Royal Tenenbaums
The magical triad behindRushmore's spunky, starry-eyed soundtrack--music supervisor Randall Poster, composer Mark Mothersbaugh, and director Wes Anderson--leaps forward a decade from that beloved soundtrack's '60s gems, in the process adopting a more pensive feel forThe Royal Tenenbaums' musical backdrop. It may lack the euphoric sing-along feel of, say,Creation's "Makin' Time," but the rock and folk tracks here perfectly match the film's crumbling characters and their dilapidated relationships. TheRamones' "Judy Is a Punk" is a burst of nostalgic rebellion but surely causes a sad twinge in light of Joey Ramone's untimely death in 2001; gloom-folkerNick Drake's "Fly" andElliott Smith's excellently depressing "Needle in the Hay"--which is used to chilling effect during a wrist-slashing scene--further deepen the dark thread running throughTenenbaums. But those who prefer the sunny disposition ofRushmorewill be thrilled by the calming concoctions of Mothersbaugh, who heralds the coming of a new scene with graceful woodwind/string parts ("Scrapping and Yelling") and playful sitar pieces ("Pagoda's Theme"). Throw in theClash's squalling "Police & Thieves" and theVelvet Underground's petal-soft "Stephanie Says" and you've got another winning soundtrack from the film biz's most in-tune music lovers.Tenenbaumor not, youcango home again.--Kristy Martin