[Moshe]

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008...am-nation.html

'Daydream Nation' finds a new Hero

Feb 7, 2008, 04:34 PM | by Simon Vozick-Levinson
Categories: Film, Music, PopWatch Petition

 

Man, was I psyched to hear about Hayden Panettiere's next movie. Not because I have especially strong feelings about Panettiere's work. Not even because the Hollywood Reporter is hyping it as "an intellectual comedy a la Juno and Election," two movies that I enjoy very much. No, I'm jumping for joy because of the new flick's title: Daydream Nation.


Perhaps this merits additional explanation. As a major Sonic Youth fan, I can't read that title without hearing the opening chords of their 1988 masterpiece of the same name. Now, I was sorta bummed when I saw Juno's Juno lash out at Sonic Youth on screen, calling one of my favorite bands "just a lot of noise." I knew that writer Diablo Cody probably wasn't wholeheartedly endorsing Juno's spur-of-the-moment diss — and I'm big enough to admit that a random SY album plucked off a Best Buy shelf might strike the unprepared listener as an abrasive mess. (I think Thurston, Kim, and gang would proudly agree.) But the implication stood: In Juno's world, Sonic Youth is the kind of band that creepy midlife-crisis dudes rock out to in their terminally pathetic basements. Have we really reached the point where counterculture kids see Sonic Youth as music for old fogeys? There wouldn't be any bands to blog about if it weren't for Daydream Nation, for cryin' out loud! (On this point, if perhaps no other, I am in agreement with constitutionally cranky Chicago Sun-Times critic Jim DeRogatis.)

addCredit("Hayden Panettiere: Kevin Parry/WireImage.com")
All of which brings us to back to Hayden Panettiere's new film. If no less a fresh-faced post-millennial star than the cheerleader from Heroes is making movies named after Sonic Youth albums, the cause is not yet lost. The youth still dig the Youth! Forget superpowers; first-time director Michael Goldbach is my hero.

Conditionally. If that title turns out to be just a random cutesy phrase and the movie's score does not contain at least one verse of "Eric's Trip" (kick-ass live clip below!) or a similar substitute, I am going to be so destroyed. Please don't let me down, Goldbach. Any of you interested in picketing Daydream Nation's premiere with me, should such tactics become necessary?

[greedrex]

he he
'I'm popuuular"

[raging_nelly]

I think that the title will turn out to be just 'a random cutesy phrase.'

Titles of film are often one of the very last things to be confirmed before production (sometimes they are not even decided upon until weeks after production!). Scripts and plots etc have to be decided upon first before films even get the clearance and fundings they need to be made. If the title does refer to the album Daydream Nation, then we would already have heard about this new movie featuring Sonic Youth heavily, especially in the soundtrack perhaps.

True, you probably wouldn't call a film Daydream Nation if it didn't have any reference to the 'Yoof, unless you were a fan of the band enough to use the phrase as a 'work in progress' title.

Have you ever thought that maybe, as this film appears to be something of an indie-flick a la Juno (which, let's face it got a lot of coverage from us because of the Sonic Youth reference), it is aimed at 'us' as a 'target audience' and therefore the title is being used to draw people like us into the cinemas? And to generate discussion about the film AS IS HAPPENING HERE!!?!

Also, as far as I am aware, Sonic Youth using the phrase 'Daydream Nation' for their album title wasn't even the first instance of the phrase itself (although it certainly wasn't a random cutesy phrase in that case). So the film's title may not even be referring to the album!!

So much to consider.

I don't have a problem with this film being made or anything... it sounds like a cool idea!

RANT OVER!

*phew*

[nicfit]

A nice sounding title is a better reference than a tee in a pretty lame movie, innit?
picture all the people buying DDN thinking it's the ost to the movie ha ha, smart marketing move

[raging_nelly]

Originally Posted by nicfit

picture all the people buying DDN thinking it's the ost to the movie ha ha, smart marketing move

Exactly...

[GrungeMonkey]

dont call a film that, pleeease
theyre going to ruin my favourite album
well not quite
but they still suck