Off Limits
James Newton Howard
" Still synthesized James Newton Howardness "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Off Limits, starring Willem Dafoe and Gregory Hines is a 1988 score by composer James Newton Howard. And considering the age and time, expect James Newton Howard to continue the use of his keyboards and synth, as we heard them in his earlier scores. Of course, Off Limits will deliver them a lot more moody, like during "Questioning Maurice", or during the suspenseful beat of "Body Bombing" or during the disturbing suspense of "Arrest" or during the percussive effect of "Bombing".
The sound is (while still electronic) a lot easier on the ears though, and a hell of a lot better to appreciate than the cheap tones of Russkies and 5 Corners. This is immediately noticed in "The War Zone" when the militaristic drums and the heroic score starts over conquering the stage, or during the suspense of "Chase". I'm not saying it's the way we want our scores to sound like, but I like to compare them with the John Carpenter sound, and it's nostalgic effect it has on many listeners. And then an easier moment like "Love Theme" can never do any harm, even though one can not get any emotional vibe from a synthesized mourning effect in "Nam is Dead". The cue "Sapper Chase" is cool though, because of the eclectic beat it has over the suspense.
That aside, Off Limits is once again not the work to look out for if you fancy all those orchestral blockbuster scores of James Newton Howard. But I can see true 80's fans accepting this, if your anticipations aren't that high. Because, Off Limits still lacks that interesting aspect. There isn't a theme that keeps returning, there isn't a fleshed out sound that keeps moving you, there isn't a cool edge that keeps surprising you. No Off Limits might work better on the ears, but it's still not enough. For that it lacks that James Newton Howard magic, that good old JNH sound.
Track Listing
1. Questioning Maurice (1.06)
2. The War Zone (2.11)
3. Nicole's Theme (2.19)
4. Chase (1.00)
5. Following Col. Armstrong (2.47)
6. Spotting Nicole (1.06)
7. Love Theme (1.37)
8. Body Bombing (1.45)
9. Final Chase (3.27)
10. Getting A Look (1.13)
11. Arrest (0.55)
12. Car Bombing (2.25)
13. Nam Is Dead (0.54)
14. Bombing (2.46)
15. Sgt. Flowers (1.40)
16. Sapper Chase (2.07)
17. The Viet Cong Post (2.59)
18. Killer (1.40)
19. Love Theme (Reprise) (1.38)
Total Length: 35.35
The sound is (while still electronic) a lot easier on the ears though, and a hell of a lot better to appreciate than the cheap tones of Russkies and 5 Corners. This is immediately noticed in "The War Zone" when the militaristic drums and the heroic score starts over conquering the stage, or during the suspense of "Chase". I'm not saying it's the way we want our scores to sound like, but I like to compare them with the John Carpenter sound, and it's nostalgic effect it has on many listeners. And then an easier moment like "Love Theme" can never do any harm, even though one can not get any emotional vibe from a synthesized mourning effect in "Nam is Dead". The cue "Sapper Chase" is cool though, because of the eclectic beat it has over the suspense.
That aside, Off Limits is once again not the work to look out for if you fancy all those orchestral blockbuster scores of James Newton Howard. But I can see true 80's fans accepting this, if your anticipations aren't that high. Because, Off Limits still lacks that interesting aspect. There isn't a theme that keeps returning, there isn't a fleshed out sound that keeps moving you, there isn't a cool edge that keeps surprising you. No Off Limits might work better on the ears, but it's still not enough. For that it lacks that James Newton Howard magic, that good old JNH sound.
Track Listing
1. Questioning Maurice (1.06)
2. The War Zone (2.11)
3. Nicole's Theme (2.19)
4. Chase (1.00)
5. Following Col. Armstrong (2.47)
6. Spotting Nicole (1.06)
7. Love Theme (1.37)
8. Body Bombing (1.45)
9. Final Chase (3.27)
10. Getting A Look (1.13)
11. Arrest (0.55)
12. Car Bombing (2.25)
13. Nam Is Dead (0.54)
14. Bombing (2.46)
15. Sgt. Flowers (1.40)
16. Sapper Chase (2.07)
17. The Viet Cong Post (2.59)
18. Killer (1.40)
19. Love Theme (Reprise) (1.38)
Total Length: 35.35