WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005) 2CD edition from Intrada Records 2020

[Holko 9,498]

Yeah, mine one isn't perfect either. Not only is it a fixed 4CD case with tall knobs in the middle (HP1 and Superman came in cases where one of the middle knobs can be taken out and also sit lower) but the space is just barely not wide enough for the booklet.

[Jay 37,281]

I think the jewel case is a direct result of which pressing plant is used, not necessarily the label. 

 

Of course, each label might have their preferred plants, though sometimes the license from the music provider stipulates they use a certain plant for the release (ie, a plant they own) 

[Jurassic Shark 12,024]

The world is going off its hinges!

[JohnnyD 1,220]

7 hours ago, Arpy said:

If this score got the OST on D2 treatment, I wonder if future Disney Star Wars expansions will do the same, or will it be more like the Potter expansions?

Star Wars will be more like the Potter and Jurassic Park sets: presenting exclusively the entire scores as composed and conducted by the Maestro.

[crumbs 14,296]

On 10/1/2020 at 2:57 PM, crumbs said:

Now I can finally pull the trigger on several Intrada releases I was holding out for!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Arpy 4,145]

I might get Casper along with WotW.

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

12 hours ago, Jay said:

And people said this score is non-thematic! 

 

They say that about The Matrix, too.

[Smeltington 1,436]

Wow @crumbs, that would have been a legendary purchase. I'm sorry for you, my friend.

[Jay 37,281]

Really?  I don't recall any discussion like that.  Either way, it's certainly a more melodic score than WOTW

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

34 minutes ago, Jay said:

Really?  I don't recall any discussion like that.  Either way, it's certainly a more melodic score than WOTW

 

The Matrix has been lauded as the non-thematic score every since it came out. I think Davis himself mentioned it as well, possibly on the iso score commentary. But of course there's the love theme, even if its not yet very prominent in the first score (it appears twice I think?), and the sentinels have something that might not be a "melodic" theme but at least a "pattern" that clearly characterises them (and I always wonder if its strong Horner sound is something Davis learned from Horner or contributed to Horner while orchestrating for him, or both).

[Jay 37,281]

Interesting.  I guess The Matrix had enough other stuff going on that the fact it isn't anchored by memorable themes isn't something that ever affected me, while it was an aspect of WOTW that turned me off at the time, since I was really only into melodic film scores especially by JW at the time.

 

Now I appreciate this score on a whole other level.

[mstrox 6,643]

Some of the best parts of the Matrix scores are when those themes shine through, a fact probably enhanced by the surrounding music often being so chaotic/discordant.

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

56 minutes ago, Jay said:

Interesting.  I guess The Matrix had enough other stuff going on that the fact it isn't anchored by memorable themes isn't something that ever affected me, while it was an aspect of WOTW that turned me off at the time, since I was really only into melodic film scores especially by JW at the time.

 

I don't think it's ever been used as a "flaw" of The Matrix (except probably by individuals who said they don't like it for that reason), more as a (perceived) USP.

[Jay 37,281]

USP?

[Arpy 4,145]

This release is somewhat lucky timing for me, just a few weeks ago I was about to purchase the OST. So glad I held out.

 

 

 

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

7 minutes ago, Jay said:

USP?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unique_selling_proposition

 

[Jay 37,281]

Interesting!  I'd never heard that term before!

[crumbs 14,296]

Interesting that Mike seems to be doing less liner notes nowadays for the Spielberg expansions, passing on both this and Minority Report (haven't checked Far and Away or The River, though he was clearly very knowledgeable about both in the podcast). 

[Brundlefly 2,385]

5 hours ago, Holko said:

In my experience that varies all over the place, for whatever reason the cases are not standardised and they come with any variety of front-connecting knobs or internal hinges for the 2CD ones. I've gotten LLL releases in the better ones too, I guess to depends on what the manufacturer has at hand at that second.

The lower quality jewelcases came only in 2018, so in that regard it was also a year for the books.

 

2 hours ago, Jay said:

Really?  I don't recall any discussion like that.  Either way, it's certainly a more melodic score than WOTW

More thematic, not more melodic.

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

Interesting!  I'd never heard that term before!

 

I've heard it at work a few times. I usually tend to use these kinds of terms at least somewhat sarcastically, but I guess in this case it actually fits somewhat (although the "unique" bit is debatable).

[Quintus 5,399]

I've heard it used to describe certain unusual aspects of video games a couple of times. 

[bruce marshall 1,314]

Reading back on opinions of the film, many posters loved the first two -thirdz but complained about the ending.

Well, that's the same ending as the '54 version and the same as the BOOK!

 

ALL the criticism aimed at Spielberg displays a shocking lack of literacy and knowledge of film history!

Terrific film.

[mstrox 6,643]

Just because something exists on paper doesn't make it filmic, and regardless of what it is, a plot point can be portrayed either well or poorly.

[Jay 37,281]

When people complain about the ending, they aren't talking about the fact that the aliens die because of our bacteria/pathogen/microbes, which is of course the same ending as the book.

 

What they are complaining about is that in this film, for 2/3 Cruise and co survive just by luck, everyone is constantly dying, etc, then at the end he turns into an action hero and takes down a tripod himself before the military arrives and the bacteria ending happens

[Bilbo 3,709]

This is great news but I am behind on my John Williams expansions. I need to catch up. 

[Faleel 5,329]

Just saw the film yesterday, didn't really bother me

 

(BTW, I don't think the military arrives, it's Ray that arrives in Boston)

[Edmilson 7,384]

19 minutes ago, Jay said:

then at the end he turns into an action hero and takes down a tripod himself before the military arrives and the bacteria ending happens

 

I watched the movie a few months ago, and this really bothered me this time. The film makes an effort to show Ray as a "common man", not an action hero, but at the end he takes down a Tripod all by himself. 

 

I didn't liked his son's arc as well. In one scene, he escapes his father to join the military, but on the very next scene with him he is seen alive and well at his family's house. It was too forced and too optimistic for the movie to have Robbie surviving that easily, but perhaps Spielberg lacked the guts to kill the character,

[Jay 37,281]

I haven't seen the film in 15 years, but I remember in the theater thinking that the ending felt like a reshoot tacked on later

[Taikomochi 1,136]

I don’t mind Ray blowing up the tripod. It’s a cool scene. Robbie living is more problematic.  Undercuts a lot of what the film is about.

 

Still one of my favorite JW/SS collaborations. This was my gateway film score. I’ve always cherished it.

[Dr. Rick 1,155]

Same thoughts as above, I couldn't stand Robbie, he was a turd know-it-all teenager.  When he ran over the hillside I was hoping that would be the last we saw of him LOL

[mstrox 6,643]

I don't even remember much about the movie at this point.  It's been 15 years since I've seen it (outside of catching that excellent opening invasion sequence on TV a few years ago and hanging through it) - but from what I recall, my experience was the same as Jay's - the ending was very abrupt and very brief, and oh boy hey the son also crawled out of the tripod's belly and made it home before the dad and daughter?  Like the ending was an afterthought (which it really was, since it's a plotty ending which doesn't really inform the characters' stories at all).

[King Mark 3,624]

for me it ranks slightly higher than Minority Report , which I haven't warmed up to despite the expansion.

 

Saw the film once, don't remember it too much

 

 

[Dr. Rick 1,155]

If you think about it we've been blessed with some excellent releases in the month of October recently.

 

2017: E.T.

2018: Dracula

2019: M.R.

2020: WOTW

 

All are either sci-fi movies with some spooky elements or horror type movies for the Halloween season.  

 

Could we see Witches of Eastwick, The Screaming Woman or Images in October 2021?  I can't think of any other yet-to-be expanded works that would fit in the Halloween mood.

[Jay 37,281]

Huh I hadn't picked up on all that October goodness - that's great!

 

I still remember being in London 2018 when Dracula was announced...and Harry Potter showed up in that concert booklet!

 

October 2020 I was supposed to be back in London to see Superman, The Matrix, and Return of the Jedi live to projection

 

[Dr. Rick 1,155]

That would suck, definitely on my bucket list to see LTP.  I was lucky to see CEOTK LTP back in November '19 and Raiders of the Lost Ark LTP this past February before the 'rona hit.  That same weekend I saw Raiders on a Saturday night in Austin and a John Williams tribute concert the next day in one of the suburbs right down the street from me! 

[Jay 37,281]

Nice I've seen Raiders LTP and it's awesome - CE3K has for whatever reason yet to come to New England

[BrotherSound 2,242]

49 minutes ago, ATXHusker said:

Could we see Witches of Eastwick, The Screaming Woman or Images in October 2021?

 

Unfortunately, Perseverance Records still has to sell another 1,000 copies of the Witches of Eastwick OST before the license would be available again, which is going to take some time.

[Dr. Rick 1,155]

3 minutes ago, BrotherSound said:

 

Unfortunately, Perseverance Records still has to sell another 1,000 copies of the Witches of Eastwick OST before the license would be available again, which is going to take some time.

 

We need to reignite interest in the film score community then to encourage more sales hehe

[Faleel 5,329]

Or find one really rich person to buy 1000 copies

[Dr. Rick 1,155]

Well, I was only able to add QTY 26 to my cart!  Could be close to the end possibly?  Fingers crossed!

 

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

Huh I hadn't picked up on all that October goodness - that's great!

 

I still remember being in London 2018 when Dracula was announced...and Harry Potter showed up in that concert booklet!

 

October 2020 I was supposed to be back in London to see Superman, The Matrix, and Return of the Jedi live to projection

 

You and me both. Hopefully they will be rescheduled for next year. 

[BrotherSound 2,242]

8 minutes ago, ATXHusker said:

Well, I was only able to add QTY 26 to my cart!  Could be close to the end possibly?  Fingers crossed!

 

The same thing happened back in August: 

 

It took 8 years to just sell the first 2,000 out of the limit of 3,000, so it's going to be a long wait.

 

[Dr. Rick 1,155]

damn, got my hopes up there for a second  

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

October 2020 I was supposed to be back in London to see Superman, The Matrix, and Return of the Jedi live to projection

 

That was on my list, too.

50 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

You and me both. Hopefully they will be rescheduled for next year. 

Hopefully, London/the UK get Covid sorted next year… I imagine trips to non-EU London will be enough of a hassle without an unchecked pandemic still going on.

[karelm 2,903]

5 hours ago, Jay said:

When people complain about the ending, they aren't talking about the fact that the aliens die because of our bacteria/pathogen/microbes, which is of course the same ending as the book.

 

That's one of my biggest complaints!  The book predated penicillin where people died of mystery alignments by visiting another land or having a bruise.  Almost any one traveling to another country gets an inoculation knowing they'll encounter a virus or food bug they don't have antibodies for.  Even dumb people literally know this when traveling! An advanced alien race doesn't know that!?  Spielberg updated the story to include a "modern" dysfunctional family, post 9-11 stress, ambiguous threats resulting in societal breakdown, and left the 1897 ending!!!! What do you mean people aren't talking about that!?!!?!  

[Faleel 5,329]

They were also gone for a million years.

 

"new" viruses.

[Jay 37,281]

We can get inoculated before going to another country for specific diseases we know are there and have an inoculation for. If this is their first time on our planet they wouldn't be prepared. 

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

And the aliens' biology might be so different from ours that they are unaware of the concept of human pathogens.

[Taikomochi 1,136]

If I recall correctly, though it’s been a while, the book says the aliens had long eradicated all pathogens prior to their plans. So, I guess it was an oversight based on that?

 

Up to you whether you want to consider that

[bruce marshall 1,314]

7 hours ago, Jay said:

When people complain about the ending, they aren't talking about the fact that the aliens die because of our bacteria/pathogen/microbes, which is of course the same ending as the book.

 

What they are complaining about is that in this film, for 2/3 Cruise and co survive just by luck, everyone is constantly dying, etc, then at the end he turns into an action hero and takes down a tripod himself before the military arrives and the bacteria ending happens

I've never heard anyone complain about that.

People are just looking for things to complain about. Like with KOTCS.

2 hours ago, karelm said:

That's one of my biggest complaints!  The book predated penicillin where people died of mystery alignments by visiting another land or having a bruise.  Almost any one traveling to another country gets an inoculation knowing they'll encounter a virus or food bug they don't have antibodies for.  Even dumb people literally know this when traveling! An advanced alien race doesn't know that!?  Spielberg updated the story to include a "modern" dysfunctional family, post 9-11 stress, ambiguous threats resulting in societal breakdown, and left the 1897 ending!!!! What do you mean people aren't talking about that!?!!?!  

911 had NOTHING to do with it.

Spielberg set out to depict what would happen if the US was invaded ( we had been invading other countries for fifty years).

He accomplished this feat with spectacular results. If you obsess over microbes and reunions you're totally missing the point.

38 minutes ago, Taikomochi said:

If I recall correctly, though it’s been a while, the book says the aliens had long eradicated all pathogens prior to their plans. So, I guess it was an oversight based on that?

 

Up to you whether you want to consider that

It's not explained . The aliens had prepared for a planetary catastrophe by planting weapons on earth- which they planned to colonize. Between the planning and the execution Earth biology evolved and created diseases of which they had no defense.

It's an allegory of imperialism updated to twentieth century America.

7 hours ago, Jay said:

 

 

What they are complaining about is that in this film, for 2/3 Cruise and co survive just by luck,....

Man , you must have hated GODZILLA KOTM!

😆

Not only do the characters escape several impossible situations but the dysfunctional family was really annoying.

I thought the family relationship in WOTW was handled well.

Better than JP or TLW!