The "I like it, but why doesn't anybody else?" thread

[MSM 126]

John Williams - Sabrina.

[Melange 446]

The "I like it, but why doesn't anybody else?"

Plenty of other people may like it for all I know,but it doesn't show up often.

Barrington Pheloung's Score to Nostradamus (1995)

It's one of the older (as in, when purchased) scores in my CD collection.

Barrington's score is a very pleasant (and at times dark and disturbing) work, mixing orchestral and period pieces.

Watched the movie in the cinema. Just me and some other guy in a seat far away.

To me it's rather an overlooked movie. Beautifully styled. Flaws, but interesting.

Tchéky Karyo and F. Murray Abraham are in it, as they generally are in this kind of movie.

[A24 4,326]

Vanilla Sky

[John Crichton 4]

Does Images get the love it deserves? I can understand some of the wierder aspects turning people off (works just fine for me, though), but the main theme is undeniably one of Williams' best. Blood Moon deserves to be mentioned among Williams' best cues.

[MSM 126]

Also Missouri Breaks and Always. I can't get enough of those scores. They're both in my JW top 10.

[indy4 155]

Does Images get the love it deserves? I can understand some of the wierder aspects turning people off (works just fine for me, though), but the main theme is undeniably one of Williams' best. Blood Moon deserves to be mentioned among Williams' best cues.

"Blood Moon" is indeed fantastic.

[SF1_freeze 131]

Indiana Jones 4. But only because I don't take the film seriously and don't search for plot-holes or anything like that. I just sit back and relax. I remember when I first watched on the cinema I had that good old fashioned feeling I hadn't had with recent films.

Here come the rocks thrown at me...

(Ducks)

I agree 100 percent. I like most of Indiana Jones 4 and had a great experience in the cinema

[Morn 8]

Composer: Christopher Gordon

This guy knows how to write proper orchestral music, yet nobody ever seems to hire him for any large scale films.

For the TV series of Moby Dick, he came up with a wonderfully nautical main theme as well as some brilliantly engaging action music.

"On the Beach" contains some beautiful themes, some doomed patriottic music, great development of themes and wonderful orchestration.

With apparently all the orchestrations being handled by the composer himself, which is exceptional in and of itself.

"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"'s music isn't too impressive, but there is some cool parts and it works wonders in the film.

His most recent score for "Mao's Last Dancer" contains some wonderful music that sounds both appropriately Chinese, but also wonderfully engaging.

I wished someone would give this guy a big assignment so that he can become a more generally known composer.

Ohh yes, he's Australia's best composer at the moment, I love him. He lives in Sydney.

He did rather good piece of music on Sydney too.

http://www.christophergordon.net/SydneyAStoryofaCity.html

Anyway, my vote is Alex North. He's a composer equal to if not better to Williams and Goldsmith. Yet he's underappreciated.

[mahler3 478]

I might be the only one who think Sleepers is probably the finest score of the 90's

There are those of us who think this is a solid, very good score from Williams.

Absolutely yes, Hell's Kitchen is one of Williams finest pieces of any decade. I've said this a few times, but anyone who was at the '98 Williams / LSO concert will remember that surprise encore with fond memories i'm sure!

The "I like it, but why doesn't anybody else?"

Plenty of other people may like it for all I know,but it doesn't show up often.

Barrington Pheloung's Score to Nostradamus (1995)

It's one of the older (as in, when purchased) scores in my CD collection.

Barrington's score is a very pleasant (and at times dark and disturbing) work, mixing orchestral and period pieces.

Watched the movie in the cinema. Just me and some other guy in a seat far away.

To me it's rather an overlooked movie. Beautifully styled. Flaws, but interesting.

Tchéky Karyo and F. Murray Abraham are in it, as they generally are in this kind of movie.

Barrington Pheloung is probably one of the most underrated composers out there, I agree it's a solid film and the score works well. Shopgirl / Hilary & Jackie / Inspector Morse / Days of Majesty are career highlights worth seeking out if you haven't already.

Vanilla Sky

I also enjoy this, a sometimes creepy and well thought out movie and the chemistry with Cruise & Cruz is radiant. I think Cameron Crowe was slated so much due to the inevitable pressure of following-up the superb Almost Famous

I quite like Elizabethstown too (a crush on Kirsten Dunst may sway that verdict though! )

I'm also a fan of Always and to a lesser degree Far & Away. And both movies have wonderful scores, IMHO. I'm usually not a fan of scores where a lot of it is light, sparse, slow "drama" underscore, but the scores in both those movies just absolutely work for me.

Always... love Richard Dreyfuss, sweet to see Audrey Hepburn, the cinematography as mentioned is gorgeous. The comedy and romance at times feels a bit "forced" but never insanely so, just a bit... "fakey" sometimes.

Far & Away... as mentioned, Tom & Nicole are actually pretty good in this. It feels like it should be one of those "just a bit too long" films, but it never feels like it drags or is too long for me. Also some very beautiful cinematography in this one as well. And always a hoot to see Chief O'Brien from Star Trek.

Mikael Soloman did the photography for this aswell, he was the king of gloss for a few years before turning to direction. He directed a couple of Band of Brothers episodes if my memory serves me right.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

Ohh yes, he's Australia's best composer at the moment, I love him. He lives in Sydney.

He did rather good piece of music on Sydney too.

http://www.christophergordon.net/SydneyAStoryofaCity.html

As far as I'm concerned, he's one of the most promising composers in the world.

If only someone would give him something to DO!

He managed to rise to challenges quite admirably in the past, so give him another already!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Does Images get the love it deserves? I can understand some of the wierder aspects turning people off (works just fine for me, though), but the main theme is undeniably one of Williams' best. Blood Moon deserves to be mentioned among Williams' best cues.

Images doesn't have enough of a release to be fairly represented and I guarantee that most people on this site have never seen the film.

[Marian Schedenig 8,175]

Vanilla Sky

I might have liked it, but I saw Abre los ojos first. And after that, Vanilla Sky just seemed like an overhollywoodised, unnecessary version.

I like Starship Troopers, though I think that it is overrated as a satiric masterpiece. Verhoven is too in love with the violence to fully satirize it.

I think that makes it so brilliant. It *works* as cheap, dumb, facist action entertainment, even when you know what it actually is. When I watch it, I feel bad for feeling entertained.

[Quintus 5,399]

I never feel bad for being entertained. If anything, I feel grateful.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Vanilla Sky

I might have liked it, but I saw Abre los ojos first. And after that, Vanilla Sky just seemed like an overhollywoodised, unnecessary version.

I like Starship Troopers, though I think that it is overrated as a satiric masterpiece. Verhoven is too in love with the violence to fully satirize it.

I think that makes it so brilliant. It *works* as cheap, dumb, facist action entertainment, even when you know what it actually is. When I watch it, I feel bad for feeling entertained.

you can say it works as dumb facist action entertainment, but it was not cheap. You can look at the film and realize its cheap, it cost over 100 million dollars to make and its all there on the screen.

[Marian Schedenig 8,175]

you can say it works as dumb facist action entertainment, but it was not cheap. You can look at the film and realize its cheap, it cost over 100 million dollars to make and its all there on the screen.

You can make a cheap movie (especially when, as in my case, "cheap" refers to the story and characters) with tons of money, just like you can make B movies with A budgets.

I never said it *looks* cheap. In fact, it looks awesome.

[Wojo 2,453]

Waterworld looks awesome.

Battlefield Earth looks awesome.

Cutthroat Island looks awesome.

Not cheap, either.

[Ollie 1,059]

Perhaps it's the acting of the great Casper Van Dien and the spot on performance of the wonderful thespian Denise Richards that gives the film that "cheap" late night cable TV movie feel.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

acting of the great Casper Van Dien

Mmhmm.

I have to add River Phoenix to this thread. It seems like everyone's forgotten about what I consider to be an endlessly captivating human being. If I bring him up in conversation with folks, I get strange looks or my favorite response yet, "is that the actor who hung himself?" What in the hell has happened to this world.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

There should be a thread titled 'The "I hate it, but why does everyone else love it?" thread'.

[Quintus 5,399]

There should be a Find Me Something To Hate thread.

[A24 4,326]

I might have liked it, but I saw Abre los ojos first. And after that, Vanilla Sky just seemed like an overhollywoodised, unnecessary version.

That's why I placed it in this thread. People just don't like it. Some say it's more Hollywood than Michael Bay, others scratch their heads over it.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

Whatever happened to the Australian composer Brian May?

[A24 4,326]

Whatever happened to the Australian composer Brian May?

He moved on to form Queen.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

Whatever happened to the Australian composer Brian May?

He moved on to form Queen.

Oh, dear.

[A24 4,326]

Whatever happened to the Australian composer Brian May?

He moved on to form Queen.

Oh, dear.

Oh, dear indeed, Brian May died in 1997.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

Sad news, but thanks for that, Alex. I thought that he did good jobs on both "Mad Max", and "Mad Max 2", putting the Maurice Jarre score for "...Beyond Thundredome" a little at odds with what went before.

[Wojo 2,453]

There should be a Find Me Something To Hate thread.

Don't you want something to hate? Don't you need something to hate? Wouldn't you love something to hate? You better find something to hate.

[David Coscina 3]

Composer: Christopher Gordon

This guy knows how to write proper orchestral music, yet nobody ever seems to hire him for any large scale films.

For the TV series of Moby Dick, he came up with a wonderfully nautical main theme as well as some brilliantly engaging action music.

"On the Beach" contains some beautiful themes, some doomed patriottic music, great development of themes and wonderful orchestration.

With apparently all the orchestrations being handled by the composer himself, which is exceptional in and of itself.

"Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"'s music isn't too impressive, but there is some cool parts and it works wonders in the film.

His most recent score for "Mao's Last Dancer" contains some wonderful music that sounds both appropriately Chinese, but also wonderfully engaging.

I wished someone would give this guy a big assignment so that he can become a more generally known composer.

Ohh yes, he's Australia's best composer at the moment, I love him. He lives in Sydney.

He did rather good piece of music on Sydney too.

http://www.christophergordon.net/SydneyAStoryofaCity.html

Anyway, my vote is Alex North. He's a composer equal to if not better to Williams and Goldsmith. Yet he's underappreciated.

Agree on both counts. Gordon is one of the best composers working in the film realm and Daybreakers really brings it. It's wonderfully diverse and epic. I cannot wait to interview him this week. EDIT- in a recent interview when he was asked what film he would have loved to score, Gordon said "Lord of the Rings". No offense to Shore but Gordon would have given us a really damn good symphonic score. And, once again, no disrespect to Shore, but Gordon is the finest choral composer we have got working in film currently. It would have been amazing. Sigh.

Alex North is a god IMO and is in fact just as great as Williams and Goldsmith (I hear a lot of North in Goldsmith's seminal '70s scores actually).