Film Score Friday 2000

by Lukas Kendall

Holy moly. It's almost 2000. When I was little I used to count the years to figure out how old I'd be at this time. How did I end up here?

I don't know, but I AM here, so this is an opportune time to thank everyone for making FSM a part of your lives. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but you're reading this, and you're probably here for a reason. We love movie music and we love being your #1 information resource on this often overlooked art form. 2000 marks our tenth year of operation (three for the website -- that's right, we predate the Internet as we understand it!) and we're psyched to carry on into this new week, month, year, century, millennium, whatever. Happy listening!

Varese Sarabande will release Joel Goldsmith's score to Diamonds, starring Kirk Douglas; street date is January 11.

Tonight on CBS is the premiere of a short film by Steven Spielberg celebrating the millennium with a new score by John Williams.

Here's something that was totally news to me:

Horner on the Big Big Screen

From: "Randy A. Salas" <rasalas@bitstream.net>

Is anyone aware that a new IMAX film, "The Great Migrations" (aka "Epic Journeys: The Great Migrations") features a score by James Horner? I ask only because while editing a review of the film, which is playing at the new Science Museum in St. Paul, Minn., I needed to verify that Horner did it. Looking on the net, I couldn't find one mention that he did -- not at your site, nor the newsgroups, nor FILMUS-L, nor other reference sites; not even at his many cult-like fan sites. I finally called the museum PR folks, who had to verify it with the projectionist. Anyway, his fans might find this interesting. I believe the film is showing only in Minnesota for a while then will expand to other cities in the new year.

Here are links to the Minneapolis Star Tribune's reviews of the film, the second of which includes the Horner reference:

http://www.startribune.com/stOnLine/cgi-bin/article?thisSlug=mig10

http://www.startribune.com/stOnLine/cgi-bin/article?thisSlug=div17

Randy Salas, Culture Team editor, Star Tribune

Golden Globe Bag: Part II

See our recent column of letters regarding the Golden Globe Best Score nominations.

From: Graeme Wearmouth <graemew@imag.net>

I think the most glaring omission this year in the Golden Globe score nominations is James Newton Howard's score for "The Sixth Sense". In a year of redundant and uninspired film music, Howard's score perfectly captures the essense of the story and does so without pomp and circumstance but with writing that is tasteful and reserved. It may not be the best CD of the year, but as pure film scoring, nothing else came close.

From: Arthur Lintgen <ablintgen@home.com>

We all know how relentlessly silly the music awards are, be they the Oscars or the Golden Globes, or whatever. But the Golden Globes represent a new low. Nine nominees and no Phantom Menace?! I realize it is fashionable to trash The Phantom Menace, but that is a major and significant score. Eyes Wide Shut? The Talented Mr. Ripley? The Insider? All films which are generally liked by the critics, so they must have good music! Eyes Wide Shut must have at least five minutes of original music. Angela's Ashes is a great score, but The Phantom Menace clearly is longer and better musically then virtually any of the nominees. It is sad that critical perceptions and backlash against a film eliminates deserving contributions. Maybe Williams should have sent them some watches! And no Sleepy Hollow? Are they kidding?

From: olivier.leconte@tomao.fr (TOMAO - LECONTE Olivier)

What about "The Red Violin", John Corigliano's deep and sensitive work ? I think it should get, if not a Golden Globe nominations, at least an Oscar nod.... I personnaly think it is one of the best scores of 1999 (and a rare incursion of Corigliano in the film music world, the third if i'm not mistaken...)

From: "Luis Miguel Ramos" <mikeramos@telcel.net.ve>

Now that's funny. It has been my understanding that only five titles are the nominees for each category, not only in the Oscars, but also the Golden Globes themselves. So, if you ask me, I think nine is a bit exagerated. I wonder if the Academy will do the same thing, now that they went back to one category of only one Best Original Score.

I haven't seen Angela's Ashes yet, therefore I haven't heard the music score written by John Williams. But it is John Williams who composed it, so I would like him to win this one. I recently saw Anna And The King, and the music by George Fenton is very lovely, so Williams may have competion here. Surprisingly enough is the fact that a song from that movie was also nominated, and that Fenton co-wrote it. I failed to notice who the singer was, but the song is beautiful.

Toy Story 2 is an interesting score to listen to. Randy Newman never loses his touch as far as animated stories go, and the "Americana" feeling, especially when Woody and his cowboy friends make their appearance, is always present in his film music. Sarah MacLachlan's nominated song is touching; when I first heard it, tears came out of my eyes. I would love that song to win, but there is strong competition from Phil Collins and his nominated song from Tarzan, "You'll Be In My Heart".

As for the rest, I have to listen to them carefully. I just wait until January to find out who takes the Golden Globe for best original score and best song.

I still think that nine is an exaggeration.

Weird New Contest

I got an email soliciting the below. If you're gullible and desperate, this is your big break!

Arc Angel Pictures Announces The "Your Song In A Movie" Contest

ORLANDO, December 14, 1999-- Arc Angel Pictures, based at Universal Studios Florida, is sponsoring a contest to promote their new feature film "Claus". The contest grand prize winner will have their song played in a scene of the film, and be included on the soundtrack. All entries must be original material by an unsigned band or performing songwriter, and must be received by 2/14/2000.

For additional information on contest rules go to: www.arcangelpictures.com And for recent online information about Claus go to http://www.chud.com/features/claus.php3.

In Praise of Pat

From: "Jean-Michel Cavrois" <jmcavrois@free.fr>

The latest score to really captivate me is Pat Metheny's new incursion in filmmusic: A Map of the World. Matheny had already given dynamic guitar solos for Goldmsith's Under Fire and a sensitive score for Amazing Story's "Grandpa's Ghost". A Map of the World is close to Metheny's album Secret Story - some sort of score for an unfilmed motion picture. The acoustic guitar is of course very present, and Metheny gives a really warm rendition of the main theme in the first cue. The inclusion of a chamber orchestra is very subtle, and, throughout the album, the main theme is beautifully declined in rich variations. The album lasts for more than an hour, but is never annoying. God knows if I love Wiliams' Angela's Ashes, but Metheny's A Map of the World is much more delicate. It's wonderful to listen to it on a snowy evening, with your girlfriend in your arms, close to the... well... close to the television set. I know, it's not really romantic, but we live in modern times, aren't we?

Happy 2000

If everybody's still here (lame Y2K joke), see http://www.soundtrack.net for a new interview with John Corigliano, composer of Altered States and The Red Violin.

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