"Meant to Be", Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line: I originally heard this song in McDonald's and liked it so much I had to google the lyrics and find out how I had missed a Florida Georgia Line song. Tyler Hubbard's voice is unmistakable, but I couldn't place his duet partner. While I am not super familiar with Bebe Rexha, her voice does pair nicely with Hubbard's. This duet is both chill and uplifting, with a melody reminiscent of Luke Bryan's "Strip It Down". Despite its simplicity, I find myself quite contented whenever "Meant to Be" comes up in my playlist.
Harry Clarke: Billy Crudup's performance in this one man show is nothing short of extraordinary. Through accents and body language he is able to bring a small cast of characters to life in a convincing and thoroughly engaging way. When playing the main character of Philip, Crudup's performance reminded me of Andrew Garfield; for Philip's alter-ego Harry, the performance recalled Keith Richards; and when playing the character of Mark, Crudup brought to mind Christian Bale in American Psycho (minus the psycho part). In addition to these characters, Crudup also embodies the rest of Mark's family, including mother and sister. It is not just Crudup's accent work that brings these characters to life, but also changes to how he holds the muscles in his face; there's no makeup involved, yet his face seems to transform along with his voice for each character. As another layer of subtlety, Crudup is playing all of these characters through the lens of how Philip sees and recalls events. Watching Crudup transform again and again over the course of this show without ever leaving the stage was like watching a magic act. By the end of the performance, I was left feeling exhilarated and in awe.
Call Me By Your Name Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: First and foremost, this album gets top marks for completely capturing the vibe of the film: it's in turns poignant, fun, carefree, and wistful. As is fitting for a movie set in the 80s, this soundtrack reminds me of soundtracks from the golden age of OSTs that extended from that era into the early 2000s and often combined fantastic instrumental scores with pop music. There are piano pieces Рlike "Hallelujah Junction - 1st Movement" by John Adams and "M.A.Y. In The Backyard" by Ryuichi Sakamoto Рthat would be right at home among the lilting Bill Conti pieces found on the score for The Thomas Crown Affair (1999). And there are Euro-dance tracks Рlike "J'adore Venise" by Loredana Bert̬, "Paris Latino" by Bandolero, and "Lady Lady Lady" by Giorgio Moroder & Joe Esposito Рthat capture the excitement of being young and abroad much like the L'Auberge Espagnole soundtrack does. The music of Call Me By Your Name transports the listener to another place and time Рone that is exotic, idealized, and full of possibility. Like the movie it supports, this soundtrack is destined to become a classic, providing the perfect playlist for a wide range of moods and occasions.
The Greatest Showman: While this film is far from perfect, it sure is a lot of fun. Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron need to be in all the movie-musicals, because their talent and charisma know no bounds. Despite not being a huge fan of La La Land or Dear Evan Hansen, I found the Pasek and Paul songs in Greatest Showman to be fun and uplifting. The choreography is also on point, and the set design is gorgeous. I left the cinema wanting to buy the soundtrack and watch Kate & Leopold, which I think speaks quite well for this film. I would also love to see a Broadway version of The Greatest Showman because it would bring some much needed authenticity to the highly fictionalized story and overly polished (and, in the case of Rebecca Ferguson, dubbed) performances on display in the film. To be clear, it's not the actors' fault that they come across as too polished, as that glossiness is clearly the result of (post) production choices. Despite its flaws, this film radiates optimism and joy and features some truly impressive musical numbers and addictive songs.
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