Composer Threads The Thomas Newman Thread

[Thor 7,465]

22 minutes ago, LSH said:

I'd love to hear him do a Western (I guess the closest he's gotten to that is THE HORSE WHISPERER), fantasy or another animation. Just something that requires prominent front seat music.

 

A western wouldn't be that far removed from the Americana-isms he does well in other circumstances, I think. But yes sure, why not?

[WampaRat 1,105]

How about a Thomas Newman pirate score? (How about anyone doing a proper pirate score?!) I think it’s a genre that could branch out from under the shadow of PoTC and shows like Black Sails. 

[LSH 968]

I don't normally get so aggy awaiting a release but I really want to hear his score for the recently released DOG. It has been mentioned favourably in a few film reviews....

 

Vanity Fair:

The great film composer Thomas Newman does invaluable work, his compositions gracefully leading us to pockets of feeling that would otherwise go unreached.

 

The Guardian:

 ...it looks and sounds the part (Thomas Newman score – check)...

 

The Playlist:

...Thomas Newman’s score is evocative, even if he’s riffing on familiar themes...

 

Tilt:

Gorgeous vistas across the Pacific Coast are accentuated by Thomas Newman’s plucky score...

 

MSB Reviews:

...Briggs and Lulu share emotionally impactful interactions that will generate a lot of smiles, a few laughs, and, who knows, a tear or two - Thomas Newman's fantastic score will surely cause that.

 

****

 

And the director made this weird albeit encouraging comment in an interview with BoxOfficePro:

 

We have a big score with Thomas Newman and an orchestra, really providing a sonic experience for everybody that’s going to be a lot better than watching it on your iPad or something.

 

 

Just release the fucking thing.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

I don't want a plucky score...

[Edmilson 7,392]

Sounds great! Now I really want to listen to that score. Let's hope TN actually releases it.

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

http://filmmusicreporter.com/2022/03/01/operation-mincemeat-soundtrack-album-details/

 

Lakeshore Records will release the official soundtrack album for the spy drama Operation Mincemeat. The album features the film’s original music composed by Academy Award nominee Thomas Newman (American Beauty, 1917, The Shawshank Redemption, Finding Nemo, Skyfall, Wall-E). The soundtrack is set to be released on April 22, 2022. Visit Amazon to pre-order the CD version. Operation Mincemeat is directed by John Madden and stars Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton, Johnny Flynn, Jason Isaacs, Mark Gatiss, Hattie Morahan, Mark Bonnar, Paul Ritter, Alex Jennings and Simon Russell Beale. The movie is based on a true story and follows two British intelligence officers as they hatch an outlandish scheme to trick the Nazis and alter the course of World War II. The drama will be released in UK theaters on April 15 and will debut in the U.S. and other markets on May 11 on Netflix.

Here’s the album track list:

 

 

1. Submarine Rises
2. Iris
3. Room 13
4. Fresh as a Daisy
5. Briefcase in Madrid
6. Our Story Begins…
7. Single Diamond Ring
8. I’m Going to Get Lit Up (When the Lights Go Up in London)
9. Gulf of Cádiz
10. War Hero
11. Deader and Deader
12. Last Lovely Golden Day
13. Haversack Ruse
14. Toast
15. Holy Loch
16. Dull as Ditchwater
17. Fishwife
18. Jean Leslie
19. Peckin’
20. The Burial is Set
21. Officer in the Royal Marines
22. Dangerous Waters
23. A Missing Eyelash
24. Fifth Column
25. A Spy Under My Roof
26. Operation Mincemeat
27. Limited Casualties
28. Fallen Soldier
29. Personal and Most Secret

[LSH 968]

Yaaayyy!!

[LSH 968]

I forgot to mention... 

 

I went to see DOG last week, ostensibly for date night, actually to hear Newman's score (since it's not getting a release).

 

I'm sad (but glad - given the no release thing) to report that the score is incredibly sparse and subtle. Given that it's a comedy/road movie, I was expecting a lot of the rhythmic side of Newman, montages with quirky plucked instruments and percussion... but these moments are covered with popular songs. From what I could hear (and trust me, I was listening), there are literally around five or six short cues and they are all pedal note synth with the occasional warm string wash. Think I heard a piano chord at one point.

 

So, definitely not worthy of a release even though I'd still like it, being a completist and all.   

[Aliandra 90]

Thomas Newman's first ballet Of Mice and Men will premiere next month on April 27 and will run until May 8:

 

"Thomas Newman is one of the most potent and evocative voices in Hollywood music, his versatility is at the top of his class - and incredibly, this is his first-ever score for ballet," said Speck. "He has a remarkable way of evoking the wide-open spaces, dusty air and countrified feel of Central California nearly a century ago. Newman's rhythmic drive takes the form of instruments that you might have heard playing in a saloon band in that time and place - a piano, a guitar, maybe a solo violin. But just as often, we hear the full orchestra in all its glory. Kudos to Cathy Marston for suggesting him as our composer, and to The Joffrey Ballet for making it happen!"

 

https://joffrey.org/season-and-tickets/2021-2022-season/of-mice-and-men-and-serenade/

 

[JTN 2,002]

A ballet? Wow!

[LSH 968]

Ah yes, I remember him mentioning a ballet as something upcoming in an interview some months back. I'm intrigued.

[KK 3,307]

This is amazing! The Joffrey Ballet is a legacy institution and it's exciting to hear Newman working in those spaces. Hopefully it'll inspire him more than films have been lately.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Aw man, I would love to be able to hear/see this.  Newman is in Americana mode  (probably)

[Edmilson 7,392]

Sounds terrific!

[Richard Penna 3,671]

Neat! Ever since I saw the Gary Sinise version with Isham's score, I thought that the composer most suited was Newman. Honestly, you only need to listen to The Horse Whisper to hear why.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

For anyone interested, Thomas Newman is in conversation with Matthew Sweet, on BBC Radio 3, this coming Easter Saturday, 16.4.2022, at 3pm, GMT.

[Edmilson 7,392]

Newman will score the next Dracula movie.

 

http://filmmusicreporter.com/2022/04/12/thomas-newman-to-score-andre-ovredals-the-last-voyage-of-the-demeter/

 

Can't imagine how a TN horror score would sound like. Maybe like "The Bad Death of Edouard Delacroix" from The Green Mile?

[Thor 7,465]

Not someone I expected associated with this project. But André is very film music-savvy and always chooses interesting composers.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

13 hours ago, Edmilson said:

Can't imagine how a TN horror score would sound like.

I'm guessing a cross between Kilar's BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA, and Elfman's THE WOLFMAN, with a little bit of his own "yearning" signature, thrown in for good measure.

He'll probably avoid the out-and-out romanticism of JW, but will also avoid the harsher tonalities of composers such as Bernard.

[GerateWohl 4,337]

Daracula movies are not necessarily horror movies. Meanwhile these are usually rather romantic fantasy or action movies or even comedies. So this could be anything.

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

Some are horrifically bad.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

1 hour ago, GerateWohl said:

Daracula movies are not necessarily horror movies...these are usually rather romantic fantasy or action movies or even comedies.

Somehow, I don't think that THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER is going to be a comedy 

[LSH 968]

I really don't know what to expect from this. I'd like to think the production hasn't hired him based on his drony, sound-design stylings.

 

Personally, I'd like to hear something dark but with a tragic and quintessentially lush Newman theme.   

[GerateWohl 4,337]

I just checked for the movie. Jude Law in it? I think, he didn't play in a vampire movie since "The Wisdom of Crocodiles"? 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

It'll all end in tears. Trust me, on this 

[GerateWohl 4,337]

Usually those movies end with an AAH!-BAM!-scene.

Means, either the villain falls down from somewhere, a high building, a cliff, screaming "AAH!" and hits the ground with a BAM!.

Or he is liying or standing somewhere, looks up and sees something heavy falling towards him and he starts screaming "AAH!" until the heavy thing crashes on him with a "BAM!".

Either way, it's AAH!-BAM!.

[Anthony 572]

This reminds me of when he was hired for Skyfall. I had no idea how it would turn out, but I thought "Thomas Newman in a new genere? Cool."

[LSH 968]

 

[DangerMotif 1,037]

 

[JNHFan2000 2,944]

That's very exciting. 

His interview with Terence Blanchard from a few weeks ago was very good

 

[Edmilson 7,392]

Who is this Jake Hamilton?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

Is he a passenger?

[Thor 7,465]

Appears to be a mainstream showbiz journalist. I tend to steer clear of most composer interviews conducted by those guys (except maybe for Williams, since that's all he says yes to these days).

[Jurassic Shark 12,030]

Is he related to Jake Gyllenhaal?

[DangerMotif 1,037]

19 hours ago, Thor said:

Appears to be a mainstream showbiz journalist. I tend to steer clear of most composer interviews conducted by those guys (except maybe for Williams, since that's all he says yes to these days).

Jake really is one of the best there is. he will do a great job

[LSH 968]

A 'trailer' and a few little behind-the-scenes featurettes on the production of the Of Mice And Men ballet. The music in the background certainly sounds very Newman-esque from what I can make out. I really do hope we get to hear this recorded.

 

 

 

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

The best melody he's ever written

 

 

[LSH 968]

On 08/05/2022 at 11:45 PM, Stu said:

The best melody he's ever written

 

 

 

Yeah, that's lovely. Sounds effortless. Newman's so good at this shit.

 

The entire score I still consider to be his magnum opus but also the most 'complete' portfolio of his abilities; it features every single Newman-ism going.

[Yavar Moradi 2,590]

1 minute ago, LSH said:

The entire score I still consider to be his magnum opus but also the most 'complete' portfolio of his abilities; it features every single Newman-ism going.

Agreed 100%, although Little Women is still my *favorite*.
 

Yavar

[LSH 968]

43 minutes ago, Yavar Moradi said:

Agreed 100%, although Little Women is still my *favorite*.
 

Yavar

 

Yeah, it's not my favourite either, nor my most-listened to... I just consider Angels In America to be the most accomplished and complete endeavour of the 'Thomas Newman sound' all in one single work.

 

I'd be hard pressed to choose a favourite but my most listened to are Josh And S.A.M., The Green Mile, The Horse Whisperer... and perhaps The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

 

 

[Anthony 572]

It's a little schizofrenic (most Newman albums are), but I've always found Lemony Snicket to be one of his absolute best.

[TSMefford 1,509]

13 hours ago, Anthony said:

It's a little schizofrenic (most Newman albums are), but I've always found Lemony Snicket to be one of his absolute best.

 

Seconded.

 

I've mentioned it several times before, but I'd love an expansion, even though it wouldn't be too substantial (unless there's far more unreleased and alternate cues than there seems to be).

Some of the missing cues are really quite cool, plus the pit orchestra source cues would be really fun to have. Jim Self had a blast during the sessions for those it seems.

[Bespin 8,480]

Can someone explain to me why Green Fried Tomatoes has not yet been reissued?

 

Is it a problem of rights or because they just forget it?

[LSH 968]

Trailer for White Bird: A Wonder Story...

 

 

Looks weird but seems like a good opportunity for Newman to pull on those heart-strings again.

[Aliandra 90]

Eric Whitacre included Thomas Newman's American Beauty film score album among his top 10 desert island discs: https://limelightmagazine.com.au/features/my-10-desert-island-discs-eric-whitacre/

 

"One of my favorite film scores. Haunting and heartbreakingly beautiful."

 

Oh and yeah, it seems like Newman is perhaps not scoring Sam Mendes's upcoming film Empire of Light, who might have gone with Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross instead:

 

But hopefully it was just temp-music as the film isn't finished yet, we will see. I hope that Newman will score this film and not Reznor & Ross...

[Naïve Old Fart 9,498]

Oh, dear. I feel the same sort of disappointment (not to mention a little resentment) when I discovered that JW was passed-over for THE COLOR PURPLE, and GOF. I hope that this is a mistake.

[Jules 59]

On 03/07/2022 at 11:24 PM, LSH said:

Trailer for White Bird: A Wonder Story...

 

 

Looks weird but seems like a good opportunity for Newman to pull on those heart-strings again.

This was a really funny day to be on Twitter. The whiplash of the opening minute of that trailer is hilarious

[Richard Penna 3,671]

20 hours ago, Aliandra said:

But hopefully it was just temp-music as the film isn't finished yet, we will see. I hope that Newman will score this film and not Reznor & Ross...

 

Given their strong relationship thus far it's perfectly plausible that Newman just had a schedule conflict. Don't be too quick to just assume Mendes has dumped his longtime collaborator.

[Drew 590]

Very sad news: Film Music Reporter has confirmed Reznor and Ross have scored the film. FMR has a 99+ percent accuracy rate.

 

https://filmmusicreporter.com/2022/08/23/trent-reznor-atticus-ross-scoring-sam-mendes-empire-of-light/ 

[Mr. Who 919]

3 minutes ago, Drew said:

Very sad news: Film Music Reporter has confirmed Reznor and Ross have scored the film. FMR has a 99+ percent accuracy rate.

 

https://filmmusicreporter.com/2022/08/23/trent-reznor-atticus-ross-scoring-sam-mendes-empire-of-light/ 

That sucks. This movie would have been a good opportunity for Newman :/