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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 5th 2021
    PawelStroinski wrote
    Vangelis - Blade Runner

    Revisiting and old friend. Writing a 5000-character essay on how the music is responsible for co-creating the film's world. This is going to be fun smile


    Good luck. That score constituted one of the analysis chapters in my thesis (alas, it's in Norwegian, so of little help to you).

    FalkirkBairn wrote

    5000 character? I've not seen length defined by this. It's usually by number of words.


    Character is a fairly normal measurement to use within journalism and academia.
    I am extremely serious.
  1. LSH wrote
    OUTBREAK - JAMES NEWTON HOWARD

    More than anything else that score plays like an extension of Waterworld, so it seems plenty JNH to me, but perhaps they're both taking influence from Goldsmith haha
  2. Thor wrote
    FalkirkBairn wrote

    5000 character? I've not seen length defined by this. It's usually by number of words.


    Character is a fairly normal measurement to use within journalism and academia.


    And this is a journalistic piece.

    Edmund Meinerts wrote
    LSH wrote
    OUTBREAK - JAMES NEWTON HOWARD

    More than anything else that score plays like an extension of Waterworld, so it seems plenty JNH to me, but perhaps they're both taking influence from Goldsmith haha


    There was a period of time when JNH was essentially the love child of John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith in his action/adventure films. Waterworld gets somewhat closer to John Williams at times, but the sentiment is quite correct. Of course, Waterworld has much stronger themes, which does not take away a much more "pragmatic" approach to Outbreak.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
  3. Trigger Point (Andrew Lockington & Michael White)

    What happened to Lockington? I know it's not like I was expecting a Journey 2 or City of Ember here, but this is another generic score that hasn't got any personal style, you don't hear his voice in this (that you did hear in his earlier scores). The only upside is Trigger Point (Main Titles), but that's mainly the 2 composers doing a Thomas Newman (but at least it's interesting). The rest is so boring
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
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      CommentAuthorLSH
    • CommentTimeMay 5th 2021
    PawelStroinski wrote
    Edmund Meinerts wrote
    LSH wrote
    OUTBREAK - JAMES NEWTON HOWARD

    More than anything else that score plays like an extension of Waterworld, so it seems plenty JNH to me, but perhaps they're both taking influence from Goldsmith haha


    There was a period of time when JNH was essentially the love child of John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith in his action/adventure films. Waterworld gets somewhat closer to John Williams at times, but the sentiment is quite correct. Of course, Waterworld has much stronger themes, which does not take away a much more "pragmatic" approach to Outbreak.


    Don't get me wrong, I love JNH's 90s action stuff... in some places he did it better than Goldsmith, dare I say.

    But he refined his sound in the early 2000's... the M. Night films helped this (and he has admitted that himself).
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 5th 2021
    NP: KUNDO - AGE OF THE RAMPANT (Jo Yeong-wook)

    Great score -- it's very much a straightfaced pastiche of Morricone/spaghetti westerns, with a few sprinkles of ripe orchestral writing and a little bit of funk.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 6th 2021
    NP: GRAND CANYON (James Newton Howard)

    So many great moments; I just need to whittle it down to a proper, flowing playlist. I've always considered the opening of the "Main Title" (before the bassline kicks in) one of the most gorgeous pieces JNH has written, he's so good at poetic, urban soundscapes.
    I am extremely serious.
  4. Thor wrote
    NP: KUNDO - AGE OF THE RAMPANT (Jo Yeong-wook)

    Great score -- it's very much a straightfaced pastiche of Morricone/spaghetti westerns, with a few sprinkles of ripe orchestral writing and a little bit of funk.


    I utterly adore "Tochgi Theme", the rest I don't remember because it's the only track I kept
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
  5. Chaos Walking (Marco Beltrami & Brandon Roberts)

    I really want to know how much or little this is by Beltrami. Because this is another empty experience, offering nothing except mood, ambiance and little if no thematic material. Love and Monsters (that was with Marcus Trumpp) was nice, at least that had some excitement (good movie too). This is once again utterly forgettable.

    And then you ask my why I hardly review anymore.
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
  6. Honeydew (John Mehrmann)

    Drove me absolutely nuts, BUT at least this score offers something unique. Can't stand it, but I appreciated the idea behind it, the unique and utterly bizarre sound of it. In a way it offers so much more than Chaos Walking or Trigger Point. At least it had a vision

    Still, won't be listening to it again wink
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 6th 2021
    Checkin' out 2021 scores, eh? I've probably sampled some 50 myself at this point, but only a very few have managed to make it into my iTunes collection (that's the ultimate 'quality stamp' I give a score). Didn't particularly care for CHAOS WALKING or HONEYDEW either, but I have these in my collection: ENCODYA, FLINCH, THE THIN BLUE LINE, UNDERPLAYED, RAYA AND THE LOST DRAGON, JULIAN SCHNABEL: A PRIVATE PORTRAIT, MINARI, DICKINSON - SEASON 2, TO OLIVIA.
    I am extremely serious.
  7. Thomas Glorieux wrote
    Honeydew (John Mehrmann)

    Drove me absolutely nuts, BUT at least this score offers something unique. Can't stand it, but I appreciated the idea behind it, the unique and utterly bizarre sound of it. In a way it offers so much more than Chaos Walking or Trigger Point. At least it had a vision

    Still, won't be listening to it again wink

    As you say, there are some unique sounds on this album. I found it an interesting listen the first time round but I didn't really experience it from a film music point of view. It's just a collection of musical sounds and ideas brought together - some enjoyable some not.

    But, to get any sense of the movie from it? I don't think so.

    I struggle to think why I would want to listen to any of it again.
    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
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 7th 2021
    NP: PROMISED LAND (James Newton Howard)

    80s JNH is so underrated (and underrepresented on disc). So many wonderful things with synths and smaller acoustic ensembles - a beautiful organic extension of the various rock and pop albums he was working on at the time (as performer, arranger and producer). This is no exception.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 7th 2021
    NP: THE LAST AIRBENDER (James Newton Howard)

    I mean, it has some good moments, but I'm not into big bombastic orchestral scores from the last two decades. A lot of it is bombast without soul.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 7th 2021
    NP: DEVIL'S ADVOCATE (James Newton Howard)

    Yes, bit of an JNH "mood" at the moment (there are worse moods to be in). I've very rarely played this since I got the digital files, but it's a great one. "Delicious darkness", as I like to call it.
    I am extremely serious.
  8. Thor wrote
    NP: THE LAST AIRBENDER (James Newton Howard)

    I mean, it has some good moments, but I'm not into big bombastic orchestral scores from the last two decades. A lot of it is bombast without soul.


    Calling an epic score he wrote for M. Night Shyamalan "without soul" is... quite the long stretch, I would have to say.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 7th 2021
    I've never really been into the whole Shyamalan collab, although I like many of the films. I guess THE VILLAGE is the only one I really, really like.
    I am extremely serious.
  9. It's the "without soul" bit that I take issues with. I have had my fair share of "uninspireds" in my score reviews myself, but I have to say that I have started questioning the idea of being able to actually read into a composer's mindset based on the music itself and not taking into account every other aspect of what goes into a film score. Considering the process he had with Shyamalan (for one, the fact that JNH had to write some of the thematic material before Shyamalan went filming), I wouldn't risk in any way something lacks "soul", unless the composer specifically admitted that to me smile .
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 7th 2021 edited
    Well, ultimately it's in the eye of the beholder. No doubt the JNH/Shyamalan collab is fruitful, and JNH gets a lot of inspiration from it. But I am the one on the receiving end, evaluating it. For me, that score appears rather 'soulless', and by that mean I mean directionless and rather theme-less. There are bits and pieces of great music in JNH's work between the masterpieces THE VILLAGE and A HIDDEN LIFE, but they are just that - bits and pieces. Rarely does a whole album rise to the front as a coherent, envelopping piece of music. DEFIANCE is perhaps the one that comes the closest.
    I am extremely serious.
  10. To me, still, calling a score "soulless" is tantamount to "uninspired" rather than uninspiring (which is fine). It's the use of words that matters for me here as I'm pretty adamant about drawing a line between the man and their work which I'm quite obsessed with since I learnt not to cross it myself.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 8th 2021 edited
    I believe in the autonomy of the text. If JNH was super-inspired by THE LAST AIRBENDER, that may be so. I don't know, you'd have to ask him. But if I can't find much to latch on as a listener (can't find the score's 'soul', so to speak), that is my call to make. By the way, there are several good moments in the score; but like most JNH in the last two decades, it doesn't hold up as one singular piece. There's too much non-descript material between the few highlights.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 8th 2021 edited
    NP: THE RELIGIOUS SOUND (Various)

    A playlist rather than an album (although I smacked together a cover for it in 2 minutes years ago). This is basically a collection of film music cues that are "leftovers" that didn't quite make it into my ultimate religious sound playlists, and that I assembled into an album - of sorts - of its own. 37 tracks, 1 hour 47 minutes. But there's nothing "leftover" about the music itself -- it all bloody gorgeous.
    I am extremely serious.
  11. Thor wrote
    I believe in the autonomy of the text. If JNH was super-inspired by THE LAST AIRBENDER, that may be so. I don't know, you'd have to ask him. But if I can't find much to latch on as a listener (can't find the score's 'soul', so to speak), that is my call to make. By the way, there are several good moments in the score; but like most JNH in the last two decades, it doesn't hold up as one singular piece. There's too much non-descript material between the few highlights.


    So do I, but I'm trying to avoid language which would potentially discuss the state of mind of the creator while writing it. Sure, I have my theories why I don't like A Game of Shadows as much as I wanted to and I actually know about the composer's previous score and his state of mind about it, but I don't think I considered it in my review as an explanation (especially that any reading into a creator's state of mind based on the work is at best dodgy methodologically and complete conjecture as you've never really been there in the proverbial room with him).

    To me, non-descript is fine (and of course, always up to discussion, though with a produced album there's always the argument that any structural intricacies and subtleties may be lost, which is actually often the case even with brilliant album programming; simply, we can't pinpoint the material logistically), but "soulless" is close to personal (and not personal reception or opinion of the listener, but the personal state/personality of the creator).

    Even if we knew the creator's state of mind about the work they're doing, it may still not impact the work anyway. While not a brilliant film in and of itself, there are masterful sequences in The Lost World (the rescuing Sarah sequence, going through the grass) even though Spielberg lost inspiration mid-filming. Ridley Scott is interesting too: Black Rain is very good, even though the filming process was very difficult (the red tape in Japan especially; he doesn't even remember the film's story very much, considering he regularly confuses Osaka with Tokyo), conversely the production difficulties with Blade Runner (Ridley's loss of his older brother, Frank contributed to him jumping ships from a de Laurentiis production of Dune, yes, the one Lynch made; cast and crew conflicts; Harrison Ford mostly having no idea what to do, because Scott thought that such an experienced actor did not need directing...) may have actually contributed to the film's success. We never know.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 8th 2021 edited
    I think we might have a semantic disagreement. "Soulless" is, to me, an adjective that is very personal. It relates to how you experience something. It has no bearing on the creator's intent. A composer might have put all his heart and soul into a project, yet it may still come off as soulless to me. It is the music's soul I'm interested in, not the composer's.
    I am extremely serious.
  12. Yeah, I mean, I think that the "soul" of a piece is very intertwined with the "soul" (if we consider that to exist) of the creator, because it comes from his emotions, mind and whatever idiosyncratic we take into account.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
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      CommentAuthorLSH
    • CommentTimeMay 9th 2021 edited
    Pawel, he just don’t like it.







    cheesy
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 10th 2021
    NP: I LOST MY BODY (Dan Levy)

    One of my favourite scores of 2019. If you're interested, you can read my brief review here: http://celluloidtunes.no/i-lost-my-body-dan-levy/
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 11th 2021 edited
    NP: THE BEEKEEPER (Eleni Karaindrou)

    Always been a big fan of Theo Angelopoulos' movies and - by extension - Eleni Karaindrou's music for them. However, I've never seen this one from 1986. Some waltz figures and folksy elements, but the real heart and soul is the beautiful, moody solos by Norwegian sax legend Jan Garbarek.
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthorJoep
    • CommentTimeMay 16th 2021
    Eleni Karaindrou - To Meteoro Vima Tou Pelargou

    Such a wonderful score.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeMay 16th 2021
    NP: FAR CRY 3: BLOOD DRAGON (Power Glove)

    This computer game score by Power Glove was one of my favs in 2013. It references TERMINATOR, Faltermeyer, Moroder and everything inbetween, but with such tongue-in-cheek glee, it's to die for. Synthwave for the win!
    I am extremely serious.