Today is the wonderful Cillian Murphy's 36th birthday. Back in the dark ages of this blog, I had a HUGE obsession with the man. Like, I'm talking more than Ralph Fiennes obsessed. During that obsession, I managed to see pretty much everything he's been in, apart from maybe 3 or 4 films (which are impossible to find in NZ). He's a pretty brilliant actor, who has shown more diversity than the average Joe in the movie. As shown in my 10 favourite performances from the most underrated actor of our time:
10. Neil in Watching the Detectives
I guess you could say that Watching the Detectives is Cillian's only real foray into an out-and-out comedy. Unfortunately, this rom-com starring Lucy Liu isn't overly great - mainly because it is so insane. But Cillian still manages to be completely awesome as the lovesick puppy Neil, with his performance venturing into such over-the-top outlandishness that only he could possibly pull off. Plus, he plays my dream guy (he owns a video store, he knows lots about movies...what's not to like?) Hopefully he can get a better comedy soon, because I'd like to see the funny side of Cilly again.
If you were to look through my iPod at the moment, you would be sad to find that I do not have any Justin Bieber. Or any of that rap crap that I am forced to listen to in ICT (i.e. a song that only has the words 'everybody in the club getting tipsy'). Or any emo screamo or whatever the hell it is called. If you were to judge me through my iPod, I think you would find that I'm not a normal teenager. Nor am I one of those hipster kids who only listen to indie music. Instead, at least 75% of my iPod is filled with songs from the movies, mainly full soundtracks.
I pretty much listen to my iPod every night, usually while I'm blogging, because I pretty much hate silence. And with all this movie music on my musical device, it all ties in, doesn't it? There are quite a few songs which I always have to listen to every time they come around on shuffle. Because everyday I'm shufflin'. And here they are:
According to iTunes, my most played song on my iPod is 528491 by Hans Zimmer off the wonderful Inception soundtrack. Now, all of you people probably love the track Time (more on that soon), but 528491 has to be my favourite. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: put this on your iPod, stick in your headphones, turn this song on full blast and close your eyes...it is more epic than the movie itself. The song has so many layers and it always reminds me of Cillian Murphy's eyes - mainly because this song is used while the camera is looking straight at him.
I'm also a huge fan of the track Time, don't worry. This song is so amazingly beautiful and it just adds more epicness to an already epic ending. To be honest, Time was probably the soundtrack to my latter half of 2010. I used to listen to it like five times a day.
The Social Network's soundtrack, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, has quite a few songs on my most played list. The one that has been played the most is surprisingly track #14, Magnetic'. This is the one which is played during the first meeting between Sean, Mark, Eduardo and Christy Lee, even though in the movie it's given a bit more of an Asian vibe to fit with the sushi bar they're at. I don't know why I love this song so much...I think it is probably because it's so frustratingly fun, just like the character of Sean Parker.
There are so many other songs that I like from The Social Network, though. If I were to rank the songs on the album from best to worst, the list would go something like this:
Magnetic
In Motion
A Familiar Taste
Intriguing Possibilities
The Gentle Hum of Anxiety
Soft Trees Break the Fall
In the Hall of the Mountain King
Pieces Form the Whole
Painted Sun in Abstract
Penetration
Almost Home
Hand Covers Bruise
On We March
It Catches Up with You
Complications with an Optimistic Outcome
Eventually We Find Our Way
Hand Covers Bruise, Reprise
3:14 Every Night
Carbon Prevails
Haven't listened to The Social Network soundtrack yet? You can do so on Youtube here. I reckon that this soundtrack is probably one of the best modern soundtracks out there...it's just so damn perfect for the movie!
The Black Swan soundtrack by Clint Mansell (inspired by the work of Tchaikovsky) is one which I bought pretty much straight after I watched the movie around Oscar time. While most of this score is basically Tchaikovsky's work, Mansell does some amazing things with it, such as playing the Swan Lake songs in a distorted manner and giving his own paranoid twist to them. Two of my particular favourites are:
Perfection- This song is probably my favourite because it is the exact music played from the time Nina kisses Thomas to the very end. And if you've seen the film, then you know the ending is pretty damn epic, but still very beautiful. In five minutes, this song seems to capture every emotion that little Nina could possibly be going through at that point. Which makes for an amazing, heart-stopping and pretty song which is the perfect end to an almost perfect film.
Opposites Attract- Okay, so this song is the one that is played during that sex scene between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. But it is also the song which is played in the trailer, which I heard a lot when I was at work, therefore my ears really warmed to the song. It's a pretty cool song which has this really weird strain of evil in it...very good, very good.
In Kick-Ass there were two very awesome John Murphy songs which were incidentally both in Danny Boyle movies.
The first is Kaneda's Death, Pt. 2 (Adagio in D Minor), which is from one of the most underrated movies ever, Sunshine. It can be seen in Kick-Ass when Hit-Girl is trying to save Big Daddy...what an epic moment. If any of you keep up with the trailers, then you'll probably recognise it from The Adjustment Bureau's trailer. This is one stirring song which always makes me feel like someone on the moon bouncing around. Don't judge me.
The second in In the House - In a Heartbeat, from the scene where Jim is trying to save himself and his friends. The song starts out all nice, but then it goes totally badass at the end making for the perfect track to go with any action sequence. Which is shown in Kick-Ass, too, as this song is used in a scene which nearly made me forgive Nicolas Cage for all of his past mistakes: the one where he is setting fire to the warehouse. So badass.
Another Clint Mansell song that I really like is Lux Aeternafrom Requiem for a Dream. Of course, this song is pretty much a staple for any movie lover as it is now used everywhere. But who remembers it in Requiem? That traumatic piece of music backing an already traumatic scene. While I'd like to blame Darren Aronofsky for wrecking my life forever after watching that movie, I think it's all Mansell's fault. This song still terrifies me.
The Theme from Schindler's List is a particular favourite of mine, too. Well, obviously, since the movie just so happens to be one of my favourites and John Williams' score work couldn't have been more impeccable. With Itzhak Perlman playing the violin, Williams manages to put every shred of pain, sadness and the heroism from Oskar Schindler into this achingly beautiful piece of music. It always makes me feel like crying, usually because when I hear this song I always think of Oskar saying "I could have done more!"
And just for randomness, here are some songs which I like that just so happen to be in movies (but they're not from scores or anything like that):
Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap - from (500) Days of Summer
Black Sheep by Metric - from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Hero by Regina Spektor - from (500) Days of Summer
Letters from the Sky by Civil Twilight - from I Am Number Four (movie sucks, the song is amazing)
I'll Try Anything Once by The Strokes - from Somewhere
Where is My Mind? by The Pixies - from Fight Club
La Boquilla (Dixone Remix) by Bomba Estereo - from Limitless
Stand Up by The Prodigy - from Kick-Ass
Little Green Bag by George Baker Selection - from Reservoir Dogs
You've Got Me Wrapped Around Your Little Finger by Beth Rowley - from An Education
What are some of your favourite pieces of music from the movies?
It's been a while since I have gone on about Cillian Murphy, the man who held my heart for the majority of late last year. So yeah, he's the next subject for my "5 reasons", as seen with the Amy Adams post I did last week.
1. Those blue eyes.
It's pretty much impossible not to love Cillian Murphy's eyes. They're like the ocean sparkling under the sun on a warm, summery day. In fact, no similie can sum up the beauty of his eyes. So I'm not even going to try describe them in any other way.
I will say, though, that I'm sure his eyes are 95% of the reason why I keep crying at the end of Inception because Wally Pfister captures them in the most beautiful way.
2. You name it, he's probably tried it.
Cillian isn't an actor who likes to play the same sort of roles. He isn't the type of actor that you 'expect' things from. Cillian has been one of the last people surviving in a horror movie (28 Days Later...); he has tried to save the world (Sunshine); he's been forced to break up his father's company through a dream (Inception); he's played a psycho nutter direct from a comic book (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight); he has played a guy who spends most of his life dressing like a girl (Breakfast on Pluto); he dressed as a girl in oder to play a deranged man with split personalities (Peacock); he was the calm one in crisis (TRON: Legacy); he's been a dazed romantic lead (Watching the Detectives); he terrorized Rachel McAdams on a plane (Red Eye); he fought against his brother for Ireland's freedom (The Wind that Shakes the Barley); he turned cold and distant after returning from the war (The Edge of Love); he was a sympathetic man during a war (Cold Mountain); and he even learnt how to butcher meat, even though he is really a vegetarian (Girl with a Pearl Earring). Need any more proof?
3. He's a very pretty girl.
Cillian has donned the girly clothing twice on film: first for Breakfast on Pluto (which he was nominated for a Golden Globe for) and then for the little seen thriller Peacock. First of all, Cillian is very good at playing the part of a girl. In Breakfast on Pluto, he's very flamboyant and doesn't take himself - or the world - very seriously. But that's just the part of Patrick 'Kitten' Braden, who had a colourful outlook on life, no matter what kind of bad stuff is happening. In Peacock, however, he's at the other end of the spectrum. Here he plays a man, John, who the small town get to know as a very private banker, who is a little odd and frayed around the edges. But when he gets home, he deals with his other personality, Emma, who ends up controlling John's life. Where Kitten was out-going and flamboyant, Emma/John were mainly just left in their house, living their private lives, and neither of the personalities wanted their secret to be revealed. And let's be honest, Cillian can play these strange parts amazingly. It also helps that he actually suits looking girly, too.
4. How strange he is in Watching the Detectives
The movie itself is pretty mediocre, but if you look at the rest of Cillian's filmography, you'd think that a romantic comedy would be something he'd steer clear from. No, not Sir Cillian. He basically plays my dream guy: he works at a video shop which has every single video/DVD ever created, he knows lots about movies and he also goes into another video shop and swaps all the cases and DVDs around. Cillian really lets go in this movie and basically makes the two dimensional role of a confused lovesick puppy actually work, to a degree. It's strange to watch him being so funny, but jeez, if you get a minute, Cilly, can you do another romantic comedy? Cheers mate.
5. He continues to be the underrated gem, and it's good that way.
Yes, Cillian has had a career spanning around ten years, and yes, he has been awesome for a very long time. But there are only a select few who know that and are behind Cillian's every move (which would be me, since I watched a large majority of his filmography in a week), and we all know that he's one of the best actors alive. However, Cillian is a modest guy, who will always pick the strangest projects to work with and he will make them work. People will keep misunderestimating him and continue to ignore some Oscar-worthy performances (like the ones he did in Peacock or maybe even The Edge of Love, even though that movie was pretty disappointing). But that's okay, because it's underrated actors like him who make the world go 'round.
What are your thoughts on Cillian Murphy? Got any favourite performances of his?
I watched a few Cillian Murphy movies this week, with some other films thrown into the mix. Oh, Cillian Murphy week runs into next week too...so many movies, not enough days...
The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006)My first R15 for my fifteenth birthday...just a shame that for my 16th birthday I won't be watching my first R16. I think that happened when I was like 10 years old...6/10
Mean Girls (2004)The. Best. High. School. Movie. Ever. Oh, it's one of my favourite films of all time too. 10/10
Inception (2010)The third and probably final time I watch this movie in a while. This blog features some pretty intense actor/character stories, so definitely read this if you have seen the movie! 10/10
Dear John (2010)I don't think watching this after watching Inception did it any favours...but it's a Nicholas Sparks adaption, so how could I possibly like it?! 4/10
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)It is still really bothering me that Cillian Murphy is a much prettier girl then I will ever be. Someone should really get me some blue contacts one day and I might have a chance. 7/10
Sunshine (2007)Cillian Murphy saves the world! And scares me off R13 movies for the rest of my life. 8/10
Cold Mountain (2003)One of the most down to Earth romance movies I have ever seen. Otherwise, what I like to call the R16 version of Gone with the Wind. 10/10
Ocean's Eleven (2001)Filled with Hollywood's cool cats and all the fun one with a bowl of popcorn could hope for...8/10
The best week ever. Yes, that is because Cillian Murphy was in most of the movies I saw this week. And I got to watch Inception again with all my friends.
Highlight: Duh. Going to the city with my friends for my birthday.
Lowlight: My actual birthday? Nah, it was a pretty good week for me.
Another day...another Cillian Murphy movie. Even though this looked totally wrong for me, considering it's a sci-fi film about the near end of the world, I still managed to enjoy it. And I'm not just saying that because Cillian Murphy and his beautiful eyes were in it... In the future, the sun is dying and Earth lives another glacial period. After the failure of the Icarus Mission, a team of eight astronauts are sent to the sun in the Icarus II Mission to explode a weapon generating a supernova within the sun in the last hope of planet Earth. However, when a crew-member commits a mistake in the operation of the aircraft shield, he jeopardizes the survival of the group.
Sunshine is more than the average sci-fi fare, and has a lot more to it than the others which seem to over react to the event of the end of the world. First thing: the sun is dying. Scientists are actually thinking that this may happen. Sure, some think 2012 is going to happen, but after that movie, I don't think I can even believe in that theory. With this one, it doesn't really show the effects of the sun not shining on Earth, but instead follows the story of the crew who are trying to save humanity by reigniting the sun. Which brings me to the second thing: it has a relitavely unknown cast (well, not in film world, but I doubt many of the normal people would know who half of the cast is), and we can believe in them. Have you noticed how all these other apocalyptic tales are headlined by people who are famous for being famous (cough, Will Smith)? They always look like they are either in it so the makers can get some money or the actors want the money themselves. However, with Sunshine, the hero of the story is really Capa, who is played by Cillian Murphy. I'm not being bias, but he is the hero I have been searching for. Sure, at the start he's one of those people who are too smart for their own good and is a bit arrogant because of it, but in the end I was feeling like our future was in his hands and I had full confidence in him. And for once, he was a believable hero.
One of the coolest things about Sunshine was the awesome cinematography and the way Danny Boyle could capture emotions on camera. Because of the way this was made, I was scared out of my boots about what would happen next...it had such an intense feeling of loneliness because they were in space with no real contact from Earth, and I felt a part of it. The way it twists and turns was simply amazing, making it a specific must-see sci-fi.
Terrifying sci-fi that captures emotion and our future in a way that is too rarely used...truly unique. Not to mention the stunning performance from Cillian Murphy.
