All Activity

Bizet?

It's interesting to see how the Brandywine guys saw THE DUELISTS, and thought: "That's our man".

Yeah! It's definitely the best of the Cornetto Trilogy. The "throwing the records" scene still makes me cry with laughter. "Purple Rain?" "No." "Sign O' The Times?" "Definitely not." "BATMAN Soundtrack?" "Throw it."

No, I haven't seen that. I tried to watch that zombie comedy with Woody Harrelson but I didn't make to the end. I simply don't see the appeal of zombie comedies.

Have you seen Peter Jackson's Braindead? Brillant comedy. Brillant zombie movie at the same time.

I love how you bumped this thread out of the blue after 22 years. It’s also fascinating to see how highly the board rated this film when it was new. I was 10 when this came out and I loved the clones, the Geonosians, the lego sets, the score, and of course seeing Natalie Portman in all those outfits. It’s been many years since I’ve seen it now. In fact, the last time I saw it may well have been when I was still a teenager. These days I’d probably rate Clones as a 5/10. The dialogue and acting are rubbish of course, but I like the visuals and general shlockiness of it all and I feel the world building of any of the Prequels still puts the Disney era to shame. IMO, a less cringey version of this movie could made a decent Episode I. Then Episode II could have ended with Anakin’s fall, allowing III to be half Jedi purge and half Empire vs Rebels stuff.

I've heard they used AI to enhance the image quality (it looks like a modern movie now) and they did not eradicate the film grain completely. Cameron hated the poor film stock Aliens was filmed on and so did I. TBH, when it comes to film restoration, I would like to see what AI is capable of.

it says evokes a scene of emotional gravity, not that it has emotional gravity.

1/10. Worse than Rise of Skywalker because at least ROS has some alright shots and decent effects. The worst movie ever made relative to its budget. Williams' score is good, but I genuinely can't get any emotion out of it because of the god awful movie it's in.

4/10. The only thing I like about it is the great (and Harry Potter-like) John Williams score. The rest... eh. ROTS is the only movie from the prequels I actually like, even though the memes are still the best thing about it.

The Social Network - Trent Resznor and Atticus Ross I was in the mood for an electronic dark and disturbing score last week so I put this on Spotify (I tried listening to Challengers but eh, not my thing). It's pretty nice, some Thomas Newman-like piano and ambiances with dark additions to make it more disturbing. Pretty good, but I still prefer Gone Girl, my favorite from Resznor and Ross. Endurance - John Powell My journey through little known or forgotten John Powell scores continues with this little gem. I love how much of a voice Powell had so early on his career (this is from 1998, one year after his first solo movie). The combination between African voices and instruments with Powell's orchestra is really well done. Tracks such as Chasing the Bull and The Great Tree are wonderful, filled with that Powell wholesomeness that make his scores so nice and heartwarming - the former, aside from the African instruments, could've been in Ice Age 2 or Ferdinand. I was a bit disappointed by the climactic track The Final Race. It's over 8 minutes of some dark build-up that is not terribly engaging and for some reason reminded me of Thomas Newman's score for Road for Redemption. Then when the climax comes it's pretty good, but again the build-up could've been better. Anyway, Powell has a lot of gems that I still need to listen. I never heard stuff like Face/Off, Forces of Nature, I Am Sam, Rat Race, D-Tox, Alfie, P.S.: I Love You, Stop-Loss, Happy Feet Two (I kinda gave up on that one when I saw that most of the OST is pop songs, will try again one of these days)... Hope those are good!

Sydney Sweeney's in it?

"By combining these two concert pieces, this album puts the symphonic work of Bernstein and Williams at the center, two composers who weren’t afraid of crossing the boundaries between film music and “serious” classical genres at a time when these worlds were generally kept far apart. Especially in Williams’ concerto, there are still hints of his work as a film composer; the slow movement brings to mind a scene of emotional gravity." I do not think that the final sentence is meant as a criticism, but I find it odd. All of the most famous violin concertos have emotional gravity, usually most pronounced in the middle movement. Why on earth would this be a reason that Williams concerto is less "serious" at this point?

Nice mastering and sound quality for this recording, good orchestra. I get where Deneve was going with some of the interpretations, but sometimes it comes across as half baked, especially in the third movement. Still a nice recording though, glad I got it. There are clearly some small revisions to it though (maybe even just re-balances) but the third movement has changes/ additions to the violin part I think.

Someone on FSM posted links to the Amazon listings but they haven’t gone live yet. Hurry up, Amazon!! Blu-ray + 2xCD: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1LMHGTY/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D1LMHGTY/ Blu-ray: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1YQL2KD/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D1YQL2KD/ Single CD: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1LQXX36/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D1LQXX36/

Tess - Philippe Sarde The score lives up to its reputation. It is romantic yet haunting and melancholy. It has a way of really sticking with you and staying in your brain. Sound quality is good, but not great. Nothing personal, but I wonder if Chris Malone or Mike Matessino could’ve made this a bit clearer and cleaner. I’m so happy I took a chance on this CD because it has opened the gateway to my Philippe Sarde journey, and I’m having fun trying more of his scores. The Sarde box set will be purchased this week. And speaking of Sarde, The Manhattan Project- Philippe Sarde I’ve owned this one for years. My first Sarde. And for a long time, my only. This score is so light and friendly. Really beautiful 80s vibe. There’s a little friction from the less interesting conspiracy material. But mostly, it’s just a joyful listen. I understand the theme is almost a complete recycle of Sarde’s earlier Le Choc score. No matter. It’s delightful. Hanover Street - John Barry Familiar. That’s the word I’d use to describe it. There’s nothing here outside Barry’s comfort zone. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I swear I’ve heard the theme before, and I’ve never seen the film. I was glad to hear the score do a sharp turn into darker snare-driven Barry for the War material. The score really has two faces, romantic and war/danger. I just love how effortless Barry makes everything, and how effortless it is to appreciate and enjoy it. The Rocketeer - James Horner Sweet Christmas!!! I mean, I’ve heard it a thousand times. But if your heart doesn’t soar in the Main Title, and your pulse doesn’t race in Flying Circus, you might be dead. I love the way Horner uses the Brainstorm/Wrath of Khan motifs in Rendezvous at Observatory to build up the tension! A standout track! The OST is nearly perfect, but the added bits on the expansion are most welcome and don’t drag anything down. The Rocketeer, quite simply, is one of my favorite scores of all time. Listening to it this week lifted my soul. This is what it’s all about.

Horror Hospital sounds right up my alley. I want a car with blades that shoot out the sides. I can’t believe we all don’t drive them.

No more “Buy Another Day”

I kind of question its status as a "Spielberg masterpiece", partly due to its place in pop culture. Its grizzly depictions of warfare just became the new norm for war movies and it ended up just serving as another recruiting tool for the army, despite its anti-war aspirations. And I think some of this is due to the way the film itself valorizes dying for your country. Something like Born on the Fourth of July isn't as upfront and gruesome but no one is going to walk away from that thinking "I want to join the army" (he literally gets his d*ck shot off). Also, it's kind of thin thematically (narrative themes not musical) and a bit muddled too.

I read they used AI to get rid of a lot of the grain—et voilà! You get to see the rough edges of the visual effects, unfortunately. Between the muddy VHS and this, I think DVD's level of clarity hit the sweet spot, without looking hyper-detailed and too crystal-clear. By the way, Karol, I've wanted that Polish Jaws 2 poster you got as your avatar since forever, but it's just too damned expensive when I see it!

Yeah, I get the mournful argument, but I think the association with noble Americana is possibly too strong. It's a key moment I always consider in terms of that question whether this movie is ultimately glorifying war or not. I think the film wants you to sympathize with Upham, regardless, but I think Williams edges it past a quiet mournful sympathy (which again, I think silence would have achieved) into reverence for his bravery (?) And it's where I think the movie is in a tough spot because Spielberg identifies with Upham, and he wanted this film to be a tribute to those who fought. And so I wouldn't classify this as a "pro war" film, but it is unquestionably "pro veterans" and I think that's sometimes where the film can feel torn in its perspective, especially the ending. Because it's trying to express "thank you for your service" while also wanting to be brutally honest about war atrocities, cowardice, and that's a difficult but necessary thing to reconcile. I think that's why the movie is both flawed and valuable.

Thanks to your recommendation, I listened to this and quite enjoyed it! BTW, it took me forever to find this post because you didn't put the name of the score in it so you cant' find it by searching. So I'll add it here in case anyone wants to look up discussion in the future Fabrizio Mancinelli - Go For Grandma Wow! A nice score that reminded me of the type of scoring we'd get regularly throughout the 80s and 90s. It's a shame these types of works are so rare these days, but it's so nice to know that they are still coming out, and by new names too. I'd have to listen again to be able to give any more detailed feedback, and I suspect that second listen will happen soon!

For a moment I thought this was Robert Downey Jr. in Oppenheimer.

I totally understand this interpretation of that scoring, and at a time, I may have had a similar reading. But today, I read it as a much more mournful moment. I don't mind the score here, but I do agree with you that keeping this silent would've probably been more appropriate.