[Moshe]

9/19/2007

Watch Your Back Wes Anderson & Zach Braff: 'Juno' Soundtrack Tries To One Up "Hip" Soundtracks; Ex-Moldy Peaches Singer Kimya Dawson Featured

 

OK, someone gave Jason Reitman ("Thank You For Smoking," son of comedy director Ivan Reitman) just a little bit of extra dough for soundtrack clearances for his upcoming new dark comedy, "Juno," which recently debuted to strong reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival (the film won the People's Choice runner-up prize at TIFF - Eastern Promises took the top honors)

And so, attention Wes Anderson, Zach Braff, Sofia Coppola and filmmakers with tastefully chosen "hipster" soundtracks (in Braff's case, emo-ly chosen nu-ish indie rock soundtracks to accompany your cranberry juice order), Jason Reitman might be gunning for you.

 

The "Juno" movie features Ex-Moldy Peaches singer Kimya Dawson who contributes a bunch of pre-existing songs to the comedy about a teenage girl ('X-Men 3''s Ellen Paige) who gets pregnant (by Michael Cera) and finds her unborn child a “perfect” set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), longing to adopt (hello, small-"Arrested Development" reunion).

The movie also features existing songs by the Kinks, the Velvet Underground (a self-titled 3rd album B-side), Buddy Holly, Cat Power, Hole, Belle & Sebastian, Sonic Youth (an excellent B-side Carpenters cover) and Ellen Page and Michael Cera singing together in the film; singing the Moldy Peaches song, "Anyone Else But You."

 

Director Jason Reitman explained in the film's press notes that actress Ellen Paige actually informed some of the musical choices.

“At one point, I asked Ellen Page before we started shooting, ‘what do you think Juno listens to?’ And she said ‘The Moldy Peaches’. She went on my computer, played the songs, and I fell in love with it. [Screenwriter] Diablo [Cody] and I discussed putting a Moldy Peaches song in it where the characters would sing to each other. I got in touch with Kimya Dawson of The Moldy Peaches and she started sending me her work, which was beautiful, and that became a lot of the soundtrack.”

In the same press notes, Screenwriter Diablo Cody said, "I love the music. I think that Ellen Page as a person informed a lot about the movie. She’s just an interesting personality and such an amazing person, that you couldn’t help but put her stamp on things.” Kimya Dawson wrote rather self-deprecatingly on her livejournal about the songs used in the film, noting she didn't really write anything original for the film.

 

“Some of those songs were recorded in my bed in Bedford Hills, under the covers, on the 4-track. And when people were coming up to me telling me I did a great job it felt weird because I didn’t do a job. I wrote a bunch of crap when my heart was hurting. Everyone else had to do a job. The songs were already there. Just floating around in space. I didn’t do anything specifically FOR the movie. Except record some instrumental versions of a couple songs that only have two chords. That was easy. so, yeah...”

Kimya also contributed tracks with her kid-folk band Antsy Pants, that features 12-year old Leo from the kid one-man-band Bear Creek.

As we've noted before, our Raison d'être might seem like we live for pop music in movies, but au contraire. We've said it before: pop music in films can easily act as a cheap emotional shortcut to dial up feelings that the actual scene and film aren't executing themselves and in the worst scenarios they seem forced, lazy and gratuitous (see a lot of comedies). With that said, Filmwad has a pretty good rant and plea to "Stop Ruining Comedies With "Cool" Soundtracks," and we definitely think this is a salient concern to raise or at least think about.

Juno is due December 14th and there's no word on a soundtrack release yet. The trailer (below) features the Moldy Peaches' "Anyone Else But You" and Mott the Hooples' "All The Young Dudes."

[atsonicpark]

i'd fuck that whore.

[pantophobia]

thought it was worth noting that the Juno soundtrack hit #1 on the Billboard Top 200 today, the first time SY has ever been involved in anything this high as a band

nice the main page mention today

SONIC YOUTH #1
The soundtrack for the movie 'Juno', containing Sonic Youth's rendition of the Carpenters' 'Superstar' is the #1 record in America for the week of Jan 30. The band also features in the movie as an element of the plot. You can watch the Superstar video directed by Dave Markey here. The song can be heard as part of the streaming mix tape via the link above.

[HaydenAsche]

Jason Bateman = Hot

[Rob Instigator]

i am sick of pop songs on soundtracks.


they distract from the movie.

they attach the movie's feelings to a song in people's minds who were never fans of the song or band to begin with (pixies at the end of fight club for example)

i also hate when songs aere used where the lyrics are suposed to describe the plot taking place.

suck suck suck


then again Repo man used music quite well, but that was specifically hardcore punk because the main character is a punk. it makes sense that way.

"there's too many of us there's too many of us there's too many there's too many of us"

[Savage Clone]

The Moldy Peaches are the Barometer Of Suck for the last decade.
The absolute festering nadir of so-called "indie" music.
The heavy presence of Ms Dawson's and M.P. music in this movie were some of the biggest reasons I chose not to see it.

[HaydenAsche]

Moldy Peaches put me to sleep.

[nicfit]

I have no idea about the reason for this (maybe it's because I never listened to them or coz they are totally "unfamous" over here) but I kinda like a couple of those songs. I even like bits of the lyrics. Am I devolving? Not in a devo-cool kinda way.

[LittlePuppetBoy]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

i am sick of pop songs on soundtracks.

"

What if we used the Butthole Surfers or Swans?

If I become a film director, I would so use those highly abrasive bands.

But yeah, I kind of got annoyed by the use of music in Juno. We dont need to here some wimpy indie song every fucking 10 seconds!

[barnaclelapse]

I liked the use of the music.

For some reason, it was a little less blatant than the scene in Garden State where Natalie Portman makes Zach Braff listen to The Hives, and that was fine with me.

[HomelessArtist]

did someone say something about homeless?

Superstar was my girlfriends song when we were 16.

<listening to Fri/end. Drinking Lake Superior Special Ale.

Devotional Dharma crackles above ya

Diablo Cody is a Godess amongst women.

Ron Paul won in reality.

[Danny Himself]

Originally Posted by barnaclelapse

I liked the use of the music.

For some reason, it was a little less blatant than the scene in Garden State where Natalie Portman makes Zach Braff listen to The Hives, and that was fine with me.

That was The Shins. "They'll change your life."

Whatever..

[clever name]

Remember where you heard it firts muthafuckas!

[tasteinmen]

i really enjoyed the film, and it was nice to hear some references to sonic youth, i thought the film was really post-modern

[Rob Instigator]

po-mo!


I used to wathc Post Modern MTV before 120 minytes was created

[k-krack]

Originally Posted by tasteinmen

i thought the film was really post-modern

....what?

[tasteinmen]

please don't make me explain...

[avantgarde1]

that kimya chick is hideous! she gots a face for radio.

[barnaclelapse]

I think it's the hair more than anything else.

[screamingskull]

could someone badongo me the cat power song from this movie, it's called "Sea Of Love" and its wonderful. I am not going to spend £12 on the CD just for one song.

Hayden i am looking to you here, as i bet you have it!