10 most HORRIBLE things DUMMIES say 'bout film music...

[Dean1700 4]

I seem to recall someone, possibly Spielberg, saying that if the music is good then it should not be heard during the film as you do not want the music to take anything away from the movie itself.

It may have been something similar that was said but that's about the crux of it though.

Familiar Story?

You've just seen a movie with a "Dummy" and you're leavin the theatre and you say something about the music. Said "Dummy" then says to you "There was music in the film? I didn't hear it!"

[MrAsterisk 0]

"But there's no singing in it. That's boring."

That was a comment about Battle of the Heroes.

That's priceless! That's what singing is supposed to be, not some lipsynching, whining, pubescent boys.

[Jacck 23]

I hate it when you have a series of films (for example the Harry Potter films), and people always say, "I didn't notice any new music"...

Or when you tell people "I thought this film had a good score" and they immediately remember the theme, and are completely oblivious that any other music was playing throughout the film... Lol

[robthehand 3]

Well, to be fair, if someone said "Indiana Jones music" I'd think of the Raiders March...

[Jeshopk 8]

I'd think of Desert Chase or the Bug Tunnel and Death Trap

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

4. 'Ennio Morricone, he did them Westerns right..?'

That is an acceptable statement IMHO. Morricone's name, like it or not, is synonymous with those spaghetti westerns in the general public's eye (I think there is a difference between general public and real 'dummies'). Likewise, as you said, Williams is most probably the Star Wars guy.

[Justin 2]

(In reference to Van Helsing and Yared's Troy)

"It sounds like looney toons music that's trying to be scary."

Justin

[robthehand 3]

Me: What do you think of Darth Vader's theme?

A Friend: It's good. Which film was it from?

Me: The Empire Strikes Back.

A Friend: Oh yeah, Star Wars. How does it go?

Me: [bad attempt to whistle it]

A Friend: Oh yeah that one - the one with lots of orchestras in it right...

Me: Um...

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

"The Metallica version of Imperial March is soooo much better than the original!"

sigh

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

"Braveheart Theme by Enya is sooo beautiful!"

[DarkLord89 0]

10. (When a dummie hears 'The Raiders March') 'Oh, I know this, this is from 'Star Wars'..!'... (When you explain it's actually from the Indiana Jones films, he says, rather pigheadedly:) 'I've also heard it in 'Star Wars'..! (or:) 'Well, it's EXACTLY the same..!'

LOL

My cousin and I went to a convention; the people who were talking at some point used "The Raiders March", then my cousin told me (he knows I'm a fan of film music): "Hey, that Star Wars tune was great!" When I told him that it was actually Indiana Jones, he said: "THERE! I WAS WRONG AGAIN!"

You wouldn't believe the look she and a friend gave me when I said I was listening to Star Wars. That was followed by "Oh, does it have a soundtrack then?"

banghead (just look at my post on the "how did you fall in love with film music" thread)

BTW, my friends don't tell me "Do you have any normal music?", they just ignore me... Except when they ask me "Do you have the score of (put a blockbuster hit title, like "Matrix" or "Van Helsing")? Can you give it to me?"

[MrScratch 294]

"Do you have any normal music? No offence."

To which I always reply, "Normal, bland pop music that you can listen to on any radio station? No, I don't. Sorry."

maybee there needs to be a break with orchestral music for 10 years and only use pop music in movies

To which I always reply, "Sure, if you want those movies to be heavily dated 10 years from now."

People are idiots.

Jeff

[MrScratch 294]

At the start of almost every movie my wife and I watch she asks me, "Who did the music for this?" or a question along those lines. While I know she's just trying to take an interest in my love of film music, she seems to think that I actively watch movies specifically to listen to the music, which is not true at all. She doesn't understand that you can like the movie and not like the music, or vice versa.

OK, it's not a horrible question by a dummy, but everything else has already been said.

Jeff

[Luke Skywalker 1,807]

DOnt let your wife read that last statement.

[Panthera 0]

"hmm..i wonder if this soundtrack will be any good, none of the others have had a soundtrack, lets hope for the best!"

Someone said that at mugglenet.com when talking about the GoF soundtrack.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

It's neither horrible or by dummies, but I always find buying soundtrack albums a tramuatic experience.

This happens an awful lot:

- Enthusiastically asking what I thought of the movie (assuming I HAD seen it, hence the purchase. but I suppose seeing the movie, THEN getting the album would be the normal way of business for normal people), then continuing with their thoughts (you can imagine my horror (amusement) when I bought War of the Worlds when two of the people at the desk started arguing about the movie (the guy hated it, the girl liked it) with the tired discussions of the ending, the Ray-focused narrative etc.

- Commenting on the music itself, with often laughable results (I'm not mean, but some people...)

- The age old "Oh, you realize this isn't the song CD" - This one ain't so bad, I wouldn't be surprised at the emount of idiots who buy the score CD and take it back angrily when they expected the song CD.

- When asking when a score will be released or where the soundtrack section, a dazed expression is my answer.

Thank God iTunes has opened in Australia finally. Nwo all I need is an iPod.

[robthehand 3]

I still have no idea what the guy in one record store was on about:

Me: I bought this CD [it was the The Two Towers, I think], but it has the wrong disc inside the box [the best of Ray Charles :?].

Them: Well what did you expect?

Me: Err... The Two Towers?

Them: The DVD? It ain't out yet.

Me: No, the CD.

Them: Are you sure that exists?

Me: Yes, I just bought the box of it!

Them: Do you want a refund?

Me: No, I want the Two Towers CD.

Them: I'll have to talk to the manager.

I got the CD about 1/2 hour later.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

After all this, I wonder how bad enthusiasts of foreign music or super-obscure bands have it in CD stores.

[David Vincent 8]

What I hate the most is when somebody tells you that he knows the Star Wars music and is just able to whistle The Imperial March !

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I still have no idea what the guy in one record store was on about:

Me: I bought this CD [it was the The Two Towers, I think], but it has the wrong disc inside the box [the best of Ray Charles :?].

Them: Well what did you expect?

Me: Err... The Two Towers?

Them: The DVD? It ain't out yet.

Me: No, the CD.

Them: Are you sure that exists?

Me: Yes, I just bought the box of it!

Them: Do you want a refund?

Me: No, I want the Two Towers CD.

Them: I'll have to talk to the manager.

I got the CD about 1/2 hour later.

LOL

btw, good point, Drax. Still, we all like to complain and pretend we have it worst of all, eh?

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

gee...and i thought things were as bad as they are in malaysia...looks like its no worse than some places u guys are at. some shops here dont even have a soundtrack section, or all the soundtracks are 'Music from and inspired by...'. I've never even seen the Spiderman score, only the Music from and inspired by...

[David Vincent 8]

Yes, I always have to search a long time to find the Soundtrack section if there is one and only find albums that contains songs you can hear in the movie

I have to add these commentaries about Patrick Doyle's Goblet of Fire :

This soundtrack is beautiful! I've never cared much for the other ones (though they weren't too bad) but I've always thought John Williams' HP theme was too kiddie-like. It's so much more interesting now!  

I am a huge fan of John Williams, but this is different in a good way. I was getting a little sick of the same themes with just a little tweaking here and there. Stone and Chamber were almost the same soundtrack, Azkaban was better, but still lots of the same. But this...(sigh)this is incredible....  

John Williams brings in the sights and the sounds, but Doyle finally brought in the EMOTION. A much more mature, and frankly, better constructed score than the last installments. Fresh blood is just what the musical composition needed, and Doyle comes in on his very best game.  

The 'Voldemort' track is absolutely brilliant, my favourite. Sooooo much better than the 'Voldemort's Face' of the PS/SS album.  

THIS is the kind of work I've been looking forward to since they started making these movies.  

This rocks and I would like to see them keep Doyle on as the composer.  

I am falling in love with Doyle's score...!! I think I found the word that describes it best - it's **GRAND**....there'e something so grand...majestic about it....and that's a very different feel from the previous 3 films.  

AWESOME! John Williams is good but I don't tihnk he could have composed such dark music.  

I think Doyle's score kicks William's off a cliff! Awesome! So pretty.  

Wow such a powerful score. Thats the one thing Williams was lacking. Some of the scores felt weak.  

It's a lot more sophisticated.

banghead

[Justin 2]

"Anything by John Williams is better than any other score."

Justin

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

I've said this multiple times before, but it's a good one.

I was at Barnes and Noble, and went to pay for the Home Alone soundtrack that I was buying a friend as a Christmas present. As she was ringing me up, the girl at the counter decided to comment helpfully on the product I was purchasing, telling me "It's not as good as you think . . . it's, like, the score." I just stood there for a second and then said, "I know, I already have it" as dryly as I could. She said "Oh, okay," probably wondering what was the matter with someone like me who buys, like, scores.

Ray Barnsbury-surprised she actually used the term "score"

[robthehand 3]

This didn't have to be about film music, it was by chance that it was:

I brought The Best of John Barry: Themeology to the counter of a record store, asking to buy it. They typed something into their computer, and said "I'm sorry, there are none in stock." "But I've got one here", I replied. "We can order one in for you?" "No, I'll take this one." "I can't sell it to you." "Why not?" "It's NOT IN STOCK!" "OK, then I'll just walk out with this, right?" "No, no, no. What's the price on it?" "7.99" "OK." [i give them the 7.99] "Would you like to order in that other CD?"

It sounds like a cariacature, but it's true. In case anyone here watches Little Britain, It was kinda like Carol ("Computer says no...").

[Omen II 1,236]

I get a lot of people singing Marius Constant's theme from The Twilight Zone back at me when I tell them that my name is Damien. It's really appreciated on so many levels, as I am sure you can imagine. :roll:

Mind you, the worst ever is the utter drivel penned by "NME's Danny Kelly" in an otherwise decent Ennio Morricone CD I got a few years ago. Here are a few examples of his pearls of wisdom:

"He's fired the imagination of generation after generation of sound-sculptors. Without him, for instance, Lee Perry wouldn't have turned reggae into dub (his early tunes all bore Morricone-inspired titles) and without dub there'd have been no rap. No Morricone, no Hammer - far fetched but true."

...or how about (talking of Morricone's spaghetti westerns):

"Previously even the good ones (Dimitri Tiompkin [sic], Bernard Hermann [sic], Leonard Berstein [sic]), had punctuated and dramatised the story; Morricone's instead projected the individual personalities that populated the film as well as colouring the landscapes and locations in which the action took place."

...and to cap it all:

"Since then, of course, he has developed and broadened his art ten-fold, finally winning an oscar in 1985 for his stunning work on The Mission."

[DarkLord89 0]

(Dimitri Tiompkin [sic], Bernard Hermann [sic], Leonard Berstein [sic])

Since I do not speak English currently, I do not know this one: what does "[sic]" mean? It was also featured in the RotS complete cue list (3M8 - Obi-Wan Fares [sic] Droids)...

[robthehand 3]

One I forgot: (in reference to the boy soprano solo in Return of the King's "Minas Tirith" track) ....yeah and that stupid singing." :roll:

[Luke Skywalker 1,807]

This didn't have to be about film music, it was by chance that it was:

I brought The Best of John Barry: Themeology to the counter of a record store, asking to buy it. They typed something into their computer, and said "I'm sorry, there are none in stock." "But I've got one here", I replied. "We can order one in for you?" "No, I'll take this one." "I can't sell it to you." "Why not?" "It's NOT IN STOCK!" "OK, then I'll just walk out with this, right?" "No, no, no. What's the price on it?" "7.99" "OK." [i give them the 7.99] "Would you like to order in that other CD?"  

I would have gotten it for free. And if the machine beeped, tell them "well prove you have it in stock"

[Incanus 5,727]

I get a lot of people singing Marius Constant's theme from The Twilight Zone back at me when I tell them that my name is Damien.  It's really appreciated on so many levels, as I am sure you can imagine.  :roll:  

Mind you, the worst ever is the utter drivel penned by "NME's Danny Kelly" in an otherwise decent Ennio Morricone CD I got a few years ago.  Here are a few examples of his pearls of wisdom:

"He's fired the imagination of generation after generation of sound-sculptors.  Without him, for instance, Lee Perry wouldn't have turned reggae into dub (his early tunes all bore Morricone-inspired titles) and without dub there'd have been no rap.  No Morricone, no Hammer - far fetched but true."

...or how about (talking of Morricone's spaghetti westerns):

"Previously even the good ones (Dimitri Tiompkin [sic], Bernard Hermann [sic], Leonard Berstein [sic]), had punctuated and dramatised the story; Morricone's instead projected the individual personalities that populated the film as well as colouring the landscapes and locations in which the action took place."

...and to cap it all:

"Since then, of course, he has developed and broadened his art ten-fold, finally winning an oscar in 1985 for his stunning work on The Mission."

That's hilarious! It seems Morricone is one hell of a composer and the one we have to blame for the birth of rap LOL

[SturgisPodmore 0]

Today on the bus (school bus) a few of my "bus aquaintences" comandeered my iPod. They like non-orchestral music, of course. I tried to anticipate any comments I might get by saying "I have a lot of soundtracks on there." The first guy went through and complimented me on the few songs I have from Aerosmith and the Barenaked Ladies. Then when this other girl got it, she scrolled through, saying "Good band . . . I don't know that one . . . don't know him . . . never heard of him" (though not in a derogitory way).

Then she said "Oh, Danny Elfman, from, um . . . "

I was thinking "Batman, Edward Scissorhands, what has she heard?"

Then I realized and suggested "Oingo Boingo?"

"Yeah!"

I said "He composes music for movies now," and was promptly ignored.

At least she knew of him I guess.

~Sturgis, who generally runs away before people can look at his iPod's songs or artists

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I'm actually quite impressed when someone knows about Oingo Boingo.

[Lurker 5]

(Dimitri Tiompkin [sic], Bernard Hermann [sic], Leonard Berstein [sic])

Since I do not speak English currently, I do not know this one: what does "[sic]" mean? It was also featured in the RotS complete cue list (3M8 - Obi-Wan Fares [sic] Droids)...

"[sic]" means the author is quoting an error and knows it's an error.

Neil

[Hitch 58]

Nothing worse than walking into a movie rental store, a familiar movie with familiar music is playing as you browse the shelves for (usually one of my movies) and someone is trying to hum the music. Actually happened to me last night. Some guy was humming "KINGDOM OF HEAVEN". I don't know how I didn't restrain myself for hitting him and saying there is only one good piece of music in that entire movie and it was written by a sorely-missed composer buried six feet under. I think he was more frightened in seeing chin 67 rolling up its wrinkly skin to prepare for battle.

[Morlock 11]

Nothing worse than walking into a movie rental store, a familiar movie with familiar music is playing as you browse the shelves for (usually one of my movies) and someone is trying to hum the music.  Actually happened to me last night.  Some guy was humming "KINGDOM OF HEAVEN".  I don't know how I didn't restrain myself for hitting him and saying there is only one good piece of music in that entire movie and it was written by a sorely-missed composer buried six feet under.  I think he was more frightened in seeing chin 67 rolling up its wrinkly skin to prepare for battle.

What a cute post. You are a funny guy!

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I'm actually quite impressed when someone knows about Oingo Boingo.

Until a few years ago, I only knew Danny Elfman as Danny Elfman, composer of film scores.

I think I have yet to hear a single Oingo Boingo song.

- Marc, who's good friends are used to the orchestral contents of his iPod.

[Luke Skywalker 1,807]

Robthehand, you really have dork clerks there! LOL

I know i girl that mentioned Danny Elfman when i said I liked film scores.

She loved Edward Scissorhands.

[Jeshopk 8]

I think I have yet to hear a single Oingo Boingo song.  

You have heard "Wierd Science" haven't you?

[Luke Skywalker 1,807]

Oingo Bongo boyos!

[robthehand 3]

Robthehand, you really have dork clerks there! LOL

True. Most of the people (apart from shop-counter-workers) are the same person.

[Jeshopk 8]

Thank you for that Luke

[Luke Skywalker 1,807]

Was it hilarious or i ruined your day?

With no emoticons i have not clue

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I think I have yet to hear a single Oingo Boingo song.  

You have heard "Wierd Science" haven't you?

That's Oingo Boingo? Nice.

- Marc, who liked that song.

[ChrisAfonso 188]

Some others I could recommend are:

-Insanity (with very Elfman-ish brass)

-Dead Man's Party

-Stay

-Mary (beautiful ballad)

-War Again (chillingly sad and sarcastic)

-Little Girls (really cynical)

[Composer_Fan 2]

"Oh, John Williams...he does classical music, right??"

No, dumbass, Mozart did classical music....

or even worse:

"Who's John Williams?"

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

This isn't about film music, but it brings it into it...

I was hooked on classical music ever since I heard the Harry Potter Soundtrack (John Williams does a great job on that by the way), but that's not the point. The point is however every musicial had to start somewhere and where else but classical music. Look at Beehtoven, he is practically the one who invented it and everybody (whose anybody) likes his works, but why does everybody hate other people's works. They made sound different, but they use the same instruments.

Any wonder there's hatred between the classical and film score fans! (I'm a huge fan of both, incidentally) It's nice she's recognizing good music, but it makes me feel ashamed!

[Richard Penna 3,761]

A friend has just MSN'd me, asking (probably since my 'now playing' thing says The 13th Warrior) if I had any of the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack.

"I watched the film a few days ago, and it strikes me that the music may be pretty listenable....."

banghead

I made my opinion known slightly more tactfully than that.

[GoodMusician 56]

I have a friend who's a big star wars fan and yet he still swears it's called "Darth Vader's Death March."

[Jeshopk 8]

Was it hilarious or i ruined your day?  

With no emoticons i have not clue

It was both, just like my reaction to Jar Jar. The closest emotion would be LOL + :cry: +

[matmilne 0]

here's another one:

What's film music got over classical?