♣ Top 5 Movie/Television Original Scores: Some tunes just bring out the best memories, don't they?

I’d like to share some of the best original soundtrack from movies and TV series. I’m not talking about Oscar-winning kind of score, no. I’m talking about that random tune playing inside your head whenever you think or feel about something. The same tune that brings out certain memories whenever, wherever you hear it.

1. “Lux Aeterna” by Clint Mansell
Lux aeterna, or “the eternal light” in English, is a composition by Clint Mansell, the leitmotif of a movie from the year 2000, “Requiem for a Dream”, and the penultimate piece in the “Requiem for a Dream” score. The popularity of this piece led to its use in popular culture outside the film, most notably when the track was re-orchestrated with a choir and full orchestra for  “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and was renamed “Requiem for a Tower”. This piece of music got even more popular after in July 2011, a Norway massacre suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, disclosed that he put “Lux Aeterna” on repeat on his iPod and listen to it at the maximum volume while murdering 77 young people at a summer camp (you can google that). He described it as an “incredibly powerful song” that would help suppress his fear. Of coure, on his case, plus the drugs and the amphetamines. But heck, I have to agree with him on the “incredibly powerful song” part. This composition is so intense it makes you feel great, invokes a type of passionate rage within you, and your life suddenly feels so epic, like there’s nothing you can't do. Just please don’t think about killing people when you listen to the song.

2. “Tennessee” by Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer, is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including award winning film scores for The Lion King (1994), Crimson Tide (1995), Gladiator (2000), The Dark Knight (2008), and Inception (2010), but here I’m talking about that one piece he did for Pearl Harbor (2001). Yeah, that one. That one piece of music that will bring you to think about a wide open blue sky, or a sunset orange sky, with planes soaring so high into the sky. Personally, this song reminds me of the happiest feeling I’ve ever had… but in a tragic way, because this is simply one of the sad, sad, saddest compositions ever written. The feeling of this is so complicated, it’s like feeling happy, but at the same time you know that you wouldn’t always stay that way, so all you need is to cherish every moment.

3. “Longing” by Kaoru Wada
I’ll make this quick. Among all anime I’ve watched, Inuyasha has the most beautiful soundtrack of them all. It’s even hard to pick one to be included in this list. But here we go, my choice goes to “Longing” just because it’s the tune you can most easily remember from this Japanese cartoon TV show. Like the title, it makes me longing to my childhood days with all its innocence and its dreams and the people in it and the faces and the places I still recall.

4. “Americana” by Jay Gruska
It was one piece of music written for the Supernatural original television soundtrack. The memory it brings is nothing else but the Season 5 Finale of the show itself, one of the most, or even the only one most emotional episode among the history of Supernatural. Where the five years, five seasons journey of these two ghost-hunting brothers with all their family issues must come to an end in a tragic way where one of the brother had to let go of the other, all for the greater good. Speaking about the music, if the beginning of it has already swooned you, wait till the piano solo part, it’s killing! And yes, it’s another piece of sad music. I love sad music, I guess.

5. “Theme from Armageddon” by Trevor Rabin
It was written for the Armageddon original movie soundtrack. I’m trying my best to describe why I should include this in the list but… I guess I simply love it because I love the movie. After all, this song was probably the closest I ever got to dreaming of becoming an astronaut, looking at the stars and planets everyday, going to the outer space, proving if there’s life on Mars :D

Honorable mention:
“Hymn to the Sea” by James Horner
“Mr. Nobody” by Pierre Van Dormael

♣ A post that is written with full of hormones about my ex-boyfriend.

I got a text when I was watching New Year's Eve this morning from my ex-boyfriend. I was surprised when he texted me. Usually, I texted him first (it's not that he didn't want to communicate with me, no. But I know he had a very personal reason. I couldn't complain since I appreciated him and his decision). I was so excited. My very first reaction was like Emily Charlton when she's got a text message from Miranda Priestly's driver, who told her that Miranda's coming (see the video!) and of course I was a little dramatic. I even toke a bath after he called me for a little investigation-about-who-are-at-house before his posibility if he would go to my house. I had no idea why, I was just prepared if he really would be here. Or maybe I need to cool off my head.

So he was here. He came with his black motorcycle, black jacket, black shoulderbag, and white t-shirt.

I loved when we giggled just because we never met again since I was freshman. I loved when we stared each other because we'd grown up a lot. I loved when we started talking. I love when we gave feedback for each other's story. I loved when we remember our middle school time. I loved when he told me about his ups and downs life. I loved when I told mine, I even almost cried. I loved when we, apparently still, flirt to each other. Silly confession: I loved when I planned to give him a goodbye-see-you-later hug before he went home, which didn't happen. Because I was so glad he visited me and made my day.

I don't know, if you told me, "You seem still loving him". Maybe, I don't know. What I know for sure: he comforts me a lot. Every conversation topic is maybe to discuss. I also have sensed maturity in his personality. I like him. And like him with his world.

I want you to know that I'm happy because I met him. Our relationship is over. But we're in good condition. Maybe too good. Our relationship is more than I can describe here. 

Image via weheartit.

♣ Five “D-Rom-Com” storylines that make you wanting more.

Did you ever watched a certain movie, then there is this one part of its storyline that hooked you the most (could be making you real happy or real heartbroken….. it could go either way, you know :p), most important is you’re so in love with the story that it made you wanting to look for more similar movies that probably have the same theme, same type of storyline? Here are 5 storylines that get me hooked the most in Drama-Romance-Comedy movies.

1. Nothing’s as big as your first love
Yup! A movie that tells story about someone experiencing first love. We all certainly have our first love story to tell. One fact about first love is, you can never forget it! Some lucky people have their first love as their last. But most people are not that lucky and only have their first love as a sweet memory. As sweet as movies that bring this storyline up, like Little Manhattan (2005). Josh Hutcherson played an adorable 10 ¾ years old boy who “fell in love” with his old friend from kindergarten. Nothing as cute as the way Hutcherson’s character tells us how he’s feeling about this one girl. Some moments will make you go ‘awww’, some other moments will make you go laughing out loud, but the most important message I think is on it’s epilogue that goes…

“Love is an ugly, terrible business practiced by fools. It'll trample your heart and leave you bleeding on the floor. And what does it really get you in the end? Nothing but a few incredible memories that you can't ever shake. The truth is, there's gonna be other girls out there. I mean, I hope. But I'm never gonna get another first love. That one's always gonna be her.”

Couldn’t agree more.

2. I fell in love with my best friend’s boyfriend a.k.a. triangle love
Well well well… this is it. After speaking about first love, now we’re on to the kind of love that we usually call as “unrequited love”. This type of love is the truest love of all kind. Because you know damn well that he loves someone else but you still love him no matter what. If that’s not the truest love, I don’t know anymore then what is it? Stupidest love? Well there’s a fine line in between, actually ;) There are many, many, many hollywood D-Rom-Coms that bring up this triangle love story. Some are great, like My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) and 27 Dresses (2008), some are just so-so, like Made of Honor (2008) and Something Borrowed (2011).

My favorite kind of plot usually goes like this: a woman and a man are close, the woman falls in love with the man, she never tells what she feels and the man doesn’t seem giving any chance either, the second woman enters the picture (if the second woman is the first woman’s close friend, it’s getting even more interesting!), the man clearly falls in love with the second woman, the second woman loves him back, aaaaaaand this is where everything starts getting complicated for the first woman. But honestly, any kind of triangle love story will serve me right ;) The ending can vary. The first woman can end up with the man eventually, or she can end up finding a new man who really loves her. I always prefer the second kind of ending. This is related to my point on the next list… hey, keep ‘em coming!

3. Simple basic rule in life: You can’t always get what you want
Of course I’m still talking about love here <3 <3 <3 Do you know why I love The Ugly Truth (2009)? It’s because Abby ended up with Mike Chadway, not with her dream guy. Maybe it’s not exactly the point of the movie but… I’m sick. I’m so sick of common D-Rom-Com plot that has the lead female character ends up with her dream guy. Maybe the point of such movies is like ‘pursue your true love’ yada yada yada… but come onnnn, seriously, come on. If that’s not irritating enough, this lead female character usually has a boy best friend who clearly loves her but she keeps ignoring him and pursuing her dream guy instead! Puh-lease… all I dream is one day I could marry my boy best friend. I mean, what can be better than marrying your own best friend?? (Sorta out of topic :D) But many movies seem like to have this boy best friend character to suffer in the end, my heart always breaks for them. I’d like to mention some titles which have such ending but I can’t remember them, yes, I hate them that much. Wait, what are we talking about again? My point is, sometimes we should just stop pursuing something we thought we want, and grab everything that’s already there before your eyes. Makes any sense?

4. “Parent Issue”
Enough with the Rom now and we have only D-Com left. If a drama doesn’t talk about boy-girl-love, it usually talks about family-love. One of the most touching love in a family is between parents and their sons and daughters. The parent issue I’m talking about here is having this following formula: something bad happened in the past, the relationship between parent and son becomes tense in the present, the tension is building up, the parent becomes more and more authoritative while the son becomes more and more rebellious, the tension finally blows into an open quarrel between parent and son, but in the end of it all they realize the fact that they only need each other’s help to overcome the situation.

My latest-watched movie where I could find this type of storyline is We Bought a Zoo (2011). I must say Colin Ford is a talented young actor since his scene quarreling with Matt Damon always brings me to tears every time I see it.

Son: You hate me!

Dad: I hate you? Wait a second. Okay we've had some problems, man, but we're figurin' it out, okay?

S: That is bullsh*t! Admit it! You wish I wasn't here!

D: Hold on! Enough with the drama, all right? Knock it off!

S: I can't stand it here! Can't you see that?

D: No, but thank you for telling me, AGAIN! I thought you liked it here. And I'm sorry, I thought… I thought you liked me! I thought this was a dream come true for us!

S: It's your dream! You can't force a dream onto someone else, Dad!

D: YES, I CAN! I can force a dream on you!

S: Why are you yelling?

D: Because it's a good dream! And because I'm your father and I'm the only one you've got! So stop moping around this place, man! And pick up a shovel and dig a hole! Do something! You just sit here and feel sorry for yourself! Help me with your sister! Help me, damn it!

S: Help me, damn it! Help ME!

D: I'm sorry that you didn't get more of a childhood. That's just how that one went. But we live with a 7-year-old girl who still believes in the Easter Bunny. What are we gonna do?

S: You never ask me how I'm doin'. You never even taught me how to shave.

D: What, you want to know how to shave? I would love to teach you how to shave. Let's shave!

*******tears*******

5. “Bromance”
[Still wiping the tears from previous point] And still about family, now moving on to the love between brothers! Actually any sibling-love will do; sister to sister, brother to sister, but I think the most cute is when it’s brother to brother ;) You know siblings, they can be bickering like old married couples all the time but when the shove comes to push, it always gets back to the same basis:

“I’ll never let anything happen to you.” –Zathura: The Space Adventure (2005)

“I won’t leave you, I promise.” –Charlie St. Cloud (2010)

“Because I’m your brother.”

Isn’t that sweet? :))

That was my top 5 D-Rom-Com storylines. Do you agree? Do you not agree? What’s your favorite kind of storylines? Maybe you have any movie suggestions that would fit some characteristics above? That’d be great!