For now, this is the conclusion of The Fellowship of the Ring. “In Dreams” is technically not part of the main soundtrack (you only hear it over the end credits) but it is still a gorgeous piece of music that I want to share with you.
“In Dreams” possesses the same melody as “The Shire” and adds lyrics to make a heartwrenching song about meeting those we have lost “in dreams.”
When the cold of Winter comes,
Starless Night will cover Day
In the veiling of the sun,
We will walk in bitter rain…
But in dreams…I can hear your name…
And in dreams…We will meet again
When the seas and mountains fall
And we come, to end of days
In the dark I hear a call, calling me there
I will go there…and back again…
The song is performed by a boy soprano (backed by a choir in various sections) and it is simply beautiful to listen to. And you’ll notice that the final line is a nod to the subtitle of The Hobbit (“There and back again”) which is really cool. A brief personal story, every time I watch The Fellowship of the Ring with my mom, she will not let the DVD be taken out until she’s heard this song (that’s how much she loves it).
Okay, so here’s the thing about me and movies: I’m extremely picky about what I will and will not watch. This is especially true with comedy films (I’m especially wary of encountering what I like to call “stupid comedy”, those films that are full of really bad/raunchy jokes and minimal plot).
And, to be perfectly honest, when I saw the first trailer for The LEGO Movie, I thought it was the dumbest thing I’d ever seen. I loved LEGOs when I was a kid, but I didn’t think a concept involving building blocks could carry a whole film. It also didn’t help that a lot of the best parts didn’t show up in any of the previews. So, needless to say, when the movie came out, I ignored it (despite the stellar reviews that immediately followed).
This went on for several months until the university happened to be showing the film for free one night (they have a Late Night Film Series every semester where we can watch recent films for free, which is pretty cool) and I decided to go ahead and give it a shot (since it was free after all). I went in telling myself that if it was really bad, I could always duck out and leave early.
But once the movie started, the craziest thing happened…I couldn’t stop laughing!! Far from hating it, The LEGO Movie turned out to be one of the funniest movies I’d ever seen! I loved all the pop culture references (the Star Wars cameo still makes me laugh), the LEGO sets are out of this world and, it turns out the film has a surprisingly deep message attached to it (something I would have NEVER guessed in a million years).
In brief: The LEGO Movie is set in the city of Bricksburg where Emmet (Chris Pratt) lives while he goes about his heavily regulated life as a construction worker. There are rules for everything: you do this at a certain time, you go here at a certain time, life is pretty much a Big Brother-like dystopia except all of the inhabitants seem to be oblivious. But one day…Emmet spots a strange girl digging around the construction site after hours and while trying to follow her, stumbles across the legendary “Piece of Resistance” that will supposedly neutralize Lord Business’s greatest weapon…the Kraggle (i.e. Krazy Glue). From there, Emmet is whisked off on a mindbending adventure (he even meets Batman!!) and ultimately grows into a real hero. And did I mention it has a mind-blowing twist in the third act?
I still watch The LEGO Movie whenever I need cheering up, and I’m impatiently waiting for the sequel to come out.
What did you guys think of The LEGO Movie? Let me know in the comments below!
Before I go back to my regular series, I thought I would share with you a theme that I recently re-discovered: the main theme from Das Boot (1981), a German epic war film that recounts the (fictional) exploits of the (fictional) U-96, a German U-Boat patrolling the Atlantic during World War II. (Though *this* boat is fictional, some of the exploits were inspired by the actions of the REAL U-96).
The film shows every aspect of life in the submarine: unrelenting boredom, the sudden excitement of battle and the dangers that faced submarines at every turn. A climactic moment comes when the U-96 has been damaged by depth charges so badly that it sinks to the bottom of the ocean near Gibraltar. After a harrowing 16 hours spent making repairs, the ship is able to surface and the engines are successfully restarted.
But (MASSIVE spoilers ahead), there is no happy ending for the U-96. Despite everything they have gone through, shortly after limping into the dock at La Rochelle, the entire area is strafed by American fighters. Most of the crew is injured or killed (including the captain) and the U-96 sinks into the ocean.
The music was composed by Klaus Doldinger and his main theme for Das Boot is one of those pieces of film music that you HAVE to hear, even if you never see the film. There is a haunting quality to this piece that makes it irresistible to me. The full track actually begins with the faint sound of sonar (but most versions I find cut this moment out) and then the cello begins the main theme, starting very low and steadily rising up. It seems to me that Doldinger purposefully modeled the theme after the rising and falling swells of the ocean, where the U-Boats patrolled (and which also served as the tomb for tens of thousands of German sailors).
As sad as this music sounds, I actually find it rather soothing to listen to. The theme is very symmetrical in the way it rises and falls (it’s actually a good kind of music to get stuck in your head).
If you get the chance, I highly recommend watching this film at least once. The film was dubbed into English by the original cast so you wouldn’t have to worry about watching a subtitled film. Doldinger’s score makes the film worthwhile, along with an amazing performance by the entire cast (Jurgen Prochnow, who plays the captain, also starred as Paul’s father in Dune (1984))
I hope you enjoy this brief look at the main theme of Das Boot, and if you’ve seen the film, let me know what you thought about it in the comments below 🙂
(I know that Rogue One isn’t scheduled to be released until December, but I couldn’t hold my thoughts in any longer!)
When Disney announced their plans to release a new Star Wars film every single year, I was understandably skeptical. The release of a Star Wars film was meant to be a special event, and if a new film came out every year there would be a huge risk of over-exposing the product and subsequently ruining it. As a result, when the first images for Rogue One were announced, I initially didn’t pay any attention.
Then the first teaser trailer for Rogue One was released. And that changed EVERYTHING for me.
I’d decided to watch the teaser out of curiosity and before I knew it, there I was, back on the edge of my seat, just like with The Force Awakens. In case you don’t know, here is the gist of Rogue One: The story follows Jyn Erso, a woman recently recruited into the Rebel Alliance, who is tasked with leading a team that will steal the plans for the soon-to-be-completed Death Star. These are the same Rebel spies alluded to in the opening crawl of Episode IV, placing the events of Rogue One just before the start of A New Hope.
When the full trailer finally released during the recent Olympic Games in Rio, excitement for the film exploded all over again, and it will be interesting to see how Disney continues to build the excitement in the final months leading up to the premiere.
So far, the visuals for this film look absolutely STUNNING. I love the look of Scarif (the tropical planet with the AT-ATs seen in the previews). The film (judging from the previews) has the look and feel of the original trilogy. And that’s a good thing: the over CGI-d look of the prequel trilogy is part of the reason it was so badly received. One of my favorite shots so far is the brief image of the Death Star orbiting over a large planet (I believe it’s been identified as Jedha). The following shot of the Death Star blocking out the sun gave me goosebumps (and probably doesn’t bode well for the planet if I had to take a wild guess).
The casting looks phenomenal as well: according to imdb.com, Rogue One includes a number of actors who have already appeared in Star Wars. Jimmy Smits is reprising his role of Bail Organa (Leia’s adoptive father); Genevieve O’Reilly reprises her role as a younger Mon Mothma (a role that would’ve appeared in Episode III except those scenes were cut); Warwick Davis (the Ewok Wicket in Return of the Jedi) is returning in another role and in the biggest news of all, James Earl Jones is returning to voice Darth Vader. That’s right, the Dark Lord of the Sith is going to be making an appearance. What exactly this will look like has been the topic of endless speculation, but we have been assured that Vader will show up at a “critical moment.”
Now musically, Rogue One will be very different, because this is the first Star Wars film to be scored by anyone other than John Williams. I’m not terribly worried because Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel; Argo; The Imitation Game) is a wonderful composer, but it will still be odd to have a score created by someone other than Williams. I have no doubt that Desplat’s score will be heavily influenced by the themes already created for the Star Wars universe (as it would be utter madness to not musically link Rogue One to the other films).
One detail that concerns me is that the film will (allegedly) have no opening crawl. I feel like that’s wrong, as it would set Rogue One apart from the other seven Star Wars films. I understand that the anthology films are considered stand-alones, but I think they should still have an opening crawl, to maintain a sense of visual continuity (these films do all take place in the same universe after all). But this is really a small concern in the big scheme of things: I have a feeling that Rogue One is going to impress just as much as The Force Awakens did last year, if not more.
Are you also excited about the upcoming release of Rogue One? Do you think it might do even better than The Force Awakens? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think 🙂
I put it off for as long as I could, but now it’s time to discuss the scene everyone remembers from The Lion King: the wildebeest stampede. For as long as I live I will never forget watching this scene play out in the movie theater. After Scar had laid out his devious plan in “Be Prepared,” I was thoroughly convinced that Mufasa was somehow going to stop this from happening, because Scar is the bad guy and he can’t possibly succeed (oh how naive I was!!)
There is an air of tension from the moment we are taken to a canyon where Scar is telling Simba that his father has “a marvelous surprise” planned for him. Simba is begging his Uncle Scar to tell him what the surprise is, but Scar refuses to tell. The devious lion encourages his young nephew to work on his “little roar.” Before leaving to get Mufasa, Simba has one last question:
“Hey Uncle Scar, will I like the surprise?”
*pause, Scar smiles*
“Simba, it’s to DIE for!”
What Simba doesn’t know is that about a hundred feet above him is an enormous herd of wildebeest. The herd is revealed with a rather ominous chord from the orchestra. While the herd quietly grazes, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed wait in the shadows for a signal from Scar. Banzai is going crazy from the temptation of having so much food so close at hand, but Shenzi prevents him from blowing their cover too soon. At a glance from Scar, the three hyenas frighten the herd into stampeding into their only avenue of escape: the canyon, where Simba is still waiting.
Moments before the music starts, Simba is indeed practicing his roar, and is pleased when his extra-loud “RAWR!!” startles a lizard and echoes off the canyon walls. But then…something happens. The pebbles begin to shake, a weird thundering noise is heard, and then hundreds of wildebeest begin pouring down the side of the canyon!!
For years as a child, the opening of “To Die For” sent me into a state of near panic. The eerie introduction is achieved by a chorus that quickly layers one voice after another until there is a cacophany of sound (imitating the build-up of the stampede). If you listen to the soundtrack version, you can hear the female voices enter first, followed by the lower male voices.
Simba, seeing all of this, is rightfully terrified and begins running for his life, but a small lion has no chance of outrunning a stampede and Simba is soon forced to climb a tree in the middle of the canyon to avoid being trampled to death.
After the initial choral opening, the music is divided between the chorus, woodwinds and a wide selection of timpani, but it’s really the chorus that dominates this piece.
So far Scar’s evil plan is working, but Mufasa is about to be made aware of the situation by his brother (who is rather good at faking concern for his nephew). The two lions race to the scene and Zazu flies down to locate Simba, who is growing more and more panicked. Mufasa doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into the stampede, working his way to where his son is clinging on for dear life. Scar watches events with cool detachment (but he does make sure to knock a frantic Zazu out before he can fly back to Pride Rock and bring more help; the last thing Scar needs/wants is more witnesses to what’s about to happen).
Seeing this in theaters, I remember being scared out of my mind by the charging wildebeests. I was also confused: Mufasa was their king, why wasn’t his presence stopping them? (I had no concept of how a stampede mentality works, once a herd that big gets going, nothing can stop them.) Still, as I watched through my fingers, I was cheering when Mufasa managed to save Simba and (after several mishaps) safely deposit him on the side of the cliff. For a few perilous moments, Mufasa disappeared, having been dragged back down by the wildebeests, but Simba’s father is a powerful lion and with a mighty jump he begins dragging himself up to the nearby ledge (where Scar has been patiently waiting). Simba, believing the danger is over, begins to climb up another way and doesn’t see most of what happens next.
Mufasa is barely holding on; he can’t pull himself all the way up without Scar’s help. Naturally, he calls for Scar to help him. And then…the moment I lost my innocence arrives: Scar slams his claws down into Mufasa’s paws, pulls him close and whispers “Long live the King…” The look of horror right before Scar throws Mufasa to his death stayed with me for a very long time, as did Simba’s scream of terror at seeing his father falling to his death.
And the music for this moment is just haunting too; that “oooooOOOOOO” in the chorus just reinforces what a tragic moment this is.
Of course I was in denial about Mufasa being dead, but the mournful music combined with the visual evidence…it practically destroyed me. And poor Simba, his world as he knows it is gone forever; his dad is gone, he has no idea what he’s going to do. And then it gets worse…Scar appears out of nowhere and plays his last card: guilt.
“Simba….what have *you* done?”
“…the king is dead. And if it weren’t for you, he would still be alive.Oh, what would your mother think!!”
It took me years to understand what Scar was doing; this is textbook emotional abuse, shifting the blame onto the victim, making them think THEY are at fault. Simba is already traumatized by witnessing his father’s death. Scar’s (false) allegations that this is HIS fault will further screw him up mentally for years to come.
Now, what happens next ultimately proves to be Scar’s undoing. Scar is bigger and much more powerful than Simba: he could easily kill him with a single blow, and no one would be around to dispute his version of events. But for some reason, Scar doesn’t kill Simba and instead commands him to “run far away and never return.”
Instead of killing Simba himself, Scar plans on having the hyenas finish the job. This is the eternal weakness of the Disney villain: sending incompetent henchmen to do their dirty work for them. And despite their success in stampeding the wildebeest, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed ARE incompetent, especially when it comes to killing young lion cubs. Against all odds, Simba manages to get away and sets out across the desert. The hyenas COULD give chase, but Shenzi thinks it over and decides that Simba is as good as dead anyhow and IF he ever came back, THEN they could kill him.
Scar may think he has won, but someday he’s going to wish he’d simply killed Simba himself…
Now that I’m older I love listening to the soundtrack version of this scene. Hans Zimmer does an incredible job layering the melodies to simulate the chaos of a wild stampede. And the sad music after Mufasa is discovered dead still puts an ache in my chest. But I will never forget the first time I saw this scene in the theater, literally cowering in terror as the wildebeest rushed by.
Before I get to the song (which I do actually like), a little backstory is needed:
Once upon a time an animator named Don Bluth had a dream: a dream to create an animation company that would rival (and hopefully surpass) Disney itself. To that end, Bluth created his own animation studio and early on produced an acclaimed classic: The Secret of NIMH. More success followed with The Land Before Time, An American Tail, and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.
With all of these well-known films, one might ask the question: if they were doing so well, why did the studio eventually go bankrupt? Well…a lot of it had to do with films like Rock-a-Doodle (1991), films that looked good as far as animation went, but were really bad in all other areas. In fact, this film did so poorly that it was the beginning of the end for the studio (their final release was The Pebble and the Penguin in 1995).
Therefore, if you haven’t heard of Rock-A-Doodle, I’m not surprised. Viewing the film with adult eyes, I can’t believe how flawed the story is. The film follows a young kid named Edmond (Toby Scott Granger) who loves the story of Chanticleer (Glen Campbell), a rooster who sang every morning to make the sun rise. But when the Grand Duke of Owls sabotages the rooster to make it look like the sun comes up on its own, Chanticleer leaves for the city, humiliated. Constant rain has fallen ever since, and in the real world, Edmond’s home is in danger of being flooded too. Seeing his family (out battling the flood) close to being swept away, Edmond opens his bedroom window and begins yelling for Chanticleer. Instead, Edmond somehow summons the Duke, who decides to teach Edmond a lesson by turning him into a cat (somehow in all of this Edmond was sucked into Chanticleer’s animated world, I told you the plot was full of holes). Edmond encourages the remaining farm animals to band together and find Chanticleer in the big city.
There is one bright spot in the film and that is the casting of Christopher Plummer as the evil Duke (an Owl who plots to drive the rooster Chanticleer from the farm because if he leaves the sun won’t rise. Yes, really, that’s the basis of the plot.) How they got Plummer to do this role, I don’t know, but I’m glad he did because he absolutely rocks this part. One of my favorite moments is “Never Let Him Crow.”
To be technically correct, “Never Let Him Crow” is not so much a song as it is a spoken monologue (from the Duke) with sung commentary from a chorus of Owls. This monologue is also accompanied by a HUGE pipe organ that is playing a slightly abbreviated rendition of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor (aka that first song from Disney’s Fantasia). The infuriated Duke is relaying the story of how, earlier in the film, he got bit in the leg by a certain “flea-bitten cur” (the dog Patou, played by Phil Harris, aka the voice of Baloo. This was his final film role) and also how he got blasted in the face with a flashlight by Edmond (the kid who gets turned into a cat by aforementioned Duke, yes really! And in this film owls have an extreme dislike of light in any form and fashion, flashlights included).
So he turns on the duke? And with what do you suppose he turns on the duke?
What master?
A flashlight!
What a horrible thing to do! What a horrible thing to do! Thing to do!
But then, when my back is turned What four legged, flea-bitten louse comes sneaking through the window That has the nerve to bite me on the leg?
Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who?
Patou.
*Gasps* Yes!
Death to Patou!!
Destroy the farm! Destroy the cat! The dog! Or do you want the chicken back?
No! We hate the sun! The answer’s no!
And it’ll make my leg feel so much better… If that rooster never crows! Tahahaha!
We hate the sun, that much we know We hate the rooster, we’ll never let him crow (Never let him crow!) We hate the sun, from head to toe (From head to toe!) We hate the rooster, we’ll never let him crow Never let him crow!
Never let him crow.
I love the back and forth between the domineering Duke and his cowed subordinates (it doesn’t matter what the Duke says, he is their leader and therefore he is always right). I will also say again how much I like Christopher Plummer’s performance; he certainly sounds like he was enjoying himself.
While I can’t recommend the film as a whole, “Never Let Him Crow” is a relatively solid moment and I hope you enjoy watching it.
After Bilbo takes his leave of the Shire (leaving all Hobbiton in an uproar), Frodo finds himself the owner of Bag End and heir to almost all that Bilbo possessed, including a certain golden ring that he found once, deep in the Misty Mountains. Gandalf already has his suspicions about that ring, given that right before he gave it up, Bilbo had begun to act odd, almost violent towards his old friend.
But most alarming is what he called the ring: “My Precious,” a term that only Gollum had ever used up until now. Things might have turned ugly, but when Gandalf put some force behind his words, Bilbo found himself again and gave the ring up of his own free will (possibly the only person to ever do so).
Even though Frodo had a pretty good idea that Bilbo was leaving, it still hurt that the old hobbit was gone. But if he hoped to get any answers/help from the wizard, Frodo is going to be disappointed, because Gandalf is setting out immediately, where he won’t say, except that there are “questions, questions that need answering.” Before he leaves, he makes sure the Ring is sealed inside an envelope and placed “somewhere out of sight.”
After Gandalf’s hasty departure, Frodo stares down at the envelope containing the Ring, wondering what on earth he’s actually inherited, when the music kicks up into a living nightmare (that’s how I’ve always thought the music sounded.) The scene abruptly shifts to Mordor, a hellish wasteland dominated by the mountain of fire, Mount Doom and the imposing tower of Barad-Dur, atop which sits the devilish Eye of Sauron (so far we’ve only had a fleeting glimpse of that, when Gandalf lightly brushed the Ring with his fingers).
The music twists and turns, harsh trumpets and other brass instruments dominating the theme. This is our first look at Mordor after the Prologue, and the music needs to quickly establish that this is a very bad place (and it succeeds). But there’s more: after we hear the screams of Gollum confessing what little information he knows (“Shire!” “Baggins!”), Mount Doom erupts and the 9 Black Riders are seen departing Minas Morgul, with a brief introduction of their theme.
The scene shifts again: now we’re back to Gandalf, who has ridden out to the city of Minas Tirith in Gondor and observes the increased activity in Mordor. With no time to lose, he rides into the city and begins to scour the archives, pouring through old documents until he finds what he is looking for: a long-forgotten scroll written by Isildur, that describes how the Ring came into his possession (already the ring was “precious” to him) and what it looked like before it cooled and shrunk. Originally, there were letters of fire surrounding the band, and only extreme heat would be able to bring them to light again. This is what Gandalf has been seeking: a way to prove once and for all whether or not this mysterious Ring is THE Ring.
A quick note about this brief scene in Gondor: you’ll note that the short fanfare does not match up to the main Gondor theme (first introduced in The Council of Elrond, a story I’ll tell next time). This is because at the time Shore created this part of the score, he had not yet conceptualized what Gondor’s theme would sound like. This short fanfare that we do hear could be considered a musical “placeholder.” It quickly sets the scene, but is otherwise not that important.
There are love songs and then there are love songs, and for a long time “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” was THE love song for me. The song was created by a collaboration between Tim Rice and Elton John (in fact the pop version in the end credits is performed by the latter). Now that they’re both grown up, Simba and Nala are finally accepting their feelings for one another and coming to the realization that yes, they are in love!
The song went through several variations before it reached the form we all know and love. At one point, it was going to be sung exclusively by Timon and Pumbaa, but that idea was discarded because it was felt that the comedic nature of the duo would detract from the romantic theme of the song.
I can see what’s happening (spoken) What? And they don’t have a clue (spoken) Who? They’ll fall in love, and here’s the bottom line Our trio’s down to two
(spoken) Oh. Ze sweet caress of twilight There’s magic everywhere And with all this romantic atmosphere Disaster’s in the air
Then it was going to be sung onscreen by Simba and Nala, but THAT idea was dropped because it was felt Disney had already gone that route many, many times. Ultimately, a compromise of sorts was reached: Timon and Pumbaa begin and end the song, while Simba and Nala sing offscreen while onscreen we watch the pair grow closer together.
Can you feel the love tonight? The peace the evening brings The world, for once, in perfect harmony With all its living things
Of course it’s not as simple as Simba and Nala just falling in love, they both have mental obstacles that are initially holding them back.
So many things to tell her But how to make her see The truth about my past? Impossible She’d turn away from me
He’s holding back, he’s hiding But what, I can’t decide Why won’t he be the king I know he is The king I see inside?
Can you feel the love tonight? The peace the evening brings The world, for once, in perfect harmony With all its living things
Can you feel the love tonight? You needn’t look too far Steeling through the night’s uncertainties Love is where they are
For Simba’s part, he still blames himself for his father’s death, and he feels that if Nala knows the “truth,” she would never love him. For Nala, she can’t understand why Simba has stayed away all these years (in fact up until a few hours ago she believed Simba was long-since dead) when he is in fact the rightful king of Pride Rock. Happily, they both dismiss their mental concerns and embrace the fact that they love each other, and for tonight at least, the world is a perfect place.
Hijinks ensued (Simba started it)
And while Simba and Nala are happy with their new-found love, Timon and Pumbaa are horrified because, if Simba falls in love, he’ll ultimately leave the oasis, which means their longtime friend will be gone forever and “doomed” (because their life motto Hakuna Matata/No worries doesn’t really make provision for love, which in itself can be home to a host of worries).
And if he falls in love tonight It can be assumed His carefree days with us are history In short, our pal is doomed
I really love the inclusion of Timon and Pumbaa’s comedy as a bookend to the song (let’s face it, little kids can get squirmy during love songs, I know I did at that age). (And, I don’t know why, but I always giggle a little when Timon and Pumbaa burst into tears at the end of the song, it just seems funny to me that they’re so upset about Simba falling in love).
And that’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” Let me know your thoughts on this awesome love song in the comments below!
So on Saturday afternoon I finally got to see Kubo and the Two Strings and wow! Oh.my.gosh. This film is AMAZING!! It deserves every ounce of praise that it is getting and is easily the best film I have seen this year, period. I can’t sing the praises of the stop-motion animation enough, this film takes the genre to an entirely different level. In fact, the stop-motion was so fluid that for 90% of the film, I forgot that this was stop-motion entirely (there are a handful of moments where you can see the tell-tale signs that the figures are being manipulated, but I’m not really complaining).
As for the story, oh wow, talk about a roller coaster ride! This story had more than it’s fair share of highs and lows. The film stars Art Parkinson as Kubo, Charlize Theron as Monkey (Kubo’s protector), and Matthew McConaughey as Beetle, a strange warrior-beetle…thing. The film has a heavy emphasis on dealing with loss, the power of memories and the meaning of family. The main villain of this film is the mysterious Moon King, an otherworldly figure that is after Kubo for the most dastardly of reasons (and when the full reason is explained, I gasped in horror). To try and stop the Moon King, Kubo embarks on a journey to find a legendary suit of armor and a sword that is said to be powerful enough to defeat him.
But we don’t meet the Moon King until well into the film; first we meet two of his daughters (and I don’t believe they have any specific name) and they are, by far, two of the scariest characters I’ve seen in a long time. In fact…
*minor spoilers*
The Moon King’s daughters remind me very much of V from V for Vendetta because they both wear these smiling masks (that make them look really creepy) and they wear long black cloaks with wide-brimmed black hats. Every time I saw them, I had the nagging sensation that they looked familiar, but it wasn’t until I got home that I made the connection. I’m not saying it’s bad that they resemble V, just pointing out the similarity.
Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) are hilarious, especially when they’re interacting with each other. And of course, Kubo himself is the best character in the film; he cares for his mother, he takes on this massive quest and…. *minor spoiler* he learns to use magic.
Traditional Japanese music is front and center in this film and that is something that I love! A lot of the music is generated in-story by the shamisen that belongs to Kubo and his mother. A shamisen is a traditional Japanese instrument that has three strings and is played with a plectrum (think of a really large guitar pick). As a film music scholar, I’m so pleased to see a film with non-orchestral music, as that is a rare thing these days.
A Japanese noblewoman with a shamisen
In conclusion, Kubo and the Two Strings is an amazing film (I keep saying that but it’s true!) that everyone should go see. After the less than stellar sequels, prequels and remakes offered this summer, Kubo and the Two Strings is a breath of fresh air. 🙂
Oh Simba, Simba, Simba…now that the young lion knows about the mysterious elephant graveyards (courtesy of his devious uncle Scar), the mischievous cub is determined to find a way to go see them, despite being clearly warned by his father that he must NEVER go there. But of course, this is a Disney movie, and when did the rules ever stop a Disney hero from going where they weren’t supposed to go?
At any rate, Simba has a plan, and it involves his best friend, a girl lion cub named Nala. Claiming that he wants to go with Nala to visit the nearby water hole, the pair is allowed to set off, but are accompanied by Zazu. Needing to “ditch the dodo,” the two young cubs begin formulating a plan when the observant bird lets some unexpected news slip: Simba and Nala are betrothed/engaged/intended/affianced, in other words, some day they’re going to be married!! This actually gives the cubs the perfect opening to set their plan into motion as, when Zazu protests that betrothals are a tradition “going back generations” Simba boasts:
“Well when I’m king, that’ll be the FIRST thing to go.”
Despite Zazu’s (increasingly vocal) protests, the young prince begins to lay out exactly how he’ll run the Pride Lands when he becomes king and this is the basis of “I Just Can’t Wait to be King.”
I’m gonna be a mighty king So enemies, beware
(spoken)
Well, I’ve never seen a king of beasts
With quite so little… hair
I’m gonna be the main event Like no king was before I’m brushing up on looking down I’m working on my ROAR!
(spoken)
Thus far, a rather uninspiring thing
Oh, I just can’t wait to be king!
The song is hilarious for many reasons: Simba and Nala take every opportunity to tease poor Zazu; seemingly every animal in the Pride Lands is in on the trick and, most funny of all, Simba clearly has no idea of what it actually means to be king!
This is understandable, I mean, after all, Simba is only a kid and not expected to know everything at this point, but he’s already at that age where he thinks he knows all he needs to know, meaning he has very unrealistic expectations of what being a king is like.
No one saying, “Do this”
No one saying, “Be there”
No one saying, “Stop that”
No one saying, “See here”
Free to run around all day
Free to do it all my way!
For example, Simba seems to believe that kings can do whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want (a belief that Scar shares believe it or not). A king’s life also consists of looking down (from atop Pride Rock), working on his roar and basically strutting around everywhere (with Nala by his side).
Poor Zazu is completely mortified by Simba’s attitudes about being king, exclaiming “If this is where the monarchy is headed, count me OUT!!” The uptight bird can sense that the cubs are up to something, but if he ever completely figures out what’s going on it’s not until the cubs have already gotten away with it (poor guy).
The song builds and builds, until finally Simba is “enthroned” atop a massive pyramid of animals, with an unwitting Zazu set up to be squashed at the bottom. This gives the cubs enough time to slip away and head straight for the forbidden elephant graveyard.
Everybody look left Everybody look right Everywhere you look I’m… Standing in the spotlight
Let every creature go for broke and sing Let’s hear it in the herd and on the wing It’s gonna be King Simba’s finest fling!
Oh, I just can’t wait to be king! Oh, I just can’t wait to be king! Oh, I just can’t wait…
To be king!
“I Just Can’t Wait to be King” is a fun Disney song that really brings back happy childhood memories for me (I loved pretending to be Simba). I hope you enjoyed reading about this song and have a great weekend 🙂
Film Music Central 