You can hear them all via my YouTube playlist at: August 2010 Chart YouTube playlist.

Last night I watched the movie Nine and thought, as I often do, “Wow, the trailer for this movie was way better than the actual movie itself.” Not to say that the movie (or any of the movies in this blog post) are bad, but the trailers themselves were just really great or represented the movie in a way that I would’ve prefered over the actual movie itself.

Here are a few that I can think of off the top of my head right now:

Men Who Stare at Goats
Don’t get me wrong — I actually liked this movie a lot. But the trailer is just great. I’m sure a huge part of it is Boston’s song “More Than a Feeling,” but the trailer really sets the movie up to be way more funny and trippy than it actually is.

Watchmen
Again — I totally love this movie. One of my favorites. But the trailer for it is so incredibly awesome. I’m pretty sure a huge part of what makes the trailer a success is the Smashing Pumpkins’ song “The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning” (a slower remix of their song “The End Is The Beginning Is The End” from the film Batman & Robin). The trailer also has some great fast/slow editing and sets the movie up to be way more epic than it was.

Nine
This trailer is just total fun. The trailer, at least, made me expect the film to be really fast and flashy — but it wasn’t. Most of the musical numbers were a bit more subdued. My two favorite songs from the film were “Be Italian” and “Cinema Italiano.” They were the two main songs used in the trailer: the music from “Be Italian” and the excitement from “Cinema Italiano.” For example, the scene showing the main character Guido spraying champagne everywhere was from “Cinema Italiano” and lasted maybe 2 seconds in the movie itself.

Burn After Reading
Another great film that was slightly misrepresented by the trailer. The trailer makes the movie seem a lot more fast-paced and funny than it was. The movie, in fact, is a bit darker. This is also another example of music making me love the trailer even more — Elbow’s “Grounds For Divorce” is in this one.

Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace
This trailer was so great because it was so highly anticipated. I remember when it came out while I was in high school people would analyze every second of it for clues about what the first new Star Wars film was going to be like. There was nothing spectacular about the trailer itself — it was the excitement about the what the trailer represented. In the end the movie was pretty bad (my least favorite of all Star Wars films).

So those are my best examples of trailers that are better (or vastly different) than the movies themselves. What am I forgetting? Admitedly trailers aren’t as memorable as the films themselves, so I’m surely missing a lot.

Next month marks one year of me doing these charts. Look for a post in the next couple of weeks with some stats on the charts (most frequently charting artist! most frequently charting DJ!) and a best-of chart for the first year (one track from each month).

This month is, of course, full of awesome:

• Florrie – Call 911 (BeatauCue remix) [YouTube music]
• N*E*R*D – Hot N Fun (Boys Noize Remix) []>YouTube music]
• Benny Benassi – Spaceship (feat. Kelis, apl.de.ap, & Jean Baptiste) [YouTube official music video]
• Darwin Deez – Up In The Clouds (Mr Flash Remix) [YouTube music]
• Headman – New Zombie (The Swiss Fresh FM Remix) [YouTube music]
• Jump Jump Dance Dance – Modern Eyes (Beni Remix) [YouTube music]
• Robyn – Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do (Mylo & Sharooz Mix) [YouTube music]
• Sbtrkt – We’ll Be Fine [YouTube music]
• Baby D – Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Deadmau5 remix) [YouTube music]
• Kelis – 4th of July (Richard X Remix) [YouTube music]
• Sunday Girl – Self Control (Azari & III remix) [YouTube music of original version]
• Laidback Luke – I Need Your Loving (Felix Cartal remix) [YouTube music]
• Skrillex – Weekends (Feat. Sirah) [YouTube music]
• The Aikiu – Just Can’t Sleep (Mighty Mouse remix) [YouTube music]

Bonus: You can now see/hear all of these in a YouTube playlist: July 2010 Chart YouTube Playlist.

• Aaliyah – R U That Somebody (Brenmar Windy City remix) [YouTube music]
• LCD Soundsystem – You Wanted A Hit (Soulwax remix) [YouTube music]
• Christina Aguilera – Birds of Prey [YouTube music]
• Tonspender – Broken Boy
• Acid Washed – The Rain [YouTube music]
• Goldfrapp – Alive (Joakim remix) [YouTube music]
• hurts – Wonderful Life (Arthur Baker Remix) [YouTube music of an edit]
• Tiësto – Knock You Out (Royal K & Alan Green Remix) [YouTube music]
• Rachael Starr – Till There Was You (Original Club Mix) [YouTube music]
• The Cars – Moving In Stereo (Valerna Remix) [YouTube music]
• The Juan MacLean – Feels So Good [YouTube music video]
• Robyn – Dancing on My Own (Rex the Dog extended remix) [YouTube music]
• Scissor Sisters – Invisible Light (Stuart Price Remix) [YouTube music]

Two moments immediately came to mind, though I’m sure there are many more (and would love input from others):

First, of course, is the end scene of Happy Together. Without spoiling much, it”s just a very lonely time in the movie and Danny Chung’s cover of “Happy Together” by the Turtles with its happy lyrics and tone makes the loneliness of the film that much stronger.

The first time I encountered this happy vs. sad juxtaposition was Michael Moore‘s Roger and Me. Toward the end there is a scene where Moore shows the economically depressed Flint, MI and plays it against the Beach Boy’s “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.”

Granted, both “Happy Together” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” have a slight sadness to them, the way they work with the scenes in both films takes the tiny bit of melancholy and multiplies it by a thousand.

• Florence and the Machine – You’ve Got The Love (Yeah! Remix) [YouTube official video for original]
• Crystal Castles – Celestica [YouTube unofficial video]
• Cinnamon Chasers – You [YouTube music]
• Caribou – Sun (Mondkopf remix) [YouTube music]
• The Glitch Mob – Drive It Like You Stole It [YouTube music]
• Felix Cartal – Volcano [YouTube official video]
• The Chemical Brothers – Swoon (edit) [YouTube official video]
• Hurts – Better Than Love (Tiefschwarz Mix) [YouTube official video for original]
• Fenech-Soler – Stop and Stare (Mighty Mouse remix) [YouTube music]
• Holy Ghost! – Say My Name [YouTube music]
• Kids of 88 – Ribbons of Light [YouTube official video]
• Visti & Meyland – Stars
• Joris Voorn – Chase the Mouse [YouTube music]
• KIT – Animals (Plateau Repas Damn Right remix) [YouTube music for original version]
• Detachments – H.A.L. (Andrew Weatherall’s disco dub) [YouTube music]
• LCD Soundsystem – Drunk Girls (Holy Ghost! Remix) [YouTube music]

• OneRepublic – All The Right Moves (Danger remix) [YouTube music]
• Mason – Corrected (Riva Starr Remix) [YouTube music]
• Sparks – This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us [YouTube live version]
• Siriusmo – Discosau [YouTube music]
• Rekid – Next Stop Chicago [official video]
• We Have Band – Divisive (Golden Bug extended mix) [YouTube music]
• Lauren Flax – You’ve Changed (feat. Sia) [official video for Sia's album version (the Lauren Flax original is less poppy/more electro)]
• Boy 8-Bit – Bulbs Burn Out [YouTube music]
• Dada Life – Happy Hands & Happy Feet [official video]
• Kelis – Acapella [official video]
• Junkie XL – Heart of Darkness
• Monarchy – The Phoenix Alive (Hot City Mix) [YouTube music]
• Calvin Harris – Stars Come Out (The Phantom’s Revenge Nothing To Do On Saturday Afternoon Bootleg) [YouTube music]
• Whitey – And When Your Sun Goes Down You’ll Know [YouTube music]
• Boys Noize & Erol Alkan – Lemonade [YouTube music]
• Kavinsky – Nightcall (Dustin N’Guyen remix) [YouTube music]

Following the latest news about the pope’s negligence surrounding abuse victims, Hitchens has been especially vocal. I especially loved him on fellow atheist Bill Maher’s show, but he’s also written some stuff for Slate (“Cardinals’ Law: Two questions for the pope” and “The Pope Is Not Above the Law”).

The thing is, as atheists we sometimes forget (maybe?) what an important figure the pope is to religious people (and especially Catholics). It’s not the cardinals who pick the pope — it’s god itself who pushes the cardinals to choose the right person. It’s not like the pope is an everyday person who can break laws. There is even this idea of papal infallibility that essentially gives the pope a free pass from anything he does.

I’m not saying that any of this is right, but to believers it can be. If a secular authority (e.g. British government, American government) were to arrest the pope or charge him for a crime, they would for all intents and purposes be saying that god broke the law. As an atheist (along with Dawkins and Hitchens) I don’t think there is such a thing as a god who could break the law, but that’s not how most of the world sees it.

As an atheist it’s easy to see this as a legal matter where the pope was negligent at best and possibly criminally so… but to anyone who believes in the authority of the pope, I can imagine that this becomes a very religiously existential dilemma. And as we’ve seen time after time, people often chose the insane religious belief when given a choice (gay rights, women’s rights, etc.).

That’s what I’m not sure what’s going on with Dawkins and Hitchens. I know they are smart enough to realize that this is a futile movement and that pushing it might damage atheists even more. But in the end they actually are doing the right thing even if justice isn’t served. I guess my question that I’d love to see one of them answer is: How serious are you about this? My guess is they are doing this more for effect, but Hitchens argues so fervently that I think he actually has some hope this might happen — and if that’s the case it makes me sad that he’ll be disappointed with so-called secular governments again.

So my point: As sympathetic to this idea as I am, I’m also sympathetic to the fact that for believers to actually arrest or charge the pope with a crime would entail a religious crisis as big as anything in recent memory. To arrest the pope would be saying: that the god they believe exists may be wrong about something; or that god doesn’t actually make the pope the pope; or that god is evil; or worse yet for them: that god doesn’t really exist.

Frankly, I think this is one of the better charts lately. Some really great tracks in here.

• Prios – What You Need (London Extended Mix) [YouTube music]
• Das Pop – Fool For Love (Aeroplane Remix) [YouTube music]
• Sherlocks Daughter – Kids (Alison Wonderland Remix) [YouTube music]
• The C90s – 10:01 (VillaRemix) [YouTube music]
• New Young Pony Club – Chaos (Rory Phillips Mix) [YouTube original music video]
• Miike Snow – Silvia (Sinden remix) [YouTube music]
• Appaloosa – The Day We Fell in Love (Todd Edwards’ Liturgical mix) [YouTube music]
• M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade – Donut (Gui Boratto remix) [YouTube music]
• Burns – So Many Nights [YouTube music]
• Giorgio Moroder – Push It To The Limit (Galactik Knights Remix) [YouTube music]
• Masashi Hamauzu (Final Fantasy XIII composer) – Will to Fight [YouTube music]
• Surkin – Fan Out [YouTube music]
• The Four Seasons – Beggin’ (Pilooski re-edit) [YouTube video]

• Music Go Music – Warm in the Shadows (Villa remix) [YouTube music]
• Lindstrøm & Christabelle – Music (In My Mind) [YouTube music]
• The Field – Sequenced (Rainbow Arabia’s Dark & Dumb Version) [YouTube music from a Mylo set or YouTube music of the original]
• Kid Creole & The Coconuts – Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy (Soul Mekanik Bounty Girls Edit) [YouTube video of the original]
• Deep Sea Arcade – Lonely In Your Arms (Aeons Remix) [YouTube video of the original]
• Hot Chip – Hand Me Down Your Love [YouTube music]
• Robbie Williams – Bodies (Aeroplane remix) [YouTube music]
• Delphic – Doubt (Riton Re-Rub) [YouTube music]
• Danger – 4h30 [Bostleg site with tons of bootleg music videos]
• Gorillaz – Stylo (Alex Metric Remix) [YouTube music]
• Massive Attack – Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix) [YouTube music]
• MVSEVM – French Jeans (Dada Life Remix) [YouTube music]