Review: Hans Zimmer Live in Prague DVD

For me, the score can make or break a film. A good film can be elevated into the realms of greatness by a standout score, and even a poor film can be rescued from being a total disaster if it has some nice music.

Hans Zimmer is a composer who has an impeccable handle on what it means to write music for films. His soundtracks always suit the style, tone and theme of the films they are in. The pieces are easy on the ears and catchy, but they aren’t so carried away with pomp that they draw attention away from the film. Rather, they capture the essence of the story.

Sex and the City 2 Soundtrack Review.

I'm yet to see the film, but rest assured, when it hits UK cinema screens this Friday, I shall be one of the first ones in the queue to see it. Sex and the City is far and away my favourite television programme of all time; I love it so much that I was able to delude myself into thinking that the first film was good. The second film, I'm sure, will be just as pants, if not more so, but such is my love for the franchise and those four New York ladies, that I won't even give a damn. As such, it's a given that I'd grab hold of the soundtrack as soon as it was out.

I wasn't sure about it when I glanced over the tracks, what with its seeming mishmash of gospel choir, power ballads, and smooth jazz, but I soon found that every single song on the soundtrack had something to recommend. My highlight is easily Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mind Part II, which takes the theme from the original, but instead of collaborating with Jay-Z, her piano features prominently here. "Some will sleep tonight with a hunger for more than an empty fridge" is a particularly beguiling song lyric from it. And it is Alicia Keys, who, like Fergie in the first SATC movie, sings to the well-known SATC theme, in a song called Rapture. It's catchy and sassy, not unlike the four protagonists. the Sex and the City men's choir feature with renditions of three songs; If Ever I would Leave You (so-so), and two stronger ones, Sunrise Sunset (the usage of the violin and the call-and-answer is beautiful) as well as 'Till There Was You, a song originally from the 1957 musical The Music Man. Songs from musicals are clearly a popular motif in this soundtrack, as Shayna Steele, Jordan Ballard and Kamilah Marshall cover Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, the show tune from the 1940 musical Pal Joey, to extraordinary effect. My favourite rendition of this song remains Ella Fitzgerald's version, but the girls' delivery of the line "Lost my heart, but what of it. He is cold I agree." is positively haunting.

Other highlights of the soundtrack include Liza Minelli's fun, if not totally polished cover of Beyonce's Single Ladies (yep, you heard right), the original True Colours by Cyndi Lauper, and a collaboration between Jennifer Hudson (who appeared in the first film) and Leona Lewis on Love is Your Colour. But there really is something for everyone; the film takes place in the middle East, and Euphrates Dream by Michael McGregor sets the tone for this aptly. The funniest part of the soundtrack is without a doubt SJP, Kim Catrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristen Davis' complete karoake rendition of I'm a Woman. I love them all deeply, but really loves, don't quit the day job.

Confessions of a Shopaholic OST

The film was actually a lot better than I'd pre-judged it to be from the crappy trailer, but my favourite thing about it (aside from the clothes) was the soundtrack.

01. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Greg Laswell (a stunning cover of Cyndi Lauper's hit in the minor key, Laswell's voice is so rich and full of malaise, he could give Rufus Wainwright a run for his money)
02. Fashion - Lady Gaga (sound like a lot of the stuff on her The Fame CD, but I can't get enough of Lady Gaga so there you go. The bit where she does a litany of designers is the biggest rip-off of Vogue ever, but methinks it works)
03. Uncontrollable - Adrienne Bailon (the director certainly had an uncontrollable urge to play this throughout the film, but I reckon it worked)
04. Calling You - Kate Deluna (this was also over-played throughout the film, but, as with Uncontrollable, I didn't mind)
05. Don't Forget Me - Macy Gray (wonderfully melancholy and sad, suited the scene which it was played in so well)
06. Blue Jeans - Jesse James (sounds like a cross between Christina Aguilera and These Boots were Made for Walking, kind of works)
07. Again - Natasha Bedingfield (nice, sad tune)
08. Stuck with Each Other - Akon, Shontelle (Akon's voice will always evoke memories of "Lonely", but this is a fairly listenable ditty)
09. Bad Girl - Pussycat Dolls (annoyingly catchy. Still ain't forgiven them for fecking up Jai Ho, though)
10. Big Spender - Adrienne Bailon (OK, nothing special)
11. Takes Time to Love - Trey Songz (the opening harp chords sound like a rip-off of the 12. opening of Ne-Yo's "So Sick", bung)
12. Unstoppable - Kat DeLuna (not as good as the other song from her on the OST)
13. Shopaholic Suite - James Newton Howard (the suite for The Devil Wears Prada was far, far stronger)
14. Accessory - Jordyn Taylor (eh)