A number of enviable technological advances—at least on the surface—exist in Spike Jonze’s “Her,” but for those who’ve seen the film they’d likely be traded for a standalone release of Arcade Fire’s wonderful score. Also featuring contributions from Owen Pallett and Karen O, the soundtrack has yet to be given a concrete release date, however until one emerges we’ve got a new trailer showcasing Arcade Fire’s stunning work, a fun easter egg from Jonze’s film for LA residents, and much more.
The DNA of Arcade Fire’s latest album Reflektor has always contained a bit of “Her” within it. Both projects were conceived side-by-side, and the album’s closing track “Supersymmetry” was actually written specifically for Spike Jonze’s film. Now you can catch a medley of the score in a new trailer (via The Dwarf), which places the music front and center over various scenes and behind-the-scenes footage. Mostly though it serves to build even more anticipation for a soundtrack’s hopefully forthcoming release (which may also include some of the licensed cuts from the film).
Perhaps the most central difficulty of Jonze’s job with “Her” was presenting his plot—Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with Scarlett Johansson-voiced machine—in a way that’s both convincing and relatable. In the end he accomplishes both, but “Him,” an inevitable parody by the comedy group That’s What’s Up Comedy (via FilmDrunk), showcases the many ridiculous tangents that would occur if Phoenix and Johansson had swapped roles. Some of the touchpoints are perhaps a bit obvious, but it’s well done overall in melding the tone of Jonze’s film with the concept’s more ridiculous aspects.
Take a look below, but not before glimpsing a futuristic subway map of Los Angeles (via Gizmodo), created for the film by designer Geoff McFetridge, and showing an optimistic fantasy for LA residents wishing to take a train to the sea (as Phoenix’s character does in the film); and also, you can catch recent in-person “Daily Show” appearance from Johansson, where she and Jon Stewart discuss the film’s stance on technology and whether Siri is in fact sexually active.