Sure, Jack Skellington is my boyfriend, but...

[amanuensis1]

Ah, Halloween. Time for costuming, pumpkin carving, and my annual bitching over Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. I wish I loved this movie more. I love the story, love the characters, and the score is lovely, but I absolutely hate the songs. Partly the lyrics but also the inappropriateness of the music to have lyrics even set to it. I don't make my living through music, yeah, but I can at least filk, and even I can do better than to rhyme "sad" with "bag," "age" with "strange," and "home" with "song," eesh. *dies a little* Then there are the lyrics that are well-rhymed but have been contrived to be so and don't quite make sense. "And since I am dead, I can take off my head."--Is he? Are the inhabitants of Halloween Town actually dead? Don't you get the idea that they were all made that way from the start? How about, "To a guy in Kentucky, I'm Mister Unlucky."--Excuse me? To one guy? No one else in Kentucky is scared of you? Who is this one guy? It baffles me so much it makes me want to write Jack/Guy In Kentucky slash, just to justify that one dumb lyric.

And the music feels like a score. It doesn't feel like music that should have lyrics written to it; they're like long recitatives between operatic arias, except we never get the arias. I keep flashing on Bill Murray's lounge singer, crooning, "Starrr Warrrs, nothing but STARRR Wars, beyooootiful STARRR Wars..." Poor Jack, Making Christmas--don't even get me started on What's This--most of the songs are just not meant to be sung.

...Okay, the one good musical moment where it all works?

"Kidnap the Sandy Claws, throw him in a box.
Bury him for ninety years, then see if he talks." --Poetry, baby.

But I keep popping in my VHS tape of it, wondering if this will be the year I forgive it for not being better.

Anybody out there done any fanart of Ron, Hermione, and Harry done up as Lock, Shock, and Barrel?

Comments

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

OK, I have to admit that the bumpiness of the lyrics never really struck me before. :P

And I want to read your Jack/Kentucky!Guy fic. [grin]

Angie

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Heh, yeah, I heard it from the first time I saw it; I was in the theatre saying, "Did they just rhyme age with strange? Uh, this does not bode well."

God, now I'll probably be thinking about Jack/Kentucky!Guy until I do write it. *facepalms*

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

Angie grins and feeds the bunny a carrot.

[loony-moony.livejournal.com]

*pats your head* It's okay hon. No one is making you watch the movie. Unless, you know, Halloween means a bout of masochism for you, in which case I recommend a good cocktail and maybe a nice watching of "Pirates of the Caribbean". Jack Sparrow could eat Jack Skellington for breakfast, then burp and ask for more rum.

But yes, I would LOVE to see that fanart. :)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Jack Sparrow might be able to kick The Pumpkin King's butt, but he never would. He'd become best buds with him instantly! (Unless that's what you meant by eating him for breakfast. *runs*)

[loony-moony.livejournal.com]

Nah, meant it literally. But yes, you're probably right, they WOULD become best friends. Just imagining the variety of bewildered faces Will Turner would make if he saw them together is worth this. ;)

[finmagik.livejournal.com]

I want to read Jack/Guy in Kentucky too. And I've only seen Nightmare before Christmass once.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Now I've done it! XD

[aviss.livejournal.com]

Umm, Jack slash... I've never thought of this before, but I would read Jack/Guy in Kentucky.

I never thought the lyrics were strange, I just thought it was a problem with the translation (from english to spanish when I saw it the first time) they manage to ruin even well rhymed lyrics...

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Dammit, what have I done? Now I'm curious about Jack slash too. For shame. ^_^

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

I was quite content with the lyrics - you should hear the German translation. It's just horrible. I love the movie, those crazy landscapes, Zero, Jack and Sally. I love Jack for his verve.

And I'd love to see that trio fanart.

[asyndeta.livejournal.com]

*pinches LJ* HTML markup, feh. To reiterate: I am course not stealing your Lock/Shock/Barrel idea due to current lack of imagination on my part, and...yes, generally I agree. I love the movie, but the lyrics...mm no. *goes off to download a bunch of the songs anyway, being in that sort of mood*

[asyndeta.livejournal.com]

I don't know why this is posted as a reply to you, catsintheattic, and I'm very sorry. v_v

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

No problem. Sometimes we are simply confused and hit the wrong buttons.

:-)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

And sometimes lj is just EVIL!! ^_^

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

Ha! I knew that I've missed a reason.

:-)

*watches icon*

*dies laughing*

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I know, I get in the mood for it anyway, just because it's that kind of movie! Despite the lyrics. (Steal away if it pleases, BTW! It's not like I can draw! ^_^ )

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, I never even thought about how it would come out translated. But, then, why should I? I'd expect them to do a BETTER job! ^_^ But then, there are a number of French musicals--Les Miserables, Notre Dame de Paris--that move me in French but didn't do so in English. I shudder to think what they'd do with Romeo et Juliette.

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

Yes, they should do a good job, but especially with rhyme and rhythm, translations are so very hard. It's a lot easier to translate prose in comparison to poetry.

My English teacher in school didn't give his consent to our German teacher when she wanted to read Romeo and Juliet with us. He didn't want us get spoiled. Good thinking! In the end, we read Macbeth, which I loved. But honestly, it's hard not to love Shakespeare - he is so powerful when it comes to rhythm. I adore his sonnet no 18 so very much .

I never read HP in German. I tried some fanfic, but I can't stand it. The words are so unique that they simply feel wrong to me when I hear the German counterparts. I can stand it in the movies, but on DVD, I always prefer to watch the original version.

[glockgal.livejournal.com]

Ahaha, I am one of those blasphemers who've never seen The Nightmare Before Christmas...and yet I've seen Corpse Bride twice. It just doesn't make sense!

Anybody out there done any fanart of Ron, Hermione, and Harry done up as Lock, Shock, and Barrel?

The reason I need to watch this movie perhaps? And also - now that I've read your kvetching - I'll also have a good giggle about the bad songs, hee hee hee!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Did you like Corpse Bride? I thought the songs in that one were an improvement over Nightmare, but they still didn't send me. I am admittedly picky! I'll bet you'll watch Nightmare and say, "Ah, these songs aren't all that bad. She's just fussy." XD

[glockgal.livejournal.com]

I liked it a lot better the second time I saw it, that's for sure. But it's still not a movie I'd pop in for a bit of entertainment/while I'm drawing, y'know? Like you, I liked the character and the setting and the actors and the animation oh my god - but it's not something I'd voluntarily watch over and over and over again.

The songs were confusing to follow/predict at first (I am more of a tunes person first and lyrics person second, heehee!) but yeah again the second time, it worked better.

Ahhh! Now my classmante has brought in Nightmare Before Christmas and insists we try and watch it today. Fate, I tells ya, fate!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

It IS fate! Watch and tell me if you thought I was wayyyy out of the park on the criticism. ^_^

[satanbaker.livejournal.com]

Bahaha, I love that movie. x) I pay very, very little attention to lyrics half the time (I think this comes from being raised listening to Pearl Jam), so the non-rhyming or nonsensicalness of them never really bothered me.

*is just a giant stopmotion fangirl*

Have you ever heard/seen anything of Jan Svankmajer? He's a Czech surrealist and has done a few movies, his rendition of Alice is... completely and utterly strange, but really really neat.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

*googles, looks at clips* Ooh, yeah, neat and the sort of thing that would creep me out. But that's what he intended, I'm guessing!

[lirren.livejournal.com]

It baffles me so much it makes me want to write Jack/Guy In Kentucky slash, just to justify that one dumb lyric.

Tease! You are a tease! *snickers* I'd read it, just because it would be so amusing.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Now I think I'm teasing myself with the idea. Like I'm daring myself to do something totally loopy like that. ^_^

[elsajeni.livejournal.com]

It's so weird how totally divergent opinions can be -- my fiance and I both think the songs are totally the best thing about the movie, and with any luck we'll be going out to see it on the giant nifty IMAX screen later today (YAY). Although, my opinion probably doesn't count, since I've only seen about half of it. I've listened to the whole soundtrack, though. As someone else said, maybe this is the fault of the music I listened to as a kid. Too much Doors. Now lyrics that even sort of make sense are like a blessing to me.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Although, my opinion probably doesn't count,

I read that and was all, "What does she mean, doesn't count?" And then I saw the "since I've only seen about half of it" part. Hee!

[bridgetmc.livejournal.com]

That movie. Urgh. I like it but the songs get to me too, especially since every time I head into the warehouse of my workplace (and I make that trip several times a shift), the portable DVD players are playing the scene where he sings "What's This" and only that. It drives me crazy.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks this! *hugs*

[gauriel.livejournal.com]

I try to like the Tim Burton movies, but for the most part, they're all a little odd for my tastes. I find the animation absolutely charming, but I guess I'm far too vanilla mainstream to really love Tim Burton?

LOL, I don't know, but my friends all laugh at me. Maybe I'll see if it's on tv tonight and try to rewatch Nightmare.


PS. I finally friended you a few weeks ago - I hope you don't mind. :)

[satanbaker.livejournal.com]

... there's just something funny about someone who friended Amanuensis calling themselves vanilla and mainstream. >>;

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Oh, hush, you. *noogies fondly*

[gauriel.livejournal.com]

*shifty eyes* Erm....well...have you seen what I write? LOL

Hehehehe.

I'm vanilla in real life - excruciatingly boringly so. In fandom and other hobby interests? Ooh, I'm a dirty, pervy girl. ;)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I think Tim Burton is kinda mainstream, myself! It never goes off into really weird IMHO.

And welcome! *hugs*

[mneomosyne.livejournal.com]

Tim Burton at Hallowe'en? Isn't Nighmare before Christmas about Christmas? Don't watch it if you don't like it.

I prefer David Lynch films at Hallowe'en, they fit the idea of a link between two worlds perfectly. And there's less singing. (I have no patience with singing characters.)

[askani.livejournal.com]

its about both halloween and christmas so you can watch it at both holidays. haha. :)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I think the producers of Nightmare Before Christmas were practically wettin' themselves with glee to realize that the film worked for both Halloween and Christmas and could be promoted from about September on, heh.

[desdomonda.livejournal.com]

Yes You are entirely correct. I know, I was in a stage performance of Nightmare Before Christmas... The things we do for our friends, eh? I was Barrel, and I enjoyed being Barrel, My good friend was Oogie Boogie. I just relized, I seem to get stuck doing male parts when I act. Weird. I guess I can feel complemented that people think I can act well enough to carry it off? Or should I be insulted? Well, this hallow's eve I watched Buffy Halloween episodes. I don't think I can stand to watch much more nightmare before christmas much more in my lifetime, I had enough of having those songs stuck in my head for months during rehearsal.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, once you perform in a show, you can hardly bear to hear those songs ever again. Even if you loved it before. :D

[slinkhard.livejournal.com]

I like the Oogie Boogie song, although it sounds awfully similiar to The Addams Family (movie) score.

A Nightmare Before Christmas is really one of the few Tim Burton films that doesn't do it for me, though. It's alright, but...I don't know, it just feels kinda self-conscious, like he's trying to be quirky.
Mind you, my favourite of his is probably one of the least 'arty', Beetlejuice, so I dunno how much my opinion's worth!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I have a love/hate relaitionship with Burton--well, not so much love/hate as love/don't get. I love half of his movies and am "bzuh?" on the other half.

[rectpropagation.livejournal.com]

...Okay, the one good musical moment where it all works?

I'm just glad I'm not the only who likes that song best. It seems like if anyone has a song up from that movie (I'd gone looking for fan sites for the lyrics) it's the "What's This" song, which is my least favorite.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Yes, I love "What's This?" as an instrumental, which is to say, the opening overture, because it's great music. It's just not a great SONG. ^_^