PokeDocMatt

Lost

Spooky October haul (the obscured one is Japanese Ringu and I also have Hannibal on pre-order):
 

 
And some other recent things:
 

 
Karol
 

The crawl… goodness. Just a block of text sliding up the screen. At least make it fade into the distance. And what was that opening bridge scene, Star Trek?? There was something else off with the first episode… oh yeah. Let’s spend three minutes watching a video game style solve a puzzle to reveal the treasure. Added nothing to the character or plot. 
 
Still, I have hope. 

The crawl… goodness. Just a block of text sliding up the screen. At least make it fade into the distance. And what was that opening bridge scene, Star Trek?? There was something else off with the first episode… oh yeah. Let’s spend three minutes watching a video game style solve a puzzle to reveal the treasure. Added nothing to the character or plot. 
 
Still, I have hope. 

I totally disagree with this. I think the piano chords sound absolutely rubbish. Totally doesn't fit the scene.
 
 

Gustav Mahler's 5th symphony! That's exactly what I want trailer music to be!

Bounty Hunter getup > Bikini.
 

I'm genuinely curious about this. I recently learned Lorne Balfe used 230 musicians (including six flutes and 30 brass) for MI: Fallout and something like 550 musicians for MI: DR Part 1. These numbers, especially the latter, are absurd. The guy's no Wagner (and even that megalomaniac would probably have balked at counts like these) and he operates in an industry where instrument striping, synth choirs, electronic overlaying, and audio processing make musician counts like these preposterous overkill.
 
So what is it, then? I have some theories:
 
1. Balfe is a mediocre film scorer at best and he knows it. Having reached the limits of his composing talent, he believes the best way to make an impression going forward is by maximizing the production value of his so-called music. He may only know how to write the epic equivalent of "Hot Cross Buns" but, by God, he'll scour the planet for the largest possible number of the best conservatory-trained instrumentalists to play the ever-loving hell out of that three-chord-and-zero-modulation theme.
 
2. Balfe is trying to gain credibility on the cheap. Even though he knows he can't write a melody or develop a theme to save his life, he still craves respectability. And one way to get it is to bury your work under so many layers of borrowed prestige and reflected glory that to question the quality of the music itself almost becomes an act of disrespect. What's better than being able to say that a renowned soloist performed your music for a film? Getting to say that a dozen of them did (q.v. Zimmer and his drumming circle for some Superman movie). Slaving for well over a year on a score and then hunting down 550 of the best musicians in Europe to perform it? What churlish misanthrope is going to criticize your music after you tell them that?
 
3. Having Peter-principled his way to the top ranks of his industry, Balfe doesn't actually recognize how untalented he is and genuinely believes he needs five hundred musicians to properly deliver on the quality and potential of his latest writing.
 
Sorry for the tirade, Balfe/Zimmer/RCP fans, but for fuck's sake -- what happened to our beloved art form? A beautiful garden -- the clever and delightful use of dynamics, tone color, leitmotif, orchestra hits, non-Western scales, and key change to set up scenes, accentuate story beats and deliver payoffs -- has turned into a dumpster fire of wall-to-wall noise that's sucked far more oxygen out of the room than it deserves to.
 
Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Balfe's music really does warrant musical forces of that magnitude. If someone wants to give a shot at explaining it, I'm ready to listen.

Nyman studied baroque music, published new editions of works by Purcell and Händel, and frequently uses chord progressions by Purcell and Mozart in his own modern compositions. Also, some of the music in The Piano is based on traditional songs and melodies. I'm sure he was aware of what he was doing.

Try it this way

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/07/opinion/indiana-jones-movie-john-williams-music.html
 
Wonderful article just published in the NY Times, and written by @Falstaft! Check it out!

I’ve been waiting for a Horse and His Boy film ever since I was a child. BBC didn’t do it, Walden Media didn’t… it’s a fantastic story. It’s practically a screenplay! It’s begging to be done!!

I picked up 4k Avatar 1 and 2 for my home theater room. Started 1 tonight. I’m impressed at how well it has aged, from a technical/visual standpoint. There are so many gorgeous shots, it makes me wish Cameron would have lingered on them longer. Dolby atmos is enthralling from the first few seconds. Horner’s score is still goosebump inducing. When Jake first transfers to his Avatar and is running, I feel it with him, the new world that’s just been opened up to him. The score makes this Wizard of Oz esque about face, from black and white milataristic hopelessness, to full color audio, organic and full of life. 
 
I can’t wait to watch Way of Water again. My first viewing at my rural, crappy, under-maintained theater was a let down. I’m sure the experience will be better at home. I think  Tom Cruise would even understand if he saw what I had to put up with at the local cinema… 

I picked up 4k Avatar 1 and 2 for my home theater room. Started 1 tonight. I’m impressed at how well it has aged, from a technical/visual standpoint. There are so many gorgeous shots, it makes me wish Cameron would have lingered on them longer. Dolby atmos is enthralling from the first few seconds. Horner’s score is still goosebump inducing. When Jake first transfers to his Avatar and is running, I feel it with him, the new world that’s just been opened up to him. The score makes this Wizard of Oz esque about face, from black and white milataristic hopelessness, to full color audio, organic and full of life. 
 
I can’t wait to watch Way of Water again. My first viewing at my rural, crappy, under-maintained theater was a let down. I’m sure the experience will be better at home. I think  Tom Cruise would even understand if he saw what I had to put up with at the local cinema… 

He's wearing glasses in all the footage here
 
Why did KK say 3 notes instead of 4 notes

I always spend the first few seconds in a well looking around trying to figure out how I’m going to get out. Then I remember… 
 
I found Hoz leading a merry little militia on their way to attack a fort and joined in the assault. That was fun! I think he said they were planning another raid, but I’ll just wait to come across them in my slow explorations again. 

I think I've got everything ready to start playing tonight!
 
I opened up the Collector's Edition box to take the game out; I'll check out the rest of the stuff here after I've played the game a bit
 

 
Holy shit you guys, that new cartridge smell was intoxicating!!
 
 
Today I also opened up my new OLED Switch and went through the rigamarole of transfering my User from my old Switch to my new Switch.  It only transfers my user and all its save data, so now my new Switch is empty of games but has save files of games I played on my old Switch, and my old Switch is full of games that I'd have to start over on.
 
Man, I love the look of the TOTK OLED!
 

 

Walked into my local Target this morning and got their LAST Collector's Edition!
 

 
Because it was Target, I got a free hip pack!
 

Dude that's the best scene in the movie!!! Not even lying 

Inspired by the gorgeous La La Land release of Sabrina, I put together a lead sheet of "Moonlight" that some of you may enjoy.
 
The version I transcribed this from is the Sting one in A major. Initially, I attempted to precisely capture his melodic syncopations--which are pervasive, and essential to the effect of the song in that performance. But pretty quickly I decided for a very rhythmically simplified rendering, the kind typical of an actual lead sheet. The chord symbols and transcription of the intro vamp are true to what we hear in the recording though, I think. 
 
 

 
 

 
 
If anyone spots any errors, which I'm sure there are some, point them out. Enjoy!
 
 

Star Wars 4-6 just came out! 

Gordy Haab has convinced me that he “gets” JW in a way few (no?) other mainstream media composers do. The intricacy, both from his orchestration and harmonies, is light years beyond Balfe, Giacchino, and even Powell. What a breath of fresh air this score is. I love his other Star Wars work too, but this cakes the cake so far. Don’t know anything about this Stephen Barton fellow or how they shared the workload, but maybe he deserves just as much kudos. 

I BEAT THE MASTER SWORD TRIALS LAST NIGHT!!!!
 
I decided to try a 30 minute Attack meal instead of Defense just to see if that'd be better for me.... the answer was a quick "nope" as any hit I took was devastating, and all the attack was wasted anyway on the first batch of levels where you only hit to hit each undead enemy once to know their head off and a second time to kill the head.
 
A second attempt with my usual defense meal went so poorly 3 levels in I abandoned and restarted.
 
And then I had this epic run where I got through everything, it was glorious.  Previously I had only gotten as far as the Talus boss of the second batch of levels (fire levels), stage 11 out of 23.  So the entire second half here it was my first time seeing these levels at all, and I somehow got through it all!

The rest area after the talus has a bunch of spicy peppers, so I figured the next batch of levels would be snow-based and cooked a bunch of cold temperature food (which was good because by now my defense food had worn off anyway).  The snow levels weren't too bad, but strange the 4th level in had a Talus boss, instead of the 5th level like usual.  Turns out that's because the 5th level starts you off facing down a fucking LYNEL!!!!
 
Luckily, you can find Ancient Arrows throughout the levels.  I had 9 of them, so just hit him with one and he poofed away.  And like that I was done!....
 
With that batch of levels.  next came another rest area, and then a final batch of levels... all guardian based!!!  First 6 stationary turrets, then 1 walker, then 1 helicopter, then 1 walker/1helicopter/1 turret.... and then the final level.  I had used up 5 more of my ancient arrows going into the final level, so only had 3 left.  Well the final level starts you off with a FUCKING LYNEL and a HOARD of bokoblins immediately spotting you and charging at you!  And what's worse if if you run the wrong way, a turret will spot you and shoot at you too!!!!  I ended up poofing hte lynel away with an ancient arrow, then statis-ing a lot of the bokoblins off their horses and killing them, then just climbing up to the final turret to kill it.

Bloody hell!  I can't believe I did the entire second half of the final trials on my first attempt!

It was honestly pretty cooling getting my master sword fully powered up, some nice animation in the cutscenes about it.  I felt like a badass after pulling this off!

Maybe he only just caught up to the Force Awakens trailer… he’s been so busy scoring every other film and TV series!

I never got the "Pocahontas in space" argument.  Like so many other films, Avatar takes inspiration from multiple sources and creates an original new thing.  (Star Wars and Indiana Jones were inspired by the serials of Lucas's youth, Alien was pitched as "Jaws in space").   
 
The MCU (in this case, Endgame) takes established, beloved IP characters and has them run around in bland, stakeless plots while saying "remember this?" to the audience. Their success is based purely off of brand recognition/previous franchise entries while Avatar didn't rely on any of that stuff.