reviews
Reviews: music & fashion
MUSIC
Corpse Bride Soundtrack
Danny Elfman
★★★
To begin with, there is no Corpse Bride without Danny Elfman. He writes the lyrics, sings the songs and composes the music. Nothing in this movie
works without the musical genius that is Elfman.
Except for the few of us who have been living under a rock for the last 15 years, we're all familiar with Mr. Elfman's illustrious composing resume. Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Batman franchise; the
guy has done everything. He's sort of my personal hero, so to say that I was excited to see a movie that he had such an imperative hand in making is a bit of an understatement.
Luckily, Elfman doesn't disappoint. The music perfectly matches director Tim Burton's visuals and ideas. Every harrowing picture Burton conjures is expertly coupled with a dark, moody tune. But soon, we see that Elfman's work is so much more than a background element.
As the movie progresses, the musical aspect becomes a character of its own. Burton has invested so much of this movie's feel and themes into Elfman's music. Victoria and Emily, after all, fall in love with the main character, Victor, because of how beautifully he plays the
piano.
So, what you have here is a tormented, shy protagonist, who doesn't have much screen dialogue to convince the
audience that he has depth, especially considering that the casting choice of Johnny Depp leaves no room for Victor to sing any songs of his own.
The only form of explication that the women in Victor's life, and consequently the audience, have to judge him by is
Elfman's music. Victor's piano playing had to be haunting and profound. It had to all at once persuade us to take stock in Victor. This would be an insurmountable task for a novice composer, but not for Elfman.
From the first note of the second track, "Victor's Piano Solo," the audience is enamored with Victor. His song injects an automatic, undeniable feeling of empathy for Victor - a must for any protagonist.
If you appreciate the form of musical expression that Elfman has so adeptly mastered, then please do yourself a favor and pick up The Corpse Bride soundtrack. You'd have to be dead to not like it.
FASHION
- Matt Sevcik
Fall fashion preview
Fall officially arrived exactly one week ago and I thought it would be fitting to give a synopsis of what's on the runways of the most noted design-
ways or the most desirableers. Personally, fall is the best season in the fashion world; its colors are vibrant, its styles are classic and its wardrobe range is plentiful.
At the 2005 Fall Fashion Week in New York, designers showcased spectacular garments that mimicked those of the mid-20th century. The following is a rundown of the highlights. Diane von Furstenberg's collection features paisleys, circles, diamond shapes and ruffles turned plain-Jane skirts into couture bottoms. Oscar de la Renta is using heavy, geometric designs and gemstone colors in his ensembles. And Carolina Herrera is mixing sleek, A-line skirts with small jackets to create a sophisticated look. Another major motif in the collections of Fashion Week was the trench coat. Long and luxurious, the coats of Christian Dior
and Stella McCartney are facets in their respective styles. Stella is using a lot of natural fabrics in her trendy, tweed
coats and Dior's use of brown and black exudes his simplified fall collection. I also noticed an abundance of boots on the runways. Chic, fabulous boots of suede, leather and alligator graced the collections of Dior, de la Renta and McCartney.
The beauty of these three key items is that they are versatile. Whether you're dressing up for a date or hitting the bars, boots, coats and
skirts will help to solve your seasonal fashion woes. To put it in more simple terms, if you have a great coat, a pair of hot boots and some sleek skirts, you're ready for a stylish Autumn 2005.
- Chris Horn
Chris Horn photo courtesy of www.style.com from Fall Christian Dior collection
09. 29.05 Jayplay|21