David Coscina

Cool. I forgot about that piece. Any Brittney Spears song is pretty scary too in its own right...

Ligeti's "Requiem". Totally terrifying in the use of micropolyphony in the mixed chorus. It's a wave of sound you;ll never forget. Wendy Carlos' opening music for The Shining gets close (an electronic re-working of the ancient Dies Irae chant).

Barber- 2nd movement, Piano Concerto- this one is as sad as Adagio for Strings (I think he was a depressive) Mahler- Adagio mvmnt. 6th Symphony- The composer had premonition about the death of one of his children, and the thought of this is perfectly distilled in this movement. Also "Songs on the Death of Children" song cycle. All of the pieces are depressing! John Adams- The Wound Dresser. Haunting and incredibly moving. Text of Walt Whitman's experiences during the Civil War tending to the wounded soldiers. Amazingly articulated by the voice of Sanford Sylvian. Prokofiev- Parts of Ivan the Terrible oratorio. Ravel- Pavane for a Dead Princess (what SHOULD have been played during Diana's funeral, not to be morbid, but it's so sad and yet so beautiful). Film Scores: Angela's Ashes- uh, most of it. Very depressing but one of my faves. Field of Dreams- 2nd last track when Costner meets his dad. I usually don't like Horner but this one got to me. Murder in the First- Chris Young's oft overlooked score. Lotsa Vaughan Williams references, but I still love it. Cobb- Homecoming, totally in the vein of Mahler. Amazing! Fahrenheit 451- last 2 tracks are surprisingly tender considering the temperment of the man who wrote the score. oh, soooo many more.

I live in Canada and no store throughout Toronto, the biggest city up here, has as much as a release date for this damn CD. I'll have to order it from Amazon or something....sheesh.

I prefer Williams' work as a whole more than Goldsmith's BUT I think the '70's showed Goldsmith at his best. His ability to use dissonance and modernist techniques seems more assured than Williams'. Listen to Papillon or Planet of the Apes or Alien for that matter. Goldsmith can achieve a great sound with very little resources. Again, I'm certainly NOT bashing Williams- I think he's a genius and I like what he's been doing lately more than Goldsmith. But let's give Jerry the praise he also deserves for some genius scores. I still love listening to "Over the Cliff" track from First BLood. Very cool!

Yeah,and beats the crap out of Superman Dan Hobgood How can one piece of music beat the crap out of other music. Especially when we're talking Williams and Goldsmith? I think they are on par with each other in terms of talent and effective writing for the film medium. This isn't a boxing match you know. Sheesh.

I cannot even get through JP any more. I can STILL sit through all of JAWS and come away as impressed as the first time I saw it waaaaaaay back in 1979 (re-release in theatres). JP has stilted dialogue, poor editing and continuity, borderline bad acting, and some really noticeable fake dinos. JAWS has a fake shark BUT having seen real sharks, "Bruce" actually ended up begin more monstrous and scary than a real great white (which to me looks very graceful swimming). Meaning, the fake sharl worked in favor of the story. The acting was amazing too. There weren't any characters that had the burning hate of Quint in JP, or the honest morality of Brody, or the genuinely funny humour and ranting of Matt Hooper. JAWS is a classic. JP is only really remembered for its CG effects.

Yep. I own it. Better than the live recording. Very distracting hearing those character's stomp all over the stage. Did you notice the motif from Stravinsky's Firebird in Fiery Angel? Scholar's say this was Prokofiev's way of laughing at Stravinsky and his followers. I believe this too. There was always a bit of a rivalry between those two.

Yes, you are correct. My post name is from Prokofiev's Fiery Angel opera. Pretty much the only one I really dig from him. His 3rd Symphony uses the material from the opera in astounding ways. If you want a seriously heavy piece of music, try out Riccardo Muti's reading of the 3rd.

Superman has so much great music, although I favor the first half over the second. the serious music in Smallville is amazing (Pa Kent's Death) along with the Krypton music from the beginning. After Superman, I'd probably go with UNBREAKABLE maybe because it's the most intelligent comic book movie ever made, and the music supports the film beautifully. Some great string writing in the vein of Vaughan Williams and a distant trumpet anthem that pays tribute to Williams' Superman, if only subconsciously. I know. I'm on a James Newton Howard kick these days. But Spiderman is okay (should have been jazzier to my mind- I actually composed about 7 pieces based on Spiderman in 1998-2000). Batman and Batman Forever are not faves in my books for either composer. Goldenthal's best Batman music was oddly in COBB (Reno Ho). Or Demolition Man for that matter. I won't even mention The Crow...

Functionally, JAWS kills JP but it's closer when discussing how the score plays away from the film. I'd actually probably take JP since it's very melodious. JAWS has so many great music moments but, again, some of the cues work better in the context of the film. I suppose this is one of those "matter of opinion" things.

I totally dig Marvin Hamlisch's score for BANANAS. The way he matched the instrumentation so perfectly with the onscreen action was classic. What other director would be so confident to use a kazoo, banjo, trumpet, and a drum trap kit for the lead character's main theme? I'd love to get my hands on that soundtrack. Been looking for years now. Woody Allen is one of America's greatest directors.

That's cool. Who knows, Signs might not play as well upon repeated viewings although I have seen it more than once and enjoy it immensely. I respect younger filmmakers like Shyamalan and Alejandro Amenobar (The OTHERS) for slowing down the pace of their films and letting more than 24 frames go by before editing. I know a fair bit about films and film scoring (I've scored a few small films) and this new trend of video editing is so damn annoying. It's like the director is 1/ amazingly inept or 2/ doesn't trust his actors enough to have them in a 2 shot for more than a couple seconds or 3/ feels that the narrative must keep the audience awake by means of bludgeoning them with rapid fire editing and overdone special effects. Rob Bowman's REIGN OF FIRE is certainly not perfect by any stretch, but I respected him for pacing his film well and keeping the tone grim and serious. Minority Report had the same feel, but again, it's hard for me to get past that illogical premise. HOWEVER, the scene where Abigail (???)(the female pre-cog) talks to Cruise and his wife about Sean was GREAT. I wish there was more of that since the scene was pure vintage Spielberg. Very moving indeed.

Wow. I had a hard time sitting through Minority Report once. And you know, I really WANTED to like it. I got the CD a few days prior to seeing the film and I was blown away by "Sean's Theme"- one of the nicest Williams has ever written in my opinion. Wish it was longer andmore developed since it's amazingly constructed. I loved Saving Private Ryan, A.I., Schindler's List, Jaws (all time fave actually), Raiders, CEOT3K, etc.etc. Believe me, I go into every Spielberg film with the best intentions. I just found MR lacking in what Spielberg does best: create viscerally exciting films. MR was cold, detached, and simply not that engaging. Now this is strictly a reflection of my personal taste. My dad thought it was quite good after seeing it. It also struck me as slightly evocative of Judge Dredd without the monosylabic Stallone. I don't have anything against Cruise (thought he was excellent in Magnolia) but he seemed displaced. I'll try to see it again on DVD although I've learned that it doesn;t necessarily help. I just saw LOTR:FOTR on DVD the other day and it's no better than it was in the theatre. I think it's actually a sub-standard film with attrocious editing- the constant cutaways make me want to throw up. I do think that MR is leagues better than LOTR mind you so I might have a change of heart on that count.

There is a great and poetic death scene in ROAD TO PERDITION but I don't want to say who in case some of you haven't seen it yet. Those who have will know who I mean. I love all of the payback scenes in SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. The warden putting a bullet through his head was very satisfying. A.I. Jude Law's final line "I am...I was". You know he's dead when they scoop him up. For just great endings ( no death involved) here are a few: The EDGE- final close-up shot on Anthony Hopkin's character saying "they died....saving my life". Accidental Tourist- William Hurt in the back of the cab FINALLY smiling at Geena Davis with John Williams' score reaching a beautiful crescendo. SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION- Morgan Freeman walking on the white sandy beach of Mexico as the camera pulls back. hmmm. There are more although I find that even the strongest movies sometimes don't end that well. It's a hard thing to wrap up a great package.

Fair enough. But for me, I was greatly disappointed with Minority Report in that it didn't approach the same depth of A.I. I was hoping that the very nature of crime and punishment would be explored, but what we ended up with was a by-the-book murder mystery with one huge illogical set-up. Based on what I understood, the pre-cogs sense a crime before it happens from the person who seriously thinks about committing the murder. Well, Tom Cruise couldn't think up the murder until he was framed and he can only be framed if he thinks of the murder. You see, it's a paradox loop. Before the alternate time line is formed or splits off, there must be a universal antecedent that will serve as the catalyst regardless of the outcome. The plot device of Minority Report is predicated on something that happens as a result of something that didn't happen in the first place. Funny thing is that many critics are comparing Minority Report to Hitchcock when Shyamalan's SIGNS is much more reflective of Hitch's style of story telling.

I have just seen the most entertaining film of the summer and I'm surprised to say it ain't by Lucas or Spielberg. Move over old guys because M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs" proves that this director has talent and a grasp of solid filmmaking that makes the Michael Bay's of the world wet their pants. Of course, this is all my opinion but I thought such a subject heading would get people to check out this post. I really wish I preferred AOTC or Minority Report to Signs, but I'd be lying. Shyamalan's film has the best special effect of the summer: GOOD ACTING and a great premise. The execution of the story isn't perfect, but the suspense he builds from the beginning of the film is extraordinary. And James Newton Howard's music is in line with some of Herrmann's music for Hitchock but also reminds me of '70's Goldsmith in some of the aggressive cues (the Finale is the best cue I've heard in AGES). Oh, and there's so much great humour in this film- but not stupid or silly humour found in a comedy but more dry, realistic humour by characters reacting to the strange events. Gibson seems a little unfortable in the role as a former preacher turned farmer, but Joaquin Phoenix is wonderful as his younger brother. In fact, he steals the show in my opinion. The sheriff, an actress whose name I cannot recall, is also quite good as are the two children (who act like kids and not irritating abnormally precocious "movie" brats you see all of the time). Anyhow, I think "Signs" is well worth the price of admission. It's funny, moody, scary in places, moralistic, and philosophical. All the things that Minority Report tried to achieve (and did in some areas) and AOTC botched on all counts. 'nuff said.

Sleepers is one of my fave Williams scores of the '90's. I actually disliked it the first few times I heard it because the theme was built on 4ths and strange chromatic harmonies unlike most of his themes which emphasize 3rds and 5ths. However, after repeated listenings, I grew to really love this score because it's so unlike what Williams is known for. The main theme is almost jazz-tinged and the way he modifies it to an Americana-type anthem in the end credits is great, and very strange considering it's a triumphant tone underscoring the fact that 2 murderers got away a crime. The 2nd half of "The Football Game" is ultra cool. Great driving music. Hmmm. I'm going to take out this score and give it a whirl again. It's been a while. Both Sleepers and Rosewood were overlooked and undervalued by most as films and as scores. Too bad but hey, that's what CDs and DVDs are good for. Discovering lost gems!

[quote Furthermore, if anyone here does some Jazz composition/performance, can he/she explain if lots of triplets are used in Jazz? I just want to know if Williams' enormous use of triplets comes from his "Jazzy" skills. Jazz does emphasize a triplet feel through the use of swing. Even if a piece is in duple meter (2/4, 4/4, 8/4, 2/2) most jazz guys will swing the notes like 8th notes (thereby ending up playing quarter triplet then an 8th triplet...it's hard to explain and much easier to write out in notation really). Hope that somewhat answers your question...

Fair enough. As I mentioned in my initial post, the film was NOT terrible at all. It just didn't do much for me. I thought the action sequences were pedestrian at best and the story line quite predictable (I guessed the ending practically in the first 30 minutes). But this is my opinion and I think I'm allowed to react to a movie any way I'd like. Obviously a lot of time and care went into the production and Spielberg hasn't "lost it" or anything. He's a top notch director. Williams is a top notch composer (one of the finest composers of the late 20th century). Funny thing is, I didn't have any expectations going into this film. I wasn't hyped, nor was I cynical. I went in with an open mind ready for anything. the film simply failed to connect with me, as opposed to A.I. which I thought was astonishingly good (flawed yes, but still amazing). Is it fair to compare the two? Not really. But then again, I'm human and it's really impossible to approach anything with complete objectivity (this word actually should be thrown out due to the fact that everything we experience is subjective, based on our life experiences, genetic predispositions toward certain behaviors i.e. personality, etc etc,). A.I. and MR share a couple similarities and I simply preferred the former to the latter. To offer a comparison, I had no interest in seeing Spiderman based on the trailers. As a longtime fan of the comic book, I was possibly the most skeptical person toward this film. But I took a chance and it really impressed me! Raimi approached the film with respect and a large degree of seriousness. It's not going to win any Oscars (maybe a nod for elfman's cool score) but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Now I am NOT comparing the film to MR. that's not fair. But my reaction to Spiderman, despite my negative thoughts going into it, was more favorable than MR. It had something that I connected with. So, I'm not some "high brow snob" or anything of the sort when it comers to films. I like a good action-packed summer flick as much as anyone!!

Well, I just returned from seeing Minority Report and suffice to say, it doesn't approach the philosophical depth that A.I. achieved. Spielberg this time plays it real safe and has constructed a by-the-numbers summer film. It's really too bad since the premise had great potential. I won't reveal anything here since most of you will want to see it for yourselves, but I can say that Cruise was miscast for this role. In fact, someone with more range may have given the film a sense of urgency. But Tommy here doesn't so much as flinch when he's being chased by the cops, or hunted by those neat little cyber spiders. The great thing about Raiders of the Lost Ark was that Harrison Ford lent an air of vulnerability to his character. He got hurt, he reacted (humorously at times) to rotten breaks, and was therefore HUMAN. Cruise seems so cold and sure of his actions throughout the entire film that it's hard to feel for the guy. He's jumping from car to car risking the chance of falling a thousand feet to his death but Cruise treats it like a morning jog. C'mon! Cruise aside, Spielberg seems more interested in technology than storytelling or character development. Williams does what he can but obviously he too responded to this film much the way I did and several other critics did. I'd say more but I run the risk of giving too much away so I'll just say, it's not a terrible film (well edited, well paced, good score) but considering the guys involved, it's well below what they are all capable of.