Matt C

Roughly the same number as Desplat. I know Williams used 100 session players and a 30 member chorus for the first JP score.

Curious why McQuarrie switched composers AGAIN.

I hoped Desplat would do it— and I am happy he is scoring it (as opposed to Zimmer or Giacchino). Pleasantly surprised! Is he recording the score with LSO or the Philharmonia?

I don’t know what the reason was but you’d think Sandberg would’ve wanted him to maintain thematic continuity.

Silvestri managed to write three powerhouse Avengers scores without any ghostwriters (and only 1-2 orchestrators). But he and Williams are outliers when even a veteran like Elfman has ghostwriters now. If I was a film director, I would try to get the composer I wanted before filming started. Give the composer the shooting script and have them start preliminary work just on that— and use their score to temp the film. That way the composer can have the luxury of refining the music so that the studio and producers are on the same page. And if they’re not, that’s when you replace the composer.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods This is… not good. I put off watching it because of the lackluster reviews but even those weren’t enough. It feels like someone else directed it with a writer who only read the Wikipedia summary of the first Shazam movie. The chemistry between Zachary Levi and Jack Grazer, which made the first film, is basically nonexistent. Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler are wasted as the new characters. The whole thing is dull and a big comedown for David Sandberg. (It’s saying something when not only is The Flash better but Shazam 2 is even more boring than Aquaman 2.) And what makes things worse is that composer Christophe Beck doesn’t even quote Wallfisch’s excellent themes, just weak imitations. Beck had no problems quoting other composers material in Ant-Man, so it’s puzzling why he went the opposite direction for this.

Fleming joining Superman seems like an Avengers Age of Ultron situation. WB probably wants more of a Zimmer style without the Zimmer price tag but they’re keeping Murphy on to keep Gunn happy.

I would’ve loved to see Sandy DeCrescent’s scream when Williams was recording one time at the Jaws sessions. That was the only time she interrupted a take during the recording. On another note, I would’ve loved to witness the recording sessions for Elfman’s first Batman movie with Shirley Walker conducting. It would’ve been mind blowing.

Batman Forever It’s been years since I last saw it, but I decided to rewatch it again in light of Val Kilmer’s passing. It’s simultaneously better and worse than I thought, the latter due to the tonal shifts to Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones overacting. Kilmer is solid, Chris O’Connell has good screen presence and Nicole Kidman is babelicious here. The quiet dramatic scenes between Kilmer and Kidman work very well — almost could be in a Nolan movie. You can tell Joel Schumacher was more interested in the subplot about Bruce’s childhood trauma than the comic book theatrics with The Riddler and Two-Face. Elliot Goldenthal’s score is a lot of fun but it can be a bit too much at times.

I don’t think Williams is going to fly to London for scoring sessions anymore. If he is scoring Rebirth, he’ll probably have William Ross conducting the sessions and him observing remotely.

He did quote several themes in Endgame from other composers, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he quotes Ottman or Powell’s X-men themes in Doomsday. Quoting Giacchino’s F4 theme is likely too since the characters are supposedly the main group in next year’s film. Either RDJ negotiated for that significant “and” credit (usually reserved for SLJ) or he will get top billing. The latter is more likely.

Cinderella (2015 film) While I’m not a fan of Disney remaking their classic animated films into live action, this one justifies its existence (maybe because I didn’t care for the original). Unlike the slavish Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King remakes, it fleshes out the story and allows Kenneth Branagh to make it his own. While it follows the predictable path to a happy ending, it’s painless and fairly enjoyable. Patrick Doyle’s score is just as beautiful as the source material demands, while unleashing well needed excitement during the midnight hour escape sequence. Sumptuously photographed by Harris Zambarloukos too.

Beauty and the Beast (1991) It had been a while since I last saw it in full and it still holds up magnificently over the decades. The animation work remains stunning (particularly the iconic ballroom dancing sequence), the songs are catchy and move the story along, the voice actors are perfectly cast. It certainly is one of the Mouse House’s finest films— funny, dazzling, romantic, poignant. Can’t say the same for the cash grab 2017 remake. An American Werewolf in London It’s still amusing and scary, with plenty of gore and nudity to spice things up. The ending is anticlimactic and downbeat but how else could the story end? It’s a shame David Naughton faded into obscurity after this movie because he had potential to be a breakout star. Director John Landis did Elmer Bernstein dirty with using “Blue Moon” over the signature transformation scene rather than use what he recorded. “Metamorphosis” actually makes the sequence terrifying and puts the audience in the protagonist’s perspective.

Wallfisch would be a great choice. He would definitely reference Williams and Giacchino’s material in Rebirth if Alien Romulus is any indication. I would also love to see Desplat reunite with Edwards on this but I doubt it. A potential JW score by Desplat would probably be close to Godzilla in tone with references to Williams’ motifs.

From Intrada: - Supercell (Corey Wallace) - The Flash (Benjamin Wallfisch)