What Is The Last Film You Watched? (Older Films)

[Quintus 5,399]

Canada is cool because of its great strategic importance to The Empire.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I also found it odd that all the marketing has the title as The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn and that subtitle is dropped in the actual opening credits.

What? the subtitle is there:

about the score:

I'd say it's mediocre comparing to Williams' masterpieces: E.T., Empire Strikes back, Hook etc.

But comparing to the general film music trend, I'd say it's itself a masterpiece!

and yes, i wasn't so much impressed by the film and I was bored a bit too.

Is that from the U.S. blu? I'll check it again when I'm home but that's definitely not the same as the one I remember seeing. As for the score, I've explained plenty of times that it's just rehash of previous JW efforts. Doesn't hold a candle to the best stuff being written today.

[Quintus 5,399]

I disagree. The score is far from quintessential Williams, but it's still far more impressive and listenable than 90% of what I'm hearing nowadays. It has plenty of personality, which in itself feels in precious and in short quantity.

[A24 4,347]

I thought it was a very fun movie. Enjoyed it quite a bit at the theatres...haven't seen it since though.

And I'm a Canadian, from Canada.

Kanadians are cool! They are like Europeans, only they like ice hockey

Sure, but is it a free country?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I believe it is, they are still under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

[Brónach 1,302]

As for the score, I've explained plenty of times that it's just rehash of previous JW efforts.

This is ridiculous.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

And quite unacceptable actually!

Koray will defend even the most mediocre Zimmer rehash to the death, while bashing recent Williams efforts!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Not really.

[Muad'Dib 1,802]

You guys are crazy! You didn't like Hugo and Tintin, what the fuck is wrong with you??

Hugo is Marty's love letter to cinema, and Tintin is the most fun I've had in years in theaters. Last night I was listening to the score, and goddammit, it's still fantastic. How can anyone think pieces like Sir Francis and the Unicorn, The Pursuit of the Falcon and The Adventure Continues are mediocre is beyond me. Even the Main Titles are a joy to hear. I'd dare to say that the whole album flows like a river and it's a delight to watch on film, with all the sync points perfectly placed.

Oh well. Maybe the world has moved for me.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Hugo is his love letter to cinema. I used the exact phrase, that doesn't automatically make it a great film. It has lots of issues.

I'm one of the few that didn't like Tintin so I don't know why everyone's going ape shit over it. Mediocrity galore. Main titles are just ripped from Catch Me If You Can.

[Wojo 2,453]

Koray, you don't have to like Tintin, it was just a cute kids movie to capitalize on European nostalgia for childhood. I think that if you're European but don't like it, men in white suits come for you to work the chain gang until you repent. But the rest of us, no, Tintin is no love letter to our childhood.

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

I loved the opening of Hugo. In fact, I took it to be a fantasy/fairy tale type of film... and it is to an extent, but grounded in film history and all the magic is ultimately of a technical nature. The first time I watched it, I had to stop after about 40 minutes because none of my players could handle it after that point. Turned out I had to update my firmware because 3D discs often tend to cause problems with older firmware versions on any kind of player. What it meant though was that I went away from the half finished movie still convinced it was a magical fairy tale thing. So when I finally saw the whole thing, the second half took me somewhat by surprise. But it certainly stayed with me afterwards, and there's no denying that it is indeed, as has been said above, Scorsese's love letter to cinema.

about the score:

I'd say it's mediocre comparing to Williams' masterpieces: E.T., Empire Strikes back, Hook etc.

But comparing to the general film music trend, I'd say it's itself a masterpiece!

and yes, i wasn't so much impressed by the film and I was bored a bit too.

I loved Tintin! I'm serious when I say that had this been the fourth Indy installment, I wouldn't have any complaints at all.

The score is certainly not original at all - built solidly on a foundation of all the genre tricks Williams has assembled in the last few decades (with strong touches of the HA scores, among others). But it still sounds so fresh! I grant you that when I first heard it, I only noticed lots of underscore and mickey mousing, but that quickly changed with a few listens. I don't think I've had as much fun with a score since Williams' Potter entries. He certainly was inspired by the film, and at least to me it seems that technically, the writing is beyond what most composers working in film today would be capable of.

Plus it has swashbuckling pirate music! In a more serious vein (albeit still tongue in cheek) than anything Williams has ever written in this genre!

[Brónach 1,302]

Main titles are just ripped from Catch Me If You Can.

That's not true.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Lol yeah it is.

[Jay 37,374]

The Tintin main titles are nothing like Catch Me If You Can, other than in a very broad sense. You're just determined to not like the score so hear what you want to hear.

Koray it's funny you say how you didn't like how Tintin says out loud things we already know, being the king of exposition. I never thought so when I saw it in the theater (where Marcy and I both liked it), but when I watched it on blu with a bunch of friends they all complained about how horrible the exposition was. To each their own, I guess.

I had never heard of Tintin before I learned that JW would be scoring the film, but before seeing the film I read The Crab With The Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham's Treasure and grew to love them and the whole world Herge had created. So it was fun seeing that brought to life, not to mention the wonderful direction by Spielberg and animation, I love the look of the film. Spielberg clearly had fun playing with wild camera angles and movements he couldn't do in real life. Would love to see him do another animated film.

[KK 3,307]

Canada is cool because of its great strategic importance to The Empire.

Glad we're good for something!

[Brónach 1,302]

Lol yeah it is.

I'll let the musical versed people argue better than me for this, but that idea is bullshit award worthy.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Tintin main titles are nothing like Catch Me If You Can, other than in a very broad sense. You're just determined to not like the score so hear what you want to hear.

Koray it's funny you say how you didn't like how Tintin says out loud things we already know, being the king of exposition. I never thought so when I saw it in the theater (where Marcy and I both liked it), but when I watched it on blu with a bunch of friends they all complained about how horrible the exposition was. To each their own, I guess.

I had never heard of Tintin before I learned that JW would be scoring the film, but before seeing the film I read The Crab With The Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham's Treasure and grew to love them and the whole world Herge had created. So it was fun seeing that brought to life, not to mention the wonderful direction by Spielberg and animation, I love the look of the film. Spielberg clearly had fun playing with wild camera angles and movements he couldn't do in real life. Would love to see him do another animated film.

RE: The main titles. I'm not speaking purely in melodic terms. Of course the notes are different, but come on people, it's a direct mirror straight down to the animation. The score is never jazzy except during those opening credits.

The animation is superb, and yes Spielberg went crazy with the sweeping shots and camera angles. I could argue that he actually went overboard to a point where it was just ridiculously distracting, but let's not go there

I'd rank both score and film in the bottom 3 of their collaboration.

[Quintus 5,399]

Lol at the complaining about Tintin's thinking out loud. That's EXACTLY in keeping with the comics, it was very much their style and a part of his investigative personality.

Jesus christ kids today. Give me strength.

It's like complaining about an Iago soliloquy, and you just know Koray and his cool cat buddies would!

[Brónach 1,302]

I think out loud like that sometimes lol

[Jay 37,374]

Sorry Koray, but I can't agree with you at all about the main titles. I wasn't talking about the visuals, i was talking about the score, and the SCORE for the TIntin main titles are NOT a rip off or "mirror" of the CMIYC main title cue. They are very different!

[Quintus 5,399]

I think out loud like that sometimes lol

We all do it from time to time.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Apart from the fact that both are simulated jazz (with strong orchestral elements) I would not say they are similar at all.

That would be the same as saying the Pink Panther Theme is almost the same as the James Bond Theme.

[Jay 37,374]

Apart from the fact that both are simulated jazz (with strong orchestral elements) I would not say they are similar at all.

That would be the same as saying the Pink Panther Theme is almost the same as the James Bond Theme.

Exactly.

Koray is hearing what he wants to hear to support his initial impression of the score when he first heard it in 2011.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

No I'm not. My impression hasn't changed over the 2 years. It's still crap.

[KK 3,307]

Right, the only similarity between those cues is the jazzy style. But even in that, the moods conveyed are entirely different.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Not to me.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

No, obviously we are wrong, and Koray is completely right. We know nothing guys, our accumulated knowledge of the works of John T. Williams is worthless!

Go back to worshipping Zimmer and his ilk, let the lovers of REAL music in peace!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Finally you understand!

[Muad'Dib 1,802]

The Main Titles aren't the only jazzy moments on the score. The Thompsons Chase is quite jazzy, as is the whole Flight to Bagghar cue. The Milanese Nightingale, Capturing Mr Silk... Sure, they're not in the same style as the Main Titles, but there's plenty of jazz in there. Not as in-your-face, but still... Although we could argue that most of Johnny's writing is heavenly influenced by jazz in general, as was Alex North's work.

[Jay 37,374]

Also let's not forget that the final main titles were not Williams first, or even second choice on how to score them. He wrote a swashbuckling main title cue, which was rejected for an adventurous one, which was also rejected and the jazzy one was written. And even then, it still doesn't come close to ripping of CMIYC, it's just two pieces of music that happen to be jazzy.

[Brónach 1,302]

Also let's not forget that the final main titles were not Williams first, or even second choice on how to score them. He wrote a swashbuckling main title cue, which was rejected for an adventurous one, which was also rejected and the jazzy one was written. And even then, it still doesn't come close to ripping of CMIYC, it's just two pieces of music that happen to be jazzy.

I would absolutely love to hear JW's complete original intentions regarding the whole score and the main titles in particular.

[publicist 4,643]

The only thing that bogs TINTIN down is the fact that Williams wrote the most brilliant adventure scores already 30 years before. So it just kind of hangs there.

[Jay 37,374]

Also let's not forget that the final main titles were not Williams first, or even second choice on how to score them. He wrote a swashbuckling main title cue, which was rejected for an adventurous one, which was also rejected and the jazzy one was written. And even then, it still doesn't come close to ripping of CMIYC, it's just two pieces of music that happen to be jazzy.

I would absolutely love to hear JW's complete original intentions regarding the whole score and the main titles in particular.

Me too! It's never been made clear if they were even recorded or not

[publicist 4,643]

Also let's not forget that the final main titles were not Williams first, or even second choice on how to score them. He wrote a swashbuckling main title cue, which was rejected for an adventurous one, which was also rejected and the jazzy one was written. And even then, it still doesn't come close to ripping of CMIYC, it's just two pieces of music that happen to be jazzy.

I would absolutely love to hear JW's complete original intentions regarding the whole score and the main titles in particular.

So would i. And Jason, this special blend of jazz IS very similar. It's not about ripping, just that Williams seems kind of stuck in this sound.

[Jay 37,374]

Well, to each their own.

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Main titles are just ripped from Catch Me If You Can.

That's not true.

Yes, the two main titles sound somewhat similar, in that they sound like a specific kind of jazz in the William idiom. Just like his 70s blockbuster scores sound similar in that they're romantic, leitmotif driven orchestral scores in the Williams style. But the only rip I notice in the Tintin titles is a small figure from HA2.

[crocodile 8,020]

I think it was Conrad Pope said that this particular style of writing comes from the type of things his dad used to play.

Karol

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Also let's not forget that the final main titles were not Williams first, or even second choice on how to score them. He wrote a swashbuckling main title cue, which was rejected for an adventurous one, which was also rejected and the jazzy one was written. And even then, it still doesn't come close to ripping of CMIYC, it's just two pieces of music that happen to be jazzy.

I would absolutely love to hear JW's complete original intentions regarding the whole score and the main titles in particular.

So would i. And Jason, this special blend of jazz IS very similar. It's not about ripping, just that Williams seems kind of stuck in this sound.

Main titles are just ripped from Catch Me If You Can.

That's not true.

Yes, the two main titles sound somewhat similar, in that they sound like a specific kind of jazz in the William idiom. Just like his 70s blockbuster scores sound similar in that they're romantic, leitmotif driven orchestral scores in the Williams style. But the only rip I notice in the Tintin titles is a small figure from HA2.

These two understood what I was trying to get at.

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Yet I find them to be more than a CMIYC rip. And I find them much more enjoyable, too.

[indy4 155]

There are definitely stylistic similarities between Tintin and CMIYC main titles. But to say one is just a copy of another is absolutely not true. I wrote about the important, substantive differences between the 2 in an FSM article. Some of the biggest ones are, IMO:

- CMIYC main titles are pretty lonely--there's a lot of breathing room, to represent the loneliness of the main character. Tintin is crammed with (very bizarre) instrument combos that are constantly interacting with each other, like Tintin's bizarre group of friends

- CMIYC basically uses 2 thematic ideas. Tintin is based on a ton--the opening ostinato/action theme, Tintin's theme, and a bunch of one-time motifs

- CMIYC is a bit cooler, calmer, less frenetic, in tempo, orchestration, etc. Its music for a person that refuses to obey the laws and keeps a low profile, whereas Tintin is crazy and frenetic, better suited for quirky characters trying to do their best to uphold the law, and getting in crazy action situations. It's even reflected in the performance, where Dan Higgin lets himself drag behind the orchestra just a tad

I was underwhelmed by the Tintin score as a whole, but this individual track is one of JW's best/most original cues IMO.

[publicist 4,643]

"Them"?

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Star Trek Into Darkness. looks great on blu but boy is Paramount cheap ass bastards when it comes to extras, but no surprise it wasn't like the Indy films has great extras.

[Wojo 2,453]

I wouldn't support a product that spreads the extras between different editions like that. Not to mention I don't want to rewatch it anyways.

[Matt C 455]

EDIT: Sorry, wrong thread.

[A24 4,347]

You guys are crazy! You didn't like Hugo and Tintin, what the fuck is wrong with you??

Hugo is Marty's love letter to cinema,

No, it's a kids movie. (that's why Hugo is the first Scorsese film that Joey likes )

[Incanus 5,716]

Conan The Barbarian

I've finally finished the first disc of the Prague re-recording (previous times I just go back to my favorite cues) -- and it's almost too much to take in one sitting. However, Basil's writing and orchestration is truly done justice with a crystal clear recording and better orchestra. There's true power and weight behind "Anvil of Crom", "Riders of Doom" and "The Mountain of Power/Capture" that the original recording just can't quite get to. Zoe and Alexis Poledouris' liner notes really seal the deal for me in that respect.

I've said it before... I'm glad we have a choice between this and the Intrada remastered original recording.

Shouldn't this be in the Last Score You Listened Thread?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

You guys are crazy! You didn't like Hugo and Tintin, what the fuck is wrong with you??

Hugo is Marty's love letter to cinema,

No, it's a kids movie. (that's why Hugo is the first Scorsese film that Joey likes )

A kids movie can't be a love letter to cinema?

[publicist 4,643]

Kids are for kids....

[crocodile 8,020]

Conan The Barbarian

I've finally finished the first disc of the Prague re-recording (previous times I just go back to my favorite cues) -- and it's almost too much to take in one sitting. However, Basil's writing and orchestration is truly done justice with a crystal clear recording and better orchestra. There's true power and weight behind "Anvil of Crom", "Riders of Doom" and "The Mountain of Power/Capture" that the original recording just can't quite get to. Zoe and Alexis Poledouris' liner notes really seal the deal for me in that respect.

I've said it before... I'm glad we have a choice between this and the Intrada remastered original recording.

Shouldn't this be in the Last Score You Listened Thread?

Yes.

But I agree with him.

Karol