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| 4/30/09
- | Entrapment: (Christopher Young)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you are a fan of Christopher Young's attempts to emulate the 1990's action styles of Jerry
Goldsmith, even if those endeavors are marginally successful.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect the score to avoid the same coherency problems that plague the film itself, for
Young's music has no central personality.
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| Rating: | **
Read the entire review
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| 4/29/09
- | End of Days: (John Debney)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you like your apocalyptic bombast to feature the resounding depth of a large orchestra,
ethnic instrumentation, choral solos and ensembles, and a variety of finely tuned electronics.
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Avoid it... |
if you require a straight-forward "Carmina Burana" style of harmonic force that is largely
betrayed by John Debney's insertion of harsh industrial tones into this score.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 4/28/09
- | The Deep End of the Ocean: (Elmer
Bernstein)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you seek a soft, nostalgic, and sensitive tribute by Elmer Bernstein to the
introverted personal style common to his early Golden Age years.
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Avoid it... |
if you have no affinity for Bernstein's two most similar scores during the last
eight years of his career, Frankie Starlight and Far From Heaven.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 4/27/09
- | Deep Blue Sea: (Trevor Rabin)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you hold a soft spot for the stereotypical Media Ventures blockbuster scores of the late
1990's, this one being among Trevor Rabin's most impressive entries.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect more substance than gloss, for Rabin's music is highlighted by simplistic
harmonic structures that strive for attractive rendering rather than intellectual development.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 4/26/09
- | Crusade (Babylon 5): (Evan H. Chen)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
only if you have absolutely come to terms with the spin-off show and know exactly what you're
asking for.
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Avoid it... |
if you're looking for anything remotely close to being an extension of Christopher Franke's
better known and vastly superior sound for the rest of the "Babylon 5" franchise.
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| Rating: | FRISBEE
Read the entire review
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| 4/25/09
- | The Cider House Rules: (Rachel Portman)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you mourn the loss of Georges Delerue in the world of romantically dramatic film score writing or seek
Rachel Portman's most consistent entry in that genre during the height of her career.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect the creativity in thematic diversity or instrumentation that Portman would provide to nearly
the same sound in The Legend of Bagger Vance.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 4/24/09
- | Bowfinger: (David Newman)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you appreciate 1970's retro funk in the mould of Lalo Schifrin, for Bowfinger uses it
almost constantly to carry its cheesy attitude.
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Avoid it... |
if you're a traditional David Newman fan curious about the magnificent three-minute orchestral
finale cue that is available on a compilation elsewhere.
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| Rating: | **
Read the entire review
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| 4/23/09
- | The Bone Collector: (Craig Armstrong)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you like your scores for urban thrillers to feature an intelligent, edgy blend of
orchestral power, choral beauty, and a sophisticated industrial edge.
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Avoid it... |
if you've never been impressed by the general style of Craig Armstrong's scores, for The Bone
Collector is among the most typical of his career in terms of instrumental and rhythmic style.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 4/22/09
- | Body Shots: (Mark Isham)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if a bleak environment of mostly subdued techno-erotic electronica is your idea of a good
time.
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Avoid it... |
if you require anything more than a cold and dark synthetic environment, devoid of personality
or thematic and instrumental cohesion.
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| Rating: | *
Read the entire review
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| 4/21/09
- | Bicentennial Man: (James Horner)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you seek a test of your James Horner knowledge, for you can consider yourself a true fan of
the composer if you can identify no less than ten (yes, ten!) previous Horner scores that are
merged to form the music for Bicentennial Man.
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Avoid it... |
if the above prospect is as dreaded as those old standardized tests for school.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 4/20/09
- | Batman Beyond: (Shirley Walker/Various)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
only if you are a loyal fan of the show itself, which in and of itself indicates that you have
the kind of character to actually enjoy such vicious, hard rock trash.
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Avoid it... |
if you have ever remotely entertained the thought of using an assault weapon against a group
of fellow human beings.
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| Rating: | FRISBEE
Read the entire review
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| 4/19/09
- | At First Sight: (Mark Isham)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you're among the vast majority that will seek the album for its easy-going collection of
Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald songs.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect any truly compelling drama to come from the 20+ minutes of Mark Isham's mundane
score on the album's first half.
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| Rating: | **
Read the entire review
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| 4/18/09
- | Angela's Ashes: (John Williams)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you are moved by all of John Williams' scores of immense weight for historical dramas,
despite the potentially cold atmosphere necessitated by Angela's Ashes' grim, unglorified
story.
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Avoid it... |
if you seek vibrant instrumental solos or distinctive vocals in your dramatic Williams scores
of the 1990's, or if you're potentially bothered by the fact that the composer's theme is
highly derivative of others in his career.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 4/16/09
- | The 13th Warrior: (Graeme Revell/Jerry Goldsmith)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you like getting slapped across the face for an hour by some of the most ambitious and
uncomplicated action material ever produced in Jerry Goldsmith's career.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect any true sense of ethnic diversity or thematic nuance, in which case you'd be
better served by the bootlegs of Graeme Revell's rejected score for the film.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 4/15/09
- | Michael Kamen's Opus: (Compilation)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you seek a competent survey of mostly Michael Kamen's more obscure works, including
re-orchestrated performances of some old favorites as well.
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Avoid it... |
if you're bothered by the lack of many of the composer's best scores in the selections, in
addition to the surprisingly new identities of cues orchestrated so differently that they lose
their original personality.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 4/13/09
- | The Living Daylights: (John Barry)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you're looking for one John Barry score from the James Bond franchise to start a collection
with, for The Living Daylights is the ultimate maturation of the composer's work for the
concept.
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Avoid it... |
if the addition of synthesizers and drum loops to the jazzy orchestral tradition of the
franchise could be just as obnoxious to you here as it was in A View to a Kill.
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| Rating: | *****
Read the entire review
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| 4/12/09
- | Ffolkes: (Michael J. Lewis)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you want a campy and fun (but occasionally impressive) alternative to the James Bond
scores.
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Avoid it... |
if a heroically pompous and borderline trite variant on the elite British military concept
isn't serious enough in its intent to contend with the franchise that inspired it.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 4/9/09
- | Close Encounters of the Third Kind: (John
Williams)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
on the 1998 Arista album with reservations, because despite being the best presentation of the
score, it features far more of the atonal ambience that John Williams wrote for the first half
of the film.
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Avoid it... |
on any of the releases of the original score before 1998, for their sound quality is
significantly inferior (and they might contain a horrendous disco version of the title theme).
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 4/8/09
- | Wide Awake: (Edmund Choi)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you're game for what sounds like a late-1990's John Debney interpretation of John Williams'
famous children's score for Home Alone.
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Avoid it... |
if the grace and charm of a full orchestral ensemble and boy's choir are not an attraction
unless they hit you repeatedly over the head with obvious thematic statements.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 4/7/09
- | What Dreams May Come: (Michael Kamen)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if one of Michael Kamen's most robust orchestral scores can lure you away from the popular
rejected score by Ennio Morricone for the film.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect the straight forward romanticism that defined some of Kamen's more impressive
love themes and accompanying songs.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 4/6/09
- | The Thin Red Line: (Hans Zimmer)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you appreciated the restrained and brooding atmosphere of the music as you heard it in the
film, for The Thin Red Line is not a score to effectively approach without context.
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Avoid it... |
if you are in search for more than just one short Melanesian song featured in the film, many
of which were compiled onto a separate soundtrack album.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 4/5/09
- | Small Soldiers: (Jerry Goldsmith)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you have an affinity for the parody style of Jerry Goldsmith's The 'Burbs and don't mind
hearing several of the composer's famous scores pulled together for a robust, militaristic
barrage of comedy.
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Avoid it... |
on the commercial album from Varese Sarabande if you're in search of a piece of music you
heard in the film itself, for it offers only one third of the music recorded for the
production.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 4/4/09
- | Shakespeare in Love: (Stephen Warbeck)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
if you seek a charming souvenir from the film, with consistently pleasant tones that
competently mirror the enthusiastic and lightweight drama on screen.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect to hear more than two performances of the score's famous, bubbly title theme,
which, along with the other themes, is poorly developed and ultimately unsatisfying in its
brevity.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 4/2/09
- | Saving Private Ryan: (John Williams)
- Expanded Review |
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Buy it... |
only if you are a true John Williams collector, for Saving Private Ryan is among the maestro's
least enjoyable stand-alone listening experiences.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect the dramatic weight of the music for Schindler's List or the dynamic, engaging
appeal of Williams' other famous scores for Steven Spielberg's films.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 4/1/09
- | Ronin: (Elia Cmiral)
- All New Filmtracks Review, Replacing a Donated Review |
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Buy it... |
if you are attracted to both the edgy orchestrations of Elliot Goldenthal's thrillers and the
slashing techno-inspired rhythms of Eric Serra's action.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect the substantial chase music to adequately merge with the solemn title theme for
duduk and strings, because Elia Cmiral's score never adequately blends the lines of its two
distinct halves.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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