Uni

When I first picked up POTA, I wasn't expecting the abstractness of it (I hadn't seen the movie in years), and I absolutely hated it. It would be a long, very patient learning process before I grew to understand and eventually love what Goldsmith did with the music for that film—although I still don't find it a very soothing listen, to be sure. I can't even. . . . . . . .

I'm sure there are plenty of examples I could think of, but the one that leaps to mind immediately is The Game. I remembered the music conveying a chilling effect during the movie, but was thoroughly bored when I listened to it separately. I also think you have to give a score a second, and sometimes third or fourth, chance to get through to you. I can agree that much of T2 is a pretty mechanical experience, but I wouldn't dream of tossing out a CD that contains pieces like "Desert Suite" and especially "It's Over/Goodbye," the best piece Fiedel ever composed. That's another pretty good example. I'm still not completely sold on the music outside the movie, but I can't picture that picture without it.

:thumbup:

Well, 2712 since the new boards went up. I probably did at least that many back when the board was in outline form. And you know as well as anyone that used to be one to unload 10,000-word corkers on a pretty regular basis. I've gotten away from that . . . but still, if you went by word count instead of post count, I'd probably be pretty close to you--if not for your (outstanding) Deep Space Nine thread.

How could I have known this morning when I woke up that today would be the day I'd hit the big 150. . . ?

That misses the point. My bafflement rests altogether on the notion that we have to propose and adopt a plan en masse . . . in order to be civil and decent to people who just want to hang out and discuss our favorite subject with us. Blows my mind.

That's your opinion, dude. (Pay no attention to the fact that the bold "IM" on my shirt is slanted to the right. . . .)

No kidding. I always love flaming posts denouncing flaming posters. He was talking about Thor?! He referred to him as a "terrorist," fercryinoutloud? Gimme just a small break.

So . . . that qualifies as a "plan?" To not be an asshole to someone until they reach a certain post count . . . and then to choose to be an asshole after that? Do you think we'll retain a lot of newbies who, as soon as they hit #151, suddenly get pounded to dust for no reason they're aware of? The alternative, of course--and I know I'm stretching things a bit here--is to simply not be an asshole. Like, ever. I think we'll have plenty of retention if we follow that track. The flip side, however, involves just what your definition of "asshole" is. Some folks can't handle strong personalities. Some people can't handle a simple dissenting opinion. Let's face it, some softskins should just shut their computer down and steer clear of the interwebs. People speak their minds in places like this, and if you can't deal with that, you shouldn't be in places like this. Lively debate is what makes a subject-specific internet forum such a great place to hang out. There's another, similar plan you could consider (if you're genuinely interested in opening the door to new members and keeping them here): instead of putting them on a learning curve with us, you could choose to put yourself on a learning curve with them. Pay attention to their posts, see where their interests are, test the waters of their particular sense of humor in some harmless fashion. See how they react to some of the more belligerent exchanges between veterans. Watch and learn how quickly they fit into the dynamic here. If we were to get, say, another BloodBoal (God help us!), he/she would probably waste little time in stirring some waters on their own, and you'd know you wouldn't have to wear kid gloves when handling them. If another younger poster, particularly a young lady, were to start breaching the water with a few experimental posts, you're probably intelligent (or at least intuitive) enough to understand that it'll take a while before she's ready to put on the spikes and kick in with the rest of the yamuckamucks. (And counting down the posts until she reaches 150 is probably the best way to ensure her speedy departure when the time comes.) But there's one more dynamic in play that your plan doesn't account for: as we've already read from people in this thread, most folks lurk for a good while before they jump in and start posting, and most of them don't need a 150-post limit to know how things work around here. For some, there's a reason they haven't opened up yet (could have to do with some of that whole "asshole" thing). And some of them might be reading this thread and nodding their heads at the reminder of just why they've kept silent up to now, and why they'll continue to do so as a result. . . .

You guys reveal an interesting point: George Lucas can only succeed with characters in a certain, very specific age range. Once he goes too old (Indy) or too young (Anakin/Vader), he completely loses control and is no longer viable. So we've just proven that Lucas is the Andromeda Strain of the cinema. . . .

It'll still make your top 10.

It fits the character well enough. Not really "jam session" material, true, but it did what it was supposed to do. (Although I was somewhat pleasantly surprised when the Colorado Symphony Orchestra performed it as part of an extended Star Wars tribute a few years ago at Red Rocks. That's not usually a theme that gets much play on the performance circuit.)

Gremlins gets a lot of love, but I found this one to be so much better. It definitely has the fun/mischievous vibe down pat.

I love the "lull" music you're referring to. It's some of the great stuff from that score. Would you say you're mostly a fan of JW's action/fanfare music then, and not so much of his quieter stuff? Oh, and . . . it's great to see you back again!

I actually found the androids much creepier and more anxiety-inducing than the alien itself.

Terrific observations, those. And right on the nose. I loved Aliens as a sequel, but a lot of its edge has worn down over the years. I've watched Alien at least twice as many times—once again recently, in fact. And it never fails to captivate me. It really is a universe in itself (that the following films could only marginally duplicate). This was reinforced for me with the release of the spectacular Alien Isolation game. They replicated the look, sound, and feel of the original Alien universe so completely I felt like I was there. Really, the most inaccurate and least interesting element was the alien itself, which looked video-gamey to the point of near-goofiness. But I couldn't have cared less. I loved playing the environment more than anything else. So I guess that makes Alien the best Indy movie of them all. . . .

Roger that! Negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full. . . . Goose . . . is dead.

That's always the inherent difficulty in all those Top-10 lists, too: it's not always clearly defined whether you're voting for your favorite or which you consider the best (and there's absolutely a difference between the two).

Bug's Life is Newman's best, in my eyes. But my own favorite is the John Barry tribute Gia pulled off in The Incredibles.

I still do that sometimes. Seriously. My idea for the prequel stories is far better than what Lucas gave us (not that you should be too impressed with that—s'not like he placed the bar real high on that one.)

This is such a specific metric you're after here, I'll have to give some thought to it. I had a hard enough time coming up with 10 pieces I consider to be the best of a single composer; coming up with a list of 10 pieces from all the composers in my library, but which only fall within a limited categorical parameter, is something I've never really considered before. However, I can't seem to resist any kind of Top-# list when it comes to this subject, so . . . looks like I've got some homework to do.

Count me in (out, I guess). I made the mistake of thinking the special editions would change my mind on the score, but they're only more (and more, and more) of the same kind of thing. Come to think of it, Vangelis has never really stricken my fancy to any great degree. That's absolutely how I feel! Except . . . I'm never, ever, ever in the mood for it. Pity.

Splendid trifecta, that.

Agreed. Actually, all three OTs beat out the PTs, IMO. This is pretty close to how I'd score them, except I'd switch ROTS and AOTC and bump the latter up to a solid 3. I think I've let my disappointment in the films color my perception of the music. It's hard to separate them (they do say emotionally traumatic events lead to years of difficult associations). One of these days I need to give the PT set another go in the spirit of TGP's "music only" viewpoint—something I can do with other scores very easily, but again, with these, it's always been tougher.

Heaven's Gate only one step behind Gone With The Wind, and one step ahead of 12 Years a Slave = Zero credibility.