Worst use of songs in films.

bnt · 13-08-2011 10:51AM #1

The other thread is very nice, but I think we need something to show the other side of the coin: how not to use songs in films.

I have a particular gripe with films involving Nora Ephron: whether writing or directing, she uses songs as blunt weapons, hammering the topic of a scene in to your head with about as much subtlety as a kick in the teeth. "You will feel this way - or else!" A couple of examples:

Tom Hanks is delivering flowers to Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail, so we get Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EbBPwEtEwU

When Harry Met Sally for the first time, they drive across country and argue ... so we naturally get Louis Armstrong singing Let's Call The Whole Thing Off:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFWGOKuFyjk

Other film-makers do it too, sadly. I like American Beauty, and most of the soundtrack is excellent, but there's one Ephronesque clanger in there. Lester is seeking a new way of life, so it was just too easy to wheel out The Seeker by The Who: :rolleyes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlmDJbRsZjo

Landoflemon · 13-08-2011 11:13AM

Nice idea for a thread. I have issues with the music in 'Kickass'. Firstly they stole the great theme from '28 days later', in an extremely tastless manner.

In 28 days later:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmpZK28S0mk

Now in Kickass:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NHwsrYlDHE

And then again in Kickass for one of the first fight scenes they used 'Omen' from the Prodigy which at the time was an extremely overexposed piece of music so it ruined that scene for me too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTFv8zaoFdI

chin_grin · 13-08-2011 11:39AM

I thought the whole score of Hanna was very out of place for what it was.

Sad Professor · 13-08-2011 12:32PM

Kick-Ass doesn't have a proper soundtrack. It's a temp track that they decided to keep. It gives the film a very unfinished feel.

FortuneChip · 13-08-2011 12:35PM

chin_grin wrote: »

I thought the whole score of Hanna was very out of place for what it was.

Hanna was a movie? I thought it was just a Chemical Brothers music video

Hallalujah in The Watchmen. It was just strange.
'The Time's They Are A Changin' was great at the start though

Dempsey · 13-08-2011 12:45PM

I thought the use of John Murphy's music in kickass was spot on tbh

Miguel_Sanchez · 13-08-2011 01:02PM

Obvious choice is obvious and for that reason, a terrible choice.

"What's that classical piece they played from the helicopters in Apocalypse Now? Oh yeah that worked, let's just use that instead of thinking of something ourselves."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhKp72c6xCY

johnny_ultimate · 13-08-2011 01:08PM

The entirety of the Watchmen soundtrack is an abomination barring The Times They Are A Changin' (they were just lucky with that). Zack Snyder deserves a good smack in the ears. And one in the eyes while we're at it. That Hallelujah scene is probably the only time I've ever physically face-palmed in the middle of a cinema.

Mickeroo · 13-08-2011 01:24PM

There's some awful music choices in Watchmen alright. Times they are a'changin is great though and I thought the music in this scene worked well too.

Another Zack Snyder movie now, Legend of the Guardians, not a classic by any means but it's quite serious in tone for the most part put in the middle of the film there's a montage sequence that uses this god-awful song, comletely derails the feel and tone of the film. Shocking stuff, way worse than the Hallelujah bit in Watchmen imo!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukhIweIASyk

Galvasean · 13-08-2011 02:59PM

That Linkin Park song they used in Transformers 3 was so cringe worthy. The lyrics described what was on screen. "Devastationnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn....." :rolleyes:

razorblunt · 13-08-2011 06:43PM

+1 for Watchmen, bar the intro the rest were something you'd expect an amateur video maker to throw together on youtube.

Mindkiller · 13-08-2011 09:11PM

Well I was going to say Watchmen but it looks like that horse has been beat to death. Was the 'Hallelujah' scene a really weird rape scene?

I didn't really like the Bob Dylan intro myself. About as subtle as Dr Manhattan's giant blue c*ck

johnny_ultimate · 13-08-2011 09:30PM

Speaking of Transformers, they must have played 21 Guns by Green Day something like twenty times during the second one. 19 of said uses were completely out of place.

Turtyturd · 13-08-2011 09:53PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Speaking of Transformers, they must have played 21 Guns by Green Day something like twenty times during the second one. 19 of said uses were completely out of place.

Beat me to it..same goes for Linkin Park in the 2nd one or could be the first one. Their career appears to be linked to Transformer movies.

Im Only 71Kg · 13-08-2011 09:56PM

Braveheart...10 versions of the same tune..painfull after a while

Tipsy McSwagger · 14-08-2011 10:16AM

That piece of music in Home Alone when they are late for their flight and running through the airport has been done to death ever since. It usually shows up in the trailer for some kids movie and it melts my head.

Superbus · 14-08-2011 01:18PM

I watched the French movie 'l'Auberge Espagnole' recently; Radiohead's 'No Surprises' was used 3 times in total. Subtle as a sledgehammer and emotional overkill.

Coriolanus · 14-08-2011 01:58PM

I'd have to disagree with the Times they are a Changin in Watchmen. I knew from the second it rolled that it was a bad sign for the rest of the film.

MagicMarker · 14-08-2011 06:07PM

As soon as I saw the thread title I immediately clicked in to mention Hallelujah in Watchmen, most ridiculous scene in cinematic history.

Mellor · 16-08-2011 05:54AM

Mindkiller wrote: »

Well I was going to say Watchmen but it looks like that horse has been beat to death. Was the 'Hallelujah' scene a really weird rape scene?

I didn't really like the Bob Dylan intro myself. About as subtle as Dr Manhattan's giant blue c*ck

Nah just a really corny sex scene.

The [attempted] rape scent had no music at all

Batigol · 16-08-2011 10:49AM

Already mentioned multiple times already but Hallelujah in Watchmen. Easily the worst song choice ever for any scene.

I didnt like Red Right Hand in Dumb and Dumber either

abouttobebanned · 16-08-2011 12:26PM

I didn't particularly see the point of "you could be mine" in T2

Goldstein · 16-08-2011 04:33PM

abouttobebanned wrote: »

I didn't particularly see the point of "you could be mine" in T2

Don't ever watch Terminator:Salvation

Megamind is another that comes to mind. Several jaringly obvious and blatant choices you'd get if you asked a 12 year old or someone who doesn't listen to much music to pick the tracks.

Bad to the Bone
Back in Black / Highway to Hell / Crazy Train
A Little Less Conversation
Bad
Welcome to the Jungle

It's no excuse to say it's just a kid's movie either as all you have to do is look at: Wall-e, Toy Story, Monster's Inc. etc to see amazingly complimentary original compositions & well chosen music which are so effective and apt they become totally synonymous with the movies they feature in.

MagicMarker · 16-08-2011 05:24PM

abouttobebanned wrote: »

I didn't particularly see the point of "you could be mine" in T2

It's a kick ass song in a kick ass movie, no other point necessary.

TheIrishGrover · 16-08-2011 09:39PM

I was actually thinking about this the other day when Ladyhawke was on television. I remember loving the film as a kid and it's not bad but the music has dated TERRIBLY! Have a listen, bearing in mind that this was supposed to be a medieval movie. Starts off OK but about 30 seconds in it turns into the ultimate in 80's synth score and at 50 secs it could be a parody. It just sticks out like a sore thumb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bugi35v1CKk

Oh, and G n' R in T2? Awesome. You don't know what you're talking about. Nah, just messin' I loved it but each to their own.

The Scientician · 16-08-2011 09:44PM

I felt some of the Dropkick Murphys music in The Departed was shoehorned in and really distracting.

JohnnyRyan99 · 17-08-2011 02:13AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHeosejXX18

Even if it was a fight in jest I still thought it was pretty ridiculous tune to go with it!

Mellor · 17-08-2011 04:57AM

The Scientician wrote: »

I felt some of the Dropkick Murphys music in The Departed was shoehorned in and really distracting.

Can you go a bit furter on that?
The only Dropkick Murphys song I know on the soundtrack is Shipping up to Boston, are there more?
I thought that one worked pretty well, for those that don't know its played just after after Costigan (DiCaprio) agrees to go undercover. It plays over the prison montage, and it's basically right before he returns to Boston.

Worst use of songs in films.

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