Mr. Who

To be fair I read somewhere that Weiss edited that episode. But it was a great episode for sure

After his work on Ant-Man and in particular WandaVision (which was by the same director as FF), I think Chris Beck would have been a great choice to score Fantastic Four. Shame that he didn’t get the gig.

Agree! It hasn't been a perfect season but calling it a disaster as I've seen some people claim on social media is just bonkers. It was slow paced and it definitely feels that the cutdown episodes should have been included here, but I really liked the season as it is. It' one of the best looking shows right now, beautifully shot and with a stellar cast! Emma D'Arcy has been an absolute highlight with their subtle performance, and I particularly liked their shared scenes with Matt Smith, that final scene in Harrenhal showcasing their chemistry and charisma to great effect. And the Harrenhal storyline was one of my favorite bits this season. I'm a big fan of the weird/magical aspects of this universe so watching all these scenes with Daemon's visions and his interactions with Alys were great.
 
And while Alicent and Rhaenyra's scenes might not make a lot of logical sense in how they come to be, they are in itself a perfect encapsulation of how they've changed as a character since s1, and both interpreters are brilliant! And I agree that the show's main focus is on them as much as on the war and the conflict. Since s1 they've been at the center of attention and it's their developing relationship what partially moves the characters to act.
 
And Djawadi's music once more is a highlight when he's allowed the spotlight. I love how he expands on his themes from s1, brings back many themes from Game of Thrones, making it a vastly connected musical universe, constantly growing, also thanks to the new material he incorporated this season. My favorite bits were definitely all his variations on the war/lament theme, daemon's new theme, and the dragonseeds theme.

I thought that was a solid season. Very clearly not what the writers had intended in its entirety, but I thought they did a good job considering. I'd much rather a slower pace with fluff scenes than the hyper-speed and illogical pace of latter GOT.
 
Highlights were definitely Rook's Rest and the two Allicent/Rhaenyra conversations. Regarding the latter, I've seen some truly bizarre criticism that the show is spending too much time on their relationship. Their relationship is the show. Given that the source material is a series of facts and rumours presented by multiple unreliable narrators, of course they needed to ground the show in a real human relationship, and I'm glad that's the one they chose. You don't cast powerhouses like Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke and not have them play off one another.
 
I may be in the minority but I really liked Daemon's Harrenhall ayahuasca sabbatical. Add in the pure delight of Ser Simon Strong and Alys Rivers and you've got a great cocktail of scenes and characters playing off one another. This is an example of a pace of writing that needed to be exactly as long as it was; any shorter and Daemon's kneel at the end of the season would've fallen as flat as King Bran. What the season lacked in many areas (and it did lack, don't get me wrong), I was completely sold on the work they did depicting the self-reflection of Daemon, Allicent, Rahenyra and Criston. In fact I think the greatest achievement the show made was making me empathise with Criston Cole, arguably one of the most despicable main characters since Joffrey.
 
It was also more than welcome to see Rhaenyra's religious fervour/god-complex begin to flourish. Her expressions while presiding over the Red Sowing were disturbing, and it makes perfect sense for the character. Ending the season flipping the devoutness and impulsivity of Rhenyra and Allicent was very smart. I just wish we got to see the battles they'd very clearly planned to depict.
 
Oh and I really liked Djawadi's work this season. He continues to mature as a composer and the Classical flourishes in the music this season were very on point. I also really like the new theme he introduced (featured heavily in Rook's Rest and the finale montage). It's been stuck in my head for days.

Yeah, and also the fact that some of the omissions leave out some important themes like the Addam/Seasmoke theme which is completely absent from the release!
 
Gave the album a couple of listens. Some great tracks in here, and it really makes it a lot easier to understand and appreciate Djawadi's thematic writing, without the sfx covering the music. I really like his string writing in some of the more emotional cues with that new War Theme, and also some of the new renditions of the Hightower theme. I also really like the new theme for the Dragonseeds which is actually derived from the song Daemon sung to Vermithor in episode 10 of season 1!

After his work on Ant-Man and in particular WandaVision (which was by the same director as FF), I think Chris Beck would have been a great choice to score Fantastic Four. Shame that he didn’t get the gig.

After his work on Ant-Man and in particular WandaVision (which was by the same director as FF), I think Chris Beck would have been a great choice to score Fantastic Four. Shame that he didn’t get the gig.

After his work on Ant-Man and in particular WandaVision (which was by the same director as FF), I think Chris Beck would have been a great choice to score Fantastic Four. Shame that he didn’t get the gig.

After his work on Ant-Man and in particular WandaVision (which was by the same director as FF), I think Chris Beck would have been a great choice to score Fantastic Four. Shame that he didn’t get the gig.

After his work on Ant-Man and in particular WandaVision (which was by the same director as FF), I think Chris Beck would have been a great choice to score Fantastic Four. Shame that he didn’t get the gig.

After his work on Ant-Man and in particular WandaVision (which was by the same director as FF), I think Chris Beck would have been a great choice to score Fantastic Four. Shame that he didn’t get the gig.

House of the Dragon 2x04 The Red Dragon and the Gold
 
Wow, that ending battle was incredible, certainly one of my favorite battles in all of GOT and HOTD.  It was fascinating to see actual dragon-vs-dragon combat, since the Luke/Aemond stuff at the end of last season was quite brief, and the ice dragon stuff on GOT was, well... yeah.  It really was like a dance in the sky, the way they would interlock and spin around... and claw and bite each other, damn!  I dunno how the humans hold on during all this, lol
 
TEAM GREEN
 
Criston Cole's war is going well, and I'm glad we get to see how brutal he is, with decapitating anyone who doesn't bend without much fanfare.  Alicent taking abortion tea was interesting; At first I thought it was more like a morning after pill, until I realized that at this point Cole would have been gone long enough that maybe she ended up missing a period, and knows she's pregnant?  The maester that brought it to her, I couldn't tell if he believed her that it was for someone else or not, but I loved that Alicent asked him if Viserys really would have changed his mind about his heir.  Of course he'd never say anything about that, though! But I'm glad she's thinking about what she learned from Rhaenyra and not just ignoring it.  I also wasn't sure what to make of Larys coming in and noticing the cup, and if he knows that she was banging Cole or not?  What knowledge he has is being kept much more secretive this year.  I'm not sure why he even went to see her, and she seems to have no more power to help him out.  Maybe he wanted to try to see her feet somehow, but realized that was off the table when he saw her condition?
 
The council that Alicent missed was one of the best council scenes yet.  Aemond switching to Valyrian to put Aegon in his place was not only super effective, but spared Aegon some dignity since no one in the room can speak it. And his response in broken Valyrian was SOOO funny.  Glynn-Carney is just great this season!  I loved how mad he was that Daemon beat them to Harrenhal, though Larys informing him that he has all the gold anyway, and the castle will drive Daemon mad, seemed to calm Aegon down, if only because Larys had his back last episode maybe.
 
Alicent looking for books is another nice bit; Clearly she wants to find evidence of this Price That Was Promised story.  Boy, was I glad that Aegon said they were only removed, not burned!  But then, the talk they have was terrifically written.  She's SO right to point out that everyone on that council EARNED their spots, and he was simply born into his, and that he should rely on their wisdom and experience since him putting on a crown didn't automatically embue him with either.  I thought that might have sunk into him, until he got drunk, put on that Valerian Valyrian armor, and took off on Sunfyre, lol.
 
TEAM BLACK
 
So now I think I understand what is going on with Alyn of Hull; He's Corlys's bastard, and Rhaenys knows it.  That kind of explains all the awkwardness he had with Corlys earlier in the season.  So is his brohter Addam a son of Corlys too, or from a different father?  I love that Corlys goes to Dragonstone since the council is headed to war with Rhaenyra being gone, but i REALLY didn't understand why she was gone so long.  SO MUCH episode happened before she finally showed up, and I didn't get the impression that it takes very long to take a boat from Dragstone to King's Landing, so what was that all about?
 
I do love that when she returned, thanks to her conversation with Alicent, she is now prepared to do battle.  The change in energy in a Black council scene was finally electric; Even Jace was really beginning to lose faith, eh?  I love that Rhaenyra was willing to go fight at Rook's Rest herself, preventing Jace from doing so.  But then Rhaenys stepping up, man, I loved it.  Eve  Best killed it this episode.  It's the right move, and both she and Melys have the most experience.  Rhaenyra of course allows it, but I am glad that she didn't order it herself, that Rhaenys volunteered.  The only thing I miss was that, I would have liked it if before she left, Rhaenyra took her aside and told her that her son was actually alive.  Maybe that would have been a distraction, but I dunno, now its too late for her to ever know.  I loved the bonding moment she has before she too takes off on Melys for Rook's Rest...
 
TEAM DAEMON
 
It was great to see Milly Alcock again in another one of Daemon's visions.  And then later he sees Laena too; Are we going to see Rhea Royce next week for the wife trifecta?  The best vision though was when he followed what was basically Aemond, then it turned out to be Daemon himself in an eyepatch.  It felt like the writers lampshading how similar the characters are, but in a way that I found hilarious and loved it.  Oh, I hope these two characters get to face off for real before season's end.
 
So this mysterious lady has a name Alys Rivers, and claims to be both old, and a barn owl in human disguise, lol.  Still getting potential Melisandre vibes from her.  I LOVED the explanation that many weirwood trees were felled to build the beams of Harrenhall, and that even the bed Daemon sleeps on is felled weirwood.  I was reminded of felling all the trees for Isengard, but also Poltergeist-y themes of making homes on ancient magic land.  I do wonder if what Daemon sees is purely from his own subconcious, or of Rivers is feeding him specific visions, for some purpose?
 
THE ENDING
 
The ending of this episode was just incredible.  The entire battle was perfectly staged and executed, tense and exciting throughout.  Before the dragons got involved, the actual siege was nicely depicted, the arrow hits felt so brutal, and boy was it clear that Rook's Rest was unprepared and would have lost quickly.  But man, the reveal that it was Cole's plan all along to draw a Black dragon to the battle, because Vhagar was hiding in the woods with Aemond on top, was terrific.  I don't know HOW you secretly get the biggest dragon in the world from King's Landing to there (wasn't Baela supposed to be watching from the skies?), but no matter.  I loved how sleepy Vhagar looked, and how she basically seemed happy to lie back down when Aemond saw Aegon in the sky and held off attacking.  Immediately I realized that he's hoping Aegon bites it here, which certainly is the most likely outcome.  Him saying "idiot!" in Valyrian was soo funny too, and a nice parallel to the council scene where Valyrian was spoken.
 
Before Aegon's arrival, Melys's contribution to the battle was perfectly horrific.  With one battle-field sweep of firey dragon breath, you realize just how different war is now with dragons involved.  How quickly so many people instantly die.  Already we have a way to one-up all the battles we saw in Game of Thrones, and I'm here for it.  Then Aegon and Rhaenys dueling in the sky was just incredible, with Melys seemingly more than capable of taking out Sunfyre (I do wonder if Aegon being drunk meant Sunfyre was kinda drunk too?).  But then Vagar showing up, wow.  Aegon was so happy to see him, until he realized all Aemond was going to do was yell
"Dracarys" and BURN THEM BOTH!
 
I loved that when Sunfyre falls to the ground, it's like a building fell on the battlefield, it's almost just as scary as swaths of flame.  The fact that Rhaenys goes back to attack Vagar again when she could have just left here a small victor tells you a lot about her character, and the fact that she holds her own against Vagar and is able to escape death is truly remarkable.  But then, oh Rhaenys, now is the time to fly home, but she just can't do it.  Is this Targaryen's worst traits coming through, to want to die on the battlefield? Or is it the bond they have with the dragons; The dragons want to fight each other, so she does too?  It was so sad to see Aemond win this time, and her fall to her death.  RIP the Queen That Never Was.
 
I loved Criston Cole's actions throughout this battle.  First the thrill of his plan working when Melys shows up, then the confusion when Aegon shows up in the sky instead of Aemond, which he quickly spins as a rally cry to the troops that they should be honored their king is there to fight for them.  Then the horror of seeing what dragon fire does on the battlefield, with nothing but smoking bones remaining in their armor.  Then when Aegon falls, he rushes to him instead of sticking with his men.  When he arrives and finds Aemond sheathing his sword, was that meant to be that Aemond was about to approach Aegon and finish the job if he wasn't dead?  It was ambiguous I think.  One thing's for sure, the war has well and truly started now, and both sides have a lot of adjustments to make!

Man of Steel (Zim Zim)
 
We watched Snyder's Justice League the other night. There are a lot of things it does well. Really well. But there was a little bit of me in the back of my brain that would occasionally say "We could be watching The Avengers right now."

But Holkenborg's score is merely functional. (I don't remember Elfman's score being any great shakes either.) It's there. It does score stuff. But man, when Zimmer's Superman themes come in all the hair on the back of my neck stands up. (As opposed to when he needle-drops the Wonder Woman theme where it's just recognition.)
 
No he's not Williams. The Beatles aren't Beethoven. (Zimmer isn't the Beatles either, it's a metaphor.) But he wrote arguably the most original Superman material since, what? The Fleischer cartoons? Even Williams was deriving from a decades long tradition of Superman fanfares. This is not to diminish the Williams score at all. It's perfect. You can't top it, you can't replace it. So Zimmer is one of the first composers to have the nerve to go around it.
 
So I'm listening to the sketchbook. Something I haven't done much over the last 11 (!) years. Partly because it took a while to realize that there is a lot more thematic work going on here than I first recognized. (Why listen to a thirty minute track when I can just go to What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?) I think this is because a lot of it is buried under very frantic action music. But also because most of the themes sounds a lot closer to each other than Zimmer's Superman theme which is so different. So it might seem that there is The Theme and then Everything Else. Which just isn't true. I mean, there's even a little snippet of a love theme. (You want to talk about the unclimbable mountain? Write something better for Superman and Lois than Can You Read My Mind!)
 
Over the years (and in part because of Justice League) I've really come to appreciate Zim's Krypton music. It's noble, menacing, and doomed sounding all at the same time. This is kind of ZImmer's last gasp at writing a melody instead of a soundscape and Krypton has a foot more firmly in the soundscape with a couple of low, impressive bass notes. But it's not so far removed that it becomes the next Inception bwaaaaaaaam.
 
And then there is the Superman Theme. It's so... Gentle. (And then it builds, of course.) I still remember the first Man of Steel trailer that introduced the theme and thinking "Oh. Damn. There might be something here!" I think Williams' theme feels like watching Superman. I think Zimmer's theme (especially the opening) feels like BEING Superman. And Clark Kent. And Kal-El.
 
I'm really glad we have both. I'm probably going to go listen to the LLL Superman now.

Fantastic episode! I'm loving all of Daemon's Harrenhal scenes, as I feel they give the castle a really unsettling and eerie vibe that it didn't have the previous times we saw it. Also, I'm really liking Aegon as a character this season. I don't entirely side with him but he's such a complex, tragic and sad character and Tom Glynn-Carney's portrayal is really layered and makes you emapathize with him.
 
And then the battle at the end was amazing. All of Cole's and Ser Gwayne's strategies and battle plans are worthless when confronted with the sheer force of a dragon. The scale of it all, the way it's portrayed on screen, the building tension, it was a horrifying yet oddly beautiful sequence. It is indeed portrayed like the dragons are dancing in the air when the lock their claws and are spinning around spitting fire. The humans on the ground cannot do anything more than run for their lives and try to escape the devastating dragon fire.
 
The direction, production design and acting on the whole episode and those final minutes in particular were amazing, as was Djawadi's music, who continues to deliver an amazing and emotional score episode after episode that I cannot wait to listen on its own!

Season 2 x Episode 4 - The Red Dragon And The Gold
 
Uuuhm, that was fucking intense!
Fantastic episode with a final 15 minutes that were phenomenal! I'm very very sad though.
 
I loved the connection between Rhaenys & Meleys. The final few looks Meleys & Rhaenys gave each other and throughout the whole battle was very special I thought. It really showed a certain connection between dragon and rider we haven't seen before. Not even between Daenerys & Drogon I think.
Eve Best completely owned this role and was maybe my favourite of the whole series, so I'm really sad to see her go. Great role and great performance.
 
The whole battle was really well done. Incredible tension throughout and what a joy to see such a big dragon battle in broad daylight. Made the whole experience even better. The battle just kept building and building. First Rhaenyrs arrives, then Aegon comes in and ruins the plan of Aemond & Cole. But that Aemond just chose to burn Sunfyre, just because he might take out Meleys as well, was brutal.
Also really loved seeing the different sizes of the dragons next to each other. We knew Vhagar was big, but to see her next to Meleys, which is the second biggest was quite scary actually. Vaghar really is just a beast.
 
The way the battle on the ground doesn't really matter anymore once a dragon is in play, was shown very well. As soon as a dragon appears there is chaos on the ground, people don't care anymore about their allegiance, it's just about not being burned alive.
 
Djawadi did some really amazing stuff with the music. His Dance Of Dragons theme fully explored here and I thought it packed quite the punch. Can't wait for the album.

Why are you posting about it then? He was Cameron's second hand and many people know him from all the behind the scenes documentaries of Cameron movies.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6XJmtYPPsp/?igsh=MTNzbjkzZDZ3cDI3dg%3D%3D&img_index=1
 
This post is from April so it’s most likely complete.
 
Ridley is now hard at work swapping the bulk of it out. 

From The Guardian yesterday:
 
 

Why are you posting about it then? He was Cameron's second hand and many people know him from all the behind the scenes documentaries of Cameron movies.

Why are you posting about it then? He was Cameron's second hand and many people know him from all the behind the scenes documentaries of Cameron movies.

Why are you posting about it then? He was Cameron's second hand and many people know him from all the behind the scenes documentaries of Cameron movies.

WHAT, NO NEW JW RELEASE?! That's it, life isn't worth living anymore.

Yeah I don’t know why movie length is seen as such an issue. Can people seriously not go 4 hours without going to the bathroom? Maybe don’t drink a litre of soda in the first hour of the movie and it’ll be fine 😅
 
Now I was a bit bored by Snyder cut the one time I watched it but for movies like LOTR extended, Avatar, Oppenheimer, KOTFM etc I’ve never had issues.

Wonder Woman 1984. I absolutely adore this score from Zimmer but was never quite satisfied with the album. On the other hand, the sketch/demo album offered some nice tracks that would help to flesh out some ideas (Cheetah theme, for example). It's 2 hours and 24 minutes long but I feel it flows better overall. This is my OST album from now on:
 
No Hero Is Born from Lies (track 2 from Sketches album) --- serves as an overture Themyscira Games 1984 Barbara Minerva (track 5 from Sketches album) Black Gold Wish We Had More Time The Monkey Paw (track 4 from Sketches album) --- OST track The Stone feels like a shortened version of this so I eliminated it Cheetah Fireworks Lost and Found (originally bonus track 18 on the OST) Anything You Want Open Road Dechalafrea Ero (track 6 from Sketches album) Without Armor The White House Apex Predator (track 3 from Sketches album) Already Gone Citrine (track 8 from Sketches album) Radio Waves Lord of Desire The Beauty in What Is Truth 84 (track 1 from Sketches album) --- feels almost like a MOE! In Love (track 7 from Sketches album) The Amazon (track 11 from Sketches album)  
Karol