Soundtracks for the holidays

Two recent releases in soundtracks are Mona Lisa Smile and Love Actually. The chick flicks and dramas always produce the soundtracks with winning songs and signature tunes. The epic movies bring some of the most riveting and rousing scores (listening to the Pirates Of The Caribbean soundtrack on my morning drive to school makes me feel like a hero - swash swash buckle buckle! - all ready to face the day) to show off the best sound systems.

I'm eagerly awaiting my copy of the Return Of The King soundtrack to blast on my sound system, but until then I'll enjoy the chick flick CDs. Mona Lisa Smile is Julia Roberts's latest outing with three up-and-coming actresses, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The decade is the 1950s, the location is Wellesley College (the best liberal arts college - females only - in the US; Hillary Rodham Clinton is an alumnus), Julia Roberts's character is a Mr. Holland-like (of Mr. Holland's Opus fame) teacher who inspires the girls to fulfill their potentials.

What makes the songs work is the choice of 1950s tunes covered by contemporary recording artistes like Tori Amos, Seal, Mandy Moore, Lisa Stansfield, Kelly Rowland, Macy Gray, Alison Krauss, Chris Isaak, and yes, Celine Dion, among others. Celine doesn't demonstrate any of her trademark histronic vocals though, and handles her version of "Bewitched" very tastefully. Mandy Moore uses her sweet voice to give the haunting music of "Secret Love" a wistful finish. Tori Amos gives us two songs; she does swing very well! Very fun music that fits a Julia Roberts movie. Her movies have produced some of the more successful soundtracks - My Best Friend's Wedding and Notting Hill are two.

Love Actually - ah, where do I begin? The three live versions of "Christmas Is All Around," "All I Want For Christmas Is You," and "All You Need Is Love" are on the soundtrack, and perfect for the fan who enjoyed the versions in the movie. The UK and international releases have a longer tracklist than the US one. From what I've heard, the score composed by Craig Armstrong is impressive and make three wonderful additions to the former versions.

Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" is the most moving song on the soundtrack - the melody is wrenching, the lyrics are pure poetry and Mitchell's voice is beautifully controlled and so very poignant. Listening to it on its own (without having seen the movie) moves you, listening to it play in that particular scene with Emma Thompson's character will bring tears. You'll never think of anything else when you listen to that song again - the painful realization of how clouds, life and love are more than what you thought them to be; in the later years of your life, when your youth has long passed and the dreams a little broken, how do you read the signs, how do you cope with the intense knowledge that you know so little even now?

Go here to listen to samples of the Love Actually OST.

Listen to the Mona Lisa Smile OST here.

Posted by Monoceros at December 4, 2003 11:30 PM