The Book Thief vs. The BFG vs. The Post - The "middling" JW scores from the last few years!

[Jay 37,323]

I reject the notion that The Book Thief, The BFG, and The Post are "middling" in any way.  Shame on you!

[Disco Stu 15,495]

On 9/10/2019 at 12:56 PM, Disco Stu said:

"The Court's Decision and End Credits" is a banger

(it bears repeating)

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

23 minutes ago, Jay said:

I reject the notion that The Book Thief, The BFG, and The Post are "middling" in any way.  Shame on you!

 

[Brundlefly 2,385]

20 hours ago, Jay said:

I reject the notion that The Book Thief, The BFG, and The Post are "middling" in any way.  Shame on you!

Fanboy.

[Jay 37,323]

No, they are genuinely good scores made with care from JW.  He didn't phone anything in.

[Thor 7,478]

I can't make any comments on his motivation. But yes, it sounds 'phoned in' in both BOOK THIEF and BFG (even though both have their moments). Can't say the same for THE POST; he's firing on all cylinders in that one.

[Jay 37,323]

[Bellosh 3,400]

The Book Thief is far from a middling score.  It should have won best score that year.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

All I have to say about The Book Thief, The BFG and The Post is

 

Zzzzzzz...

[publicist 4,643]

The best thing that can be said about either is that at least it helps keeping the hardcore guys from listening to 'Desert Chase' for the millionth time.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

One of JW's most masculine testosterone-fueled tracks.

[Montre 79]

I’ve never understood why Desert Chase is seen as one of his best, or at least, most exciting to listen to, action cues. 

[Holko 9,499]

It's simply the top setpiece and top setpiece cue of all time. When the bastard hasn't terribly edited it down, that is.

[Montre 79]

To each his own!

[publicist 4,643]

Holko is insane!

[Holko 9,499]

You ain't heard nothing yet!

 

I may or may not otherwise prefer Temple of Doom to Raiders in most ways!

 

And after Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, I didn't like Spaceballs at all.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

26 minutes ago, Montre said:

I’ve never understood why Desert Chase is seen as one of his best, or at least, most exciting to listen to, action cues. 

 

[publicist 4,643]

It's a good piece but very straightforward (in that regard a precursor to the likewise very stripped-down action material of Tintin). No match for the baroque spectacle of ToD, which is still JW's best in that vein. 

[Arpy 4,145]

1 hour ago, Montre said:

I’ve never understood why Desert Chase is seen as one of his best, or at least, most exciting to listen to, action cues. 

I'd argue the The Battle of Hoth sequences and the Cloud City pieces to the Finale are better set pieces than Desert Chase. Williams was on a roll in Empire Strikes Back with his rapid-fire use of themes and motifs.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

6 hours ago, Montre said:

I’ve never understood why Desert Chase is seen as one of his best, or at least, most exciting to listen to, action cues. 

Indeed!! 

 

I have listened it maybe twice. Nothing special. 

6 hours ago, publicist said:

It's a good piece but very straightforward (in that regard a precursor to the likewise very stripped-down action material of Tintin). No match for the baroque spectacle of ToD, which is still JW's best in that vein. 

 

That last sentence!! First time ever I agree with Pub😱😱😱

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

What's baroque about the score to ToD?

[publicist 4,643]

It's full of little and big flourishes, and more comic-book fun than his other epics at the time. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Its an everything but the kitchen sink score 

[Holko 9,499]

Temple of Doom is less of a collection of highlight tracks and more an incredibly woven flowing whole. I wouldn't know where to begin picking out which part of a whole could stand on its own as the best because they're all pieces of a puzzle, working best with each other. (obligatory FUCK Concord) Which is why I can much more easily say Desert Chase as an internally satisfyingly structured standalone piece is the top of the top!

[sithsword 4]

Score and movie ranking:

1) The Book Thief

2) The Post

3) BFG

 

The Book Thief (both score and movie) is hopeful, innocent and in the end bittersweat and I listen to it regularly. It's definitely at the top for me at the non-bombastic JW scores.

The Post is all right, though it feels too short and like it's missing 'something'. The movie was fine as well, dare I say average Spielberg.

As for the BFG, it does nothing for me. It is of course technically superb, but I find it hollow and uninteresting. And after reading all the reviews, I can't force myself to watch the movie. But still it's not as bad as Lincoln, which is the bottom 2000's JW for me.

And to round it up, The Last Jedi is way above the three together with The Force Awakens and waiting for The Rise of Skywalker to join them.

 

 

[Josh500 1,615]

7 hours ago, sithsword said:

But still it's not as bad as Lincoln, which is the bottom 2000's JW for me.

 

I don't much care for the movie, but the JW score is superb! One of the best! Probably the best thing about the movie... And yes, I thought DDL was overrated. 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,344]

On 9/14/2019 at 2:01 AM, Montre said:

I’ve never understood why Desert Chase is seen as one of his best, or at least, most exciting to listen to, action cues. 

It's time better spent listening to Mine Car Chase! 

[Arpy 4,145]

I love the ending of Mine Car Chase as it begins to slow as the mine car itself does. There's still a flurry of residual energy before it comes to a complete halt.

4 hours ago, Kasey Kockroach said:

It's time better spent listening to Mine Car Chase! 

 

[Jay 37,323]

4 minutes ago, Arpy said:

I love the ending of Mine Car Chase as it begins to slow as the mine car itself does. There's still a flurry of residual energy before it comes to a complete halt.

 

Yes! Well said! 

[Arpy 4,145]

A similar thing with the OST ending of I Can Fly Anything from 2:50-end:

They're small parts but make the piece feel like it's reached some conclusion that's organic - like we can take a rest and so can the orchestra!

[Fabulin 3,510]

BFG wins by far because it sounds similar to TPM and other classic Williams scores, but my favourite track is The Snow Fight from The Book Thief, which sounds like TESB.

 

Book Thief and The Post both have their moments, but they follow the them-contemporary fashions of scoring too much for my liking.

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

The Post scores with me.

[Edmilson 7,398]

In terms of scores:

 

1. The Book Thief

2. The Post

3. The BFG

 

In terms of movies, I like The Post, disliked The BFG and don't remember anything about Book Thief.

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

I believe it involved at least one book.

[publicist 4,643]

And, more visibly, one well-lit iMac.

[Arpy 4,145]

'Music by John...Williams?'

[The Five Tones 302]

Yes to The Post, though I'll admit listening dropped off after it came out. I like his late, monochromatic postminimalist style and the fact he dusted off his jazz chops here and there even though it's incongruous. Didn't get past streaming a few tracks with the other scores, and not planning to see any of the three films (though I've read all the Roald Dahl books to my kids and we even have the dated 1989 animated BFG with a cornball score on DVD). May acquire them one day for completeness or if I mellow out on my JW style preferences... that'll be one Desert Chase easy on the edits with sides of Nightclub Brawl and Mine Car Chase for the hardcore old timer at table 5.

[Smeltington 1,436]

I just gave the Post another listen, and remembered why I never listen to it... those god damn digital clicks throughout! I can't understand how that happened, but I can't listen to even a single track without being completely distracted. I wonder if we'll ever get a release with the clicks somehow removed, but I know it was stated in another thread that they appear in the FYC and film as well, so maybe there's nothing to be done? I guess it's lucky this happened to The Post and not a more interesting score lol. But I still wish I could listen to the Post and judge it on its own merits. OH WELL!!!!!!!!

 

There's a lot to enjoy in both BFG and Book Thief, btw. They each have their own character, their own atmosphere, and are both very beautiful. BFG also has some solid themes. So give those the Smeltington stamp of approval.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

11 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

 I guess it's lucky this happened to The Post and not a more interesting score lol. But I still wish I could listen to the Post and judge it on its own merits. OH WELL!!!!!!!!

Fuck you! 

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

[Smeltington 1,436]

Harsh dude!!!!! But I can't really tell if I like the Post because of the technical issues that keep me from being able to enjoy it.  :C

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

The Post works despite these issues and is stronger for it

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

32 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

I just gave the Post another listen, and remembered why I never listen to it... those god damn digital clicks throughout! I can't understand how that happened, but I can't listen to even a single track without being completely distracted. I wonder if we'll ever get a release with the clicks somehow removed, but I know it was stated in another thread that they appear in the FYC and film as well, so maybe there's nothing to be done? I guess it's lucky this happened to The Post and not a more interesting score lol. But I still wish I could listen to the Post and judge it on its own merits. OH WELL!!!!!!!!

 

There's a lot to enjoy in both BFG and Book Thief, btw. They each have their own character, their own atmosphere, and are both very beautiful. BFG also has some solid themes. So give those the Smeltington stamp of approval.

 

The clicks are indeed annoying, but IMO the score is very good. I rate it higher than both The BFG, TinTin, War Horse, and Lincoln.

[Smeltington 1,436]

Wow those are fighting words bro. I'd put the Post below all those. But if you covered ALL of them in a layer of digital glitches, who knows, maybe that would change my mind!

[Edmilson 7,398]

My rank of JW's non Star Wars scores of the 2010s:

 

1. War Horse

2. Lincoln

3. The Book Thief

4. Tintin

5. The Post

6. The BFG

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

2 minutes ago, Smeltington said:

Wow those are fighting words bro. I'd put the Post below all those. But if you covered ALL of them in a layer of digital glitches, who knows, maybe that would change my mind!

 

Just play around with the high frequencies of a digital equaliser to eliminate the clicks.

 

I forgot to mention that the score to The Post also is better than that of The Book Thief.

[Smeltington 1,436]

Solid ranking you got there, Edmilson.

 

And you, Mr. Shark. Have you done this? I'd like to but I doubt my skills, plus I worry it would remove some frequencies from the actual music. I would trust no one less than Mike himself with a job like this.

 

... but he has more important things to do. LOL

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

I haven't done it, because the music is so entertaining that it disturbes me from listening to the clicks.

[Smeltington 1,436]

A likely story!!

 

How weird though, that this issue slipped through the cracks. It seems impossible that nobody noticed, while mixing the score into the film, creating the album edit, and so on. Which makes me think it must have happened during recording and it was too late to redo it.

[Thor 7,478]

Clicks? WTF are you guys talking about? I don't hear anything like that in THE POST score.