Hot Shots! Part Deux
Basil Poledouris
" War... it's fantastic! "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
After the success of Hot Shots at the box office, director Jim Abrahams and co started working on a sequel immediately after that. Because after making a successful parody of Top Gun, there was room for a lot more. And the joke in the end fell upon Rambo 2 and T2 (amongst others), creating thereby another funny parody aptly entitled Hot Shots! Part Deux. For the music Basil Poledouris was chosen, and not Sylvester Levay who scored Hot Shots. Considering Basil's knack for the most spectacular music in even the most awful movies, this wasn't such a bad thing. After all we have seen some of the most serious music in some of the least serious movies of all. Airplane anyone?
And so you get Hot Shots! Part Deux, a short but delightfully entertaining score that shows me once again Basil's talent. This is nothing earth shattering, but the obvious quality comes from Poledouris' over known style and his ability to come up with catchy and enjoyable material. Because if the main tune in "Main Title" will not win you over, its bold version during the heroic "Dipsong Fight" will do it in the end.
The few calmer moments in an otherwise boldly heroic score are discovered in "The 3 Bears / Flurvian Sea" (which delivers a Lady and the Vagabond moment and love theme) and "Gotta Light". But the main bulk of the score is serious action music that mimics the music you've encountered in Starship Troopers or Robocop.
Because it is that which you get once you encounter the awesome main theme that keeps going and going in "Colonel Torture" and the rousing "Compound Attack". The T2 influence and the heroic fanfare for the president (who wants to sit by the window) are discovered in "Saddam Battles / Freedom Fighters", which is a pleasing end to a short but equally pleasing orchestral score.
I remember the movie Hot Shots! Part Deux vividly and the music makes the memories even more vivid. This is typical fun Poledouris material that any fan of the composer will accept and enjoy so easily. As said, apart from the 2 love theme performances, the score is actually one rousing action score that supports its comedy not with comedy music, but with serious gun ho material that will make you want to revisit that funny movie of Topper Harley and the always brilliant Lloyd Bridges again and again.
President Thomas 'Tug' Benson: Here's the target area.
Gerou: That's Minnesota, sir.
President Thomas 'Tug' Benson: Damn it, man, that's the genius of my plan. Why go over there to fight? We can do it right here at home, and get in some good fishing while we're at it.
Gerou: Sir, the enemy is over there.
President Thomas 'Tug' Benson: Then we'll fly them over here. Their families too. We'll teach them to skate... Do I have to think of everything?
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (1.29)
2. Dipsong Fight (3.35) Excellent track
3. The 3 Bears / Flurvian Sea * (3.01)
4. Reel 5 (3.16)
5. Colonel Torture (3.19)
6. Gotta Light? (6.06)
7. Compound Escape ** (4.02) Excellent track
8. Saddam Battles / Freedom Fighters *** (5.00)
* Includes "Innamorata" by Harry Warren and Jack Brooks
** Includes "Father Know Best" Theme by Irving Friedman and Don Farris
*** Includes "Sea Hunt" Theme by Ray Llewelyn
Total Length: 30.01
And so you get Hot Shots! Part Deux, a short but delightfully entertaining score that shows me once again Basil's talent. This is nothing earth shattering, but the obvious quality comes from Poledouris' over known style and his ability to come up with catchy and enjoyable material. Because if the main tune in "Main Title" will not win you over, its bold version during the heroic "Dipsong Fight" will do it in the end.
The few calmer moments in an otherwise boldly heroic score are discovered in "The 3 Bears / Flurvian Sea" (which delivers a Lady and the Vagabond moment and love theme) and "Gotta Light". But the main bulk of the score is serious action music that mimics the music you've encountered in Starship Troopers or Robocop.
Because it is that which you get once you encounter the awesome main theme that keeps going and going in "Colonel Torture" and the rousing "Compound Attack". The T2 influence and the heroic fanfare for the president (who wants to sit by the window) are discovered in "Saddam Battles / Freedom Fighters", which is a pleasing end to a short but equally pleasing orchestral score.
I remember the movie Hot Shots! Part Deux vividly and the music makes the memories even more vivid. This is typical fun Poledouris material that any fan of the composer will accept and enjoy so easily. As said, apart from the 2 love theme performances, the score is actually one rousing action score that supports its comedy not with comedy music, but with serious gun ho material that will make you want to revisit that funny movie of Topper Harley and the always brilliant Lloyd Bridges again and again.
President Thomas 'Tug' Benson: Here's the target area.
Gerou: That's Minnesota, sir.
President Thomas 'Tug' Benson: Damn it, man, that's the genius of my plan. Why go over there to fight? We can do it right here at home, and get in some good fishing while we're at it.
Gerou: Sir, the enemy is over there.
President Thomas 'Tug' Benson: Then we'll fly them over here. Their families too. We'll teach them to skate... Do I have to think of everything?
Tracklisting
1. Main Title (1.29)
2. Dipsong Fight (3.35) Excellent track
3. The 3 Bears / Flurvian Sea * (3.01)
4. Reel 5 (3.16)
5. Colonel Torture (3.19)
6. Gotta Light? (6.06)
7. Compound Escape ** (4.02) Excellent track
8. Saddam Battles / Freedom Fighters *** (5.00)
* Includes "Innamorata" by Harry Warren and Jack Brooks
** Includes "Father Know Best" Theme by Irving Friedman and Don Farris
*** Includes "Sea Hunt" Theme by Ray Llewelyn
Total Length: 30.01