Film Score Daily: Film Score Friday 5/31/19

Quartet has announced four new soundtrack CD releases -- two brand new scores by Oscar-nominated composers, Mark Isham's score for the dog-reincarnation sequel A DOG'S JOURNEY and George Fenton's music for the period espionage drama RED JOAN; Riz Ortolani's score for the 1970 documentary ANDREA DORIA -74; and Fred Bongusto's score to the 1969 Italian thriller UN DETECTIVE.

Dan Callahan, The Wrap

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - Alan Menken

"Beyond the familiar tunes by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, the film includes several originals, the best being a 'Les Mis'-type number for the Beast, in this version the beneficiary of further information that helps explain the hardened heart that got him into this fix. There's something poignant, as well, about the servants being keenly aware of gradually losing their humanity, faced with the prospect of becoming nothing more than candlesticks and clocks."

Brian Lowry, CNN

"Each of the unforgettable songs by the composer Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman (the brilliant lyricist of Disney’s early-’90s renaissance) is here, plus a few new ones (with lyrics by Tim Rice) that land with a thud alongside them. These added songs are meant to deepen each character’s backstory, much like the occasional flashbacks that are sprinkled in (apparently Belle’s mother suffered from the plague in Paris). But the rest of the film’s attempts to mirror the animated original just make the new scenes feel horribly incongruous."

David Sims, The Atlantic

"There are a few add-ons -- a couple of dull songs that weren’t in the first version, slight tweaks for 2017 sensibilities-- but this is essentially the same movie. As Buzzfeed has pointed out, the remake at times even reaches the shot-by-shot fidelity of Van Sant’s film ['Psycho'], to the point that you wonder if the filmmakers were watching the old film on set and trying to match the shots up perfectly."

Will Leitch, The New Republic

"What this 'Beauty' has going for it over its Disney remake predecessors is the best collection of songs to ever grace an animated musical -- for that matter, one of the best collections of songs in any cinematic musical, full stop. 'The Jungle Book' had game celebrity voices sing a few bars of its famous tunes, but Condon’s 'Beauty and the Beast' is a full-on musical, even adding some additional songs to the narrative. The new stuff mostly sounds like mediocre Broadway, but how could it not? Alan Menken and the late lyricist Howard Ashman achieved something close to perfection with the original’s songs and score; if they make songs from 'The Lion King' sound less great by comparison, a batch of Menken-and-company filler songs don’t have much chance. Anyway, the upside is the sheer joy of hearing even covers of tunes like the introductory 'Belle' and the celebratory 'Be Our Guest' (sung by Ewan McGregor, rocking an uncertain French accent as the living candlestick once voiced by Jerry Orbach). And it’s fun to watch Condon attempt to bring them to life."

Jesse Hassenger, Brooklyn Magazine

"What once played out in a 84-minute whirlwind of song, dance, and color now takes its time a little, crossing the two-hour mark with the help of a couple of unmemorable new tunes that really underline what the late Ashman brought to the table. If you’ve seen the original (or any version of the Leprince De Beaumont fairy tale -- Jean Cocteau’s remains the gold standard), you know this Stockholm syndrome romance by heart. To free her inventor father (Kevin Kline), Belle agrees to take his place in the gothic castle where Dad innocently trespassed -- a fortress of spired towers and spiral staircases, like the Disney logo crossed with the snow-caked 'Edward Scissorhands' manor. Her captor: the Beast ('Downton Abbey''s Dan Stevens), doomed to live out his days as a lonely monstrosity, lest he can get someone to see past his fearsome appearance, fall in love with the soul hidden underneath, and break the spell his vanity and cruelty provoked."

A.A. Dowd, The Onion AV Club

"Less successful are the action sequences where the Beast and Gaston battle it out 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'-style among rooftop turrets, crumbling buttresses and gargoyles. But most disappointing are the not-so-memorable new songs that pop up in the second half whose melodies are once again written by composer Alan Menken but with lyrics by Tim Rice ('The Lion King'). They just cannot compete with the old favorites that never fail to tickle the ears with their irresistible wordplay supplied by the late great Howard Ashman. But with its racially diverse cast (at one point, I wished that Broadway dynamo Audra MacDonald as the wardrobe Madame Garderobe and the sprightly Stanley Tucci as her harpsichord hubby Maestro Cadenza could have done their own duet) and wink at same-sex flirtation, this 'Beauty' presents a far more inclusive view of the world. One that is awash with a sense of hope and connection that we desperately need right now. If you desire an entertaining escape from reality right about now, be my guest."

Susan Wloszcyzyna, RogerEbert.com

"It's to be expected that 2017’s 'Beauty and the Beast' revisits all the well-known songs (while slipping in a few not-so-memorable new ones) and the characters from the first film. But it also recycles the looks, the settings, much of the dialogue, and, eerily, many of the visual beats. It is less an experience in itself as it is an exercise in evoking memory of a whole other movie."

Alison Willmore, Buzzfeed News

"This 'Beauty and the Beast' improves once Belle reaches a castle where she is imprisoned by Stevens’s Beast and attended to by a motley group of animated household objects, all of which are voiced by name players like Ian McKellen and Stanley Tucci. Most impressive of these voice actors is Ewan McGregor, who uses his soaring tenor to fine effect on 'Be Our Guest.' This is the one number in Condon’s 'Beauty and the Beast' that feels visually impressive and even spectacular, and it suggests that McGregor would have made a far more apt Gaston himself. The songs here are a mixture of old favorites from the 1991 movie and a few new tunes; none of the latter are particularly memorable."

Dan Callahan, The Wrap

"A rococo confection featuring fiendishly intricate production values, a bravura, coloratura-rich musical score and whizz-pop state-of-the-art effects, Disney's latest iteration of the fairy tale 'Beauty and the Beast' is more than just eye candy. It's a Michelin-triple-starred master class in patisserie skills that transforms the cinematic equivalent of a sugar rush into a kind of crystal-meth-like narcotic high that lasts about two hours. Only once viewers have come down and digested it all might they feel like the whole experience was actually a little bland, lacking in depth and so effervescent as to be almost instantly forgettable."

Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter

BETWEEN WORLDS - Jason Solowsky

"'Between Worlds' is also, unfortunately, a weird 'Twin Peaks' homage, complete with industrial band ohGr's not-so-industrial, 'Twin Peaks'-y score and 'Twin Peaks'-like theme during the opening credits sequence (performed by 'Twin Peaks' composer Angelo Badalamenti, no less). Billie's also a Laura-Palmer-type figure, a babe in the woods who also happens to be a femme fatale. Billie also has two dead-end friends who weirdly resemble two key 'Twin Peaks' characters: pothead Rick (Hopper Penn), who sorta looks like Harry 'Andy' Goaz, and biker Mike (Garrett Clayton), who more closely resembles Dana 'Bobby' Ashbrook."

Simon Abrams, RogerEbert.com

A DOG'S WAY HOME - Mychael Danna

"Composer Mychael Danna’s score provides bouncy, bubbly buoyancy when needed (as Bella plays and chases squirrels and CG rabbits) and a somber, sweeping symphonic soundscape during the more sentimental moments (as Bella says goodbye to friends she’s made along the way). While the compositions aren’t wildly obtrusive and augment the emotion of the narrative, Smith relies a little too heavily on them in spots where he could trust his talented cast to carry the moment."

Courtney Howard, Variety

IN LIKE FLYNN - David Hirschfelder

"Mulcahy cleverly employs Old Hollywood visual tropes (wipe-transitions to bridge scenes, animated dots on a map to indicate a journey’s progress, etc.) and the period-appropriate rousing musical score by David Hirschfelder to enhance the 1930s flavor. But the movie’s chief asset is Cocquerel, who evidences more than enough graceful physicality, roguish ladykiller charm and devil-may-care brio to be persuasive as Flynn. He seals the deal with his nimbly raffish delivery of such character-defining dialogue as 'I have a genius for living -- it’s the consequences I’m not so well-versed in.' Cocquerel all but winks at the audience when Flynn tells a friend that their shared adventure 'wouldn’t make a half-bad picture.'"

Joe Leydon, Variety

"With the aid of slick cinematographer Peter Holland, editor Rodrigo Galart and composer David Hirschfelder, Mulcahy now socks over a frenetic, retro-styled yarn (wipe-transitions abound), punctuated with incident, crunchingly cartoonish violence and unbridled derring-do in the classic Boy's Own adventure vein. Cumulatively impactful, it's a hell of a return to form."

Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter

LIFE - Jon Ekstrand

"Every other bit of audio is a feast for the ears. In one mesmerizing sequence, fragments of the ship crumble into a tornado of glass and metal as seemingly ever crushed fiber makes an audible crunch. Composer Jon Ekstrand’s score is appropriately manic for a movie that develops its claustrophobia as it moves along. During the chaotic finale, the music shifts into an ironic waltz -- a welcome nod to '2001: A Space Odyssey' -- that plays against the destruction with wonderfully cinematic results. It’s one of several moments that indicate the intentions of a filmmaker desperate to push the material beyond the limitations of a traditional horror movie in space. But no matter how much trickery Espinosa throws into the frame, 'Life' remains tethered to familiar terra firma."

Jonathan Poritsky, IndieWire

"There’s also the constant, insistent score by Jon Ekstrand, bearing down right from the opening and not doing much for the cause. There are some disquieting bits -- the early scene in which the maturing Calvin grabs on to Hugh’s gloved hand and simply will not let go is a nice burner, for sure. But the movie’s story 'beats' are inescapably commonplace. (There’s even a bit derived from 'The Thing From Another World' in which one ill-advised character contemplates Calvin’s scientific awesomeness.) Either screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick haven’t got the goods, or there really are only so many things you can do with a homicidal space creature and a manned ship."

Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com

"The sound design of Calvin -- he’s silent, but slithery -- adds to the creepiness, but there’s a mid-story showdown involving an open airlock that gets too noisy and chaotic, with Jon Ekstrand’s classically inspired score suddenly working itself into too much of a froth."

Alonso Duralde, The Wrap

"And talented Swedish director Daniel Espinosa, coming off the turgid historical thriller 'Child 44' (please, let us never speak of it again), seems to revel in the fact that he’s making a 100-minute matinee movie. (The score by regular Espinosa collaborator Jon Ekstrand is gloriously over-the-top.) There are moments of genuine white-knuckle suspense and set pieces that are elaborately constructed and dutifully executed. Sure, there are a couple of moments that would have benefitted from having more time to breathe (like a sequence where another spaceship comes to aid the station), and there’s the aforementioned issue with the characterization being somewhat unbalanced, but there’s just as much to be said for a movie that goes in, fucks shit up, and gets out as quickly as possible. Movies today are too long and overstuffed; 'Life' is lean, mean, and terrifying. It doesn’t have much to say beyond 'hold up, maybe we shouldn’t poke around uncharted terrain so much,' but with actors this committed, set pieces this exciting, and direction this confident, it doesn’t really matter. It’s a B-movie through and through, and it knows exactly what it is. To quote another movie currently in theaters, choose 'Life.'"

Drew Taylor, The Playlist

"What does it say that most movies about making contact with an alien species inevitably devolve into a bloodbath? Is that mankind’s fear of the great unknown rearing its ugly head? Or, 'Arrival' aside, is it just more fun (and profitable) when E.T. goes HAM? In the ruthless science-fiction thriller 'Life,' a team of researchers aboard the International Space Station acquire definitive proof that we’re not alone in the universe: a carbon-based organism from Mars, small enough to fit into a petri dish. Unfortunately, and much to their surprise (though not to the audience’s), the little guy turns out to be something of a natural born killer. 'Life' plays coy about this development for a while, going heavy on the oohs and the aahs and the proud video chats back to Earth; when the title arrives, more than a few minutes in, it’s to a swell of hopeful music. But astute viewers will see the truth in the opening shot, with its familiar, unbroken stare into the inky black void of space. The void stares back, menacingly."

A.A. Dowd, The Onion AV Club

"To celebrate the discovery, horns blare on Jon Ekstrand’s constantly shape-shifting score (one moment, he’s waxing optimistic with low-key strings, the next, he’s amplifying the tension via 'Inception'-style foghorns). Hugh can hardly contain his enthusiasm, though there are other crew members on board to take precautions, most notably Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson, the most disciplined character in the motley ensemble), representing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- because nobody knows what Calvin is capable of, even after he’s attacked Hugh and face-hugged one of the other crew members."

Peter Debruge, Variety

PLEDGE - Jon Natchez

"Though after a point contained to the (admittedly expansive) house interiors, William Tracy Babcock’s cinematography diversifies its widescreen look with some impressive early drone shots. Other tech/design contributions are also above average on modest means, with Jon Natchez’s original score eschewing too campy a note while tipping hat to the familiar reference point of synthy ’80s horror soundtracks."

Dennis Harvey, Variety

SGT. WILL GARDNER - Jay DeMarcus

"The score and soundtrack can be classified as inspirational and country, respectively; the film has a decidedly red-state feel, even if politics are never explicitly brought up. (Though Gary Sinise shows up to offer a bit of slut-shaming regarding a regular at the establishment where his character tends bar: 'Then she let the guys get all over her, and that done changed her.') You can’t help but think of 'American Sniper,' Clint Eastwood’s superior movie about the horrors of war and the inability of a vet to truly come home."

Tricia Olszewski, The Wrap

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, Arena Cinelounge, LACMA, Laemmle, New Beverly, Nuart, UCLA and Vista.

May 31
THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER (Michael Nyman) [Arena Cinelounge]
DANCE, GIRL, DANCE (Edward Ward), THE BRIDE WORE RED (Franz Waxman) [New Beverly]
GRINDHOUSE: DEATH PROOF [New Beverly]
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (The Beatles, George Martin) [Nuart]
LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
METROPOLITAN (Mark Suozzo, Tom Judson), BARCELONA (Mark Suozzo), THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO (Mark Suozzo) [Cinematheque: Aero]
PREDATOR (Alan Silvestri) [Vista]

June 1
BRAZIL (Michael Kamen), TIME BANDITS (Mike Moran) [Cinematheque: Aero]
CAT PEOPLE (Giorgio Moroder), TIME AFTER TIME (Miklos Rozsa) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES (Robert F. Brunner) [New Beverly]
THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER (Michael Nyman) [Arena Cinelounge]
DANCE, GIRL, DANCE (Edward Ward), THE BRIDE WORE RED (Franz Waxman) [New Beverly]
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (Joe Hisaishi) [Vista]
IT FOLLOWS (Disasterpeace) [Vista]
OUTRAGEOUS! (Paul Hoffert) [New Beverly]

June 2
THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES (Robert F. Brunner) [New Beverly]
THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER (Michael Nyman) [Arena Cinelounge]
THE FLINTSTONES (David Newman) [Cinematheque: Aero]
NINE TO FIVE (Charles Fox) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
STAIRCASE (Dudley Moore), REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE (Toshiro Mayuzumi) [New Beverly]
STRANGER THAN PARADISE (John Lurie), DOWN BY LAW (John Lurie) [Cinematheque: Aero]

June 3
THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER (Michael Nyman) [Arena Cinelounge]
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (Elliot Goldenthal) [New Beverly]
STAIRCASE (Dudley Moore), REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE (Toshiro Mayuzumi) [New Beverly]

June 4
THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER (Michael Nyman) [Arena Cinelounge]
PINK FLAMINGOS, FEMALE TROUBLE (Bob Harvey) [New Beverly]
SUPER FLY (Curtis Mayfield) [LACMA]

June 5
THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT, FOX AND HIS FRIENDS (Peer Raben) [New Beverly]
THE BIRDS (Remi Gassman, Oskar Sala, Bernard Herrmann) [New Beverly]
THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER (Michael Nyman) [Arena Cinelounge]
LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME (Percy Faith, George Stoll), CALAMITY JANE (Ray Heindorf) [Laemmle NoHo]

June 6
THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT, FOX AND HIS FRIENDS (Peer Raben) [New Beverly]
THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER (Michael Nyman) [Arena Cinelounge]
STRANGER THAN PARADISE (John Lurie) [Laemmle NoHo]

June 7
THE GOONIES (Dave Grusin) [Nuart]
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS [New Beverly]
LOLA MONTES (Georges Auric) [LACMA]
PARTING GLANCES, MALA NOCHE (Creighton Lindsay) [New Beverly]
Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN [Vista]

June 8
BARRY LYNDON (Leonard Rosenman) [Vista]
THE BIRDS (Remi Gassman, Oskar Sala, Bernard Herrmann) [Vista]
CAN'T STOP THE MUSIC (Jacques Morali) [New Beverly]
FREAKY FRIDAY (Johnny Mandel) [New Beverly]
FREE SOLO (Marco Beltrami) [Cinematheque: Aero]
PARTING GLANCES, MALA NOCHE (Creighton Lindsay) [New Beverly]

June 9
BARAKA (Michael Stearns) [Cinematheque: Aero]
FREAKY FRIDAY (Johnny Mandel) [New Beverly]
THE KILLING OF SISTER GEORGE (Gerald Fried), THE SERGEANT (Michel Magne) [New Beverly]

THINGS I'VE HEARD, READ, SEEN OR WATCHED LATELY

Heard: Four American Quartets (Evans, Glass, Antheil, Herrmann), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (Jablonsky), L'Arche et les Deluges (Yared), L'Istruttoria E'Chiusa: Dimentichi (Morricone), The John Williams-Jurassic Park Collection (Williams), The Sisters Brothers (Desplat), One Little Indian (Goldsmith), Fun with Dick and Jane (Shapiro), Sarah/Desordre (Yared), Distance Between Dreams (Holkenborg), Star Trek: Enterprise Collection vol. 2 (Chattaway, McCarthy, et al), The Cloverfield Paradox (McCreary)

Read: Midway through The Society of the Crossed Keys, by Stefan Zweig

Seen: Avengers: Endgame, Brightburn, The Souvenir, Trial by Fire, Amazing Grace

Watched: The Wire ("Undertow"), Fawlty Towers ("Communication Problems"), The Norliss Tapes, The Avengers ("Mission...Highly Improbable"), Firefly ("Safe"), Battlestar: Galactica ("Six Degrees of Separation"), From the Earth to the Moon ("We Interrupt This Program")

If there's anyone out there who's actually been following my byline for the 17 years I've been writing for this site, you're probably more than aware that I am obsessed with lists. I recently started working on a list -- technically, an Excel spreadsheet -- of every film I have seen in a movie theater. The latest film, the documentary Amazing Grace, takes me up to 8,911 movies. No, I don't have a personal life. Thank you for asking.

Working on this list has inspired me to update two other lists -- my top 100 favorite films (plus a second list, of the next 100) and my top 25 favorite film composers -- and to cross-reference, to see how many favorite films my favorite composers have scored.

Here is my favorite composers list, substantially re-worked from the list I made over a decade ago (I still can't believe I ranked Mancini so low in the original list):

1. Jerry Goldsmith (4 movies in the top 100/10 in the top 200)
2. Bernard Herrmann (7/10)
3. John Williams (8/13)
4. John Barry (5/7)
5. Elmer Bernstein (1/3)
6. Thomas Newman (0/1)
7. Basil Poledouris (1/2)
8. Miklos Rozsa (1/4)
9. David Shire (3/3)
10. Danny Elfman (0)
11. Henry Mancini (1/3)
12. Richard Rodney Bennett (1/2)
13. Jerome Moross (0)
14. Georges Delerue (0)
15. Alexandre Desplat (0)
16. Bruce Broughton (0)
17. Alex North (0)
18. Howard Shore (1/3)
19. Michael Giacchino (0/3)
20. Franz Waxman (1/1)
21. Ennio Morricone (0/4)
22. Christiopher Young (1/1)
23. Jerry Fielding (0/1)
24. Alfred Newman (0/1)
25. James Horner (1/4)