 Soundtrack
to Man on the Moon (Warner 1999) - "Man on the Moon"
is the long-awaited film biography of Andy Kaufman,
starring Jim Carrey and directed by Academy Award
winner Milos Forman.
The soundtrack is terrific. The movie blows chunks. Sure, there
are a few good moments, such as the funeral scene and the touching Carnegie Hall performance.
 But
overall, it is like another critic said: Andy Kaufman wasn't funny
when he was alive, and he's not funny now. The
film ranks as a big disappointment for Jim Carrey fans.
Nevertheless, the soundtrack stands on its own. Opening with the "Mighty Mouse" theme (as used by Andy
Kaufman on his appearance on the debut episode of Saturday
Night Live), the soundtrack also includes two songs by R.E.M.: "The Great Beyond" and the classic "Man on
the Moon," taken from their 1992 album, Automatic for the People.
 Says R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, "It was interesting
to work on a project where music was not the final result. Our goal was not to please ourselves or make beautiful
songs. It was to create an element that would fit into the whole."
And on that level, Man on the Moon works in spades.
Viewed as a 40-minute soundtrack to the life of Andy Kaufman, the album
is a great success.
 Yet
as a memento of the film,
the soundtrack is an odd lot, as the last song ("One More Song for You"), as performed by Andy
Kaufman, does not appear until deep into the ending credits, long after most of the audience has left the theater.
In addition, the soundtrack version of "This Friendly World" is performed by R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe, Kaufman and his alter ego, the foul Tony Clifton. Yet in the film, "This Friendly World" is
a performance by Kaufman alone, recorded for use on a Saturday Night Live segment.
 Yet
I really like the soundtrack. Says Michael Stipe, "We were in on it from the beginning. We were in the studio
watching scenes from the movie and trying to come up with music that would be appropriate, to help move the story
along and provide background."
And on that level, Man on the Moon is a brilliant success. Andy
Kaufman remains an enigmatic performer (listen to the story that Laurie
Anderson tells about his escapades at a New York amusement park for a glimpse of his warped version of "theater
of the living"). Yet the soundtrack ties together his life in a moving fashion. Skip the movie, buy Man
on the Moon.
 Aimee
Mann, Soundtrack to Magnolia (Reprise
1999) - "Magnolia" is the new film from director Paul Thomas Anderson (director of the
unsettling, "Boogie Nights").
The new film has a large cast, including Tom Cruise, Jason
Robards, Williams H. Macy, and Julianne Moore,
blending a set of chances, coincidences and simple twists of fate.
The soundtrack is a tremendous return to form
by Aimee Mann, best known as the lead singer for the 80s Boston band, Til Tuesday (listen for her great 1988
album about her breakup with Jules Shear
called Everything's Different Now). Aimee, who is now married to singer and composer Michael Penn, had drifted on her last albums,
including I'm With Stupid (1995).
 Yet with the soundtrack to Magnolia, Aimee
finds herself again writing the emotionally complex songs that mark her best work. The soundtrack includes eight
original songs from Aimee and Aimee's cover of
"One" (the sappy song by Harry Nillsson).
Also on the soundtrack are two Supertramp
classics from 1979 ("Goodbye Stranger" and "Logical Song"), and selections from the film's
score composed by Jon Brion.
Says director Anderson, "In my screenplay, the character Claudia says, 'Now that I've met you, would you object
to never seeing me again?' I did not write that line. Aimee
Mann wrote that line as the opening for her song, 'Deathly,' and I wrote backwards from that line."
 For the first 2½ hours, the film is a gripping piece of human drama, with great
performances from Philip Baker Hall
as Jimmy Gator, the dying talk show host, and Melinda Dillon as his distraught wife. Yet director
Paul Thomas Anderson couldn't figure out
how to resolve the tension, so he wrecked the film with a stupid plot device.
And I'll give it away here, because it's so dumb: When the pot is ready to boil, frogs (big ones!) start to rain
from the sky. According to director Anderson, "It could happen." Sorry Paul: frog rain is preposterous,
and destroys the film's credibility.
 Contrast "Magnolia" to "Interiors," another tight human drama. The difference is
that Woody Allen never lets
up in "Interiors" - there's no
punchline, no jabs: Just the straight-on noir of life.
Another gripe: Because the film clocks in at more than three hours, Aimee
Mann's songs (as reflected on the soundtrack) appear during only portions of the movie (a disappointment).
Further, the two Supertramp songs are spoiled by their use in a swarmy gay bar.
 With
songs like "Build That Wall" (a terrific single) and "Save Me," Aimee Mann shows flair in the
territory occupied by Natalie Merchant. With
a down-tempo folk style and use of minor keys, Mann paints on a rich canvas.
A welcome return from a wayward voice, Magnolia
should be found by fans of smart pop.
 Disney
Studios, Fantasia 2000 (Disney Records 1999) - Originally
released in theaters in 1941, the film "Fantasia" did not turn a profit for nearly 30 years. With such
segments as "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," the film is now considered a classic,
headlined on the original soundtrack by the Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Leopold
Stokowski.
Now set for release on the Imax big screen, Fantasia 2000
is an all new original motion picture soundtrack, based around seven new animated segments.
 The music
that inspires Fantasia 2000 includes
Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5" (Just the
Introduction), a selection from "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin, and a selection
from "Piano Concerto No. 2" by Shostakovich.
The soundtrack was performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as conducted by James Lavine.
Yeffin Bronfman is the soloist on the Shostakovich concerto, and soprano Kathleen
Battle is heard in the new arrangement of Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance Marches."
Pianist Gail Niwa and Phillip L. Sabransky perform in the finale to Saint-Saens'
"Carnival of the Animals."
 Pianist
Ralph Grierson, (soloist with the Philharmonia Orchestra) is featured in the Gershwin segment,
while Leopard Stokowski conducted the returning classic, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Dukas.
Also included is the "Firebird Suite - 1999 Version" by Stravinsky.
According to lore, Walt Disney intended Fantasia to be a work in progress. Enjoy the world-renowned music on Fantasia
2000.
- Randy Krbechek © 2000
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