Jeff

Is this sarcasm? Cause I actually found myself agreeing with every statement you made as you got more and more gushy (if that's a word). I have only seen the film once, but I remember being very satisfied.

I love every Harry Potter film - HBP included. It's light years above Transformers and JP3. I liked JP3, though - it delivered exactly what it promised (running away from dinosaurs), but there is much more depth in even the worst HP movie (I'm not sure which one that would be - maybe CoS).

I chose a few of the most notable sequels from the past several years (the most recent in each series) - choose your least favorite from those choices. Are any of these on your list of favorites? Is there another sequel that you think is worse than any of those listed?

I like anything in Indiana Jones (all four) better than most of the obscure JW stuff I've heard. My least favorite that I've listened to multiple times (enough to get a real feel for it) are the themes from "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Far and Away." Those themes just annoy me - enough that I will skip the tracks if they come up. Not my style. On the other hand, I like the theme from Stepmom, so what do I know.

I can't decide between "Steady as the Beating Drum," "Mine Mine Mine," "Colors of the Wind," or "Just Around the Riverbend." "Colors of the Wind" is my favorite song from Pocahontas and is one of Menken's best songs ever. All of the songs in Pocahontas are good, though. I think the only reason it doesn't have any votes is because it ranks high on most of our lists but, depending on our tastes, we each put one or another score above it.

1) Hunchback - this is the most emotionally powerful Disney score of all time, in my opinion. Stephen Schwartz's lyrics really help (as with Pocahontas and, in a different way, Enchanted). 2) Beauty and the Beast - the whole movie is perfectly scored. The songs are memorable and beautiful. The rest are more or less tied - each has its moments. Pocahontas is probably 3rd on a technical level but it's never been as much fun as Aladdin or Hercules (the latter being perhaps the most fun of Menken's scores - I love the Gospel stuff). I agree with Marian on Princess and the Frog. Randy Newman is a perfect match for the New Orleans jazz theme, even though the songs aren't very memorable. And might I mention Phil Collins' amazing work on Tarzan? And Mulan had some pretty good parts, too.

Each time I've gone we've seen plenty of animals - lion, giraffes, hippos, you name it. They say it's better to go in the morning. Or they could have come up with better ways to keep the animals in sight since you went. By the way, I think Animal Kingdom is an amazing place considering all the attention to detail in such a huge park. Most of the rides are disappointing, but Everest makes up for that. It lacks the magic of Disney characters or movie-themed attractions but it's a unique experience. And I'm no eco-nut but if you consider the amount of land Disney owns and protects around its parks, it is probably saving more wetlands than it drains (and it's not like it was built in the Everglades). All that land would have eventually become an addendum to The Villages if Disney wasn't there.

Is that the one Joey225 was referring to? The brass and the love theme are amazing in that track.

I saw it and it was every bit as fresh and entertaining as the first two - maybe even better since it's newer. I saw it in 3D and it's worth it if you're not a penny-pincher. It's not like Avatar where you will be blown away by effects - it's just kind of cool to have the immersive experience. I have the same problem as Datameister with the crying thing. This one got pretty close to making me cry.

I make it a point never to go to a theme park or attraction shortly after opening. That started when I heard friends bringing back tales of the 8-hour lines for Indiana Jones when it first openend at Disneyland (lines wound back and forth into Tomorrowland). When I was there a year later, we were able to ride the ride twice in a the morning by using the early entry program while staying at the Disneyland Hotel. And having been to Animal Kingdom a couple of times now, I have to say it is definitely worth a visit, even if just for the Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition to Everest, both of which you can ride with little wait now that they've been open a while. I would love to see WWOHP, but not under the present circumstances - I may have to make an off-peak trip in the fall or winter.

I'm sure Williams could have found a way to pull it off. Seriously, though, there are a billion different variations you could do - none of the nuances of the theme have been explored yet. And I find the full theme to be sort of melancholy/bittersweet until the last resolution before the bridge, which is admittedly too bright for a death or funeral. But and with some modifications to the structure of that resolution and probably scrapping the bridge, and at a slower tempo, I think it would be perfect. It could work with soft trombones/baritones or with a clarinet or a solo violin - it has the structure of a funeral march built in, but it also has an inherent hopefulness to it, like you said, which I think is what the Phoenix is supposed to represent. Anything would be better than what is essentially nothing in Hooper's scoring.

That is a really intriguing idea. I never would have thought of that - to regress back to the original motif. It would give the sense that the Republic is deteriorating.

Some of you have mentioned some "missed opportunities" in John Williams' scores, particularly in the prequels. I did a quick search and I haven't seen a compilation of these missed opportunities in one place, so I thought I'd ask - what were some of the moments in films John (or a successor) has scored that you wished/expected would be scored differently? For me, the biggest disappointment was in "Half-Blood Prince." One of my favorite themes is "Fawkes the Phoenix," and I was fully expecting it to be used around the time of Dumbledore's death or funeral, especially since the book links the song of the Phoenix to that particular moment. Fawkes is a very versatile theme, but it had a very limited role in CoS with little variation. The melody is beautiful and would have captured the poignance of Dumbledore's death perfectly (probably leaving out all the woodwind flourishes). I'm not sure if there was some licensing or royalty purpose for omitting the theme from HBP - all I know is that Hooper's music didn't do the trick.

I agree. But I actually think it was kind of interesting to watch JW conduct a relatively inferior orchestra. On the other hand, the horns were pretty good. :cool:

Yes, that moment was epic! The only negative point is that the percussion seemed incorrectly recorded, or maybe it was the orchestra... I don't know really, we have to watch it again! :cool: I could be wrong but I thought I saw John conducting the orchestra during the fireworks. It was hard to tell because the streaming video seemed to have at least three sources of audio (orchestra, MC, and soundtrack overlay on the site), hence the audio problems when the CEO started speaking.

That was an interesting medley - not a horrible performance. And whoever it was that wanted Buckbeaks Flight got it during the fireworks.

I agree. For me, choosing between Hedwig's Theme and Raider's March is like Sophie's Choice. They are so different in style, genre, purpose, etc. that I don't think you have to choose one. Both are masterfully written; both are instantly recognizable by the general population; both are entertaining and evoke the desired emotional response. In that way, I think they can be grouped with Star Wars Main Title, Imperial March, E.T. Flying Theme, Jaws Theme, and maybe Somewhere in My Memory and the Theme from Jurassic Park as some of John's greatest successes. (Maybe the main themes from Hook and Superman would qualify, too.) Boo.

This was very difficult: 1) End Credits (Last Crusade) - this is my all-time favorite IJ track. It has my favorite renditions of all my favorite themes (Raider's March, Scherzo, Father/Son theme, Knight's theme, etc.) 2) Indy's Very First Adventure <3 3) Flight from Peru - I think they use a portion of this track at the end of the ride at Disneyland, so I have positive subliminal associations when I hear it. 4) The Map Room: Dawn - very eerie to hear this theme so understated. 5) Marion's Theme (I especially like the way it's used in KotCS) 6) Short Round's Theme 7) Slave Children's Crusade 8) Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra (only this far down the list because it's also in the End Credits at #1) 9) The Penitent Man will Pass 10) No Ticket

There are a couple of times where I wonder if JW's baton audibly strikes the stand. One of those moments is 0:47 in "Ben Kenobi's Death/Tie Fighter Attack." It may just be the snare.

Here are a few of my favorites: 1) The end of the Sail Barge Assault in ROTJ 2) When the Millenium Falcon goes into hyperspace at the end of ESB. 3) When Yoda raises the X-wing from the swamp in ESB. 4) The transition between Scherzo for Motorcyle and Raiders March in the end credits of Last Crusade. Also, just before the end credits of the following films: 1) Sorcerer's Stone (Hagrid's return in Chamber of Secrets uses the same cue but revamped a little bit.) 2) ESB 3) AOTC 4) ROTS Lots more, but I'll leave it at that for now.

I would rank them this way: 1) Revenge of the Sith 2) Attack of the Clones 3) The Phantom Menace 4) Kingdom of the Crystal Skull KOTC is a good score with great renditions of familiar themes and some interesting new ones, but overall it doesn't elevate to the level of the earlier Indiana Jones scores; I'd rather just listen to them. The prequel scores all have a lot of new material with their own personality, so in general I put them above KOTC for originality. TPM is put together very well and has some great moments but it's a bit too "Micky Mouse" for me. The style works for the film and for its lightheartedness but it's not as fun to listen to as the others. AOTC and ROTS are almost even in my book. I love Across the Stars, the introduction of the full-fledged Imperial March, and the Coruscant chase scene. ROTS edges out AOTC thanks to 1) the epic Battle of the Heroes (which I find much more exciting and emotional than Duel of the Fates, for instance); 2) a few poignant moments like Padme's Ruminations and the resolution sequences on Alderaan/Dagobah/Tatooine; and 3) what becomes the culmination of all six films in the marathon End Credits. I could listen to any of these scores any day of the week - I love them all; but relatively speaking, that's my preference.

Marion's theme is good. I have to agree with those who said the Rebel Fleet/End Credits renditions of Han Solo and the Princess is simply spectacular. One of my favorite tracks to listen to, and it never gets old.

I saw all three SE's in theaters in '97 and was not disappointed. Despite a couple of hokey additions, the special editions improved the sound and image quality, and gave youngins like me who weren't alive in 1977 (I was born around the time ROTJ came out) a chance to see the films on the big screen. [Warning: controversial statement coming] To be honest, I like the SE ending of ROTJ better. In fact, I like the most recent revision the best (with the new Coruscant and Hayden Christensen - yes, I went there) because, for better or worse, it unites all six films and gives some continuity if you watch the films in chronological order. The original ending was cool, too. [end of controversy] Yay ESB! You rock!

Maybe it's because I saw TLC first and you saw Raiders first. I honestly don't remember which one I saw first because I saw bits and pieces of them throughout my childhood. Crusade is the first one I remember watching in its entirety.

I guess this comes down to personal preference then. For me, the Indiana in TLC is the real Indiana, and the previous two movies constitute the development and background of that character. For you, I suppose the real Indiana would be the one in Raiders, who degenerates into a slightly less captivating character in TOD and TLC (don't mean to put words in your mouth - feel free to correct me). I'm not sure how to explain it - I guess I prefer the iconic Indy on horseback, confident and comfortable in his established role. There are moments where we see his vulnerability - his relationship with his father, the way he so easily fell in love with Elsa, the internal struggle when he has to choose between the cup and his father's hand. I think there are different dimensions to his character in TLC. My image of the hero Indiana Jones wouldn't be complete without the added depth of The Last Crusade.