MikeH

This may have been discussed elsewhere, but is anyone considering the Episode I rescreening early May 2024 (25th Anniversary)?
 

 

It had some problems, for sure, but it also had some spectacular elements that saved it for me -- the production design, the make-up, the performances of Tim Roth and Helena Bonham-Carter (in particular) and an amazing Elfman score. That's enough for me to give it a thumbs up.

Oh Johnny...

It's common knowledge that Goldsmith was a chromogen not unlike Bernard Herrmann.  Marco Beltrami said that Goldsmith had a chip on his shoulder that he never found his Spielberg or Lucas which I thought was a dig at JW.  This sort of stuff isn't really that big a deal because it's so common.  We tend to compare ourselves to our peers rather than to ourselves and at the top levels like these two were, it can be fiercely competitive but doesn't mean that much.  It's sort of just an emotional response but if given a moment to think more clearly on it, I think Goldsmith would refine his criticism to more of a backhanded compliment.  When JG died, his daughter published online about 50 pages of a bio she was writing about her dad.  I think the book was either never completed or the project fell through, but I read it and she quoted JG commenting on many of his contemporaries.  Again, it wasn't personal, just chromogeny comments when comparing himself to others feeling he didn't get an award someone else did for something he felt was inferior, type of thing.  So what.  Saying it doesn't make it true and isn't insightful to what he even really means.

I quite liked this post from a Reddit thread on the video:
 

Probably the main ideas.

"People ask about a legacy, I don't think about [that] very much - I think I'm much too young to think about such things" - John Williams

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/john-williams-oscars-star-wars-steven-spielberg-collaborations-1235929403/

That’s in the works 

That Intrada… you give ‘em an Inchon they’ll take a mile.

He is so freaking cool. 

Really good interview. Glad they avoided every single pitfall that plague his interviews.
 
Karol

It would have to be the finale of CE3K for me (and that's not because of the subject matter).
 
EDIT: But if you want something shorter, I would go with "Welcome to Jurassic Park".

I also don't get the negativity here. The Dial of Destiny score by Williams is just awesome. Nothing I heard in Göransson's score for Oppenheimer comes close musically. Williams is still at the top of the game. And I believe, that he has been nominated because in the academy - in opposition to large parts of this forum - there are people who see this and know what they are talking about.
 
He might not win, and it might not be his best score and the Oscars might be ridiculous, but I believe that Williams musically wrote the best and most mature score of the year and he deserves to win.
My view.
 
Sometimes hard to believe, that we are in a John Williams fan forum here. 

He is crazy witty and charming on these occasions.  My favorite is from the late Mancini tribute when Williams went with the widow.
 
“I was all of 25 years old when Henry invited me to Universal Studios to play in his orchestra for a film session,” he recalled. “And apparently, it went very well, and I began to play with Henry on all of his recording sessions. He frequently had a chorus, and there was a beautiful young girl I kept noticing on session after session. One day I said to one of my musician friends, ‘Who is that fabulous blond girl up in the chorus? The third one in from the left.’ And he said, ‘Forget it. That’s Ginny, and she’s married to Hank.’
“So when Ginny invited me to be her date tonight, after I think 60 years” — Williams savored the pause — “I feel like I have finally made it.”

Likes/subscribes/comments welcomed 

 

It may be as simple as Scott got Phipps to write a piano cue, and despite it being a fine cue, was a bit iffy over whether it worked cinematically. Then he goes back to his temp track and for whatever reason it works better for him than Phipp's cue, and it's just easier to licence that cue than get Phipps to keep revising his music.
 
I really think that viewing it as some sort of insult to the composer, and insinuating that basically any Hollywood composer should be able to write music that satisfies the exact wishes of that particular director and film, is a little rosy tinted.

This commercial? It's charming, and helped to keep E.T. in the public consciousness.
 
The only blight on E.T. is the abysmal Atari video game. lol
 

Williams seems to care a lot about his legacy. The idea of writing themes, suites and motifs for future composers, producers or directors to arrange/edit sounds like the last thing he'd be interested in - he would have no final say in the product.
While the idea of an endless pool of JW music is appealing on a surface level it doesn't really work, does it? He needs to be involved in all parts of the process, in my opinion.

I'd say an expansion of this quality being released thirty plus years after the release of the film is no laughing matter, nor is it something to turn one's nose up at. 
When these sets are as miraculous as they are to come to fruition, against the odds of studio money and interest, it baffles me that there exists a subset, albeit tiny I'm aware, of people who will insist on backhandedly snubbing these things as inferior. 
 
I'm not in the habit of messing around on here, but for fuck's sake, after all these years I'm so tired of seeing Thor's childish arguments and stance against these releases. 
 
Listening experience is something as subjective as the type of derriere someone prefers, but with these expansions comes the cleanest, clearest sonic improvements that do directly affect listening experience. Why would I want to listen to the 1991 compilation when it sounds like a turd in comparison to later releases? 
 
I'm going to say something controversial here, but to hell with Williams' intended listening experience. Nine times out of ten, I find his editorial decisions to go against what my preferred listening experience is. How many decades are we supposed to wait to hear cues that Williams thought ought to be cut? Or cues that had portions microedited out? 
 
I'm thirty now, and scores like those for the Star Wars prequels remain for the most part incomplete and unavailable to listen to in their full form outside of the films - how many more decades am I going to wait to get a release?
 
When it happens in 2030, I'm going to find Thor on here, opining that he doesn't need them and the OSTs were more than enough...
 
Yeah, well waiting, hoping, asking, buying release after release with the promise of future expansions is more than enough for a lifetime.

2022: "Indiana Jones is my last film score, I'm retiring from film scoring"
 
2023: Lucasfilm announces the Daisy Ridley film
 
Also 2023: "When I said I was retiring, I didn't mean I was retiring"
 
Coincidence? 🤔

If I'm lucky enough to reach his age in good health, I won't be sitting around waiting to die. It seems JW has the same outlook.

Both the Heidi/ Jane and the Hook Part I episodes are fantastic. 
 
I know I've expressed this before but if Mike Matessino had a podcast, I'd listen to him talk about this stuff for hours. 
 
I echo what others have already said, that hearing the behind the scenes stories on this latest episode was so great and fascinating. I'm surprised Spielberg told Leslie "no" when initially asked about the song demos. I'm so glad he did end up saying yes in the end. 
 
The whole story with Didier was really interesting, and highlights even more how lucky we all are that Mike exists and is doing what he does with such integrity. So much so that I'll see a score release that I'm not familiar with at all, but I see "Mike Matessino" mentioned and I want to instantly buy it because I know that the work done on it was done with care and attention to quality and detail. 
 

 
 
Fascinating to hear that there were boxes labeled "Hook" with a bunch of uncategorized stuff in them. Crazy how some of these items are stored. Someone needs to send Mike an Indiana Jones hat to wear when he digs through this stuff. 
 
It's also crazy that it took a year to get all the vocalists approvals and do fee negotiation. It must feel great for Hook to have finally come out, for all those who were involved in working on it. 
 
As always, appreciated all the questions and comments from @TownerFan and @mahler3. Looking forward to Part II of the Hook discussion. 
 

I'm also fine with any SW prequel.