The third track was the first that stuck with me most: “Hold Me Tight or Don’t”. It has this very funky reggae dance style, making it an interesting tune for the band. I interpret it as a song about being hooked on someone while high. The song that comes on right afterward is “Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)”, which is probably the most pop-sounding track in the collection. It’s about living the rich expensive life of a rockstar, but still not getting the attention from that one girl you want.

The 6th track “Heaven’s Gate” is a wonderful jazzy love song. I can see this as a perfect slow dancing song you would play at your high school’s winter formal. As I previously mentioned, the band’s main demographic is teens and I’m surprised it took them this long to write a love ballad like this.

Although the rest of the album is interesting to listen to, and I enjoy most of it, “Young and Menace” is possibly my favorite. It’s an ethereal track that starts off with a very mysterious tone and evolves into this mix of boisterous mix of shouts, dubstep and rock and roll that makes you want to start a protest. I don’t even know what to protest, but I’m too pumped to just sit there, I have to protest something. The best line is on the bridge: “Oops I did it again, I forgot what I was losing my mind about (…)”. It almost seems like he’s parodying the youth of today: constantly getting angry and often not knowing what we’re arguing about. Some other great catchy tunes in this album are “The Last of the Real Ones”, “Champion”, and “Sunshine Riptide”.

I’ve noticed this album seems to have a lot of mixed reviews, from fans and critics alike. As I said, it has very different mixing of sounds from the band that may or may not be appealing to their regular audience. I, however, find it to be a refreshing new take from a band I thought had lost their touch.

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If you don’t know the nominees, we’ve taken some time to jot down the names and films which will be up for the award on March 4th, 2018, plus our opinions on how the music turned out.

Dunkirk — Hans Zimmer

It’s Hans Zimmer. I don’t know what to say other than he does his job well, but it gets lost inside Nolan’s work. You barely notice it, but when you listen to it, you wonder why you couldn’t hear it during the film.

Phantom Thread — Jonny Greenwood

This is a good shot of classical music for anyone who is in desperate need of it. Part of me is afraid that this score, though great, will win the Oscar even though it’s exactly what it is and nothing more. Nice classical music.

The Shape of Water — Alexandre Desplat

It’s magical. Flat-out magical. I can’t praise this album enough because it works for a fantasy for a modern time film like the director Guillermo Del Toro says it is. It’s charming, dark, and whimsical when it needs to be. I honestly am pulling for this score, but I’ll understand if it doesn’t win.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi — John Williams

Nothing but Star Wars. I think that this is a strong soundtrack, but John Williams doesn’t need another Oscar.  I feel like it’s a bit of a retread for the franchise, but there are one or two good editions. I feel that he did a much better job with Force Awakens, and all The Last Jedi did was add onto the themes he made years ago.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri — Carter Burwell

I was deeply impressed with this soundtrack, as I feel that it encapsulates everything that a modern-age Western should have in a soundtrack. It’s deep and melancholic, but it adds just enough of other genres to give it a well-rounded sound. It’s easy to add a few well-known country and rock songs to a soundtrack and call it quits, but Burwell knows exactly what he’s doing. Those additions act more as the cherry on the cake rather than needless filling.

We congratulate all of the nominees for score, and we anxiously await the 90th Academy Awards.

To hear about the movies themselves, hop on over to District!

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Mudbound tells the story of two opposing families in the 1940’s. The first is the Jackson family, impoverished and residing in rural Delta, Mississippi. The heads of the family, Hap Jackson (Rob Morgan) and Florence (Mary J. Blige) have hopes of owning a large property. Meanwhile, the second family, the McAllan’s are middle class family lead by Henry (Jason Clarke) and Laura (Carey Mulligan), much like the Jackson’s, they aspire to having better living conditions.

The film starts off in unconventional manner beginning with the inner monologues of each character, and although the parallels are established in each monologue it does appear to be a slow burn. However, the wait was worthwhile as we begin to see the conflict emerge in the relationship between to the two sons, Jamie McAllan (Gareth Edwards) and Ronsel Jackson (Jason Mitchell).

The onscreen chemistry between Mitchell and Edwards is undeniable, as the characters mirror each other in a number of aspects. Both sons are decorated World War II veterans and golden children of their respective families. Ultimately both young men are haunted by their pasts and the uncertainty of their futures in racially divided delta. In respect to its character’s, Mudbound finds a sincere way to reveal the ways in which they are emotionally confined, mostly through their social and economic backgrounds. At various points throughout the film, Dee Res is able to match these stories and emotions in a poignant manner, with some very consistent and dedicated performances from the cast.

Mudbound does an excellent job of consistently building good tension, with editing and pacing creating a good sense of unrest and leaving no room for the audience to breathe in between scenes. It will at times literally have you at the edge of your seat.

The film especially does a good job about not pulling its punches when it comes to its rawer and brutally honest scenes. Res made sure to address the conflicts of anti-war and racism head on, in a time where political and social issues seem to overlap in a violently manner, Mudbound couldn’t have arrived at a more critical point in our society. A sobering reminder that while the horrors of the film might have occurred almost 76 years ago, the attitudes of characters like Henry, Pappy, or Laura are still prevalent in today’s society and Mudbound does not try to deny that. Instead, it forces us to examine our roles in it either creating these atmospheres or dismantling them and ultimately forces us to have a conversation.

All in all, Mudbound is a very well-crafted character-driven film full of thrills, family dramas, and critical storytelling. Despite the lack of pace in the beginning, most viewers will find it to be a rewarding, didactic and overall entertaining experiences.

4 out of 5 stars

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