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In his song, Gonzales sings “We don’t choose where we’re born / We don’t choose in what pocket or form / But we can learn to know ourselves / On this globe in the void.” These lyrics show exactly why Gonzales was perfect for this film. Mitty’s whole purpose is to escape his form, his everyday life that he has dealt with, and he is choosing to experience things, take a risk and learn much more about himself instead. Gonzales believes in using your time on this planet wisely, and taking risks while you can. “Every age has its turn to make the best out of it,” Gonzales says. Jose Gonzales is overall a very simplistic, down to earth artist. I think that it is very interesting that his personality can fit well with this movie. I think it goes to show that if you have the right mindset and personality that the film needs, you know exactly how to make the perfect score for it. With out Jose Gonzales instrumentals, this film would not impact the audience in the same way.

The 2013 film “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” fascinated me right away. I am a big fan of movies that have meaning surrounding finding oneself and going off and exploring. Directed by and starring Ben Stiller, this movie showcases Stiller in a light many are not used to. Stiller is often involved in funny, quirky roles but in this film he takes a serious role. Stiller plays Walter Mitty, a shy, awkward, photo developer for Life magazine. Through watching Walter’s life, we can feel his awkward moments and often relate to them. Walter often zones out and daydreams, and he likes to pretend his life is not what it actually is. As the film goes on, he eventually decides to get out of his comfort zone and make some bold choices, leading him on a path of self discovery.

The first time I watched this film, I noticed it was heavily soundtracked by songs and instrumentals done by Jose Gonzalez, and his band, Junip. I recognized him right away because he has always been one of my favorite artists. Gonzalez relies heavily on acoustic guitar and vocals to create calm, simple music. I believe Gonzalez was designed to have music in this film, it scores the background of the slower scenes well too. The above clip shows Walter Mitty on a board, and we learn in the film that skateboarding used to be one of Walter’s favorite things. This scene shows Walter once again being able to board, and he feels a sense of freedom. Jose Gonzalez’s music greatly impacts this scene by allowing us to feel a natural, peaceful sense of freedom and feeling alive. 

Not only did Jose Gonzales write original music for this film, he also reworked with some of his older music for the film. The best way to describe his work would be “folky minimalism,” which is the exact vibe this movie needs. This film is about leaving the comforts of home, breaking free from the mold, and putting yourself in a new situation to explore live and discover. This film reminds me a lot of “Into The Wild,” as it is about people who want to escape their life and doing something new and adventurous. Gonzales, Spanish but born in Sweden, says he feels he is influenced by many different cultures in his music. He lived a diverse life submerged by many cultures, describing himself as a “sponge,” that would soak up what he learned. Gonzales likes to make simple music that can be universally enjoyed.

Pinkard, Ryan. March 4 2015. The Secret Life of Jose Gonzalez. Tidal.

Rodriguez, Cain.November 15 2013. ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ Soundtrack features. Indie Wire.

[solomoviescores]

GRIZZLY BEAR- BLUE VALENTINE

“Blue Valentine,” a film directed by Derek Cianfrance is a 2010 drama completely scored by the band Grizzly Bear. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams who play the parts of Dean and Cindy, a couple once madly in love and now are heavily struggling in their relationship. This movie showcases the failing relationship of a married couple after years of marriage. The film is very beautiful and moving, as it flashes back to the start of their relationship showing how they were once madly in love. This movie is an emotional experience, showing the hardships and feelings experienced in a long term relationship that is on the rocks. Grizzly bear was the perfect band for this album, and Cianfrance knew that right from the beginning- requesting they do this film.

Originally, Grizzly Bear was wanting to produce brand new music for this film. After the release date got bumped up, they had to use their previous songs or instrumental versions of the songs. This worked well though, and the final score aids the film greatly. Grizzly Bear’s “Shift” highlights a main moment in the film. Highlighted in the scene above, near the end, we go back and forth between the past and the present in a gut wrenching, emotional scene. We watch as Cindy and Dean say their vows and get married, and we can see how madly in love they are. When they kiss at their wedding, they hold the kiss for so long that we can just feel how much they care about each other. Throughout this scene, it flashes to where they are now in life, splitting up. Cindy feels exhausted in their relationship, and Dean is begging her to stay. Cindy admits that she can not do it anymore, and it is very dark. “When push comes to shove this is getting old,” Grizzly Bear sings. Grizzly Bear is the perfect band to score sorrowful, emotionally driven scenes. It is light, and their music has a sad tone. Certain songs such as “Easier” and “Foreground” allow for some whimsical elements that highlight the positive moments in the film.

Another key moment of the film is when Dean and Cindy later in life go stay at a hotel together in order to add more passion to their relationship/ save whatever is left of their relationship.

It is almost painful to watch. The beginning of the movie starts with Dean and Cindy years into their marriage. We see the stress of their household, raising her daughter and having pets. We also see that both Dean and Cindy like to use alcohol as a vice- hinting at their unhappiness. This leads them to the hotel scene, Dean reserved it for them for a night against Cindy’s wishes. When they get their, we watch as Dean desperately tries to save their marriage. It seems that they have to get very drunk in order to relax and spend time together. When they do, Dean tries to have sex with Cindy but it appears she is uncomfortable and does not want it. During these scenes, we start to flash back and see how Dean and Cindy met.

The main problem with this film, is that Dean and Cindy had a very beautiful love story, which makes their falling apart as a couple that much more emotional. Grizzly Bear does an excellent job depicting their relationship, showing the good times and the bad times with fitting music.

I think the best example in this film is still the song “Shift,” which to me plays during the most important scene- the union of and the failing of their relationship. The lyrics in shift are followed by “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” which to me symbolizes Dean’s need to stay in this relationship, whether they’re miserable or not, just because he loves Cindy that much.

Breiham,Tom. Jan. 13 2011. Grizzly Bear’s Blue Valentine Soundtrack Arrives. Pitchfork.

Smith, C. Molly. Jan. 14 2011. Grizzly Bear Shines in Blue Valentine. Daily Trojan.

[solomoviescores]

EDDIE VEDDER- INTO THE WILD

“Into the Wild” is a 2007 film based off of the book “Into the Wild.” This book was written by Jon Krakauer and is based off of the experiences of Chris McCandless, a young man who went off on his own and ended up dying in the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless left behind a journal, recounting his experiences and met many people along the way that were able to piece together his story and journey. McCandless’ life ended when he was only 24 years old and it was found he died from starvation, after eating some blue berries that he was unsure about. I was always very fascinated by his story because I saw some of myself in him. Going off alone and discovering myself in a new place has always been a dream of mine. McCandless has a famous quote “happiness only real when shared,” that sticks with me. It goes to show that even though he went on this journey alone, he realized being around people was more important. 

When I first watched this film, I was automatically intrigued by the music. Eddie Vedder has a raw, passionate voice that really makes you feel a certain way. As the movie continued, that is when I recognized a theme- Vedder was singing every song in this film. I really liked this because it made the movie feel more tied together. Each of the songs had a similar sound and feeling to them that reflected the movie. It felt very natural.

Sean Penn, the director of Into the Wild, was the one who reached out to Eddie Vedder to do the soundtrack. Vedder said, when Sean Penn asks you to do something, you “do it for Sean Penn.” The Into the Wild soundtrack ended up being Vedder’s first solo album. The most interesting part, Vedder barely remembers making the album. According to LA times, Vedder was once quoted, “I don’t remember a damn thing about it. It just kind of flew out. It felt like other things were at work. Things came through, musically and lyrically, that I really didn’t have to do too much work on. It felt more like just grabbing sparks around my head and putting them on the fire.” According to Vedder, it just kind of happened, and it came together fast.

Vedder felt fit to take on this task, because he actually felt that he related to McCandless. When Chris McCandless grew up, he found out that his father had a previous family that he left before marrying Chris’s mom. When Vedder was 17, he had found out that his real dad was actually his step dad. According to Vedder, this changed his entire world. “I had things that I hated having gone through as a young adult that just happened to serve me very well for this job.” In the song “Long Nights,” from the album, Vedder uses lyrics to try and relate to McCandless by saying, “have no fear, for when I am alone, I’ll be better off than I was before.” The original plan was to add a band to Vedder's music, but it ended up not being necessary. In the end, Vedder’s solo performance worked well for the film. Vedder said it is better when you do not have to describe to a musician how you want something done, but instead to just pick up a guitar and figure it out.

Eddie Veddar’s “Into The Wild,” solo album had the perfect tone for this film. It is unique, raw, and has that nature feel that just makes you want to put on a backpack and hike off. Even though a band was originally going to be added, Vedder doing this movie solo was the perfect fit.

Sources:

Adams, Sam. Sept. 18 2007. Vedder flies solo ‘Into the Wild.’ Los Angeles Times.

Fricke, David. Oct. 18 2007. Eddie Vedder’s ‘Wild’ Solo Debut. Rolling Stone.