Movie Recommendations With Oscar Nominated Songs: Glenn Hansard, Barry Manilow, Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin

"FALLING SLOWLY"    GLENN HANSARD and MARKETA IRGLOVA  From "Once"

Steven Spielberg said after seeing the movie "Once", he was energized to continue making films.  A super low budget love story set in Dublin between a vacuum repairman who'd rather be singing his songs meets a single mother who believes in his talent.   The movie is simple but overflowing with heart, emotions, and highly recommended if you missed it.   "Once" was adapted to Broadway and won a Tony Award last Sunday.  The song "Falling Slowly" was used in a great scene where they stumble into a piano store and they first play music together.

"READY TO TAKE A CHANCE AGAIN"   BARRY MANILOW from "FOUL PLAY"
One of the funniest movies of the 70's, "Foul Play" starred Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, & a great scene with Dudley Moore.    The movie was a mix of a comedy/thriller.   The plot line sounds ridiculous, a roll of film smuggled into a cigarette carton, warnings of "Remember the dwarf", a plan to assassinate the Pope, and an albino bad guy.   But the film is ridiculously funny and keeps your attention.  Shot in San Fransisco, this was Chevy and Goldie at their best.   They teamed up again for the fittingly titled "Seems Like Old Times". 

"SEPARATE LIVES"  PHIL COLLINS and MARILYN MARTI from "White Nights"

A very underrated film from 1985 was "White Nights" starring Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, and Helen Mirren.   Obviously having two of the greatest dancers of the 20th Century in the same film, the theme of the movie revolved around dance.  A Russian who defected to the U.S. had his plane suddenly having to land back in Siberia, after being recognized by a KGB officer, he's got to find a way out of Russia.  What about his family and the woman he loves that he left behind in the USSR?  There is a great love story with the beautiful Isabella Rossellini, espionage, friction between Mikhail and Gregory (an American who defected to Russia), and two songs from this film got nominated for Oscar.  "Separate Lives" written by Stephen Bishop and the Oscar Winning Song, "Say You Say Me" by Lionel Richie.

JT At The Piano (Links Fixed) : Justin Timberlake, (rare) Tina Turner with Antonio Banderas, Bone Thugs & Harmony (Ft. Phil Collins), and Sean Paul

"ANOTHER SONG"   JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

Here's Justin at the piano conjuring up his best Marvin Gaye imitation.   It's soulful, passionate, understated, and stands out in stark contrast to the other songs on his FutureSex / LoveSounds CD.    At 4:10, his falsetto takes over, a shining moment in Justin's discography.   It's hard to think of anyone escaping the "boy band" image better than Justin has done.   

"WILDEST DREAMS"  TINA TURNER with ANTONIO BANDERAS

Blissful abandon, passion, losing yourself in the moment, vocally Tina Turner at her sexiest.   The title track from her 1996 CD features vocals by Antonio Banderas.   Two versions were recorded, the popular version featuring Barry White and this rare version released to Spanish markets.  Be sure and play it until the end when Antonio starts whispering sweet nothings in Spanish.  

   
"HOME"  BONE THUGS N HARMONY (Ft. Phil Collins)

Combining pop hooks with hip hop isn't new yet there is something magical in this mix.  The audio engineers seamlessly mixed the smooth, inspirational yet lightning fast freestyle raps of Cleveland's Bone Thugs N Harmony with Phil Collins' classic, "Take Me Home" from Sussudio.   Love the powerful message of the lyrics and the blending of  genres. 
   

        

"SHE DOESN'T MIND"                  SEAN PAUL

Not a Sean Paul fan, his sound is reggae-lite. Crossover radio airplay seems to be his focus and traditional Jamaican dancehall artists criticize his style.   But this song while very repetitive is fun and it really makes me spend more time in the airport.  Who knew that airport security had the best job in the world?  :)