Originally posted at the DL October 2015
What's this?
This is Halloween- In my memory this song is a lot more forceful than it actually is. They're kinda going for a low crawling creepiness I think, but the tune's too upbeat to quite match the lyrics. Of course I think the point of the sequence is actually to show off all the models and sets they made in the stop motion, on which count holy crap this works. Creepy, sexy, heartrending.
Jack's Lament- It's easy to forget this song is the core of the whole movie. Like, all the most iconic imagery of Nightmare Before Christmas is Jack on the swirly hill, the moon huge upon him. Unlike the last this one is a very complete package, but so understated I honestly forgot it was a full song and not a line or two of sung dialog. It does highlight how strange a concept Nightmare Before Christmas really is though; the core emotion here is the feeling that something something comes so easily to you that you lose all sense of achievement from it. I mean they do play it more as "appreciate what you've got!" in the end which is bigger on the wide appeal scale but... that's not where they start and I'm surprised to see such a... mature emotion at the center of a movie.
What's This- !!!!!!!!! the song. Realistically an answer to the last song, or rather it's presented as one while actually setting up for reprises later on, but anyways. Works quite well for its context, not super memorable beyond the final line I feel though.
Town Meeting Song- Exposition! Not much to say, it's a very function-driven song.
Jack's Obsession- I got nothing here either. See above!
Kidnap the Sandy Claws- I love how sadistic this song is. After a lot of very Hamlet-esque navel gazing, something to sorta jolt the audience with the reminder that not every gruesome thing about Halloween is a mask over a smile, but ancient evils and vice buried deep.
Making Christmas- Great visuals again. Nobody really gets to show off musically though sooooo not too much to say.
Oogie Boogie's Song- HOLY CRAP A SINGER BESIDES DANNY ELFMAN. Man, this reminds me bunches of Friends on the Other Side, both in the style of singing (though of course Keith David is infinite sexy where Ken Page is infinite smug) and the visuals. It's just FUN, though, which is a good breather for the film. 'specially since...
Sally's Song- "Hello Viewer. In case you forgot, we are currently entering the Tragedy portion of our horror-comedy-tragedy. Thank you for your consideration."
Poor Jack- Y'know, this song is awesome in its prescience. You can't tell me that "Well what the heck I went and did my best![...] and at least I left some stories they can tell, I did!" isn't basically Tim Burton's career, ~1999-Present.
Anyway the latter part is my favorite bit of Danny Elfman singing in the whole movie, probably the bit I actually remember best. 'cept maybe Kidnap the Sandy Claws.
Finale- <3! <3 every one!
IN some ways this movie is less than the sum of its parts; the environments are creative, the plot unusual and generally conveyed well, the characters simple but understandable, music memorable and very tailored to the movie, but a lot of times it all just passes by before you can fully drink it in, and the different phases of the movie don't always mesh. It's got a bit of the Bizarro problem, where the anti-logic can get the audience overthinking things in ways the movie doesn't quite hold up to.
But y'know, all that stuff is REALLY good. Being a bit prone to the ol' fridge logic doesn't dock it that much.
Rating- 7/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment