Recorded September 23, 2009 Published September 27, 2009
Episode Highlights
00:11 - Opening - What we did on our Summer Vacation. 04:00 - The Difficulties of a Mediocre Summer 07:25 - The Biggest Surprise 13:40 - The Biggest Disappointment 19:14 - The Worst 25:32 - The Best 31:45 - Reactions 36:50 - Final thoughts on the Summer of 2009
Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)
07:58 Code Blue - Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (John Powell) 08:54 District 9 - District 9 (Clinton Shorter) 10:00 The House of Adam - Year One (Theodore Shapiro) 11:07 It's A Girl - The Time Traveler's Wife (Mychael Danna) 14:13 Star Trek - Star Trek (Michael Giacchino) 15:00 Election by Adoration - Angels and Demons (Hans Zimmer) 15:51 Einstein's Wrong - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Steve Jablonsky) 16:58 Logan Through Time - X-Men Origins: Wolvernie (Harry Gregson Williams) 17:54 Nest - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Steve Jablonsky) 20:02 Manhattan Bridge - The Taking of Pelhamm 123 (Harry Gregson Williams) 23:15 Deathmatch - Gamer (Robert Williamson and Geoff Zanelli) 24:02 Sleestak Attack - Land of the Lost (Michael Giacchino) 24:45 Heed Our Warning - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Steve Jablonsky) 26:28 In Noctem - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Nicholas Hooper) 27:11 The Cliff - Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (John Powell) 28:92 End Credits - Mutant Chronicles (Richard Wells) 29:12 Enterprising Young Men - Star Trek (Michael Giacchino) 30:05 Dinosaur Vista - Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur (John Powell) 30:23 Scrat Finds Love - Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur (John Powell) 36:53 Married Life - Up (Michael Giacchino)
You've probably seen the recent in-game footage released for the highly anticipated video game tie-in for James Cameron's AVATAR. Seeing this footage, I'm reminded of LOST PLANET 2 (a game I can hardly wait to play). Not only that, but the in-game music sounds more like the work of JAMIE CHRISTOPHERSON, composer for Lost Planet and Lost Planet 2, than it does anything James Horner would ever do. Now, I'm not saying it's bad at all. The music seems to fit into the mold of the first or third person shooter well enough...just nothing extraordinary.
Given Cameron's desire to "connect" the game with the film, I'd expect that to roll over to the music as well. So what to make of this 3 minutes, then? Perhaps it's not the finished game score? I bet that it is. Perhaps, then, it actually is something along the lines that Horner has done for the film? I'd be fraggerghasted, if that's the case.
So I'm betting this is the actual in-game music. All that is left is to find out who the composer (or composers) are. Ubisoft, we're waiting.
Ever wonder what Jason Bourne would be like in Bizzaro-world? Well, if you have, then let me introduce you to Mark Whitacre, Matt Damon's latest character creation and central figure of Steven Soderbergh's THE INFORMANT. Dr. Whitacre is a pudgy, pasty, Ivy-league-educated, corporate man turned whistleblower; a man with ever escalating delusions of climbing to the top of Archers Daniel Midland by bringing the peak of the company down under his feet. Mark Whitacre appears to be everything Jason Bourne is not - although one might argue that there is an comically odd parallel in the identity issues both characters face. This time, instead going on a strict exercise regiment and diet, Damon does the opposite in making his own physique match his persona. The on-screen result is just as mesmerizing, but in an inverted way. Regardless, Damon's portrayal of the character is worthy of Oscar thoughts. Director Steven Soderbergh bases his film on the book by Kurt Eichenwald, which tells the real-life tale of Whitacre. This telling goes far beyond the investigative and legal points that newspapers and television covered back in the Nineties. Eichenwald's book and Soderbergh's movie dives much deeper into the story-twists and the fractured psyche of the seemingly cooperative and good-natured Whitacre. This film is all about deception: corporate deception, government deception, and self-deception. Even the trailer is a bit deceptive; making THE INFORMANT look singularly like corporate-comic-caper. Just like Whitacre, there is another side to this film that isn't apparent in the trailers. THE INFORMANT, while containing a high-rise full of humorous moments, is also a thought provoking exploration into price-fixing, FBI operations, and the mind. In addition to the unforeseen plot-twists and Damon's exceptional performance, one of most intriguing aspects of this film is composer MARVIN HAMLISCH's original score.
What is immediately intriguing about THE INFORMANT's score is that it reflects musical sensibilities far older than the film's Nineties setting. Of course, if you are familiar with previous works of MARVIN HAMLISCH, then this jazz-founded score will not be such a surprise. For those not so familiar, Hamlisch is one of only two composers to ever win an Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy. In fact, he has won three Oscars, four Emmy's, four Grammy's. He has also won three Golden Globes and Pulitzer Prize. Some of his most recognizable works include THE STING, THE WAY WE WERE, and A CHORUS LINE - all famous works from the Seventies, which could be considered Hamlisch's golden era. It is that era's music in which he is allowed to indulge himself once again. Without a doubt, hiring Hamlisch was a surprising and fiendishly bold move of Soderbergh and the net result is worth examining beyond the cursory listen.
A honeymoon in Kaui? That would likely fit the bill for many of us as something we might call "a perfect getaway." What's not to like? The unfathomable blue of the ocean, lush, tropical flora and fawna, cool sea breezes, your new spouse all aglow with honeymoonness; wandering, shape-shifting, psychopathic killers. Ok. That last one might ruin things just a little bit. Well this is the basic plot of director David Twohy's latest project so aptly titled, A PERFECT GETAWAY. Twohy is perhaps best known for two projects: PITCH BLACK and its sequel, THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK. While the one became a cult hit, the latter tripped over itself in it's desire to flesh out the larger world introduced in the first film. In both cases, composer GRAEME REVELL was selected by David Twohy to deliver his usual blend of the orchestral and the electronic. Of late, it seems that Revell has opted for television-scoring gigs with series like ELEVENTH HOUR and DARK BLUE. Perhaps Revell's busy schedule opened the door for long-time assistant composer/programmer, BORIS ELKIS to take on the full composing reigns for A PERFECT GETAWAY instead.
David Twohy's late-Summer entry tried ever-so-hard to stir things up at the cineplex, by delivering a thriller that jostled the brain as much as the stomach. You see. There have been some mysterious deaths on this beautiful island and we are taken on a journey of finding out not only who the culprits are, but what has lead them down this dark and disturbing path. A PERFECT GETAWAY is essentially a whodunit, or better, a "who'sdoinit?" that makes an effort to "big-twist" unsuspecting audiences. Ah. Nothing is ever as it seems...even in a place as beautiful as Hawaii. Perhaps Mr. Rourke and Tatoo retired there after their Fantasy Island days, but just couldn't help themselves to a little nostalgic-fantasy-twisting. The sad thing is that Twohy attempts to subtly lay down clues as to the twist that is to come, the film's title itself being among them, but even the most general of audiences pick up on such hints and, by the time the twist actually makes it to the screen, are sitting there, like a catcher waiting on the break of a curve ball. We, the audience, have fully anticipated the whole thing from very early on. While beginning as a beautiful, postcard, A PERFECT GETAWAY devolves into the battle-royal version of Survivor by it's conclusion. Of course this progression of story is closely followed by the film's score, thus giving composer BORIS ELKIS a good opportunity to provide music that equally evolves...or devolves.
ORDER OF WAR is a real-time strategy game set in the latter stages of the European theatre of World War II. Some gamers say that the World War II foundation has been over mined as a game premise and environment and while I might tend to agree, I certainly remain open to something new and fresh that a developer can bring to the genre. In the case of developer's, Wargaming.net, and publisher's, Square Enix, ORDER OF WAR might just be that "something fresh.". No ORDER OF WAR is not another FPS (first person shooter) set somewhere in Europe, but a real-time strategy (RTS) game that takes a step beyond even in terms of that sub-genre. Interestingly, in ORDER OF WAR, the player is allowed to participate in the final thrusts of the European theatre on both fronts; controlling the Allied Advance or Germany's defense against the Russian counter-offensive in the East. Here we get much more than a few squads or divisions to control, but entire armies! ORDER OF WAR also allows the player to control just how these epic battles are viewed; allowing the game to become much more "cinematic" in experience than any other WWII strategy game. Given the scope and breadth of this game, the developers made an epic choice in bringing on veteran game score composer, JEREMY SOULE.
If the CRANK films were visually exhausting, then GAMER is a clear case of visual abuse and ROBERT WILLIAMSON and GEOFF ZANELLI's score is just as guilty, but against our ears instead. In GAMER, we are once again taken down the path of an incarcerated man being able to obtain his freedom by winning some outlandish game or sport. In their respective eras, both DEATH RACE and THE RUNNING MAN asked the audience the same question, "Could this be where we are headed for our entertainment?" Hmmm. Yes. It could very well be where we are headed. Certainly nothing new about the question or it's answer. It has been asked since the age of the Roman Gladiator came to an end and the answer remains unchanged. Since we are now in the "age of the video game," perhaps the writer/directors felt it was time to re-wrap and present this question for a new generation. Or perhaps Neveldine and Taylor just needed some sort of premise to hang another couple hours of visual nonsense on. Whichever the case, in GAMER, the central is figure, Kable (Gerard Butler), a prisoner who get's to work off his sentence in a game called, Slayer. Now, this game is of the life and death sort. He also has a wife and daughter to find, who have been taken from him, but how does he win the game and save his family at the same time? It's such a pickle. In comparison, old Arnold had it easy when he won THE RUNNING MAN, since he at least had control of... himself. Poor Kable does not have this luxury, since he is merely the in-game-avatar of a teenaged-master-gamer, Simon. So off we go into this gritty, grungy, shaky, fleeting world of GAMER and to assist us into full migrane-inducing-immersion is the original score by ROBERT WILLIAMSON and GEOFF ZANELLI.
HAYAO MIYAZAKI's PONYO (shortened from GAKE NO UE NO PONYO, lit. PONYO ON TOP OF THE CLIFF) is STUDIO GHIBLI's latest movie to hit stateside, and it's been doing very well, not to anyone's surprise. The film reached 9th place in the U.S. box office charts in its first week, with an estimated $3,506,000 in earnings, which makes it the 8th highest grossing theatrical anime release in the United States. The combination of being completely hand-drawn and being shown immediately after a string of trailers for DISNEY / PIXAR's upcoming 3D-CGI films, almost does itself a disservice, making it seem like a dated film, but MIYAZAKI wouldn't do it any other way. He even had the CG department at STUDIO GHIBLI dissolved before the production of PONYO began...
RT @amazonmp3: Celebrating 1+ mil followers! Get one song. FREE Limited-time. Restrict. apply. Use code FIRSTMIL. http://snurl.com/firstmil about 17 hours ago from TweetDeck
Moviescore Magazine - New film music news site from the folks that brought you upcomingfilmscores.com http://bit.ly/XsZTC about 18 hours ago from TweetDeck
I already don't care much about the Jonah Hex film, and this news certainly doesn't help. Score by Mastadon? http://bit.ly/15uRTA about 21 hours ago from TweetDeck
Wednesday
WB Records puts artists on California Lottery tickets? http://bit.ly/HvXA0 2:19 PM Sep 2nd from TweetDeck
Tuesday
1 of the best scores of the year thus far? Might want 2 check our review of Mychael Danna's The Time Traveler's Wife. http://bit.ly/11DoaW 9:18 PM Sep 1st from TweetDeck
Sad news. RT @DougAdamsLOTR: Erich Kunzel dies at 74 | The Cincinnati Enquirer http://ow.ly/nBKx (via @wfiuarts) -- Rest in peace. 11:48 AM Sep 1st from TweetDeck
Great intv. New album coming in Nov! RT @tmusicnews: New interview with E.S. Posthumus here: http://bit.ly/sH60b 6:51 AM Sep 1st from TweetDeck
Monday
@imogenheap wants to score a film? This would be a great thing. I have no doubt she could do something special. http://bit.ly/1494Kh 8:09 PM Aug 31st from TweetDeck
After the Gamer soundtrack, I must cleanse my listening palette with something else that arrived today - A.R. Rahman's Vande Mataram 6:40 PM Aug 31st from TweetDeck
Saturday
A nice intv. by @mjmfilms w/ Michael Nielsen & Kaveh Cohen (Full Tilt : Trailer Music) http://bit.ly/2eRORl 10:15 AM Aug 29th from TweetDeck
Friday
Interesting video doc of Hans Zimmer, Heitor Pereira, Martin Tillman, with director Issa Lopez working on Casi Divas. http://bit.ly/rucCX 3:22 PM Aug 28th from TweetDeck
and Tavner, Muhly, Pook, Nyman! RT @dovwaterman: anyone interested in coming to see Craig armstrong in concert? http://bit.ly/LxMz8 1:19 PM Aug 28th from TweetDeck
Game Composer Kevin Riepl (Gears of War) and Producer Otto Cate (Deprogrammed) are proud to unveil their mysterious new project “DAMAGE VAULT” during PAX 2009.
Starting 9/4/2009, a free MP3 download entitled “PASSAGE” will be made available to the general public, which gives audiences a sneak preview of the upcoming self-titled album, set to drop October 31, 2009.
DAMAGE VAULT is a new trans-media entity, started by Kevin Riepl and Otto Cate, that provides cutting edge sonic experiences for a multitude of media outlets – including, but not limited to, film/tv/advertising, and video games.
About KEVIN RIEPL
KEVIN RIEPL’S music has enhanced the visual mediums of television, films, and most notably, video games. Riepl’s themes range from energetic and rhythmic to emotive to simply macabre and other worldly. Fans of the highly praised Unreal series by Epic Games have been familiar with his work since 2002. It wasn’t until the hit game Gears of War that brought Riepl to the forefront of the video game music world.
Currently Riepl is scoring independent films, two triple-A video game titles, one being "Aliens: Colonial Marines", and is also a Creative Director at Damage Vault, a music / media production entity. Kevin is represented worldwide for video game music by Gloria Soto, Soundelux DMG.
About OTTO CATE
OTTO CATE, who studied under Colorado Symphony percussionist Ted Small, has been spearheading independent projects in the Electronic, Industrial and Metal genres throughout his career. Otto has produced, and been involved with several remixes over the years of well known artists such as Amethystium, Atlas Plug, Celldweller, Contingence, and Pitchshifter.
Currently Otto is a Creative Director at Damage Vault, a music / media production entity, and is represented worldwide for video game music by Bob Rice, Four Bars Intertainment.
I recently dove into the new Sapphire Series of Blu Ray releases with BRAVHEART. It had been a few years since I watched, what has become, a true classic piece of cinema. It certainly was a treat to see Mel Gibson's film in such high quality at last. In this presentation the photography of John Toll is even more stunning and to listen to the score was like falling in love with James Horner's music all over again. By the way, even if you have the VHS or DVD releases of BRAVEHEART, I highly recommend you take the triple-dip and get this Blu Ray.
Now, as so often happens, when I have one of those true "movie experiences, the original score from that film works its way into my head (if not my very soul) and I can't stop listening to it, humming it, or plunking it on piano. Such is the case everytime I see BRAVEHEART. After I finished charging the fields of Bannockburn, I got to thinking about how fantastic JAMES HORNER'S work was back in the 1990s...truly this man's golden era. I have had many discussions with movie and film music fans over the years on what is Horner's all-time best effort. Needless to say, there is rarely a concencus #1. Still, there are a handful of Horner scores that usually fill out the top few spots on most fan's lists. While I could easily put together a top 20 list, I've widdled it down to my (current) top 10. So take a look below...I'm thinking there will be a few surprises for you in the list.
#10 - The Mask of Zorro
This score doesn't get talked about much these days, but it has all the romantic-goods you could want for such a film. THE MASK OF ZORRO contains many of the well-used (or well-worn) Hornerisms that seem to irritate some: the shakuhachi bursts, the four-note-menace-motif, and the lot, but in terms of a solid listen from start to finish, THE MASK OF ZORRO is one his best. Plus, if Horner can integrate flamenco dancers into the soundtrack, there's no way I can leave it off this list!
#9 - Something Wicked This Way Comes
Way back in 1983, the young James Horner proved he could do horror as well as he could do sci-fi or anything else, for that matter. SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES had been one of his most sought after scores for nearly 20 years. Thankfully, it was made available again in 2009 from Intrada Records. This score ranges from fanciful to the downright horrific. We hear sides of James Horner that we sadly hardly ever hear again. And don't look now, but I think it's clear that one Mr. Harry Potter has some of his thematic routes here. I'm just sayin...
#8 - The Rocketeer
You may not remember THE ROCKETEER all that well, but you likely know the main theme. Horner's title theme was poached countless times in the mid-nineties for use any movie trailer that required an uplifting and inspirational vibe. James Horner was able to capture the awe and wonder of flight and delivered a score perfect for a hero-film of the Nineties (You know, before heroes had to be all dark and serious?) Balancing out his memorable title theme came a grade-A love theme and thrilling action cues. If you haven't listened to THE ROCKETEER in a while, dust it off and give it a play.
#7 - Titanic
I'm betting you thought this title would end up higher in the list. Didn't you? Now, let it be known that I am not a Titanic-hater. I loved the movie in 1997 and still do. I, like so many, listened to the score incessantly (Admit it. You did, too.), back in late 1997 and perhaps we burned out a bit on it. However, if you go back now and listen, you'll likely rediscover James Horner's original brilliance again. His score for TITANIC certainly played a significant role in the becoming the highest-grossing flick of all time and finally garnered him an Oscar.
#6 - Glory
If there is one James Horner score that stands out from the crowd, it is his work for the1989 film, GLORY. Horner's employment of the Boys Choir of Harlem was a stroke of genius and makes the climactic scenes of this film unforgettable. His collaboration with director Ed Zwick would go on to produce a couple more of my top Horner picks as well!
#5 - Apollo 13
1995 might have been James Horner's best year ever. I'd put that year up against any other single year of any other composer without hesitation. Both Apollo 13 and Braveheart were duly nominated for Oscars, but, as we know, neither won. Horner's adventurous romp is filled with all the feel-good-Americana and tension you could hope for and ends with some of the best end-title-music you'll find - featuring the memorable vocals of Annie Lennox.
#4 - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn
After Jerry Goldsmith's musical reinvention of the franchise in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, one would think that the producers would be all set for the sequel when it came to the music. Instead, they re-invented again and this time with James Horner delivering what some consider the best of all the Star Trek film scores. Hard to follow Goldmsith's act, but Horner does just that, infusing his own sci-fi/fantasy style found in previous works such as BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS or KRULL. Hard to imagine Kahn Vs. Kirk with any other style of music behind it.
#3 - Searching for Bobby Fisher
I can hear some of you now. "Wuhthufuh?" SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISHER is a personal favorite of mine. I've loved it since 1993 and never tire of it. Of all his quaint and human scores such as: DAD, THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE, TO GILLIAN ON HER 37TH BIRTHDAY, this score stands supreme. So simple in its construction, yet there is something sublime that lies underneath. Horner poured something special in there that I cannot quantify. Sure. There are other Horner efforts that offer more variety, but few with more depth.
#2 - Legends of the Fall
Ah. Just saying the name evokes feelings of nostalgia and images of the majestic mountains filled with forests of changing leaves. That and a few hearts being cut out...literally and figuratively! The unforgettable imagery of cinematographer John Toll was duly matched by James Horner's sumptuously romantic score in LEGENDS OF THE FALL. From the inner turmoil of the Ludlow family, the ill-fated romance x 3, Tristan's wild ruggedness, to the perils of trench-warfare, James Horner's music underscores every moment of this film perfectly. The emotional content of this score just overflows and I have little doubt that LEGENDS OF THE FALL had a huge influence on Horner being selected for the film that comes in at #1 . . .
#1 - Braveheart
You were expecting...Willow or something? James Horner's work for BRAVEHEART drops into either the #1 or #2 position on my list at any given moment. It's an incredible work. There's no doubt in my mind (nor in the mind of dir. Mel Gibson) that this score should have brought home the Oscar in 1996. Losing to Luis Bacalov's IL POSTINO remains one of the Academy's biggest blunders to date. Having two scores in the running that year, certainly didn't help his cause either. Regardless of such award faux-pas, the impact of Horner's work on the "gift of the thistle" scene, or "Robert the Bruce's betrayal" or "The execution" scene can hardly be overstated. Each of these scenes are a part of that small group of transcendent film-moments and due credit must be given to Horner for his contribution.
So there you have it - my current top ten James Horner scores. You agree? Disagree? What's your top 10?
Romantic films that are box-office hits are pretty rare, although dozens upon dozens of them are released every year. For everY TITANIC, NOTEBOOK or ATONEMENT there are countless others that, while managing to draw many-a-female tear, don't draw equal numbers of dollars. On the other side of the ticket-stub, there have been even fewer films about time travel that turned into box office bonanzas. In fact, I cannot think of even one. So what an intriguing idea. Let's combine these two maddening concepts into a single film. That daring experiment comes in the form of THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE based on Audrey Neffinegger's hit 2003 book of the same title. Director Robert Schwentke did well to arm himself with Eric Bana (didn't he learn his lesson in Star Trek that time travel isn't a good idea?) and Rachel McAdams as the lead actors and screenwriter Joel Rubin, who won an Oscar for his screenplay for GHOST. Still, the potential cosmic backlash in combining such deep issues of the mind (or science) with those of the heart could be more than a bit devastating to all involved...including audiences.
As opposed to his vengeful mission in Star Trek earlier this year, this time a genetic defect keeps Mr. Bana time-hoping in and out of the life of his future, current, and past wife. While the notion of meeting your, full-grown, future husband while you are still an adolescent be romantic, the repercussions of having a disappearing husband are numerous...and would seem to be clear. Of course, that's where the heart closes it's eyes and dives head long anyway. I had vainly hoped that there would be some balance to all of the lovey-dovey-ness by way of explanation of this time-travelling issue. Plain and simple, there was none. I should have know it, but THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE focuses on the emotional repercussions of this unique relational issue. The film makes no attempt to satisfy the intellectual conundrums it flaunts in our faces and this has left some sadly disconnected with this couple and their plight.
Regardless of the film's many weaknesses, the glaring strength is composer MYCHAEL DANNA's beautiful, original score. It will come as no surprise that Danna's music features many of the main staples of the romantic score: brilliant strings, soulful piano, woodwinds, cello...the works. With these in hand, DANNA goes on to craft some truly intoxicating, thematic material. Wave upon wave of musical romance is balance out with some evocative instrumentation and production representing the idea of time travel. Through his well-crafted score, MYCHAEL DANNA helps you to feel this destined love, while simultaneously making you ponder on this exotic dilemma these lovers are in.
99 bottles of blood on the wall...99 bottles of...oh.
While the votes are being tabulated for last month's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra contest, you can get a jump on our newest Caption Contest. This month we feature a scene from the hit television show, TRUE BLOOD. Supply the winning caption and you will win your own CD of composer Nathan Barr's dark and swampy original score. On the score, Barr performs the cello, piano and guitar. Barr's music for season 1 of TRUE BLOOD picked up a BMI Cable Award for Best Score.
So get your best vampire schtick going and submit your entries today!
