Customer Reviews

All the Real Girls

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those who, like myself, can't get the words, images, and sounds of David Gordon Green's lovely, lyrical film "All The Real Girls" out of their heads, the soundtrack to the film is the perfect remedy. Just as Green has shown his expertise in writing and creating films, he does an equally excellent job in choosing the musical accompaniment for them. The sountrack to "All the Real Girls" is simply haunting - one, for the songs that are beautifully moving, and two, for the way that it brings to life the feel of the film. Just listen to Will Oldham's "All These Vicious Dogs" (the song that opens the film and the album) - it is stark, pure, raw, and almost creepy in the way that it sneaks beneath the listener's skin. The other songs featured in the film are equally good, especially the Creekdippers' "Cactus Wren," which is perhaps the finest song on the album. "Cactus Wren" comes at a time in the film that makes it especially effective, and it's so beautiful it almost hurts to listen to it on the CD. An additional joy of the CD comes with the songs not prominently featured in the film: Isaac Freeman's soulful "Beautiful Stars," and Pyramid's "Body On Fire." The songs vary in a way that make the album more than just a collection of indie songs for an indie film - the stylistic gap between "Beautiful Stars" and "I Wanna Dance 4U" is HUGE, but they both seem to fit under the same roof thanks to Green's visionary film. All in all, the "All The Real Girls" soundtrack accomplishes the goal of any great film companion piece - it is great in relation to the movie, and it can also stand perfectly well on its own. Whether a fan of "Girls" or not, the soundtrack is an endlessly fascinating listen. One note of caution, though: you will be moved.

1 Will Oldham: All These Vicious Dogs
2 Isaac Freeman: Beautiful Stars
3 Michael Linnen & David Wingo: Hottub
4 Sparklehorse: Sea Of Teeth
5 Michael Linnen & David Wingo: Cantus For Bob Hardison
6 Mogwai: Fear Satan (Remix)
7 Paul Jones: Goin' Back Hme
8 Steady Baker / Pyramid: Body On Fire
9 Pyramid: Streets Were Raining
10 Michael Linnen & David Wingo: I Wanna Dance 4U
11 Mark Olson and Creekdippers, The: Cactus Wren
12 Promise Ring, The: Say Goodbye Good

What Matthew Burns said + the excellent Explosions in the Sky song "the moon is down" was also in this movie, but didnt make the soundtrack, so download it and add it to your iPod playlist for the ST.

...you will most likely enjoy this sountrack. listening to this cd you can almost retrace the precise scenes of the movie. it evokes those same melancholy yet strangely uplifting emotions. my only disappointment with the soundtrack was the exclusion of one particular track. it's the one where paul and his mom are dressed in clown costumes and dance for the children at the hospital. unfortunately i don't know what this song is called or who it is by. it was upbeat and a little more lively, and had it been included would have made for appropriate sountrack (assuming you agree that a soundtrack a collection of songs to represent the movie it is based on). it could have helped to convey the more light-hearted parts of the film. by the way, does anyone know what this song is...?

I am not the kind of person to spend copious amounts of money on the soundtracks to films I find moving. I love Rocky, for example, but I would rather hear the highly inspirational "Gonna Fly Now" instead of having to skip however many James Brown songs it takes to get to it on the official soundtrack. With that said, the only soundtrack I have ever purchased in my 22 years of life is "All the Real Girls."

The film hit close to home, carrying with it all the weight of past love. The film is so honest and accurate that words cannot describe its perfection. I must put forth the opinion that the soundtrack works in just the same way for me.

When I hear the heavy Oldham track "All These Vicious Dogs" I am lost in the haunting tones. Whenever Isaac Freeman's "Beautiful Stars" continues the experience, I find myself missing the faith of my youth. By the time "Say Goodbye Good" reaches my ears, the reverie in which I have lost myself seems complete. That last track is such a statement, so fitting to the film's conclusion that it's almost impossible to separate the song from recollections of the film.

Beautiful soundtrack. Beautiful film.

it hurts me to give this soundtrack the lowest rating yet, since the movie--after watching it only twice--has become so dear to me as to give _amelie_ a run for its money. david gordon greene's story of young love touched me profoundly, spoke to me in my language, but unfortunately, i can't say the same for the soundtrack. of course, it works splendidly as a soundtrack, but not so well, i think, as an album of songs. i got it mainly for the promise ring tune that plays during the credits: "say goodbye good," which is fantastically gorgeous, and the opening song, "all these vicious dogs" by will oldham, a musician i'm loving more and more the more i listen to him. in between are an odd batch of soundscapes and mellow folksy pop tunes. overall, a pleasing listen, but a couple more mellow folk-pop tunes would have done well in place of the mogwai track, which, at 7 or 8 minutes--and no melody--seriously breaks the flow.