Miz

Jurassic Park's piano is heart-melting (as was A.I, only less so), but Over the Moon (or End Credits) in E.T. has to be the best

E.T. and its score are flawless! (TPM I can agree with). I know it's not JW, but James Newton Howard's Waterworld was much better than the film.

Wrong there. I find that most people recognise JW themes, but often cannot put them to a specific film. They sometimes say it all sounds the same. This is blasphemy, I know, but to the untrained ear it could be the same: E.T.'s rising fifth then descending three notes is similar to Star Wars, which has a rising fifth reminiscent of Superman. However, the one, and only one, that people can always put to a film (or at least a certain marine animal) is Jaws.

Jaws anyone? I was thinking 'Man against beast' in particular. I find "Ripley's Rescue" to be very intense, not really scary, but a unique action cue. One of the best scary/action sequences has to be the chase through the woods during 'E.T. Alone'. The shrill trumpet is brilliant.

I agree, The Lost World is cut-up to the extent that you simply can't enjoy the music while watching the film (not in the action sequences at least). The album is quite good for action cues though. I have the re-recording of Jaws by Joel McNeeley (Varese, I think). Is this missing much of the music from the film?

I don't dabble in the member relationships of what I believe to be quite a self-involved forum (let me say I still find it very informative, which is why I stay). But this, as many of you may say it, is my $0.02... Just listen to yourself, you pathetic bloody drama queen. Erm, that'll be you then by the sounds of it. I'm not entering into your musical argument, because I'm no good at music. And you can't argue with me on any intellectual level because you don't know who I am or what I'm good or bad at. Well, let me tell you: I'm good at film analysis, listening to people's troubles, playing PC games, sword-fighting, making sarcastic comments and telling censored like you to censored off. Let me remind you, "A.I." that nobody wants you here anymore, and since you feel yourself superior to everyone else, you're signed onto a forum that you don't need to be. Goodbye. Oh, and Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings (not entirely sure of the correct title, Prat).

I'm going to his London one in 2005, since there's rarely a European one, and I can't get to them anyway. Living in the UK. Tsk. Such a long wait...

Oh come on, Horner won't do the job as well as it needs to be done. Sure, he's done some impressive scores (Willow and Aliens come to mind for me), but those are outweighed by his self-plagirisms. Apollo 13 was lush strings with some horns. Braveheart was lush strings and some bagpipes. Titanic was lush strings and some Irish pipes (+ a bad song). Deep Impact was lush strings and horns. Zorro was Deep Impact with some Mehican twanging. The Perfect Storm was lush strings and strings (+ a bad song). Enemy at the Gates was Titanic with a balalika instead of Irish flutes. No doubt the theme for the Romans will be that menacing and quick rise/fall brass theme first heard (effectively) in Willow, then used (less effectively) for all the bad guys in his subsequent the films he's done.

June's space themed concert in the Royal Albert Hall was superb, but I was intruiged by the suite for Close Enounters of the Third Kind. Expecting the huge symphonic piece presented on most compilation albums (the only track I'm really familiar with), there was instead a lighter and more reflective piece using the five-note motif (mainly preformed lightly by the strings). Does anyone know the name of this track, and on which album I can find it on? Thanks.

Nobody has yet mentioned The Forest Battle. A great start, it sags a little with the Ewok-orientated middle, but the finish is fantastic! I heard this live in the Royal Albert Hall and it was my favourite cue of the concert. Simply superb.

We can but hope.

Erm, yes.

At this point I'd like to highlight the humourous parallel that British posters may find when comparing this film to 'The Leauge of Gentlemen'.

Here's my review of The Matrix Reloaded: Ergo, the film-makers should not have included such plot twists inherent to the film, as they produce systemic anomalies in the audience's heads (known as confusion) and transform the film into an unsatisfactory showpiece. It was concordantly discovered that human beings require an impressive post-modern action flick with subtle and mildly taxing philosophical references (much like the first Matrix they designed) resulting in a creation whereby 99.9% of test subjects would accept the film. But the inevitability of a merchandise-focused sequel produced a fundamentally flawed script, and while a lesser mind can assimilate the superbly-choreographed fight and chase sequences, they cannot decode the poorly-paced pop-philosophy ramblings of a few pretentious charicatures. However, even those freed from such constraints will struggle to comprehend my irrelevant and/or explanatory rhetoric, vis á vis, bullshit. The writers of this screenplay have succinctly highlighted quintessential narrative loop-holes in their pertinent effort to create a stunning special-effects showcase that retains some intellectual quality. However, what contained the possibility of a triumph of cinematic precision is, in actuality, a monumental failure. Paradoxically, this fact is clear only to the few anomalies that have chosen, for individual and specific reasons, not to connect themselves firmly to The Matrix Reloaded. Ergo, the large majority of the population accept the code, despite the appearance towards the cataclysmically contrived conclusion of the film of myself, Mr. KFC, my convoluted representation as an entity somehow superior to others, with the aid of a terribly inaccurate thesaurus, and my inherent inability to use the words thus contained within it.

I submitted a review of the Gerdhart re-recording to Filmtracks but they never published it. Here it is: For many fans of Williams, the score for The Empire Strikes Back signifies the pinnacle of his career. With action, romance and modesty, the breadth of different themes, the depth of their development and the orchestration with which he uses them throughout the film, the score is lifted above the other Star Wars movies, and the unforgettable Imperial March has left its mark on the musical mind of society. Charles Gerherdt, responsible for recordings of the original Star Wars score and that of Close Encounters, approached Williams to record a suite for The Empire Strikes Back. Williams gladly accepted, especially adapting and writing the renditions that appear on this album. All the best moments from the score are present, with highlights from Hoth, Bespin, deep space, and Dagobah. The Main Title is suitably brilliant and brassy, and The Imperial Probe appears in a condensed form, pleasantly moving from its opening tensions to the droids theme and the love theme. Most of the music from the Battle of Hoth is present, appearing in separate tracks (unfortunately in a confusing order) but performed with energy and charisma that has some sections ‘springing out’ from the movie’s score to keep you interested. The Asteroid Field is greatly improved with more fleshing out of the motif, for a bombastic and dynamic piece that is probably the most unique track on the album. The Imperial March, aside from its crude beginning, is an improvement on the original album’s performance, but its antithesis, Yoda’s Theme, sounds similar to the original suite, with some of the background instruments shining through on occasions. Han Solo and the Princess is an excellent piece that builds upon the music leading up to their first kiss in the film, and continues with a full suite of their theme that surprises the listener with the brief inclusion of Leia’s original theme and wonderful phrasing of the subtheme. In the penultimate track, I was dubious of the choice to cut from Lando’s Palace, with the happy, almost naïve quality that it conveys in the film, to the fear and power of The Duel (Through the Window). This ineffective sequencing is followed by a superbly paced rendition of the escape to the landing platform, with exaggerated orchestration that fuels the rhythm of a great action piece. I find the original end credits of Empire to be a fulfilling summary of themes from the film, but Finale improves on this with greater juxtaposition of Yoda’s modesty with the might of the Imperial March, and rounds off with a spectacular finish (one of the best conclusions to a piece of music that I have heard). However, I lament the absence of ‘May The Force Be With You’, which I feel is an essential piece to musically paint the film’s conclusion and follow into the end credits. The album is accomplished in many respects, providing a varied and interesting listening experience. Some tracks are too similar to their original counterparts, and some only deviate at certain points so as to ruin the pace of music (maybe I have the original score imprinted too firmly in my mind). Some of the music may be perceived to be edited clumsily, with some parts of an original piece on different tracks of the album (The Magic Tree has its beginning in track 5 and the rest in track 8). For some this may detract from enjoyment of the album, as tracks that were previously enjoyed now seem incoherent. A final annoyance is the fact that a track mark separates the Fox Fanfare from the Main Titles, but this is not reflected in the track listings, meaning each track number is actually one more than it appears on the case. Aside from these minor irritations, the album is recommended to those who do not yet own the score, as it does represent the finest points of the film’s music (in some form or another), and is also for those who own the complete soundtrack but want to expand their enjoyment of the music that little bit more. ***

Hmm, though I would enjoy some of the unreleased cues, we all know that an album of ALL the music from AOTC would actually be horrible (well, the action cues would be). And I'm afraid I doubt the true validity of this news, mainly because...why have we not heard of it before? Yes, if it was one master copy under George Lucas' pillow I'd understand it's secrecy, but how come we didn't know about this for so long? It's not that I don't trust Ocelot, it's that I find this all a bit too vague, and quite appealing to us fans (so quite possibly a marketing ploy).

Hehe. Okay, okay. We are in real life though. But you see the point I'm getting at.

What would you have liked him to do, synth the whole thing, just whistle it into a microphone, or maybe get a 50-strong male choir to hum it? He created many orignal and complex themes, used them to good effect and created an atmosphere throughout the (approx.) 3 hours of music for the two films. While the scores aren't immortal like some others, they certainly aren't bad.

Wow, you're incredibly self-involved. And this forum is far too self-referential. There's nothing wrong with arguing! We all have different opinions! Everybody has the right to express them. Everybody has the right to disagree. We're all allowed to swear, curse, cuss, insult or alternatively agree, concur, praise or enjoy one another and the music. There's no need to apologise for such a rant. We're all educated adults and none of us will get out of hand if we have strong feelings about something once in a while. It's not a crime.

I think they should have (if it was practical, which it wasn't) edited the film so that the entire theme could play during the first flight, as is heard in E.T.s Halloween.

What's wrong with arguing? Arguments can be constructive and helpful. If not then, at least here, they're interesting and fuelled by intellect. Nobody here is stupid. We don't have to get along 100% of the time, ok? If people disagree and fight every once in a while, it doesn't matter. Friction generates heat, and if there's no heat here, then the place is lifeless and boring. One person who sometimes makes comments that aren't as constructive as yours doesn't warrant a banning. This is a small forum with little intervention from those who truly disrupt things. If you think Morn disrupts things, you should go to a busier forum and see what havoc is wrought there!

That's the kind of cynicism I like to see! About time we argued around here, otherwise we'll never come to any conclusions! Anyway, I beleive Anderton's Great Escape was the only action track since TPM to come close to his orignals. The first 2 minutes especially so. As for CoS, it is very similar to AoTC, but not quite as good. I think the themes are better, but they aren't given room to exercise. The Quidditch tunnel sequence sounded identical to Chase Through Coruscant (even though it was so low in the sound mix), and there are plenty of parallels. AoTC has some very good pieces though, thematic or not: Across the Stars........Just a great new theme (The first minute of) Jango vs. Obi-Wan..........like AGE, rhythm, pace and feeling Return to Tatooine......anxiety executed well The Arena.....a great theme (unused, as we know) and nice tension End of Credits......great medley of themes to quitely round of the album (not the film though...grrr)

That's the kind of cynicism I like to see! About time we argued around here, otherwise we'll never come to any conclusions! Anyway, I beleive Anderton's Great Escape was the only action track since TPM to come close to his orignals. The first 2 minutes especially so. As for CoS, it is very similar to AoTC, but not quite as good. I think the themes are better, but they aren't given room to exercise. The Quidditch tunnel sequence sounded identical to Chase Through Coruscant (even though it was so low in the sound mix), and there are plenty of parallels. AoTC has some very good pieces though, thematic or not: Across the Stars........Just a great new theme (The first minute of) Jango vs. Obi-Wan..........like AGE, rhythm, pace and feeling Return to Tatooine......anxiety executed well The Arena.....a great theme (unused, as we know) and nice tension End of Credits......great medley of themes to quitely round of the album (not the film though...grrr)

Band of Brothers A slow but very romantic score. Some tracks are obviously very inappropriate, but Austria or some of the earlier tracks may work. I think they're more of a romantic mood setter than a romantic night-of-passion accompaniment.

The last 30 seconds have to be the best of both the film and the soundtrack. I heard in the film the Leaving Hogwarts lifting and mentally grumbled, but its breakout into a fanfare, and the great tracking shot that closes the film was pretty excellent.