Great Songs In Movie History Volume 1: Looking For The Magic - Then & Now...

One of the things that always sticks with me is the songs that a filmmaker chooses to use in a particular movie scene. As a fan of multiple genre's of music, I am always interested to try and get into the filmmakers head as to why they picked that particular song and choose to use it at that particular moment. Quentin Tarantino is often praised for his quirky music choices ('Across 110th S't by Bobby Womack in Jackie Brown and 'Hold Tight' by Davey Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mich & Tich in Deathproof are two of my favorite examples of QTs weird musical selections) and they leave a lasting memory in your head long after the credits roll. Can you hear 'Stuck In The Middle' and really not think of Reservoir Dogs? Or Tom Petty's 'American Girl' and not think of Silence of the Lambs? I don't know about you... but this happens to me all the time. I recently saw 'You're Next', the newest horror movie sensation, in the theater the other day and boy was I impressed. The movie was written by Simon Barrett and it seems that Mr. Barrett had a similar musical idea in store for the audience when he was writing his horror opus. Since there are minor spoilers in the rest of the post, I will continue after the jump....


In the opening scene of the film a gruesome double murder takes place and there is a weirdly familiar song echoing in the background. It is 'Looking For The Magic' by The Dwight Twilley Band, and even though I can't really say for sure if I know the song from before I saw the movie (it came out in 1977), I damn sure won't ever forget it AFTER this movie. The song is haunting, has a very unique sound, and will forever go down as being associated with this movie. When the original victim puts the song on they put the CD on repeat, so the song is now on an endless loop considering that both people staying at this country house are now dead... and the funny part is that throughout the film the original location of the murder is re-visited by a few characters fleeing the attack of the masked murderers, and every time the house is approach the damn song is on! It plays, fades out, ends, and then restarts... OVER AND OVER as a reminder to the killings in the 1st reel of the movie and how they related to the desolate nature of the locale. So fucking great.

So here is the newest addition to my Spotify account: First up, the original 'Looking For The Magic' by The Dwight Twilley Band, and then after that we have an updated version of the song by the group Mind The Gap that appears on the You're Next soundtrack. Even though I like the originals 70s style vocals, the new one has a cleaner sound and still conveys the original songs feel. The song is now burnt into my head, and after you see the movie it will be burnt it to yours too. Enjoy the videos, and tell me your thoughts on this song if you have seen 'You're Next'...

Original:




****Editor's Note***

After I posted this and did some digging I found that the one and only Tom Petty, a label mate of The Dwight Tilley Band at the time of release, played the guitar on 'Looking For The Magic'... which makes this song even fucking cooler!!!!

New Version:

Mike D's Top Ten Most Anticipated Movies Of Summer 2013

So... it seems to have been that time of the year again. The summer movie season is set to open this year with Iron Man 3 on May 3rd. A per usual, there are an obscene amount of tentpole flicks (The Lone Ranger, World War Z, etc), sequels (Iron Man 3, Kick Ass 2, The Hangover 3,etc) and animated fare (Despicable Me 2, Monsters U, Turbo, etc). So once again I know I will be really busy at the theater for the next four months. But I decided to highlight ten movies that I really am anticipating... all original works, all first cracks at a movie lover like myself. Sure, I will be there for Iron Man, Hangover, etc.... but these are the ones that I am really looking forward to. Lets see how it all plays out in September... check out my list after the jump...



Here is my list in order of my interest:

10) The Conjuring - July 19th

This is a paranormal research story that is based on true accounts. It is directed by James Wan (Saw & Insidious) and it stars Vera Farmiga & Patrick Wilson. Wilson was great in Insidious, so I can't wait to see him work with Wan. Farmiga has done awesome in The Bates Motel, so i am looking forward to seeing her in a feature length horror role. This one looks spooky as shit...

9) The Bling Ring - June 14th

This one comes ripped straight from the headlines and is directed by Sofia Coppola (love her). It tells the story of four wild L.A. teens and the theft rampage that they went on, robbing celebrity houses. The real story involved thefts at Rachel Bilson, Paris Hilton, and many others... Plus this one gives us a grown up Hermoine (Emma Watson) in the lead, so I am in right away.

8) The To Do List - August 16th

You now how teenage comedies about losing virginity always revolve around boys? Yeah... not anymore. Aubrey Plaza is a valedictorian of her High School, and she is desperate to figure out the A,B,C's of sex. so she decides to take a methodical approach that has worked so well for her in her studies: she makes a to do list and checks them off as she completes them. The list is filled with sexual acts (think about things like a Dirty Sanchez & Hooking The Marlin) and will probably lead to hilarity. Plus Plaza can get it...

7) After Earth - June 7th

I am being optimistic about this one, and part of that is because of the director M. Night Shayamalan. no, not because of his track record. i loved his earlier films, but I truly believe that The Happening is the single worst movie ever made. Ever. But since he has been on a down swing in his career, he needs this one... bad. Plus the studio is keeping his name off of the adverts and credits during teh trailers for the film, instead allowing the lush scenery and potential of the Smith boys (father Will & son Jayden) carrying the audience's interest in the film. The action looks great, and Night is due for a hit... we shall see.

6) Maniac - June 21st

Elijah Wood is in this remake of the 80's classic horror film. I know I said that this list would consist of no sequels or remakes, but this one is a must see for me as the original is a huge part of my childhood. plus Wood was super fucking creepy as Kevin in Sin City, so this is right up his alley. Love me some non mainstream horror paying homage to classics....

5) R.I.P.D. - July 19th

Ryan Reynolds. Jeff Bridges. Mary Louise Parker. Based on a beloved indy comic. Yeah, I will be first in line to see this. When a cop is killed in the line of duty, they are given a choice. They can go to heaven/hell (whichever they are destined for) or they can join the Rest In Peace Department for 100 years of service, keeping rouge criminal spirits & ghosts in line. Recently killed cop Reynolds decides to join, and is partnered with grizzled veteran Bridges (who is in the last year of his 100 years of service, so is an Old West lawman.) Madness ensues. Think Men in Black with a sprinkle of Ghostbusters.    

4) The Purge - May 31st

America is nearly perfect in this movie. Crime is non existent. Unemployment is down under 1%. everyone is prospering. How you ask? Well, one night a year all crime is legal. It is called The Purge, and it allows all people to take out any frustrations they have. They can take those feelings out in the worst ways possible... and boy is it helpful! But when a family locks in for the night and one of their teenagers decides to lend a hand to a guy being chased by a group of murders, Ethan Hawke's family becomes part of the murder plot due to their harboring of the target. This is a great concept and I hope it is pulled off...

3) The World's End - August 23rd

Simon Pegg. Nick Frost. Martin Freeman.  All starring in a movie from Edgar Wright. 5 buddies reunite to complete an epic 12 bar Pub Crawl that they started years earlier but never completed. Now that they are older, wiser and drink much more they are planning to get it done. But there might be one problem with that... Aliens? Monsters? Movie critics? The secret of the movies villain has not been revealed, but i for one will be right there to see it all play out...

2) This Is The End - June 12th

Real life friends James Franco, Jay Burcel, Seth Rogan, Danny McBride, Jonah hill, and Craig Robertson all star in this film as themselves. They are rich, young, and the toasts of Hollywood. They are all super successful. And when they get together for a party at Franco's house, it is just another party night for the crew. Or is it? Aliens invade, the end of the world is at hand... and these pampered idiots now must survive the post apocalyptic world that is left. With tons of guest stars, this meta comedy is almost my most anticipated film of the summer. The distinction goes to...

1) Pacific Rim - July 12th

Holy shit i can't wait to see this movie. Guillermo Del Torro always has my attention, but when you make up a movie about giant robots fighting huge kaiju monsters. Sprinkle in Charlie Hunan (Sons of Anarchy) and Idris Elba (The Wire & Luther), some unbelievable realistic looking robots, and the best looking giant monsters I have ever seen and you got summer hit written all over it! If there was ever a reason to see a movie in IMAX 3-D, this is it. I'm in....

Honorable Mention: You're Next & All the Boys Love Mandy Lane -

I chose these two movies because they are finally getting released after laying in release date hell. All the Boys was filmed back in 2006 and you're Next back in 2010... but the companies that made them went bankrupt. So they bounced around and now have the proper backers, and both are finally coming out. Good to see these films actually getting a proper release...    

'Your're Next' Finally Gets A Trailer... Well I'm Officially Scared As Shit, Thanks A Bunch!!!

I have been following the progress of the indie horror film 'You're Next' for quite sometime. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival two years ago, and I was instantly drawn to it due to the cooky animal masks that the murders in the film wear. It bounced around looking for distribution, and seems to have finally gained some traction with a recent SXSW screening and official release date of August 23rd. In the past week we got some great character posters, and now we are finally treated to a trailer. I for one can't fucking wait for this film, as it seems to be in the vein of The Strangers (one of my favorite recent horror films). So without any further wait, enjoy the full on trailer after the jump...

'You're Next' Movie Posters: Scary As Shit Animal Faced Killers

I have been waiting to get some promo materials from the upcoming horror film 'You're Next' because it looks fucking fantastic. It revolves around a family reunion that takes place at a country estate, and the group of family members who are gathered there are menaced by a set of killers looking to make the weekend a bloody mess. These bad ass murderers have creepy ass animal masks and plan on making easy work of the unsuspecting family... but may meet a challenge from some unlikely family members who aren't ready to just role over and die. The movie is a few years old but has been in distribution hell... and with it's recent screening at SXSW, it is gaining steam again. The trailer comes out tomorrow, but so far we got some cool character posters of the killers... and they are very menacing to say the least. the movie comes out August 23rd, and you should 'Like' the movies Facebook page by clicking here. I will post the trailer once it is out, and you can see the character posters after the jump...