Well, it looks like James Mercer wasn’t the only one doing his thing while The Shins took a break. While his frontman was off gallivanting with Dangermouse, Shins gutarist Eric D. Johnson released an excellent LP with his own band – Fruit Bats – and now The Playlist is reporting that Johnson has scored the new Max Winkler film, Ceremony.
The film, which stars Uma Thurman and Michael Angarano, marks the directorial debut of Winkler (yes, the son of Henry Winkler, aka The Fonz), and will premier at the Toronto Film Festival on September 13th. It apparently tells the story of a young man who falls in love with an older woman and tries to break up her wedding, and while tales of cougar-tastic romance are always exciting, it’s the movie’s music that’s got us all hot and bothered.
The Playlist also cites sources close to the project in saying that Beach Boys sidekick Van Dyke Parks (who worked on SMiLe wth Brian Wilson) has put together an arrangement of Paul Simon’s “Papa Hobo” to be sung by none other that Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend. If that wasn’t enough to make you want to see a movie you wouldn’t normally run to theaters for, the soundtrack also boasts contributions from Ringo Starr, Pete Townshend, Kate Bush, and The Animals. No word on when the soundtrack hits stores and e-retailers, but you can get tickets to see the movie at the TIFF website, or check out Paul Simon’s version of “Papa Hobo” by clicking here.