CYPHER
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Posts posted by CYPHER
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E.T. by miles. It has such depth, breadth, and dare I say it on this message board again, 'complexity'. Eclipses Jaws by miles (though it is effective too, just nowhere in the same league).
CYPHER
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I think it's still a bit too early to be making predictions about Oscar nominations. We have yet to see what kind of other movies there are out there and how they might measure up to AOTC (which I have a fairly high opinion of). While it's a really fascinating topic for consideration I think the Academy wields an influence far greater than it deserves. As many people have expressed so far on this message board, the Academy makes many, many dubious decisions and the Oscars it doles out are hardly a recognition of quality, but politics and prettiness. While I am a fan of William's AOTC score I think it very unlikely that it will win. It just wouldn't make 'Oscar-sense' to award the efforts of the second prequel, when the first was pretty much snubbed across the board. Though a nomination would be well deserved (especially considering the sheer size of Williams' output for the year).
CYPHER
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I agree with Melange. No one should make another Indiana Jones movie. A trilogy feels far more natural and appropriate to the genre than a quartet. And Harrison Ford is not the man he used to be. As Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back, he was my absolute hero when I was a kid. Now I think he's a bloated disgrace, a grumbling, scowling, charisma-free zone who hasn't been anything but an embarrassment or an annoyance in a film since, well, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But that is not an excuse to go seeking a return to his glory days. He should have stayed frozen in carbonite...
CYPHER
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I second that mention of Unbreakable. It's the best superhero film ever made and has a fine score too.
CYPHER
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Can I just say that this is an awesome (albeit morbid) topic? Nearly every movie has a death scene of some description and so it is a necessary matter for discussion. I'm a little unsure of how to interpret the word 'favourite' because there are so many different types of death scenes that evoke so many different types of emotional (and even physical) responses in the audience. Some are tragic and sad, some are disturbing while others are shocking, disgusting, over-the-top, eagerly anticipated, awe-inspiring or downright enjoyable. Here then are some of my 'favourites' worthy of mention.
- Gandalf's 'death' in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings. It was not so much the manner of his passing, but the sheer devastation elicited by the response of his companions afterwards.
- unknown soldier in The Thin Red Line. I'm referring to the US soldier who dies a slow, very loud and agonising death on the front line whom Sean Penn's character tries to comfort with morphine. One of the most traumatising things I have ever witnessed.
- Bridget Fonda's character in Jackie Brown. This is an example of pure cinematic manipulation and genious: the audience is so annoyed at her routine they just wish someone would blow her away, but when De Niro actually does it's a horrific shock, and worse still, you're left feeling strangely guilty and implicated yet simultaneously satisfied.
- Kurtz's death in Apocalypse Now. Unremarkable in itself but the juxtaposed real-life sacrificial slaughter of that cow is disgustingly disturbing to say the least.
- all those Africans plunging to their deaths in the ocean in Amistad, each one chained to the other as they are pushed from the ship. Very disturbing.
- the hotel manager in Touch of Evil at the pudgy, sweaty hands of Orson Welles. A truly virtuoso piece of film making.
- Artax's death in The Never Ending Story. Sure he's only a horse, but I used to have to try really hard to prove my 'manliness' by not crying when I watched this as a kid.
- one of the worst in recent times: Shmi Skywalker's passing in Attack of the Clones. It could have been really affecting and saddening, so that the audience could truly empathise with Anakin's devastation, but those stilted last words and awkward croak just ruin it. John Williams score however, is exquisite (as usual).
Special mentions (SPOILERS): Simone Signoret's death of fright in Les Diaboliques; almost the entire cast of Mission: Impossible within the first 20 minutes (Brain De Palma must just have a knack); anything in Hitchcock's Frenzy; that maid's horrific demise courtesy of a poisoned dress in Elizabeth; Edward Furlong's shock shooting death in American History X; the hanging death of the character voiced by Brian Blessed in Tarzan (pretty hardcore for Disney); and the thrown chainsaw scene in American Psycho .
Okay so I appear to have gone a bit overboard here, but it really got me thinking. As a supplementary topic, just to bring it back to base, what do you all think is the best piece of 'death scene' music John Williams has written? Personally, off the top of my head, I think it's got to be Darth Vader's death in Return of the Jedi (which is also a fave).
CYPHER (who is ordinarily not this morbid - hopefully)
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Not to be too facetious here, but I agree with Joe: AI the movie sucks. The score, on the other hand, is much better. And no, this is not another excuse to start up an additional round of pointless biffo. Just remember kiddies: "If people didn't have different opinions the world would be a very boring place".
CYPHER
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Whoops, but I haven't seen any of these films! I have heard significant portions of the scores to Stepmom and Angela's Ashes though, so I did cast a vote. Despite a lovely main theme, I found Angela's Ashes to be a bit repetitive and overtly reliant on said theme. On the other hand, what I've heard of Stepmom rocks! And yeah, I reckon Saving Private Ryan should definitely have been on the list and would probably have gotten my vote. Then again maybe I'm equating 'quiet' with 'boring'? LOL Just kidding, it's a remarkable score, I just have trouble staying tuned in while I'm listening to it.
CYPHER
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I'm the first (and hopefully not only) guy, who's voted for X-Men. Batman is a good score that works well in the film. I'm venting my anger and disappointment at the ineptitude of Spider-Man the film by targeting its score in this instance for a thorough dissing. And the score kinda sucked too: typical recent Elfman, all pulsing, yet pointless noise. I haven't actually seen Superman yet and all I've heard of the score is the main theme. While this is obviously excellent, I don't think I'm qualified to vote for it if I haven't heard more of the score, or actually seen the film (Now some here would argue that this doesn't actually make me qualified to vote in this poll, but oh well... :tongue2:). But X-Men is an exceptional score for the film. I haven't listened to much of it on its own, and I'm not sure I'd want to more than once or twice, but it suited the tone of the movie very well. What's more it was eminently compatible with the characters: the X-Men, while righteous and respectable are not well-loved and glorified heroes in the bombastic sense a la Superman and to a lesser extent Spider-Man. They do strive to protect a world that hates and fears them afterall, so a Superman style 'superhero' theme wouldn't have been appropriate at all.
CYPHER
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Wow! Since when did this become a Danny Elfman vs John Williams slinging match? Is it just me or does this happen a lot? I know this is a John Williams fan site and so it is to be expected that every effort will be invested in protecting and preserving his sterling reputation, but that doesn't warrant this excessive disrespect towards other composers. I am grateful for the fact that there are many excellent composers in Hollywood and that John Williams does not provide the score for every single movie released. What I'm trying to convey is that it might be nice to see a little more respect for the works of others and a little less aggression. I mean what are we all trying to prove? I'm pretty confident that we all know that John Williams is the best, so there's no reason to demonstrate any insecurity now is there?
To the topic of discussion, I too reckon that Jude Law would be a less than ideal candidate for Superman, for most of the reasons listed above. And while there are some great Superman/Batman stories out there (yes, Dark Knight Returns is excellent) I consider any movie premised on a big fight between two established characters to be highly dubious. Think Jason vs Freddy which has never gotten off the ground for these very reasons and that's a dodgy slasher movie! As for Colin Farrell, he wouldn't be so bad as Batman, though I'm much more enthusiastic about his role as Bullseye in the upcoming Daredevil movie. And is it just me or is Colin Farrell slated to appear in nearly every major new film released for the next couple of years? Seems like some execs have recognised his veritable sauciness, but don't overdo it!
Also, a Supes vs Batman movie might just be worth it to hear the juxtaposition of Elfman and William's two very different themes (that's all I'm going to say on the matter).
CYPHER
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Mr Davd Vincent, that is most irresponsible! Reviewing a film without having seen it
Still, I approve of the high mark. I gave it an 8, but that's just because I'm naturally stingy. Maybe I should have given it a 9... Anyway, it is definitely the best movie of the year so far. CYPHER
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Dude, it's all in FRENCH! Still, pretty funny. Yeah, I reckon it's him... :oops:
CYPHER
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I agree - a very hard question to answer, so I don't think the results can be taken as too reliable a reflection of people's actual tastes. That said I have a contribution to make. Off the top of my head, one 'chunk' that has always blown me away is "Attacking a Star Destroyer" from The Empire Strikes Back (Track 3, 1997 Special Edition 2CD soundtrack). It's sensational.
CYPHER
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The discussion so far really does sum up nicely my reaction to the score. From what I can recall the score works really well in the film as an almost imperceptible undercurrent of emotion. Hymn to the Fallen is an amazingly stirring and atmospheric cue that easily stands on its own, but the same cannot perhaps be said for the rest of the score. I own it on CD and have listened to it many many times. It is calming and relaxing whilst remaining sad and sombre. Clearly then it is not a really pleasurable or enjoyable listen unless one finds oneself in a bit of a pensive moment or bordering on sleep (which I think is the best time to listen to this kind of music - it really takes on a power of its own). Nonetheless it is most certainly an accomplished and respectable achievement. Ultimately my response, like the sum of the views canvassed here, is ambivalent.
CYPHER
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Well both Black Hawk Down and Mulholland Drive were released in Australian cinemas in 2002, but were actually made and released in the US in 2001. So it counts for me, but maybe not for you... :wink2:
CYPHER
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While everything's pretty low key at the moment and I hope I eat my own words later, but Catch Me If You Can sounds pretty boring
CYPHER
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Sounds like a good idea, but I don't think it's going to happen. I get the impression Lucas can be a bit of a bonehead when he wants to be, and speaking of headsizes he probably has an infallibility complex as well. That said, all we can probably hope for is that if and when Lucas ever gets around to "re-doing" all six Star Wars films after Episode III, the botched scoring will be rectified. But that is a long way off yet.
And its probably impossible at this point in time to have any different music included in the film because it seems likely that no music for the final Clone battle was ever written. And is it just me or does a lot of 'The Arena' sound good on CD but feel inappropriate for the scene in the film? I think the silence suits it well. If only they'd kept it that way for the next 20 minutes. No music would have been better than that mess...
CYPHER
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My soundtrack collection is really not that extensive (only about 20 CDs) and only two are for films I have not seen. They are Dracula (1931) by Philip Glass and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by You-Know-Who. I have listened to excerpts of music from films I have never seen but I believe it is distracting and ultimately detrimental to "the film-watching process" to watch a movie when one is already overly-familiar with the score. As much as this might rile a few people, my priority is with the overall film itself, not the music that accompanies it. While I love film music and value it immensely I am currently re-evaluating the film music I choose to listen to. But it's all to complicated and neurotic to go into now...
CYPHER
The SCARIEST music you've ever heard!
in General Discussion
Posted
Okay, so this might appear more than a little unoriginal in light of the recent rush of similar topics e.g. 'saddest piece of music' etc. But I still think it's worth exploring (just like those other topics were too). Let me set out the parameters of what I'm looking for here. By scary music I am referring broadly to any piece of music (preferably classical) that freaks you out in some way, shape or form. Whether it sends a shiver down your spine, raises the hackles on your neck or is something you just really don't feel comfortable listening to when you're alone at night in a dark room, I want to know. In regards to film music, I don't mind if you select music that you find scary because of its attachment to a movie that terrified you. In these cases, it would be preferable if the music played some role in contributing to the scariness.
CYPHER