You would prefer a release of a score to a film with a near-identical title to… what? The very existence of a Netflix film that's totally unrelated?
I see that came across as a bit confusing - sorry. I thought (without actually clicking the link, i admit) the article was about a score release of "The" Highwaymen.
"Highwaymen" by Isham is a small grail of mine and i still hope for a release. So no, the Netflix production has all my blessings for existing :-)
It's listed on the Amazon France site. I thought the score was fine in context but nothing all that memorable, and T. Newman is one of my all-time favorites. (I reluctantly must admit I feel his peak period was 1991-2008, aka Fried Green Tomatoes to WALL-E, and nothing since has been quite as inspired).
It's listed on the Amazon France site. I thought the score was fine in context but nothing all that memorable, and T. Newman is one of my all-time favorites. (I reluctantly must admit I feel his peak period was 1991-2008, aka Fried Green Tomatoes to WALL-E, and nothing since has been quite as inspired).
Thank you for that Newsroom link. I've never seen any of the show before (I revere some of Sorkin's feature work, but I'd heard such mixed things about the series that I still haven't caught up with it), and was disappointed that Varese (presumably) canceled that planned Newsroom soundtrack, since I figured it would give me the chance to hear that new Newman music (I hadn't known he'd actually scored an episode, just assumed he wrote the theme).
His Six Feet Under theme is, to me, one of his best 21st century cues.
It's listed on the Amazon France site. I thought the score was fine in context but nothing all that memorable, and T. Newman is one of my all-time favorites. (I reluctantly must admit I feel his peak period was 1991-2008, aka Fried Green Tomatoes to WALL-E, and nothing since has been quite as inspired).
So someone else has noticed. Some good scores since then and nothing against JAC Redford, but Thomas Pasatieri's orchestrations really made Newman's music pop.
I hardly enjoy his full scores these days, but certain tracks from things like SAVING MR BANKS, PASSENGERS, BRIDGE OF SPIES & his Indian trilogy (2 MARIGOLDS & MALALA) still stir my emotions.
I think Bridge of Spies is by far his strongest score of the last decade, which makes sense -- if you're following four decades of Williams/Spielberg scores, you'd really want to bring your A-game.
Thank you for that Newsroom link. I've never seen any of the show before (I revere some of Sorkin's feature work, but I'd heard such mixed things about the series that I still haven't caught up with it), and was disappointed that Varese (presumably) canceled that planned Newsroom soundtrack, since I figured it would give me the chance to hear that new Newman music (I hadn't known he'd actually scored an episode, just assumed he wrote the theme).
Yeah, he scored the entire pilot episode and did a great job. Probably my favorite work of his since 2008. I too am really bummed that Varese cancelled that album they'd already announced! Alex Wurman did fine work on season 1 of the show and Jeff Beal did fine work on season 3 (season 2 was okay, aside from them ruining Newman's theme with a new arrangment).
I really liked the show, by the way. I mean, it still gets Sorkin-preachy at times, but in some technical areas (including the music) I think it was actually a clear step up from The West Wing. Give it a shot and I think you'll enjoy it for the most part.
Huge Thomas Newman fan and had enjoyed the score on first listen. Just watched the film there and the score really comes to life. "The Shame of Arcadia" is a brilliant track.
The Highwaymen is professionally made, but instantly forgotten. Had this film had been released in 1990 as-is, there would have been no score album and none of us would have cared or even noticed.
There's a decent piano motif that comes in here and there, Newman trying to subtly inject some feeling into this almost wholly uninteresting, Made-For-TNT-level film, but more often than not, the music sounds like outtakes from some other anonymous Newman & Buddies score. Hell, it really could BE the score from White Oleander for all I know.
At one point, he even manages to play elements of two Skyfall tracks at the same time, something he must have accomplished by pushing play on two boomboxes and pulling the AUX cables halfway out of both. Always inventing, I guess.
Disappointed, but not surprised.
EDIT to add that I'm surprised that Broxton agreed with me (for the most part). The Skyfall remix is the track Broxton describes like this:
"Another moment of action comes during “Dope for the Girl,” which is darker and more aggressive than most of the rest of the score, and features thrumming guitars alongside relentless percussion and muted brass."
Don't get your hopes up with that relentless percussion. This is no "Eduard Delacroix."
"The thing is – and this may be somewhat sacrilegious, coming from me – is that I’m wondering whether his sound is starting to get a little dated and predictable."
I love Newman and this is more of an observation than a dig, but this statement would've been true even 15 years ago.
