FEATURES
"Sweet Jane" (Natural Born Killers Version) by the Cowboy Junkies
Remember, back in the day, when Natural Born Killers, the Oliver Stone movie, came out how everyone was so shocked and horrified. People were saying it was the end of human civilization and that dogs would live with cats and up would be down and Oliver Stone was the Great Satan. Well, none of that happened, no matter how much the trainwreck of a movie wanted it. Think about the cast of this movie for a second: Juliette Lewis - Hollywood's signature whacked out woman of the mid-90's, Woody Harrelson - I think he lives in a house made of hemp now, Robert Downey Jr. - he took 10 years off to be high, right? How Oliver Stone ever got a full movie out of the three of them is baffling even to this day. Somehow, Trent Reznor ended up with the duty to curate the soundtrack to the flick (side note: when did it become cool to refer to putting music together for a compilation or a show as "to curate"?) and well, the soundtrack might end of living longer than the film. Trent did a great job collecting songs ranging from his own band's NBK-inspired "Burn" to Leonard Cohen to Dr. Dre to Jello Biafra's Lard to today's spin, the Cowboy Junkies. Sure, the song is a cover of the Velvet Underground, and sure Trent ruins a lot of it by overdubbing some of Woody and Juliet's ... er, Mickey and Mallory's vapid dialog over the top, but the song just drifts through there like a cool breeze on a hot day in the desert. In that, it stands out from the noise. I'm sure if I wanted to waste a few hours and rewatch Natural Born Killers today, I'd be surprised how tame the darn film seems, especially after watching bloodfests like 28 Weeks Later, but then again, maybe I'm just desensitized to the whole thing now, and wasn't that Oliver Stone's point anyway?
2
imaginary ash said on November 16, 2007:
I liked it, but haven't seen it since I was, I dunno, about 16? I should watch it again sometime and see how it holds up.
Re: Cowboy Junkies:
I always liked their cover better than the original. Margo Timmins has a sublimely gorgeous voice, and they managed to breathe more life into it than the Velvet Underground ever did. Dunno, just never could get into the VU. In the case of them I generally tend to like covers better.
And "The Trinity Sessions," on which the Cowboy Junkies' cover of this song first appeared, was a stellar album that I still adore to this day. Screw Trent Reznor, listen to "The Trinity Sessions."
» reply
3
cosby said on November 16, 2007:
on curating: i think curating seems cooler than compiling because people who curate are usually paid to do so or recognized for their abilities and are specifically selected for a certain project. compiling is... well... just making a mix tape really, and anyone can do it (though few do it well).
i don't think i like this soundtrack, in fact it's on the chopping block as one of the next 50 cd's i plan on selling. in my opinion, it doesn't move along at all in the way that the far superior 'lost highway' soundtrack does. 'nbk' is pretty much shock - patti smith taken out of her context to look like a racist, meanderings from the movie to make it seem 'crazy' (which it isn't at all), and some pretty lackluster songs (the pornos of pyros song is like a five minute anchor in the middle of the album).
lastly, the secret to getting three crazy people to act normal enough to film a movie: mushrooms. apparently stone butchered tarantino's original script by taking a bunch of drugs into the desert with him and just filming whatever. 'true romance' is everything 'natural born killers' isn't... enjoyable.
» reply
4
The Grim said on November 17, 2007:
think curating seems cooler than compiling because people who curate are usually paid to do so or recognized for their abilities and are specifically selected for a certain project. compiling is... well... just making a mix tape really
You're a NATURAL BORN SEMANTICIST!!!! Look out, Oliver Stone. Your next idiotic movie is here.
And, yeah, I remember hating the hell out of this over-hyped movie in like 1995, so it's REALLY got to suck now.
» reply
5
Seriously Chris said on November 21, 2007:
blah blah blah, It's sweet jane and the point is I've heard better, way better...like last friday night with four drunk dudes, two cans of mace and a broken PA, the CJ version is tired and sleepy, and believe me the Cowboy Junkies are not taking any trophies away from VU!
» reply
Reviews
imaginary dana said on November 16, 2007:
I think I hated this movie, but I can't really remember...?