[Closed] Now Playing XLVIII

NP: BIG WEDNESDAY (Basil Poledouris)

I like a lot of the tracks here (laidback moods), but again it's too long. As you can gather, I'm listening to a lot of BP, inspired by my own recent webcast on the man.

This one is for you Martijn...

Jet Set Unlimited

Fantastic Four Marco Beltrami & Philip Glass

Good though Glass's music is here, it does feel noticeably out of place compared to Beltrami's. There's nothing wrong with that, the two styles do meld quite well* - but I'd rather it be ALL Beltrami.

Anyway. This really is a [spoiler]fantastic[/spoiler] score for what is shockingly a not-so-[spoiler]fantastic[/spoiler] film.

*edit: I realise that sounds a bit contradictory. I mean Glass's music fits within Beltrami's score well enough, but it's clearly Glass's music.

Watered down!? The action music is brutal! And there's a strong sci-fi element running throughout, which gives it a little bit more than just being a straight action score (not that there's anything wrong with that, i.e. his Die Hard scores).

I think it's a resounding success.

Oh. Well... still, I wouldn't describe any of it as watered down. It could do with a bit of trimming I suppose, but there's still plenty to make at least 45 excellent minutes.

Didn't we discuss this already?

In any case, I found the FF score largely disappointing, despite some promising hints at the Glass sound at the beginning of the album. Incredibly mainstream and dull. Same goes for that ANT-MAN affair that everyone raves over. Meh!

I have no interest in the films either, as superhero films aren't normally my thing in the first place (although I did love MAN OF STEEL, but that is mostly down to Snyder's auteur marks).

There. That's my grouchy rant of the day.

I can empathise, believe it or not. I, on other hand, LOVE these two scores.

I'd say, look up the definition of 'auteur' before ridiculing him. Sure, the 'auteur theory' is often used in relation to 'art house' and/or independent directors, but that doesn't mean it's by definition related to quality or not connected to commercial filmmaking. It simply means the director has his own distinct creative style and can thus be recognized by it. If you cannot recognize Zach Snyder's style, pay more attention to his films.

I'm not a fan by any means of Snyder, but I do recognize he's an auteur filmmaker, as is for example Michael Bay.

NP: K-19 - The Widowmaker - Klaus Badelt

I never really got to give this one a proper spin. Now that I have, I think this is the most depressing submarine score I've ever heard. I've never seen the movie, but know a little bit about the story, so I guess it's fitting.

Badelt certainly tried and succeeded to seperate his score from its famous ancestors, Hunt for Red October and Crimson Tide, but is it also better? Not really. There are certain highlights I find interesting and engaging, but overall, it's a bit repetitive in the thematic department, and the action stuff reminds me too much of Gladiator to really stand out. Even the Russian choir is a bit less dynamic than desired, but I really enjoyed the new recordings of the adapted Richard Einhorn material from his excellent Voices of Light (if you never heard that one, do yourself a favour and change that, because of reasons).

Overall, K-19 won't ever be in my list of top Badelt scores, but at least I think it's well composed and probably does a great job in the movie.

Okay, someone should listen to K-9 oder K-Pax, like, now. ^^

But yeah, K 2 really is something.

NP: FIMUCITÉ 6 - UNIVERSAL PICTURES 100TH ANNIVERSARY GALLA (various)

It's a nice 2CD compilation, but the performance by the Tenerife orchestra is a bit all over the place. Not doubting Diego Navarro's energetic conducting, but the musicians may not be QUITE up to par for some of the pieces. Still a fine selection of tracks.

I like it very much but like most longer arrangements of 60-second tv themes it probably goes on a bit too long.

They pretty much follow the Hugo Montenegro arrangement. I don't think it goes on too long at all.