Jump to content

SteveMc

Members
  • Posts

    4,765
  • Joined

  • Days Won

    6

Reputation Activity

  1. Like
    SteveMc reacted to Jay in First Impressions: The FILMS of 2023   
    Oppenheimer
     
    Another film I actually saw in a cinema this summer.  I liked it a lot!  I didn't know much about Oppenheimer's life or the creation of the bomb, and it was interesting to learn about both.  Nolan jumping back and forth in time instead of just telling the story straightforward (as well as filming half the movie in black and white) needlessly complicated things, but not enough to ruin the movie.  There's so much good here, from a really impressive cast (for a while every few scenes brought another giant actor into the mix), and some of them do really great work like Florence Pugh.  I liked this film and would happily watch it again!
  2. Like
    SteveMc got a reaction from Cerebral Cortex in Favorite Star Wars finale and end credits music?   
    I like TFA.  Exceptionally strong, not only Jedi Steps with its striking new melodic material, but also the concise, engaging way the themes of the score are presented afterwards.
    Good stuff all around.
  3. Haha
    SteveMc got a reaction from Trope in John Williams: Unpopular Opinions   
  4. Haha
    SteveMc got a reaction from michael_grig in John Williams: Unpopular Opinions   
  5. Like
    SteveMc reacted to Jay in John Williams - Maestro of the Movies: Celebrating John Williams at 90 (Hollywood Bowl, Sept. 2.,3.,4, 2022)   
    Hey folks!
     
    I was unable to get out to the Bowl area the previous two nights, but tonight I am going to the concert, and would love to grab drinks with anyone after the show who's interested.
     
    Was that H2 Kitchen & Bar place mentioned the other day a good spot for that, or does anyone recommend a better one?
  6. Like
    SteveMc reacted to Jay in John Williams - Maestro of the Movies: Celebrating John Williams at 90 (Hollywood Bowl, Sept. 2.,3.,4, 2022)   
    mini JWFan meetup Saturday morning.  Right to left is Mike Matessino, myself, Jim Ware, and his wife Aparna
     

  7. Surprised
  8. Like
    SteveMc got a reaction from Jay in John Williams - Maestro of the Movies: Celebrating John Williams at 90 (Hollywood Bowl, Sept. 2.,3.,4, 2022)   
    H2 Kitchen and Bar is like within walking distance to the Bowl. Seems a well regarded spot, kitchen open until closing. Might be there on Friday night with a friend after the concert. Place is open until 12. Jameson's pub is just a stone's throw from there, open until 2.
    Also a couple of karaoke spots around.
  9. Like
    SteveMc got a reaction from Nick1Ø66 in The ALIEN FRANCHISE Appreciation thread.   
    The franchise ends for me with Aliens.  What comes after is overblown and ridiculous.  
  10. Like
    SteveMc got a reaction from bruce marshall in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021)   
    saw this today at the theater, decided to give it a go, being a casual admirer of Bernstein's WSS, despite not caring at all for the 1961 movie.  
    I was one of 3 there.
    I understand why the movie is not doing well.  1. "regular" audiences are pretty dense. 2. this movie is not really geared towards musical fans and 3. it is too big and mainstream for the cineastes.    
     
    All that does not change the fact that this is probably Spielberg's best movie since Catch Me If You Can and just maybe even since Schindler's List.  It may be a "movie no one wanted or needed" but he put his heart, soul, and genius into this one.
    I'll go more at length elsewhere.
  11. Haha
    SteveMc reacted to Jay in Who do you think will score the new Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series, using Williams' theme?   
    Here's an interesting analysis of JWFan from the reddit thread about this rumor:
     
    "
    FWIW: the randos on the John Williams fan forums are surprisingly well-connected folks when it comes to this sort of thing. It's a remarkably unique community in that they're so singularly obsessed with a figure that isn't frequently known for that level of obsession, and they've been more or less a close-knit (it's like, 30-40 people there driving all the conversation) community in pursuit of unearthing literally EVERYTHING even tangentially related to that man's work for almost... damn, 20 years now. And the amount of stuff they get, and get right, is pretty high.
     
    They're sort of like a highly specialized nerd commando unit trained to do one thing: Find out everything there is to know about John Williams. The J-Team, if you will.
     
    That all said: I would not recommend doing anything other than lurking that place. But then again, you don't really need to do anything more than lurk that place if you're interested in John Williams (or film scoring in general).
    "
  12. Haha
    SteveMc got a reaction from bored in Yes, music releases mood-enhancing chemical in the brain   
    I listen to so much music that it makes up for not using drugs or alcohol, not having sex, and eating a healthy diet.  
  13. Haha
    SteveMc got a reaction from MaxTheHouseelf in Yes, music releases mood-enhancing chemical in the brain   
    I listen to so much music that it makes up for not using drugs or alcohol, not having sex, and eating a healthy diet.  
  14. Love
    SteveMc got a reaction from Andy in The John Williams Concert Work Listening and Discussion Thread   
    I was going to make a thread that would serve as an ultimate guide to all of JWs concert works where, in one big post, I would give piece details, recording details and the like. 
    I have not been able to find the time to really sit down and do that, and the end result may be a bit overwhelming. 
    So I decided to go for a different format instead, and do a chronological listening and discussion thread for all of John's concert pieces. 
    Every few days in this thread, I will make an main post about one of JWs concert works, and the discussion will go from there as we all listen to the piece and share our impressions and any additional information y'all have.  Of course, some pieces won't have any recordings that I can share here, or any recordings at all, but we can still discuss those pieces when we get to them. 
    I will continuously edit this post to serve as a sort of glossary as we go along, with links to the individual discussions.  
    I hope many of you will discover JWs rich body of concert work for the first time or gain a greater appreciation for it.
    We'll start properly on Monday.
     
    Prelude and Fugue (1965) 
    Essay for Strings (1965)
    Symphony No. 1 (1966)
    Sinfonietta for Wind Ensemble (1968)
    Flute Concerto (1969)
    A Nostalgic Jazz Odyssey (1971)
    Violin Concerto No. 1 (1974-1976)
    Fanfare for a Festive Occasion(1980)
    Jubilee 350 Fanfare(1980)
    Pops On The March(1981)
    America, The Dream Goes On(1982)
    Esplanade Overture(1983)
    Olympic Fanfare and Theme(1984)
    (The Mission) (1985)
    Tuba Concerto (1985)
    Liberty Fanfare (1986)
    Celebration Fanfare (1986) & A Hymn To New England (1987)
    We're Looking Good! (1987)
    The Olympic Spirit (1988)
    Fanfare For Michael Dukakis (1988) & Fanfare For Ten Year Olds (1988)
    To Lenny! To Lenny! (1988)
    Winter Games Fanfare (1989)
    Celebrate Discovery!(1990)
    Clarinet Concerto (1991)
    Aloft! To The Royal Masthead...(Fanfare For Prince Phillip) 1992
    Sound The Bells (1993)
    Cello Concerto (1994)
    Satellite Celebration (Song For World Peace) (1995)
    Happy Birthday Variations (1995)
    Bassoon Concerto "The Five Sacred Trees" (1995)
  15. Haha
    SteveMc got a reaction from Naïve Old Fart in Music by John Williams - The T-Shirt   
    Essential!
  16. Haha
    SteveMc got a reaction from Giftheck in Star Wars Disenchantment   
    we are still doing this?
  17. Thanks
    SteveMc reacted to Marian Schedenig in John Williams’s “Fanfare for Solo Trumpet To Celebrate the Reopening of David Geffen Hall”   
    Did I miss a discussion somewhere, or has Williams written another surprise piece?
     
  18. Haha
    SteveMc got a reaction from HunterTech in Star Wars Disenchantment   
    we are still doing this?
  19. Haha
    SteveMc got a reaction from Edmilson in Star Wars Disenchantment   
    we are still doing this?
  20. Haha
    SteveMc got a reaction from Naïve Old Fart in Star Wars Disenchantment   
    we are still doing this?
  21. Haha
    SteveMc got a reaction from Bespin in Star Wars Disenchantment   
    we are still doing this?
  22. Thanks
    SteveMc reacted to eitam in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021)   
    Counterpoint : the movie was great, so making it wasn't that dumb of an idea. Go Spielberg ! 
  23. Like
    SteveMc got a reaction from Will in Masked Dissonance in The Music of John Williams   
    Inspired by @Loert's thread on "The Map Room: Dawn," I wanted to ask if there are any particular examples orchestration being used to kind of mask dissonances in John's music.
    Often, you get the sense that his music is considered very straightforward, even "pop" by many for it's listenability, accessibility, and melodic recognizability, but, when you listen closely, and espeiclly when you hear a piano reduction, for example, the striking harmonic invention and complexity behind this facade, if you will, becomes apparent.  It is almost as if John has achieved the perfect synthesis between romantic traditions and modernist developments in music.
    How big a role does this idea of orchestration used to mask dissonance, which was brought up in the aforementioned thread, play in all of this?    
  24. Like
    SteveMc got a reaction from Matthias in John Williams returns to Vienna! March 12/13 2022   
    Can't wait to hear the recording when it comes out!
  25. Like
    SteveMc got a reaction from Amer in John Williams returns to Vienna! March 12/13 2022   
    Can't wait to hear the recording when it comes out!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.