Now Playing XLI

I don't know what to make of it. There are so many elements that make it out to be a comedy, but then there are some elements that are more serious. The visual style is fine, but a little too much "haze" going on.

Excellent, excellent film!
Marvellous adaptation of the nigh-unreadable, nigh-unfollowable, but in the history of literature and mythology oh so important Morte D'Arthur.
Absolutely adore it.

Thor, it's very much NOT a comedy. If anything it's a study in archetypes and destiny.
It's neither straightforward, nor naturalistic, and chocfull of pagan, mythic references, overlain with Christian visual symbolism. ANd, pretty much as its primary source, technical or dramatic details for a twentieth century palate simply aren't deemed of immediate importance!
I wish some of the performances would have been better (I really liked Nicol Williamson as Merlin and Helen Mirren as Morgana, but Nigel Terry as Arthur is a liability), but other than that it's an easy entry into my top ten films of all time.

TINTIN I agree it's too similar too Indy 4 and it's not Jurrasic Park.

Three major problems for me. One. I don't like to overall tone. It's an unenjoyable mixture from "playfulness" and "mystery music". The light and playful qualities make for a rather original sound to set the tone and atmosphere for the story and the characters. But I can't feel any emotion when I hear tracks like the opening track or Snowy's theme. There's just not much in this score to take serious or to be touched by. (Its far and away from a score like "Hook"). "Mystery and danger"-music on the other hand, tends to be uninspired, bland, and boring. Often the track you skip on a soundtrack. I just miss the the real adventurous or heroic tones (Does anyone feel here what you feel when you hear Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Jurrasic Park? I guess not.)

Two - this John Williams music modus for action material (you could call it action music, because the tempos are high) means he is switching A LOT from one musical moment to another. Starting from the fourth piece "Introducing the Thompsons", not one track seems to stay in the same mood, not one track seems to builds up nicely, moving the listeners from start to the end, from A to B - in one certain 'mood' (in example building on 'revelation' (like in - say "chevaliers de sangreal" - or say "Anakin's dark Deeds"), 'excitement' (numerous Main Titles of John Williams, or maybe like say "Bible study - Beltrami"), 'sad melancholia' (take "Sean's theme" from Minority report), …).

It's like John Williams always needed to take an urgent piss while he was writing these tracks.

The opening track is like Cath me if you can for one minute - And after the bells, starting from 1:11, it suddenly reminds me of "cantina band" - I love to hear a composer like John Williams for composing in such rich variations, especially in these times, but in other tracks, it is just too much of this urgence and "changing". The last Indiana Jones music, The kingdom of the "not aliens but fourth dimension creatures, boo hoo, who cares" Crystal Skull - which had it's highlights, was a disappointment because it it had the same "hurried" and all too complex orchestra, the ostinatos rushing by, one instrument after another, the same ideas running through each other, and the music stopping and starting over and over again, breaking the flow in pieces, a timpani here, a quick trumpet ornament there, … more than a little irritating to be honest. Remember "A Whirl Through the Acadame", music that is not bad, (it's actually rather good), but imagine what it would be, if it would go on like that for 30 minutes. I would say, the Tin Tin soundtrack on cd, is like that track, on repeat for 30 minutes. Ugh.

I guess concert arrangements of various ideas from this score could indeed have solved problem 1 and 2. Take "The adventure continues" - after all the "Danger/Action" stuff - it is very nice to hear a less hurried mickey-mousing sort of musi. Some real cohesion in this track. You can hear a real theme that we should have heard much much more in the rest of the soundtrack. It seems to end at 2:30… when it starts again and closes with two bangs (maybe another John Williams trademark). Very nice! This theme is a little related to the fantastic Black Spider Man theme by Christopher Young. Compare these two themes and we get problem 3:

I do not like the themes. They have no adventurous or heroic side to them. And they are a little bland… "Themes" is why Williams used to be one of the greatest. Very often, good themes have an A part and then a B phrase, making them even more attractive. Not this time. Some "themes" are more like motifs for characters than real melodies too. They're not themes. Like Snowy's "motif". Is that it? Come on. The tin tin theme for the cartoon series adaptation is totally different music, but what a theme that was! This score offers nothing that can compare.

So wether it's a lack of themes, the tone that is too playful and soft, or there's too much danger (and just too much in general) going on in the music - I did not find it very enjoyable. The amount of melodies, captivating moods, score and track development - it's not from the exceptional kind that I was expecting from John Williams. The score might work in the movie - The music might have a fulfilling place there - but as a stand alone listening experience it's not a score I like, not the score I was hoping for, not the music it could have been.

Moving on to War Horse.

I can certainly sympathize with your viewpoint, Timon. I usually hate listening to 'mickey-mousing' too, especially over long periods of time (one of the reasons why Max Steiner is one of my least favourite composers). And there's too much of it in the TINTIN score to make it a walloping emotional experience. That being said, it's exactly the kind of music the film calls for. It's whimsical, with a LOT of kinetic energy and action setpieces that requires that exact type of music. So it's all justified. It's simply not something that I like to listen to alone very much.

For now, anyway. I've only heard the album a couple of times. Maybe it will grow on me.

I can't wait!

-Erik-

TIMELINE - BRIAN TYLER & JERRY GOLDSMITH

I've decided to spin the Tyler score and the rejected from Jerry back to back. I've only recently bought the Jerry, but have had the Tyler for years, though only listened to it about 4 times.

Listening to them both now, I want to say that I will probably sell the Tyler, and keep listening to the rejected because what Jerry wrote is so much better than what the producers ended up putting in the film, for fuck's sake.

If I sell this one (or just give it away here), I will have no scores by Tyler whatsoever, and I don't see a problem with that supposed lack of Tyler-music, as I'm now convinced that I do have a serious Tyler-allergy.

Spread the word.

Absolutely, it worked a treat in the film!

THE ROAD TO EL DORADO - ZIMMER & POWELL & ELTON JOHN

Years since I heard this... The songs are not of the monumental The Lion King standard, however they do match perfectly with the material Hans and John wrote. A couple of good score cues and a couple of good songs makes this quite enjoyable.

What do you mean it is not a comedy ?

Listening to Tintin again and I just noticed a TERRIBLE edit right at the end of "Snowy's Theme!" It's as if the end of the track was edited in. 2:05 of the second track. It's almost as bad as some of the glaring errors in "The Jungle Chase" on the Crystal Skull album.

-Erik-

See this post above from Timon on tintin ? This is exactly why i am against judging scores as they work on cd alone. It changes all the time? Fuck me, the movie is brilliant and constantly changing as well, has a continuous flow and this is what the score is doing perhaps? Pure logic. Williams wrote an exceptional score. The movie doesn't give a chance for a standardized listening experince on cd or an easy listen overall. He serves the movie masterfully and with admirable professionalism as a film score and doesn't give a fuck about the cd. It's not what he was paid for. What he was paid for, he accomplished it brilliantly. The themes, the ostinati, every single note makes perfect sense in the movie. Bam, job done thank you very much, here's your paycheck.

Yeah I am not. Getting tired of it. Must listen and view more. And Read forums or such reviews way less.

You can cut the required time in half already by leaving out the viewing and concentrating on the listening!
See how efficient it all is?

The newest expanded version is exactly what you're looking for! It may not be official, but the music's all there to enjoy. Brilliant stuff.

Yes there are missing tracks Peter, no one has them, that's just the way it was leaked.