A PERFECT PLACE

DVD AND CD
Ipecac

Mike Patton make’s his debut as a film composer for the film noir short, “A Perfect Place”.

“A Perfect Place” is the 25 minute comedy short of Fantoma Films co-founder, Derrick Scocchera. Being Scocchera’s directorial debut as well as Patton’s film score debut, the team works well together in setting the tone for the movie. Ingeniously recreating a cinematic genre popular in the 1940’s and 1950’s, this shadowy, pessimistic movie filmed in anamorphic

black and white will leave you wanting more like it from Scocchera. Although cynical in outlook, the short is actually quite funny when you are forced to watch these two knuckleheads accidentally kill a guy with a bass guitar, and fumble around trying to figure out where to dispose of the body. The constant arguing of the crooks and the interesting cast of characters gives you a chuckle, but what really makes you crack up is when the guys go into their neighbors house; an elderly woman with a enthusiastic display of a bowtie collection. Between the bowties and Mike Patton’s crooning on the 1930’s ragtime ballad “A Dream of Roses”, you can’t help but laugh out loud.

What’s interesting about this movie is that they almost make the music its own character in the film. There is an overshadowing presence of the score in the film, as if it’s done like that on purpose. And you know that the music is an important theme in the short when the main characters mention it often. For instance, in the opening scene Bill Moseley (Eddie) says “Would you turn down the radio please?”, and then there’s the blast of Italian ballad “Il Cupo Delore” from Mike Patton’s booming crescendo when Mrs. Newburg goes into the bedroom to get her keys, not to mention the fight over the radio stations in the car scene.

Which leads me into the CD. This original motion picture soundtrack really is a work of art and again shows Mike Patton’s stroke of genius. Although Patton never ceases to amaze me, I have anxiously been awaiting him to do a big band, swing or 1940’s jazz project for sometime now. In the past Patton has always given us a sneak preview of his jazz excerpts with Mr. Bungle, John Zorn and even a little bit of Mondo Cane, yet he never quite jumps off the ledge into a big band mambo jazz project. However, in “A Perfect Place” soundtrack he shows that he may be ready to take that plunge.

Although the soundtrack is primarily a modern rendition of mystery big band and 40’s jazz, Mike Patton plays around with different versions of the songs in tunes like “A Perfect Twist” and “Batucada” and even admits to squeezing in a Rudy Valle piece. By far one of my favorite tunes on the soundtrack, “A Perfect Twist” is literally a “twist” 50’s version of the main theme, sung only how Mike Patton can sing it and “Batucada” is modeled more after the cult classic Bond themes.

For hardcore Mike Patton fans there is still a hint of his “Pattonage” in the soundtrack. Mike successfully finds ways to sneak in his muffled screams and cartoon-like coos while wooing us with his charming smooth vocals.

Again, Mike also shows off his string of talents with “Car Radio (AM and FM) – streamlining a slew of vocal and digital effects to lead you to believe you are actually listening to a car radio dial being fumbled with.

I highly recommend the purchase of “A Perfect Place” for any die hard Patton fan, any die hard Fantoma fan or just film and music fans in general. It will go down in history as another cult classic and should definitely be added to one’s priceless collection.

“A Perfect Place” will be packaged as a dual disc DVD/CD Soundtrack distributed together via Ipecac Recordings with a release date of March 11, 2008. You may purchase the two disc combo at www.ipecac.com once released.

- MIA CARLIN