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Josh500
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Posts posted by Josh500
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These past 2 years, we've gotten the expanded Minority Report, Far and Away, and now War of the Worlds!
Who thinks Born on the Fourth of July is just over the horizon, completing the John Williams/Tom Cruise releases?
All 4 are among the best JW works, in my opinion. And yes, among the best Tom Cruise movies as well!
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When I first listened to War of the Worlds back in 2005, I must admit, I was a bit disappointed. So much dissonance, no recognizable, hummable themes, overall very dark and gloomy and murky.
15 years later, I hear so much more. It's not just mindless dissonant dark music, see. It's John Williams at the top of his game, the orchestration is multi-layered and incredibly well thought out and addictive, it's propulsive, pernicious, viscerally horrifying and breathtaking music... A consummate artist giving all he has at the service of the picture!
Can't wait to listen to this album from start to finish!
- Bellosh and bruce marshall
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Holy cow! Instant buy!
Finally something good comes out of 2020!
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5 minutes ago, Thor said:
He, he. Crumbs beat me to it.
The score is a solid '4'. Somewhat underrated, I think. The film is pretty good too.
Love the main title.
Haven't seen the movie yet, though.
For me, the score is a solid 3,5.
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That's one release I completely forgot about for some reason. I have the OST album, which I like well enough.
Not sure whether to get the expanded version, though... Whatchoo guys think? Should I spend 30-40 bucks on this? Right now, with the whole world apparently having turned upside down, everything seems so pointless. The last JW CD I bought was Far and Away!
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On 9/11/2020 at 5:51 PM, DrTenma said:
I will say Munich is an excellent movie, it has one of the greatest Spielberg scenes:
The video quality is very low but you get the idea. The score is fine but not memorable.
Yeah, love this scene.
Munich actually features some of the fanciest and most complex single Spielberg shots ever... I know many don't know this. There's another shot which takes place inside a car with the assassins sitting inside (making use of the rear view mirror), which stuck in my mind.
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2 hours ago, Thor said:
It was. But it's the original packaging, and it's all tied together, so it's not like I can take out the inserts and put it in a regular jewel case, so I'll keep it just the way it is.
I too still have the original diorama packaging somewhere, but I took out the CD and put it in a regular jewel case long ago. No way am I gonna slide the CD into the cardboard folder, where it can easily get scratched!
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That diorama sure was the worst idea in the long sad history of bad ideas!
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But this is a close race anyway! 9:10 so far!
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1 hour ago, Thor said:
Oh. The whole "LLL" intro confused me.
Do you even have the LLL release?
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19 hours ago, Thor said:
I prefer the OST album version that was released upon the film's release (why isn't that an option?)...
But it is.
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This is a joke, right? They don't sound anything alike.
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19 hours ago, crumbs said:
The more significant factor is the impact of COVID-19 on film production in the US. The handling of the virus there has been utterly disastrous; pair that with international travel restrictions and the prospect of new Spielberg projects in the next few years is slim indeed.
Covid-19 is, of course, a subject unto itself. The US film industry should really be the last of most Americans' concern right now, what with the country being increasingly engulfed in chaos and violence, ugly politics and racial division, on top of the virus...
19 hours ago, TownerFan said:Next year Spielberg will turn 75.
Indeed. But man, that's a bit shocking. How time flies.
19 hours ago, TownerFan said:The pandemic and all its consequent restrictions are likely to stay here with us for at least another 18-24 months at the least...
Somehow I doubt that. First of all the US economy won't take another 2 years of this. It would totally decimate the country (which already has a debt of like 24 trillion). The Great Depression would look like a day at the beach in comparison.
I think it'll be over by the end of the year (or beginning of next year), one way or another.
16 hours ago, Tom said:Well, let's cut to the case: the poll question really is not so much about Williams and Spielberg but concerns how much longer we think Williams will be alive and active. Assuming he does not retire, one way or another, and assuming the same for Spielberg, of course there will be more collaborations. If either "retires," then no more collaborations.
Not really. It's about Williams and Spielberg. Nobody doubts that Spielberg will make more movies, and Williams will in all likelihood score a few more movies too.
The only question is, will there be another project that would suit them both? Especially now that we know that a Spielberg movie doesn't automatically mean a Williams score anymore!
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1 minute ago, TownerFan said:
If the right project will come at the right time...
Well, that's my question. Will that happen, do you think, or not?
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Indy 5 may be a hope, but I'm not sure about that at all. Remember how long it took to even make KotCS happen!
I hope I'm wrong, but I'm starting to feel that The Post was indeed the last.
What do you think?
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I meant whether the performance conducted by JW was recorded...
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For a long time after I heard the alternate version, I couldn't decide what to make of it. I was so used to the original. This new opening seemed somehow too loud, too over-the-top, too jarring. However, you almost get used to anything. Now I totally get what Williams was trying to do...
Anyway, I like them both, but the alternate version seems more powerful and also more original Williams (and not Steiner)!
1 minute ago, artguy360 said:Is the alternate version a true alternate recording or just an intro insert?
Of course just an intro insert. The main is exactly the same. But that doesn't bother me at all.
5 hours ago, crumbs said:My favourite is the revised version from a year after the film. It's such a shame they didn't record this for the third Spielberg/Williams CD, a totally bizarre and thoughtless omission (along with A.I.).
Has it been recorded at all? Is it on YouTube?
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On the LLL release of The Lost World.
Sure, the difference is only in the first 14 seconds or so, but still - I feel like John Williams himself couldn't decide which version he likes better, that's why he recorded them both. The first, original version (with the timpanis) is clearly an hommage to Max Steiner's King Kong. However, the alternate version strikes me as a bit more "badass," wilder, more aggressive, and ultimately exciting - hence these days I prefer this version over the original.
That said, in any case, this piece is one of the most exciting and awesome from the latter part of John Williams's career! Absolutely love it.
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44 minutes ago, Tom said:
I usually am loathe to accuse Williams of self-plagiarism, but this is a clear cut and paste job. In his defense, I think he wanted to a small throwaway piece to have a more central role in a score.
Plagiarism is a bit harsh, and also unfitting a term. He used the same idea twice. So? He came up with it. He can use it as often as he likes, if he sees fit to do so!
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4 hours ago, artguy360 said:
Sometimes I listen to the Chamber of Secrets concert arrangement and think to myself: "If JW ever wrote a Batman theme, it might sound something like this." It's dark, moody, mysterious, but also loud and campy.
Yeah, the mood is indeed similar. Especially Danny Elfman's original theme.
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12 hours ago, SilverTrumpet said:
Also, the Lockhart music doesn't count as a concert piece?
Few people know this, but that's actually the concert piece of No Ticket.
55 minutes ago, Arpy said:I like the the progression of Dobby's theme as it seesaws back and forth in a whimsical way.
"Dobby's Theme" is seriously one of the most cheerful, charming, and feel-good pieces written by Williams. Invariably makes me smile. Too bad it was underused in the movie.
8 hours ago, WilliamsStarShip2282 said:This one is too hard, because I really love the three of them equally.
Yes. Indeed.
6 hours ago, Drew said:I say this poll is rigged. Gilderoy Lockhart is a perfectly legitimate concert arrangement. There are some rare cases when a cue works as a concert arrangement.
And if that had been included in the poll, you'd have voted for that?!
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5 minutes ago, Jay said:
The Chamber of Secrets AINEC
Fawkes is a great theme, and the concert arrangement is fine, nothing wrong with it, but I like the way the theme is integrated into film cues more than this particular arrangement, which gets a bit more flighty then the film ever called for. That's interesting, but not my cup of tea necessarily.
Dobby The House Elf is a perfectly fine theme for the character, and works well in the film, but the concert arrangement doesn't really take it in any new places or say much about the character that the film cues don't.The Chamber theme is wonderful, a great new addition to the series' bed of themes. The way the theme is worked into various cues are among my absolute favorite parts of the score, and to this day I will never understand why JW didn't include those cues on the OST album. The concert arrangement is also just aces. Takes the small theme and explodes it into grandiose proportions in a really cool way. I love it.
Great! Thanks for the thorough and insightful answer.
As for me, I find all 3 concert pieces stunningly beautiful, listenable, and well-written! I'm talking about these pieces in their own right, not necessarily the individual themes as integrated in the film. Each in their own way, they grab you, hold your attention, and mesmerise you.
But I chose "The Chamber of the Secrets" too. Arguably the most powerful and electrifying of the bunch, with "Fawkes the Phoenix" being a close second.
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2 hours ago, E-Wan said:
As I have written I'm not sentimental so I do not see any reason to keep for example original Varese album releases of 1941, Dracula, Earthquake, The Fury, Jaws 2 and The River with poor 4-page booklet with practically no liner notes and only few images from the film and in some cases with very bad sound quality (listen to Dracula).
Well, that's you - like I said, I feel differently. Besides, my home is large enough to accommodate all of my CD collection...
WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005) 2CD edition from Intrada Records 2020
in JOHN WILLIAMS
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Wow, that was fast.
Can't wait to hold it in my hands. More excited about this than I was about Far and Away or the Disaster Boxset...
Btw, John Williams visiting the set of War of the Worlds. Love this pic!