It's been almost 20 years since we first heard one of James Newton Howard's most romantic and beloved original scores of his career, WYATT EARP. The 1994 film starring Kevin Costner and a host of other a-list talent was among the top films of the Nineties-Western-Revival and Newton-Howard's grand score was no small part of it. Finally, La-La Land Records gives us the release the score has always warrented. Christopher Coleman unboxes/unwraps this 3 CD release and gives a grand tour of the packaging, liner notes, and CD artwork.
The music is from La-La Land Records release and no copyright infringement is intended but offered for informational purposes only.
Tracks used:
Track 01 - "Main Title" (Disc 1)
Track 15 - "The Wagon Chase (Synth Mockup)" (Disc 3)
Track 01 - "Dodge City (Alternate Introduction)" (Disc 3)
Track 06 - "Tombstone (Short Version)" (Disc 3)
Track 21 - "It Happened That Way" (Disc 2)
WYATT EARP: LIMITED EDITION
Original Release Date: 2013
Number of Discs: 3
Number of Tracks: 64
Label: La-La Land Records
PURCHASE OPTIONS
Available here: http://lalalandrecords.com/WyattEarp.html
Bonus Episode: Talking Top 10 James Newton Howard Scores
Christopher Coleman and Helen meet, face-to-face, for the first time and discuss Christopher's Top 10 scores from the prolific composer, James Newton Howard.
Episode Highlights:
00:31 Intro and sitting down with Helen San
04:12 Top 10, 9, 8, 7 and Helen Hatin' on M. Night.
11:17 Top 6, 5, 4 - Newton Howard and Kevin Costner
15:55 Top 3, 2, 1 -
32:02 Helen's Picks
34:18 After Earth, "the dip," Green Lantern
37:59 Wrapping it up
Music Selections:
00:00 "Horn of Plenty" (The Hunger Games) by James Newton Howard
00:57 "Gnomeo & Juliet" (Gnome & Juliet) by James Newton Howard
03:34 "Beautiful" (King Kong) by James Newton Howard
04:47 "Noah Visits" (The Village) by James Newton Howard
06:46 "The Great Eatlon" (Lady in the Water) by James Newton Howard
08:20 "The Egg Travels"(Dinosaur) by James Newton Howard
09:47 "Visions" (Unbreakable) by James Newton Howard
11:23 "Main Titles" (Signs) by James Newton Howard
13:27 "Main Title" (Wyatt Earp) by James Newton Howard
14:22 "Main Titles" (The Postman) by James Newton Howard
16:02 "Flow Like Water" (The Last Airbender) by James Newton Howard
28:08 "End Titles" (Snow Falling on Cedars) by James Newton Howard
36:05 "Drone Dogfight" (Green Lantern) by James Newton Howard
38:29 "Visions" (Unbreakable) by James Newton Howard
Helen's additional picks:
1. RESTORATION. One of my fav JNHs. I used to listen to this cue (Fire) ALL the time. This rivals Flow Like Water.
http://youtu.be/Xr3Wo1-u5DM
2. PRINCE OF TIDES. Sweeping romantic. I forget how versatile he is.
http://youtu.be/mJVEPxGN8jY
Top Ten James Newton Howard Scores
by Christopher Coleman
Once upon a time, I didn't think The Postman was a great score, nor any of James Newton Howard's scores...to be honest. I can still hear the cries and wailing of the offended as I would share this bit of my taste.
But that was a long time ago and tastes do mature over time. Don't they?
James Newton Howard has become a true favorite of mine over the last 10 years. When given the chance, he can wring out more emotion from a handful of notes than anyone working in the business. His range is wide, writing scores for animated features, sci-fi, horror, historical dramas, and even date-movies. There's little wonder he remains busy year after year.
So below you will find my current top ten list of James Newton Howard scores. Once again, like my Hans Zimmer Top 10, you will not find collaborative efforts like The Batman/Dark Knight Trilogy. And let me just break some hearts right away, two scores that fell just outside of my top ten were: Atlantis and Blood Diamonds, so you won't be finding either of them below. You may find some of your favorites listed here, but hopefully you'll discover some James Newton Howard score you may have overlooked until now.
Here we go:
#10 - The Village
While M. Night was still getting a collective pass due to his coming-out party of THE SIXTH SENSE, James Newton Howard continued to show that he gives his A-game regardless of the material. The mystical, beautiful main theme stands out among Howard's most intoxicating uses of strings in any of his works, even if it is a bit derivative of some of his other works...some that you might just find later on in this list.
#9 - Lady in the Water
Another unfortunately maligned film from M. Night Shyamalan, LADY IN THE WATER, finds itself offering some of Howard's most poignant musical moments of his career. The simple animated prologue set audiences up for a fairy-tale adventure that the rest of the film arguably did not deliver upon. Whether one "got" the movie or not, the closing sequence containing the cue "The Great Eatlon" is undeniably a powerhouse of film music and continues to deliver goose-bumps to those who listen to it.
#8 - Dinosaur
As Disney moved into world of 3D animation, they continued their collaborative relationship with James Newton Howard. Having scored ATLANTIS and TREASURE PLANET, there's little wonder that they went with Howard for their big, 3D-adventure, which followed a group of migrating dinosaurs. Howard's ability to bring the images on screen to life through music was never demonstrated any better than in the track "The Egg Travels." The animated playfulness gives way to African rhythms and vocals before the brass and strings bring the piece into the era of the unforgettable.
#7 - Unbreakable
What would Mr. Shyamalan do without Mr. Howard? Not much apparently. The director's second feature didn't receive the praise of his death-sensing rookie effort, but should have. Bringing a level of "cool" to this effort is ... no, not Samuel L. Jackson's involvement, but Howard dropping the popular (at the time) rhythmic-hook into the movies main theme. While the piece ascends from a mysterious darkness, the rhythm keeps the piece driving forward with a bit of funky-determination. It's true that this very element does date the score (it has been 12 years afterall), but evenso UNBREAKABLE remains distinct among Howard's distinctive portfolio.
#6 - Signs
This unfairly maligned entry from M. Night Shyamalan offers one of Howard's most suspenseful scores of his career. SIGNS is pensive cross between John Williams work for Close Encounters and Bernard Herrmann and goes a long way to helping the film establish and maintain it's moment-to-moment chills. Newton Howard's work here is almost a character unto itself. While not the icon that Williams' 5-note motif from Close Encounters eventually became, Howard's 3-note ostinato certainly remains with viewers long after the film has ended and is nearly as effective.
#5 - Wyatt Earp
James Newton Howard's wonderfully, warm, Americana score for Kevin Costner's epically long film, which focuses on the life of the Wyatt Earp; a soldier, turned criminal, turned sheriff, offers one of his most unforgettable title themes. The theme has been adopted and implemented in trailers, television and radio programs. Wyatt Earp was produced during Hollywood's Western revival of the 1990s, which afforded some of the most unabashedly heroic and sweeping scores of any era since. Of course that trend has long since ended and so far less opportunities exist to deliver such rich music. In Howard's case, there is a specific "grandness" to his score here that continues to make it a stand-out-effort amidst his extensive portfolio.
#4 - The Postman
Yes. Yes. I agree the movie was another Costner-post-apocalyptic-stinker, but as with Waterworld (a good score, but not good enough to make this here list), Newton Howard was clearly able to transcend the on-screen...limitations. He does what he does best once again: adventure and romance in spades. His title theme is unashamedly heroic (even patriotic) romp that, when played with the images on the screen can certainly induce a spasm from our internal, musical-cheese-rejectors, but when divorced from the screen are just as inspiring many of his other similar pieces. Add to this another goosebump-laden, love theme and there's almost no way The Postman can be omitted from anyone's top 10 list.
#3 - The Last Airbender
Say what you will about how bad the film was (and I'd probably agree with you), but there's no denying that Howard provided a score well-fitting the epic that THE LAST AIRBENDER could have, no, should have been. While Shyamalan's grade might have bottomed out here, Howard's powerful, yet passionate score reminded us that he's still got the massive, symphonic music coursing through his veins. From start to finish this score entertains and scintillates and, if not for 2010's How To Train Your Dragon (John Powell), this would have been my top score of the year.
#2 King Kong
With creative differences between director Peter Jackson and composer Howard Shore severing their collaboration for the 2005 edition of KING KONG, James Newton Howard was called upon to step in at the 11th hour. Amazingly, he delivers one of the most well-rounded and entertaining scores of his career. The music contains all of the mystery, action, thrill and romance one might hope for in a Kong-flick. Perhaps the greatest and most pleasant surprise of the score (and film) is the level of heart injected into it. Ann Darrows starry-eyed, but heartbroken piano-lead theme is only surpassed by Newton Howard's "beautiful" theme. Just as everyone, save Darrow, could not see or imagine the heart and intelligence of "the beast," so most anticipating this film could expect quite this level of feeling. Of course, as we would definitely expect, Newton Howard delivers the goods when it comes to hellacious action-scoring and unforgettable, heroic fanfares. It bears emphasizing that our composer had less than two months before the movie was to release to write and record this score. While the music itself puts it into #2 position, this fact ensures its position and even curried the thought of moving it to number one...but not quite...
#1 - Snow Falling on Cedars
What can I say about this film and score? How has it reached the #1 position? The moody, yet immaculate images of director Scott Hicks and cinematographer Robert Richardson are matched, if not elevated, by James Newton Howard's forceful score. Whether its the solitary bell tolls, yearnful strings, weighty taiko drums or suddenly sublime choir, few of Newton Howard's scores can rival the diverse excellence here. Several, more commercially well-known, scores from his massive portfolio went on to feature similar elements, but none of them eclipse what he has done here. Newton Howard brings heft and heaven together for Snow Falling on Cedars and if there is one soundtrack to start your JNH-collection with, this must be the one.
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So there it is...all the James Newton Howard goodness one list can contain.
The most unfortunate thing about this post is that no work from James Newton Howard composed in the last couple of years has made this list (The most recent being The Last Airbender). His recent scores, while mostly adequate for their respective films, have lacked the most all of the verve and beauty of any of these listed here.
Be on the lookout of a bonus edition of The SoundCast where I sit down (literally) and talk with Helen San about this very list!
Do you have another title you think should have made my list? I dare you to post it in comments below. If you need further convincing of the brilliance of this list you can listen to the selections from all ten here in our special Youtube playlist.
Among the most successful action thrillers of recent times are the BOURNE films, starring Matt Damon as the eponymous amnesiac Jason Bourne in a hunt for answers about his own past. The series fundamentally changed the action-thriller genre in two major ways, for better or for worse; firstly, it popularized the hotly-debated shaky-cam style of cinematography that supposedly adds realism to action scenes. Secondly, and more significantly for film score listeners, its scores by JOHN POWELL soon became a reliable temp track staple for any modern chase scene, and with good reason. Though his first score, THE BOURNE IDENTITY, relied a bit too heavily on the electronics, the sequels (SUPREMACY and ULTIMATUM) impress with an extremely smart and appropriately modern blend of electronic loops with live percussion and relentlessly chopping string figures (known as ostinati in musical parlance), employed in remarkably well-structured action cues. SUPREMACY in particular is among the most influential scores of the modern age.
Naturally, the success of the BOURNE films and scores led to a host of imitators, with even DAVID ARNOLD’s later two JAMES BOND scores straying closer to their grittier, more down-to-earth sound than the flamboyant electro-orchestral-jazz mixture he had concocted for his initial three outings. Among the more recent BOURNE soundalikes was JAMES NEWTON HOWARD’s score for the 2010 Angelina Jolie vehicle SALT, a decently enjoyable entry into the subgenre in which a couple of strong action cues and a catchy ostinato of its own managed to overcome the relative lack of originality. HOWARD was therefore a relatively predictable choice for the BOURNE series’ relatively predictable 2012 reboot (though it’s really more of a spinoff, starring Jeremy Renner as black ops agent Aaron Cross, who has to deal with the repercussions of Bourne’s actions in the previous franchise instalments).
In a year of scores that includes a career-highlight for JAMES NEWTON HOWARD in THE LAST AIRBENDER, one could be forgiven for overlooking the likes of NANNY MCPHEE. Ever the diverse composer, HOWARD takes his first foray into the NANNY MCPHEE universe.
The second of the NANNY MCPHEE titles, NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS, sees Emma Thompson return to screenwriting and lead actress duties in this quirky fantasy adventure.
HOWARD enters into familiar territory in NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS, having scored for the fantasy genre in recent years with such efforts as THE WATER HORSE and PETER PAN. With such familiarity comes reliability, but, as is displayed in RETURNS, there is always the underlying risk of a score composed on autopilot.
High hopes does not even approach the anticipation I felt for The Last Airbender. It was a chance for M. Night Shylamalan to reclaim his mantle of storytelling excellence, it was the perfect opportunity to display fantastic visuals, and it was a great chance to introduce the world at large to the acclaimed anime property.
It turns out it was just a messy disaster.
I really wanted to like the movie, but bad casting, painfully bad writing, and waxy acting made for a film that no amount of beautiful art direction could save. Enter JAMES NEWTON HOWARD, swooping in to the rescue to deliver a score that is so majestic, appropriate, and authentic that it manages to salvage the experience. This is JAMES NEWTON HOWARD in full form, with all pistons pumping and all the familiar favourite traits from past scores making an appearance. It is a tour de force of contemporary film scoring with one foot firmly in the grander styles of yesteryear.
Nazi Germany and the Jewish plight during World War II have been, and will likely be for many years to come, the source for powerful movie-making. We need look no further than the end of 2008: THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYGAMAS, VALKYRIE, and DEFIANCE, where three such films were released in very close proximity to one another. There are, obviously and sadly countless stories of persecution and death, but also of heroism and life to be found throughout Europe during World War II. While many of them will go untold, authors, producers, and directors are telling more and more of those that have survived. One of the most conceptually interesting is director Ed Zwick's DEFIANCE. Taken from the book by Nechama Tec, "Defiance: The Bielski Partisans," Zwick brings to the big screen the tale of the three Bielski brothers who lead a growing group of Jewish refugees in hiding from the extermination of the Nazi army. The film is, unsurprisingly, not without its controversies concerning historical accuracies. Those debates aside, Zwick brings his considerable talents, along with those of his musical collaborator from 2006's BLOOD DIAMOND, composer JAMES NEWTON HOWARD, to bear on the project.
Well, well. The Academy has reconsidered their decision regarding the disqualification of THE DARK KNIGHT original score by HANS ZIMMER and JAMES NEWTON HOWARD. One composer on the committee stated to me that their decision was originally correct by the established rules. I'm just pleased to see that the Academy was willing to look at this situation and adjust accordingly. Hopefully, they will modify the rules so collaborative efforts beyond 2 composers will be acceptable. You can read the brief story at Variety.com.
As you know Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's score for THE DARK KNIGHT was, as the rules dictated, disqualified from contention for an Oscar this year. There isn't anything anyone can do about that....BUT...
A crafty and cool group have put together a new site, THE DARK CAMPAIGN, to help lift the Oscar buzz for THE DARK KNIGHT in many other categories. If you feel so inclined, join the movement and see if you can help the film grab some hardware. It's certainly grabbed all the cash already. Get all the deets here.
We're back...and we're not alone. Episode 2 of The SoundCast we discuss the Academy's recent ruling which disqualified THE DARK KNIGHT original score by HANS ZIMMER and JAMES NEWTON HOWARD. We were fortunate to be able to get reaction from a number of prominent film music composers on this issue. You might be surprised to know that the responses were equally divided "for" and "against" this ruling. You won't want to miss this episode!
Well, those who were looking for Christopher Nolan's THE DARK KNIGHT to make a serious run through this year's Oscars, you will have one less category to worry about. Which category? The one the matter most 'round these parts - Best Original Score.
It appears that higher ups at the Academy went all Suze Orman on Mr. Zimmer and Mr. Newton Howard. DENIED! The Academy didn't seem to buy what the composers' explanation was over the additional music credits on the score - feeling that too high a percentage of the score was written by persons other than those two themselves. They felt the same way about BATMAN BEGINS and likewise gave it the heave-ho.
So those of you in Camp Zimmer-Hater, are you feeling some sort of strange satisfaction over this?
Seems a shame to me. While it may not be the year's best, it's certainly is worth Oscar consideration. "Rules is rules." I guess. Nothing like Oscar controversy starting up in November!
Oh ho...look at what we have here! Apparently, Warner Records is slipping in another version of the hit soundtrack from THE DARK KNIGHT by HANS ZIMMER and JAMES NEWTON HOWARD. At the bottom of this post is the official press release.
This 2-disc version appears to deliver a number of unreleased cues and a few remixes,too. Below is the track listing:
Disc: 1
1. Why So Serious? 2. I'm Not A Hero 3. Harvey Two-Face 4. Aggressive Expansion 5. Always A Catch 6. Blood On My Hands 7. A Little Push 8. Like A Dog Chasing Cars 9. I Am The Batman 10. And I Thought My Jokes Were Bad 11. Agent Of Chaos 12. Introduce A Little Anarchy 13. Watch The World Burn 14. A Dark Knight
Disc: 2
1. Bank Robbery (Prologue) 2. Buyer Beware 3. Halfway To Hong Kong 4. Decent Men In An Indecent Time 5. You're Gonna Love Me 6. Chance 7. You Complete Me 8. The Ferries 9. We Are Tonight's Entertainment 10. A Watchful Guardian 11. Why So Serious?(The Crystal Method Remix) 12. Poor Choice Of Words(Paul van Dyk Remix) 13. Gunpowder And Gasoline(Remix by Mel Wesson) 14. Rory's First Kiss(Remix by Ryeland Allison)
If the standard release, the collectors edition, or the LP release wasn't enough for you, then this one should do the trick. You can PRE-ORDER yours from Amazon.com now. It is scheduled for release on December 9, 2008.
Press Release
WARNER BROS. RECORDS TO RELEASE COLLECTORS EDITION OF THE DARK KNIGHT ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK ON DECEMBER 9, 2008
TWO-DISC SET INCLUDES 50 MINUTES OF UNRELEASED MUSIC FROM THE BLOCKBUSTER FILM, PLUS REMIXES BY THE CRYSTAL METHOD, PAUL VAN DYK, AND OTHERS
Burbank, CA — The Collectors Edition of The Dark Knight Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — the haunting score to the blockbuster feature film The Dark Knight — will be released by Warner Bros. Records on December 9, 2008.
The Collectors Edition is a two-disc set that features the original motion picture soundtrack, composed by acclaimed film scorers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, plus an additional 50 minutes of unreleased music from the movie, as well as four unreleased remixes by The Crystal Method, Paul van Dyk, Mel Wesson, and Ryeland Allison. The Collectors Edition also includes a 40-page hardbound book and special cover artwork.
Zimmer and Howard, who collaborated on the score for the 2005 blockbuster Batman Begins, were asked by director Christopher Nolan to work together again, scoring its follow-up, The Dark Knight. The duo recorded the orchestral soundtrack for the film in London last April. Zimmer and Howard are among the film industry’s most respected and sought-after composers. Each has a career encompassing well over 100 film and television scores. Zimmer won an Academy Award for his score for The Lion King, and has earned six additional Oscar nominations for his work on Gladiator, The Thin Red Line, Rain Man, As Good as It Gets, The Preacher’s Wife and The Prince of Egypt. He includes among his more recent film credits Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, The Simpsons Movie, and the Spanish-language Casi Divas. Howard has been honored with seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Score nods for the films The Prince of Tides, The Fugitive, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Village and, most recently, Michael Clayton. Howard’s other film credits include I Am Legend, Charlie Wilson’s War, King Kong, Collateral and The Sixth Sense.
The Dark Knight, which hit theaters on July 18th, 2008, was a blockbuster box office hit, becoming only the second movie ever to earn more than $500 million in North America. The follow-up to “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight” reunited director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprised the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in his continuing war on crime. The film also starred Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Christopher Nolan film, “The Dark Knight.” Nolan directed the film from a screenplay written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. Charles Roven, Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan are the producers, with Kevin De La Noy, Benjamin Melniker and Michael Uslan serving as executive producers. The Dark Knight is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.
The Dark Knight was distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
Yes...it's late on opening night (or rather early the next morning) for THE DARK KNIGHT and I'm still up catching up on things for the site.
Ok - you've likely dropped your coin and have seen the movie. Now, what do you think of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's score for the film? Take a couple seconds and give your rating for the score in our latest visitors poll!
Let me tell you how I got this smile on my face...
In 2005, one of DC’s most beloved superheroes was brought back to the big screen by director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN. The Batman franchise had been reinvisioned and reinvigorated by Tim Burton in the late 1980s with BATMAN and then in 1992, with BATMAN RETURNS. While the film franchise went into serious decline after that with the next two Batman films, several animated television series were developed and have seen great success. Batman was still very much alive in our media consciousness. Still, the overwhelmingly positive reactions to Christopher Nolan’s BATMAN BEGINS made it clear that we were ready for a big-screen-Batman again. Three years later, the dark-one is back, flanked again by composers HANS ZIMMER and JAMES NEWTON HOWARD.
THE DARK KNIGHT truly stands out from the crowd this Summer. Despite excellent efforts in both IRON MAN and THE INCREDIBLE HULK, director Christopher Nolan pushes his film along the lines of real-worldliness beyond either of these two ... even beyond his own BATMAN BEGINS. This real-world grittiness (enhanced greatly by the sparring use of CG) helps to separate this film from the glut of 2008's Summer movies. In fact, take away the cape and cowl, and poorly applied make-up and this film could almost slip into this year's dramatic Fall line up. Well, maybe I go to far.
Since Batman's revelation, the city of Gotham has changed: the people, the police, and the criminals. Such change is visually reflected, among other ways, in the color palette shift from the golden hues of the first film to cold hues of blue. The mob is under new leadership and have themselves hit hard times, thus opening the way for a new sort of criminal – one not moved by money or simple power. Our hero of the night has to fight the old mob and the new...as well as himself in this new Gotham. Christopher Nolan's sequel is an effective mash-up of mob drama and psycho-thriller that happens to include a caped crusader as its protagonist. As the perilous second act of a hopeful trilogy, Zimmer and Newton Howard follow suit and push and already menacing musical style even further into the darkness.
He has been lurking in the shadows of viral web sites and teasers and trailers and bootlegged soundclips, but he is just about here... The Bat-man. Below you find the official press release regarding the multi-release of THE DARK NIGHT soundtrack by HANS ZIMMER and JAMES NEWTON HOWARD. Included will be the standard soundtrack, a special limited edition, an LP, and now, a digital download version (MP3).
HANS ZIMMER AND JAMES NEWTON HOWARD TO PERFORM LIVE AT THE DARK KNIGHT PREMIERE
In-Store Soundtrack Signings Set For New York and Los Angeles
Burbank, CA: - Two of the world’s most renowned composers, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, will be performing together live for the first time, on stage at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square IMAX Theater prior to the world premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Dark Knight on Monday, July 14, at 7pm.
These two world-class, award-winning composers teamed for the second time to create the score for this highly anticipated sequel to the blockbuster Batman Begins, which they scored in 2005.
Zimmer and Howard will be signing copies of the soundtrack at Virgin Megastores in New York on Tuesday, July 15, in Times Square at 7pm, and in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 16, at Hollywood and Highland, also at 7pm.
The soundtrack for The Dark Knight will be released on Warner Bros. Records on July 15 prior to the film’s nationwide opening on July 18.
Warner Bros. Records will release four different configurations of the soundtrack for The Dark Knight: a standard jewel case CD, a 2 LP set of heavy-weight 180 gram vinyl version, a special edition digipack, and a collector’s edition with special artwork to come after release.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a Christopher Nolan film, The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Morgan Freeman. Nolan directed the film from a screenplay written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. Charles Roven, Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan are the producers, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull serving as executive producers. The Dark Knight is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane. The Dark Knight will be distributed worldwide in theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. The film has been rated PG-13 for “intense sequences of violence and some menace.”
For quite some time I've been hoping to score some official clips or tracks from Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's latest effort - THE DARK KNIGHT that I could share with you. Alas there have been a handful of leaks of the music already... and now the official soundtrack site has been launched.
This offers clips from four tracks and I'd guess give us a solid glimpse as to what to expect from the score as a whole. Looks like there will be four releases: CD, limited edition CD, digital download, and LP.
I've long been an M. Night Shyamalan supporter...even in the face of pretty harsh criticism. Yes, indeed, I liked LADY IN THE WATER: the film, the score, everything. I don't think there is a more maligned director in Hollywood right now. I've lost count of the number of failings he is accused of having, but perhaps the chief among them is "pretentiousness." Well, one man's pretension is another man's...creativity. Oh yes. That word was certainly dusted off and included in many reviews and messages boards once again when it came to Shyamalan's latest project,THE HAPPENING. In most cases, Shyamalan's stylistic storytelling and sometimes cryptic moralizing wins me over - despite awkward dialogue and off-kilter acting; however, this streak ends with THE HAPPENING for me. To his detractors, all I have left to say is "Shyamalan happens." He does and will continue to do things his way and enough people keep watching his films to keep him gainfully employed. If nothing else, director M. Night Shyamalan is consistent in a few areas. First, his films rarely adhere to Hollywood-conventions. Second, he always seek to make some sort of moral or existential point. Third, he always brings on composer James Newton-Howard to provide the musical score.
M. Night Shyamalan has taken both "awkward dialogue" and "off-kilter acting" to a new level in THE HAPPENING. Yes - the point of the film is well-taken, despite being misunderstood, by some, as a film pushing the "green-agenda." It's not really about that at all. Yes, we, the human race, are screwing up the planet but we have also been screwing up each other for quite some time, and the earth ain't none to happy 'bout it. The film is not making a statement about treating the earth better as much as it is about treating the human race better. I can only surmise that our leafy cohabitants have figured out that if we treat our own species so badly, we are going to continue to treat the earth even worse. Humans have become a threat to everything. So, the earth does what most living things do when threatened; avoid or eliminate threat. What more clever thing than to cause the threat eliminate itself? Quite economical. Once again Shyamalan has come up with an "idea" that is quite interesting. Plant life adapting, evolving, communicating, and collaborating to rid themselves of this fleshy threat? Who wouldn't love that? When it comes to the execution of this story, though, that is another matter all together. To put it flat, Shyamalan truly missed it this time and has left me little to argue on his behalf with. Other than the creepy Betty Buckley (she'll always be Mrs. Eight is Enough to me), the casting is downright awful and the script given to them is even worse. Yes, M. Night manages get our pulses moving with a few disturbing moments of self-execution and murder, but if it takes that sort of thing to save a film, then that film has got big troubles. Other than the premise, there isn't a lot to take away from THE HAPPENING. Now, for some film score fans, the lone silver lining of any M. Night movie comes with the knowledge that there will likely be another magical, mystical, beautiful effort from composer JAMES NEWTON HOWARD. So is THE HAPPENING saved by Newton-Howard's contribution this time out?
In case you've just managed to slide out from underneath that rock, the buzz of over Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's score for THE DARK KNIGHT continues to flap around the net - including our interview with the dynamic duo. Additionally, Amazon has released, what appears to be, the final covers for the original soundtrack release and the special edition soundtrack release coming July 15.
Just over a month before the release OF the highly anticipated follow-up to BATMAN BEGINS, we are able to speak with film music's own "dynamic duo" HANS ZIMMER AND JAMES NEWTON HOWARD. They share their thoughts on how they have continued in the collaborative tradition begun with the first film, their treatment of themes for Batman and the Joker, and about "the note."
...more of the same music. That is. The second full length trailer for, what seems to be, the most anticipated film of the Summer, has just been posted. In a Summer full of potential super-blockbusters, THE DARK KNIGHT has the masses in the palm of their viral-marketing palms. Admittedly, this does look like it is going to soar above the rest of the Summer line-up as director Christopher Nolan is putting himself in a class by himself. Heath Ledger's performance looks as though it will be unforgettable. He'll be sorely missed.
Oh yes. In terms of the music, appears to be more of the same from BATMAN BEGINS. This begs the question as to just what Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard have in store for us this time out. The soundtrack from Warner Records is slated for release on July 1, 2008. If you just can't wait, the answer is simple...justpre-order the Batman.
