Scene - Blogs - I cant hear without thinking of

I can't hear//without thinking of...
Published: 8/27/2009 6:24 PM
Last Modified: 8/27/2009 6:24 PM

“Stuck in the Middle With You” is severed-ear music. Thanks to Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs,” those who know the reference can no longer hear the Stealers Wheel classic rock staple without seeing Michael Madsen wielding a blade.
The occasions are rare in which movies make an iconic music-to-film-imagery impression, that of taking a tune from the past and using it in a film to forge a memorable collaboration of mediums. What might come closest this summer? Maybe Mike Tyson grooving in “The Hangover” to “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins? It’s open to debate.
Readers will have their own favorites that fall in this category, but a quick personal inventory yielded a dozen such instances in which non-musical films used songs from the past to create unforgettable scenes.

I can’t hear//without thinking of
“In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel//John Cusack holding a boom box over his head in “Say Anything”
“Thus Spake Zarathustra” instrumental//the sun rising over the moon in the opening of “2001: A Space Odyssey”
“Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” by Aerosmith//Robin Williams vacuuming in a dress in “Mrs. Doubtfire”
“Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers//Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and a spinning potter’s wheel in “Ghost”
“Puttin’ on the Ritz” by Irving Berlin//Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle dancing in tuxedos in “Young Frankenstein”
“Moving in Stereo” by the Cars//Judge Reinhold enjoying himself in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”
“Shout” by Otis Day & the Knights//the Delta frat house getting down in “National Lampoon’s Animal House”
“I Say a Little Prayer” by Dionne Warwick//Rupert Everett leading a restaurant in song in “My Best Friend’s Wedding”
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen//a carload of lip-synchers rocking out in “Wayne’s World”
“Chopsticks” on the piano//Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia jumping up and down on a toy store’s giant floor piano in “Big”
“Roxanne” by the Police//Eddie Murphy’s film introduction from prison in “48 Hrs.”
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones//Alex’s funeral in “The Big Chill”

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I See Movies for Free

“I was born a poor, black child” … not me, actually, but Steve Martin’s character in the “The Jerk.” That absurd opening line is just one of the absurd number of film facts, quotes and minutiae contained in movie critic Michael Smith’s brain, at his disposal to toss out on a moment’s notice. It’s a key requirement as Tulsa World film critic to know these things. Michael learned a few other life facts along the way (seven years as a Crystal’s Pizza & Spaghetti manager) before attempting journalism and joining the Tulsa World in 1996, where he’s covered everything from a school shooting in Fort Gibson to a tornado in Stroud to witnessing an execution. A little community theater coverage was sprinkled in there, too. Movies engender many of his happiest memories, from standing in line for “Star Wars” and “Grease” at the Southroads Cinema to the James Bond and Pink Panther movies that always premiered at the enormous Continental Theater.

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Past Articles By Michael Smith

2/16/2013		Broken Arrow movie theater moves to discount showings
2/15/2013		Review: 'Amour'
2/15/2013		Review: 'A Good Day to Die Hard'
2/15/2013		Review: 'Beautiful Creatures'
2/14/2013		Review: 'Quartet'
2/14/2013		Shirley MacLaine to speak at Osage Casino
2/14/2013		Weekly rewind: February 14
2/14/2013		REVIEW: 'Beautiful Creatures'
2/12/2013		Belgian best picture hopeful 'Amour' opens in Tulsa on Friday
2/10/2013		'Die Hard' marathon at AMC Southroads on Wednesday ends with new film
2/9/2013		Review: 'Identity Thief' a stupid movie from stupid idea
2/8/2013		Oscar audit: Critics choices for best picture hold up over time

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