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| 2/28/07
- | The Shaggy Dog: (Alan Menken)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if you enjoy the similarly inventive and entertaining approach of Alan Silvestri and John
Debney to their larger comedy assignments.
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Avoid it... |
if no measure of strong, mainstream orchestral writing can compensate for your predisposed
negative feelings about Alan Menken's hopelessly upbeat music.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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2/25/07 - Gustavo Santaolalla has won the Academy Award for
"Best Score" at the 2007 Oscar ceremonies for Babel. This is the Argentinean
musician/producer's second nomination and win, following his win for Brokeback
Mountain last year. The last time the same composer won an Oscar two years in a row
was Alan Menken for his animated Disney musicals in 1991 and 1992. Also nominated for 2006
were Thomas Newman for
The Good German, Philip
Glass for Notes on a Scandal,
Javier Navarrete for Pan's Labyrinth, and
Alexandre Desplat for The
Queen. Newman now holds eight nominations without a win. Ennio Morricone accepted his
honorary Oscar from Clint Eastwood, and thanked the Academy in Italian. Composer/orchestrator
William Ross served as the orchestra pit conductor. Share your thoughts on Santaolalla's Oscar win at the ScoreBoard
Forum...
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| 2/23/07
- | Underworld Evolution: (Marco Beltrami)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if you delight in the dark atmospheric textures and rhythms of Marco Beltrami's trademark
thriller/horror sound.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect to hear some of the best score music from the film on this score album, despite
its tediously long running-time.
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| Rating: | **
Read the entire review
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| 2/20/07
- | The Lake House: (Rachel Portman)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if there is no limit to the amount of lightweight and pleasant Rachel Portman romance music
you will purchase.
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Avoid it... |
if Portman's predictable return the sound that made her famous in the 1990's leaves you as
cold as Keanu Reeves' acting.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 2/17/07
- | Jet Li's Fearless: (Shigeru Umebayashi)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if you can never get enough of the culturally diverse combinations of Eastern and Western
sounds, spanning the ages and leading you on an unpredictable ride.
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Avoid it... |
if within that emerging genre of music you expect a compelling thematic and stylistic journey
rather than a clinical and often sterile treatment of a historical epic.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 2/13/07
- | The Return: (Dario Marianelli)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if a heavy dose of harmonious, but somewhat stagnant contemplation is acceptable in your
otherwise stock thriller sound.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect the instrumental and atmospheric creativity of Dario Marianelli's previous
mainstream efforts to carry over into this more routine score.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 2/10/07
- | The Good German: (Thomas Newman)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if you would be interested in a technically accurate homage to the style of film scores in
high dramas from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect any sense of warmth or heart in an otherwise accurate, but clinical sound.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 2/5/07
- | The Holiday: (Hans Zimmer)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if you find Hans Zimmer's non-synthetic romantic comedy writing to be among his
most enjoyable, for The Holiday is a very typical entry into that genre.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect any semblance of Zimmer's trademark muscle and bass power for his
more substantial projects.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 2/1/07
- | The Painted Veil: (Alexandre Desplat)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if you are easily engrossed by lightly rolling, rhythmic movements for piano and strings,
similar in style to the music of Philip Glass.
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Avoid it... |
if the reliance on its piano solos and lack of any convincing element for the Chinese setting
of the film betray the score's effectiveness.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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