Jeff

If the Hollywood Bowl event is going to happen this year, when would it be announced? I have attended the last three years and plan to go annually as long as it is offered. I think tickets were available for purchase to general audiences around early May last year? Sorry if I missed another thread where this is discussed.

I'm not expecting my results to be tallied since it's so late, but here's my contribution: The Empire Strikes Back E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Return of the Jedi Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Hook Jurassic Park Sabrina Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker I suspect Rise of Skywalker is the most controversial pick of the bunch. I really love the two themes in the title track--one of my all-time favorites.

I just saw the "25 years" story posted on JWFan's Twitter and thought I would drop in to say hi. I used to be active on the forum about 12 years ago. I just checked my profile and my last post was just a few days before my first child was born. Needless to say I was busy for a little while and never made it back here, other than to do research once or twice. Anyway, congrats on 25 years and maybe I'll dip my toe back into the forum a bit ...

I'm just being cheeky.

Five months of silence on the Potter front and a model of Hogwarts is the only thing we have to discuss here? I miss the old days.

To be honest, there are dozens of Williams OSTs that I haven't picked up yet, so I'm nowhere near the stage where I need re-releases or expanded releases. There is too much great music out there on the marketplace as it is (and I'm not just talking film scores) - I'll never have time to appreciate it all.

Fawkes the Phoenix is one of my favorite themes and was the impetus for me purchasing the entire Chamber of Secrets OST in the first place. The bridge is a little flighty, but as the theme is written for a bird, it fits perfectly. In any case, the build from the bridge back into the climactic statement of the A-theme is all the more powerful because of it. I get goosebumps every time. I rate the other themes from the OST in the 2-4 range, with Lockhart's "No Ticket" theme being my least favorite. It's still a strong score (as is AOTC, by the way), though not the most original or the best Williams has written. PoA is clearly a cut above, even though I prefer Fawkes to any of the new themes in PoA.

The real Deathly Hallows Part II score written by Williams. (Still holding out hope.)

RIP I'll listen to Feed the Birds today in his honor. Mary Poppins is probably my favorite Disney movie.

The last time we had a discussion about this, my vote for both best film and score was TLC. Since I've already explained my love for that film several times, I won't bother rehashing. What has changed since then (it's been a couple of years) is my preference for TOD over KOTCS. I still like KOTCS about as much (I've only seen it once, in the theater - I've been holding out to watch all four on Blu-ray). However, my opinion of TOD has improved after watching it again last year. The opening "Anything Goes" sequence alone is enough to put it above KOTCS. Also, I appreciate Willie, Short Round, and the overall darkness of TOD much more now that I'm a bit older.

Now this is one I'll DEFINITELY be picking up.

The End Credits for Revenge of the Sith on the OST might fit this category. It's a good one - I never want that track to end.

I have heard of a couple of examples of this happening. For example, I remember seeing a behind-the-scenes video where the composer of the X-Files theme said it was set to the imaginary lyrics, "X-Files is a show . . . with music by Mark Snow." That was probably a joke, though. You could find this pattern in virtually any theme, though. ("Gone WIIITH the Wind, Gone WIIIIITH then Wind!")

@OneBuckFilms I don't doubt that what you're saying is true, but to use a sports analogy, even though you may acknowledge that the other team deserves it more, you're still disappointed when your team loses the Super Bowl or the World Cup or whatever. As a JW fan, I feel like John Williams is my "team" and I will always root for him to win.

JW's loss was not unexpected, but still disappointing. War Horse is one of the most beautiful scores I've heard in years. I can't say anything against the Artist, since I haven't seen it or heard the score, but JW definitely earned his nominations this year.

Seems like it would be hard to tell just by looking at a "1" / "I" as it quickly scrolls by.

Speaking of which, I take it that since, despite multiple mentions of him in this thread, Mark has not shown his face, he really isn't continuing to lurk like I assumed he was. Either that or has excellent self-control as continues to lurk without commenting.

What, no going away party?

Wow, I got Quint to curse at me. My JWFan life is now complete. I can go the way of Mark Olivarez and be content.

I'm turning 29 next month. And I just realized that Quint is only 5 or 6 years older than me. Now THAT makes me feel old.

I thought The Ghost Writer was okay, but I didn't feel like it was exceptional in any way. The ending was kind of dumb. It seemed anticlimactic.

While I agree that Hook's set design and cinematography is a bit campy (almost like it was intended to look like video of a Broadway play), I don't think it distracts from the film. After all, some of the greatest movies were shot that way (Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain to name a few). That's not to say it isn't a flaw in Hook's case - if they were going for realistic, they failed. But it's still a choice whether we as viewers will choose to let that diminish our enjoyment of the film for what it is. Despite the melodrama, the obvious sound stage sets, or whatever else you might find wrong with it, Hook is still one of my favorite movies. It's a classic fairy tale - it appears on the surface to be for children but there is a something for adults to learn from it. That's very similar to the way J.M Barrie's book reads.

At this rate we should have your complete list by 2020.

I agree - it's interesting to explore how a tyrant can rise to power. Also, I think it's just as fun to see the "history" of the Star Wars universe - the Old Republic, the Galactic Senate, the Jedi Order at its height, seeing Coruscant -- all of these things make for an excellent backdrop to what is essentially a compelling story, despite the flaws in execution. The biggest flaws for me in the prequels are dialogue and acting (including Jar Jar in both categories). The other flaws are forgivable.

I don't think Lucas intended Anakin to be a Christ figure. He does, however, use allusions and cultural references throughout the films to give weight to certain plot points - it's not unusual in storytelling to use imagery from one story to draw certain parallels to another. For example, the parallels we see in the Galactic Senate to modern day or ancient Roman politics help us understand the significance of the small steps Palpatine is taking toward dictatorship. Likewise, I think Lucas uses the virgin birth to emphasize one point alone - that Anakin is extremely powerful, just as Jesus, who was conceived by God, was powerful. If anything, I think Luke is more the Jesus figure in the saga.