Album Review: The Sex and the City Movie Soundtrack

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:30:00 -0700

I was lucky enough to take an advance spin of the new soundtrack for the Sex and the City movie and I immediately thought of good times with girlfriends. In aggregate, it's not entirely a get-up-and-shake-your-booty kind of mix, but just a cool bunch of songs about love and friendship. I think it would be quite perfect for the background music at a hip wedding shower actually.

The soundtrack is packed with a bunch of recognizable names, like Jennifer Hudson, whose tune "All Dressed in Love" is a cute, uptempo disco anthem that reminds me of the exuberance found in "It's Raining Men." Morningwood's (ha! That name!) "New York Girls" is not my favorite, and if I were in charge of finding a good retro-rock vibe for the album (or the movie) I would have gone with Franz Ferdinand or even the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. That and the smooth techno beats in "I Like the Way" by Kaskade are the kinds of tracks mixed between better songs that give the whole thing the "background music" vibe I'm talking about.

To check out who else is included and the rest of my thoughts, read more.

I love The Weepies' sweet little "All This Beauty," as well as the lovely and intimate cover of "How Deep Is Your Love" by The Bird & The Bee. And I'm always glad when Jem shows up on soundtracks, as she tends to do (The O.C., Six Feet Under) and her song "It's Amazing" fits right in with the rest. As does India Arie's cover of "Heart of the Matter" (featured in the trailer) which is a pleasant take on Don Henley's hit.

One song that sticks out like a sore thumb is Fergie's "Labels Or Love," which thankfully comes first so you can skip over it and not worry about it randomly rearing its ridiculous head in the middle of an otherwise great album. It's just a little too Fergalicious for my taste and makes me feel like I've accidentally wandered into an Abercrombie & Fitch store at the mall. Finally, there are some oldies but goodies in there that I thought were interesting, like the Run-D.M.C. and Areosmith duet "Walk This Way" and a nice Joss Stone-Al Green duet of the classic "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" (uh-oh! Foreshadowing?).

The album will be released on May 27.

Precious: A Dark Tale With a Hopeful Light

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

When Precious first caused rumblings at Sundance, I thought, "There is no way I'm seeing this film." There are certain things that I find uncomfortable to watch - pregnant teens, abuse, Mariah Carey. But I'm so glad I did. Because despite its drawbacks on paper, Precious provides a big payback to those who watch it. It's one of those few unforgettable films that stays with you days later - for better and for worse.

Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Precious follows the story of Claireece Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), an overweight high school student who is pregnant for the second time by her father and living with her abusive mother, Mary (Mo'Nique). She struggles at school, because on top of her circumstances, she's also coasted through the system without ever learning how to read. So after the news of her recent pregnancy reaches the administration, she enrolls in a special program to get her GED.

I realize that by now you're probably nixing this one as a weepy, formulaic melodrama, but hear me out. As you may have gleaned from my interviews with its stars, the film is indeed a hopeful story at its heart, so to see what I mean, read more.

Part of the story's positivity is thanks to Precious's new teacher, Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), and an almost unrecognizable Mariah Carey as her social worker, Mrs. Reiss. Both women reach out to Precious and uncover a girl with joy despite her abuse - but the tension at home with her mother continues to climb.

As you might expect, many of the scenes between Precious and her mother are incredibly difficult to watch, but the saving grace is director Lee Daniels. He weaves in daydreams during the most brutal scenes, transforming Precious into a movie star or a popular girl with a good-looking boyfriend. These diversions are how Precious copes, and like her aspirations, you begin to yearn for her happy ending, too.

Newcomer Gabby Sidibe portrays Precious with an understated realism that's remarkably convincing, and Mariah Carey delivers a restrained performance. But the real eye-opener here is Mo'Nique. As Precious's mother, she is raw, always spitting out vile words - and she is easily one of the most bone-chilling villains of the year. Mary truly believes that Precious deserves the hand that hits her due to her own mixed-up past.

After you leave the theater, Precious will have made an impact on you. You will feel uncomfortable in parts, you will cringe, and you may just hate it for putting you through the turmoil. But keep watching, because there is strength and spirit to be found even in the bleak subject matter - and perhaps a few award nods.