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| CD Reviews: A Home at the End of the World, King Arthur and Bobby Jones |
| Posted By: Andrew Granade, Cary Wong on February 13, 2005 - 10:00 PM |
CD Reviews: A Home at the End of the World, King Arthur and Bobby
Jones
A Home at the End of the World ***
DUNCAN SHEIK
Milan M2-36090
13 tracks - 41:52
This adaptation of Michael (The Hours)
Cunningham's novel about a young man's quest for his place in the world
will be remembered mainly for the scene where Colin Farrell gets
castrated. And probably even more so due to the fact that a prominent
Farrell nude scene was excised before the film moved from the indie
circuit into hit multiplexes. Cuttings aside, this quirky and wonderful
character study should be able to transcend the gossip columns when it
reaches home video. One of its many pleasures is the debut score of pop
star Duncan Sheik.
Of course there's not much score in this small drama (suffice it to
say, Sheik would never be asked to score a James Bond entry), but
what's there is atmospheric and lovely. Sheik writes swoony pop songs
and has even dabbled in the musical theater genre, so he's a little
more in tune with an artistic collaboration with director Michael Mayer
than the average pop star might have been. Three cues totaling 7:36
minutes of Sheik's score are included on the CD, and they are all of
the acoustic guitar or piano variety. The optimistic cue, "Brothers" is
especially touching. Sheik also contributes two pop songs to the film.
Michael Cunningham, who also wrote the screenplay, has always said that
music is a very important element in his writing, so the movie is
peppered with interesting choices from Patti Smith to Steve Reich. This
is a gentle soundtrack to a small gem of a movie.
-- Cary Wong
King Arthur **
HANS ZIMMER
Hollywood 2061-62461-2
Total Time - 58:03
Consider everything you might have enjoyed about Hans Zimmer's Gladiator, double it in terms of
length and volume, and you'll have a good idea of what to expect from King Arthur. The score is so
overblown in that it wallows in its own decadence, but if you love
Zimmer's action scores without fail, you might consider this one a
rousing success.
The score opens with Moya Brennan singing the Enya-like end credit song
"Tell Me Now (What You See)," which is based on the score's main theme.
The Enya reference is apropos; since the movie is set in early England,
Zimmer fills his soundscape with celtic instruments. For instance, in
the middle of track two, "Woad to Ruin," all instruments except
percussion and a piercing double reed drop out for a few seconds to
remind the audience of the setting. Zimmer also uses the male chorus'
thick, dark sound for atmosphere (and is it just me, or do the
progressions at the end of "Do You Think I'm Saxon?" sound just like
the second movement from Johannes Brahms' German Requiem?). These
incorporations are effective, but get lost in the score's heavy
bombast.
Overall, the album is beautifully produced. The tracks are long,
averaging eight minutes, and flow into each other for an integrated
listening experience. But again -- and I know it's old news -- Zimmer's
textures are thick and dense, filling every possible inch of the sonic
spectrum, and that can sometimes be hard to hear through.
With The Last Samurai and
the Nino Rota-like Matchstick Men,
Zimmer indicated he might be moving on to new musical territory. But I
suppose that's too much to ask, especially considering that he's
usually hired specifically to provide the exact sound I'm hoping he
moves away from. In short, if you are looking for more of the same,
you'll definitely find it here. -- Andrew
Granade
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius *** 1/2
JAMES HORNER
Varèse Sarabande 302 066 577 2
12 tracks - 63:24
A movie about golf is kind of like the sport itself: a few people enjoy
it and relish in its repetition and slow pace, while the rest of us are
either bored or baffled. Bobby Jones was a real-life golfer who
overcame childhood illness to win the Triple Crown of golf in 1930.
This movie follows in the tradition of The Legend of Bagger Vance in
trying to elevate the sport to mythical proportions (a la baseball),
but alas, both films are preaching to the converted. Fortunately, like Bagger Vance and its magical Rachel
Portman score, Bobby Jones is
well supported by a first-rate effort from James Horner.
Horner is in full Cocoon mode
here. Heart-tugging and emotional, inspirational and romantic, Horner's
touch should give goose bumps to his fans (and give Horner-haters a day
off from grousing). And while the bagpipes of Braveheart are back, they're used
in a totally unintrusive way. The track titles are a dead giveaway as
to how each track will sound, from "Destined for Greatness" (the CD's
best track) to the 10-minute "Living the Dream." I was surprised how
thoroughly I enjoyed this score. Yes, there's hardly a black cloud in
the movie or in the score's mood (like most sports heroes, Jones'
biggest flaw is that he overextends himself). And yes, the score walks
a thin line, sometimes falling into treacle territory. But, mostly it's
uplifting without the sugary moments. -- CW
MailBag@filmscoremonthly.com
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Today in Film Score History:
December 6 |
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| Dave Brubeck born (1920) |
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| Hans Zimmer begins recording his score for Broken Arrow (1995) |
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| Lalo Schifrin begins recording the original soundtrack LP to Bullitt (1968) |
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| Lyn Murray born (1909) |
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| Maury Laws born (1923) |
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| Morgan Lewis died (1968) |
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| Mort Glickman born (1898) |
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| Patrick Williams records his score for The Streets of San Francisco episode “Bitter Wine” (1972) |
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| Piero Piccioni born (1921) |
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| Recording sessions begin for Sol Kaplan’s score for Destination Gobi (1952) |
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| Richard Markowitz died (1994) |
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| Roberto Pregadio born (1928) |
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| Willie Hutch born (1944) |
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