Sandor

I think people are highly underestimating Revenge Of The Sith! This film has the POTENTIAL to become the highest grossing film of all time. If it's executed well enough and the film has a heart, an emotional core if you will, it's going to to amazing things. It will drive people to the theatres, even those who had no interest in Episodes I and II. Just the images of Vader, the classic visualisation of C-3PO and R2-D2, the familair Emperor look, Chewbacca, Yoda,... People will see the old Star Wars in this film that they didn't see in The Phantom Menace. Even the title Revenge Of The Sith rings Star Wars. But it needs to be a good film then. If the film rocks, it will definately rock the box-office. Since it's the last Star Wars film, people will give it one more chance. I expect this film to bring home about $500, but again, it has the potential to earn a lot more. However; if the film is another sloppy Attack Of The Clones, it could perfom a lot worse than the previous film. The box-office is somewhat unpredictable either. If on January 1 2004 you would have said that a film like Shrek 2 would be the box-office king of the year and a film like Van Helsing would sort of bomb, people would have called you crazy. Shrek 2 hardly recieved any coverage in magazines with their Summer-films previews. Perhaps the highest grossing film of 2005 comes from surprising corners. I mean if I were to say that Memoirs Of A Geisha may earn more than Batman Begins, no one takes me serious, right? King Kong also has so much potential. I have an enourmous faith in Peter Jackson. This man truly knows what great cinema is all about. I see him as the new Steven Spielberg, the new George Lucas. Can lightning strike twice? Yes it can. Can Jackson follow up his enourmous succes of The Lord Of The Rings with another truly exceptional cinematic succes? Yes he can. Spielberg proved this in the late '70's and early '80's. Schönberg proved this with Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. Remember how brilliant The Empire Strikes Back was after the amazingly fantastic Star Wars. Jackson: I hope you will deliver all the goods! For some reason I think Harry Potter and the Goblit of Fire will be a dissapointment at the box-office. The kids who grew up on the first three films have moved beyond that. They're into Usher and Snoop Dogg now and I think another visit to Hogwarts is a bit too corny for them. My prediction. War Of The Worlds could rock. I hope so. But I get the feeling this film will be very intimate at it's core (like Spielberg already stated). Another Signs? Sure there will be massive effects shots and great action sequences. But Minority Report had that too and I consider that a fairly limited financial succes. Spielberg still makes great films (I liked A.I. and Minority Report very much), but he has just lost his edge to reach the mass audiences. Jackson however knows exactly how to reach them. Still; Spielberg (and Lucas) have the ability to surprise us big time. They could, with Star Wars III and War Of The Worlds return to their glory days in every regard. Maybe a nice set-up for Indiana Jones IV.

Ok, if we percieve The Silence Of The Lambs and Se7en to be horror-films, than I'll include them as two of the best in the genre. I would classify them as thrillers though, but horror will do.

With the upcoming War Of The Worlds being referred to by various sources as a horror-film, I wonder what you guys (and one girl) hold as the best horror-film ever made. John Williams hasn't really been active in this genre with Dracula (1979) and The Fury being the exceptions. And although I don't expect WOTW to be a real horror-film, it probably has some horrific scenes and elements. My favorite horror-films are The Exorcist, The Evil Dead, Dawn Of The Dead (original) and 28 Days Later. As sci-fi horror I love Alien and Aliens. Recently there has been an revival of the horror-genre. I liked The Ring and Cabin Fever to a lesser degree. Any opinions? Would you like to see Williams score another horror-film in the future?

I've got the Tsunami CD. I enjoy it. The Fanfare And March To The Museum is funny and shows some signs of the kind of music Williams would become famous for. I also enjoy the track Nicole. The sort of music Ennio Morricone wrote during the same period. And Simon Says is funny too. Considering the fact that I've used the word "funny" two times (oops! that's three!) to describe the music of this score sums up pretty much what it is: funny (and that's number 4!) Far removed from The Fortress Of Solitude or Schindler's List.

Well, maybe they get a chance to sing the theme-song: I Want Earth That Way....

Well, Titanic is not as bad as many people WANT it to be (for various reasons). It's not a perfect film though. Some of the dialogue is extremely simplistic and compared to Terminator 2 or The Abyss the direction is a bit unpersonal. Still; James Cameron is easily one of my favorite filmmakers. To see Titanic become the triumph that it became makes me happy for the man. Stefan is right: Titanic was plagued by bad omens before it was released. It seemed the critics (after hearing the reports about all the controversy that went into the film - going over budget and all) also WANTED Titanic to sink. I remember actively following Titanic's box office performance. I was dissapointed by the opening weekend gross: around $30 million. I remember thinking: "Oh no! This film will NEVER make any profit!". But then something amazing happened: Titanic proved to have very long legs. The film earned around 25 million for WEEKS! It's endurance was amazing! It reminded me of the first Star Wars film, which also didn't open in Spiderman-style, but run succesfully for months. Part of Titanic's strength was it appeal to a very wide audience. The conception that only 14 year old girls embraced the film was completely shattered when I saw it in the theatre. I was sitting alongside families, the elderly, children, boys, girls, homosexuels, heterosexuels,... EVERYONE wanted to see this film! And not just once: TWICE! Oh, and Stefan: L.A. Confidential should have won? I don't know. Sure Pulp Fiction should have won back in 1995 or The Fellowship Of The Ring in 2002, but L.A. Confidential? I don't think so. Titanic is not a perfect film, like I said, but it was a perfect succes-story. Against many odds James Cameron won. In a sense it was the Star Wars of a new generation. And about the score: yes the Enya lifts are irritating, but for some people Williams' score for Star Wars inflamed the same kind of disregard. A rip-off of Korngold's Kings Row? Yes and no. The same applies to Horner's score for me. Sometimes I play some of Titanic's Theme on the piano. When people hear it they always silence and listen. Face it guys: the themes HAVE become modern classics. Titanic brought film music to the foreground again and just listen to the album: it's nowhere near as bad as some make it sound.

I just heard a rumor that The Backstreet Boys have sold more albums than John Williams! Oh no!

Yeah, something along those lines. That was my motivation for starting this topic. Not only put extra quality in them, but also simply compose while there is still time. Williams once said that his best work is yet to be written, that he always feels he can do better. Well, it has often been said that after his first wife died Williams' music has become more profound, more mature which is accentuated by the fact that Williams' career was truly launched by 1975's Jaws. Ofcourse I don't mean to say in any way that therefor it was good that his wife died so Williams could reach his height.

Yes, I meant profesionally.

Will Williams write a score in Close Encounters mode or in the vain of the more heroic Independence Day (David Arnold)? Or a totally different approach? What do you think or what do you hope?

Just wondering if the death of Jerry Goldsmith and Elmer Bernstein influenced Williams in any way. What do you think?

I'm sorry, but the term Jerrygasm (and anything derived from that - Johnnygasm, Hornergasm) just totally makes me cringe. It's so banal. Can we please call it something else?

Cool pic. But if you really want to see ALL the pics released so far go to the following site: http://www.killermovies.com/forums/f38/ View the thread: Actual Ep. 3 screenshots + other finished shots It's a lot of pages, but it's worth it. Have fun!

Yeah, and Spielberg's latest films don't feel rushed, neither did Schindler's List or Amistad, films Spielberg made straight after the first two Jurassic Park films.

No, I'm sorry. I've concluded that it will be highly unlikely that Williams will score Memoirs Of A Geisha and Vengeance since both films will have the SAME RELEASE DATE (December 23). Things have been tight before: Seven Years In Tibet (October 1997) and Amistad (December 1997), Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (November 2002) and Catch Me If You Can (December 2002). Those must have been tight schedules, but the release dates of those films were at least one month apart. The only way Williams can realistically score both films will be if either the release date of one of the films is postponed or if both films require very little music.

Zimmer on Vengeance....? Hmmm deja-vu anyone? I've learned from my "mistakes" in the past by paranoidically-concluding that because of conflicting schedules Williams will not be able to score a film. Nobody can tell what will happen with Memoirs or Vengeance. To be honest; I don't think these two films will require as much music as Revenge of the Sith and War of the Worlds. Music can easily be recorded and be inserted editorially on Memoirs and Vengeance (as I'm sure was done on Schindler for a large part). It doesn't have to be synched as much as on a sci-fi-action film (please don't mention the messy finales of the prequels). We'll see. But I REALLY hope Williams will write 4 excellent scores this year to excellent films. I could be his best year EVER, finally eclipsing 1977...

Well, again I agree with Chris 100%. Ofcourse I have said many times before that I don't invest time typing posts about things I don't like (oops, now I hope no one will dig up some old statements I've made in the past..). The crtitique directed at Lucas and the prequels has become quite lame. Everything has been said already and ofcourse I also wish Lucas had made some different decisions on Episodes I and II, but alas, there's nothing you can change about it anyway (although with Lucas you never know). I've accepted the prequels for what they are. There are moments in the first two installments that are everything I wanted to see in 'new Star Wars films' since I first heard Lucas was preparing them. I like them. I love Star Wars as a whole and the prequels don't hurt the franchise as much as some people want it to. But if you still spread the 'Jar Jar sucks' opinion or the fact that Lucas 'raped your childhood' - come on! You've had 6 years to overcome your dissapointment. Some people will go on bitching about it al their lives. Yes, I was deeply dissapointed by the Deep Space Nine finale, yes I hated Alien3 (and Alien Ressurection), I was dissapointed by John Williams' The Patriot score... Things I really looked forward too, but.... I've moved beyond that; trying to see them in a different light. I hardly mention them if ever! To sum it up: Trekkies = you don't need to 'get a life'... 'Prequel bashers' = get one, it's getting a little childish, ok?

This is from www.starwarz.com/tbone Don't know if it has been posted before. A report on the End Credits recording.

Wow, I thought thread would outdo the Potterdom thread, but it turns out it's about as popular as, well, the work in question, Thomas And The King. Sigh...

Too bad I have never heard Seven For Luck.... Can anyone help me out? Will trade original pressed non-Williams soundtracks. Goldsmith, Horner, Elfman...you name it. Anyone?

Not so long ago I popped in my Thomas And The King CD and listened to the whole thing since I first got it. For those who don't know Thomas And The King; it's John Williams' only musical. It went on stage somewhere in 1976 (although the album was recorded in 1981). It was a total failure in every regard and nobody (except truly devoted John Williams fans) remembers it. I know it sounds gayish (NO offense intended!), but I LOVE certain musicals. Les Miserables and Miss Saigon are my absolute favorites (both written by Claude-Michel Schönberg). I LOVE them. So naturally I have an interest in the musical that came from the hands of my favorite composer: John Williams. The first time I heard it (and this was years ago) I was offended by the simplicity of it, the almost amateur-like song writing, the lack of any form of profundity... I was disgusted by some of the most awful and irritating songs written in the history of musical writing (Power, Sincerity and We Shall Do It! come to mind). I made a vow NEVER to listen to it again for it made me depressed in a way; it made me doubt the brilliance of John Williams. How could Schönberg or Webber create these grand, epic, beautiful stage-shows and Williams didn't even reach 1% of the quality of works like Evita or Les Miserables? Anyway; years have passed since then and I realize more than ever that Williams is NOT a songwriter; he is the most brilliant composer for symponic, melodic music, but his songs simply, well, suck. It is no wonder than that Thomas And The King (98% songs) is a disaster. With that acceptance in mind I listened to it again and... ...I was amazed that it didn't suck as bad as I thought! Actually I start to LIKE (not love) certain songs on the album. The Question is perhaps the best song on the disc. It is not so overly cliché trying to sound like a musical-song. It is quite profound and the "...breaking all the rules"-line is great. The reprise of the same song is more subdued and is very classy. I like 'Tis Love and the closing song So Many Other Worlds (love the arrangment of that song!). Other songs like What Choice Have I? Replay The Game or Improbable As Spring have some potential too. I am quite relieved that Thomas And The King is not the incredibly sucky thing I originally thought it to be. It's nice actually. What do you guys think?

Que?

Again; name one score that is REALLY overrated? There is such a weird tendency among John Williams fanatics especially to label a score that you don't LIKE as being OVERRATED. There isn't such a thing as an overrated score! There are scores that you may dislike, but please stop trying to make your distaste for a certain score more dramatic or intellectual by refering to it as being OVERRATED. I already start hating that word; overrated. You know I don't really see the greatness of the Star Trek The Motion Picture score. But I know many film music lovers do. Who am I to say the score is overrated based on me disliking the score? How ARROGANT would that be? Oh, and some may not like Schindler's List, but in NO way is it overrated! In fact; millions raved the Party Animals back in 1993 (in Holland), but only a small minority appreciated the brilliance of Schindler. Bad example I know, but my point it that Schindler's List (and FILM MUSIC in general!) is vastly underrated. (yeah, I already posted this, but since you guys still go crazy with the word overrated (except Chris) I can just as well repost it....sigh.... a new low for me....)

Again; name one score that is REALLY overrated? There is such a weird tendency among John Williams fanatics especially to label a score that you don't LIKE as being OVERRATED. There isn't such a thing as an overrated score! There are scores that you may dislike, but please stop trying to make your distaste for a certain score more dramatic or intellectual by refering to it as being OVERRATED. I already start hating that word; overrated. You know I don't really see the greatness of the Star Trek The Motion Picture score. But I know many film music lovers do. Who am I to say the score is overrated based on me disliking the score? How ARROGANT would that be? Oh, and some may not like Schindler's List, but in NO way is it overrated! In fact; millions raved the Party Animals back in 1993 (in Holland), but only a small minority appreciated the brilliance of Schindler. Bad example I know, but my point it that Schindler's List (and FILM MUSIC in general!) is vastly underrated.