Dark Shadows (Danny Elfman)
Posted: May 18, 2012 Filed under: Danny Elfman Leave a comment »Final Musings: Dark Shadows is an effective combination of the previously established sounds for Sleepy Hollow and The Wolfman. The level of thought put into this score is rather admirable with well executed orchestrations and themes. But the lack of accessibility in the harsh electronic effects and the overbearing dissonance play to the score’s downfall. Nonetheless, with repeated listens, this score can offer a rewarding experience.
Dark Shadows is definitely one of the stranger things to have aired on daytime television back in the 60s. The gothic soap opera made quite the impression on its cult following with its bizarre supernatural elements and the memorable character of the 200 year-old vampire Barnabas Collins. Director Tim Burton was quite the fan himself so it wasn’t long before he would take premise under his wing for his own take on it. As with most Burton films, the film features great visuals and top-notch acting. But where the film really fails is the schizophrenic nature of the storyline and direction. Dark Shadows often varies between gothic fantasy, dark horror and outright comedy as it knows very little about what it wants to be. Luckily, Burton’s long time collaborator, Danny Elfman didn’t partake in this crisis. The composer wisely chose to keep the film grounded by scoring it as a straightforward Burton film of the horror fantasy genre. The resulting product is a rather effective score with far more direction than the film itself.
Dark Shadows has a rather well crafted score that has a fair amount of thought put into it. Firstly, it’s pretty clear that Elfman wanted to provide the movie with a dramatic musical atmosphere akin to Robert Cobert’s own work for the source material. Consequently, at several moments the score effectively emulates the sound of a soap opera, and in this regard, the orchestrations are executed with exquisite precision. The alto flute is used capably as a throwback to its popular status in the early 70s. It’s often utilized with echoing descending phrases as heard consistently throughout the work (developed in cues like “More the End?”).To go on, Elfman also expertly uses various electronic effects (often abrasive in nature) that include slurring electronic pitches and cackling sound effects to reflect the outlandish nature of this particular soap. The intention could not be clearer in moments like 1:04 in “The End?” (the bass in enhanced in a menacing melodramatic fashion so common in many of these melodramas) or 0:24 in “Barnabas Comes Home”. There are also other little nods like the emphasis on the vibraphones. And so its hard to deny that attention to detail in such retrospect is quite admirable. Read the rest of this entry »
The Avengers (Alan Silvestri)
Posted: May 10, 2012 Filed under: Alan Silvestri 1 Comment »Final Musings: Fans expecting the Alan Silvestri of yesteryear will ultimately be leaving this score disappointed. While the score offers rather entertaining highlights in its peak, it falls more along the lines of a rather generic entry in the composer’s career. The score falls short with the main theme and the lack of inspiration consequently makes this score a wearisome listening experience. Regardless, it still stands above the drivel that accompanies most modern blockbusters these days and for that perhaps there ought to be some gratitude.
Marvel’s long term cinematic plan finally came to be fulfilled with 2012’s The Avengers. Over the course of many years, the popular comic book studio has worked hard to unleash productions of their most formidable heroes so that they may be gathered to make the penultimate blockbuster, making millions on the way of course. There were high expectations riding on this film, and it did not disappoint. Financially, the film already broke several records in its opening weekend, having surpassed even the final Harry Potter film with its opening weekend grossing. It also served as a strong entry in television director Josh Whedon’s career as it managed to please critics with its intelligent dialogue and charismatic crew.
Now the Marvel films have always been rather colourful in terms of musical style. The scores for these ventures have ranged from mundane Remote Control Production clones for the Iron Man franchise to the symphonic heights of the Spiderman films. Hired for this assignment was action veteran Alan Silvestri. In a world where the Hans Zimmer/Remote Control methodology seems to be forced upon the most respectable of composers, even in the superhero genre (as recently shown by Patrick Doyle’s Thor), Silvestri seems to be a man who can be counted on to provide a more traditional, orchestral score. His recent work for Captain America: The First Avenger proved that the composer was still capable of his rhythmic force and bold themes.
Considering the nature of the film, Silvestri approaches the film more with the stylistic flavour of his disappointing effort for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. So the unreasonable folks expecting the return to the soundscape of Back to the Future and Judge Dredd are bound to be disappointed. The score is exactly one might expect for a film like this. The snare-ripping action, the dissonance for suspense, and the brassy thematic statements common to Silvestri’s career are all there. Electronic accents are also heard throughout the score to attune to the setting and personality of the movie (as heard in moments like 1:36 in “Assemble”). Stylistically speaking, there isn’t anything new this score has to offer. But perhaps this thought is exactly what fans are looking for considering the radically changing trends in today’s film music. Read the rest of this entry »
The Hunger Games (James Newton Howard)
Posted: March 28, 2012 Filed under: James Newton Howard 6 Comments »Final Musings: If you expected a bold adventure score, this isn’t your score. But if you’re a fan of James Newton Howard’s atmospheric works like Snow Falling on the Cedars, then you will probably enjoy this. Regardless, this score is definitely worth some repeated listens and careful attention. There is great merit to this work and one can’t help but appreciate the fine amount of thought put into it. It may be flawed, but it is definitely something to appreciate.
Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy quickly rose in popularity upon its release. Yet it’s likely that even she didn’t predict the massive financial success that the film would open up with. Having hit box-office records with having the 3rd best opening weekend (preceded by The Dark Knight and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2) and the biggest opening for a non-sequel, the release of the potential upcoming film adaptations were confirmed. There are probably several factors that lent to the film’s success. And whether it’s the fact that people may be using The Hunger Games as a substitute for the large gap that the Harry Potter franchise left in the film industry, or simply the endless promotion for the production, the studios definitely found a new cash machine to milk. Perhaps its fortune is also in debt to the intriguing premise. The Hunger Games tells the tale of a girl named Katniss in a dystopian future where a male and female tribute of adolescence are picked from each district to fight to death in an event to amuse the elitist society of the Capitol of the nation. Despite some of the flaws of the movie and the narrative’s similarities to Battle Royale, it was well liked by both critics and mainstream alike. A potential franchise of such hype inevitably leaves many endless possibilities in terms of the music. Initially, fans were enthralled to hear about Danny Elfman’s designation as the composer. However, due to schedule conflicts, Elfman would soon be replaced by James Newton Howard; a man who seems to have a talent for producing well crafted replacement scores (namely King Kong) in a short amount of time. Does he do the same this time around? He does, but perhaps not to everyone’s liking.
To really analyze this score, one would have to pay careful attention to its use in film. At times it works remarkably well in the picture while at certain moments, the keen listener might find it to be rather uneven. In fact, many viewers will be surprised by the fact that much of the music heard on film is actually not by James Newton Howard. And while the mention of source music often induces a great deal of skepticism from the film music community (and unbelievable enthusiasm from more mainstream fanboys), this is actually a particular case in which it works well. Highlights include the intriguing vocal melody composed by T-Bone Burnett near the beginning of the film known as Katniss’ Lullaby (a.k.a. Deep in the Meadow Lullaby). And some will probably be disappointed to learn that the Capitol Anthem was actually composed by Arcade Fire, although it was arranged, adapted and utilized as an actual theme by Howard. Oddly enough, James Newton Howard had 80 minutes of music written out for the film, and with only 30-40 minutes actually used in film (the rest being replaced by source music), one can’t help but wonder what Howard had planned. Read the rest of this entry »
John Carter (Michael Giacchino)
Posted: March 13, 2012 Filed under: Michael Giacchino 7 Comments »Final Musings: With John Carter, we have Giacchino showing off his different stylistic sides in a grand musical adventure. To hear all of the composers’ sounds that have become loved amongst many, evolved in such a way is a true treat for any film score collector. If you don’t like your themes obvious and overly optimistic, then this score might not be for you. But if you’re the kind of person who loves his/her adventure scores orchestrally dynamic, thematically rich and ethnically diverse, then this score will likely be a big wet kiss on the mouth from your own beautiful Martian princess.
Fresh off its publication in 1917, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars became an instant classic of science fiction literature. The reputable tale tells the story of a veteran of the American Civil War who gets transported to the planet of Mars in the midst of his search for gold. There, he associates himself with the various creatures and attempts to help a Martian princess solve the plight of her people. Despite the strange and perhaps silly nature of the plot, this book is arguably one of the most influential tales of early science fantasy literature. The revolutionary book gave birth to a new generation of science fiction and continues to inspire many iconic films today such as the ever popular Star Wars. The fact that nearly a century has gone by without a proper film adaption owes itself to the bizarre case of production lingo that dates as far back as 1931. Various attempts at a full feature film adaptation were taken on over the course of time (beginning with the notion of an animated film) but the dream was only fully realized with 2012’s John Carter. The film was however met with poor critical reception for it offered very little to audiences. Being a dull film with a plethora of silly moments, John Carter only had its respectable visual effects to lure viewers in. Unfortunately, many of the film’s strongest features offers little appeal if only for the fact that all of it has been done before with a far greater degree of mastery. Yet knowing mainstream audiences, the film will likely make enough cash to warrant a predictable sequel.
Perhaps the only redeeming feature of this film is Michael Giacchino’s long awaited score. The composer’s humble beginnings are very well known to the film score masses. Beginning with his fantastic scores for the successful Medal of Honor video games to full feature blockbuster film such as the recent Super 8 and eventually earning his first Oscar for Up, Giacchino has reached to such heights of popularity that he has been given daring (or rather, ridiculous) titles such as that of the “next John Williams”. 2011 was a surprisingly weak year for Michael Giacchino, but fans will likely be pleased to apprehend that he offers one his best scores with John Carter. Read the rest of this entry »
The Woman in Black (Marco Beltrami)
Posted: March 8, 2012 Filed under: Marco Beltrami Leave a comment »Final Musings: What we have here is an undeniably effective score in context but something that is incredibly dull and dreary on album. While the score is not atonal in a sense, its noise and drivel is nearly unbearable, leaving very little room for any harmonic appeal. Even the more thematically driven moments are far too oppressive in its nature to truly enjoy. Besides 15 min of some orchestral beauty, this score lacks any harmonic appeal. Hence this is a score to appreciate on film more so than on album.
Susan Hill’s 1983 chilling horror novel has seen its fair share of adaptations. Its radio, television and theatrical adaptations might attest to the reputation the novel had. But the 2011 film would be the first feature film to take on the tale. It would also be the first opportunity for star of the Harry Potter series, Daniel Radcliffe, to branch out in film since the end of his hit franchise. The film was surprisingly well received by critics for its credible handling of an old-fashioned horror tale. It showcases Daniel Radcliffe as a young lawyer and father who has certain visions which would go on to lead him into the usual predictable circumstances. This isn’t a flick with gore, but rather the eerie suspense of the stories of old in the genre.
Signed on to the project was horror master, Marco Beltrami. It was hardly a surprise, considering the composer’s expertise with the genre. Beltrami has often shown off his talent in the genre with melodic and harmonious strengths in his stronger efforts like Mimic. To go on, the composer had quite a year in 2011, especially in terms of horror with the haunting score for Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. His first 2012 venture ran along the lines of Beltrami’s lesser works, further proving the composer’s strange hit-and-miss trends in the quality of his work. While the score has a basic foundation of melody and lyricism, it certainly won’t be the most pleasant listening experience for fans eagerly awaiting the harmonious appeal of his 2011 work. Read the rest of this entry »
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (Andrew Lockington)
Posted: February 22, 2012 Filed under: Andrew Lockington 2 Comments »Final Musings: 2012 starts off with a very great swashbuckling adventure score. Whereas the first score was an refreshing entry into the genre that brought back the glory of symphonic adventure scores of the past, Andrew Lockington takes that sound and expands it to offer a more unique and well rounded score. While it has it is not without its fair share of minor faults, you can’t help but think with greater themes, new musical colours and thrilling action material, Lockington seriously delivers to meet the high expectations made of him. Listeners will not finish this score unimpressed.
It’s clear that today’s films have generally come to focus less on stimulating narratives and more on visual spectacles (as shown clearly by successful blockbusters like Transformers). And in that case, what better place is there to exploit than the fantastical worlds of Verne’s creations? Unfortunately, the modern film adaptations are certain to make Verne turn in his grave. The former film, Journey to the Center of the Earth was only worthy of some note due to its special 3D release. And with an inherently flawed plotline and its shallow characters, the film was clearly an excuse for shoving a bunch of colourful CGI shots in the faces of the mainstream audience. Avoiding the unspoken laws of Hollywood commercial flicks, the summer success of the film would have the studios demand a sequel that would milk out any marginal potential profit the premise still had left. There was little ambition for the film to begin with, having a completely new cast that included Dwane Johnson (aka the Rock) and surprisingly veteran actor Michael Caine, the plotline follows Sean’s (the only recurring character) venture to a mysterious uncharted island while bonding with his new stepfather as a family experience. As expected, the sequel was frowned upon by critics and suffers from an even greater lack of redemptive entertainment value.
While the film may have nothing salvage, lovers of film music did have a great score to look forward to. Returning to the franchise is the relatively newcomer Andrew Lockington. The young Canadian composer started from his humble beginnings as an orchestrator (having worked for the likes of Mychael Danna) and quickly rose to prominence. In a time where generic films like these were treated with bland scores that followed the trends of the composers of Zimmer’s clone army, Media Ventures (or rather Remote Control Productions), Lockington made a surprising burst into the industry with his two excellent scores for 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth and The City of Ember. 2008 was a big year for the composer where a great fan base flocked to the fresh and vibrant sound of his music. Interestingly enough, his major foray into the industry was not unlike the monumental success of David Arnold’s own entry. Read the rest of this entry »
