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January/February 2024
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2/26/24
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Windtalkers (James Horner)
Updated Review, With Additional Album
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| Buy it... |
if you're a James Horner collector seeking an adequate and sometimes powerful war score with a token ethnic element
referenced at occasional intervals.
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| Avoid it... |
if you expect the same artistic integrity and personal intensity heard in Horner's previous scores that better address
ethnic plot points.
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2/21/24
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After Everything (George Kallis)
All New Review
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| Buy it... |
if George Kallis' softer, lyrical inclinations have always attracted your interest, the maturation of his romantic material
for this franchise offering a redemptive culmination.
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| Avoid it... |
if your interest in the After films' music was based upon the more contemporary and dreamy atmospheres of the prior scores,
this entry adopting a more organic and classical tone.
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2/17/24
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Splash (Lee Holdridge)
Updated Review, With Additional Album
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| Buy it... |
if you are familiar with the frequently gorgeous romance themes produced by Lee Holdridge throughout the years and seek the
first and perhaps most famous entry in that collection.
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| Avoid it... |
if the fluffy atmosphere and pop elements in the score's conversational and action cues render Splash too dated to
compensate for the more universal love theme.
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2/12/24
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Godzilla Minus One (Naoki Sato)
All New Review
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| Buy it... |
if you can appreciate Naoki Sato's emphasis on dissonant torment, anguish, grief, and misery in his original material for
this more thoughtful take on the franchise.
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| Avoid it... |
if you prefer the propulsive personality of the classic Akira Ifukube scores for the concept, this soundtrack cutting
between short re-recordings of that material and Sato's grim new music in a strategic misfire of epic proportions.
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2/8/24
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Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (John Williams)
Updated Review, With Additional Album
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| Buy it... |
if you consider yourself any kind of Star Wars fan whatsoever, for John Williams concludes the saga with melodramatic weight
of immense depth for this critical bridge to the classic trilogy.
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| Avoid it... |
if you are accustomed to the traditional format of Star Wars scores that values memorable themes and concert arrangements, a
characteristic aspect of the franchise consciously dropped by Williams for this final film.
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2/4/24
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Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (John Williams)
Updated Review, With Additional Album
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| Buy it... |
if you, like most film score collectors in general, recognize that John Williams' music for the Star Wars franchise, even in
its less-satisfying incarnations, is still vastly superior to most other modern movie music.
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| Avoid it... |
if you require more than one dominant new theme and only a few passing references to the most famous, previously established
themes in the listening experience on the inadequate, single-CD products.
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1/31/24
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Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (John Williams)
Updated Review, With Additional Album
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| Buy it... |
on the 1999 and 2016 Sony or 2018 Disney albums if you seek a decent overview of arguably the best of the three Star Wars prequel
scores.
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| Avoid it... |
on Sony's expanded but badly edited 2000 "Ultimate Edition" if you demand to hear all of John Williams' music straight from the film
mix, because the label's claims of its complete status are erroneous.
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1/27/24
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Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (John Williams)
Updated Review, With Additional Album
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| Buy it... |
on the 1997 "Special Edition" albums over all others because they feature the best combination of outstanding packaging and a nearly
complete presentation of John Williams' slightly diminished but still very powerful sequel score.
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| Avoid it... |
on the 1985 to 1993 albums because of poorer, archival sound quality and incomplete presentations, as well as the 2004, 2007, 2016,
and 2018 reissues and remasterings that are identical to prior albums in contents but without the superior packaging.
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1/23/24
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Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (John Williams)
Updated Review, With Additional Album
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| Buy it... |
on the 1997 "Special Edition" albums over all others because they feature the best combination of outstanding packaging and a
complete presentation of John Williams' incredibly memorable sequel score.
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| Avoid it... |
on the 1985 to 1993 albums because of poorer, archival sound quality and incomplete presentations, as well as the 2004, 2007, 2016,
and 2018 reissues and remasterings that are identical to prior albums in contents but without the superior packaging.
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1/19/24
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Star Wars: A New Hope (John Williams)
Updated Review, With Additional Album
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| Buy it... |
on the 1997 "Special Edition" albums over all others because they feature the best combination of outstanding packaging and a
complete presentation of John Williams' classic, iconic, and revolutionary space opera music.
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| Avoid it... |
on the 1986 to 1993 albums because of poorer, archival sound quality and incomplete presentations, as well as the 2004, 2007, 2016,
and 2018 re-pressings that are identical to prior albums in contents but without the superior packaging.
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1/14/24
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Léon (The Professional) (Eric Serra)
All New Review
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| Buy it... |
if Eric Serra's fusion of electronics and orchestra is best for you when he broods in solemn exoticism and occasionally warm
melodies.
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| Avoid it... |
if you expect Serra to supply any remote sense of thrill or excitement in his consistently underplayed and sometimes boring approach
to the genre.
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1/9/24
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Solo: A Star Wars Story (John Powell/John Williams)
Updated Review, With Additional Album
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| Buy it... |
if you seek proof that "Star Wars" music can thrive brilliantly after the exit of John Williams from the stage, John Powell providing
an extremely satisfying career highlight that successfully blends the undeniable Williams' legacy with his own best mannerisms.
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| Avoid it... |
if you expect this score to cure your toenail fungus, because there's no rational reason for any film music collector to shun this
magnificent work.
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1/3/24
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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (Tom Tykwer/Johnny Klimek/Reinhold Heil)
All New Review
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| Buy it... |
if you admire an attempt to translate olfactory beauty into music, this score overwhelming you with the potency of its classical and
choral style to represent an alluring scent.
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| Avoid it... |
if scores with simplistic structures gussied up with glitz and glamour tend to annoy your sensibilities, especially if the
accompanying themes are wayward and elusive.
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