MSM

Saw it yesterday. 6/10. It’s more of a philosophical thriller than a UFO/alien picture. 
 
So the theme is Empathy. We know this because Hugo almost breaks the 4th wall to tell us dummies so. It’s even a track title.  But there really isn’t much going on to demonstrate empathy besides Blunt’s psychic abilities, which I think are different from real human empathy. I guess you have the bad guys torturing the aliens, but as @crumbs pointed out, it’s not explored.  I dunno. I felt like the movie is only about empathy because they pound their fist say so. 
 
But the thing is, this is a Steven Spielberg film. The guy that gets tears to form and then drip with help from Williams. Empathy is a strong emotional concept.  I felt very little feelings watching this movie. Those people who say they got choked up at the end? What are they smoking? The best performance was the CNN anchor who had trouble processing it.  
 
You can’t NOT compare this to CE3K and ET.  This is so needless and redundant and inferior in every way. It lacks the warmth of ET, the majesty of CE3K, and the wonder of both. 
 
I liked the train sequence. Hoping someone records that with comedic Dunn & Duffy circus train music from Indy’s First Adventure.  It was good tension, but even the breaking glass trailer sequence from the Lost World does it better. 
 
I did enjoy Emily Blunt going mad. Spielberg still has the touch when it comes to people losing their minds under the influence of Extra-Terrestrials in their brains. 
 
As for the ending.

 
John’s score is good, but it isn’t a masterpiece. I was surprised how sparsely spotted the first act was (or felt).  But this was not the movie for Williams to really open up and deliver the chills to the back of your neck.  There are still brilliant moments and I need to listen to it more. 
 
Spielberg still has recognizable techniques but the whole can’t come together for something meaningful that moves audiences like he used to.  This is a movie you exit feeling bewildered. 
 
 

My two cents:
1) I feel it would have been great had (sections of) the archival footage been interspersed as flashbacks throughout the storyline, as backstory to better flesh out Noah Scanlon’s character. It would also have made for a genuine alien/ufo movie in the process.
2) The less talking, the better the Spielberg film.

My two cents:
1) I feel it would have been great had (sections of) the archival footage been interspersed as flashbacks throughout the storyline, as backstory to better flesh out Noah Scanlon’s character. It would also have made for a genuine alien/ufo movie in the process.
2) The less talking, the better the Spielberg film.

Well, spare no expense. Today's the 33rd anniversary of JP! 
As my way of celebrating, I've made a custom presentation edit of the film's score; via Audacity. (This has also been one reason for my long absence)
If you're curious, I'll be happy to explain the technicals.
 
How do you like to celebrate?

My two cents:
1) I feel it would have been great had (sections of) the archival footage been interspersed as flashbacks throughout the storyline, as backstory to better flesh out Noah Scanlon’s character. It would also have made for a genuine alien/ufo movie in the process.
2) The less talking, the better the Spielberg film.

My two cents:
1) I feel it would have been great had (sections of) the archival footage been interspersed as flashbacks throughout the storyline, as backstory to better flesh out Noah Scanlon’s character. It would also have made for a genuine alien/ufo movie in the process.
2) The less talking, the better the Spielberg film.

This score really keeps surprising me. What’s more is that this is far from the first time Williams has taken this subdued impressionistic route, but even compared to other scores in this vein, this one keeps finding new unheard sounds and techniques.
 
I think it also adds some nice diversity to Williams’s output, not that he really needs it given how diverse he already is. Not every score has to be grandly operatic.

First of all isn't it amazing how Maestro John Williams 1) has given us another original score at age 94!! and 2) re-invents himself time and again, sounding fresh and new AND familiar at the same time? The sound of this score may be less lush and thematic compared to his 80s and 90s scores but the suspenseful tension building has increased over the years, and it all sounds very convincing. We hear a composer who made his point already a long time ago, doesn't need to show off, just giving us exactly what is needed.
 
I'm choosing "Dive", "Celestial", and "Memory". "Dive" is a surprisingly modern, brooding, almost un-Williamsesque action cue which I can't stop listening to. We might have not seen proper UFOs in this movie, this track certainly does sound like the quintessential arrival cue! And "Memory" and "Celestial" (and also the Bernard Herrmann-like “Believe”) give us glimpses of the supernatural wonder we know from CEot3K, Dial of Destiny and AI. It all comes wonderfully together in "Reprise".
 
The score on itself is an adventure, which doesn't necessarily needs the movie...actually much like any JW score. 

It's beautiful and needs a 5 minute concert arrangement that starts softly like the Memory track or end of Celestial and progresses in full orchestral arrangement like in Reprise but longer and more developed with a proper ending.
 

I went with memory..., celestial..., and reprise.... What can I say, I love the Memory theme. Had a tough time choosing between celestial… and believe…, though.

Yes , I would have liked that theme to go on . it's like Rose's theme in Rebellion is Reborn where it cuts off abruptly into the the other theme.
 
The Memory theme is my favorite theme is this score , it's so beautiful. It's like a mix of Hide and Seek from A.I. and the Archimedes theme from DoD.
 
More specific question : Is there unreleased variations of the Memory theme in the film?
 
The Reprise theme is the Memory theme just played for full orchestra. First more dramatic then the soaring E.T. like arrangement. so it's 1.03-2.01.

Yeah, they were recorded. There was a pre-concert talk on Friday, and the guest speaker played excerpts from Thursday's performance.

Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Anna Handler, conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano
Perfromances will be on Friday, May 28; Saturday, May 29th; & Sunday May 30th, 2027 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA.
https://www.laphil.com/events/performances/4528/2027-05-30/john-williams-and-mahlers-titan

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He wasn’t…and a bit of the magic was gone w him. Although again a lovely concert, there was too much noise from the audience - a cane dropping twice in the front row and 5 phones ringing, once in the first row. Shaham and Ax were wonderful and we were happy to run into them afterwards!

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Well, I had to cut my stay in Beantown short and hightail it back home ahead of the storm...
 
But I at least accomplished my goal of going to the Boston Public Garden and communing with the dawn redwoods that inspired 'TreeSong,' as well as with the granddaddy metasequoia at the Arnold Arboretum—but this time in the company of @MSM, who I keep bumping into on my travels. lol
 
Good also to meet up with @Foxfan, @rpvee, and a couple of JWFan lurkers (you know who you are).
 
Now, can somebody confirm if this is David Newman, or just his doppelgänger...?
 

 
He seems to be looking at me, as if to say: "Yes. I'm David Newman." lol
 
 
 
 
 
 

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