What Is The Last Score You Listened To? (older scores)

[Bespin Copilot 10,298]

3 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

I think that there are many truths in HOOSIERS, your comment certainly being one of them.

Yes, HOOSIERS is a fairy tale, and it's a nice, cozy fairy tale, completely unlikely the Brothers Grimm.

GerateWohl, however, wanted a description of the film, and I offered a brief overview.

It's a quiet, lovely film, that focuses on determination, and courage, and it demands to be seen by the largest audience possible.

It's still the second best basketball film.

 

 

I respect the fact that you’ve clearly never taken on the exercise of trying to put yourself in the shoes of a pair of basketball sneakers to understand how they feel, and that's a shame.

 

It's truly a disgrace that those shoes didn’t win an Oscar that year.

[Naïve Old Fart 12,493]

There are many pieces of sporting apparel that I have put myself in. Unfortunately, a pair of Chucks is not one of them.

I agree; it should have won Best Original Score, at least.

[Bespin Copilot 10,298]

2 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

There are many pieces of sporting apparel that I have put myself in. Unfortunately, a pair of Chucks is not one of them.

 

I'll explore the tragic story of a jockstrap in "Field of Dreams" in an upcoming post.

[Tallguy 6,604]

40 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

I think that there are many truths in HOOSIERS, your comment certainly being one of them.

Yes, HOOSIERS is a fairy tale, and it's a nice, cozy fairy tale, completely unlikely the Brothers Grimm.

GerateWohl, however, wanted a description of the film, and I offered a brief overview.

It's a quiet, lovely film, that focuses on determination, and courage, and it demands to be seen by the largest audience possible.

It's still the second best basketball film.

 

 

Space Jam?

 

21 minutes ago, bespinGPT said:

 

I'll explore the tragic story of a jockstrap in "Field of Dreams" in an upcoming post.

 

If you build it...

[Edmilson 11,415]

45 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

It's still the second best basketball film.

 

The best is still Space Jam

 

[Edmilson 11,415]

Oops, forgot to post my reviews from my Harry Gregson-Williams project!

 

Here we go...

 

Shrek 2

 

While the score to the first Shrek is very memorable to me due to how many times I saw that movie as a kid, the music in the sequels only grabbed my attention when A- it is quoting themes or cues from the 1st or B- they're pop songs. So I listened to the recording sessions for the two and while it is fun and I managed to identify a new theme (or at least I think it's new) this is clearly the case of a score playing second fiddle to the pop songs and pop culture references. So yeah, listening to this hasn't changed the fact that for the foreseeable future the only Shrek music I'll remember is stuff from the first one and the songs.

 

Team America: World Police

 

Another score for an animated comedy, though one for a more mature target audience. Since the movie is a parody of the Jerry Bruckheimer action stuff I thought this would sound like The Rock/Armageddon/Enemy of the State/etc. But actually this is a primarily orchestral score with "traditional" action music and drama and even some swashbuckling. It's all done in the name of parody sure, but it's good music nonetheless.

 

Kingdom of Heaven

 

Listened for the second times in a few weeks and liked it even more. This is surely Gregson-Williams' masterpiece. In terms of scope and scale I don't think he has ever done anything like that (until Gladiator II, perhaps?). It made me want to see the movie again just to identify all the numerous amazing themes Harry wrote. However the superior 3-hour Director's Cut is not streaming anywhere. Thanks for nothing Disney 

 

Domino

 

An intermission between two HGW epics with another techno thriller crap. Perhaps it was even HGW who invented, or at least popularized, these disturbing electronic techno rave-like scores for suspense films.

 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

 

HGW's most famous score for sure (even though the movie itself is crap). Amazing themes but just so-so underscore. When it's good it's REALLY good, especially after the kids meet Aslan, but during most of the recording sessions the score is somewhat boring, non-descript and aimless. Thankfully the ending is great and has some of the best music Harry wrote in his 3 decade career.

 

But hey Harry, here's an advice: John Williams' Star Wars and Howard Shore's LOTR won Oscars and awards and etc. because their scores were good from start to finish. A score that during 50% of the runtime is trying its best not to call attention for itself isn't going to win you anything 

 

Anyway, as I was already familiar with Narnia and Kingdom of Heaven, they weren't the main goals of this marathon. Rather I'm going through it precisely because I'd like to meet the HGW that exists BESIDES Narnia and KoH. So let's go to 2006 and beyond...

[Edmilson 11,415]

Seraphim Falls

 

Harry followed one of his biggest successes with one of the most unknown movies on his curriculum, so much so that it didn't even get an official OST release. Thankfully the recording sessions leaked.

 

This movie apparently is a western. HGW's music is fully orchestral but also... not very interesting? The whole score has tracks that sound the same thing over and over again. One of its themes is a nice homage (I'll presume it was an intentional homage) to Jerry Goldsmith's Patton with the echoplex trumpet. The other sounded like one of Zimmer's Batman themes from Batman v Superman 10 years after this score was released. And some parts is like he was on his way to quote his Narnia theme before going in a different direction.

 

Almost every cue is exactly the same: serious, important sounding orchestral music that sounds like a JNH score for a 90s thriller. And actually I think the whole thing was temped with the more serious and stately parts of The Fugitive, Wyatt Earp or The Postman. With so little difference between each cue it's hard to differentiate them. At least the ending is somewhat nice and offers a respite.

 

Look for this if you want to hear someone imitating JNH's 90s The Fugitive sound.

[Bespin Copilot 10,298]

James Horner vs Danny Elfman (1989-1990)

• James Horner - Field of Dreams (1989)
• Danny Elfman - Batman (1989)
• James Horner - Glory (1989)
• Danny Elfman - Edward Scissorhands (1990)

 

[Naïve Old Fart 12,493]

1/ BATMAN 

2/ GLORY  

3/ EDWARD SCISSORHANDS

= 3/ FIELD OF DREAMS

[The Score Cleaner 9,232]

15 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Oops, forgot to post my reviews from my Harry Gregson-Williams project!

 

Here we go...

 

Shrek 2

 

While the score to the first Shrek is very memorable to me due to how many times I saw that movie as a kid, the music in the sequels only grabbed my attention when A- it is quoting themes or cues from the 1st or B- they're pop songs. So I listened to the recording sessions for the two and while it is fun and I managed to identify a new theme (or at least I think it's new) this is clearly the case of a score playing second fiddle to the pop songs and pop culture references. So yeah, listening to this hasn't changed the fact that for the foreseeable future the only Shrek music I'll remember is stuff from the first one and the songs.

 

Team America: World Police

 

Another score for an animated comedy, though one for a more mature target audience. Since the movie is a parody of the Jerry Bruckheimer action stuff I thought this would sound like The Rock/Armageddon/Enemy of the State/etc. But actually this is a primarily orchestral score with "traditional" action music and drama and even some swashbuckling. It's all done in the name of parody sure, but it's good music nonetheless.

 

Kingdom of Heaven

 

Listened for the second times in a few weeks and liked it even more. This is surely Gregson-Williams' masterpiece. In terms of scope and scale I don't think he has ever done anything like that (until Gladiator II, perhaps?). It made me want to see the movie again just to identify all the numerous amazing themes Harry wrote. However the superior 3-hour Director's Cut is not streaming anywhere. Thanks for nothing Disney 

 

Domino

 

An intermission between two HGW epics with another techno thriller crap. Perhaps it was even HGW who invented, or at least popularized, these disturbing electronic techno rave-like scores for suspense films.

 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

 

HGW's most famous score for sure (even though the movie itself is crap). Amazing themes but just so-so underscore. When it's good it's REALLY good, especially after the kids meet Aslan, but during most of the recording sessions the score is somewhat boring, non-descript and aimless. Thankfully the ending is great and has some of the best music Harry wrote in his 3 decade career.

 

But hey Harry, here's an advice: John Williams' Star Wars and Howard Shore's LOTR won Oscars and awards and etc. because their scores were good from start to finish. A score that during 50% of the runtime is trying its best not to call attention for itself isn't going to win you anything 

 

Anyway, as I was already familiar with Narnia and Kingdom of Heaven, they weren't the main goals of this marathon. Rather I'm going through it precisely because I'd like to meet the HGW that exists BESIDES Narnia and KoH. So let's go to 2006 and beyond...

I like Narnia (unlike @Disco Stu who can't stand HGW), but it's definitely not as good as the Burgon version IMO.

[Thor 9,334]

 

One of those hidden gems you find when you dig deep enough every year, this was a highlight and runner-up of 2023. The film looks ridiculous, but the score is a super fun retro 80s synth/pop pastiche.

[Tallguy 6,604]

Field of Dreams

Batman

Glory

Edward Scissorhands

 

The real fight there is between Batman and Field of Dreams. They are both amazing. I'm just less obsessed with the Batman score than I was 35 years ago. (But it's a really good day for it...)

[LiterallyIconic 1,563]

.

[filmmusic 2,891]

 

I can't appreciate much Jarre's synth period.

And if I like some scores (eg. Dead Poets Society), it's because of the film.

[Jurassic Shark 15,905]

It's not high art.

[Tallguy 6,604]

28 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

 

I can't appreciate much Jarre's synth period.

And if I like some scores (eg. Dead Poets Society), it's because of the film.

 

Do you put Enemy Mine in this category?

[filmmusic 2,891]

1 minute ago, Tallguy said:

 

Do you put Enemy Mine in this category?

Hmmm.. I have seen the film once, and I don't remember the score. Is it good?

[Naïve Old Fart 12,493]

The score is not bad.

The film? It's got Dennis Quaid in it, so of course it's good 

[filmmusic 2,891]

2 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

The score is not bad.

Just listening to the deluxe edition. 

[Tallguy 6,604]

23 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

Hmmm.. I have seen the film once, and I don't remember the score. Is it good?

 

I love it, myself.

 

7 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

Just listening to the deluxe edition. 

 

Excellent!

[Thor 9,334]

 

Romantic, swingin', loungey, cool -- this 1968 Lai score is a gem.

[Knight of Ren 1,403]

I don't know why but I've been listening to several Peter Pan scores:

Pan - John Powell

This one tends to be overlooked when talking about Powell's best because the movie is not good, but I feel it's one of his strongest efforts. Full of memorable themes, vibrant and joyful from start to finish, and not one dull moment in there. It also has one of my favorite Powell cues, Flying Ship Fight which for me is on par with Battle of the Bewilderbeasts as one of his best action cues! If you take out the songs from the program, it's one of Powell's best and a really solid fantasy / action score!

 

Peter Pan & Wendy - Daniel Hart

This one surprised me when I listened to it because the movie looks quite bad, and I though it would be just a bland, generic score, but Hart keeps it constantly fresh thanks to his spirited and joyous orchestrations, and some strong and memorable themes. I particularly love a cue like Neverland, which incorporates bouncy vocal effects with clapping to represent the fairies, and then lays on top some majestic renditions of what I assume is Wendy's theme. The action is a bit start-and-stop mickey-mousing stuff at some points, but in the final set-pieces is really allowed to shine and brings all the different themes together to great effect!

 

Peter Pan - James Newton Howard

Classic Howard, full of all those little flourishes and fantasy writing he does so well. His themes are really strong as well, although perhaps a bit sparse in their application. There's quite a bit of comedic antics in some of the tracks which I'm not really a fan of, but when tracks like Flying or Fairy Dance come to play, it's just pure Howard magic!

 

Finding Neverland - Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

This is the least playful of the bunch, since it's more a drama than a fantasy movie, but in a way it also carries the same spirit of innocence and magic of childhood. It's always pleasant to listen to, and for me the highlights are some of those inspired solo piano takes on the different themes, like we hear in tracks like Neverland or The Park On Piano. My favorite score from Kaczmarek and a really beautiful one for sure.

 

Hook - John Williams

Listened to the original release and I feel that presentation doesn't really let you fully appreciate the scope of Williams' score. As I said, I'm not a really big fun of the comedic/mickey-mousing bits, but this score really soars when it goes full on fantasy/action mode. Remembering Childhood is an absolutely stunning take on some of the main themes from the score, and then I just love the final two tracks which basically blend every major idea in the score for an epic and emotional finale. Will probably listen to LLL's expanded release some time soon, as I feel I will appreciate the score a lot more, and will be able to identify all the many different themes and motifs that make up this brilliant Williams' score!

 

It's funny that this same topic/character has inspired so many different composers to deliver some of their best work! Any great Peter Pan related score I'm missing and should listen to?

[Thor 9,334]

12 minutes ago, Knight of Ren said:

It's funny that this same topic/character has inspired so many different composers to deliver some of their best work! Any great Peter Pan related score I'm missing and should listen to?

 

Well, obviously the classic Oliver Wallace score for the 1953 animated Disney film.

[filmmusic 2,891]

4 hours ago, Tallguy said:

 

I love it, myself.

 

 

Excellent!

So, I listened to it.

It was good enough. It had a healthy proportion of orchestra to synth, so I liked it better than Gaby.

I didn't like again most of the synth cues.

[Bellosh 4,472]

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 

[tomsmoviemadness 4,574]

7 hours ago, Knight of Ren said:

It's funny that this same topic/character has inspired so many different composers to deliver some of their best work! Any great Peter Pan related score I'm missing and should listen to?

 

Peter And Wendy by Maurizio Malagnini from 2015. Wonderful score!

Main theme below

 

 

And I also really love the original by Oliver Wallace. Much more sophisticated than one might think for an animated film from the 50's.

And I'd also give Joel McNeely's Return To Neverland a chance. It uses Wallace's themes brilliantly and the whole album is just really a joy. The opening and closing tracks especially are fantastic.

 

Final cue from Return To Neverland

 

 

[filmmusic 2,891]

 

Most tracks from this are demanding from the listener..

Some, reminded me of The omen.

[Andy 6,885]

The movie is supposedly an Omen ripoff. Which means I want to check it out. 

[Edmilson 11,415]

More HGW reviews...

 

Flushed Away

 

Fun and lively orchestral score, but nothing special. I feel that out of the many Remote Control composers doing kids cartoons Powell was the only one who could make them stand out. These various kid scores from the likes of HGW, his brother RGW, Heitor Pereira, etc., were somewhat interchangeable.

 

Déja Vu

 

It's a Tony Scott thriller starring Denzel Washington so you know how this is play out. Some good parts where HGW experiments with time going back and such, a few years before Inception.

 

The Number 23

 

Mostly forgettable.

 

Shrek Forever After

 

This might be the best of the Shrek scores outside the first one. Some truly great moments of emotion and great action material.

 

But if you're wondering why I'm reviewing the fourth Shrek when I was supposed to be reviewing the third, it's because some doofus labeled the Shrek 4 recording sessions as the third one, and since the tracks doesn't have names it was just when I was in the middle of the album that I realized this is the fourth. Weirdly the score to Shrek 3 doesn't even appear on Spotify (unlike 1, 2 and 4).

 

Guess I'll have to find it when I get to 2010...

 

Gone Baby Gone

 

The first cue is really good and made me hope this would be great, but most of the score is so extremely understated and minimalistic. Just your usual crime thriller material with synths and whatnot, the kind of score that I hates when James Newton Howard does it.

 

Next: Narnia 2

[The Score Cleaner 9,232]

2 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

 the kind of score that I hates when James Newton Howard does it.

 

 

Hi Smeagol.

[Edmilson 11,415]

14 minutes ago, Doo_liss said:

Hi Smeagol.

Me when JNH does his hundredth urban crime thriller instead of an epic fantasy movie:

 

[The Score Cleaner 9,232]

[Tom Guernsey 3,485]

40 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

More HGW reviews...

 

Flushed Away

 

Fun and lively orchestral score, but nothing special. I feel that out of the many Remote Control composers doing kids cartoons Powell was the only one who could make them stand out. These various kid scores from the likes of HGW, his brother RGW, Heitor Pereira, etc., were somewhat interchangeable.

 

Déja Vu

 

It's a Tony Scott thriller starring Denzel Washington so you know how this is play out. Some good parts where HGW experiments with time going back and such, a few years before Inception.

 

The Number 23

 

Mostly forgettable.

 

Shrek Forever After

 

This might be the best of the Shrek scores outside the first one. Some truly great moments of emotion and great action material.

 

But if you're wondering why I'm reviewing the fourth Shrek when I was supposed to be reviewing the third, it's because some doofus labeled the Shrek 4 recording sessions as the third one, and since the tracks doesn't have names it was just when I was in the middle of the album that I realized this is the fourth. Weirdly the score to Shrek 3 doesn't even appear on Spotify (unlike 1, 2 and 4).

 

Guess I'll have to find it when I get to 2010...

 

Gone Baby Gone

 

The first cue is really good and made me hope this would be great, but most of the score is so extremely understated and minimalistic. Just your usual crime thriller material with synths and whatnot, the kind of score that I hates when James Newton Howard does it.

 

Next: Narnia 2

As a slight tangent, both Bee Movie and Over the Hedge by Rupert G-W are great fun. The latter has some great Ben Folds songs, especially Family of Me, which is annoyingly short but quite lovely.

[Thor 9,334]

 

The 1987 Francis Lai album COSMOS is - if I understand Discogs correctly - a reworking of his 1985 TV score for the series ASTROLAB 22, which I do not own. Both of these are available on LP only, AFAIK. Anything that has the word "cosmos" in it is bound to have good music. So too the case here. Lofty, ethereal electronic textures with Lai's penchant for poppy melodies. It's nothing like Vangelis' brilliant music for the series of the same name, but have the obligatory, big chord leaps. Also some highly experimental stuff. Superb album!

[GerateWohl 6,361]

The Quiet American - Craig Armstrong

 

A friend of mine, who is usually no soundtrack collector had this CD and I gave it a spin.

At that time in the 90s I was a little Trip Hop hyped and loved listening to projects like Portishead or Massive Attack. So this was right up my alley as this sounds a little bit like Massive Attack with kind of oriental sounding vocals.

At last I purchased the album and I find it has aged quite well.

In the meantime I can't listen to such albums that much, but this has some nostalgia value and it's nice atmospheric music.

[Thor 9,334]

I have a few tracks from that on a couple of compilations. I like them. But somehow, never got around to acquiring the soundtrack itself.

[Bespin Copilot 10,298]

Happy Halloween JWfans!

 

 

[Tallguy 6,604]

I don't post every time I listen to one of the all time classics (that I listen to fairly often). (Star Trek: The Motion Picture? How bold.) But this seemed like a good Teri Garr memorial.

 

It's really as good as people say.

 

 

I'm sure I'll listen to Young Frankenstein later today.

 

[The Score Cleaner 9,232]

I opted for the Shelob cues + Flies and Spiders + War of the Worlds

[LSH 1,098]

 

Not one of his most memorable efforts, immediately post-American Beauty... but this particular cue fucking kills me:

 

 

[Steffromuk 663]

All McCreary's Battlestar Galactica scores.

Still to this day, I consider this his very best work.

[Thor 9,334]

It is a staggering work, for sure. But a lot of "noodling" too, that I could be without. One of these days, I need to whittle the whole thing down to a single album, like I did DA VINCI'S DEMONS.

[LSH 1,098]

Who doesn’t like noodles?

[Marian Schedenig 11,151]

6 minutes ago, LSH said:

Who doesn’t like noodles?

 

 

[Thor 9,334]

LOL! Trippy.

[LSH 1,098]

Fair play.

[filmmusic 2,891]

I haven't understood what this is exactly. I mean it says on the cover music from the IMAX ride, but then again I see a short 4 minute film at imdb with the same name and composer.

It was most enjoyable though.

 

 

[Bespin Copilot 10,298]

I really love how they combined the OST of Sabrina with selections from Pete 'n' Tillie and Stanley & Iris on the 15th CD of the box set.

[Edmilson 11,415]

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

 

This might be my favorite score of my HGW marathon so far. Not the best, but my favorite.

 

Everything he built in the first Narnia score is made better here. Every lesson he learned with the first Narnia and Kingdom of Heaven (as well as his more orchestral adventure scores) is here.

 

Unlike The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, which only gets REALLY good at the end, here there's very little "boring" parts (and I listened to the recording sessions). The orchestral writing is more expressive, the drama, the themes, the action, the choir... Here Harry isn't pulling any punches, unlike in the first half of TLTW&TW. It is a really good fantasy score with some incredible moments.

 

Was this the last time he wrote something so expressive, so unabashedly old fashioned and emotional? His later work in fantasy movies (Prince of Persia, Mulan) wasn't as good as this. Did he spent the last 16 years with thrillers and mildling action/adventure score.

 

And this is where I get to the point where I wanted in my marathon. I was aware of his greatest hits before starting (Sinbad, Shrek, Narnia 1 and 2, Kingdom of Heaven), but it seems that after Caspian Harry got somewhat even more shy. 

 

Will I maintain this opinion once I hear his post-2008 output?

[Tallguy 6,604]

13 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Will I maintain this opinion once I hear his post-2008 output?

 

Not sure. I'm listening to the Martian and loving it as much as ever.

 

 

He hits that fine line (that Zimmer used to be better at) between a "soundscape" and still having melodies that I can listen to that makes it music.