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| 11/30/10
- | Patton: (Jerry Goldsmith)
- Updated/Expanded Review, With Additional Album |
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Buy it... |
on the 2010 Intrada 2-CD set to experience a comprehensive treatment of Jerry Goldsmith's
original two recordings of this memorable but varied martial score.
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Avoid it... |
on any of the presentations of Patton's original 1970 recordings if you demand resounding
sound quality, in which case the outstanding, vibrant re-recording conducted by Goldsmith in
1997 is a satisfyingly faithful alternative.
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| Rating: | *****
Read the entire review
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| 11/27/10
- | Alien Resurrection: (John Frizzell)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
on the original 1997 commercial album if you desire only a sampling of John Frizzell's most
impressive action and major thematic sequences for the film, adequate and workmanlike music
not as memorable as previous scores in the franchise.
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Avoid it... |
on the 2010 limited 2-CD set if you expect 95 minutes of music recorded by Frizzell for this
film to sustain itself, because although that product adds some noteworthy references to Jerry
Goldsmith's original ideas, the score on the whole may not be distinct enough to merit that
length of presentation.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 11/24/10
- | 127 Hours: (A.R. Rahman)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if you desire a challenging score that competently emulates the aggressive brutality, somber
desperation, and euphoric redemption on screen with A.R. Rahman's usual touch of
unconventional instrumentation.
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Avoid it... |
if it means cutting off your arm in order to acquire it, because only a small minority of the
score and the original song co-written by Rahman are really accessible in an otherwise jumbled
presentation of incongruous songs and deeply troubled score.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 11/21/10
- | Fair Game: (John Powell)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if you like music that reminds you of the fact that government should make you feel
uncomfortable, a sound competently conveyed by John Powell in this cold, prickly score.
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Avoid it... |
if you value continuity of construct beyond just the instrumental palette, in which case this
very light variation on the rhythmic movement and percussive slapping of The Bourne Identity
will bore you.
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| Rating: | **
Read the entire review
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| 11/18/10
- | Conan the Barbarian: (Basil Poledouris)
- Updated Review, With Additional Album |
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Buy it... |
if you seek one of the most powerful, robust fantasy adventure scores in the history of film
music, especially on the incredibly faithful and resounding 2010 re-recording that will exceed
your highest expectations.
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Avoid it... |
on all the pressings of its original recording if slightly archival sound quality,
questionable performances, and a difficult album situation outweigh your already marginal
interest in the fantasy adventure genre.
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| Rating: | *****
Read the entire review
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| 11/12/10
- | Lost (TV Series): (Michael Giacchino)
- All New Massive Review |
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Buy it... |
on any and (more likely) all of the albums representing Michael Giacchino's immensely complex
and impressive music for the concept if, as a fan of the show, you are able to understand and
appreciate the development of his detailed associations contained within.
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Avoid it... |
on all the albums except those representing Season Four and Season Six if you are only
casually interested in beginning an exploration of the best music from "Lost."
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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| 11/9/10
- | Charlie Wilson's War: (James Newton Howard)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if you specifically enjoyed what you heard in the film, and especially if you seek James
Newton Howard's exotic material for Afghanistan and his memorable adaptation of Handel's "The
Messiah" into a battle cue.
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Avoid it... |
if you have difficulty with eclectic scores that have no clearly cohesive direction, because
the Handel piece so dominates the rest of this score's disjointed parts that it's not a
particularly fluid listening experience.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 11/6/10
- | 1408: (Gabriel Yared)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
only if you're prepared to be blown away by how strikingly different the suspense portions of
1408 sound compared to everything you've heard before from Gabriel Yared.
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Avoid it... |
if you think you can sit through the heavily manipulated, synthetically ambient half of the
score and be in the mood for ten to fifteen minutes of Yared's more typically lush, orchestral
tragedy mode.
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| Rating: | ***
Read the entire review
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| 11/3/10
- | Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem: (Brian Tyler)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if you appreciate Brian Tyler's brutally immense and frenetic action style that pounds and
slashes with orchestral force in a film that didn't deserve such well-thought constructs.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect to hear truly satisfying and clearly delineated references to the most memorable
aspects of the scores from the two original franchises.
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| Rating: | ****
Read the entire review
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