tomsmoviemadness

I revisited the S1 album this morning and straight after listened to the S2 album. Both are fantastic, although I think S1 has the slight edge because it better represents all the themes.
 
But besides that they're practically equals in my opinion. Some beautiful passages, thunderous action and some great dramatic moments.
I'm always having a hard time choosing my favourite theme, but I'm really starting to feel that The Stranger's theme is it. But the moment I say that I feel I'm not being fair to the great themes for Numenor, The Faithful, Bronwyn & Arondir, Galadriel & Noble Warrior.
I just love the whole thingso much and it'll be hard for me to talk about anything else in the coming weeks. Sorry, not sorry...

I'm not sure what it is or why exactly, but Old Tom Bombadil makes me weirdly emotional. It's just triggers something in me.
Maybe it's because my dad would've also really liked this song. He didn't really listen to film music, only when I was, but he always liked these folksy kind of songs and it just makes me feel really close to him somehow.

I am just going by trailers here but we will definitely hear the Mystics' theme because they appear in the trailer.
 
Now since the lead Harfoot is Nori and she will be in Rhun with the Stranger and she has her own theme, there might not be an occasions for the Harfoot theme to appear. But if we cut back to the other Harfoots, their theme would appear. We know from the cast list that at least Poppy appears. So I am thinking we will hear the Harfoot theme as well. Though I would actually love if an instrumental rendition of Wandering Day could become Poppy's theme.

So, out of the 18 themes Bear used in season 1, 16 of them are on the Season 2 OST album
 
1 Valinor
05 Círdan’s Perfection 17 Candles on the Tide 2 Galadriel
18 Army of Orcs 20 Battle for Eregion 21 Durin’s Bane 22 Last Temptation 25 The Sun Yet Shines 3 Sauron
09 Emissary at the Forge 18 Army of Orcs 22 Last Temptation 4 Adar/Orcs
18 Army of Orcs 20 Battle for Eregion 6 Nori
23 The Staff 7 Halbrand/Southlands
22 Last Temptation 8 Arondir/Bronwyn
11 The Pyre 16 Forgiveness Takes an Age 9 Elrond
15 Barrow-wights 20 Battle for Eregion 21 Durin’s Bane 22 Last Temptation 10 The Stranger
07 Sandstorm at the Well 23 The Staff 11 The Rings
05 Círdan’s Perfection 09 Emissary at the Forge 12 Khazad-dûm
21 Durin’s Bane 13 Durin IV
21 Durin’s Bane 14 Númenor
13 The Great Eagle 15 Elendil/Isildur
17 Candles on the Tide 17 Noble Warrior
20 Battle for Eregion 22 Last Temptation 25 The Sun Yet Shines 18 Ring Forging
09 Emissary at the Forge  
And 2 of them don't appear at all
 
5 Harfoot
16 The Mystics
 
I wonder if those two will show up in one of the episode albums somewhere...

I think the point here is that at the moment we knew they weren't allowed to use music from Jackson's movies, and that Shore was not going to do 8 hours of music every 2 years, the best option is to have a composer be able to do his own thing and I think that's what McCreary is doing brilliantly. Shore's scores are masterpieces and nobody can deny that, but McCreary is giving this universe his own voice and style.
 
Continuing with the Star Wars comparison, even if I know many people here don't like this score, The Mandalorian went on his own musical route and when they had a chance to get closer to Williams's style/themes thanks to the story, they took the chance and included those themes, and even also referencing Kiner's work.
 
So yeah, I think McCreary should be able to do whatever he likes for this iteration of Middle-Earth and the constant comparisons with Shore are, I feel, pointless, as they are different composers and have a different approach, but both are awesome in their own ways if you ask me!

I guess I am a bit confused why we are still talking about Shore’s Middle-earth scores, when it comes to this series. As soon as we found out that this show wasn’t going to be in the Peter Jackson canon, I thought it was obvious that Shore’s themes would not be used. It just wouldn’t have made sense. And frankly, as much as I do like Shore’s main title music for the show, part of me wishes McCreary had done the main title music instead, to further unify the show’s sound world under him. Why should this show have a theme by a totally different composer, just because that composer happened to have written music for movies that aren’t even in the same canon? Shore already had his time in Middle-earth. The fact that he even got to write the main title music, is IMO more than anyone should have ever expected.

I was talking about the films that are going to come out. So not sure what you're going on about now.
I am saying nothing about the original films. I adore those films, some of the best I've ever seen. And I'm hoping for everyone that the upcoming films are something people who don't like RoP can enjoy.
 
And I'm not here to start an argument about what's better. We can all agree that the OG films will always be better than anything else based on Tolkien's words.
 
I was merely saying that I enjoy RoP for what it is, and I'm aware that some here and in other places don't, which is of course fine. I just don't get the infinite bashing of it on here, what are you hoping to accomplish with that?

I was pissed at the sequel, 'City of Angels', and walked out of the theatre.
 
The concept is a one-off and was done excellently the first time, so please knock it off, Hollywood, and leave Eric Draven in the ground.

Braveheart
 
First time seeing it. I know that there is quite a lot of stuff that is historically wrong, but I don't really care when a film is this good.
 
Absolutely loved it. 3 hours flew by I thought. And James Horner's score somehow becomes even better after seeing the film.

I've made a track-by-track analysis, which probably still needs a lot of work:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hxjgRx6Os9S7AXQssSRfFo7ZAmPa5IYNLOd20Uj4K_0/edit

IMHO this is not only the best scene from The Two Towers but also one of the best from the entire trilogy:
 
 
Peter Jackson did an awesome job with these scenes that predict the horrifying thought of a Middle Earth ruled by Sauron (who is kind of a Lovecraftian entity, a being of pure evil beyond comprehension, in the movies).

TL:DR - unrequested music recommendations from family members...!
 
Not sure if this is the thread for this, but thought some of you might relate... I should preface this by saying that I have a great relationship with my parents (and family in general) and they have always been very encouraging of me as a musician, even if I don't really play or compose any more.
 
Recently there was a family discussion about music, which included my 11 y/o niece (and younger nephew) who, perhaps inevitably, likes Taylor Swift and people like that. Perhaps not being able to help myself, I had to admit that I probably couldn't pick Taylor Swift out of a lineup and didn't know any of her songs. I try to avoid being the family's token cranky music snob (yet here we are...) and have rather accepted that my fanatical love of film and classical music is not something I'm going to pass on to any of my immediate relatives.
 
Inevitably I made some passing comment about Taylor Swift being no Gustav Mahler (I know, I know...). Afterwards, my mother started telling me about various popular, middle of the road bands I should try, despite the fact that she knows that my interest in popular music is pretty limited (if it's not the Divine Comedy, Ben Folds, Rufus Wainwright or Randy Newman I'm not interested... not really true but I don't spend a lot of time exploring popular music) and that I have and endless supply of film and classical to explore.
 
It occurred to me afterwards that my mother wouldn't think to suggest my sister check out some Beethoven or that my niece and nephew might like to try some of the film music Uncle Tom likes - at least they could connect with some of that if they've seen the films. It was a bit like that when I started getting into film music and playing it on the piano, it was always "why don't you try some Billy Mayerl..." (I wonder if I should try some of his stuff, maybe I'd like it now?!) rather than playing the film music I was absolutely obsessed with. Notwithstanding that my sister isn't that musical, there wasn't any pressure on her to stop listening to whatever 90s pop she liked when we were growing up.
 
I appreciate that I could be a bit more receptive to these suggestions so I accept that I'm probably being somewhat intransigent. However, it's more the asymmetry in how I'm treated when it comes to music, coupled with the fact that I'm probably the only member of my family who actually has a very strong and defined musical taste. I don't really mind that nobody else shares my passion and they don't all go round humming JW or Sibelius or HTTYD or March to the Scaffold from the Symphonie fantastique, but it's a tiny bit irritating being told that I'm the one who should try listening to effing Mumford and Sons...

Braveheart
 
First time seeing it. I know that there is quite a lot of stuff that is historically wrong, but I don't really care when a film is this good.
 
Absolutely loved it. 3 hours flew by I thought. And James Horner's score somehow becomes even better after seeing the film.

Braveheart
 
First time seeing it. I know that there is quite a lot of stuff that is historically wrong, but I don't really care when a film is this good.
 
Absolutely loved it. 3 hours flew by I thought. And James Horner's score somehow becomes even better after seeing the film.

Braveheart
 
First time seeing it. I know that there is quite a lot of stuff that is historically wrong, but I don't really care when a film is this good.
 
Absolutely loved it. 3 hours flew by I thought. And James Horner's score somehow becomes even better after seeing the film.

1 Old Tom Bombadil.mp4 2 Rhun.mp4 3 Concerning Stoors.mp4 8 Eregion.mp4 12 Estrid.mp4

https://shop.filmfestival.be/products/elliot-goldenthal-music-for-film
 
American composer Elliot Goldenthal has made a tremendous contribution to the art of film and theater music. He has written music for nearly forty films and he impressed, time and again, with his unique mix of techniques, genres and styles. His combination of orchestral music with jazz, rock and electronic music has not only earned him three World Soundtrack Awards, but also an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. This album compiles the highlights of his award-winning oeuvre, but also presents two more recent concert suites. With brand new studio recordings of Frida, Heat and Alien³, among others, this album is a tribute to his flourishing career.
 

I saw that as well.
There are also rumours that the show will be taken of Disney+, just like 2022's Willow.

Finished my second listen.  Damn, what an album.  It's rare to get a new film score album (IE for a new score, not a revisit of an old score) these days thats so good from front to back.  That final track is so awesome, and there's SO many highlights throughout the whole album!
 
And boy, what a world we live in that as great as it is to have these 100 minutes of music to digest now, we got another THREE episode albums coming out less than a week from now, then 5 more after that.  Why can't EVERY show get that!?

I'm not sure what it is or why exactly, but Old Tom Bombadil makes me weirdly emotional. It's just triggers something in me.
Maybe it's because my dad would've also really liked this song. He didn't really listen to film music, only when I was, but he always liked these folksy kind of songs and it just makes me feel really close to him somehow.

I'm not sure what it is or why exactly, but Old Tom Bombadil makes me weirdly emotional. It's just triggers something in me.
Maybe it's because my dad would've also really liked this song. He didn't really listen to film music, only when I was, but he always liked these folksy kind of songs and it just makes me feel really close to him somehow.

I'm not sure what it is or why exactly, but Old Tom Bombadil makes me weirdly emotional. It's just triggers something in me.
Maybe it's because my dad would've also really liked this song. He didn't really listen to film music, only when I was, but he always liked these folksy kind of songs and it just makes me feel really close to him somehow.

That vinyl cover is really cool.
 
And I think I'm hearing another cue than you guys because The Sun Yet Shines to me has that epic feel. It's maybe not overtly heroic, but I feel it's a strong ending. Especially those final four notes over the crescendo at the end.