rescues a band of tormented chimpanzees, unless perhaps the chimpanzees wrote it. Overall, it’s flamboyantly loathsome on every imaginable level, and a great many unimaginable ones besides.” — Robbie Collin , The Telegraph 5. “[Oliver] Cooper’s brash, bragging Costa, in particular, is the most annoying movie character since Jar Jar Binks. You’d never tire of punching him. Let’s take all prints of the film, and bury them. Don’t bother marking the spot with an X.” — Chris Hewitt , Empire 4. “How bad is it? It kicks off the proceedings with the soundtrack blaring the 2 Live Crew classic ‘Hey, We Want Some Pussy,’ and that winds up constituting the closest that it comes to both quiet dignity and quality writing. It is so bad that it deploys a running gag featuring shenanigans involving a pet dog that even Michael Vick might take offense at.” — Peter Sobczynski , eFilmCritic 3. “It is not normal adolescent rebellion depicted here: it is sociopathic insurrection. It’s an orgy of destruction that is meant to be cool. And it’s not a cautionary tale. It’s not a warning that recognizes that real-life teenaged boys can indeed be colossal idiots sometimes, and perhaps we need to work together as a society to minimize the damage they can do, like perhaps training up our sons to be responsible citizens. It’s a celebration of colossal adolescent idiocy as something we should all aspire to, and would do, if we could only be as awesomely cool as a horny 17-year-old boy.” — Maryann Johanson Flick Filosopher 2. ” Project X is classless, mean-spirited, repugnant, deplorable, off-puttingly sleazy, and thoroughly contemptible. It is also searingly depressing — there isn’t a true laugh in sight — as well as worthless on every cinematic level one could name, imagine, or dream up.” — Dustin Putman , DustinPutman.com 1. “[A] certain self-justifying, feel-good impulse compels the filmmakers to imply that, even if [the characters] do nothing further of note in their lives, they’ll always have this. Herein lies the film’s lack of point-of-view, leaving it to the viewer to decide if the import of the evening is a joke, a tragedy, an irony or a victory. Despite a couple of unconvincingly upbeat tacked-on moments at the end, Project X basically reads as nihilistic, as not believing in or standing for anything. Not even fun.” — Todd McCarthy , The Hollywood Reporter Reviews via Rotten Tomatoes . Browse more of Moveline’s Scathing Critical Response features here . Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Late singer/actress’ work in movies was inextricably linked to her music. By Kevin P. Sullivan Whitney Houston in “Bodyguard” Photo: Warner Bros. The late Whitney Houston may have only appeared in front of the camera in four feature films during her lifetime, but when a soundtrack featured the singer, best-selling albums and awards followed in her wake. Houston’s soundtrack contribution became synonymous with chart-topping albums, some among the best-selling of all time, so in her memory, we’re taking a look back at some of her most significant musical efforts in film and the records she broke in the process. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” on the “13 Going on 30” Soundtrack Almost 20 years after its initial release, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” was re-released as part of the soundtrack for the 2004 Jennifer Garner film “13 Going on 30.” The album was made up mostly of the biggest hits of the late ’80s, including Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Madonna’s “Crazy for You.” The soundtrack did not earn the awards or prestige of Houston’s other credits, but the song’s re-release brought it to a younger generation and reaffirmed its rightful place alongside the decade’s most influential singles. “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” from “Waiting to Exhale” Houston’s second starring role resulted in another big soundtrack hit. The lead single from the album, “Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” sold more than 1 million copies and went platinum. The song earned four nominations at the 1997 Grammy Awards , including Song of the Year, and walked away with Best R&B Song. Written by Babyface, “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” was just one of the many successful collaborations Houston would have with the famous producer. “The Preacher’s Wife” Soundtrack Houston’s last major film appearance before her death also brought about a record-breaking release for the artist. Houston performed all the songs on the soundtrack for “The Preacher’s Wife,” in which she starred opposite Academy Award winner Denzel Washington. The album itself went on to sell an estimated 6 million copies and became the best-selling gospel album of all time. “When You Believe” from “The Prince of Egypt” As one half of a duo that’s sure to go down in R&B history, Houston performed “When You Believe” off of the “Prince of Egypt” soundtrack with Mariah Carey. The song only found moderate success on the Billboard charts, but the biggest honor came Oscar night, when the writer of “When You Believe,” Stephen Schwartz, took home the Academy Award for Best Original Song in March 1999. Houston and Carey performed at the awards shortly before winning the honor. “The Bodyguard” Soundtrack Houston’s greatest musical contribution to film is also the album she’ll be most remembered for. The soundtrack for the 1992 film “The Bodyguard,” co-starring Kevin Costner, surpassed all expectations of motion-picture soundtracks up until that time and became one of the best-selling albums in history. Ranking fourth in sales, only behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and AC/DC’s Back in Black, the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard” also took home the Grammy for Album of the Year. The most recognizable song of Houston’s career, a cover of Dolly Parton’s song “I Will Always Love You,” was the first of three singles from the album to break the Billboard top 20. Houston was the first female artist to have three songs on the list at the same time. MTV News’ Sway and James Montgomery will be live from the Grammys red carpet tonight starting at 5 p.m. ET to get reactions from music’s biggest stars on the death of Whitney Houston. Watch reactions and remembrances at MTV.com. Share your condolences with Whitney’s family and friends on our Facebook page. Related Videos Whitney Houston: Life And Music Of An Icon Related Photos Whitney Houston: A Life In Photos Related Artists Whitney Houston
Unstoppable album will notch 17th non-consecutive week on top of the Billboard chart, tying Billy Ray Cyrus’ 1992 release. By Gil Kaufman Adele Photo: Getty Images Adele ‘s 21 gives a whole new meaning to “Achy Breaky Heart.” And since the singer’s unstoppable album will notch its 17th non-consecutive week at #1 next week on the Billboard albums chart, she now shares that honor with Billy Ray Cyrus’ breakthrough, Some Gave All , which did the same in 1992. After blowing past the 1997 “Titanic” soundtrack last week, Adele sold another 95,000 copies of 21 to keep the top spot, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. That was more than enough to lock out the 21st edition of the Kidz Bop series, which will debut at #2 on sales of 59,000. The only other new face in the top 10 is gospel act James Fortune & FIYA ‘s Identity , which moved 18,000 units. The rest of the top 10: Black Keys ‘ El Camino (#3, 29,000), Drake ‘s Take Care (#4, 29,000), Rihanna ‘s Talk That Talk (#5, 20,000), Young Jeezy ‘s TM 103: Hustlerz Ambition (#6, 19,000), Toby Keith ‘s Clancy’s Tavern (#8, 17,000), Coldplay ‘s Mylo Xyloto (#9, 17,000) and Nickelback ‘s Here and Now (#10, 17,000). Otherwise, it was pretty quiet, with punk band Attack Attack! sliding into the #11 spot with their new one, This Means War (17,000), and the soundtrack to the Dolly Parton/Queen Latifah feel-good movie “Joyful Noise” jumping up nine spots in its second week to #12 (just under 17,000). Down at #26 was protest folkie Ani DiFranco with Which Side Are You On? (11,000) and, at #33, soft rockers Snow Patrol , whose Fallen Empires tumbled 28 spots in its second week on the charts. Adele might be safe for another week if the latest from country star Tim McGraw doesn’t push her out of the top spot. Other new releases include albums from Lamb of God , Kellie Pickler and Amnesty International’s four-disc Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan compilation. Related Artists Adele
Third-place ‘Factor’ finisher will be working with L.A. Reid again. By Gil Kaufman Chris Rene Photo: Mark Davis/ Getty Images You might be hearing “Young Homie” on the radio soon. Santa Cruz garbage man turned “X Factor” third-place finisher Chris Rene has signed a deal with Epic Records, where he will be reunited with his “Factor” mentor, Epic boss L.A. Reid. “I’ve dreamt about this moment my whole life,” Rene told Entertainment Weekly . “And now its here. Working with L.A. Reid — ‘Big Homie’ — is a dream come true; he’s a great man.” Rene will be label mates with another “Factor” finalist, fourth-placer Astro, the teenage rapper who revealed to MTV News on Tuesday that he would also be teaming with Reid at Epic. Rene was one of the breakout stars in the first season of “Factor,” winning both hearts and minds with his falsetto singing/laconic rapping and a compelling backstory that followed his rise from crippling drug addiction to a near-win on the Simon Cowell-created show. The singer carved a new path in the suddenly crowded reality singing competition world by honestly detailing his drug struggles and performing two original songs during the show’s run. Just 70 days sober when he came in for his first audition, Rene charmed the judges, who agreed to let him continue in the competition as long as he promised to keep on the straight and narrow. As the season unfolded, viewers learned that his sister Gina — who also tried out for the show — was also a musician who had landed songs on the a number of soundtracks, including 2004’s “Mean Girls.” One of the high points of Rene’s run on the show was during Michael Jackson week, when he shared the story of how his grandfather, Leon Rene, wrote the Jackson 5 hit “Rockin’ Robin” and stared the first black-owned R&B label on the West Coast.
British belter’s smash album catches up to 1997 blockbuster album with its 16th non-consecutive week atop the Billboard chart. By James Montgomery Adele Move over James Cameron (and Celine Dion): Adele just landed her Sweet 16th. Yes, once again the British belter’s 21 album tops the Billboard 200 chart, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan, the 16th (non-consecutive) week it sits at #1. The mark ties it with the soundtrack to the 1997 blockbuster “Titanic,” which was buoyed by Dion’s massive “My Heart Will Go On.” Up next for Adele? Well, first, it’s Billy Ray Cyrus’ Some Gave All, which topped the Billboard charts for 17 weeks in 1992, followed by Garth Brooks’ Ropin’ the Wind, which was #1 for 18 weeks. Then, it’s the 1992 soundtrack to “The Bodyguard,” which, powered by Whitney Houston’s takes on “I’m Every Woman” and “I Will Always Love You,” spent 20 weeks atop the Billboard albums chart. Oh, and Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii, which also spent 20 weeks at #1. Rarefied air, indeed. 21 sold more than 104,000 copies to take the top spot, easily outpacing the week’s biggest debut, the David Crowder Band ‘s Give Us Rest, which sold nearly 51,000 copies to open at #2. The Black Keys ‘ El Camino holds strong at #3 for a second week, selling more than 36,000 copies and moving past the 500,000 mark in total sales in the process. Drake ‘s Take Care (nearly 32,000 copies sold) and Snow Patrol ‘s new Fallen Empires (nearly 31,000 copies) round out the top five. Young Jeezy ‘s TM 103: Hustlerz Ambition is in at #6, with sales of nearly 24,000 copies, followed by Rihanna ‘s Talk That Talk at #7 (nearly 22,000 copies), Coldplay ‘s Mylo Xyloto at #8 (nearly 20,000 copies), Nickelback ‘s Here and Now at #9 (19,000-plus copies) and the 40th installment of the ubiquitous Now compilation, which comes in at #10 with sales of more than 17,000 copies. Outside the top 10, there were debuts by Yo Gotti, whose Live From the Kitchen sold more than 16,000 copies to open at #12, Rebelution’s Peace of Mind (#13, also posting sales of more than 16,000 copies), critical darling Lana Del Rey’s self-titled EP (#20, nearly 14,000 copies sold) and the soundtrack to “Joyful Noise,” which bowed at #21 with sales of more than 13,000 copies. Related Artists Adele Drake Young Jeezy
As everyone looks back on the year that was, I’ve found myself returning to a few moments in the movies that resonated especially well thanks to a phenomenon that achieves soul-stirring status so rarely, though not for lack of frequency: Song choice. I’m not talking about dropping the latest Kelly Clarkson/Natasha Bedingfield ditty into a crap rom-com. I mean the special, skin-tingling magic that occurs when a song is married so perfectly to a character, story, or feeling that the music and the moment swell within us with new, layered meaning. Join me and let’s hash it out: Which movie(s) used music the best in 2011? This is certainly a subjective topic, but consider the lost art of meshing music (songs, not score; pre-existing or original recordings) to film. “Mrs. Robinson” in The Graduate . “Over the Rainbow” in The Wizard of Oz ! Where were our iconic movie-music moments in 2011? For me it comes down to two films: Jonathan Levine’s 50/50 and Nicholas Winding Refn ‘s Drive , two very different offerings with wildly divergent sounds that nevertheless have stuck in my mind and my senses, indelibly tied to the musical choices within. 50/50 : “Yellow Ledbetter” Despite being shot in Vancouver, Jonathan Levine’s 50/50 was about a 27-year-old Seattle man facing cancer, so maybe that bit of intent factored into Levine’s use of Pearl Jam in his end credits; in any case, using the “Jeremy” B-side “Yellow Ledbetter” to close the film was an inspired choice. As Adam ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt ), having survived cancer, tentatively embarks on his first date with Katie (Anna Kendrick) — the start of new possibilities, a new hope — the strains of “Yellow Ledbetter” tentatively begin. And while nobody really knows the actual words that are coming out of Eddie Vedder’s mouth, there’s an optimistic melancholy to the song that just works. Legend has it Vedder wrote the song after walking with a friend who’d just learned his brother had died in the Gulf War, watching as patriotic neighbors shunned the grieving friend; easy to see how thematically this works with Adam’s movie ending, having been in close proximity to death while everyone else — except that one special someone — doesn’t quite understand. Honorable mention: 50/50 ‘s use of Radiohead’s “High & Dry” as Adam learns he has cancer. Drive : “Tick of the Clock”/”Oh My Love” But let’s be honest — the entire Drive soundtrack has been in heavy rotation for me and many others all year, and I’ve raved about it here so much already. But a closer examination of how Refn uses his song selections is worth a look, Cliff Martinez’s throbbing score notwithstanding. Two scenes in particular conjure that magical musical feeling for me. One is the early getaway scene in which the pulsating beat of Chromatics’ “Tick of the Clock” sneaks in as Ryan Gosling ‘s Driver is introduced during his latest getaway job. His clients have taken too much of their five-minute window, the cops are wising up, and the clock is literally ticking; Johnny Jewel’s beat kicks in as the real action starts, accelerating and swelling as this simple job turns into a chase. It’s pure aural adrenaline we hear, approximating the same daredevil juices that flow through Gosling’s calm, coiled being. Like the track itself, Gosling is just so motherfucking cool . It’s a brilliant way to jump into Driver’s life in a snapshot that instantly informs us of who he is, what he does, and that he’s cruising on the razor edge of danger. The better song in Drive , however, is also the most underappreciated track in the bunch, possibly of the year: Riz Ortolani’s original recording of “Oh My Love,” sung by Katyna Ranieri decades ago. Recall the film’s turning point, as the soaring operatic tune plays while Driver finds Shannon (Bryan Cranston) dead, then stalks and confronts Ron Perlman’s Nino — the most imposing of his enemies, even if Albert Brooks’ Bernie Rose emerges as the one to be feared the most — culminating in a moonlit beach attack. Now, in a soundtrack filled with contemporary electro tracks (including College’s “A Real Hero,” the theme song of Drive ) and fleshed out by Martinez’s complimentary score, “Oh My Love” seems an oddity — but it’s the most inspired, and the most brilliant choice of them all. Originally recorded circa 1971 for the infamous Italian exploitation flick Addio Zio Tom ( Goodbye Uncle Tom ), a mondo faux-documentary about American slavery reviled for its terribly misguided content, the song is a beautifully evocative, lyrical ode to the inherent darkness in our nature — but also to the redemptive potential in man. Take a closer look at the lyrics, and watch the sequence in which it appears: Oh my love, look and see The sun rising from the river Nature’s miracle once more will light the world But this light is not for those men Still lost in an old black shadow Won’t you help me to believe that they will see A day, a brighter day When all the shadows will fade away That day I’ll cry that I believe That I believe Oh my love High above us The sun now embraces nature And from nature we should learn that all can start again As the stars must fade away To give a bright new day It’s a sequence featuring a swirl of emotion and action — sadness, hope, revenge, bloodlust — marking the moment when Driver, pushed to the brink, throws any chance for a peaceful happy ending away and instead embraces the darkness within. This is the defining moment for Driver, and for Drive , the instant in which our hero truly becomes an anti-hero, choosing to avenge Shannon and preemptively protect Irene over the possibility of running away with her and Benicio — a future in which they would have run, together, but would’ve always lived in fear of retribution. Ortolani and Ranieri’s song perfectly illuminates Driver’s place in this world of hard, dangerous men, but it also, importantly, gives us hope for his future. So, gauntlet thrown: Do you have a better pick for best song use in the movies this year? Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Decemberists and Civil Wars also on the disc. By Gil Kaufman Taylor Swift Photo: Getty Images The soundtrack to “The Hunger Games” will feature a bumper crop of new and unreleased songs by Taylor Swift , the Arcade Fire and the Decemberists. The album will be produced by Grammy-winning producer T Bone Burnett and released before the movie hits theaters on March 23. Burnett and the group the Civil Wars got together to write an original tune for the CD with Swift, the first single, “Safe and Sound,” which was released to iTunes on December 23. The tune shot to #1 on the iTunes singles list within 24 hours of release. Also serving up fresh tracks are the Arcade Fire, who collaborated with Burnett on “Horn of Plenty,” and the Decemberists, who’ve offered up the original song “One Engine.” The rest of the lineup has not been released, but according to a press release the soundtrack will feature all new songs based on themes that figure into the movie’s storyline. Oscar-winning composer Danny Elfman recently exited the film, citing scheduling issues as he works to finish up the music for “Dark Shadows” and “Men in Black 3.” He was replaced by James Newton Howard, who is responsible for dozens of famous scores, including “Batman Begins.” Inspired by the best-selling young-adult novel by Suzanne Collins, “The Hunger Games” follows the path of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who is chosen to compete in a vicious televised tournament in which 24 teenagers from a post-apocalyptic society fight to the death for the entertainment of the masses. The film also stars Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth, as well as Woody Harrelson and rocker Lenny Kravitz. Lawrence will not only star in the movie, but she will also lend her vocals to the soundtrack. Producer Burnett had high praise for her singing, telling MTV it was “beautiful. She did great. She’s singing great. Killer actor too.” Fans are totally geeked about the new big-screen adaptation that could be the next-generation “Twilight” series, which is why we put together our list of the top 10 “Games” moments of 2011. What other artists do you think would fit on The Hunger Games soundtrack? Tell us on Facebook! Related Photos ‘Hunger Games’ Character Posters ‘Hunger Games’ District Seals The Hunger Games Related Artists Taylor Swift Arcade Fire The Decemberists
Anthony Hamilton has a reputation for making great soul music that appeals to contemporary audiences, while maintaining the integrity set forth by soul stars from back in the day, and he stays true to form on his latest album Back To Love . If you love or like Anthony Hamilton, you’ll definitely enjoy his new project. Here’s why… Good To Great Back To Love is good upon first listen, but you appreciate each song even more after listening to it more. About that reaction, Anthony says he doesn’t mind and like that because, “When you like all at once, you’ll get tired of it all at one time.” Familiar Sounds Those who like Anthony Hamilton’s “The Point Of It All” (2007) will get a dose of what they liked about that song with his new song “I’ll Wait (To Fall In Love).” Both songs were produced by The Avila Brothers, and “I’ll Wait” is just as tremendous as its predecessor. Hit maker Babyface provided the soundtrack for Anthony Hamilton’s current hit “Woo,” and also produced “Mad” and “Pray” from Back To Love. To The Left On “Sucka For You,” Anthony sings a song that he describes as having a flavor “like an OutKast record” that’s “outside of the box.” And, it’s as good as it is lively! The Unexpected When Anthony Hamilton joined Jill Scott for her single “So In Love,” the expectations were high since they’re both artists who are loved. The duo lived up to the hit expectations and the song was a hit. The reaction was much different when it was announced that Keri Hilson would be singing a duet on Hamilton’s Back To Love. Despite low expectations, Keri delivers on “Never Let Go.” So In Love In addition to “Woo,” Anthony Hamilton has given his fans more songs to love. Highlights include “Best Of Me,” “Pray For Me,” “Never Let Go” and “I’ll Wait.”
