Tom Waits Film Cameo Compilation pt.3 [F24c]

Our third cameo compilation episode concludes Song by Song's journey through the film work of Tom Waits, with Leigh, Martin and Sam touching on the last decade of his screen appearances. This week considers Twixt (2011), The Laughing Heart (2003/2012), The Simpsons (2013), Citizen (2016), The Moon's Milk (2018), The Ultra City Smiths (2021), Licorice Pizza (2021) and a few others. Please pick up any spilled popcorn as you leave folks…

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Tom Waits - The Acting Years, Leigh Singer supercut (2019)

Twixt Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Francis Ford Coppola, 2011)

The Laughing Heart, from Bukowski: Born Into This, via YouTube (dir. John Dullaghan, 2003)

Bukowski: Born Into This (full documentary), via YouTube (dir. John Dullaghan, 2003)

The Laughing Heart (animated short), via YouTube (dir. Bradley Bell, 2011)

A Brief History Of John Baldessari, via YouTube (dir. Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman, 2012)

Website of Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, director of Citizen (2016) - clip of Waits in the pilot here.
The Moon's Milk, via YouTube (dir. Ri Crawford, 2018)

The Distance Of The Moon, Italo Calvino short story (1965/1968)
La Luna, Pixar short animation, via YouTube (dir. Enrico Casarosa, 2011)

Ultra City Smiths Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Steve Conrad and David H Brooks, 2021)

Licorice Pizza Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021)

Excerpts from Licorice Pizza featuring Tom Waits, via YouTube (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2021)


(Meet Me In) Paradise Alley, Paradise Alley OST, Tom Waits (1978)

Log into the Spotify web player to hear these tracks.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (film, dir. Coppola, 1992) [F12]

For the last episode of our 2020 film mini-season, we welcome back Helen Zaltzman and Jenny Owen Youngs (of The Allusionist, Buffering The Vampire Slayer, and Veronica Mars Investigates) for a somewhat contentious discussion of this vampire-staple retelling. With some strong feelings and heavy levels of confusion, as well as a solo outing by Sam as guy-who-can-find-a-positive-in-almost-anything, Song by Song… well, we kind of get this one out of the way. Sorry to all the big fans, we did our best to find a balanced response, it just wasn't loved OK WHAT'S NEXT?

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Dracula Trailer, via YouTube (dir. Francis Ford Coppola 1992)

The Costumes Are The Sets - the design of Eiko Ishioka (via YouTube)

In Camera - the naive visual effects of Bram Stoker's Dracula (via YouTube)

Log into the Spotify web player to hear these tracks.

Rumble Fish (film, dir. Coppola, 1983) [F02]

Kevin Smokler rejoins Martin & Sam for another dip into a teen-drama Hinton/Coppola/Dillon collaboration, as Song by Song takes a look at 1983's Rumble Fish. There's some discussion about the acting styles of the Dillon/Rourke/Hopper family, the symbolism of elements like colour and sound (as well as the relationship between Rusty James and his brother), as well as the theatrical/dream-like quality of the film in general.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
Rumble Fish trailer, via YouTube (dir. Coppola, 1983)

Don't Box Me In, Rumble Fish OST, Stan Ridgway/Stewart Copeland (1983)

… and check out Kevin's book Brat Pack America: A Love Letter to '80s Teen Movies at Amazon or Amazon UK, or perhaps at your local brick-and-mortar bookseller.

The Outsiders (film, dir. Coppola, 1983) [F01]

To educate us all on the history of the Brat Pack, Sam & Martin welcome Kevin Smokler to take a look at Coppola's adaptation of S.E Hinton's coming of age novel, The Outsiders. While Kevin educates us as to the historical and social context of this story, we also debate the success of the scoring choices, try to chart Coppola's creative/commercial rise and fall, and get confused about fires in schoolhouses or churches.

Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include:
The Outsiders trailer, via YouTube (dir. Coppola, 1983)

Stay Gold, The Complete Stevie Wonder, Stevie Wonder (1983/2005)

… and check out Kevin's book Brat Pack America: A Love Letter to '80s Teen Movies at Amazon or Amazon UK, or perhaps at your local brick-and-mortar bookseller.