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      CommentAuthorSouthall
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2012 edited
    There has been some discussion about the film music of 1990 in franz_conrad's "rewriting history" discsussion. Several people have sung the praises of Dances With Wolves, there has been strong support for The Russia House and one maverick even favoured Edward Scissorhands.

    So... what are your thoughts on the year's film music?

    Here's the list of films released in 1990 according to Wikipedia (though I'm sure there must have been more):

    Abraham's Gold, starring Hanna Schygulla - (Germany)
    The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, directed by Renny Harlin, starring Andrew Dice Clay, Wayne Newton and Priscilla Presley
    Afghan Breakdown (Afganskiy Izlom) - (U.S.S.R.)
    After Dark, My Sweet, starring Jason Patric, Rachel Ward, Bruce Dern
    Agneepath (The Path of Fire) - (India)
    Air America, directed by Roger Spottiswoode, starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey, Jr.
    Alice, directed by Woody Allen, starring Mia Farrow, Alec Baldwin, Joe Mantegna, and William Hurt
    Almost an Angel, starring Paul Hogan
    The Ambulance
    American Ninja 4: The Annihilation
    Anjali - (India)
    Another 48 Hrs., starring Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte
    Arachnophobia, starring Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak, John Goodman and Julian Sands
    Avalon, directed by Barry Levinson, starring Aidan Quinn, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Elizabeth Perkins, Kevin Pollak
    Awakenings, directed by Penny Marshall, starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro
    B
    Back to the Future Part III, starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen
    Bad Influence, directed by Curtis Hanson, starring Rob Lowe and James Spader
    Betsy's Wedding, directed by Alan Alda, starring Alda, Molly Ringwald, Madeline Kahn, Joe Pesci, Anthony LaPaglia, Ally Sheedy, Joey Bishop
    Bird on a Wire, starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn
    Black Republic (Geudeuldo uri-cheoreom), directed by Park Kwang-su - (South Korea)
    Black Snow (Ben ming nian) - (China)
    Blind Fury, starring Rutger Hauer
    Blue Steel, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Ron Silver
    Boiling Point (3-4 x jûgatsu), directed by Takeshi Kitano, starring Beat Takeshi - (Japan)
    The Bonfire of the Vanities, directed by Brian De Palma, starring Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith, Morgan Freeman and Kim Cattrall
    Bride of Re-Animator
    Bullet in the Head (Die xue jie tou), directed by John Woo, starring Tony Leung and Jacky Cheung - (Hong Kong)
    C
    Cadence, starring Charlie Sheen and Martin Sheen
    Cadillac Man, starring Robin Williams, Tim Robbins, Annabella Sciorra, Lori Petty, Fran Drescher
    Captain America
    Childhood Days (Shōnen jidai) - (Japan) - Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year
    Child's Play 2, starring Alex Vincent, Jenny Agutter, Gerrit Graham and Christine Elise
    China Cry
    The Chosen One (Ishanou) - (India)
    Class of 1999
    Close-Up (Nema-ye Nazdik) - (Iran)
    Coins in the Fountain, starring Loni Anderson
    Come See the Paradise, directed by Alan Parker, starring Dennis Quaid and Tamlyn Tomita
    The Comfort of Strangers, directed by Paul Schrader, starring Christopher Walken, Natasha Richardson and Rupert Everett - (U.K.)
    Crash and Burn
    Crazy People, starring Dudley Moore, Daryl Hannah, J.T. Walsh, Paul Reiser
    Cry-Baby, directed by John Waters, starring Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Polly Bergen, Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, Iggy Pop and Susan Tyrrell
    Cyrano de Bergerac, starring Gérard Depardieu - (France) - Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
    D
    Dances with Wolves, directed by and starring Kevin Costner - Academy and Golden Globe (drama) Awards for Best Picture
    Darkman, starring Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand and Larry Drake
    Days of Being Wild (A Fei jingjyuhn), directed by Wong Kar-wai, starring Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung and Andy Lau - (Hong Kong)
    Days of Thunder, directed by Tony Scott, starring Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid and Cary Elwes
    Death Warrant, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
    Dei tau lung (Dragon Fighter) - (Hong Kong)
    Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection
    Denial
    Desperate Hours, starring Anthony Hopkins, Mickey Rourke, Mimi Rogers, Lindsay Crouse, Kelly Lynch
    Dick Tracy, starring Warren Beatty, Madonna, Glenne Headly, Al Pacino
    Die Hard 2, starring Bruce Willis
    Downtown, starring Anthony Edwards and Forest Whitaker
    Dreams (Yume), directed by Akira Kurosawa - (Japan)
    DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp
    [edit]E-K
    E
    Edward Scissorhands, directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Alan Arkin, Anthony Michael Hall and Vincent Price
    The End of Innocence, directed by and starring Dyan Cannon
    Ernest Goes to Jail, starring Jim Varney
    Escape from the 'Liberty' Cinema (Ucieczka z kina "Wolność") - (Poland)
    Europa Europa (aka Hitlerjunge Salomon) - (Germany/Poland) - Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film (for 1991)
    Everybody's Fine (Stanno tutti bene), starring Marcello Mastroianni, Michèle Morgan - (Italy)
    The Exorcist III, starring George C. Scott
    F
    Fantasia (restored version)
    La Femme Nikita, directed by Luc Besson - (France/Italy)
    The Field, starring Richard Harris, John Hurt, Tom Berenger - (Ireland/U.K.)
    Fire Birds, starring Nicolas Cage, Tommy Lee Jones and Sean Young
    The First Power, starring Lou Diamond Phillips
    Flashback, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Dennis Hopper
    Flatliners, directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin and Oliver Platt
    The Fourth War, starring Roy Schneider and Jürgen Prochnow
    Frankenstein Unbound, directed by Roger Corman, starring John Hurt
    The Freshman, starring Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick
    Funny About Love directed by Leonard Nimoy, starring Gene Wilder, Christine Lahti, Mary Stuart Masterson
    G
    Ghayal - (India)
    Ghost, starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg
    The Godfather Part III, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy García, Joe Mantegna, Eli Wallach, Sofia Coppola
    Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino
    Graffiti Bridge, directed by and starring Prince
    Green Card, starring Gérard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell - Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)
    Gremlins 2: The New Batch, starring Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates
    The Grifters, directed by Stephen Frears, starring Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening
    The Guardian, starring Jenny Seagrove, Dwier Brown and Carey Lowell
    H
    The Hairdresser's Husband (Le Mari de la coiffeuse), directed by Patrice Leconte - (France)
    Hamlet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Helena Bonham Carter - (U.K./U.S.A./France)
    Hamoun - (Iran)
    The Handmaid's Tale, directed by Volker Schlondorff, starring Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall
    Hard to Kill starring Steven Seagal and Kelly LeBrock
    Havana, starring Robert Redford, Lena Olin, Raúl Juliá, Alan Arkin
    Heart Condition, starring Bob Hoskins and Denzel Washington
    Heaven and Earth (Ten to chi to) - (Japan)
    Henry & June, starring Fred Ward, Maria de Medeiros, Uma Thurman
    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, starring Michael Rooker
    Hidden Agenda, directed by Ken Loach, starring Frances McDormand and Brian Cox - (U.K.)
    Home Alone, directed by Chris Columbus, starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard
    The Hot Spot, directed by Dennis Hopper, starring Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Connelly
    The Hunt for Red October, starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, James Earl Jones, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, Tim Curry
    I
    I Come in Peace (aka Dark Angel), starring Dolph Lundgren
    I Hired a Contract Killer, starring Jean-Pierre Léaud - (International)
    I Love You to Death, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman, River Phoenix, William Hurt, Keanu Reeves, Joan Plowright
    Internal Affairs, directed by Mike Figgis, starring Richard Gere, Andy García, Nancy Travis
    It - TV mini series based on the stephen king novel
    J
    Jacob's Ladder, starring Tim Robbins, directed by Adrian Lyne
    Jetsons: The Movie
    Joe Versus the Volcano, starring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Ossie Davis, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges
    Journey of Hope (Reise der Hoffnung or Umuda yolculuk) - (Switzerland/Turkey) - Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
    Ju Dou, directed by Zhang Yimou and Yang Fengliang, starring Gong Li - (China)
    The Juniper Tree, starring Björk - (Iceland)
    K
    Kindergarten Cop, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Richard Tyson and Linda Hunt
    King of New York, directed by Abel Ferrara, starring Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburne, Wesley Snipes, David Caruso
    Korczak, directed by Andrzej Wajda - (Poland)
    The Krays, directed by Peter Medak, starring Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp, Billie Whitelaw - (U.K.)
    [edit]L-Q
    L
    Larks on a String (Skrivánci na niti), directed by Jiří Menzel - (Czechoslovakia) - Golden Bear award
    The Last of the Finest, starring Brian Dennehy
    Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
    The Lemon Sisters, starring Diane Keaton, Carol Kane, Elliott Gould
    Lionheart, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
    The Long Walk Home, starring Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg
    Look Who's Talking Too, starring John Travolta and Kirstie Alley
    Loose Cannons, starring Gene Hackman and Dan Aykroyd
    Lord of the Flies
    Love at Large, starring Tom Berenger and Anne Archer
    M
    Mack the Knife, starring Raúl Juliá
    A Man Called Sarge, starring Gary Kroeger and Marc Singer
    Marked for Death, starring Steven Seagal
    The Match Factory Girl (Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö) - (Finland/Sweden)
    Memories of a River (Tutajosok) - (Hungary)
    Memphis Belle, directed by Michael Caton-Jones, starring Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Connick, Jr., Sean Astin, Billy Zane
    Men at Work, starring Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez
    Mermaids, directed by Richard Benjamin, starring Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci
    Metropolitan
    Miami Blues starring Fred Ward, Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nora Dunn
    Miller's Crossing, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, Jon Polito
    Milou in May (Milou en mai), directed by Louis Malle - (France)
    Misery, directed by Rob Reiner, starring James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall
    Mo' Better Blues, directed by Spike Lee, starring Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, Samuel L. Jackson and Lee
    A Moment of Romance (Tin joek jau cing), starring Andy Lau - (Hong Kong)
    Mountains of the Moon, directed by Bob Rafelson
    Movie... In Your Face
    Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
    Mr. Destiny, starring James Belushi, Michael Caine, Linda Hamilton
    My Blue Heaven, starring Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, Joan Cusack
    My Father's Glory (La Gloire de mon père) - (France)
    My Mother's Castle (Le Château de ma mère), directed by Yves Robert - (France) - Golden Space Needle award (for 1991) - see novel Le Château de ma mère
    N
    Narrow Margin, starring Gene Hackman and Anne Archer
    The Nasty Girl (Das schreckliche Mädchen) - (West Germany)
    Navy SEALs, starring Charlie Sheen, Michael Biehn and Joanne Whalley
    The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter
    Nightbreed, directed by Clive Barker
    Nuns on the Run, starring Robbie Coltrane and Eric Idle - (U.K.)
    The Nutcracker Prince - (Canada)
    O
    On Tour (Turnè) - (Italy)
    P
    Pacific Heights, directed by John Schlesinger, starring Michael Keaton, Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine
    Piece of Cake, directed by Jay Sandrich, starring T.K. Carter, Cleavant Derricks, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Tonya Lee Williams
    Postcards from the Edge, directed by Mike Nichols, starring Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman
    Pratibandh - (India)
    Predator 2, starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso and Bill Paxton
    Presumed Innocent, directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Harrison Ford, Greta Scacchi, Bonnie Bedelia, Brian Dennehy, Raúl Juliá
    Pretty Woman, directed by Garry Marshall, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere
    Problem Child, starring John Ritter, Michael Oliver, Jack Warden, Amy Yasbeck, Gilbert Gottfried, Michael Richards
    Pump Up the Volume, directed by Allan Moyle, starring Christian Slater, Golden Space Needle award
    Q
    Q&A, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton, Armand Assante
    Quick Change, starring Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid
    Quigley Down Under, starring Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo, Alan Rickman - (Australia/U.S.A.)
    [edit]R-Z
    R
    The Reflecting Skin, starring Viggo Mortensen
    Repossessed, a parody of The Exorcist, starring Linda Blair and Leslie Nielsen
    The Rescuers Down Under, starring Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor and John Candy
    Revenge, starring Kevin Costner, Anthony Quinn, Madeleine Stowe, James Gammon, Miguel Ferrer, Sally Kirkland
    Reversal of Fortune, starring Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close and Ron Silver
    RoboCop 2, starring Peter Weller and Nancy Allen
    Robot Jox
    Rockula
    Rocky V, starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Tommy Morrison
    Romeo-Juliet, starring John Hurt, Francesca Annis, Ben Kingsley and Vanessa Redgrave
    The Rookie, starring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen
    Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, directed by Tom Stoppard - (U.K./U.S.A.) - Golden Lion award
    The Russia House, starring Sean Connery, Michelle Pfeiffer, Klaus Maria Brandauer, James Fox, Roy Scheider
    S
    The Sheltering Sky, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Debra Winger and John Malkovich - (Italy/U.K.)
    Shipwrecked (Haakon Haakonsen) - (Norway/Sweden/U.S.A.)
    Short Time, starring Dabney Coleman and Teri Garr
    A Show of Force, starring Amy Irving and Andy García
    Sibling Rivalry, starring Kirstie Alley
    Side Out, starring C. Thomas Howell and Peter Horton
    Silent Gunpowder (Gluvi barut) - (Yugoslavia)
    Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation
    Silent Scream - (U.K.)
    Song of the Exile (Ke tu qiu hen), starring Maggie Cheung - (Hong Kong)
    Spaced Invaders, directed by Patrick Read Johnson, starring Douglas Barr, Royal Dano, Ariana Richards, J. J. Anderson
    Stanley & Iris, starring Robert De Niro and Jane Fonda
    State of Grace, starring Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright
    Stella, starring Bette Midler, Trini Alvarado, John Goodman, Stephen Collins, Marsha Mason
    The Sun Also Shines at Night (Il sole anche di notte), starring Julian Sands, Charlotte Gainsbourg - (Italy)
    T
    Taking Care of Business, starring James Belushi and Charles Grodin
    Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, starring Deborah Harry and Christian Slater
    Tatie Danielle (Auntie Danielle), starring Tsilla Chelton - (France)
    Taxi Blues (Taksi-Blyuz) - (U.S.S.R.)
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, directed by Steve Barron
    Tekken - (Japan)
    Texasville, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman, Annie Potts
    Three Men and a Little Lady, starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson
    Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (¡Átame!), directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Antonio Banderas - (Spain)
    Tilaï (The Law) - (Burkina Faso)
    Total Recall, directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside and Ronny Cox
    Treasure Island, starring Charlton Heston and Christian Bale - (U.K./U.S.A.)
    Tremors starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross and Reba McEntire
    Truly, Madly, Deeply, directed by Anthony Minghella - (U.K.)
    The Two Jakes, directed by and starring Jack Nicholson, co-starring Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe, David Keith, Eli Wallach
    U
    Uchū no hōsoku - (Japan)
    Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars - (Japan)
    Uranus, directed by Claude Berri, starring Gérard Depardieu - (France)
    V
    Vincent & Me (Vincent et Moi) - (Canada/France)
    Vincent & Theo, directed by Robert Altman
    W
    Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael, starring Winona Ryder and Jeff Daniels
    Where the Heart Is
    White Hunter, Black Heart, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood
    White Palace, starring Susan Sarandon and James Spader
    Wild at Heart, directed by David Lynch, starring Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Willem Dafoe, Harry Dean Stanton and Isabella Rossellini
    Wild Orchid, starring Mickey Rourke, Carre Otis, Jacqueline Bisset
    The Witches, directed by Nicolas Roeg, starring Anjelica Huston - (U.K./U.S.A.)
    XYZ
    Young Guns II, starring Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christian Slater and William Petersen
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      CommentAuthorErik Woods
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2012
    Here's an excellent overview of film music written in 1990.
    http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/article … Eleven.asp

    -Erik-
    host and executive producer of THE CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO PODCAST | www.cinematicsound.net | www.facebook.com/cinematicsound | I HAVE TINNITUS!
    •  
      CommentAuthorSouthall
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2012
    The year's magnificent seven as far as I'm concerned, in approximate order of greatness (greatest first):

    Dances with Wolves (John Barry)
    - As I've noted before, this score features more memorable themes than most film composers manage in a whole career. It is perfectly wedded to the film. And it's just so, so beautiful.

    Avalon (Randy Newman)
    - Nobody else seems to know this stunner. So full of whimsy, it's wonderful accompaniment to Barry Levinson's finest film. Wonderful themes, real heart, it's the finest film score by a Newman who isn't Alfred (and that's saying something, coming from this great fan of Thomas).

    Total Recall (Jerry Goldsmith)
    - Others would probably pick one of the Rambos but for me this is Goldsmith's finest action score and probably the finest action score. And there's so much more to it than just the action, with the stunning "Mutant" theme and that glorious finale.

    The Russia House (Jerry Goldsmith)
    - His third attempt to get that beautiful main theme into a film (after its appearance in his ill-fated Wall Street and Alien Nation). The music's so breezily evocative, so unlike what any other composer would have written for the film - indeed, quite unlike anything else by Goldsmith, and yet unmistakably him.

    Awakenings (Randy Newman)
    - It was a fine year indeed for R Newman. OK, maybe it's a bit mawkish (not half as mawkish as the film), but on album it's truly beautiful.

    Joe Versus the Volcano (Georges Delerue)
    - This was for years my most-wanted unreleased film score. And it's no longer unreleased. Just pure, unabashed Delerue romanticism, and anyone who doesn't love pure, unabashed Delerue romanticism should be locked away.

    Memphis Belle (George Fenton)
    - It's true that without one particular cue this album would probably be left gathering dust - but when that one particular cue is as rousing, as magnificent as "The Final Mission", then I have no hesitation in adding the whole thing to this list.
  1. "Goodfellas" has no score. It was tracked with songs, maybe some classical (been a while since I've seen it).

    It's a shame. I felt the film could have benefitted from a small amount of score by somebody like David Newman or Elmer Bernstein.
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
  2. No, it could not.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2012
    yeah Goodfellas needed no score whatsoever.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    •  
      CommentAuthorSouthall
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2012
    Indeed, indeed. It is musically perfect.

    Bernstein was actually attached to Casino, wasn't he? But ended up not writing anything for it.
  3. No, it could not.


    That's the beauty of having your own opinion. Its yours! tongue



    I have no semblence of well thought out ideas, but lately I have been noticing -- not from purposeful study -- that the more and more scores I hear from various decades, the early '90's, to me, appears to be the begin of the steady decline in everything I love about film scores. Examples here and there afterward, are not the exceptions that disprove the rule.

    It's almost like a clock, it's so glaring. As soon as 1989 fell into 1990, it changed. The amount of scores after 1990 that are as amazing of terrific as their counterparts from the '80's downward, I can probably count on both hands. Maybe a few toes just in case. And if I run out of toes, well, I still got one more appendage.


    Every decades of film scoring prior provided a new direction of scoring, in a general sense (since not everybody followed step), and while different -- from lush, to jazz, to experimental synth works -- it was at least enjoyable.

    Now these days, I find nothing to love, so far, about the new directions. Anytime I enjoy a score, it almost always is because it follows in the steps of the pre-1990's.
    About 90/95% of the "Best scores of the year!" people always cite, I find bland, boring, uninteresting, or just plain bad in some instances.

    I'm fairly sure, if one looked into it, it would come down to a few key factors. I don't know all the factors, because I haven't thought it out, but some examples:

    Inexperienced Directors.
    They don't have a clue how music works, why their film needs music, what music does. They aren't into the music arts and don't know their composers. I can think of examples from passed directors who listened to, and knew of various composers.
    They expect that a composer wiull do it quickly, on the cheap, on a synthesizer. Some stories that come to mind:
    Goldsmith riding in a car with a director (the story is fuzzy now -- he told it in an interview) saying he wanted a theme like his score to "The Prize". He said, "Like that!", to what was playing on the car radio. He didn't have to heart to tell the director, that WAS his theme to "The Prize".
    Then I recall another compsoer tell the story of a director coming to his house and asing him if he would score his film, he agreed and the director sat down and made himself comfortable. He asked what he wanted, and he said he'd jsut sit there and wait until he was finished. SERIOUS delusion on the part of a director on time/talent, and ... REALITY.

    Unqualified Composers.
    They never fullied learned how to compose. They never had schooling. They never had a director push them, instead "follow the temp track". They almost never, to never, got a film that could truely inspire them, and when they did, the budget was small for scoring, and the time as short as Arnold Schwarzenegger's weiner.

    Laziness.
    "I'll get paid anyway".
    "I only want a monthly royalty check for composing a theme" (I've encountered that one before!).
    "So and so doesn't have to try and gets paid, so why not I?"
    "IT can be done quickly on synths."
    It's the hippie, liberal progressive culture that finally managed to perverse almost every angle of Hollywood. The results, poor quality abound. Some libs managed to pull off good acting and composing, but not all. "If it feels good, do it" and apparently sucking was "it".

    Poor Films.
    There were poor films in every decade passed, but at least composers made an effort. For goodness sake's, look at the recent, though full of lifts, BuySoundtrax release of "Starchaser: The Legend of Orin". When you couple today's poor, uninspiring films with the massive lot of untalented, uncaring composers, well, you get crap.

    Budgets.
    They, the studio, claim they don't have any money. They reject the score. Then they hire another composer. Once again, they don't have any money. They reject that score, too. A third composer comes in. They don't have any money. They replace some of his cues with another composer before release. That composer is told they don't have any money. What did they pay these guys with, Monopoly money?

    The budgets, generally, though there are exceptions, are shrinking. One composer told me the horror story of how the studio will offer you a package deal. From that you have to pay yourself and your workers. If you want extra studio time, extra musicians, ect., just to make your score special, you have to shell out of your own pocket since the package is small (no pun to follow that up).

    Songs.
    Way too many songs these days. There's something seriously fucked up with a "Music Supervisor" gets billing before a composer in the opening credits, and trailer credits.

    There's something seriously fucked up when a multiple award winning composer like John Barry would agree to score a film, then receive 20 pages of songs that were in it, and then have to decline.



    Just some random thoughts.
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
  4. Southall wrote
    Bernstein was actually attached to Casino, wasn't he? But ended up not writing anything for it.


    Yes, but I don't know the results. Probably will soon.
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
    •  
      CommentAuthorErik Woods
    • CommentTimeApr 23rd 2012
    justin boggan wrote
    I have no semblence of well thought out ideas, but lately I have been noticing -- not from purposeful study -- that the more and more scores I hear from various decades, the early '90's, to me, appears to be the begin of the steady decline in everything I love about film scores. Examples here and there afterward, are not the exceptions that disprove the rule.

    It's almost like a clock, it's so glaring. As soon as 1989 fell into 1990, it changed. The amount of scores after 1990 that are as amazing of terrific as their counterparts from the '80's downward, I can probably count on both hands. Maybe a few toes just in case. And if I run out of toes, well, I still got one more appendage.


    What?!?! The decade of the 90's provided many brilliant scores. Some would argue that it is one of the finest decades for film music ever! BTW, I was on the latest edition of Tracksounds' The Soundcast and we talked about the 90's in length. If you guys are interested you can listen to the program at http://www.tracksounds.com/specialfeatu … /index.htm

    -Erik-
    host and executive producer of THE CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO PODCAST | www.cinematicsound.net | www.facebook.com/cinematicsound | I HAVE TINNITUS!
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    The 90's rule.

    But this thread is specifically about 1990. Well, taking my point-of-departure in my 1990 picks from Alan's thread, some of my favourites include TOTAL RECALL (Jerry Goldsmith), TWIN PEAKS (Badalamenti), BACK TO THE FUTURE III (Silvestri), DAYS OF THUNDER (Zimmer), DICK TRACY (Elfman), FLATLINERS (James N. Howard), GREEN CARD (Zimmer), GREMLINS 2 (Goldsmith), HOME ALONE (Williams), QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER (Poledouris), SHIPWRECKED (Doyle) and STANLEY & IRIS (Williams).

    But as I said....EDWARD SCISSORHANDS is far, far ahead of this crowd, all on its own.
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    justin boggan wrote
    No, it could not.


    That's the beauty of having your own opinion. Its yours! tongue



    I have no semblence of well thought out ideas, but lately I have been noticing -- not from purposeful study -- that the more and more scores I hear from various decades, the early '90's, to me, appears to be the begin of the steady decline in everything I love about film scores. Examples here and there afterward, are not the exceptions that disprove the rule.

    It's almost like a clock, it's so glaring. As soon as 1989 fell into 1990, it changed. The amount of scores after 1990 that are as amazing of terrific as their counterparts from the '80's downward, I can probably count on both hands. Maybe a few toes just in case. And if I run out of toes, well, I still got one more appendage.


    Every decades of film scoring prior provided a new direction of scoring, in a general sense (since not everybody followed step), and while different -- from lush, to jazz, to experimental synth works -- it was at least enjoyable.

    Now these days, I find nothing to love, so far, about the new directions. Anytime I enjoy a score, it almost always is because it follows in the steps of the pre-1990's.
    About 90/95% of the "Best scores of the year!" people always cite, I find bland, boring, uninteresting, or just plain bad in some instances.

    I'm fairly sure, if one looked into it, it would come down to a few key factors. I don't know all the factors, because I haven't thought it out, but some examples:

    Inexperienced Directors.
    They don't have a clue how music works, why their film needs music, what music does. They aren't into the music arts and don't know their composers. I can think of examples from passed directors who listened to, and knew of various composers.
    They expect that a composer wiull do it quickly, on the cheap, on a synthesizer. Some stories that come to mind:
    Goldsmith riding in a car with a director (the story is fuzzy now -- he told it in an interview) saying he wanted a theme like his score to "The Prize". He said, "Like that!", to what was playing on the car radio. He didn't have to heart to tell the director, that WAS his theme to "The Prize".
    Then I recall another compsoer tell the story of a director coming to his house and asing him if he would score his film, he agreed and the director sat down and made himself comfortable. He asked what he wanted, and he said he'd jsut sit there and wait until he was finished. SERIOUS delusion on the part of a director on time/talent, and ... REALITY.

    Unqualified Composers.
    They never fullied learned how to compose. They never had schooling. They never had a director push them, instead "follow the temp track". They almost never, to never, got a film that could truely inspire them, and when they did, the budget was small for scoring, and the time as short as Arnold Schwarzenegger's weiner.

    Laziness.
    "I'll get paid anyway".
    "I only want a monthly royalty check for composing a theme" (I've encountered that one before!).
    "So and so doesn't have to try and gets paid, so why not I?"
    "IT can be done quickly on synths."
    It's the hippie, liberal progressive culture that finally managed to perverse almost every angle of Hollywood. The results, poor quality abound. Some libs managed to pull off good acting and composing, but not all. "If it feels good, do it" and apparently sucking was "it".

    Poor Films.
    There were poor films in every decade passed, but at least composers made an effort. For goodness sake's, look at the recent, though full of lifts, BuySoundtrax release of "Starchaser: The Legend of Orin". When you couple today's poor, uninspiring films with the massive lot of untalented, uncaring composers, well, you get crap.

    Budgets.
    They, the studio, claim they don't have any money. They reject the score. Then they hire another composer. Once again, they don't have any money. They reject that score, too. A third composer comes in. They don't have any money. They replace some of his cues with another composer before release. That composer is told they don't have any money. What did they pay these guys with, Monopoly money?

    The budgets, generally, though there are exceptions, are shrinking. One composer told me the horror story of how the studio will offer you a package deal. From that you have to pay yourself and your workers. If you want extra studio time, extra musicians, ect., just to make your score special, you have to shell out of your own pocket since the package is small (no pun to follow that up).

    Songs.
    Way too many songs these days. There's something seriously fucked up with a "Music Supervisor" gets billing before a composer in the opening credits, and trailer credits.

    There's something seriously fucked up when a multiple award winning composer like John Barry would agree to score a film, then receive 20 pages of songs that were in it, and then have to decline.



    Just some random thoughts.



    And otherwise, your day is well?
    I am extremely serious.
  5. No. Thanks for asking.
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
  6. justin boggan wrote
    The budgets, generally, though there are exceptions, are shrinking. One composer told me the horror story of how the studio will offer you a package deal. From that you have to pay yourself and your workers. If you want extra studio time, extra musicians, ect., just to make your score special, you have to shell out of your own pocket since the package is small.

    I was under the impression that this option of furnishing a score with a "lump sum" was one that is not uncommon?
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    Thor wrote
    The 90's rule.

    But this thread is specifically about 1990. Well, taking my point-of-departure in my 1990 picks from Alan's thread, some of my favourites include TOTAL RECALL (Jerry Goldsmith), TWIN PEAKS (Badalamenti), BACK TO THE FUTURE III (Silvestri), DAYS OF THUNDER (Zimmer), DICK TRACY (Elfman), FLATLINERS (James N. Howard), GREEN CARD (Zimmer), GREMLINS 2 (Goldsmith), HOME ALONE (Williams), QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER (Poledouris), SHIPWRECKED (Doyle) and STANLEY & IRIS (Williams).

    But as I said....EDWARD SCISSORHANDS is far, far ahead of this crowd, all on its own.


    To each our own but what is it for you that makes Edward Scissorhands 'all on it's own'?
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  7. FalkirkBairn wrote
    justin boggan wrote
    The budgets, generally, though there are exceptions, are shrinking. One composer told me the horror story of how the studio will offer you a package deal. From that you have to pay yourself and your workers. If you want extra studio time, extra musicians, ect., just to make your score special, you have to shell out of your own pocket since the package is small.

    I was under the impression that this option of furnishing a score with a "lump sum" was one that is not uncommon?


    That's what the composer seemed to tell me, but he didn't go on in detail further, and I didn't ask.
    The views and opinions of Ford A. Thaxton are his own and do not necessarily reflect the ones of ANYONE else.
    • CommentAuthorDavid OC
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    Not a bad year at all. Quigley Down Under is one that stands out - a great score, probably one of the most underrated of Basil's career. It'd be right up there for me, along with the obvious ones like Edward Scissorhands, Dances with Wolves and Total Recall.

    I love Morricone's pair of Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down and Everybody's Fine too - both very solid scores.

    Narrow Margin is one of the best of Broughton's many action scores and Pacific Heights - though I hate the album's structure - is still one of the better Zimmer scores to this day.

    And I much prefer White Palace to Memphis Belle of the Fenton scores.
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    Timmer wrote
    Thor wrote
    The 90's rule.

    But this thread is specifically about 1990. Well, taking my point-of-departure in my 1990 picks from Alan's thread, some of my favourites include TOTAL RECALL (Jerry Goldsmith), TWIN PEAKS (Badalamenti), BACK TO THE FUTURE III (Silvestri), DAYS OF THUNDER (Zimmer), DICK TRACY (Elfman), FLATLINERS (James N. Howard), GREEN CARD (Zimmer), GREMLINS 2 (Goldsmith), HOME ALONE (Williams), QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER (Poledouris), SHIPWRECKED (Doyle) and STANLEY & IRIS (Williams).

    But as I said....EDWARD SCISSORHANDS is far, far ahead of this crowd, all on its own.


    To each our own but what is it for you that makes Edward Scissorhands 'all on it's own'?


    Since a score analysis of this was a big part of my master thesis, I've come to have a closer relationship to it. You would think that would 'kill' my emotional appreciation of it, but it's quite the contrary -- even though I have to be careful not to overplay it.

    On the one hand, I love the symbolic potency of the music as it appears in the film (in many scenes, the meaning is communicated almost exclusively through music and visuals), but then I'm also totally in love with the more emotional side of the magic, minor-mode, almost religious material (esp. Edward's theme).

    That it happens to be Elfman's own favourite is a bonus as well. I recommend anyone who's truly interested in the marriage of music and film to listen to his very interesting DVD commentary.
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorSouthall
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    FalkirkBairn wrote
    justin boggan wrote
    The budgets, generally, though there are exceptions, are shrinking. One composer told me the horror story of how the studio will offer you a package deal. From that you have to pay yourself and your workers. If you want extra studio time, extra musicians, ect., just to make your score special, you have to shell out of your own pocket since the package is small.

    I was under the impression that this option of furnishing a score with a "lump sum" was one that is not uncommon?


    I think it's been the case for a very long time.
    •  
      CommentAuthorCobweb
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    It's almost like a clock, it's so glaring. As soon as 1989 fell into 1990, it changed. The amount of scores after 1990 that are as amazing of terrific as their counterparts from the '80's downward, I can probably count on both hands.


    Hi justin boggan.

    I consider 1990 a 'transition' year. It was still possible in 1990 to have dissonant scores for mainstream American movies such as TOTAL RECALL or ROBOCOP 2. By 1991, though, classically trained composers were obligated to reduce the density of their scores and churn out 'low-carb' music (Jerry Goldsmith) or else take an early retirement and leave the Hollywood scoring stages (Leonard Rosenman).

    Of course, it's not so simply cut-n-dried or black-n-white; younger composers such as Elliot Goldenthal could continue to deliver the goods (as with ALEN 3) and 1999's THE MATRIX by Don Davis is a rare summer blockbuster score that's a concert-hall quality sound sculpture.

    Also, prior to 1990, I consider both 1980 and 1984 to be significant transition years as well.
    In 1983, it was still possible to have serious adult drama (like UNDER FIRE), but by 1984 forget it - the GREMLINS and SUPERGIRL and RUNAWAY were upon us, smothering us with juvenilia.

    Doesn't anybody else notice that composers like Laurence Rosenthal and Johnny Mandel and Richard Rodney Bennett (all 3 still living, by the way) have had little or no feature films to their credit after 1983?

    One may even consider a smaller-scale example and witness BBC producer John-Nathan Turner firing DOCTOR WHO's in-house composer Dudley Simpson in 1980 to make way for thoroughly synthesized sounds for the 1980/'81 season.

    The weight of changes in film & TV scoring should not rest solely on the shoulders of 1990, I feel.
    But, yes, 1990 was certainly one of those before-n-after marker buoys.
    •  
      CommentAuthorCobweb
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    Erik Woods wrote
    What?!?! The decade of the 90's provided many brilliant scores. Some would argue that it is one of the finest decades for film music ever! BTW, I was on the latest edition of Tracksounds' The Soundcast and we talked about the 90's in length. If you guys are interested you can listen to the program at http://www.tracksounds.com/specialfeatu … /index.htm

    -Erik-


    Hi, Erik:

    I'd say there were some brilliant film scores from the 1990s, but not a large amount.
    You would never witness me making any argument claiming the 1990s were the finest, though! biggrin
    •  
      CommentAuthorErik Woods
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    Cobweb wrote
    I'd say there were some brilliant film scores from the 1990s, but not a large amount.


    Oh yes... there was indeed a large amount.

    -Erik-
    host and executive producer of THE CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO PODCAST | www.cinematicsound.net | www.facebook.com/cinematicsound | I HAVE TINNITUS!
    •  
      CommentAuthorCobweb
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    Thor wrote
    The 90's rule.


    Maybe the 1990s rock your world, Thor, but not in my dodecaphonic territory. smile

    There's quite a divergence between films score from the 1990s and compositions written during the '90s for classical concerts. The '90s was a decade in which film scores were under duress to appease the multitudes of focus groups/preview audiences along with multiple industry executive producers/vice presidents, etc.

    I think 1990s film scores are results of collaborations, being tested by committees as yet just another aspect of the overall "product" to present to the consuming public.

    If things like Elmer Bernstein's LAST MAN STANDING or Jerry Goldsmith's TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY can get rejected, just wonder how a focus group of 13-year-olds would react against "absolute" works by composers such as Harrison Birtwistle or Elliott Carter?
    •  
      CommentAuthorErik Woods
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    All of that might be true but that does hinder the fact that the 90's churned out a large amount of excellent scores - some considered among the film score community to be modern day classics.

    -Erik-
    host and executive producer of THE CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO PODCAST | www.cinematicsound.net | www.facebook.com/cinematicsound | I HAVE TINNITUS!
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    Cobweb wrote
    Thor wrote
    The 90's rule.


    Maybe the 1990s rock your world, Thor, but not in my dodecaphonic territory. smile

    There's quite a divergence between films score from the 1990s and compositions written during the '90s for classical concerts. The '90s was a decade in which film scores were under duress to appease the multitudes of focus groups/preview audiences along with multiple industry executive producers/vice presidents, etc.

    I think 1990s film scores are results of collaborations, being tested by committees as yet just another aspect of the overall "product" to present to the consuming public.

    If things like Elmer Bernstein's LAST MAN STANDING or Jerry Goldsmith's TWO DAYS IN THE VALLEY can get rejected, just wonder how a focus group of 13-year-olds would react against "absolute" works by composers such as Harrison Birtwistle or Elliott Carter?


    I think that depends on how and WHERE you look. There were plenty of 'dodecaphonic' scores (and other dissonant techniques) being employed in the 90's too -- especially if you look outside the mainstream.
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorCobweb
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    I would sooner describe the 1990s as a great decade for soundtrack album productions.

    There was probably more film scores released as soundtrack albums in the 1990s than any previous decade, and for that we're all doubtless grateful.

    As to the expressive range of '90s scores' harmonic languages, though, I think the '90s were more limited.
    Serial techniques were (and still are) absent, and jazzy scores were (and are) rare.
    For over 20 years, films scores have fallen into two basic camps - the tonal orchestral romanticism and/or the pop/new age synthesizer score. There's examples wherein these two styles are integrated successfully. However, there's precious little room for avant-garde experimentation, for instance ...
    •  
      CommentAuthorCobweb
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    Thor wrote
    I think that depends on how and WHERE you look. There were plenty of 'dodecaphonic' scores (and other dissonant techniques) being employed in the 90's too -- especially if you look outside the mainstream.


    Yes, that's true. I do search out for the non-mainstream, too.
    Haven't come across many instances, though. Even so-called "independent" films can be loaded with Top 40 pop hits, so one really needs to scour the field.
    •  
      CommentAuthorErik Woods
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012 edited
    You can't just insert avant garde scoring into a film if it doesn't call for it. Again, the lack of certain styles doesn't make the decade any less worthy. I'm holding back on my typing out my gigantic list of super amazing awesome 90's scores because I think lists are deathly boring but I'm staring at 3 pages of 90's scores that I wrote down when preparing for Tracksounds latest podcast and 4 of my all time favourite score come from the 90's. I mean, James Horner produced about a dozen excellent scores in the mid 90's alone.

    What's also notable about the 90's is the birth of the purely orchestral (or more cinematic) score written for video games. Michael Giacchino's Medal of Honor and Lennie Moore's Outcast are regarded as revolutionary scores in the video game world and are considers two of the finest ever written.

    -Erik-
    host and executive producer of THE CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO PODCAST | www.cinematicsound.net | www.facebook.com/cinematicsound | I HAVE TINNITUS!
    •  
      CommentAuthorSouthall
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    This is an interesting discussion but please note the position of the apostrophe in the thread title. wink

    The more general "things aren't as good as they used to be!" argument is one where the usual disagreement is only on the point of time that it changed - I'm sure that the internet users of the 1950s were up in arms at North and Rosenman writing that horrible music they did and pushing Steiner and co to one side. I'm sure the internet users of the 2020s will note with horror as the baton passes from the day's master composers like Steve Jablosnky.
    •  
      CommentAuthorErik Woods
    • CommentTimeApr 24th 2012
    Southall wrote
    I'm sure the internet users of the 2020s will note with horror as the baton passes from the day's master composers like Steve Jablosnky.


    Cough...cough.... cough... I'm choking... I'm choking.... spit! suicide

    -Erik-
    host and executive producer of THE CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO PODCAST | www.cinematicsound.net | www.facebook.com/cinematicsound | I HAVE TINNITUS!