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| 8/31/12
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X2: X-Men United (John Ottman)
- Updated Review, With Additional Album |
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Buy it... |
if you prefer your comic book superhero scores to be dynamically orchestral with strong choral
and thematic integrity, John Ottman taking the X-Men franchise to much more extroverted
heights than his predecessor.
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Avoid it... |
if you scoff at predictable orchestral representations of science-fiction and fantasy
concepts, Ottman's approach rather old-school and lacking an abundance of vibrant flair.
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| 8/27/12
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The Phantom (David Newman)
- Updated Review, With Additional Album |
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Buy it... |
if you consider yourself an avid collector of every variation on the superhero genre of music,
because David Newman provides an adequately beefy and occasionally exciting entry despite many
underwhelming passages.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect the long and rather oddly developed thematic structures of The Phantom to remain
in your memory, for the ideas, along with a passive orchestral performance, fail to
distinguish the score in a crowded field of competition.
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| 8/21/12
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The Shadow (Jerry Goldsmith)
- Updated Review, With Additional Album |
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Buy it... |
if you can't resist the idea of a heroically affable guilty pleasure that you will hate to
love and your neighbors will love to hate.
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Avoid it... |
on any of the albums prior to the 2012 Intrada 2-CD set, a fantastic presentation of an often
overlooked score that features Jerry Goldsmith's later adventure and fantasy techniques at
their organic and synthetic best.
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| 8/18/12
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Wolfen (Craig Safan/James Horner)
- Updated Review, With Additional Album |
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Buy it... |
if you are curious about the origins of James Horner's most familiar structures and
techniques, many of which evident in Wolfen and culminating in an interesting (if not
marginally entertaining) listening experience.
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Avoid it... |
on the rejected, experimental Craig Safan score's album and the bootlegs that contain both
Horner's Wolfen and Deadly Blessing, the latter overshadowing some decent pastoral writing
with harrowing and painfully obvious references to Jerry Goldsmith's The Omen.
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| 8/15/12
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Stagecoach (Jerry Goldsmith)
- Updated Review, With Additional Album |
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Buy it... |
if you are as enthused about Jerry Goldsmith's more pastoral and folksy Western style of the
1960's as you are his robust action themes for the same genre.
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Avoid it... |
if a Goldsmith Western largely absent his trademark brass themes and dominated by
conversational underscore for jaw harp, harmonica, and banjo doesn't warrant a tough choice
between the score's several albums.
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| 8/12/12
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The Chorus (Bruno Coulais/Christophe Barratier)
- Updated Review, With Additional Album |
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Buy it... |
if you are partial towards the heartwarming, sentimental performances of boys' choirs,
especially when they are layered over resounding orchestral depth.
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Avoid it... |
if a constant stream of simplistic and repetitive choral songs and their instrumental
equivalents deters you from your willingness to experiment with a uniquely European endeavor.
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Buy it... |
if you enjoy the bravado of any ambitious, large-scale variation on Gustav Holst's "The
Planets" and John Williams' similar adaptations of the era.
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Avoid it... |
if you hold the music from the original television show true to your heart, for Bill Conti
ignores its established themes and offers a hopelessly optimistic score that fails to
adequately address the emotional range of the concept.
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| 8/6/12
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Three Newly Expanded Reviews Debut |
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Recently revised versions of the following reviews are now available:
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• City Hall (Jerry Goldsmith)
• Love Field (Jerry Goldsmith)
• Raggedy Man (Jerry Goldsmith)
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Buy it... |
only if you have a lingering attachment to this film or wish to complete your collection of
vintage George Fenton dramas, this one lacking the passion of the composer's similar works.
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Avoid it... |
if you figure that Fenton would have conjured a blend of romance and dread for this disturbing
topic, an approach that he basically attempted but somehow managed to miss entirely in the
execution phase.
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