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| 1/31/13
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Cobb (Elliot Goldenthal)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if your brain cannot get enough of Elliot Goldenthal's brilliant capability to create discord
of immense torment within individual cues, for Cobb is a sentimental warm-up act for Titus.
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Avoid it... |
if your heart simply cannot tolerate the schizophrenia that results when Goldenthal
intentionally flaunts disparate musical devices in a sonic battle that inevitably leads to a
maddening album experience.
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Buy it... |
if you have already been impressed by Joel McNeely's solid orchestral output for children's
adventure films during this era and desire a smoother, more character-centric variation of the
same sound.
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Avoid it... |
if one of the main attractions of these early McNeely scores is their loving emulation of John
Williams and Bruce Broughton's styles, an element far less prominent in this entry.
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| 1/11/13
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Filmtracks to hibernate, move to Wyoming this month |
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Those who have regularly visited Filmtracks over the past year know that the site has suffered from
financial difficulties that have brought it dangerously close to insolvency. These issues have been
compounded by the sudden and frustrating loss of my day job early in 2012 and a number of other real
life complications, most of which medical in nature. I unsuccessfully attempted to sell Filmtracks to
two separate parties interested in taking the site in new directions.
Today, however, I accepted an outstanding offer of employment to serve as the web systems coordinator of
Western Wyoming Community College, an attractive and growing state institution in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
On one hand, this development is a salvation for Filmtracks because it will allow me to utilize my
regular income as a safety net for the site during months of minor fiscal losses. Conversely, the
physical move of my family to Wyoming (through the nasty blizzards of this region, no less) will require
the temporary banishing of Filmtracks' office to a storage unit and the substantial reduction of new
content at the site.
The last challenging move for Filmtracks came in 1998, and this one promises to be even more difficult.
I do not anticipate resuming my usual activity level here, whether in the reviews or in other
maintenance tasks, until April at the earliest. Even then, it is possible that my productivity at
Filmtracks will remain low for several months thereafter, especially given the amount of work that lies
ahead of me at my new job. The Filmtracks Awards for 2012 will be postponed indefinitely. I do pledge to
provide regular, informal updates regarding the status of the site at the Scoreboard and respond as
promptly as possible to those who ask for updates privately.
As anyone might expect, there is significant sadness in leaving Missoula, Montana, where the site was
born in 1996, but turning the page in life can sometimes yield tremendous benefits in the long term.
Once again, I thank all of those who have supported Filmtracks through an incredibly tough 2012, and I
especially appreciate those who donated to keep it afloat and, in some cases, vehemently expressed
opposition to the sale of the site. With luck and continued perseverance, Filmtracks will someday reach
the potential it has to reclaim its position in the soundtrack community and the online entertainment
industry.
Thanks again for reading and sharing your passion for film music!
-- Christian Clemmensen, Filmtracks owner and editor
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| 1/7/13
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Iron Will (Joel McNeely)
- All New Review |
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Buy it... |
if wholesome children's adventure music for dynamic orchestral tonality is a predictable
winner for you, Joel McNeely offering several strong themes and a compelling narrative in this
score.
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Avoid it... |
if temp track emulation severely bothers you in every instance, for John Williams and Bruce
Broughton are extremely (and sometimes obnoxiously) clear inspirations for nearly every facet
of this work.
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Buy it... |
if you desire a safe initial taste of Zbigniew Preisner's film scoring career, a restrained,
respectful, and beautiful expression of intimate classical romanticism with a slightly folksy
personality.
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Avoid it... |
if you expect to hear the Linda Ronstadt song adaptation of Preisner's themes heard over the
movie's end credits, the score-only album crushingly lacking this necessary and redeeming part
of the soundtrack.
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