Based on The Goats by Brock Cole — one of the most beloved Young Adult novels of all time, STANDING UP finds a boy and a girl, ages 11 and 12, ostracized by their peer groups at summer camp. The outsiders soon find themselves victims of a vicious prank, but rather than returning to camp to face the humiliation, they decide to take off, on the run together. As they slowly navigate what lies ahead, their three day journey brings new experiences and unique people. Through the bond formed during the traumatic experience, they are able to help each other overcome the adversity that lies in front of them, and start down the path of self-discovery.
Composer Brian Tyler (Now You See Me, Eagle Eye, Fast &?Furious) provides a vibrant, pastoral score.
STANDING UP opens in limited release on August 16.
This is a pleasant break from the recent Tyler bombast. There's a touch of the Horner to the main theme and some lovely, delicate acoustic tracks - a bit Thomas Newman-like - that make me wish for more from Tyler in this mode. Surprised to see very little comment about this score, considering the interest in Tyler around here at the moment.
Love this score, one of Tyler's very best. As close in tone to my favorite Tyler score, The Lazarus Project, than any of his other scores. Hope he gets more assignments like this one!
I certainly agree with all this. Tyler does a lot of action and is good at it, occasionally great. But I find I prefer the Jackmans and Djawadis more when I need my action fix. But I do think Tyler is a little stronger than his contemporaries when it comes to his lower-key scores. I've been enjoying this one in particular quite a bit for about 2 weeks now. A really good effort for him and I hope he continues to get the chance to do these types of films.
I find THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED to be TOO Horner like to enjoy it. The main theme is just a carbon copy of LEGENDS OF THE FALL and it distracts me too much. While you can hear the James Horner and Thomas Newman influences in this one, they stay just far enough away for me to enjoy it on it's own.
I agree with this review. While the bombastic side of Tyler (which I do enjoy) seems to dominate the box office, it's these quieter, more intimate scores that really allow the beauty of his music to shine through. And shine this score does. Flowing melodic themes, development, and great orchestration make this score fantastic. I think it'll end up being one of my favorite releases from last year.
BTW, what's up with that 3rd track? "High Jinx"? Was there a jinx about being up high? Hijinks is an actual word. I wonder if that's what it was supposed to be. Oh well.
