CYPHER

Okay Mr Skywalker: this time I'll actually go and listen to your specific track quotes, sheesh! It'll probably do me good, I suppose, though I really am dreading to have to listen to that damn Main Title from AOTC again... And I never knew Boba's Theme was in track 9 of ESB (disc 2). I'll have to check that too. I hope we're talking about the same Boba's theme here: the burping tuba (or whatever the hell it is - I am completely musically illiterate) solo heard in the film when Slave I follows the Falcon after it "floats away with all the other garbage". Oh and finally, I've only seen AOTC twice and so may have missed this so-called shadow, but Jango's head must still be in that helmet! How could it just fall out? CYPHER I just found out that that awesome Lost in Space main theme was written by John Williams!!! Is there seriously no good TV/movie music not composed by this guy?!?

Tee hee... LOL That is really funny! And kind of tragic and incredibly daggy at the same time. I wouldn't want to watch that crap for too long, cause it might just start to taint the music. Soon, whenever you hear Harry Potter you'll be thinking of scandalously steamy Thai soap scenes instead of some little git whizzing around on a broomstick... CYPHER

Good poll Justin, but I do have some reservations and qualifications that affected the way I voted. Here goes: I voted for "Han Solo and the Princess" because it's a sentimental favourite, from one of my favourite films and one of my favourite scores. And the romance between Han and Leia conveys the strongest sense of love of any of these themes and the movies from which they stem. That said, I like "Luke and Leia" better as a superb piece of music and a superb theme (probably my favourite Williams theme ever :wow: ) but I felt uncomfortable with it being classified as a 'love theme'. Sure you're right it probably is, and I've technically got nothing wrong with sibling love but thinking of it in this way raises the tainted spectre of the very real threat of incestuousness between those two. So I prefer not to think of it as a love theme. Also it has a real tragedy to it. So too (even more so) does "Across the Stars" which I also think is great but both these latter themes make me want to cry more than they fill me with romantic sentiment. So I have cast my vote on the grounds of which of these themes best conveys a "message of love" to me, and on this count "Han and the Princess" wins out. CYPHER Note: never heard love theme from Superman, nor "Marion's Theme" PS - Is Gabriel from The Patriot Mel Gibson's character? If so who is Martin? Heath Ledger? I'm confused. :?

A far as I can tell there is nothing resembling Boba Fett's theme (from The Empire Strikes Back) in Attack of the Clones. Maybe there is the briefest of references to it, kind of like a homage, but personally I don't think so and I can't detect it. I'm of two minds about whether or not a more overt reference to Boba's theme should have been included in AOTC: 1. I'm glad it wasn't because that means more new Williams material which is always a good thing. And even though they are clones of one another a case can still be made that Jango and Boba are different people and characters and therefore don't necessarily require the same theme. 2. It would have been nice thematic continuity to pop a reference in there. I think a softened, pensive, yet forboding version of it would have fitted in quite nicely over the image of Boba holding his father's/original self's helmet (and decapitated head inside I might remind you). CYPHER

Aye! I concur. They're both excellent, and anyone who likes one probably likes the other, but it just so happens that Hoth wins out. CYPHER

:oops: Okay I acknowledge that I probably am missing out on some excellent John Williams, what with never having listened to the musical score to Raiders of the Lost Ark (or the other two Indy movies for that matter :wow: ). Since it's written between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi (which are two of my favourite Williams scores) I'm sure it's right up there with the best. My excuse is that I'm waiting to see the movies again before I listen to the scores on their own, and I'm not going to see the movies until they are available in a format that does them justice: on the bigscreen or on widescreen DVD. Then I'll probably add to my collection (though I get the impression that these soundtracks are hard to find?). So it won't happen overnight, but it will happen. CYPHER - who is also surprised by zero votes for the Battle of Endor I which I like very, very much (but not as much as the Battle of Hoth).

A couple of things: 1. I don't know exactly how true and authentic this is, but I heard/always had the impression (presumably soundly informed) that Lucas did not want to release the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD until he had finished making the prequels. This was because he considered the transfer, packaging and composition of the original trilogy DVDs to be so important that they required all of his attention. This way, when he finishes making the prequels, we can expect the original trilogy on DVD, and we can feasibly expect more special features than meets the eye!!! There is also the possibility that old Darth Georgie may use this extra time on his hands to tinker with the originals again - obviously highly questionable behaviour. 2. As for your suggestion Morn, about PC DVD players - truth is I've already got one but i) my brother stuffed it up so the DVD drive no longer plays DVD and ii) I want a player to use with my TV, which has a bigger screen and much better sound. 3. Yeah, I can't believe the Back To The Future trilogy has been released in Australia on DVD before America! Score 1 for Region 4 LOL . What's more outrageous though is the fact that Minority Report hasn't been released in some parts of Europe yet e.g. Espana!!! A serious offence if ever there was one! CYPHER

I can't work out for certain how many I've seen at this point in time but I think it's only around 23-4. Which is kinda pathetic I guess. But I too am a child of the 80s! And I am saving some to appreciate later in life instead of over-saturating myself at present. And by the way I think this is a great poll Omen II: one should never forget the Williams principally wrote his music for these films and I think that they can be best appreciated having seen the individual movies and scenes they scored. Though of course, sometimes the music is better than the scene its scored for, if you know what I mean CYPHER

Ripped off!!! CYPHER

I definitely want the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD first and that's the one I voted for. And never mind the fact I still don't have a DVD player yet - I'm working on it and should have one before the year's out which is pretty good going since I have almost zero income LOL . I haven't seen the Indiana Jones movies in ages, and have been hanging out to see them again, this time on DVD. But after so long I don't mind waiting another year or so. I already own too many copies of the Star Wars trilogy on VHS so it's not like I'm dying to see them again as such, but it would be nice to have them in a digital quality format and in widescreen too of course! I reckon after being made to wait for as long as we have, these babies should have so many extra features it's not funny. And the least they could do is include a copy of both the original release and 1997 Special Edition versions in the one DVD. And / or maybe an option of whether to include the added special edition scenes... How cool would it be to add the ones you like and not the other nasty ones? Goodbye Greedo and his pea-shooter! CYPHER

The exhibition is open until the start of February 2003 (I think Feb 3rd is the last day). I guess it must have cost a lot to licence the hiring and display of all these amazing items (plus the insurance) so the prices are pretty steep, Morn. General Admission costs $3 to which you have to add the exhibition entry which is $8 for concession and some other outrageous amount for adults ($16?). Oh and kiddies cost less of course. And there's an audio companion piece for $7 but as if you'd bother (I sure didn't). Check it out. CYPHER

Since 2002: Attack of the Clones. Initially in anticipation. Finally in outrage... CYPHER

Wow :wow: This morning I went along to the newly opened "The Magic of Myth" Star Wars exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia. For those not in the know, it's an extension of the exhibit that was originally staged in 1997 in Washington D.C. to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first Star Wars film. Organised by the Smithsonian Institution, it features a stunning array of all the essential, original costumes from all five of the Star Wars films!!! I think this is the first time that anyone has been able to see costumes and props from Attack of the Clones in connection with this specific exhibition. Can I just say that it was absolutely amazing to behold how fantastic these costumes looked in real life, especially since some of them were made in the late 1970s!?! They were all beautifully displayed on fairly lifelike mannequins that emphasised the form and figure of the outfits. There was a gigantic Darth Vader suit positioned opposite Darth Maul's robes and lightsabre (and towering over him I might add - as it should be LOL ). There was a strangely moustached Yoda puppet, an Endor biker scout mounted on a life size speederbike, a red-robed Imperial Guard and the incredible Wampa costume from the Special Edition. And let us not forget an incredibly imposing Boba Fett complete with wookie scalps and more dings and scapes in his helmet than you'd believe (all very authentic looking), Han Solo's seminal ensemble (the height of cool: then, now and forever), a really cute Jawa being menaced by a very creepy looking Tusken Raider and of course, THAT outfit Leia wore in Return of the Jedi (droooool :wow: ). And stacks more too. There was also a great collection of original sketches by Joe Johnson and Ralph Macquarrie (an absolute legend). Most of the latter's art I'd seen before (and own prints of ), but some were completely new to me, such as the three depicting an early rendition of the climactic showdown in ROTJ between Vader, Luke and Palpatine, staged in a primeval Lake of Lava, full of sinister, hellish overtones. Plus there were models galore, all exceptional in their level of minute detail: a 3 metre long Star Destroyer, a 2 metre Millennium Falcon (which absolutely rocked!), Tie fighter, Tie Interceptor, Tie Bomber, pod racer, Sarlacc skiff (I want a life sized one of these to get around in, that's for sure!), to name but some of the best. I hope most of you have had the privilege to see some of this stuff, because I'm sure the exhibition has done the rounds of the world for it to finally end up in Australia. Any feedback or comments would be great: c'mon share the satisfaction! But I'm not sure how many have seen the Episode I and II stuff? A brief run-down of what was included: The Phantom Menace: - Darth Maul costume + lightsabre handle - Anakin podracer outfit - Anakin podracer model - Queen Amidala Senate costume + two handmaidens Attack of the Clones: - Zam Wessel costume + droid navigator thingy of hers (no shotgun though ) - Coruscant Library archive desk (pretty lame in comparison) - baby jedi / Youngling robes + headpieces - Geonosis levitating execution cart where Ani and Padme commit their undying love for one another. aawwwwwwww ) - Padme's white, skin-tight Geonosis outfit replete with shawl, blaster and utility belt (minus the arm and waist tear). This one was fantastic!!! - Anakin's Jedi robes (as worn by the one and only Hayden Christensen) - last but definitely not least: the life-size models used in the film of Zam's speeder and Anakin's pod-car from the chase through Coruscant!!! Also ex-ce-llent! There was also footage of Attack of the Clones being shown on two widescreen, flatscreen plasma TVs from a DVD source which was again pretty sweet! Oh and a 30 minute film presumably made in 1997 featuring interview snippets with the essential people involved in the production of the first trilogy (including our man John Williams and a very Jabba-esque looking Mark Hamill). Could I have possibly left anything out? Surely not. And in case this starts to sound like an add for the exhibition and the Museum that staged it, let me assure you that it's not. The waves of enthusiasm you hopefully feel washing over you are straight from the heart of an avid Star Wars fan. The staff who ran the exhibit (including this one tough lady in particular) were complete Nazis and extortionists, who figured this was their only opportunity to EVER make any money and were going to be really ungrateful about it to their costumers. But so what: I got to see the exhibition which was great! Hope all you Star Wars fans out there have enjoyed this (and hope I didn't make any of you too jealous )! CYPHER PS - so Morn, my fellow Sydney-sider, have you been yet or what?

I haven't heard all these cues e.g The Land Race and it's been ages since I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark and I've never listened to the soundtrack on its own. I voted for The Battle of Hoth because at 14-odd minutes it is simply AMAZING. Words do not begin to describe... My favourite part is that exhilaratingly frenetic piece when the snowspeeders attack. WOW. Of course the other Star Wars (original trilogy) cues come second. I also love Sail Barge Assualt form Return of the Jedi which is an excellent combination of previously written themes, capped off with a sensational 'escape' motif. And I agree with Tavington's Trap which really does get the blood pumping. Oh and Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra is great too. CYPHER - good poll, lots of choice

Right on Ocelot! I've never heard of this cafe latte bloke either! Spill all guys! Give us some movie titles (presuming he's a film composer). I dread the day when there will be no more John Williams music scores (knock on wood), as besides the intrinsic suck-factor, there is no one yet who can possibly compare or replace him. That said, I think Hans Zimmer's has become very popular and commercially successful since Gladiator (two defining features of John Williams' music) and while he is nowhere in the same league, perhaps he will be the next 'maestro'? I hope there will be better though... And my vote for the Poor Man's John Williams is definitely David Arnold. He's got a portion of the bombast, but absolutely none of the finesse. But he's clearly ripping off JW. CYPHER

Oh goody! I used to be really into this Academy stuff, but now I'm a bit disillusioned, cynical and rusty. But here goes: - I don't think we can rule out The Two Towers getting a nomination for best musical score after Shore won last time. I mean both the original sequels to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies were nominated in this department. Then again they were fantastic and they were Williams. I think it will just depend on how different they sound and how much new material is in there (hopefully most of it will be new, because it would really be slack of Shore to just cut and paste TFOTR). - With 4 scores this year, the odds are in Williams favour of a nomination and I certainly think he deserves one for AOTC, and maybe even Minority Report. BUT 4 films run the risk of splitting the votes and he may end up with nothing, especially if Catch Me if You Can isn't the stand out winner. Maybe the Academy is getting a little tired of Williams persistent presence in this category and after two nominations last year, will shut him out altogether. I certainly hope not though. He should get four nominations!!! - If Spider-Man gets nominated, I really will puke. - James Newton Howard should definitely get a nod for Signs. That was very effective in the movie and the film performed quite well at the box office to boot. - Can't really think of anything else too impressive that I've heard this year, but I could be forgeting something. And bear in mind that most films that will do well at the upcoming awards haven't even been released yet. They'll come in a big rush at year's end. CYPHER

Back to the matter at hand (pun intended). Sure I think the romance between Anakin and Padme could have been handled much better. But this is a good example of the whole being greater than the individual parts. Sure the dialogue was dodgy and so too was some of the acting but I was somehow totally won over by it all. Maybe it had to do with the love theme, which I think we all agree is very romantic and very tragic. And of course Padme wants to marry Anakin - he's Hayden Christensen for christ's sake! CYPHER And please, Anakin's nickname should be spelt 'Ani' rather than this "Annie" nonsense!

I voted for Dooku because he was just a much cooler character: I mean that costume, the Force lightning, and that lightsabre...! WOW! What a legend. Admittedly he was good as Saruman too and it was a much meatier role, but still Dooku's got to have a better death scene than what's in store for He of Many Colours... CYPHER

1. Main title and Ambush on Coruscant: 6.5 (I tend not to listen to this very often because while I love the atmosphericsof the Kamino music, it's such a burden to have to endure that uninspiring rendition of the main theme which I am well and truly desensitised too by this point. 2. Across the Stars: 9 (Awesome. Say no more) 3. Zam the Assassin and the Chase through Coruscant: 8 (Really long, but really well constructed and very tense and energetic. And I can just imagine all you road hogs with licenses getting speed tickets as a result LOL ) 4. Yoda and the Younglings: 7 (Choir is nice and fresh but that's about all I have to say) 5. Departing Coruscant: 7.5 (This was one of my initial favourites. I love that it's short, but really majestic as well) 6. Anakin and Padme: 6.5 (Slow and very quiet, but there is a lot of merit hiden away here. It was only just the other week after about my 20th listen that I discovered one of the less prominent parts of Across the Stars used to great effect here) 7. Jango's Escape: 8.5 (I love this track and it's one of my favourites on the album! It really gets the juices flowing. And the arrival on Tatooine is a lovely contrast at the end) 8. The Meadow Picnic: 8 (The pastoral theme is great and brilliantly juxtaposed against the inspired darkness of the latter half) 9. Bounty Hunter's Escape: 7 (Don't listen to this one much, though it has it's moments. I think the initial action cue is lacking vitality, but I love the mystery of Kamino) 10. Return to Tatooine: 8 (I really like this one: lots of variety and showmanship on display) 11. Tusken Camp and Return to the Homestead: 9 (Another of my faves. It's a perfect companionpiece to Track 10 and is just filled with such sadness. I am constantly amazed at how complex and rich and fulfilling this track is) 12 Love Pledge and the Arena: 7 (Another track I tend to neglect. There are better version of the love theme and I find the Arena really unsatisfying and am almost glad it wasn't in the film. That said, I like its inclusion on the album, but think its a bit messy and dissonant to be truly effective. The end minutes of the track are good though) 13. Confrontation with Count Dooku and End Titles: 9 (Epic. I love that little flair during the last scene of the film, right before the amazing end titles come up. The integration of themes (love, Anakin's, Vader's) at the conclusion is simply sublime) 14. On the Conveyor Belt: 7.5 (a really neat little number, that should definitely have been included in its entirety in the film. Only problem is my CD's scratched around this point so I don't get to listen to it as much I'd like ) CYPHER PS - Wouldn't it be a great idea to tally all these votes when we've given enough people time to respond, so we can get an average vote for each track? Calling all number-crunchers!

I'm sorry, but Joe Dante is a disappointment to me now. Sure he made some good movies in the 80s that were fun to watch when I was a kid such as Gremlins, Gremlins 2 and The 'Burbs (my fave - it's just so stupid), but I think they could have been much better if someone else had directed them. I watched Gremlins again just the other day and was amazed at how unsatisfying it was. And Small Soldiers is crap. CYPHER sorry for offending anyway - I'm pretty tired at the moment

I thought the nightclub scene was excellent. I loved the chase through Coruscant and I think the music is just fine. CYPHER

Thanks for the feedback people! And if you've got any more suggestions, then keep 'em coming. I'm a bit of a horror fan (though lapsed of late) and find the issue of horror in music quite intriguing. Beause I've watched so many horror films, I'm afraid to say it takes a bit to scare me these days especially when it comes to music. Is it really a format that is conducive to the generation of fear? I guess a lot of it relies in the realm of the imagination and the impressions and emotional character of the individual listener. As for my opinions: - Some of Hans Zimmer's piano cues in Hannibal are a little creepy. - Ditto the main theme to The Ninth Gate by Woljech Kilar. - There are certainly eerie moments in Jaws, though the effectiveness of the main theme has diminished for me over the years, a victim of the law of diminishing returns. - Bernard Herrmann's Psycho is great. - Dominic Ligeti's menacing piano solo in Eyes Wide Shut, as well as Jocelyn Pook's Masked Ball are very effective in this regard. - Some goes for John Carpenter's music for Halloween. - The one piece of music that wigs me out more than others is the main title of Suspiria by Goblin. I've never seen the movie, but it sounds like a corker. CYPHER PS - Yes, Chris, my avator is taken from a drawing of the New Mutants by Arthur Adams.

Favourite Films: 1. The Thin Red Line 2. The Silence of the Lambs 3. Dances With Wolves 4. The Empire Strikes Back 5. Psycho Favourite movie scores: 1. The Empire Strikes Back - John Williams 2. Return of the Jedi - John Williams 3. Star Wars - John Williams 4. The Thin Red Line - Hans Zimmer 5. Kundun - Philip Glass Favourite themes: 1. 'Luke and Leia' from Return of the Jedi - John Williams 2. 'The Lagoon' from The Thin Red Line - Hans Zimmer 3. 'Escape!/The Chase/Saying Goodbye' from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - John Williams 4. 'Han Solo and the Princess' from The Empire Strikes Back - John Williams 5. 'Escape to India' from Kundun - Philip Glass NB: Just want to point out some level of uncertainty regarding the category of 'themes'. If this applies strictly to themes, rather than CD tracks, then two of my responses are invalid. However such a narrow restriction tends to discriminate against non-thematic music. When this topic is finally done, I suggest someone with the patience and interest compile a record sheet or graph of everyone's responses and see if we can get a sense of what favourites we all have in common. That'd be neat. CYPHER

I still stick by my claim of liking every scene in every one of the Star Wars movies! Sure it's a bit of a cop-out, because some scenes are better than others and some are worse than others (notably in the prequels, but not exclusive to them). It's just too hard to decide and I don't need that kind of stess. So, yeah I love every Star Wars scene, because well, it's Star Wars and it just makes me feel great. And besides some of the scenes in the prequels are definitely up there, especially the duel between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul, the chase through Coruscant, and Anakin's confession. CYPHER

This is the hardest question! Every scene in all the movies are my favourites! I could start on a list of my favourite favourites, but that would just go on for ever and be totally pointless. So, yep, I love them all! CYPHER - oooh colour....