From Say Anything to We Bought a Zoo, a Brief History of Great Cameron Crowe Musical Moments

Few filmmakers use music as unabashedly and emotionally as former rock journalist Cameron Crowe, the man who turned Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” into an enduring emblem of ’80s teen longing and illuminated the power of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” as a late night bonding tune for even the most estranged of friends. Crowe’s latest, We Bought a Zoo, is no different; the instant the reverberating beats of Tom Petty’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More” kick in, lonely and sparse, turning increasingly anthemic by the verse as Matt Damon’s son is expelled from school and Damon uproots his family to a rural fixer-upper of a zoo with the promise of new beginnings, you know you’re in for yet another Crowe Moment. Crowe once described his fusion of film and music thusly: “Sometimes the marriage works, and the result is an explosion, a memorable body rush that enhances both and rocks your soul along the way.” A uniquely musical filmmaker since his feature directing debut in 1989’s Say Anything, Crowe’s films tend toward the relentlessly sincere and uncynical, and his use of pop tunes to enhance and convey catharsis, to underscore emotions — and to create those instant, indelible “moments”— is, for better and for worse, his abiding directorial signature. Even in his weakest films, one could argue that Crowe manages to conjure swelling sentiment, or at least is always reaching for that earnestly grandiose magic. And while even in We Bought a Zoo he can’t help but go back to the rock ‘n’ roll well he he’s tapped so many times, he’s evolved through the years ever so subtlely in his methods. Say Anything (1989) Musical Moment: Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” It’s the iconic musical moment of ’80s teen moviedom: Loner Lloyd Dobler holding aloft his boombox of love beneath Diane Court’s window, blasts Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” as Crowe’s camera closes in, reflecting Lloyd’s urgency. (* SWOON *) Nothing says “I need you” like a guy who’ll stand outside your house for who knows how long playing Peter Gabriel when you know he’d rather be listening to Fishbone. Singles (1992) Musical Moment: Alice in Chains perform Crowe’s grunge-scene romantic comedy is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the plethora of cameos and soundtrack artists who help make Singles so distinctly of its time and place. Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and Pearl Jam as Citizen Dick make for some of the film’s best cameo castings, but Alice in Chains’ two song performance (“It Ain’t Like That” and “Would?”) provides the dank Seattle club backdrop against which Kyra Sedgwick and Campbell Scott meet eyes; Say Anything may have captured the beginnings of teen ennui circa 1989, but Singles became a time capsule of the burgeoning grunge scene and its inherent twentysomething angst. Jerry Maguire (1996) Musical Moment: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Free Fallin’” Moving towards his 40s, Crowe took on the tale of a fast-living sports agent reevaluating his life in Jerry Maguire, and thus birthed the first in a series of more personal Crowe Moments. After sealing a much-needed deal on his own, Tom Cruise’s Maguire scans the car radio dial for just the right pop tune to speak to the relief and joy he’s bursting with; he lands on Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” just in time to belt it out, the song becoming his cathartic channel for release. Almost Famous (2000) Musical Moment: Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” Almost Famous is rife with great music moments — how could it not, being Crowe’s semiautobiographical ode to his time spent as a roving teen journalist covering the ’70s rock scene — but the magic of watching the dysfunctional make-shift Stillwater family of estranged bandmates, groupies, and hangers temporarily forget their issues and grudges by singing “Tiny Dancer” is, by far, the greatest. Where Crowe used diegetic music to allow characters to express themselves before, here he uses it to unite; more importantly, he made it ok to unapologetically croon soft rock singles with abandon in mixed company.

Dark Dark evening Increases searching for Operation Early Bird

The Dark Dark evening Rises' viral marketing campaign continues apace today while using relieve a completely new document mentioning to something referred to as Operation Early Bird.Coming hot round the heels of those two documents released yesterday, the completely new information was released with the viral Twitter account @thefirerises . Many of the particulars are again blacked out, but from that which you can inform, Early Bird describes a distinctive Forces operation to extradite Dr. Leonid Pavel.As if which were insufficient to acquire many of us excited, a completely new website remains setup bearing the title Operation Early Bird, in which a clock counts lower to 6pm today.Hopefully in those days we'll have a very better idea of what all this subterfuge is about, and exactly how the truly amazing physician will match Nolan's movie.The Dark Dark evening Increases is released inside the Uk on 20 This summer time 2012. Meanwhile, here's the newest document that you ought to pore over...UPDATE: Well, within the stroke of 6pm yesterday, Operation Early Bird revealed itself just like a high-tech map, detailing IMAX locations worldwide where tests in the Dark Dark evening Rises' prologue will exist in a couple of days.Not remarkably, tickets are actually clicked on up fast, but you'll find still a few locations remaining - enter quickly if you want to savor 6 minutes of IMAX goodness.If you fail to get tickets for one of these brilliant tests, you're next best chance is always to catch Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol within an IMAX venue in a position to projecting the whole 70mm experience, since the prologue will probably be playing becoming an epic sorta-trailer then.

AFI announces awards slate

The American Film Institute announced its official selections for the 2011 AFI Awards, which records the year's most outstanding achievements in film, television and other forms of the moving image arts. The film and TV series will receive awards at an invitation-only luncheon on Jan. 13 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles.Among this year's film honorees are "Bridesmaids," which has received a lot of attention for supporting actress Melissa McCarthy; "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," which had its fair share of controversy over embargoes last week; and two films that have been Oscar frontrunners for months, "The Help" and "Midnight in Paris."AFI also gave "The Artist" and the "Harry Potter" franchise special awards, recognition that is given to films that don't meet AFI's criteria, most notably that a production must be primarily American- generated.On the TV side, AFI's tastes range from the rich historical drama "Boardwalk Empire," to the cutting edge comedy "Louie." Showtime's freshman series "Homeland," which has been a big ratings draw for the network, is also on AFI's list.Honorees are selected based on works which best advance the art of the moving image; enhance the rich cultural heritage of America's art form; inspire audiences and artists alike; and/or make a mark on American society."AFI Awards represents the proudest of moments in the Institute's calendar of events," said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. "The event brings together the year's top artists in a celebration of community, not competition."The complete list of honorees follows:AFI Movies of the Year"Bridesmaids""The Descendants""The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo""The Help""Hugo""J. Edgar""Midnight in Paris""Moneyball""The Tree of Life""War Horse"AFI Special Awards"The Artist"The Harry Potter SeriesAFI TV Programs of the Year"Breaking Bad""Boardwalk Empire""Curb Your Enthusiasm""Game of Thrones""The Good Wife""Homeland""Justified""Louie""Modern Family""Parks and Recreation" Contact Christy Grosz at christy.grosz@variety.com