Film Score Friday 2/15/02
By Scott Bettencourt
The real Oscar nominations are:
Best Original Score
A.I. Artificial Intelligence - John Williams
A Beautiful Mind - James Horner
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - John Williams
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Howard Shore
Monsters, Inc. - Randy Newman
Best Original Song
"If I Didn't Have You" - Monsters, Inc. - Music and Lyrics by Randy
Newman
"May It Be" - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Music and Lyrics by Enya, Nicky Ryan and Roma Ryan
"There You'll Be" - Pearl Harbor - Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren
"Until" - Kate & Leopold - Music and Lyrics by Sting
"Vanilla Sky" - Vanilla Sky - Music and Lyrics by Paul McCartney
For those who read my predictions on Tuesday, you'll notice I got four
out of five right. If only I'd listed my Song predictions too -- I got
all five slots correct. Of course, you'll just have to take my word for
that.
John Williams now has a grand total of forty one nominations, and this
is the sixth year he's held two of the five Best Score slots--the last
time was in 1989. Randy Newman now has a mere sixteen nominations--his
uncle Alfred had forty five.
I'd like to tell you how grand the nominations presentation was, but
I was stuck in an elevator the whole time. On the bright side, the presentation
allowed one a rare opportunity to hear Goldsmith's "Fanfare For Oscar,"
a piece which is rarely audible at the actual awards ceremony.
Upcoming From Varese
Varese Sarabande has announced three upcoming soundtracks, due on March
19th--Dragonfly (John Debney), Green Dragon (Mychael & Jeff Danna),
and The Time Machine (Klaus Badelt). You can read about them here.
Also, they are planning to announce their latest CD Club releases on
Monday, February 18th (only three days away!) Try this
link when the time comes.
Going Going Gone?
Intrada has apparently cancelled their planned promo CD of Christopher
Young's score to Bandits, and their promo of Young's Swordfish is already
scarce to say the least.
Nearly all of their upcoming Young Sherlock Holmes promo discs have
already been pre-ordered, so I recommend you act fast. This is arguably
Bruce Broughton's finest score, though I still have a soft spot for The
Monster Squad.
New In Theaters This Week
Crossroads - score by Trevor Jones; song album on Jive Records
Hart's War - score by Rachel Portman; score album on Decca/UMG
John Q - score by Aaron Zigman (no album announced)
Return to Neverland - score by Joel McNeely - score and song album
on Walt Disney Records
Our Macross to Bear
From: Tom Thacker <TThacker@exchange.ureg.ohio-state.edu>
Just read your praise of Yoko Kanno's excellent music for
Macross Plus. I discovered her work a couple of years ago and have been
blown away by just about everything she's done. If you can find them (and
if you haven't already), check out The Vision of Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop,
and Turn A Gundam. Easily some of the best music written for anime (or
any television series, for that matter). Her ability to write successfully
in several different styles is remarkable. Its a shame more soundtrack
enthusiasts are not familiar with her work.
The Morris the Merrier
From: Kitlerm@aol.com
I read Film Score Friday article, and I also agree that
John Morris is an underappreciated composer. What if there was a FSM release
of suites and themes of his work?
I personally wouldn't settle for anything less than complete score albums,
but that's just me.
Some Lame Pun About Silva
From: "Richard May" <richard@flocs.com>
Hugh Jampton spoilt any otherwise interesting and insightful
review of "The Carry On Album" with an ignorant, or at the very least,
out of date insult aimed at Silva Screen and the City of Prague Philharmonic.
It may be true that some very early recording done by the Prague
Philharmonic were a little dodgy in parts (the William Motzing recordings
which Silva licensed) spring to mind. However, I find it hard to fault
Silva's recent recordings of Zulu, Raise the Titanic, Robin and Marian,
The Last Valley, The Lion in Winter, Walkabout or the Jerome
Moross CDs. I could list more easily if you wish.
That won't be necessary. By the way, "dodgy" is an excellent word, and
I heartily applaud your use of it. Not that you asked.
It's a Ghost Ghost Ghost Ghost World
From: Jeff Bond <jbond@filmscoremonthly.com>
Regarding that review, the wait for the Ghost World DVD
isn't really so terrible--it's available right now, in fact.
Personally, I find it annoying when people write in using obvious pseudonyms.
Why can't people be proud enough to use their real names on the FSM website?
"Jeff Bond?" I mean, really! Why doesn't he just call himself "Ima Coolguy?"
From: Michael D Lynch <fatcats3@juno.com>
>It's a shame, of course, that Ghost World slipped in and
out of the theaters so quickly ...
Not here. It played in NYC for over a month, and then was brought
back for about 6 weeks, in a number of theatres.
> ... and months lie ahead before the DVD becomes available.
It's out now. You can order it at a nice discount, along with Hot
Wet American Summer (!?!??!), at Amazon.com. Just a couple of quibbles,
Mr. Armstrong. I liked your review and thought it spot-on. I couldn't agree
more with your assessment of a terrific soundtrack. Kitay's theme is just
the way you describe it. Or rather, just the way that Zwigoff describes
it. And now an obscure indie comic book artist is now an Oscar co-nominee!
But Enough About Film Music
For those who are tired of endless discussions of the relative merits
of Akira Ifukube and Masaru Sato, many recent letter writers addressed
a more pressing topic:
Me!
As Albert Brooks remarked in James L. Brooks' Broadcast News, "Let's
never forget, we're the real story, not them."
From: Preston Jones:
Dear Scott Bettencourt,
I just wanted to say welcome to the wonderful world of the FSM website.
Obviously, Lukas got the right replacement for his job, if I'm any judge
of horseflesh, (to paraphrase Groucho). Your knowledge and wit are just
what the gig requires.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you for your kind words. As the great man once said, "He may look
like an idiot, and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He
really is an idiot."
From: DeCasterasThiery@aol.com
Bonjour Scott!
Just a short e-mail to say hello! Nice to count you as a new member
of the crew. Thanks to you I have learned a new English word (persnickety).
I am always happy to stretch the firm, dry handshake of American vocabulary
across the great cultural divide that separates us from people with European
sounding names.
From: Shannon Jowett: SpinShannon@nyc.rr.com
Brisk, witty, to the point. It's nice to know Lukas left
us in good hands.
I'd better slow down. All this praise is going to my head.
From: "Nicolai P. Zwar" <NPZwar@bigfoot.com>
Cheers to Scott Bettencourt for his entry FSM Daily column
from February 8th, 2002. He sure seems to know how to sport a good pen
and I'm looking forward to his future contributions. Keep up the good work.
Cheerio!
Oh, thank you, thank you ever so much. I'm so happy. I have a television,
so I'm going to spend some time here to tell you some things. And Mr. Conti,
you're doing a great job, but you're so quick with that stick so why don't
you sit because I may never be here again.
I would like to start with telling you all how amazing the experience
of feeling the sisterhood of being included in a group with Joan Allen
and Juliette Binoche and Laura Linney and Ellen Burstyn for these last
weeks, has been, it's just felt like such a triumph to me to be in that
list. And I made every attempt, stickman, I see you, so I thank you for
really making me feel so, I love it up here!
From: "Madlen & Alan Ellul - Black" <shadow@ssc.net.au>
I have enjoyed Lukas's Friday messages for a long while.
I have also followed his career with interest, (being older than
his father and having collected soundtracks since the fifties).
To have a dream, stick with it and obtain it is wonderful in such a world
we live in.
If Lukas is ill I would like to know as I am sure would the rest
of the readers. I also find it offensive your commenting on the late
DeForest Kelley.
As to Horner or Zimmer you are far too childish to understand or
appreciate their contribution to film music.
A very poor start.
Try to be adult please.
Alan
PS. Pass along my best wishes to Lukas please.
Yes, thank you, thank you very much. To have my work recognized in this
way--
Wait! Where did the love go? These sound like--could they be--criticisms?
Let me address your points one at a time. Lukas is not ill. Lukas is
strong like ox. He will outlive us all, especially if he goes postal on
us as he's been threatening to do lo these many years.
I love DeForest Kelley as much as the next man. He was my favorite actor
on the original Trek. I always felt McCoy was the easiest character to
identify with--a wisecracking, perennial supporting character who mistook
a salt vampire for a loved one and only got to fall in love when he thought
he had a terminal illness.
If Mr. Kelley were scarred, or infirm, or battling cancer, it would
not occur to me to make a humorous remark about his condition. But he's
dead, a fate that we all must face, and to me that makes him fair game
for a little good natured teasing.
Re: Horner. I have been a fan of Horner's music ever since I saw Humanoids
From the Deep in a sleazy theater on Market Street in San Francisco almost
twenty two years ago. He has written many scores that I have loved. I will
take his Glory over Williams' Patriot any day of the week. I also love
Horner's Sneakers. Unfortunately, Horner loves it even more, recycling
it as recently as Bicentennial Man and A Beautiful Mind.
Re: Zimmer. I do understand his contribution to film music. Between
his work and the work of his proteges, it's hard to miss. However, understanding
it and appreciating it are very different things.
And by the way, sir, you don't know me well enough to call me "childish."
I am childish, of course, but I prefer "childlike."
From the movie Kicking and Screaming:
Olivia D'Abo: You're acting like a child.
Josh Hamilton: Yes, but if I were a child, you'd find it endearing.
From: Jim Wilson Redux WILSUNC@aol.com
"Moulin Rouge" unwatchable, huh? Makes me wonder what passes
for imaginative cinema in your life. Oh, well. Your taste can't be any
worse than Dursin's.
What passes for imaginative cinema in my life? Good question.
These days it's Lord of the Rings. Ghost World. The Man Who Wasn't There.
Series 7 ( a wonderful, too little seen film). The Royal Tenenbaums. A.I.
Artificial Intelligence (Far from perfect, but I've seen it five times
and on every viewing it grows richer and deeper). Mulholland Drive (not
a favorite, but the work of a true film artist, not a hamfisted, self-aggrandizing
poseur like Baz Luhrmann).
I thought Chocolat was feeble enough, but Moulin Rouge has to be the
worst film ever nominated for Best Picture. Lurhmann couldn't tell a joke
to save his life. He interpolates modern song lyrics into the dialogue
as if it were the height of wit (and the teenage girls in the audience
when I saw the film certainly thought so). He hires talented cinematographers
and designers and obscures their work with his rhythmless editing.
The final title cards of Moulin Rouge read TRUTH BEAUTY FREEDOM and
LOVE, but it's obvious throughout the film that the only things Luhrmann
really wants to celebrate are BAZ BAZ BAZ and BAZ.
Did I mention that I HATE this film?
My Favorite FSM Message Board Thread Title
is this one, contributed by SjONGBIrD:
ET NOW PC!!
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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