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


Ollie

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we watched the movie today and I couldn't help but marvel at Young's score. It's wonderful.

It was one of the best that year, and I think one of the best horror scores of this still young century.

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Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire by Joel McNeely

Great disc. At the time of its release I thought it sounded way to different from what I thought of as Star Wars (and it still does feel that way, to be honest). But then again this is not a film score, it doesn't really feel like one. It has this operatic feel to it. And while I doesn't exactly fit the plot of this story (which is very much standard SW fare), I've grown to love it over the years. Altough, I feel it is way too short. I feel many of these ideas would benefit from greater expansion.

Now, imagine what John Williams could have done with this kind of assignment. No cuts, director, sound effects to worry about... :)

Karol

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Williams

After reading Blumenkohl's thread about Williams' trademark bass dips, I just had to go back to revisit this score. I don't mind the fact that Williams abandoned most of the themes (save for the primary one), but he did a marvelous job concocting new ones to go with the new directorial vision. "Apparition on the Train" and "The Dementors Converge" are both genuinely terrifying and atonal... it's one of the few Williams cues to send goosebumps down my spine. There's just a marvelous feeling of magic Williams imbues throughout the entire score, with a tinge of sadness and chilliness.

But it could do with a decent expansion. Some marvelous cues in the film should've made it into the album. Paging Watertower Music, hello...

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Dragonworld - Richard Band

First time listening to it, and it's just a lovely score. It's more synthy and electronic than what I'd prefer, but that's more to budgeting reasons than filmmaker preference. I'm glad the studio was able to budget a decent amount of orchestra players, even if it's noticeably smaller than what other studio pictures enjoy. I wish the music budget was bigger, and we'd have something magnificent with a full orchestra playing every note. The live musicians (strings, woodwinds, solo Celtic instruments) give the music the warmth it deserves.

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The Da Vinci Code - Hans Zimmer

One of my favourites from the composer. I simply love the majesty, the grace and the religious splendour of this score (despite its relative structural simplicity). Zimmer uses the choir and the orchestra to great effect here. And some of the crescendos here are breathtaking. I've always had an affinity towards this score though. I mean it is my first Zimmer score after all. And one cannot simply dismiss the beauty that is "Cheveliers de Sangreal". Unfortunately, this seems to have become a rather underrated score in his career. A shame because this has some of the most poignant and elegant writing of his career.

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The Last Airbender and Unbreakable and Duplicity by James Newton Howard

M. Night Shyamalan and Howard share something special. They share the common bond between director and composer, yet on such a rare level. No matter which direction Shyamalan goes, he's able to bring out the best in his composer, and vice versa. This type of relationship is not seen often, and it should be praised and celebrated. It's akin to how Spielberg and Williams work, how Hitchcock and Herrmann worked, and how Leone and Morricone worked. Is Shyamalan in the same league as these directors? Absolutely not; but there's something in the fabric of his films that lends itself to Howard's beautiful writing. His best work is for Shyamalan, hands down. The beauty of The Village and Lady In The Water, or the intensity of Signs and Unbreakable. It all seems so simple and effortless, yet the music conveys such complex emotions.

The Last Airbender is one of Howard's crowing achievements, in my opinion. Time only makes me appreciate it all more. At first I found it to have great moments of inspiration, but lacking as a whole. If you can put the film's horrendous script and acting behind the atmosphere at work, it can be a surreal experience. The album definitely covers the highlights, but in rewatching the film, there's a lot more in there that helps flesh out all those great moments. This definitely needs to be listened to in its full glory; I just wish Shyamalan didn't muck it all up. The film had tremendous potential, but is ultimately a failure. If you can superimpose his interpretation with the show's plot and ideas, it elevates the music even higher. The action material, while more percussion and rhythmic based than Howard's usual flair, is absolutely fitting for Aang's journey and the film's universe. Then there's the gorgeous main theme which ends the film and score with a bang in "Flow Like Water." Film scoring at its finest. Howard's music makes that scene work, amidst all the problems Shyamalan brought with it. That's the sign of a great director/composer relationship, in my eyes. Whether one or the other is not on top of the their game, they make each other look good.

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Howard's music makes that scene work, amidst all the problems Shyamalan brought with it. That's the sign of a great director/composer relationship, in my eyes. Whether one or the other is not on top of the their game, they make each other look good.

You are absolutely right on that. Howard's music for The Last Airbender is one of his best scores, period. I wish the CD release had licensed the real choir elements in the film, since they add so much to the music rather than the synthy choir used. Oh, and the End Credits suite is a thing of beauty -- even if it is cut together with various cues.

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The Omen - Jerry Goldsmith

I don't know how you guys rank this score, but it is most definitely one of my favourite Goldsmith scores. It's the ultimate horror score to end all horror scores. I love all the classic slurring choral work, the frightening menace of the opening chant and the chilling effects that the composer includes in this score. And I love all the massive bursts of energy in cues like "The Demise of Mrs. Baylock" and "The Altar". But perhaps my favourite aspect of this score is how Goldsmith brilliant breaks down the family theme. From its lovely charm and allure in "The New Ambassador", he slowly breaks it down, mutates it, tortures it until it begs for mercy so he could kill it off in the finale. I love it!!

God, I remember when I first heard this score, it scared the crap out of me. In fact, my first listen was a rather funny story...I'll save it for later I guess. Still haven't watched the film, but this score still sends the chills down my spine. And I'm worried that I always end up singing along when "Ave Satani" plays....(I know the words by heart).

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It's the one I've played the least, though that's hardly a knock on the music. The playfulness of Damien and scope of The Final Conflict appeal to me a little more.

But in terms of composition and in-film effectiveness, you really can't beat it. Not even Star Wars depended on its music as much as this one did.

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It's the one I've played the least, though that's hardly a knock on the music. The playfulness of Damien and scope of The Final Conflict appeal to me a little more.

But in terms of composition and in-film effectiveness, you really can't beat it. Not even Star Wars depended on its music as much as this one did.

The Final Conflict is often tied up with the first score for me. The Final Conflict is one of his career's most powerful scores (I'm listening to it now, having gone through Damien). I love its operatic allure and the grandoise nature of all the themes. The Christ theme is beautiful in its religioso renderings.

I enjoy both equally on album, but I consider the first one to be the most effective score, especially in context. Damien was always easily the weakest of the trilogy (although its still a great score). It comes off as more of a regurgitation of the ideas of its predecessor, except we get no lovely family theme this time around. I like the new variations but the score could do without its annoying "squishy" effects...

If only Goldsmith somehow incorporated more of the material from the first score in The Final Conflict. It could have been even more brilliant!!! A reprise of the original Ave Satani at the end would have been very much welcomed.

As it is, both The first and the last of the trilogy are equally good on album, but the former remains Goldsmith's most effective entry in the franchise.

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It's a fantastic score, and deservedly won an Oscar (though plenty more Goldsmith scores would have deserved that). The three scores in the series are sufficiently different to not have to rank one above the other - the first is a classic, genre defining horror choir score, the second a refreshing new take on the same basic concept, but with all new sounds and ideas, and the third, one of my all time favourites, a huge ballsy epic.

One thing I have to say for the first score is that the original album sequencing worked extremely well. There's plenty of good stuff on the expanded, chronological release, but the juxtaposition of the more melodic cues with the horror tracks made the album sequencing extremely listenable.

For Damien, I prefer the album recording to the OST. Like with Williams' The Fury, the soundtrack has a few nice bits that are missing from the album, but the album has the better orchestral performance and sound. Damien draws its best moments from weird sonic effects, like the male choir's bird sounds and the organ glissando in one of the middle cues.

In the end, all three are brilliant, though for my personal taste, nothing beats The Monastery and The Hunt.

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For Damien, I prefer the album recording to the OST. Like with Williams' The Fury, the soundtrack has a few nice bits that are missing from the album, but the album has the better orchestral performance and sound. Damien draws its best moments from weird sonic effects, like the male choir's bird sounds and the organ glissando in one of the middle cues.

The male throat gargling sound is one of my favourite sound effects of the trilogy. It's awesome. But that weird squishy noise at the opening and closing is darn annoying...like the kid is squishing a bunch of cockroaches on the street with his foot while dancing to the catchy theme.

In the end, all three are brilliant, though for my personal taste, nothing beats The Monastery and The Hunt.

"The Hunt" is probably the best cue in the trilogy....well maybe second to the unbeatable, original "Ave Satani"

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I've been listening to Charles Gerhardt's recording of the The Sea Hawk suite, and i must say that this recording is absolutely fantastic. It's amazing how music can change just by the way it's played. There's so much joy in this recording. Far better than the recording with the Moscow symphony orchestra.

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Batman Returns

It's funny, I used to despise Batman Returns. I bought the LLL version when it came out mostly because I wanted to not have a hole in my Batman film music. But that release really changed my views on that score, I think it did for a lot of people. Could this be Elfman's masterpiece? This, the original Batman, Edward Scizzorhands, and Nightmare are the must have Elfmans in my eyes. Nothing else of his quite compares to those scores, at least not to me.

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Angels & Demons - Zimmer....waiting for the hate.

Hunchback of Notre Dame - Menken....waiting for the hate.

Both great scores!

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Nah. The Da Vinci Code was a rather mediocre movie for a boring novel, but since A&D, the novel, was so thrilling, I thought they couldn't do too much wrong with that one. I don't remember too much in detail, but I think it was even worse than the DVC movie.

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I had to see this in a press screening and it was atrocious.

Listened to WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. Nothing out-of-the-box, but somehow the combi of JNH's modal writing, pleasant themes and the polished orchestration make for an entertaining listen.

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Angels & Demons - Zimmer....waiting for the hate.

Hunchback of Notre Dame - Menken....waiting for the hate.

Both great scores!

Hunchback of Notre Dame - Menken....waiting for the hate.

Hunchback is one of my favorite film scores/musicals, and definitely Menken's best.

Hunchback of Notre Dame - Menken....waiting for the hate.

Ah now that is a Disney classic.

thanks for the appreciation. It's a great score and the film is fantastic though why the public didn't embrace it is strange.

Tony Jay is terrific as usual and Tom Hulce steals the film.

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Nah. The Da Vinci Code was a rather mediocre movie for a boring novel, but since A&D, the novel, was so thrilling, I thought they couldn't do too much wrong with that one. I don't remember too much in detail, but I think it was even worse than the DVC movie.

The Angels and Demons movie was better than the DVC film...a lot better. But its still mediocre. I'm a fan of both the novels though.

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I got Angels and Demon's at Barnes & Noble when I worked there, left work at Midnight and read till around 3 or so when I either finished or nearlly finished. The next time I went to work I got DaVinci Code expecting to whiz right through this novel and instead I hated it. I had it figured out so early. I figured out A&D too but it was better written.

The Lost Symbol was much better than the DaVinci Code, it's pure Americana.

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You enjoyed The Lost Symbol? It's the only one I haven't gotten around to reading yet because I didn't know how it would be I heard half and half reviews.

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it's Dan Brown's same formula, but I found it to be more engaging. It's not as good a read a Angels and Demons, it's easliy better than DaVinci code but so is the label of ingredients on a peanut butter jar.

The last score I listened to this morning on my way to work is Star Wars, a score written by John Williams 35 years ago. It holds up well. It has a lovely opening march, a beautiful theme for the Princess, and perhaps the most exciting piece of action music he's ever written for the attack of the tie fighters. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's a 5 star score out of 4.

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it's a 5 star score out of 4

As long as one of those stars is a black hole, you can keep shoving stars in there. Ten, thirty, why even stop?

then thirty out of 4.

In any rating system Star Wars deserves the highest rating possible. It is a great score more importantly for many of us it is an emotionally satisfying score.

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0 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre, June 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Wars: A New Hope: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Special Edition) (Audio CD)

This Soundtrack has some good songs in it. But, they play the charachters themes hundreds of times. It gets to be a bore. It's not worth the money. Unless your a star wars collector.

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I didn't listen to Star Wars a New Hope, I just listened to Star Wars.

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You know, there was a point to be made, and you totally missed it trying to be cute and/or clever.

I wasn't trying to be cute or clever, I was just pointing out my cd is old. It is my second oldest cd next to my very first cd, Tears for Fears, Songs from the Big Chair.

But please make the point because I'm brain dead today and missed it.

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0 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre, June 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Wars: A New Hope: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Special Edition) (Audio CD)

This Soundtrack has some good songs in it. But, they play the charachters themes hundreds of times. It gets to be a bore. It's not worth the money. Unless your a star wars collector.

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Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Oh, Shit. There goes the planet.

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Irrelevant. Most of us here are Star Wars collectors and have at least one presentation of this film's music on disc. Those of us who don't are either lying or at least got it from Napster, or actually don't care for it very much, in which case, their minds are made up.

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The Adventures of Tintin the Secret of the Unicorn by John Williams

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You enjoyed The Lost Symbol? It's the only one I haven't gotten around to reading yet because I didn't know how it would be I heard half and half reviews.

There's one point in which it excels: One paragraph is the pinnacle of Brown's trash porn writing.

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You enjoyed The Lost Symbol? It's the only one I haven't gotten around to reading yet because I didn't know how it would be I heard half and half reviews.

There's one point in which it excels: One paragraph is the pinnacle of Brown's trash porn writing.

lol, can you copy paste?

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