10 most overrated films of all time

[mrbellamy 6,298]

Sometimes I wonder if I prefer Wings anyway. Not a fan of The Beatles 'She Loves You' era.

I think they were right to start transitioning out of that stuff after A Hard Day's Night. That's my idea of the perfect pop rock record and it may be my favorite Beatles album overall, even though it's less flashy, messy, and noticeably ambitious than what followed.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Koray doesnt understand that the word "pop" doesnt describe a genre. Just like film music doesnt, actually.

Yes it does.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

In what way? What do you think pop music is?

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

The Stones? Velvet Underground? Tom Waits? More invasion punk-rock than pop.

Punk-rock is pop.

[nightscape94 965]

Although I agree that pop music technically would encompass rock music ("popular music"), the way the majority of people use the phrase "pop music" has morphed it into a type of music over time. Lorde, Beyonce, etc.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

I just disagree with that. It encourages boneheaded tribalism.

[nightscape94 965]

It's not a philosophy that I endorse, I don't care how people label music (something I think is stupid anyway), it's just the way it is.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The Beatles and the Stones were pop music in the 60's. Disco was pop music in the 70's. Etc etc

[Koray Savas 2,251]

So essentially everything is pop music. Very helpful.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Like I said. Pop music doesn't denote a specific genre. Just like film music. Star Wars and Beverly Hills Cop could not be more different scores, yet both are film music.

[filmmusic 1,843]

Like I said. Pop music doesn't denote a specific genre. Just like film music. Star Wars and Beverly Hills Cop could not be more different scores, yet both are film music.

There are genres and subgenres and so on. It depends on what we're comparing with.

Pop music is a genre if we talk about music generally.

orchestral sci-fi film music and electronic action film music are subgenres in the film music genre.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Nope.

[Quintus 5,399]

When I talk of The Beatles and their influence on pop music, I always refer to late '60s Beatles.

Their early sixties stuff (which I'm not massive on) is just as responsible, if not moreso. Twist and Shout, She Loves You etc etc. My preferred Beatles is the later less teeny boppy sound. Elena Rigby, A Day in the Life. Their more experimental material is much more interesting to me. And the straightforward ballets like The Long and Winding Road, beautiful music - which doesn't naturally fall under the "pop" umbrella; unlike their early stuff.

Wings = Mull Of Kintyre

Wings = Band on the Run, Live & Let Die, Let 'Em In.

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

Pop music shouldn't be swung around as an insult, there's plenty of great pop.

Actually... no. There isn't.

Not a Beatles fan, then?

God no!!

They started all this madness. Screaming teens throwing their pants. most important is the money. The music is eventually quite lame.

But I hope Liverpool will win the League.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

[A24 4,348]

Their early sixties stuff (which I'm not massive on) is just as responsible, if not moreso. Twist and Shout, She Loves You etc etc. My preferred Beatles is the later less teeny boppy sound. Elena Rigby, A Day in the Life. Their more experimental material is much more interesting to me. And the straightforward ballets like The Long and Winding Road, beautiful music - which doesn't naturally fall under the "pop" umbrella; unlike their early stuff.

I really don't think it's "more so" in a pure musical way. The music of their early 'Rockabilly' years was actually nothing original to begin with and its sound stayed mainly in that time era. However, the 'newer' pop sound the Beatles developed in the second half of the '60s is what so many pop bands from of the '70s onward (bands or artists like Oasis, Blur, Pulp, The Verve, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Coldplay, U2, The Smashing Pumpkins, Queen, ... the list goes on and on) keep referring to as their influence and which is still largely responsible for the sound we are hearing today.

Wings = Band on the Run, Live & Let Die, Let 'Em In.

But also Mull Of Kintyre, Ebony And Ivory, super conrniness... The point is you need at least four albums of Paul Mccartney & Wings to compile one decent album. If you weren't so completely occupied with film music, you would realize that, Quest2

Alex

[Quintus 5,399]

I'm completely occupied with film music? Lol okay. Other than MoS I hadn't listened to an soundtrack album in three years, but yeah, whatever you reckon cleverclogs.

You know nothing, Jon Snow.

[A24 4,348]

Show me your Beatles collection!

Better yet, show me your Paul McCartney & Wings collection!

[Quintus 5,399]

That's besides the fact you're acting like I'm trying to convince you that Wings are better than The Beatles when I in fact simply expressed my current preference, which is ever changing. Of course, your automatic response is to undermine and belittle a differing view to your own. Because you're a cunt like that, historically.

[A24 4,348]

Getting aggressive is a way of chickening out, Quest2. Show me your Paul McCartney collection! Show my anything!

[Quintus 5,399]

It's not aggression ya daft sod, it's British dryness

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Alex doesnt understand us English!

[Jay 37,377]

Other than MoS I hadn't listened to an soundtrack album in three years

liar, you listened to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

I'm not sure guest2 listened to the OST. I think he saw the film, considered the score lazy and he didn't bother with the OST. At least, that's what I remember. Could be wrong.

[Quintus 5,399]

Correct, BloodBoal. I think I took the time to sample the ost but ended up skipping most of it, bored of the recycled material and the treacly Shire theme playing every five minutes. Goblin Town was great, though.

[Jay 37,377]

the treacly Shire theme playing every five minutes.

Yea, that's an accurate description of the score all right. LOL.

[Quintus 5,399]

Your sarcastic response probably further demonstrates my failure to listen to much film music recently. Btw when I said Shire theme I meant Hobbit theme, which is essentially the same thing.

Boom!

[Jay 37,377]

My point was that Hobbit/Shire-y music does not play every 5 minutes in the score, not by a long shot. It's overused in the beginning of the album because of PJ's insistence on that Old Bilbo / Frodo prologue sequence, but after that it mostly goes away and Shore in fact gives Bilbo a brand new (and REALLY awesome) theme, and many other new themes and ideas prevail in the rest of the album.

Of course, in the final film itself a lot of that is ruined as PJ insisted on replacing many of Shore's original and unique passages with straight-up re-treads of LOTR music, but none of that stuff is on the album (after those opening tracks). IOW, don't let the use of music in the final film make you think you know what Shore really got up, the album portrays his original and much more unique ideas, and is a great listening experience.

[KK 3,307]

Correct, BloodBoal. I think I took the time to sample the ost but ended up skipping most of it, bored of the recycled material and the treacly Shire theme playing every five minutes. Goblin Town was great, though.

Are you referring to the Goblintown song, or the score? Hopefully the latter...

My point was that Hobbit/Shire-y music does not play every 5 minutes in the score, not by a long shot. It's overused in the beginning of the album because of PJ's insistence on that Old Bilbo / Frodo prologue sequence, but after that it mostly goes away and Shore in fact gives Bilbo a brand new (and REALLY awesome) theme, and many other new themes and ideas prevail in the rest of the album.

Of course, in the final film itself a lot of that is ruined as PJ insisted on replacing many of Shore's original and unique passages with straight-up re-treads of LOTR music, but none of that stuff is on the album (after those opening tracks). IOW, don't let the use of music in the final film make you think you know what Shore really got up, the album portrays his original and much more unique ideas, and is a great listening experience.

Yup!

[Quintus 5,399]

I meant the superb action cue heard during the company's escape from the goblins. It actually felt like Shore wasn't in Middle-Earth autopilot mode and was just thrilling and fun music.

My point was that Hobbit/Shire-y music does not play every 5 minutes in the score, not by a long shot. It's overused in the beginning of the album because of PJ's insistence on that Old Bilbo / Frodo prologue sequence, but after that it mostly goes away and Shore in fact gives Bilbo a brand new (and REALLY awesome) theme, and many other new themes and ideas prevail in the rest of the album.

Of course, in the final film itself a lot of that is ruined as PJ insisted on replacing many of Shore's original and unique passages with straight-up re-treads of LOTR music, but none of that stuff is on the album (after those opening tracks). IOW, don't let the use of music in the final film make you think you know what Shore really got up, the album portrays his original and much more unique ideas, and is a great listening experience.

I know all this, I know what happened. But what can I say? I just didn't get into the music I sampled. I thought it lacked the attack of Shore which we used to get from him when he was writing in Tolkien universe. His DoS did remedy much of that, though, which I thought sounded great during the movie.

[KK 3,307]

I meant the superb action cue heard during the company's escape from the goblins. It actually felt like Shore wasn't in Middle-Earth autopilot mode and was just thrilling and fun music.

Yeah, that was great stuff.

Still disagree about the autopilot of course. Did you ever hear this cue by the way (it was one of the many pieces scratched from the film in favour of more "playing-it-safe" substitutes?

[Jay 37,377]

I know all this, I know what happened. But what can I say? I just didn't get into the music I sampled. I thought it lacked the attack of Shore which we used to get from him when he was writing in Tolkien universe. His DoS did remedy much of that, though, which I thought sounded great during the movie.

I think if you listened to the album all the way through your opinion would change.

These tracks sound like what you're looking for:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RYEyCylYAg

[publicist 4,643]

At least it's in the right thread....OVERRATED oh yeah!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Do you feel the same way about the original trilogy, Pub?

[publicist 4,643]

No, though even then there was a depressing squareness about Shore's orchestral writing though he does a lot of different stuff with the voices and ethnic touches.

Now the HOBBIT scores are a textbook example for 'much ado about nothing' - and it's mostly the fault of reckless album producers. Both could work at 50 to 60 minutes (at the most!) but to release these massive monsters full of filler is just gormless.

[Jay 37,377]

I love the two Hobbit scores but would be the first to agree that single disc arrangement should have been released (alongside the lengthier 2CD Special Edition releases)

[nightscape94 965]

No, though even then there was a depressing squareness about Shore's orchestral writing though he does a lot of different stuff with the voices and ethnic touches.

I've had a strange relationship with the LOTR music. There are times where I think it's brilliant, and times where I put off listening to it for a long time because I feel the orchestration and voicing is bland and uninteresting.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I love the two Hobbit scores but would be the first to agree that single disc arrangement should have been released (alongside the lengthier 2CD Special Edition releases)

I agree.

The LOTR OST CD's, incomplete as they are do offer a more easily accessible doorway into the complexity of Shore's Middle Earth music. Which is overall brilliant, but can certainly be daunting to listen to.

Do we have any data on how well the Hobbit OST's sold? While expansive 2 CD releases are certainly welcomed by the film score community, I can very much understand the casual film or Tolkien fan buying these would find them a bit too much.

[Jay 37,377]

I have never seen Doug or a representative from WB comment on sales figures, and I don't think that kind of information is public knowledge that can be looked up.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

You may mock. But the LOTR OST's were pretty strong sellers I believe. I doubt the Hobbit ones come as close.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[gkgyver 1,646]

Someone who claims Shore's Hobbit is overrated, in this day and age, was obviously not pummeled enough by the drum circles and Magnificent Six of our times.

The only way to overrate it would be to say they are the best scores ever.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I find both very good, with DoS being a vast improvement over the first one. But neither have hot the heights of Shore's LOTR scores.

They are however superior to much of what if composed for the movies nowadays.

[Quintus 5,399]

Naturally.

@KK. and Jason

I plan on listening to to the tracks you linked as soon as I get a chance to.

[crocodile 8,020]

Radagast the Brown is a great departure from LOTR sound, too.

It's not in the film. of course.

Overall, Quint, the first third of the album is the weakest part of it. Apart from the prologue, which sets up a lot of thematic material (think Rings trilogy opening), a lot of it sounds too familiar. But when they set out for a journey, it gets much better.

And, of course, Desolation is miles ahead. But also quite bleak for an average listener.

Karol

[Jay 37,377]

I find both very good, with DoS being a vast improvement over the first one. But neither have hot the heights of Shore's LOTR scores.

They are however superior to much of what if composed for the movies nowadays.

I fully agree.

[crocodile 8,020]

While I can agree that previous trilogy is now ingrained in collective conciousness as superior and iconic, I never enjoyed any of the old albums as much as DOS. Maybe it has something to do with changing tastes over the years, but that is the fact.

Karol

[Jay 37,377]

I've listened to DOS more times than I've listened to ROTK, that's for sure

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Isnt that in part because of your determination to document a lot of the themes and for discussion purposes?