Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/07/20 in all areas

  1. Alberto Iglesias penned an article writing about John Williams and Ennio Morricone (that Spanish award): https://www.abc.es/cultura/musica/abci-alberto-iglesias-genios-no-parecen-nada-202006060134_noticia.html Iglesias favourite JW score is The Long Goodbye, and from Morricone Cinema Paradiso. He also writes that he feels closer to Morricone. He also believes both Morricone and Williams would have liked to receive the award alone. I used Google translate: Two geniuses who are not alike at all by Alberto Iglesias The Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts to Ennio Morricone and John Williams recognizes two creators who have made film music an art, each expressing their talent, their style I imagine that by awarding this award to two such important musicians, to two geniuses, they wanted to reward the genre, film music. And that is very valuable. But I think each of them deserves it for themselves, any one of them could be the sole recipient of the award. Both Morricone and Williams seem extraordinary to me. They have made film music into an art, each one expressing his talent, his style and his way of conceiving music. They do not look alike. That is also the greatness of music in the cinema, which can house completely different styles. Williams inherits the Hollywood tradition, but also develops it and takes it to a very new place in many moments. He is the king of the great American audiovisual show. Morricone, which I feel closer to, probably, is in the measure of European cinema and has a very artisanal style, very own. I think he is the one who has thought the most about music in Europe. Film music is highly regarded and part of popular culture. Maybe these awards want to open to that popular music as the Parnassus of great art. In the same way that Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, although in that case there was a greater leap. To think that the music of popular tradition, so implanted, can also be the music of the high intellectual spheres. It is a splendid recognition, which I imagine will have made both of them very excited. Although I also think they would have liked to receive it alone. I don't know if they know the importance that these awards have in Spanish culture. If I had to choose a soundtrack for each of them, I would cite two, released by Quartet Records. From John Williams, "The Long Goodbye," a Robert Altman movie. It's less of Williams's big, imposing style. It has a more jazzy root, a connection to jazz. He was a jazz pianist early in his career. From Morricone, he would quote "Cinema Paradiso" or "Tie Me", which he made for Almodóvar. They are all great scores.
    4 points
  2. Still no 15th Anniversary War of the Worlds announced...
    3 points
  3. I have no idea how it made so much money. The film is "fine" but there's absolutely nothing remarkable about it. Can't say it made me think about anything much at all. I suppose the film falls into this "issue topic cinema" that Academy and critics love so much. You know, the ones that tell you to think about something important or topical but then do all that work for you anyway. Because, of course, while the cause is topical and important the film doesn't have enough faith in its target audience so it will spell everything out. Which makes it even more condescending. Great writing or filmmaking it certainly isn't. It's "fine". Karol
    2 points
  4. Another titbit about Joker than annoyed me was the cinematography. It seems some of the worst still photography trends from the last 15 years have seeped into Hollywood cinematography, which is extreme shallow depth of field. Really what's with these ridiculous levels of bokeh where only the tip of the actor's nose is in focus? Something between f5.6 and f8 gets fairly good results, but some shots in this movie looked like they were going for that shitty f1.2 look. I mean come on.
    2 points
  5. After that I assume he was banned from being near presidents.
    2 points
  6. Joker What the fuck? Terrible movie masquerading as an arthouse flick to make geeks feel smart, acknowledged and validated. Not one fun moment whatsoever, just a bleak, oppressive trek into realistic and relatable and dark and disturbing. How the hell did this turd make so much money?!
    2 points
  7. I've never thought I would see these two works in one sentence haha
    2 points
  8. What Karim meant, I guess, is when JW goes more heavily abstract-like to create a sort of suspended atmosphere through the usage of colours and textures produced by light instruments (like celeste, piano, harp, high-pitched strings), usually enhanced by electronic timbres of the synthesizer. I think this could be totally defined as one of JW's own trope. Several examples come to mind: Listening to these, I realize that despite they're heavily textural in character, they're also very pianistic at their core. It's sort of JW's own take on impressionist-like writing. It would be interesting to investigate his process when writing these kind of cues.
    2 points
  9. These are examples of what I think are very gorgeous though unusual cues in JW's scores which I struggle to define as anything other than being "ethereal". They are usually transitional moments in the films like when Tom Cruise realizes he's in love with Nicole Kidman in Far and Away or when Clark realizes he's Kalel. I felt I heard these moments frequently in JW scores but never something like this from another composer. Yes, yes, he'll through in a motif to remind us of a character or something but these are generally quite abstract and unique thematic experiences within the film generally being esoteric. Esoteric is generally defined as being somewhat spiritual or someone gaining wisdom through a spiritual or undefined personal transformative experience. Is JW the most esoteric composer or is anyone else better at these moments in film? What do you think of this type of scoring? It isn't thematic but is quite interesting and distinctive. No one else seems to do this sort of thing. Any other examples? What do you think of it? Boredom and phoned in writing or example of brilliance or something else? EDIT: Thor made an excellent suggestion that ethereal might be a more appropriate description of the mood these cues reflect and I agree.
    1 point
  10. In the end, Batman discredits Joker, who's exposed as a fraud whose wanky social experiment backfires. Millennials are idiots for thinking this dickhead was the "real hero" or something.
    1 point
  11. That's the ending of the second Ewok movie.
    1 point
  12. 1 point
  13. Drax and Justin aren't wrong though. Phoenix is great in it, and the whole thing is watchable, but it's definitely overrated. The style doesn't successfully mask its convoluted storytelling, and whenever it tries to get political, it's unbearably on the nose.
    1 point
  14. Yea...regardless of Chase's problematic behaviour, his character, like all the characters in the core group are just an essential part of the show's fabric (The group needs its Pierce!). It says a lot about just how strong that ensemble is. And you're right, the show never gets bad. Harmon is too clever for that. But it loses a lot of the charm and heart that defined the glory seasons, again because of the cast falling apart, the reduced number of episodes and the budget inching towards zero (you'll notice in the later seasons, the cast is never really "outdoors" anymore). And yes, Banks was great in season 5. So is Paget Brewster in season 6.
    1 point
  15. "Huh?" "Get a job" "What for?" "I'm tryn' to think" In case you're wondering, it's
    1 point
  16. Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar for chainsmoking and acting like a retard for 2 hours.
    1 point
  17. karelm

    Ethereal cues from JW

    Yes exactly! This would have been so perfect without those sampled birds. Gorgeous cue. Clearly no contribution to this thread and very stupid posts like this.
    1 point
  18. Romão

    Ethereal cues from JW

    Well, regardless of the OP use of the word, there are truly some great moments and tracks being highlighted in this thread. Thank you all for this
    1 point
  19. Mission Impossible: Fallout came on Netflix today. It's overlong, and the plot occasionally tries to put too many twists in (and I saw the 'real' identity of Lark coming a mile off... there were enough clues), but overall it was entertaining. The chase sequences are well executed, and I like how the screen is enlarged for the chopper sequence. I was a critic of Balfe's score when I heard bits of it on album, and that largely hasn't changed in the film. The majority of the score sounds like it's performed entirely on synths (I felt a number of times early on in the film that it sounded too cheap for a film like this), with droning brass and string ostinatos until the cows come home. In the film, most of it is completely lost in the background, but two bits jumped out at me: the foot chase in London, and the chopper sequence, which has a brass motif I rather like. I really feel that sequence would've worked with a more orchestral approach though. McQuarrie was definitely after a Nolan-style Zimmer score. The Paris chase was also interesting when Balfe used the M:I theme. I'm likely to buy the Blu-ray cheaply because there are a few sequences I'd like to watch with isolated music. It's not a bad score - it works absolutely competently in the film and very ocasionally on album - but I think it could've been so much better if Balfe ditched those endless ostinatos and wrote some more orchestral material. And his quieter, emotional material (definitely sounded synth) really doesn't go anywhere.
    1 point
  20. The Road. I read the book during the week and watched the film tonight. I enjoyed both. Perhaps “enjoy” isn’t the right word. It’s pretty rough stuff.
    1 point
  21. I'm sure we won't. Mainly for the Violin Concerto. I bet Mutter will record it the first chance she gets.
    1 point
  22. I've said it before, CE3K is more than a film score, it is a philosophical symphonic statement by John, where he fully explores and fulfills the exploration of the power of myth through the synthesis of romantic and modern musical language that he outlined in the program notes of his Symphony.
    1 point
  23. I came here to this thread to read about JW’s music, and now I’ve found out that Hagrid has been cancelled!
    1 point
  24. Two CDs for Two Mules?! One for each mule or what?
    1 point
  25. Naïve Old Fart

    Best-Scored Films

    I think that what we are talking about, here, is music that is not so much married to the visuals, nor even takes us on a "journey", nor even sounds brilliant away from the films that they accompany. Any score can be associated with the film it scores, and several scores are unable to be separated from their films, but for me, a classic score - an indispensable score, if you like - is one that is able to not only support its subject matter, but which can enter the narrative and convey the thoughts and emotions of the actors involved. In short: it becomes another character. If that is the criterion by which we are assessing these "best-scored films" - at least of the last 65 years - then I'll say VERTIGO, PSYCHO, THE GRADUATE, PATTON, JAWS, THE OMEN, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND.
    1 point
  26. Naïve Old Fart

    Best-Scored Films

    Och! Controversial? Schmtroversial! It's just a movie, but it's a damn good one. All this current bullshit, is just bullshit.
    1 point
  27. This isn't John's mother or there is a mistake on the site. She has actually lived for almost a hundred years - 97, to be exact. Read it: https://www.espn.com/blog/music/post/_/id/98/composer-john-williams-talks-fenway-red-sox How is it you’re a Red Sox fan, considering you were born in New York and raised in California? My mother was born in Boston and loved Fenway Park all of her life. She lived to be 97 and insisted that she lived that long because she wanted to see the Red Sox win the World Series again. Once they did it in 2004, she felt she could pass on very happily. For me, there is a strong family connection to Boston and anything connected to Boston, which includes Fenway. On Wikipedia there is an interesting quote about his lineage. The source: Thomas, David (October 25, 1997). "The King of Popcorn". The Sydney Morning Herald: 10s. "My father was a Maine man—we were very close. ... My father's parents ran a department store in Bangor, Maine, and my mother's father was a cabinetmaker. [...] People with those roots , are not inclined to be lazy."
    1 point
  28. This is garbage fake news and not worth sharing.
    1 point
  29. I can't wait to find out who the Phantom Menace guest will be. Would it be too much to hope for Maxine Kwok Adams from the LSO in the future?
    1 point
  30. Williams life really does stretch back to a whole different era in music and history. I just looked up who was president when he was born--Herbert Hoover, who in turn was born less than 10 years after Lincoln was assassinated. Not sure why I find that noteworthy, but there you go.
    1 point
  31. Thank you so much for all the feedback. It means a lot. An earlier draft of the script pretty much focused on the soundtrack more than the film version. But, I was essentially playing music without talking about it because I had little to no context for that music. I didn't want it to be an episode where I just play music -- even big fans of the music like you would get bored. So, I kept the focus on the film score and went with that. I wish I could have found any quotes from Williams regarding reading the novel beforehand but nothing came up in my research. I hope you will go back and catch up on other episodes. Imagine this podcast as a biographical novel. Would you skip over chapters in a novel? One more thing: My podcast is one of 17 on the shortlist for Best Music Podcast for the annual Podcast Awards. Please consider voting for my show before July 31 to get it on the final list of 10 nominees. Nominate "The Baton" for Best Music Podcast
    1 point
  32. jurassicjello · At Home With Gustavo Dudamel And John Williams
    1 point
  33. If all goes well I'll have a recording of this for those that miss it. UPDATE: PM me if interested
    1 point
  34. No edit after 1 hour is totally stupid. how can you update posts with lists etc... who cares about that WTF man, you can edit your posts for 20 years and now you want to change it because something specific bothers you? Just leave it like it was
    1 point
  35. Does anybody record this? It will be in the middle of the night where I live. Would be much appreciated if someone could share it afterwards
    1 point
  36. They forgot to show the damaged corners that will result from shipping.
    1 point
  37. Same here. I thought that it would just be nice to have that vinyl, since the stock won't last for long. The fact that I couldn't currently play it is of least concern to me
    1 point
  38. The way I see it..... I can't afford it. And I can't really afford the standard releases right now. But I also couldn't particularly afford the concert tickets. I certainly couldn't afford the standby ticket I also got for the second concert. (gulp.) I couldn't afford the flights too comfortably, and I know for sure that whilst the hotel was fairly priced, I couldn't afford the meal I had in their restaurant the first night But guess what.... I bought it all, and I wouldn't change a thing 2020 might be one of the strangest years i'll ever experience. But it kicked off with one of the very best times of my life. I can't put a monetary value on that. These releases are going to bring back some of that incredible happiness. I can't wait
    1 point
  39. Duetsche Grammophon have announced a limited edition vinyl of the concert. The records themselves are gold, (solid, 24-carat I'm assuming) and there's an exclusive note from John inside. 1000 copies worldwide, only through the DG online shop. (store.deustchegrammophon.com) Gah. ok. Take my money! Might as well!
    1 point
  40. Don't remember where I first heard this, but I recently discovered that I had written down the name, to listen to later. I'm so glad I did.
    1 point
  41. A classic will always remain a classic:
    1 point
  42. Just released a horn cover of 7m3, 7m4, 7m5, 7m6 and 7m6A from HP3 ! All thanks to this wonderful boxset
    1 point
  43. JW steals from Gordy Haab confirmed.
    1 point
  44. Gordy posted this on Facebook: #StarWarsBattlefront2 Pro Tip: -Go to options, and navigate to music. - Select “continuous”. - Directly below this, select music volume and turn up an additional 4db. You’re welcome! Sincerely, Composer of aforementioned music.
    1 point
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.