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A.I. - John Williams

Like the film, the score's different parts don't cohere successfully, but I hail Monica's theme as one of Williams's best. The theme tells a searching, innocent story, and so beautifully. I often come back to this one.

Coherency is overrated. What matters more here is that all the different parts are brilliant.

Yes, the performances are not the best. But I always think that the originals do have an appeal. I remember getting the original version of Steiner's She and thinking it pretty much unlistenable - even after it had been worked on to improve the sound. But, the re-recording elevated the score significantly. But I would still listen to the original.

Yeah, I've been having this long debate with someone over at FSM about whether or not it's possible to say that a film or score (or any piece of art, really) can be 'misunderstood' when you defend it. I think it certainly can, while my opponent thinks it can't (because -- in his view -- it implies the critical voice is "wrong"). In any case, A.I. is certainly such a film -- heavily misunderstood, but only now getting the credit it deserves. Fortunately.

Well certainly, films and scores can be misunderstood but emerge from under that initial misunderstanding years later, unblemished. Views can be revised. I agree with that.

I think A.I. is a fascinating failure of a film.
The storyline, taken apart from the production, is beautiful. A robot survives humanity's extinction, preserves the best of human love, and in the end chooses not life but an ephemeral, artificial dream world -- a death for David, and the only place his love can be fulfilled. A brilliant story!

But there are just so many missteps. Jude Law needed to be reined in. Brendan Gleeson is completely miscast. The film's second half -- say what you want about its tonal departures from the first -- the second half does not hold together. Motivation, setting, cause and effect -- it's all jumbled, and not in a way that's convincing or purposeful. Poor Haley Joel Osment does a valiant job veering from innocent to murderous to suicidal to innocent again, but the character by then feels patched together and forced.

I revisited the film earlier this year, so I've given this some thought lately.
Many, many superior films came out in the 2000s.

I think A.I is brilliant in just any respect.

NP: The Terminator (1984) - Brad Fiedel

I spotted Milan's recent re-release in a store today and bought it on impulse. It sounds great but I cannot compare this to the "definitive" edition because I hardly ever listened to it. A a matter of fact I don't know, if I will ever listen to this edition in its entirety ever after. But, you know ... what the heck! This is one of the most iconic sifi scores ever, and sifi scores form the basis of my collection. The gorgeous art work alone makes it worth the money.

Volker

I'm with Thor.

It's not an easy choice given the options, but I might have to agree. It's a very personal score, much like ET (I believe we had a score vs score many moons ago on this point partly for their two-letter abbreviations).

They had film scores in 1922?

Early sound films had music recorded onto discs that were played to synchronise with the pictures. A quick search throws up Don Juan (1926), with uncredited music by William Axt and David Mendoza. Recording a soundtrack onto film didn't appear until the 1930s.

Indeed.

NP: EX MACHINA (Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow)

The best film last year, by far, and although the score is quite challenging in places, it's ultimately a rewarding experience.

It is.