The Dark Knight Rises

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I'm only 30 and I feel I'm in the same boat. My hearing isn't great either. I couldn't understand half of what was said in Sherlock Holmes (the first one, haven't seen #2) and I know I missed a lot of the subtle dialogue in the Harry Potter movies.

Am I just biased against movies with heavy amounts of British accents? Maybe. Or maybe movie theaters need to invest more in making movies understandable for deaf and hard-of-hearing people more than they need to invest in 3D technology.

I went to see The Immortals last week and it was the first time in a cinema since I saw Air Force One where the sound was so loud, it was unbearable. Luckily, I had my earplugs with me (I never leave home without them these days), so I could block out the really harsh noise. It's really evidence of a poorly calibrated sound system if it's emitting so much distortion, the more sensitive audience members have to resort to blocking their ears (this is a reason why I avoid night clubs, dance floors and concerts). The 3-D was bad too.

If there's distortion, could just be that the volume was way too high. I was gonna say that the sound wheel could have been left open but quickly realized 35mm film is pretty much dead in theaters.

[Matt C 452]

Opening night IMAX shows in NY and LA are already sold out... six months in advance.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/opening-night-imax-versions-of-the-dark-knight-rises-already-sold-out-in-nyc-la/

Wow. If both regular theaters and IMAX showings are any indication, it looks like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2's opening day and opening weekend records will be snatched away by Batman again.

[crocodile 7,984]

Karol

[Matt C 452]

A fun little timelapse video of 30+ people watching all 8 Batman films in one day:

http://www.craveonline.com/videos/original-series/182665-movie-marathoners-3-batathon

I'm not surprised which ranked the highest and lowest, but nice to see Mask of the Phantasm get the love it deserves.

[Jay 37,287]

Man, Neil really lowered the average for the Burton films!!!

[Matt C 452]

Man, Neil really lowered the average for the Burton films!!!

Well, not everyone loves the Burton films when they came out (and some only watched the Burton movies after they saw the Nolan films). Batman Returns is one of most overrated comic-book movies... ever. For me, it doesn't know what it wants to be -- it does a lot of things but it's not a entirely coherent whole. Batman, with all of its studio interference, feels better put together.

I'm glad Mask of the Phantasm got the love it deserves. Such a great Batman movie. And Batman 1966 is such a gleefully over-the-top comedic fest.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Quintus 5,399]

The London Symphony Orchestra downed instruments and were instead given two spoons each. The entire score is played on spoons.

[KK 3,307]

I was going to post this myself, but I'm letting you have a run at it Messenger

And of course! It's Zimmer trying something new...again!

The London Symphony Orchestra downed instruments and were instead given two spoons each. The entire score is played on spoons.

Sounds like someone needs an Oscar

[crocodile 7,984]

The London Symphony Orchestra downed instruments and were instead given two spoons each. The entire score is played on spoons.

Don't forget mixed cats and dogs chorus.

Karol

[indy4 155]

I respect Zimmer for venturing into some new territories. His one note Joker theme was very original and very effective, despite what some say. As a composer I love the guy. As an influence on film music, he's awful.

[Quintus 5,399]

I respect Zimmer for venturing into some new territories. His one note Joker theme was very original and very effective, despite what some say. As a composer I love the guy. As an influence on film music, he's awful.

A refreshingly balanced comment on the man.

[KK 3,307]

I disagree. These days, it seems that Zimmer is always trying to look for some "creative" new way to approach the score, but by putting all his focus onto that, he loses focus of the big picture. This is what happened with Inception, and it is essentially what happened to many of his scores last year. He brought it in guest performers and focused so much on collaborations and such, his scores were incredibly weak. POTC 4 was a horrifying disappointment and so was Sherlock 2 (with its awful mix).

Zimmer is a good composer with plenty of talent in him...but 2010 onwards has had very little output from him to fix his bad rep with critics.

[Quintus 5,399]

Which falls in with the last part of Indy4's post...

[KK 3,307]

Well that still makes Zimmer a weak composer on the basis of his recent work...(this kind of goes against how indy feels about him as a composer).

I personally love Zimmer but I feel as a composer, he's taking a turn for the worse. What the man needs to do (and I've said this many times before) is take on a solo project...

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[crocodile 7,984]

Not necessarily, you see. He's slowly going away from the dumbed down symphony and starts doing a much simpler things of his own. That's why I like Inception. He's good when he's not trying to do a symphonic score. That's not his forte.

Karol

[KK 3,307]

He can do symphonic scores when he puts his mind to it. I believe he succeeded with the Da Vinci Code. I think BloodBoal has got it spot on. Zimmer tends to forget that his first duty is as a composer, instead he acts as a sound designer who focuses on bringing in countless (and often pointless) collaborations and looking really good for the media to get another shot of him "trying something new", and ultimately, his score loses focus.

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

Not necessarily, you see. He's slowly going away from the dumbed down symphony and starts doing a much simpler things of his own. That's why I like Inception. He's good when he's not trying to do a symphonic score. That's not his forte.

Karol

The Lion King and Prince of Egypt are amazing symphonic works, and those scores are mostly done by him.

I think it depends on how much he cares about the project. Before 2000, he seemed to care a lot more about each project, but now... Apart from the first Sherlock, it seems his heart is not in the right place. Maybe he never cared to give the Batman franchise good music, but good sound design.

[Romão 2,274]

I respect Zimmer for venturing into some new territories. His one note Joker theme was very original and very effective, despite what some say. As a composer I love the guy. As an influence on film music, he's awful.

I mostly agree with what you said, except for the original part

[TownerFan 4,983]

I respect Zimmer for venturing into some new territories. His one note Joker theme was very original and very effective, despite what some say. As a composer I love the guy. As an influence on film music, he's awful.

I mostly agree with what you said, except for the original part

[Matt C 452]

He can do symphonic scores when he puts his mind to it. I believe he succeeded with the Da Vinci Code.

Absolutely. But Nolan shares the blame for the direction of the new Batman music too. He wanted more textural stuff, and not letting Zimmer accentuate the emotion and action more often (which is what film music is for!). There are other ways to do a Batman score without emulating Elfman, Goldenthal or Walker.

Sound design and a few chords strung together doesn't really cut it for me. Zimmer is capable of and has done much stronger work.

[Delorean90 42]

Perhaps partially, but Zimmer has stated in multiple interviews that he was pushing against the big hero theme and things like that, and I recall reading one where he was resisting against the more Romantic elements, which is why so much of the more tender and lush string elements from Begins are MIA in The Dark Knight.

[Brónach 1,301]

Just paste The Matrix score into the film. Done.

[Delorean90 42]

My God, Don Davis would've been freakin' PERFECT for these movies.

[Brónach 1,301]

Everytime I hear The Matrix I think "BATMAN!!"

[KK 3,307]

Wow, I never thought of it that way! But you're right! Don Davis' sound for the Matrix would have been just perfect for these Batman films!!!!

I miss Don Davis and his voice in the film score world. I was talking to Broxton about it, according to him, Davis is searching for gigs. But after having been absent from the industry for so long (thanks to his opera amongst other things), he's struggling to get a a spot for a film. Apparently he's been trying quite a bit too

[Jay 37,287]

That's really sad. The closest he's gotten lately is orchestrating Toy Story 3

[crocodile 7,984]

I want him back. I like everything I heard from him. There are some influences here and there (Horner orchestrator for a number of years), but there is also a clear and interesting voice in there.

Karol

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Zimmer's done with his Gladiator ways, he said so himself. He wants to focus on doing more with less, and working with texture in music. What he's talking about with Rises is most likely the chant heard in the trailers. There's a recorded one and then there's one where he combined people's recordings from UJam, an idea obviously borrowed from his collaborator from On Stranger Tides, Eric Whitacre.

Oh, and Zimmer got Joker's theme from Hannibal.

[crocodile 7,984]

I bet you had that smug Marion Cotillard expression on your face when you typed that last bit, didn't you?

Karol

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Delorean90 42]

Wow, I never thought of it that way! But you're right! Don Davis' sound for the Matrix would have been just perfect for these Batman films!!!!

I miss Don Davis and his voice in the film score world. I was talking to Broxton about it, according to him, Davis is searching for gigs. But after having been absent from the industry for so long (thanks to his opera amongst other things), he's struggling to get a a spot for a film. Apparently he's been trying quite a bit too

I'm just imagining something like the end of "Anything is Possible" closing out the Batman trilogy. Damn.

I hope he gets something soon. I watched The Matrix recently and was struck by just how well developed a score it is. And the ending as originally scored is just spine-tingling.

[Matt C 452]

Perhaps partially, but Zimmer has stated in multiple interviews that he was pushing against the big hero theme and things like that, and I recall reading one where he was resisting against the more Romantic elements, which is why so much of the more tender and lush string elements from Begins are MIA in The Dark Knight.

That's a shame. All superhero films should be contractually required to have a big theme... even a more realistic take on Batman should've had one. Textural and murky sound doesn't cut it.

I'm hoping Zimmer will embrace more romantic and more emotional elements for this film, since Catwoman/Selina Kyle (and likely Cotillard's Miranda Tate) will be the love interest and this is the final Batman film for this particular cast & crew. Zimmer needs to back away from the wall of sound and go for the emotional impact.

The choral element for Bane is very unusual and out of the box... so that seems like a step in the right direction.

[Brónach 1,301]

He could go the At World's End route again.

[Matt C 452]

He could go the At World's End route again.

That would be great. Zimmer really needs to tap that Thin Red Line/Da Vinci Code vein again for TDKR.

... I'm listening to Mask of the Phantasm right now. The main theme fits Nolan's Batman to a T... someone should cut a video using footage from all three movies.

[Delorean90 42]

I've messed around with that a bit--not actually made a video, but, for instance, the first part of "The Promise" goes nicely with Bruce leaving Rachel's car and throwing the gun into the river. And, even though it doesn't fit with all the dialogue, "Batman's Destiny" over the end of TDK is very nice.

[Richard Penna 3,670]

Wow, I never thought of it that way! But you're right! Don Davis' sound for the Matrix would have been just perfect for these Batman films!!!!

I miss Don Davis and his voice in the film score world. I was talking to Broxton about it, according to him, Davis is searching for gigs. But after having been absent from the industry for so long (thanks to his opera amongst other things), he's struggling to get a a spot for a film. Apparently he's been trying quite a bit too

Surely there are directors/producers who would kill to get someone of Davis' stature!

Too high a fee maybe? There's definitely still demand for traditional scores - just not in the bigger films these days.

[Red 75]

To me, Mask of the Phantasm will probably always be the best score written for a Batman film. I enjoy Elfman and Zimmer/Howard's work to varying degrees, but Walker did the best theme.

I really enjoyed the score to the game Arkham City. It was a bit like Walker meets Zimmer.

[KK 3,307]

Wow, I never thought of it that way! But you're right! Don Davis' sound for the Matrix would have been just perfect for these Batman films!!!!

I miss Don Davis and his voice in the film score world. I was talking to Broxton about it, according to him, Davis is searching for gigs. But after having been absent from the industry for so long (thanks to his opera amongst other things), he's struggling to get a a spot for a film. Apparently he's been trying quite a bit too

Surely there are directors/producers who would kill to get someone of Davis' stature!

Too high a fee maybe? There's definitely still demand for traditional scores - just not in the bigger films these days.

I don't think its that. I'm sure Davis would reduce his fee if he couldn't get any gigs. I think the problem is just that he's been gone from the industry too long, so now a lot of other composers have a lead in getting spot on the industry. Davis sort of lost his former fame and probably became kind of forgotten with his absence. And considering how the industry has become a lot more competitive now, Davis is a player whose really behind in the game...

I'm seriously hoping someone will give him a job (even the Wachowski Brothers seem to have moved on... )

[Delorean90 42]

To me, Mask of the Phantasm will probably always be the best score written for a Batman film. I enjoy Elfman and Zimmer/Howard's work to varying degrees, but Walker did the best theme.

I really enjoyed the score to the game Arkham City. It was a bit like Walker meets Zimmer.

I agree on both counts. I feel Walker has the theme most comprehensively true to the character. Elfman's tackles the mysterious, mythical and exciting sides of Batman wonderfully, but I think Walker's theme manages to touch on that along with capturing the heart behind the symbol. The Zimmer/Howard two-note theme and Molossus theme both probably have potential beyond their implementation in BB and TDK, but I don't think any of that material approaches the nailing of the actual character and his facets in the way that Elfman and Walker did.

And Arkham City's score, as with the other facets of the game, was a big improvement over its predecessor, I thought.

[Matt C 452]

I'm bored...

Someone cut a nice music video (using only Batman Begins footage) using John Williams music. Wish he did one for TDK too.

[Jay 37,287]

Dark Knight Rises gets a PG13

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/09/dark-knight-rises-rating-pg-13_n_1411860.html

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Naturally! Thats were the money is!

[Matt C 452]

And the PG-13 is warranted, on account of Anne Hathaway's outfit alone...

http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/170171-hi-res-catwoman-promo-art-for-the-dark-knight-rises

Holy moley! Nolan certainly amped up the sexuality with this film.

[Brónach 1,301]

The high heels ruin it a bit. Can one fight in high heels? Looks impractical. I like everything else about the picture except that. So close.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

You'd be surprised what some women can do when wearing heels.

[Brónach 1,301]

Fighting Batman? I am impressed!

[lonzoe 18]

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I hate the designs of everything in these movies. The exception is Joker.