К основному контенту

Empire Records May Have Flopped But The Soundtrack Didn't

"Empire Records" is a movie that not a ton of people saw, but many of us who came up in the late '90s/early aughts remember the 1995 film quite fondly. The movie was directed by Allan Moyle (who will always be my hero for giving us "Pump Up the Volume") from a screenplay by Carol Heikkinen. It centers on a day -- Rex Manning Day! -- in the life of a ragtag group of record store employees as they try to stop their shop, Empire Records, from becoming just another Music Town.

I worked at an independent music store in the early 2000s, one that was doomed to eventually be sold to a large chain. I have clear memories of all of us saying, "Damn the man. Save the Empire!" on more than one occasion. Sadly, there was no saving CD World and we were all soon out of a job when TransWorld turned the shop into an FYE — not that that place was long for this world either.

"Empire Records" has a much happier ending, which is great, since one can't help but root for this lovable crew, played by Anthony LaPaglia, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry, Liv Tyler, Robin Tunney, Johnny Whitworth, and Renée Zellweger. The movie may have become a cult classic over time, but in 1995 it was certainly a flop. There was one aspect of "Empire Records," however, that was surprisingly successful, and it couldn't possibly be more on brand for this particular film.

Til I Hear It From You

"Empire Records" was released to mostly negative reviews and made about $150,000 on its opening weekend against a $10 million budget. At the time, Variety called the film a "soundtrack in search of a movie," a sentiment music supervisor Mitchell Leib wouldn't actually find offensive. He told ABC, "My job was to have hit singles and a giant soundtrack that was supposed to not only enhance the playability of the movie, but also was supposed to act as a marketing asset and launch the film."

Leib did indeed have two #1 singles on his hands, with Gin Blossoms' "Til I Hear It From You" and "A Girl Like You" by Edwyn Collins. A&M Records, who was releasing the soundtrack, was so confident in the early success of the songs that they decided to ship three million copies to record stores. That's a big number, considering this was a soundtrack. However, Leib was called into a marketing meeting three weeks before "Empire Records" was set to hit theaters, only to be told the movie was dead in the water. It would have a very limited release before going straight to VHS -- a true death sentence for any film. Leib called this "the biggest nightmare possible" and said the boss of A&M never spoke to him again after Leib broke the bad news.

Sugar High

"Empire Records" may not have found success in theaters, but the soundtrack sold two million copies, which Leib told ABC "is f****** unbelievable for a movie that did $147,000 at the box office." His mind was completely blown when he saw his royalty check. Leib, who would go on to become the President of Music & Soundtracks for Walt Disney Studios, also mentioned that when people see the posters for all the films he's worked on in his office, it's not "Pretty Woman," "Good Morning, Vietnam," or even "Beauty and the Beast" that they get most excited about, but "Empire Records."

The film has so many memorable music scenes, and even an appearance from Gwar, but the most iconic tune is probably "Sugar High." The song was performed at a last-minute benefit to save the store, by Zellweger as Gina and real-life musician Coyote Shivers, who played Berko — and was actually Liv Tyler's stepfather at the time. Written by Shivers, the song had to be censored for the film due its rating. The line "They all said she's just another groupie slut, I said I thought you were anything but" was changed to "They all say life's just a bowl of cherries but sometimes it seems like anything but."

Also featured on the soundtrack were bands such as the Cranberries, Evan Dando (covering Big Star!), and Toad the Wet Sprocket. Honestly, I am physically incapable of changing "Til I Hear It From You" if it plays on the radio — or "Hey Jealousy" for that matter. Music is an important theme in Moyle's work that is evidenced by more than the songs of "Empire Records." "Pump Up the Volume" has an even better soundtrack that includes the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Richard Hell, and Leonard Cohen.

Read this next: 20 Underrated Comedy Movies You Need To Watch

The post Empire Records May Have Flopped But The Soundtrack Didn't appeared first on /Film.

/Film https://ift.tt/rWS5qb3 January 29, 2023 at 11:00AM
Ярлыки:

Комментарии

Отправить комментарий

Популярные сообщения из этого блога

These pants are made with the world’s strongest material woven into its fabric – Graphene

There’s a high chance that the Omega pants will outlive the human race. Now I’m not being a pessimist, I’m just stating that these all-purpose pants come with the toughest ever material known to man woven into its fabric. With a lifetime warranty that should last long enough for it to be passed down multiple generations, the Omega pants were built to literally be worn forever, or quite possibly until the end-times… a little too stark? Maybe, but it drives the point home! Designed for practically any activity that requires pants, the Omega pants by Graphene-X come with a 3-layer fabric that isn’t just destruction-proof, it’s stretchable, waterproof, and has the ability to regulate your body’s temperature so you could potentially wear the same pair of pants while rock-climbing in the sun or on a skiing trip to a snow-capped peak. The pants’ fabric as well as its construction together help it juggle its different roles. Styled like a pair of all-purpose pants with removable leg-pieces, ...
Отправить комментарий
Далее...

A lounge chair you can ‘lean on’

Remember the Ovini Balance Stool from last year? The Sway Chair is the Ovini’s bigger brother with a backrest! Designed to be a lounging chair that has the flexibility of perhaps the beanbag, KI’s Sway Chair comes with a hemispherical base that rests on a freely rotating and swiveling base that has 4 legs. The contact points between the seating area and the base have ball bearings concealed within them that allow you to lean forwards, backwards, or even sideways in the chair, choosing a position that’s comfortable for you. With a simple physical action, you can change the chair from a work-chair to a lounger to lean back and relax in. There’s a certain bit of resistance/friction too, which means the chair retains the position you set it in, rather than swinging willy-nilly. Oh, and this one, unlike the Ovini, also comes with a rather nifty backrest as well as an adjustable foot-stool! Designer: KI Yanko Design https://ift.tt/2y1jNWK September 28, 2018 at 09:02PM
Отправить комментарий
Далее...

Contemporary Chinese Cinema: Shunji Iwai’s Letters from Shanghai

Contemporary Chinese Cinema  is a column devoted to exploring contemporary Chinese-language cinema primarily as it is revealed to us at North American multiplexes. The sneakiest major release of the year is surely the latest from Japanese director Shunji Iwai, whose new movie opens this Friday at a dozen multiplexes around North America courtesy of the distributor China Lion Film. Last Letter is Iwai’s first film made in China, and stars Zhou Xun, who starred in one of last year’s best films, Ann Hui’s Our Time Will Come , which was also distributed here by China Lion. That he would be working in a new country is no surprise: Iwai is one of the more eclectic filmmakers of his generation: having started in TV and video in the early 90s before moving into film, he’s since made documentaries and music videos, science fiction films and anime, epics of modern alienation and ravishingly romantic odes to the wonders of youth and love. His last film, Chang-ok’s Letter , was an hour-long...
Отправить комментарий
Далее...