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| Film Score Friday 7/20/18 |
| Posted By: Scott Bettencourt on July 19, 2018 - 10:00 PM |
Intrada announced two new 2-disc soundtrack releases for this week, both featuring large-scale orchestral adventure scores by beloved composers, from the turn of the new century.
THE MUMMY, directed by Stephen Sommers, was a 1999 loose remake of the Universal horror classic that combined Raiders of the Lost Ark-style action-adventure with state-of-the-art visual effects to make one of the biggest hits of the summer movie season. The scoring assignment went to Jerry Goldsmith, who had been originally attached to score Sommers' Jungle Book remake and who had just scored Deep Rising for the director. The end result was one of Goldsmith's biggest box-office hits (spawning a sequel, a prequel-spinoff to the sequel, an additional sequel, and a recent semi-remake), and one of his last great adventure scores (though, surprisingly, Goldsmith was highly dissatisfied with the film, the scoring experience or both, and declined to work on the inevitable sequel). The Intrada release features his full original score as well as alternate cues, plus the original soundtrack CD sequencing.
THE MUMMY RETURNS, that inevitable sequel, was an even bigger box-office hit, reuniting Sommers with stars Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz and adding Dwayne Johnson in a small role as The Scorpion King to set up its own spinoff. This time the scoring duties fell to Alan Silvestri, who was in the middle of a hit streak including such smashes as What Lies Beneath and Cast Away, and his epic score was a rousing, traditionally symphonic work featuring all-new thematic material. As with such past scores as Thunderball and Tomorrow Never Dies, the soundtrack had to be finished before the score had completed recording, so major material was left off the commercial release. The Intrada release features the full score -- nearly two hours of music - plus extras (Silvestri went on to score Van Helsing and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra for Sommers).
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
The Bear - Philippe Sarde - Music Box
Genius: Picasso - Lorne Balfe - Milan [CD-R]
Kaufman's Game - Philippe Jakko - Music Box
La Colonna Infame - Giorgio Gaslini - Saimel
La Tigre E Ancora Viva: Sandokan Alla Riscosa! - Guido & Maurizio DeAngelis - Digitmovies
The Mummy - Jerry Goldsmith - Intrada Special Collection
The Mummy Returns - Alan Silvestri - Intrada Special Collection
1922 - Mike Patton - Ipecac
95 - Panu Aaltio - Quartet
Noi Damme Siano Fatte Cosi' - Armando Trovajoli - Beat
Orzowei Il Figlio Della Savana - Guido & Maurizio De Angelis - Digitmovies
Rabbia Furiosa - Maurizio Abeni - Digitmovies
Super Furball - Panu Aaltio - Quartet
Teacup Travels - Rasmus Borowski, Alexius Tschallener - Tadlow
A Tribute to Michael Kamen - Michael Kamen - Quartet
Two North(s) & A Little Part of Anywhere - Pascal Gaigne - Quartet
Verano Azul - Carmelo Bernaola - Saimel
IN THEATERS TODAY
Blindspotting - Music Supervisor: Jonathan McHugh
Damascus Cover - Harry Escott
The Equalizer 2 - Harry Gregson-Williams
Generation Wealth - Jeff Beal
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again - Song CD on Capitol
McQueen - Michael Nyman - Score CD on Nyman
Unfriended: Dark Web - no original score
COMING SOON
July 27
Dagora the Space Monster - Akira Ifukube - Toho (import)
Flowers II - Arthur Sharpe - Silva (import)
The Imperial Navy - Katsuhisa Hattori - Cinema-Kan (import)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Complete Recording [re-release] - Howard Shore - Rhino
Mosaic - David Holmes - Touch Sensitive (import)
Puzzle - Dustin O'Halloran - Sony
Varan the Unbelievable - Akira Ifukube - Toho(import)
August 3
Skyscraper - Steve Jablonsky - Milan
August 10
Desperado Outpost/Westward Desperado - Masaru Sato - Cinema-Kan (import)
Into the Badlands: Season 2 - Trevor Yulie - Varese Sarabande
James Horner: The Classics - James Horner - Sony
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies - Jared Faber - WaterTower
August 17
Slender Man - Ramin Djawadi - Sony
August 24
The Darkest Minds - Benjamin Wallfisch - Milan
Legion: Season 2 - Jeff Russo - Lakeshore
Westworld: Season 2 - Ramin Djawadi - WaterTower
August 31
Kin - Mogwai - Rock Action (import)
Date Unknown
Advise and Consent - Jerry Fielding - Kritzerland
Mission: Impossible - Fallout - Lorne Balfe - La-La Land
The Prisoner of Zenda - Henry Mancini - La-La Land
THIS WEEK IN FILM MUSIC HISTORY
July 20 - Franz Waxman begins recording his score for Elephant Walk (1953)
July 20 - Gail Kubik died (1984)
July 21 - Jerry Goldsmith died (2004)
July 22 - George Dreyfus born (1928)
July 22 - Alan Menken born (1949)
July 22 - Nigel Hess born (1953)
July 22 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score for Warning Shot (1966)
July 22 - Lalo Schifrin records his score for Mission: Impossible’s third season premiere, “The Heir Apparent” (1968)
July 22 - John Barry begins recording the orchestral score to King Kong (1976)
July 22 - Alan Silvestri begins recording his score for the Amazing Stories episode "Go to the Head of the Class" (1986)
July 23 - George Greeley born (1917)
July 23 - Bill Lee born (1928)
July 23 - L. Subramaniam born (1947)
July 23 - Recording sessions begin for Hugo Friedhofer’s score to The Blue Angel (1959)
July 23 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score for Rio Conchos (1964)
July 23 - Leith Stevens died (1970)
July 23 - Georges Auric died (1983)
July 23 - John Addison records his score for the Amazing Stories episode "The Greible" (1986)
July 23 - Hans J. Salter died (1994)
July 23 - Piero Piccioni died (2004)
July 24 - Robert Farnon born (1917)
July 24 - Wilfred Josephs born (1927)
July 24 - Marcello Giombini born (1928)
July 24 - Les Reed born (1935)
July 24 - Alan Rawsthorne died (1971)
July 24 - Leo Shuken died (1976)
July 24 - Norman Dello Joio died (2008)
July 25 - Don Ellis born (1934)
July 25 - Denis King born (1939)
July 25 - Thurston Moore born (1958)
July 25 - Henry Mancini begins recording his score for Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
July 25 - Bruce Broughton records his unused adaptations of Bach for The Accidental Tourist (1988)
July 26 - Tadeusz Baird born (1928)
July 26 - Bronislau Kaper and Scott Bradley begin recording their score for Courage of Lassie (1945)
July 26 - David Raksin begins recording his score for Too Late Blues (1961)
July 26 - Robert Drasnin records his score for the Mission: Impossible episode “The Mercenaries” (1968)
July 26 - Robert Drasnin records his score for the Mission: Impossible episode “Run for the Money” (1971)
July 26 - Buddy Baker died (2002)
DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC?
SWISS ARMY MAN - Andy Hull, Robert McDowell
"You're always aware of the various component parts that fed the filmmakers' imaginations (mainly other movies, music videos, and perhaps children's books and fairy tales), but 'Swiss Army Man' is such a Frankenstein-like amalgam of bits and pieces -- interesting that of all the literary comparisons I could have made, I jumped to a novel about a man trying to reanimate dead tissue; this film sure does a number on your subconscious! -- that you can't fairly describe it as being entirely 'like' any one thing. The trailer-for-itself editing style of some sections, coupled with the religiously inflected and chant-driven score (by Manchester Orchestra's Andy Hull and Robert McDowell) and shots of sunlight streaming down through forest canopies, make it feel like 'Terrence Malick's Weekend at Bernie's.' There are moments that evoke Spike Jonze's film version of 'Where the Wild Things Are' and 'Peter Pan' and the collected works of David Lynch and the Pleasure Island scenes of 'Pinocchio' and so on. It's common for critics to describe a film as 'dreamlike,' but what does that word mean? Most of the time it means that a movie is filled with strange and not necessarily realistic imagery and situations, or that the storytelling prizes incidents and moments of raw feeling. 'Swiss Army Man' fits all of those descriptions, but it's dreamlike in a deeper sense: like a dream, its structural logic is entirely emotional. Notice, for instance, how the rhythm of the cutting is attuned to Manny and Hank, speeding up when they are talking quickly and slowing down when we're observing them in repose. Notice, too, how the movie uses music: sometimes Hank or Manny or both will start singing along with the score, while other times the score will seem to be taking cues from them, even listening to them and following their lead. (John Williams' score for 'Jurassic Park' -- not coincidentally a Frankenstein story -- gets quoted more than once.)"
Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
"Turns out Hank isn’t so clear on the subject of love or personal connection, either; he’s more like a benign stalker. (And has there ever been a stalker who didn’t think of himself as harmless?) At this point, it’s unclear what Daniels want to say about Hank’s plight, so they fumble his sadness with overly familiar indie-film oddballery. A too-precious folk soundtrack by Manchester Orchestra; a script that stuffs its last half with post-adolescent insights about people needing to keep it real and be honest with their feelings; made-up songs that describe the action taking place on screen: it’s magical flatulence cuteness overdrive. So tell us something new, Daniels. Or maybe don’t try to teach us anything at all. If 'Swiss Army Man' were a silent, scoreless effort, presented as otherworldly slapstick, or if it had employed Lil Jon to yell some obliquely connected, thematic exhortations and non sequiturs, it might have reached the heights of its music video predecessor. As it plays out, though, it smells a little too much like teen spirit."
Dave White, The Wrap
"The film recalls the best and worst aspects of Michel Gondry's body of work. It's at its strongest and most rewarding when dwelling in surreal territory and showing off intricately detailed sets in montages packed full of energy. The soundtrack, by Andy Hull and Robert McDowell from Manchester Orchestra, utilises the natural surroundings of the forest through which Hank and Manny navigate loneliness, love and the meaning of life. The musicians cannily use humming, a cappella singing and bodily functions as percussion, with the two new friends sincerely marching to the beat of their own drum."
Katherine McLaughlin, The List
"To keep things going -- or really just to stretch this achingly dull, eventless and mincingly cute film to feature length -- filmmakers Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan offer musical sequences, featuring either bad pop music or soaring choruses trying to harmonize meaning into emptiness. It’s deadly."
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"The humor in 'Swiss Army Man' is juvenile at times (prepare yourself for a lot of fart jokes), which sometimes becomes a bit of a distraction, but credit to Kwan and Scheinert for pushing this wild premise to its limits and beyond with moxie to spare. And in keeping with the fact that this is unlike any movie you’ve ever seen, the film features a uniquely incredible original score by Andy Hull and Robert McDowell of the indie rock band Manchester Orchestra, which incorporates some haunting a capella work by Dano and Radcliffe. The music of the film is vital to delivering the emotional truth of some of the more outlandish twists and turns, and it’s a tremendous piece of work all its own."
Adam Chitwood, Collider
"The film opens on a beach where Hank (Dano) is stranded alone and at the literal end of his rope. Yet with his head in a noose, he spies a body in the surf, the aforementioned corpse whom he names Manny (Radcliffe). Discovering that Manny’s prodigious farts have the equivalent of jet-ski propulsion, Hank mounts the body and takes off from the deserted island, landing on some woody terrain. Hiking inland toward what he hopes is civilization, Hank schleps the corpse with him as he goes. (He ain’t heavy, he’s my Manny.) Soon, magic realism enters the picture, and Manny begins speaking and producing fountains of water from his mouth. The carcass becomes a multipurpose tool that Hank uses to chop wood and steer their course -- hence the film’s title. A mildly surreal interlude late in the film has them playing out romantic fantasies in a little diorama built from scraps of natural things and man-made detritus found in the forest. An affecting aural score by Manchester Orchestra members Andy Hull and Robert McDowell helps underscore the strange imagery."
Marjorie Baumgarten, The Austin Chronicle
"Back on planet Earth, we’re still talking about a ridiculously infantile film, one that flatters itself by intimating a deeper comment about suppressed masculinity and romantic passivity. Nope. And we do a disservice to compare 'Swiss Army Man' to the work of, say, the Farrelly brothers, filmmakers who couple scatological humor with stealth sweetness. Only the film’s all-voice score, manically hummed by Manchester Orchestra members Andy Hull and Robert McDowell, captures the inner workings of a cracked mind. The rest of the movie is breaking wind."
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
"At times, 'Swiss Army Man' feels like an experiment in audience engagement: Can we push past the absurdity of the premise and the gross-out humor it facilitates to get emotionally invested? To that end, the Daniels flirt a little too hard with going full indie-movie maudlin on our asses, the whimsy reaching critical levels when Hank and Manny, in their attempt to reconstruct the civilization they’ve lost, begin creating a dollhouse jungle society, like something out of a Michel Gondry wet dream. But the madness of the myopic POV rescues 'Swiss Army Man' from its own preciousness; this is the hipster odyssey of healing gone completely unglued, as though Hank were remaking some Focus Feature in his severely damaged head. The music hilariously knocks that point home, with the Daniels practically spoofing the schoolyard jangle of Karen O’s 'Where The Wild Things Are' score, while collaging in half-remembered lyrics from 'Cotton Eye Joe' and snippets of the score from 'Jurassic Park.' The fact that it’s often Dano and Radcliffe themselves humming and singing and triumphantly chanting on the soundtrack only reinforces the sense that we’re stuck -- in literary terms -- with an unreliable narrator. From its songs to its arts-and-crafts art direction to its largely practical effects, the film feels hand-made, the better to emphasize that everything happening on screen is unfolding from one very warped perspective. 'Swiss Army Man' pulls right up to the edge of its own reality, threatening to draw a line between what’s 'actually' happening and what isn’t. Instead, it turns and plunges right back into the choppy fray. To say that this is a film not to every taste is putting it mildly; for every viewer repelled by the boner and fart jokes, there will be another uninterested in having their heartstrings tenderly plucked. But the title is apropos for a curiosity so multifaceted: It’s a bit of a Swiss Army movie, too."
A.A. Dowd, The Onion AV Club
"'Swiss Army Man''s premise, such as it is, was always bound to turn people away. Perhaps it’s even designed to do so. But writer-directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, longtime video artists making their feature debut, create something improbably beautiful out of what could have been a feature-length fart joke. The movie dances seamlessly between sight gags and lyrical asides, working off both hopeful energy and anxious bouts of fear and regret. 'The Daniels,' as they bill themselves, have an antic visual style that can feel a little greedy for our attention; the buoyant score by Andy Hull and Robert McDowell of Manchester Orchestra sometimes balances this manic pace and sometimes exacerbates it. Yet the young directors consistently surprise us, bringing their giddy camera to a halt for tender moments that cut far more deeply than they should."
Jeffrey Bloomer, Slate.com
"Moments like this benefit enormously from Manchester Orchestra members Andy Hull and Robert McDowell’s oddly sung score, the playful music equivalent of those hand-drawn doodles that indie and Fox Searchlight movies have been serving up for the past decade or so. Virtually each track begins with either Dano or Radcliffe rapping quietly to himself, before building into a more resonant and melancholy track."
Peter Debruge, Variety
"On the technical front, reedy, minor-key keening from Andy Hull and Robert McDowell’s beat combo Manchester Orchestra (Daniels made an admired video for their song 'Simple Math' a few years back) boosts the alt-indie mood, while Larkin Seiple’s hyper-crisp lens work on an Alexa rig enhances the oneiric atmosphere throughout."
Leslie Felperin, Hollywood Reporter
TOMMY'S HONOUR - Christian Henson
"'Your station in life was set before you were born,' admonishes the club captain (a wily Sam Neill). But whether handling class conflict, family feuds or Tommy’s romance with a scandal-stamped scullery maid (Ophelia Lovibond), the screenplay (adapted from Kevin Cook’s 2007 book of the same name) draws everything out like flavorless taffy. The performances are desultory, the musical score bullying and the drama -- aside from the game-changing placement of inconvenient shrubbery -- as predictable as Tom senior’s steadily sprouting beard."
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
"Outstanding production design, creative costuming and historically accurate locations enhance the overall authenticity of the film, which is buoyed throughout by Christian Henson’s lyrical score."
Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter
THE TRANSFIGURATION - Margaret Chardiet
"Music from Margaret Chardiet and sound mixing from Gillian Arthur offer helpful assists throughout, with Milo’s infrequent shifts into 'kill mode' telegraphed through bass-note buzzing and throbbing. This is particularly useful because Milo demonstrates the lack of affect that can characterize some forms of depression, in marked contrast to the charismatic, socially-adept psychopath with whom vampires are more often aligned. This is an interesting choice in theory, but it does make for a lack of light and shade, presenting his emotional state as something close to indifference for the majority of the runtime."
Catherine Bray, Variety
"O'Shea uses the bursts of droning ambient noise and the somber electronic sounds of Margaret Chardiet's score to arresting effect. But he's less interested in creating suspense or pumping up atmosphere than in exploring the ways in which horror, and its intoxicating relationship with death, can be a paradoxical balm for the more earthly cruelties of life. That makes 'The Transfiguration' a difficult movie to classify, but one with an emotional depth that creeps up on you."
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
WIENER-DOG - James Lavino, Nathan Larson
"The dog’s owners appear in order of their age, from a trusting boy to a sensitive, high-strung young woman to a male screenwriting professor to an elderly woman whose mind has turned toward death. Between the second and third stories is an adorable 'intermission' in which the dog trots along before a screen to a jaunty ballad by Marc Shaiman (Hairspray), passing pop-up national icons and illustrated scenes of mayhem. Although the song drips with irony, you want to believe that 'Wiener-Dog' is a benevolent spirit, spreading hope wherever she goes.James Lavino and Nathan Larson’s richly melodic lounge music helps you groove on the perversity, while cinematographer Edward Lachman and production designer Akin McKenzie create settings from which nature and personality have been purged -- settings that could inspire you to arson. But hey, that’s a kind of inspiration! Solondz doesn’t show the same arch contempt for materialism that he did in his early films. More than ever, he evokes the pain of people for whom there is no possibility of transcendence -- unless, of course, they get a dog. The movie could be called Welcome to the Doghouse."
David Edelstein, New York
THE NEXT TEN DAYS IN L.A.
Screenings of older films, at the following L.A. movie theaters: AMPAS, American Cinematheque: Aero, American Cinematheque: Egyptian, Arclight, LACMA, Laemmle, New Beverly, Nuart and UCLA.
July 20
CASABLANCA (Max Steiner) [Cinematheque: Aero]
LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN, SUMURUM [UCLA]
McCABE AND MRS. MILLER (Leonard Cohen), PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID (Bob Dylan) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
YELLOW SUBMARINE (George Martin, The Beatles) [Nuart]
July 21
DESIGN FOR LIVING [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
LA DOLCE VITA (Nino Rota) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
TO BE OR NOT TO BE (Werner R. Heymann), ONE HOUR WITH YOU (Richard A. Whiting) [UCLA]
THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (Max Steiner), KEY LARGO (Max Steiner) [Cinematheque: Aero]
July 22
THE INNER SCAR (Nico), I CAN NO LONGER HEAR THE GUITAR (Faton Cahen) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
PRINCESS MONONOKE (Joe Hisaishi) [Laemmle Ahrya Fine Arta
ROMAN HOLIDAY (Georges Auric) [Laemmle Ahrya Fine Arts]
SABRINA (Frederick Hollander), THE CAINE MUTINY (Max Steiner) [Cinematheque: Aero]
July 23
HAIRSPRAY (Chris Stein) [AMPAS]
July 24
ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN (Ralph Burns) [LACMA]
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Andre Previn, Herbert Spencer) [Laemmle NoHo]
July 25
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Andre Previn, Herbert Spencer) [Laemmle Royal]
July 26
THE FRIGHTENERS (Danny Elfman), RE-ANIMATOR (Richard Band) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
HIGH SIERRA (Adolph Deutsch), THE PETRIFIED FOREST [Cinematheque: Aero]
TRAINING DAY (Mark Mancina) [Laemmle NoHo]
YI YI (Kai-Li Peng) [LACMA]
July 27
THE BABADOOK (Jed Kurzel) [Nuart]
COUNSELLOR AT LAW [UCLA]
THE MALTESE FALCON (Adolph Deutsch), THE BIG SLEEP (Max Steiner) [Cinematheque: Aero]
THE RED KIMONA [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
July 28
ALL THAT JAZZ (Ralph Burns) [UCLA]
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (Franz Waxman), DARK PASSAGE (Franz Waxman) [Cinematheque: Aero]
WHERE ARE MY CHILDREN? [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
July 29
THE AFRICAN QUEEN (Allan Gray), BEAT THE DEVIL (Franco Mannino) [Cinematheque: Aero]
THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES (Tigran Mansuryan) [LACMA]
KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS (Youssou N'Dour) [UCLA]
THE OYSTER PRINCESS, FORBIDDEN PARADISE [UCLA]
THINGS I'VE HEARD, READ, SEEN OR WATCHED LATELY
Watching season 6 of Archer recently (with its parodies of The Eiger Sanction and Fantastic Voyage) made me realize that it's one of my all-time favorite TV series, so here is my list of top ten favorite shows, in alpha order:
Archer
Battlestar Galactica
Columbo
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Party Down
Sherlock
Star Trek
The Wire
And here are the rest of my top 25 (though it pains me to leave out the perpetually underrated The New Adventures of Old Christine):
Banacek
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer
Deadwood
Extras
Fawlty Towers
Hannibal
House of Cards
Justified
The Larry Sanders Show
News Radio
The Outer Limits
Penny Dreadful
Rome
Star Trek – The Next Generation
Westworld
Last night I happened to watch a second-season episode of Sealab 2021 -- from Archer creator Adam Reed -- and it was a particularly strange episode. I had to listen to some of the (very poorly miked) commentary track to understand it -- for this one episode, they had simply taken an original Sealab 2020 episode from the early '70s, edited it to about half its length while keeping the same storyline, and had the Sealab 2021 actors redub the same lines from the original without adding any comedy material. That's the kind of meta-comedy one can academically appreciate without actually enjoying.
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Today in Film Score History:
April 25 |
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| Alec Puro born (1975) |
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| Brian May died (1997) |
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| David A. Hughes born (1960) |
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| Franz Waxman records his score for Stalag 17 (1952) |
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| Gary Hughes died (1978) |
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| Georges Delerue records his score for L’Homme Qui Revient De Loin (1972) |
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| Heinz Roemheld's score for Union Station is recorded (1950) |
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| John Williams begins recording his score for How to Steal a Million (1966) |
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