What is the last score you listened to?

[Jamesyboy 3]

The Forbidden Kingdom by David Buckley. A very, very enjoyable score.

Next in line is Skinwalkers by Andrew Lockington.

Jamesyboy

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The Forbidden Kingdom by David Buckley. A very, very enjoyable score.

Did you get yours from iTunes, or did you order it from Amazon? I never knew it was released until yesterday. I ordered the CD-R from Amazon, and just realized it was on iTunes today.

[Jamesyboy 3]

Both from iTunes. I was gonna do Amazon for The Forbidden Kingdom, but then I heard about the CD-R thing (just like the Hulk...new trend?). Very, very good score.

Next to get is Standard Operating Procedure by Elfman.

Jamesyboy - patiently waiting for his copy Masters of the Universe to arrive..anyday...

[Bryant Burnette 654]

I don't have a copy of it, but I liked the score to Forbidden Kingdom when I saw the movie. Pretty okay movie, too; I suspect that many a kid is going to grow up with very fond memories of it.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I thought the score was decent. I don't remember liking the Morricone western rip-off that was in there. I didn't like the movie either, when I think of it, I didn't even get to see the end.

It was towards the end, and it was the scene when the kid was back in modern time and he was fighting the thugs. He kicks the one dude in the face and BOOM! The screen turns white and you can hear some problems going on with the projector. My friends and I just burst out laughing, because the timing was insane. It's like the kid kicked the reel off. But yeah, manager said it would take 15-20 minutes to fix, and we just took the free passes they were handing out (even though we saw the movie for free).

[Henry B 50]

Yet another dull RCP score.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

You got a problem with David Buckley? The Forbidden Kingdom is his first score. And he's technically not RCP, cause he's Harry's protege, along with Stephen Barton.

[Henry B 50]

None of these things excuse the quality of the score.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I'm sure Daddy-O is a masterpiece.

[Henry B 50]

What are you talking about? (I haven't heard Daddy-O, by the way.)

[Bryant Burnette 654]

None of these things excuse the quality of the score.

From what I recall, there's no need to "excuse" the quality of the score.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

What are you talking about? (I haven't heard Daddy-O, by the way.)

It's Buckley's first score, and you are trashing it, saying that isn't an excuse. Daddy-O is JW's first score, which I'm sure, isn't that great.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

None of these things excuse the quality of the score.

From what I recall, there's no need to "excuse" the quality of the score.

Many would beg to differ.

[Jamesyboy 3]

I have to say, for being his first major score, Buckley did quite a fine job. Nice orchestral work with choir and ethnic hints. I look forward to other scores by him. Listen to "Her Destiny is Written" and "Monkey King Released". Quite beautiful. There are sections where you hear the HG Williams influence, but I don't consider that a bad thing. This score really deserves to be listened to.

Jamesyboy - who just finished listening to Masters of the Universe...just great.

[Wojo 2,453]

Got Raiders in the headphones as I type.

[indy4 155]

The Mummy Returns:

A great score, superior to JG's, IMO. I love the heroic fanfare and the heavy choir and Arabic music. 4/5 stars

The Wizard of Oz:

A good, fun, and beautiful score. I love the Wicked Witch's theme, and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is very beautiful. The rest is charming and exciting and merry. I love the "Main Titles." I hate the way the album is set up, though, a lot of the tracks could be combined to make longer tracks. 4/5 stars

[Hitch 57]

Miklos Rosza's only western TRIBUTE TO A BAD MAN. Not bad.

[John Crichton 4]

Right now I'm listening to the promo of Christope Beck's Buffy Season 3 music. He has a really good sound (although this is mostly synth), lots of piano themes for soft moments but it works, and he can write some kickin' action cues (and some great "movement music", as I like to call it). It's too bad that since he's moved into film scoring he's gotten stuck doing comedies and chick flicks, nothing that lets him open up like this. I'm always hoping he and Joss will hook up again, maybe Dollhouse.

[indy4 155]

Wanted:

A very good score. While far from Elfman's best, it is a new side of him that differs from his usual Burtonesque scores. I love "Sucess Montage" and "Exterminator Beat," as well as "Revenge." I wouldn't say that it's the best score of the summer, but it is definetly a good one. ***1/2/*****

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Eidelman's STAR TREK VI. On a huge Trek kick right now. It's good stuff, I always liked this one.

[Jamesyboy 3]

Standard Operating Procedure by Danny Elfman.

Just brilliant.

Jamesyboy

[indy4 155]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind:

Out of all the JW scores, I've always considered this one to be the one that I don't appreciate enough (same goes for the film, actually). After this listen, I still feel that way, but I did enjoy it more than usual. The atmospheric stuff doesn't do much for me, but I like some of the more exciting material. The true brilliance of this score, however, all lies within the final cue. I love how JW incorporates "When You Wish Upon A Star," especially at 4:32. I still enjoy the "Suite from Close Encounters" (By Request) more than anything on the album, but it was a good listen. ***/*****

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I don't see the brilliance in CE3K, both film and score. Both great, but both not masterpieces.

[Jamesyboy 3]

Oh, CE3K is quite fantastic IMO.

Jamesyboy - listening to The Clone Wars.

[Bryant Burnette 654]

I don't see the brilliance in CE3K, both film and score. Both great, but both not masterpieces.

Wrong on both counts. Don't make come up there with a grin and a grudge and prove it to ya.

[Neimoidian 14]

I don't see the brilliance in CE3K, both film and score. Both great, but both not masterpieces.

Both ARE masterpieces, even though the score isn't my favourite listening experience as far as Williams is concerned. But the quality of the composition is so outstanding, that I just cannot say any bad word about it.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

X-Men: The Last Stand (complete score).

Still one of my all-time favourite scores. After two years and hundreds of listens, I still think the Phoenix theme is one of the best themes I've ever heard. Gah, it's almost transendental for me. Don't know why, I just love it.

(The rest of the score is good too, of course).

[Richard Penna 3,683]

Agreed about the phoenix theme - such an epic and hummable theme.

CE3K is one of the millions of movies I haven't seen for years, and almost certainly not in their complete form. I would say the list could be embarassing, but not after a certain admission of not having heard any of the Indy trilogy...

[Charlie Brigden 7]

It's an incredible experience. If SS hadn't made JAWS, I'd say it was his best movie.

The Blu-Ray is pretty fantastic, too.

[Morlock 11]

Alan Menken The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Still my favorite of the Disney soundtracks. The music is so fantastic...I so wish that I could hear the purely orchestral versions of the songs, there's so much fantastic stuff going on there.

[MSM 126]

Jerry Goldsmith's Timeline. Although it's a decent Goldsmith score it's less impressive (that is, less versatile, less romantic, less tense) than I would have expected, and far too short. The whole score builds on a rather annoying Klingon-like theme.

I am sorry, but I don't mind Brian Tyler did re-score it. His score blew me away.

[Marian Schedenig 8,191]

I still enjoy the "Suite from Close Encounters" (By Request) more than anything on the album, but it was a good listen. ***/*****

The 20-minute suite recorded by Gerhardt is much better still though. Although hearing the shorter "regular" suite performed live, and without a choir, was still a dream come true. I'm known for favouring The Fury as perhaps the best score by Williams, but that certainly includes a personal bias (for the movie, the way it's visuals and score work together, and a general liking to a not-so-well-known score). But objectively, CE3K probably takes the cake. As great as Star Wars is, one might perhaps even say Williams was robbed of an Oscar for CE3K.

[indy4 155]

I think John Williams himself prefers CE3K to SW.

I'd pick SW over CE3K, but the "Suite" I mentioned earlier is as good as the best material from SW.

[Romão 2,274]

The original Close Encounters album, although contains a truncated finale, provides perhaps the best listening experience for this score. Take the original album, and replace the finale cue with the last cue in the special edition cd, and you'd have what IMHO is the perfect way to apreciate this score.

[David Coscina 3]

I just bought Kings Row by Erich Korngold. Wow, I really can hear his influence in Star Wars. also, the part where Korngold does that alternating 7th thing reminds me of Superman the Movie. That withstanding, this is an amazing score. Korngold was truly an outstanding composer.

[Henry B 50]

Pour Sacha by Philippe Sarde (1991). This is an obscure, French soundtrack that I bought because it happened to contain a song from Schindler's List ("Yeroushalaim Chel Zahav"). The purchase, though, was well worth it. The main theme, "Pour Sacha," is one of the best pieces of music I've ever heard. A triumph of melancholy.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Masters of the Universe - Bill Conti.

Fantastic! For an 80's B-grade sci-fi film, this score is a near masterpiece. Exciting, thrilling and thematic, nothing wrong with this wonderful score at all.

[Incanus 5,714]

Chicken Run by John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams. This music is such fun and always lifts my mood. It exsudes such enthusiasm and good vibes it is impossible not to be affected. Makes me smile every time I hear it. Energetic and varied with a dash of nearly everything but keeps itself together tremendously well. And one has to love those kazoos!

Missouri Breaks by John Williams. Another of Mark Rydell's films to receive such an eclectic score from JW. In his films JW really got to explore different facets of Americana from the nostalgia of The Reivers to the down-to-earth The River and grittily realistic Cinderella Liberty. Missouri Breaks is somewhere in the middle of all those styles. Great opening track with a cool base line, some fun comedic music for the rustlers and down right weird harpsichord music for the cooky law enforcer played by Brando and of course a nice Williams love theme. Not JW's top efforts but an interesting listen none the less.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I do not believe I have heard of "Missouri Breaks". I am tempted to inspect it now.

[Henry B 50]

It's a really nice score. A lot of people are just turned off by the use of a bluesy ensemble rather than an orchestra.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I am very tempted.

[Incanus 5,714]

I definitely recommed you to give Missouri a try if you want to hear something different from Williams that shows his versatility beyond the big symphony orchestra setting. All those Rydell scores mentioned in previous my post are something different from JW than the grand fanfaric fare most people expect from him.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

I shall now sucumb to my temptations. I do not like you anymore, Mr. Incanus.

[indy4 155]

Chicken Run by John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams. This music is such fun and always lifts my mood. It exsudes such enthusiasm and good vibes it is impossible not to be affected. Makes me smile every time I hear it. Energetic and varied with a dash of nearly everything but keeps itself together tremendously well. And one has to love those kazoos!

Mrs. Tweedy's theme is one of the greatest villain themes ever written.

[Bryant Burnette 654]

Alan Menken The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Still my favorite of the Disney soundtracks. The music is so fantastic...I so wish that I could hear the purely orchestral versions of the songs, there's so much fantastic stuff going on there.

Yeah, that's a good soundtrack. I like the movie a lot, too, although the gargoyles are out of place.

Have you ever heard the German stage version that Disney did? I've got it, but haven't yet listened to it.

[indy4 155]

Hunchback and Pocahontas are my favorite Menken scores, with the former being slightly higher, I think.

[MSM 126]

I just bought Kings Row by Erich Korngold. Wow, I really can hear his influence in Star Wars. also, the part where Korngold does that alternating 7th thing reminds me of Superman the Movie. That withstanding, this is an amazing score. Korngold was truly an outstanding composer.

Which recording did you buy btw?

[crocodile 8,000]

Interesting. I might want to check it out myself then. I'm not familiar with it.

Superman: The Movie: Nothing needs to be said.

The Thing (Morricone): Probably one of my favourite horror scores of all time. Its hopeless sense of isolation is really chilling for me.

Alien: Another contender to that title. But for different reasons.

Diamonds Are Forever: I really like this score now. There was a time when I didn't. The song is great too.

There Will Be Blood: One of the best scores of this year. Easily.

Karol - now listening to Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

The Clown Wars.

What can I say that I haven't already?....

[Ollie 1,059]

It's your own fault for listening to it.

After finally finishing up with the Bernstein box I've been listening to Williams' Olympic themes and other fanfares that he's composed in honor of the Olympics. The games have also inspired me to listen to scores like The Patriot, Born on The 4th Of July, JFK and several other patriotic sounding ones.

I still haven't gotten to Masters Of The Universe.