Richard Penna

"That's not my Name" is the most irritating piece of rubbish I've ever had to sit through during a car journey And yeah... I'm not really that normal.

I'm thinking how much of the 'blame' for this has to lie with Nolan - he originally went to Zimmer alone for the score (which could explain I guess why JNH's contributions seem to be fairly minimal, at least on the album). I haven't seen a single movie directed by him where at some point I thought 'I must have that piece of music'. Even from the first BB score, I only have about 5 cues culled from the complete score boot. The guy in that audio interview asked whether, in the light of all these separate releases, a complete version would surface, at which point they went on about the 'hours and hours' of music they had composed. I now agree with their lack of enthusiasm at such a release, and even thought the film looks like it's going to be good, I don't think it's going to change that.

Yeah, it's like Night is trying to make the world afraid of our back gardens for a few hours one day... Or... I think the guy in the interview at the end says it all really... just what the f**k was happening?

Just watched The Happening. I wouldn't say it's quite the cinematic disaster some are making it out to be (I thought Wahlberg's performance was pretty good actually, although I can't say that for everyone), but it wasn't particularly good either. I enjoyed it just enough to want to see how it 'ended', but other than that, I can think of no reason whatsoever to see it a second time. Mrs Jones just seemed to be a fairly pointless character at the end of the day - just seems like M.Night tried to use her for some scares, and she, and the just seemed to be completely redundant pieces of the story (?!). Night - direct someone else's ideas, please.

I like Joel's Vienna. Might check out some more of his stuff actually.

I'm not really a fan of popular music; it takes either a very catchy tune or a strong connection with a film/tv show to make me like it, most often the former. Generally, a song is good in my ears if the chorus would make a great main theme for a score. In fact, as I look through all 300 or so of my song collection, I can't see a single one that doesn't have a great tune. On the recent Coldplay album, I like 3 tracks, and they all have really memorable tunes that hit it exactly right for me. I really think film music has taken over my life... seriously

Harry's Wondrous World is one track that never fails to take me back to the years just before my teens. Even when my belief in Santa was waning, Christmas remained a really magical time for me thanks to my parents, what we did around Xmas and the atmosphere in the house at that time of year (my mum would always play Christmas music in the kitchen in the evenings). The Polar Express takes me back even further than that, we're talking probably 6 or 7 years old.

Definitely a mixture. I'm having trouble getting into Wall-E because of how fragmented it is, but then some Zimmer/Horner scores have 15 minute cues. Obviously it depends on the movie, but I always prefer the largest amount of score possible to present, with any smaller tracks (< 1 min) edited together if it works for a listening experience. It's critical music left off the album, and pointless microedits that I hate the most, and it seems that it's JW albums that offend the most in this area. And why not do more 2-disc releases?

Have they ever made a sequel (not 'third', I know there are lots) that's 'lighter' than its predecessor?

Hey, I did all that and I'm still here! I did none of that (well ok, just the first one)... probably why I'm here.

Both scores have their relative strengths for me. I judge Doyle's score to be just better technically, but it's still a Doyle score. You could track a cue from Eragon in this movie and no one would notice. Hooper's score just downright bores me at times, and reeks of a TV score at times, but it sounds more Potter than GoF. Plus Hooper's themes are... where, exactly? The only thing I can hum from that entire score is Flight of the Order of the Phoenix, and that is just a catchy melody.

But it's got Keanu Reeves... it's under such weight.

That does indeed look lamentably bad...

I do like that cue. The end of it brings me images of panning around a city being destroyed by flames (funnily enough). Of course we all know that it'll be drowned out by dialogue or FX in the movie, but it's one of the few tracks on this album that work for me as a standalone listening experience. I'll have to give the rest of the album a second listen upon release, as the sound quality of this is absolutely terrible, but I gotta say that Nolan's approach to music in every film of his that I've seen (and I've seen the first Batman, Prestige and Memento) has been ultimately forgettable on CD, yet the films themselves have I think been superb. Opens an interesting point, and one that my brother keeps rapping me on - is the job of a score to work great in the movie, or does it also have a responsibility to work just as music as well? Every time I mention Michael Clayton or Babel, he rolls his eyes at me as he thinks that it's almost nerdy to demand a score work well apart from the movie.

I've never gotten to see the moment where Tom Newman did that...

Wow, that finale certainly was no let down. I found it interesting how, if you think about it, And , you thought good! Thank god RTD didn't employ any stupid plot devices like last season - it all made sense in the end, and there isn't a single character in this episode I didn't feel for.

I'm about to do the same myself. A truly entertaining score with a knockout finale.

Don't listen to it that often, and not actually all of it yet, but what I have heard has been very good. 4 stars.

David Bowie - Life on Mars Aaron Copland - Our Town Huey Lewis - Back in Time/Power of Love Bryan Adams - Run to You Don Maclean - American Pie Various other 'unmentionable' 80s and 90s songs I wouldn't be seen dead playing.

I really enjoy the third score - the epitome of a guilty pleasure IMO. The themes are very memorable and there is some very fun action music. I love Jack Sparrow, the first half of Davy Jones (edited the last part out) and some of Wheel of Fortune from DMC, and that's it. The rest of it was boring as hell when I last tried to listen to it, if not giving me a headache. Wouldn't be attracted by any sort of expanded scores, even of AWE. After all, we got the parachute cue already! ()

Me too.

Halfway through the album, and I only like 2 tracks. And they both have JNH's unmistakable sound. It represents the side of Zimmer I dislike - endlessly repetitive chopping rhythms and percussion. I am normally one to defend Zimmer, but this is just boring to my ears. Now Hancock - there's a fun score. I can't stop playing that at the moment. Edit - skimmed through the end, and I kind of like 'Watch the World Burn', but in the end only 3 tracks are of interest to me. I'll probably buy them online upon release.

Not a fan of this one myself. The theme is very intelligently written but overall the very early 90s feel of the whole score just doesn't match my tastes in music. It works fantastic in what is an amazing movie, just not my cup of tea on its own. 3.5 stars.

I'm not liking these clips at all at all. I didn't like the first one, save for some of JNH's material, and while it probably works great in the movie it really sounds like Zimmer's dominating again.

John Powell's Hancock. Heard good things about this score on FSM, and Powell usually produces fun stuff so I gave it a whirl, and it's great. Synths are nicely mixed with orchestra, and there are a few downbeat, thematic tracks as well. Absolutely no chopping strings/wall of sound MV sound here.