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Uni

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Posts posted by Uni

  1. Goldsmith's "Planet of the Apes"

    Should I duck and cover now?

    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.

    Logan's Run, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Poltergeist

    I can't even. . . . . . . . :blink:

    That doesn't narrow it down much.

    :lol2::thumbup:

  2. 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 did this with Terminator 2. Brad Fiedel wrote great soundtracks for both of the original movies, but I listened to the soundtrack of T2 once and once only. It just wasn't an enjoyable listen. When I moved house recently I actually threw the CD and its shiny silver case away.

    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.

    Don't some people have a penchant for the kitschy crudeness of the Princess Bride's score as they're watching the movie?

    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.

  3. 2712 posts? Since 2002?

    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.

  4. Well, that was an instructive post.

    No kidding. I always love flaming posts denouncing flaming posters.

    I've met Thor and he's a kind and interesting person to chat with. As for Maurizio, despite your disconnect with this place I'm glad you still stick around, as your posts are always well thought out and insightful.

    He was talking about Thor?! He referred to him as a "terrorist," fercryinoutloud? Gimme just a small break.

  5. 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. . . .

  6. 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. . . .

  7. 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.)

  8. 42578.jpg

    Sweet jesus on a pogo stick... This must rank as my favorite Jerry expansion of recent times.

    I'm having so much fun with the updated sound and new material. I love the Rambo statements, and there are tons of moments that just make me smile. :D

    The added half hour gives the existing 40 minute program a bit more variety and quite simply more exuberant fun. Something we all need more in life.

    I already loved the shorter album, but this new release easily makes it my preferred Goldsmith-Dante collaboration.

    Can film music become lighthearted and quirky like this again please?

    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.

  9. The reason I rate RotS higher than RotJ is because there are some lull moments in RotJ, I think in the track "The Emperor Arrives" for example. I love every minute of RotS and how it captures the dark and ominous feel of the movie. It's opening sequence is my second favorite after SW. RotJ has much more beautifully written and rememberable pieces like Luke and Leia and the entire last 20 minutes of it. If some of those lull moments in RotJ didn't exist I would rank it higher than RotS.

    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!

  10. 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. . . . :mellow:

  11. Just put on the CD, close your eyes, and picture the Prequels as you envisioned them before they were released.

    There, problem solved!

    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.)

  12. 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. ;)

  13. Vangelis - Blade Runner

    Meh. Score works great in the film, no issues there. But as standalone music, it's not for me. Ace end credits cue, though!

    Agreed! On its own its not something I can listen to.

    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.

    When I'm in the mood for it, it's an undeniably superb score!

    That's absolutely how I feel! Except . . . I'm never, ever, ever in the mood for it. Pity. :mellow:

  14. The Prequel scores are pretty good for what they are but they aren't on the same level as the Original Trilogy. Quite honestly the Empire Strikes Back alone beats all three Prequel scores.

    Agreed. Actually, all three OTs beat out the PTs, IMO.

    SW = 5

    TESB = 5

    ROTJ = 4,5

    TPM = 4

    AOTC = 3,5

    ROTS = 2

    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.

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