Funny E.T. review

[ymenard 68]

I have this tendency that when I pop in any CD in my computer at work, I'll check out the allmusic reviews they have when you click on the album inside Windows Media Player (I would use Winamp but it spins my CD between each track and I fear the wear with time).

Judged purely by the standards of soundtrack music, John Williams' score is nothing special. Its languorous orchestration is delivered with a good deal of restraint, to convey the mystery, uncertainty, and sometimes unease of a melodramatic film about the discovery of extraterrestrial life. Indeed at times you'll be wondering if the volume on your stereo has been accidentally lowered, as some sections fall toward the threshold of audibility. Only occasionally does the mood become jubilant or overtly sentimental. It's for the most part unobtrusive background moods for the film's story, more comforting than eerie, whether or not that was the intention.  

Some people just don't get it...

:roll: :cry: banghead

[Yoda Longbottom 0]

It's a swap! That belongs to the E.R. score review, not the E.T.!

R man

[John McClane 1]

Phew...I'm just glad we have the proper point of view.

[Elmo Lewis 7]

What if that guy is not frequent film music listener - can you blame him for thinking that?

[ymenard 68]

If he's not, why would he be paid buy Allmusic to write about soundtrack reviews that appear on allmusic and its affiliates (including WindowsMedia Player) ???

And if something is quite a good listening experience to even the non-initiated (or perhaps the opposite... the classical-oriented people) it's quite well E.T. in either format, original and expanded.

I mean it almost looks like the guy stopped the CD right after "The Magic of Halloween"

Oh I wanted also to add that... you know... E.T. is in that Williams period where he would not only excel at the thematic material, but also he would do amazing underscoring like no-one had ever done before. So basically we have here a top-of-the-game composer doing top-of-the-game underscoring that's up high imho with the classical work its obvious he just "doesn't get it", and can't dissociate or understand the score as its ownself out of the movie's existence.

Listening to stuff like "Searching for E.T."... or any underscoring of E.T. and his relation with Elliot, or the underscoring of any material that ups the tension, the way slowly the Flying Theme find itself (before the Halloween cue).

For him its all unobtrusive background moods

[Romão 2,473]

E.T is as close to perfection as scores get, no matter what criteria do you use to judge them.

[Nemesis 301]

Hey guys! Don't take such a comment too serious. It's only a comment by one person. If that is what he thinks about, so okay. It's his problem. It's important what the music means for you (and me ), and only that counts. Not everybody likes or love filmmusic. And in many, not to say, the most eyes of classical music lovers, filmmusic is a thing that has to be hated. I think it has something to do with open minds or so. We have both and can love both if we want, filmmusic and classical music, both with the respect what it deserves.

Nemesis Lost Squadron - CEOT3K

[nightscape94 968]

What if that guy is not frequent film music listener - can you blame him for thinking that?

Yes. 8O

Then why bother review the score if you have no knowledge about its style or function? That would be like me giving you a serious review on the development of rurality of the middle class in America. I'm not privy to the many intricacies so I wouldn't be bold enough to speak my mind or enter a conversation. If the reviewer has no clue about score music, or the music of Williams in general, then he seems to be going far out of his way.

Tim

[Elmo Lewis 7]

Exactly. Thank you, Tim.