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| 3/29/08
- | Robotech: (Various)
- All New Filmtracks Review, Replacing a Donated Review |
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Buy it... |
only if you have fond memories of growing up with the series as a child.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect any of the score or songs to survive the test of time, for they are badly rooted
in the era of cheesy 80's synth operas.
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| Rating: | **
Read the entire review
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| 3/26/08
- | Jetsons: The Movie/Jonny's Golden Quest: (John
Debney)
- All New Filmtracks Review, Replacing a Donated Review |
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Buy it... |
only if you are an enthusiast of the original Hanna-Barbera productions or the multitude of
John Debney's 1990's adaptations of the genre.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect the action music in these two scores to match the more robust orchestral output
later in Debney's career.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 3/24/08
- | In Pursuit of Honor/Class of '61: (John Debney)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you're enticed by the thematically appealing consistency to John Debney's dramatic and
heroic tributes to militaristic glory.
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Avoid it... |
if the simplistic, straight forward sound to his Western music leaves you shunning Debney in
favor of composers that use a more folksy approach to the genre.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 3/22/08
- | Doctor Who: (John Debney)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you can enjoy robust, Gothic action concepts and a handful of momentous choral crescendos
thrown in with Ron Granier's original title theme.
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Avoid it... |
if the score's sparsely-rendered synthetic side and occasionally split personality isn't worth
the search for the promotional album.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 3/20/08
- | The Truth and the Light: Music from The X-Files:
(Mark Snow)
- All New Filmtracks Review, Replacing a Donated Review |
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Buy it... |
only if you prefer the darker, more atonal and atmospheric music from Mark Snow for the first
three seasons of the show.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect any of the more dynamic, humorous, harmonic, or strikingly beautiful music from
the show's later seasons.
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| Rating: | **
Read the entire review
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| 3/18/08
- | Moll Flanders: (Mark Mancina)
- All New Filmtracks Review, Replacing a Donated Review |
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Buy it... |
if you wish to hear a valiant and competent attempt by Mark Mancina to write and
record a period score without the necessary orchestral ensemble to make it credible.
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Avoid it... |
if whatever enjoyment you can receive from Mancina's harmonic structures is
betrayed by their sparse, electronic rendering and short running time.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 3/16/08
- | The Eyes of the Panther/Not Since Casanova: (John
Debney)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you seek two orchestral scores (ranging from average to enjoyable) from very early in John
Debney's career.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect either score to feature the complexity of construct and density of performance
heard in later Debney works.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 3/14/08
- | Evita: (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you seek a loyal and effective adaptation of the 1978 musical, with strong vocals, a
massive orchestral ensemble, and a vibrant recording mix.
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Avoid it... |
if the schizophrenic nature of Andrew Lloyd Webber's variety in the songs' genres and styles
creates too much contrast from song to song for you to enjoy the musical's obvious high
points.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 3/12/08
- | Courage Under Fire: (James Horner)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
only if you are a devoted collector of James Horner's works and would be interested in hearing
a preview to the action and drama techniques that would mature in several subsequent Horner
scores.
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Avoid it... |
if an underachieving pair of respectful themes and one short burst of instrumental and
synthetic creativity don't warrant a compilation of mundane Hornerisms.
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| Rating: | **
Read the entire review
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| 3/10/08
- | Waterworld: (James Newton Howard)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you normally fall victim to guilty pleasure scores with generic, but well rendered action
ideas for orchestra, synthetic percussion, and sizable chorus.
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Avoid it... |
if you'd prefer a dash of intelligence and a pinch of originality in your other-worldly
blockbuster romps.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 3/8/08
- | Nixon: (John Williams)
- All New Filmtracks Review, Replacing a Donated Review |
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Buy it... |
if you want a troubled, and eerie preview of the music that would form the basis of much of
John Williams' constructs for the Sith in the Star Wars prequel scores.
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Avoid it... |
if the darkness of Williams' scores for the mid-to-late 90's (and the electronic dissonance
occasionally employed in those scores) doesn't suit your desire for easily digestible music
from the maestro.
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| Rating: | **
Read the entire review
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| 3/5/08
- | White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf: (John
Debney) - Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you typically enjoy John Debney's rousing orchestral adventure scores, this one featuring
some of the folksy spirit of Basil Poledouris' original score in the series.
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Avoid it... |
if undeniable references to the Western works of James Horner and John Barry (among others) as
well could deter you from an otherwise early glimpse of Debney's own maturing styles.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 3/3/08
- | Exotica: (Mychael Danna)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you've always appreciated Mychael Danna's incorporation of Middle Eastern and East Indian
elements into his scores, and would be curious to hear how they merge with Western strip club
styles.
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Avoid it... |
if Danna's plethora of whimsically-mixed ethnic vocals and instrumentation creates a fantasy
world too disturbingly surreal and atmospheric for your tastes.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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