[Closed] Now Playing XXXIX

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the film as well. But I wish I had seen it on a huge, immersive screen (but not 3D).

It was very impressive!
But just as impressive on blu-ray at home. Love everything about it!

Nah, can't really beat ttrl

I don't think I've ever seen anyone utter those words before. Not that I disagree with you, just haven't seen anyone offer non-praise for Glory before.

Peter

NP: Tree of Life (Desplat)

If you took Desplat's The Beat My Heart Skipped ... threw in Christopher Young's The Tower... and considered John Adams' minimalism (not Harmonielehre so much as 'Shaker Loops', although moments recall 'Meister Eckhart' from Harmonielehre), then that would set you up well to expect what you will hear here. This is possibly the most minimalist film score ever written, and certainly on the more austere side of Desplat's writing (Prophete, Beat, etc). Although for all that, the tone shifts cold and warm in the space of a note -- the harmonies are carefully contrived to these effects. A moment late in 'Circles' goes from this minimalist energy to a note that somehow barely brings in the thought of pastoral Americana... it's got some very subtle touches like that.

Highlights are 'Circles', a minimalist showpiece with the clearest debt to Adams (although the harmonies and colours are all Desplat), and 'Rivers', with its expression of the main theme. 'Motherhood' is as romantic as it gets, the rest keeps that distance that many have come to dislike from Desplat. There isn't a climax/catharsis a la 'Journey to the Line' or the Wagner material from The New World, presumably if Malick has one, it's come from his classical sourced music. But then it's hard to tell what the chemistry between picture and sound will be. Of all Malick scores, perhaps Morricone's Days of Heaven comes to mind, in the way that this score feels like the rhythms of a life that keep turning, divorced from the melodrama of the story.

'Emergence of Life' directly references the throbbing bass pulses of Syriana.

What is a pleasure to hear is that a composer has been given room to just write to ideas, very much as his interest drove him. The pieces have room to breathe, and who knows whether much of it has ended up in the film in this form, but at least we get to hear to ideas in full here. Last section of the album plays a bit slower. Another setpiece a la 'Circles' wouldn't have hurt to enliven things. This is very much an album that can go by without you knowing.

Thanks for the detailed review, Michael! I look forward to giving that album a spin now that I know what expect!

NP: The Concert Music of John Williams. Live! - John Williams
The Chicago Symphony

I ripped this one from an on-line stream of the concert a few years ago (great sound quality) featuring two works I had never heard before - Fanfare for a Festive Occasion and Tribute to Seiji. Fanfare is what you might expect while Seiji is far more experimental featuring trates from Williams more modern composing style. The complete Five Sacred Trees (Bassoon Concerto) is performed in full, which I really like. I have the original album and it's wonderful to hear this piece again. Williams also performed four selections from American Journey and the concert version of Sayuri's Theme from Memoirs of a Geisha. As a bonus there is a performance of Vaughan Williams' London Symphony which is something I'm not familiar with.

This is a solid listen!

-Erik-

Vaughan Williams for sure... now that I've heard more of his work. However, Williams influences are from all over the classical music word from the obvious to the obscure!

And the London Symphony was conducted by Robert Spano.

-Erik-

I'm argue that Copland pops up just as much!

-Erik-

NP: Thor (Patrick Doyle)

even though I wasn't expecting something amazing, I'm still disappointed it is this .... safe. Doyle can make any track rock and this is not it. I've heard the comments before and through resembling other styles, Doyle lost his own during it.

Sad considering this was something right up the alley of Doyle

ah, luckily I can listen to Eragon instead, a score I thought to be generic at first, but now in comparison to most of today's music, an orchestral thrill ride from start to finish

...and I'd argue that he doesn't but then it would all start getting a bit silly, shall we just drink a toast to our greatest living composer, John Williams?

Salute

Well yeah, probably so, all I can remember music-wise is THIS.

The Deep- Barry
Really does have an addictive theme.
Zulu- Barry
Great bombastic score. I have a couple versions of it. One favors a bit more Men of Harlech, while the other includes a couple of monologues of Richard Burton. One of those rare occasions where I don't mind some voice-over. Not to mention the powerful theme of this one as well.
Gun- Lennertz
Some great Out West composing, and yet another addictive theme.

STAY TUNED - BRUCE BROUGHTON

Others have said it and I'll say it too... first listen and probably my last. Some scores should just remain unreleased. I'm sure it works just fine as background to the shenanigans on screen, but on CD... yuck! What a waste of Bruce's talent.

Edit: What I really don't get is all the praise this one is getting on the Intrada board.

I have been playing Fast 5....

I find the 5 notes motive really cool and highly energic. i love it. The rest, is even more average than BLA or even more average than The Expendables.

NP: Water for Elephants.

It is growing on me.

Anyone else notice the "watch the world burns" from The Dark KNight in "Stampede"?

yeah, sometimes you just don't get the praise

sad to hear you don't like it too

hope you can get rid of it fast