Jump to content

What Is The Last Score You Listened To? (older scores)


Ollie

Recommended Posts

The Ghostwriter by Alexandre Desplat

 

The Wolfman by Danny Elfman

 

Eastern Promises by Howard Shore

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is it a bird?

 

Is it a plane?

 

No, it's the delivery van!

 

Disc 3 of Supes set - taking it slowly with this one, will only be listening to this disc for a bit.

Is it Johnny's greatest achievements? Does it accompany a film I love? Does it make me believe a man can fly? Well, no to all of that. But is it damn good music and a near perfect album? Hell yes! Scratch the aviatory slam poetry in the middle, burn it, then it will actually be perfect. I needed a single evaluation copy listen to the actual OST to turn around on this score completely, another one or two to confirm it, and now it's here. Bring it on, let's explore!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Atlantis: The Lost Empire by James Newton Howard

It's quality stuff, if pretty generic and I likely won't remember this minutes after I'm done. That tends to be how I feel whenever I try to revisit JNH scores. I'm gonna go back and play some DKC3. Meh.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Atlantis: The Lost Empire by James Newton Howard: Neat!

 

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes by Miklós Rózsa: Neater!

 

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith by John Williams:Neatest!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, publicist said:

 

A curious score where light and shadow live close to another. The quiet meditative parts belong to the former category.

 

I think that's the most poetic I've seen you describe a modern film score...I want whatever you're having!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

God of War by Bear McCreary: A very successful blending and a tightrope walk between orchestral/thematic and modern action scoring sensibilities. I love the use of voices in this score, the Icelandic singers singing in Old Norse and the specialty instruments that give it a nice feel of mythical time and place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Fabulin said:

The Mummy: I finally wrapped my head around what really speaks to me in this score: at the same time it manages to evoke an ancient, magnificent spirit, and capture modern-sounding elegance and precision / restraint. Also, I feel that Goldsmith, who struggled to compose in a lyrical way for half a century, finally bloomed in a way no shy of JW. Also, the march from The Sand Volcano features some of the best section-shifting on a tune this side of Shostakovich.

The Mummy Returns (expanded): one can hear the late 1990s orchestral heaviness all throughout the score. The entire album is very enjoyable, but... tiring in a way. One can hear that it is trying hard to be cool. Silvestri nonetheless did a commendable job at trying to match the aforementioned masterpiece. 

 

Goldsmith did struggle with love themes and such, but certainly not with lyrical ones (Papillon, Last Run, Masada, Lionheart, First Blood, Night Crossing, all the western themes and and and). What The Mummy did do was to bridge Golden Age-informed 80's bombast with the blunter/slicker blockbuster stylings of the 90's - without losing the fun monster movie vibe (the same year's The Haunting was also an interesting update in that direction). 

 

I know that many people rate both Mummy's the same or even prefer Silvestri's, but i just don't see it: for Silvestri, it's grade A but he doesn't get the monster vibe right and after a truly spectacular, Rózsaesque opener (Legend of the Scorpion King) the whole thing settles into the kind of loud, generalized Hollywood sound that is fun once in a while but gets on my nerves really fast. Everything is turned up to 11 and apart from the big romantic desert theme, a lot of it is interchangeable. It's a great score for that time and place but you are well-served with 45-50 minutes of it.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, publicist said:

I know that many people rate both Mummy's the same or even prefer Silvestri's, but i just don't see it: for Silvestri, it's grade A but he doesn't get the monster vibe right and after a truly spectacular, Rózsaesque opener (Legend of the Scorpion King) the whole thing settles into the kind of loud, generalized Hollywood sound that is fun once in a while but gets on my nerves really fast. Everything is turned up to 11 and apart from the big romantic desert theme, a lot of it is interchangeable. It's a great score for that time and place but you are well-served with 45-50 minutes of it.

I find the second score too childish (I could say that about Silvestri in general). The prologue of the first film has this ancient and authentic feeling that the prologue of the second film doesn't have. That's all up to the music, since both prologues are quite stupid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is my favourite Silvestri. Having said that, his music in general is rarely well served by expanded releases. His craft is absolutely solid but there is no real architecture to his storytelling. It's a far cry from the likes of Horner or Goldsmith who had an impeccable sense of architecture. To be honest, even Williams, for all his brilliance, can't touch these two in this department.

 

Karol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Edge by Jerry Goldsmith: A terrific mid-90's part nature survival adventure, parrt psychological thriller with an expansive "trek through the majestic wilderness" main theme which might be a bit overused when even a hint of a mountainside, lake or forest view is in sight but it nails the wilderland majesty quite perfectly. The action music led by the pitch bending snarling "bear" motif on trombones and sul ponticello strings is percussive, driving and fierce with even cool rhythmic piano grooves underneath all the orchestral mayhem and there is even a secondary "trek" motif which ticks nervously forward as if counting down a journey to some unknown destination. To think that ol' Jerrald put such thought into this psychological wilderness survival thriller between Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins (and Bart the Bear). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, crocodile said:

It's an enjoyable film too.

 

Karol

Indeed. Goldsmith scored many far worse movies. Mamet's script is actually pretty good stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Weren't bad films his speciality?

I don't think he put that on his resume. J. Goldsmith, fixer of turds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Minions by Heitor Pereira

Folks, this was a shot in the dark. Pereira doesn't have the most interesting resume, but it appears that this franchise might be his magnum opus. The themes, in particular, sound like Mission Impossible meeting the Incredibles.

 

Loving Vincent by Clint Mansell

Gentle, heartfelt, and pure expression for love of art. A+

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Weren't bad films his specialty?

 

Not really. That's mostly just his reputation. Goldsmith had his fair share of first rate films. It's just that he was also a workaholic, and in addition to those good films he also kept working non-discerningly on whatever came his way and usually gave it his best effort.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Kasey Kockroach said:

King’s Row by Erich Wolfgang Korngold

 

Original recording or Gerhardt's re-recording? What do you think about it? I love Korngold's swashbuckling scores, but some of the others, such as this one, I've had a hard time getting into.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Kojian's is a great extended presentation.

 

The Rumon Gamba recording is also a great, extended-er presentation. But for those portions he recorded, Gerhardt still reigns supreme.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why would you go to a desert island in the first place?

 

7 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

The Rumon Gamba recording is also a great, extended-er presentation. But for those portions he recorded, Gerhardt still reigns supreme.

 

It's good, but I feel Gamba doesn't always get everything right. Anyway, he should have done a re-recording of Captain Blood!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Why would you go to a desert island in the first place?

 

I wouldn't do so voluntarily! I am regarding an imaginary situation where I am forced to go to a desert island and take only a few scores with me. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Kasey Kockroach said:

I wouldn't do so voluntarily! I am regarding an imaginary situation where I am forced to go to a desert island and take only a few scores with me. 

 

Remember to bring a portable CD player and a load of batteries!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/22/2019 at 12:49 PM, Fabulin said:

The script is smart, acting very good to Hopkins, suspense / tension building nice, emotional drama convincing and multifaceted, action surprisingly well filmed with that bear + gorgeous landscapes and the music. What flaws does this movie have? It is nothing short of great! In my top 30 in any case...

Evreything you said to a lesser 'okay-ish' degree - in the end it's kinda okay, but not really that convincing. Watch the director's feature film debut. That is agreat film!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Kasey Kockroach said:

You don't have enough E.T soundtracks, I see.

 

I know. 😞

 

Hey who is the clown who put Heartbeeps in my JW CD collection?

 

WHAT A JOKER!!!

 

:huh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Because of the new Varése release i checked this out after 15 years, and it's still utterly superfluous: though competently made it's mainly a collection of horror stingers, functional pedal points (a fu...ing lot) and JNH leftovers from other, better scores in between 'Sixth Sense' and 'Lady in the Water'. Pass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.