The late Sidney Lumet wrote in his seminal “Making Movies”, that music will nearly always make a bad film better, but has the power to make a good film great. It can lift poor performances, hide bad-direction and ultimately come to define the film. Now, were not dealing with audio cues and scores, rather, I want to look at how recent entries into the ‘music’ genre have been able to incorporate sensational songs into the narrative of the film to great effect.

Note: I’ve avoided musicals and such and attempted to put aside a few of the cliché choices (Once, August Rush etc).

Now, let’s get stuck into it. First up….

Number Five – Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
The tailor made music for Scott Pilgrim features the likes of Beck & Metric who created the music for the in film bands Sex-Bob-Omb, Crash and the Boys and The Clash at Demonhead. The Rolling Stones are also there with Under My Thumb.
Have a look at the standout song Black Sheep by Metric performing as The Clash at Demonhead!

Number Four – GET HIM TO THE GREEK
Didn’t see this one coming did you? Last year’s Get Him To The Greek was surprisingly great. Just have a look at Russell Brand rockin’ it on stage informing the world of his STD’s – in The Clap

Number Three – High Fidelity
The legendary film about John Cusack recounting his past lovers whilst running a record store is laden with musical gold such as Elton John, Belle & Sebastian, Bruce Springsteen, The velvet underground, Queen, and a hell of a lot more.
Of course, the musical highlight is, without a doubt, Jack Black’s rendition of Martin Gaye’s – Let’s Get it On.

Number Two – Almost Famous
I Almost didn’t put this one in the list, but when I revisited the soundtrack I knew instantly it had to be here near the top. The film seamlessly combines any and all music influences from the 70’s to the 80’s.
The amazing bands featured include – Simon & Garfunkel, The Who, LED ZEPPLIN, David Bowie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stillwater, Cat Stevens and so so so so much more.
One of the most touching scenes is the great, Tiny Dancer moment on the tour bus:

Number AWESOME / ONE THE BOAT THAT ROCKED
Goddamn, I was about to finish this list of and hit publish when I remember what one of my favorite films of all time was actually all about…. Great music!
Watch the trailer just to get a taste of what musical delights are on offer –

Honorable Mention – Napoleon Dynamite

Director Jared Hess epic allegory of the pocket-protector generation may have been belittled to a plethora of “Vote For Pedro” tee shirts and given birth to the hipster generation, but we can all agree that it is a fine example of how a sinlge song can become intrinsically bound with a film. When Napoleon took to the stage, that high-school assembally had no idea he was going to unleash Jamiroquai’s Canned Heat on them. Relive the moment by watching the video below:

Each year, more than 15 thousand movie lovers, film-makers an entertainment professionals embark on the event, in search of the hot new talent and upcomers in the industry.

The festival boasts an impressive record of producing 37 Academy Award nominated films, including 12 Oscar winners.

This time around, we’re being told the talent pool is bigger and better than ever before, and stretching even further across the globe.

No Australian has ever taken out a major award at the event, but this year we have a few hopefuls, including Melbourne director/actor David Coussins.

On the back of the Tropfest success that came with his film One Night Stand (finalist), Coussins joins the likes of Jessica Beil, Eva Mendes and Hillary Swank in having his work screened during the event.

Since moving to America at the start of the year, the 26 year old has gone from strength to strength in the industry.

We’ll be seeing him soon on our small screens as a star of the upcoming ABC comedy Woodley, but word is, we may also see him in some upcoming US productions.

Coussins has met with three top agents since arriving, and is likely to sign with one of them before the end of the year.

However, the 26 year old is playing down the news, and says his main focus is to continue to work on improving where he can.

“My main motivation in moving over here was just to get a feel of how things work in Hollywood, and learn as much as i can,” Coussins said.

“If i end up getting signed and things work out, then great, but the real goal for me is to take everything in and slowly work my way into he industry.”

You’ll be able to check out his film, One Night Stand, at the LA International Short Film Festival, from July 16 – 26.

Suckerpunch is the latest offering from Zack Snyder, director of 300 and Watchmen. If you’ve seen either of them, then you know what to expect: Things exploding in slow motion. Whizzing bullets just missing the derrière of a young girl, yet coyly lifting the hem of her skirt as it flies by. Which is also in slow motion. Such things are what adolescent dreams are made of.

So, to the plot, to speak of: Suckerpunch tells the story of a young girl, Babydoll (Emily Browning) locked away in a 1950s mental institution against her will. While she is physically imprisoned, her mind is free to roam, and roam it does, in an incredible dreamscape populated by dragons, samurai, WW II trenches, and more.

But Babydoll is not a passive dreamer. She wants to make a break for freedom, and convinces four other girls – the outspoken Rocket (Jena Malone), the street-smart Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), the fiercely loyal Amber (Jamie Chung) and the reluctant Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish)—to band together and try to escape their terrible fate at the hands of their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac), Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino) and the High Roller (Jon Hamm).

Can they make their way through this explodey, high octane nightmare to emerge at the other end? You’ll just have to go along and find out, as Sucker punch is released 24th March in most cinemas Australia-wide.

Visit the website at: http://suckerpunchmovie.warnerbros.com

Tropfest 2011 gets underway across Australia February 20th with more than 150,000 people expected to turn up at live sites across the nation.

Those in the know say this year will produce some of the greatest films in the history of the event with the talent pool exceeding what we have seen in the past.

One of the shortlisted films in this year’s competition is One Night Stand – directed, written, and produced by Melbourne local David Coussins.

The basic plot of the film is fairly simple: a young man, Joel (David Coussins) wakes in bed only to realise he’s lying next to an unknown female bed-mate, Caitlin (Rhona Rees).

The exact details of what happened the night before appear to be fairly sketchy, but as far as Joel is concerned, the quicker he gets out of there, the better.

Unfortunately for Joel, Caitlin has taken a liking to him and doesn’t let him go too easy.

Any attempts for a quick getaway are thwarted by the love sick Caitlin, who shows all the characteristics of a female obsessed stalker.

To say what happens next would spoil or the fun but it’s safe to say that anything that could go wrong, does go wrong for Joel.

The film is edited with fine precision and continues to provide laugh after laugh at a zip line pace.

David Coussins is hilarious in the lead role and conveys the perfect amount of awkwardness and fear to make the audience cringe in sympathy throughout the film.

You know you have a talented comedic actor on board when he’s able to provide some of the biggest laughs in the film by facial expressions alone.

Rhona Rees is also hilarious as Caitlin – playing out the obsessive one night stand  that every young man fears to a tee.

One Night Stand proves that as far as short comedies are concerned, the simpler, the better!

When it comes to Laugh Out Loud moments, One Night Stand wins hands down, and if is anything to go by, this years Tropfest looks to be a winner.

Rating: 4.5/5

Tropfest 2011 kicks off February 20th and live sites all around Australia

Live Festival Sites:
Sydney – The Domain
Melbourne – Federation Square
Hobart – Salamanca Square
Canberra – Commonwealth Park
Adelaide – Glenelg Bay
Surfers Paradise – Cirlce on Cavill
Perth – Princess May Park, Fremantle

And live on Movie Extra Channel from 7pm.

Yep, that’s right……

After the success of the television series over the past decade, the show proved to be just as successful in their premiere feature film.

Recently it had been announced we will soon get a second installment of the movie, and now we are finding out it could be three!!!!

Kim Cattrall, who plays man-eater character of Samantha Jones in the series has hinted that another big screen installment could happen if the script is right.

“We’ll call time when there are no stories left to tell and that’s really the writer Michael Patrick King’s call,” she said.

“The great thing about the Sex and the City series was that we didn’t stay too long.
The fact that we’ve had this second life is amazing. But I’d hate for people to think,
‘Oh my god, there’s another one out there’.’”

For now, however, we will focus solely on the follow up to the first film, and get excited about its release date, which is coming up soon.

The 53-year-old actress is currently working on Roman Polanski’s new movie The Ghost and also mentioned how exciting working on the set was.

“It’s riotous, crazy, a romp – and in these difficult times people want to have fun,” she said.

“It was really fascinating to take these four strong independent women from a completely different society and plop them into that world. And all of the storylines that happen from that are extraordinary.

“There was one particular day where I spent almost 12 hours on a camel in the Sahara. This second one I can tell you I’ve never had so much fun in my life.”

In a court release filed by his lawyer, Joseph Mannis, it outlined that the 73 year old had reached a new low in his health and would be unable to be questioned in regards to his recent divorce.

In January this year Hopper split from his wife, Victoria Hopper, and it has since opened a whole new saga for the sick star.

It is widely believed that Hopper filed for divorce so he wouldn’t have to share his assets with his wife when he passes away.

It is unknown how accurate the court documents are, and if it is just another tactic to delay the divorce case.

They state that being questioned by his wife’s lawyers “could actually threaten his (Hopper’s) ability to survive the current health crisis”.

But, in spite of the recent revelations, Hopper is sill set to make an appearance to Hollywood to receive his star in the Walk of Fame this Friday.

Mannis said the appearance would help take his mind away from the stress of his life and focus on the positives.

Mrs. Hopper, 42, meanwhile, has said the actor threatened her, smoked marijuana around their daughter and that his illness had left him unable to make sound decisions.

The debate over who is right will continue until Hopper pass away, however while he is still alive we should honour the man who has entertained so many in his many films, including Speed and

The head to head duel with Avatar that had intensified in recent weeks was finally put to bet on the weekend as the Academy Awards came and went yet again.

The big winner on the night was The Hurt Locker, but it was not all bad news for Avatar with the film still taking out a few gongs on the night.

Here is a look at the winners on the night:

Performance by an actor in a leading role: Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart
Performance by an actor in a supporting role: Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
Performance by an actress in a leading role: Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
Performance by an actress in a supporting role: Mo’Nique in Precious
Best animated feature film of the year: Disney / Pixar’s UP
Achievement in art direction: Avatar
Achievement in cinematography: Avatar
Achievement in costume design: The Young Victoria
Achievement in directing: The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow
Best documentary feature: The Cove
Best documentary short subject: Music by Prudence
Achievement in film editing: The Hurt Locker
Best foreign language film of the year: The Secret in Their Eyes (El
Secreto de Sus Ojos)
Achievement in makeup: Star Trek
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score): Up
Best motion picture of the year: The Hurt Locker
Best animated short film: Logorama
Best live action short film: The New Tenants
Achievement in sound editing: The Hurt Locker
Achievement in sound mixing: The Hurt Locker
Achievement in visual effects: Avatar
Adapted screenplay: Precious
Original screenplay: The Hurt Locker

The highly rated film has been engulfed by controversy after it was revealed one of the producers had broken strict rules on negative campaigning.

Nicolas Chartier, a producer of the film could soon face censure from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after he had reportedly sent emails to thousands of Oscar voters urging them to vote for The Hurt Locker instead of a “$500 million film”.

The Hurt Locker is an independent film about a US bomb unit and one of the first films covering the controversies of the Iraq War.

It has been the clear favourite to win the Oscar for best film, despite the success of the most expensive movie ever made in Avatar.

Chartier’s email was seen as a direct attack at James Cameron, the director of Avatar, and clearly breached the academy rules against negative campaigning.

As a result, Chartier was forced to issue an embarrassing apology for his email, where he described it as “inappropriate and stupid”.

A spokeswoman for the academy declined to comment on what action, if any, might be taken against Chartier.

The Oscar for best film will be revealed at next Sunday’s Academy Awards.

As well as taking out the top award, the film also claimed a swag of other gongs including Best Director and best cinematography.

Director Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to take the award and when collecting her prize from Dustin Hoffman she was overwhelmed with emotion.

“This is so unbelievable, we’re just so deeply honoured and humbled. It is beyond our wildest imagination.”’ she said.

In the actors category Colin Firth and Carey Mulligan took out the top honours.

Firth won the leading actor prize for his role in A Single Man, while newcomer Mulligan was recognized as the leading actress for her part in An Education.

Christoph Waltz won the award for best supporting actor for his role in the Quinton Tarintino movie Inglourious Basterds.

Here is a full list of the BAFTA winners:

Film – The Hurt Locker

British Film – Fish Tank

Director – Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Actor – Colin Firth, A Single Man

Actress – Carey Mulligan, An Education

Supporting Actor – Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Supporting Actress – Mo’nique, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Rising Star – Kristen Stewart

British Debut – Director Duncan Jones, Moon

Original Screenplay – The Hurt Locker

Adapted Screenplay – Up in the Air

Music – Michael Giacchino, Up

Cinematography – The Hurt Locker

Editing – The Hurt Locker

Production Design – Avatar

Costume Design – The Young Victoria

Sound – The Hurt Locker

Visual Effects – Avatar

Makeup and Hair – The Young Victoria

Animated Feature – Up

Filmmaker Abe Forsythe won this year’s Tropfest with his short film Shock.

The New South Welshmen beat 15 other finalists to take out the major prize and a shot at international success in the industry.

Shock is the short story of a radio announcer who suffers an emotional breakdown while traveling to work one day.

Forsyth said he dedicated the film to the work of controversial radio jock Kyle Snadilands, and hoped the work will expose the hidden side of celebrity around the nation and the world.

“It asks the audience to maybe look at it from a different perspective – which is, maybe think about how difficult it is for a shock jock to do his job,” he said.

“I hope the audience was moved by my lead character and I hope they feel sorry for him and others that have to do their jobs.”

As well as the ego boost that comes with the first prize, Forsyth will also earn a return flight to Los Angeles to meet agents, executives and industry representatives, $5,000 cash as well as film equipment and services worth thousands of dollars.

Cameron Edser and Michael Richards’ My Neighborhood Has Been Overrun By Baboons took out second prize while Last Roll Of The Dice by Matthew Chuang claimed the final spot on the podium.