Movie Moment: (500) Days of Summer

Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer (Mark Webb, 2009).

“Tom meets Summer on January 8th. He knows almost immediately she’s who he’s been searching for. This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story.”

(Summer is the consummate Virgo. Anal in both senses and an overanalytical, old-fashioned, misanthropic commitment-phobe, to boot.)

Pretty much, Nancy Boy. He is the opposite of Summer — oh, noes, but Tom loves her so much, what will happen next?! Can these crazy kids work it out when all the odds and Summer’s lack of romantic soulful feelings to Tom are against them??? Actually, SPOILER, it does not pan out. Major spoiler, really. The ending is optimistic but also underlying it is a cheap joke by its creator, which on reflection aptly typifies the reality of love, doesn’t it?, so I take that back as a criticism; now that I think about it, it almost makes me like the stupid joke more. The complaint I have heard most often is that this movie is good except for them breaking up. I dig what you’re saying but to me it’s like when people complain about the fact that Jo and Laurie in Little Women did not get together — that’s how the world is, sometimes you think a thing should go a way, and it doesn’t, and that’s amor fati; i.e., part of the plan too big for you to understand, for now. I think that’s what makes it good.

Screencaps from this movie are everywhere, but these nifty subtitled ones come courtesy One Day, One Movie. The soundtrack is pretty darned good, too, although I am aware there’s been a weird backlash against it. I’m not good at worrying about people’s opinions of what is cool or not cool within my weird range of musical tastes (she says as George Jones follows The Cardigans which followed Pink Floyd on her iTunes playlist — I truly never know what to expect), so I still strongly advocate you buy or illegally download the soundtrack. At least go to my previous post somewhat related to this issue and get Zooey’s cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “Sugar Town”.

Music Moment: “Sugar Town”

I’m prepping to go to San Jose with Miss D to pick up her gown for the wedding which is Saturday, holy crap, so close. Quick Music Moment because I need to commit to doing these.

So since it was in my head anyway, I thought I’d try something new today by doing a song instead of a band. This catchy and pointless little ditty has had some strange staying power through the decades. This song has been in my head since a heartening conversation I had last night during which I thought, “That’s true: these troubles will not last,” which put the lyrics in my mind.

The song is “Sugar Town,” first recorded by the sultry and petitely blonde Miz Nancy Sinatra. Please enjoy this awesome youtube video of Nance, and dig that rather elaborate intro (it explains why she sits still on rocks and walks around pretty much the rest of the time: because they blew the budget on the damned hot air balloon and using nature as a set is free). Also that is quite the shiny wig. Anywhere, here she is singing the smash hit.

Recently the lovely and talented Miss Zooey Deschanel (also a personal fave from way back, I think for rather obvious reasons, evinced by photo) covered “Sugar Town” in 500 Days of Summer, which Special K and her German friend assured me is rad and is on my to-watch list.

Zooey Deschanel – Sugar Town

I read somewhere that she and the music coordinator were hoping for “These Boots Were Made For Walkin'” but that it was too expensive to get the rights. It’s a shame, because I would’ve liked to hear a genuine voice wrap around that one rather than that atrocious ear-rape released by that talentless Simpson chick not long back. The blonde who is divorced and has big jugs, not the redhead with the nose job who got married to the guyliner boy. Anywhere, that up there is the fantastic Miss Z’s take on “Sugar Town,” and with that I am mainly outie for the day! Love to all.