[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL "The Art of the Movie Montage"
07.17.13
BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
It’s summer time so that means a lot of things. It means it’s hotter outside, which is a double sided sword. On one hand it’s great weather to go out and enjoy at your leisure, but on the other hand if you don’t have the time to appreciate the heat then it’s pretty much a nuisance. Basically if you can go to the beach or something you’re good, but if not you’re just sweating.
The idea of “summer” is more than just a weather season. It’s a state of mind. We are trained to always yearn for the summer as we grow up. We want school to end and we want to go outside and play. So we wait for summer and build it up because that was just the best time for farmers to have their kids at home a million years ago when this “tradition” was put in place.
For realizes, I’m not trashing “summer”. I’m trashing the praise. Every season has its quirks and perks. Summer does have its perks. Bikinis, outdoor concerts, short shorts, squirt guns, freeze pops, sunglasses, and plenty of little things stand out.
Another major perk is the big movie releases. The summer is when Hollywood launches all of their biggest projects at the viewing public. Outside of the award-season drop in December, this is pretty much the time the people who make movies give us the movies they think we’ll all like. It’s when the big cartoons come out, the big comedies, even a few early horror movies, and of course the big blockbuster action movies.
That’s what I want to ramble about today. When you watch certain popcorn action flicks, or even a movie where something needs to be overcame, there is always that point where someone needs to get something done. It’s just we don’t need all the details or motions with what needs to be done, but we DO need to see and acknowledge flashes of their efforts. This, folks, is a montage and every montage needs some bad ass montage music.
Here’s some bad ass montage music that comes to mind. I won’t rank it because I’m positive I’ll miss one or two that’ll make me slap my own forehead, V8 or not… SONG: “Layla (Piano Exit)” by Derek and the Dominos
MOVIE: Goodfellas
It’s pretty much the piano outro, but it’s used in a damn impactful way. And yes, we hear Ray Liotta’s narration, but it tells the story that so graphically needs to be summed up. For the longest time I didn’t realize this was Clapton, but I sure as hell remembered the melody. This is one of the best mafia movies of all time and this is one of the most pivotal scenes. It’s one of those things that just gets flattened into your brain after one of a thousand viewings. So graphic, but so damn poetic at the same time… and it’s “Layla”! SONG: “Gonna Fly Now” by Bill Conti
MOVIE: Rocky
I’m not even a “Rocky guy”. It’s just never been a movie that I took any motivation or inspiration from. I’ve seen it and I can acknowledge it’s awesomeness and I understand it’s appeal. Don’t get me wrong, Stallone is the man. This song is just way too iconic to not bring up here. When people think of training montages this has to be the first song that comes to mind. The visual of him killing himself in training and then the feeling of confidence and glory on top of those stairs is one of the most American scenes in movie history. Would it be as impactful and as memorable without that epic score? I don’t think so. SONG: “One Step In Front of the Other” by Bone Symphony
MOVIE: Revenge of the Nerds
True Story. In the last year I’ve had a weird period in my life where I NEEDED to listen to this song every day for about three months. It just made me feel better. It was from a movie I love, it’s a silly new wave pop song, and it’s a pretty positive message. The band is called Bone Symphony, which is an awesome band name. They didn’t get much material out there and this is their biggest song for sure. My connection to this track would have never happened though if it hadn’t been for “Revenge of the Nerds”. This isn’t an action movie, but this montage was full of action. Home repair action! The Tri-Lams are fixing up their new house in true 1980’s nerd fashion. The highlight of the montage was Booger giving Takashi a hit of his joint and then Takashi proceeding to fall over. Hilarious AND inspiring… SONG: “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” by The Dream Academy
MOVIE: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
I’ve been really wanting to get to the Chicago Art Institute lately so this montage stands out to me a bit more than normal. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of my favorite movies of all time. I got into The Smiths way too late and hence way after seeing this movie about a million times. I was always taken back this scene. It’s not the loudest or most talked about scene from this outstanding film, but it’s an example of the heart of it and shows that the characters are TOO caught up in their own high school worlds. The music pulls you in as the characters take in the art work. Cameron’s experience with the seeing too deep into the painting is pretty common if you rest your eyes, but not your brain. It’s just cool to be able to go the same place and see the same art as they did in this movie. SONG: “Play With Me” by Extreme
MOVIE: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
If you’re wondering, “out of all the millions of movie montages, why THIS one?” then you’ve obviously not seen the great movie that is Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. This movie has tons of great moments. I wanted to go with two montages actually. The song “Breakaway” is a crucial part of the movie and should be mentioned. Then there’s the point where they pick up the rest of their phone booth buddies in quick, non-storied, fashion. You can’t just kidnap Beethoven, Khan, or Joan of Ark to just any music. But no, the song I’m going with is “Play With Me” by Extreme. This song was used during one of the most entertaining spots in the movie. The guys leave the historical figures at the mall. What happens next is chaos. Each of the amazing characters get into their own little mishap causing tons of problems for the fine folks of San Dimas, California. I don’t care what kind of mood you’re in. If you watch this scene and don’t feel better or even better then you’re a bogus person. SONG: “You’re The Best” by Joe Esposito
MOVIE: The Karate Kid
This song has been parodied and joked about for years, but it’s only because we’ve all heard it and seen it so many times. There is a reason for that. It’s a GREAT montage song. The Karate Kid is a classic. It has tons of heart and teaches some good lessons to its aimed audience and everyone a like. After all the struggle and work towards the goal the rewards finally start to blossom in the form of some Daniel-san brand cans of whoop ass. The soundtrack to this ass kicking? “You’re The Best” by Joe Esposito. This song has an interesting backstory on top of that. It was said a few years ago that the song was originally written by Bill Conti, the same Bill Conti who wrote the bad ass score to “Rocky”. Apparently the song was written for Rocky III, but it was passed on. You know what they say, one man’s montage music trash is another man’s montage music treasure. It just proves that if a fight were to happen that Daniel-san would destroy Rocky with ease. SONG: “Montage” by Trey Parker
MOVIE: Team America: World Police
How can you have a discussion about the greatest movie montages of all time without mentioning this montage parody from “Team America: World Police”? This movie didn’t seem to get much love when it first came out because the dudes didn’t seem to be as critically acclaimed at that point. Then since then they’ve become “voices of a generation” and have taken Broadway from the weirdoes. The secret here is that Parker and Stone have ALWAYS been awesome. This song is an easy example as to why. The song really puts montages in perspective in a hilarious manner. It even brings up the montage from “Rocky”. I’m pretty sure montages were invented so this parody could happen.
