This is part of a series. The prior installments can be found below:

Part 1: https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=141012
Part 2: https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=141088
Part 3: https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=142208
Part 4: https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=142588

------

Dogma (1999)



So this may come as a surprise to some (or not) but… I’ve never watched any of Kevin Smith’s films. The vast majority of what he has made doesn’t particularly interest me and the few I might have been curious about the clips I’ve seen didn’t win me over. So yeah, 90’s indie darling Mr. Smith is staunchly “whatever…” for this cinema fan. Wait… where was this going? Oh yeah, Dogma.



An über irreverent (“blasphemous” in some circles) comedy/fantasy about two disgraced angels trying to find a loophole in Catholic dogma (hey!! The title of the movie!!) to get back into heaven while both heaven and hell attempt to stop or encourage this, respectively. Starring a veritable who’s who of late 90’s talent including Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Rock, Selma Hayek, Alan Rickman, Janeane Garofalo, Linda Fiorentine and Alanis Morissette along with Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes (as their characters Jay and Silent Bob), Dogma was released at the end of 1999 to moderate critical appraisals, lots of controversy and making a nice little profit for the Weinstein’s. Oh yeah, this was a Weinstein production which caused the film to be OOP for years due to Harvey and Bob being… well, Harvey and Bob.



Alright, enough about the movie. What’s the score like? Well, what if I told you this was the next and final step towards Shore reaching full Lord of the Rings mode? And that it also has some not-so-subtle references to some old school composers? Sounds awesome right??



It is.



The majority of Dogma is Shore in Gothic grandeur mode (adult mixed choir, church organ) with a central theme that mixes Herrmann’s Psycho theme (the main titles, not the “killing theme”) by way of Richard Band’s Re-Animator with a precursor to the Shelob material in Return of the King. It might seem kinda odd to have your score based on this particular theme, but it works surprisingly well. The rest of the somewhat short score album is filled with all manner of goodies including more early sketches for ideas that would become part of Rings including the circular three-note Evil of the Ring motif (I think that’s the right name… been ages since I’ve read the CR linear notes or Doug Adams tome), the opening phrase of the Fellowship theme and even a brief motif that would much later seemingly inform Shore’s title music for Rings of Power in the closing cue “A Very Relieved Deity”. There's also some fun references to the religious epics of Miklos Rozsa and even Elmer Bernstein’s beloved Ondes Martenot gets a starring role (which I’m sure will delight Rob Taylor). 



There’s also two songs included on the album, “Still” by Alanis Morissette and “Mooby the Golden Calf”, the latter a joke song performed by British children’s choir and as catchy as it is irritating. Be forewarned.



Overall Dogma is a delight whether one is a fan of Shore’s work as a whole or just looking for more Rings-esque material. It’s highly amusing that the score to a raunchy stoner comedy about the apocalypse would feature the final bridging score between Looking for Richard and The Lord of the Rings. With the album now readily available for streaming… do yourself a favor and go listen to this gem. 



SCORE:

4 1/2 out of 5

------

The Yards (2000)



An American crime-drama from filmmaker James Gray (We Own the Night, The Lost City of Z, Ad Astra) about political corruption, in-fighting and corporate crime within the commuter rail yards of New York City. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, Faye Dunaway, Ellen Burstyn and James Caan, the film was given a limited release back in 2000 and has since seemingly been forgotten by most outside of the factoid that this is the first time Wahlberg and Phoenix played onscreen brothers (which they would do again for Gray’s … Night).



As for Shore’s music, this is a surprisingly low-key and introspective work given the subject matter of interpersonal conflict and familiar melodrama. Three central themes are at play here: a central “Old World” inspired piece that could easily fit into a Godfather styled flick (“Queensborough Hall”), a tentative romantic idea with an undercurrent of tragedy reminiscent of the Aragorn & Arwen music (“Erica in Silhouette”) and finally a near direct lift from Gustov Holst’s “Saturn, Bringer of Old Age” from The Planets (“Blackout”). The reminder of the work is either variations on these ideas or more typical Shore dark drama/thriller material, which actually makes for a very accessible listening experience. While Shore’s adherence to his themes can be a tad repetitive as the album goes on, their clear enunciation’s help to make this issue less overt compared to some prior efforts.



While I personally really loved this score, a completely new discovery for me, I can see this getting a lower grade if you happen to take more umbrage with Gray’s insistence on using the Classical temp-track or if the repetitiveness is too much. That said, I highly recommend giving this lesser discussed work by Shore a chance as it's Neo-Classical beauty and fairly consistent tone & style should be a winner for more than a few here. As Clem rightfully pointed out in his review, The Yards feels like a slightly lesser precursor to Eastern Promises.



SCORE:

4/5

-----

The Score (2001)



An American heist-thriller from director Frank Oz (Little Shop of Horrors (1986), The Dark Crystal, voice of Yoda) about a master safe-cracker (Robert De Niro) who is dragged into one final job by a younger thief (Edward Norton). Yet another movie that seems to have been mostly forgotten in the grand scheme of things, The Score did O.K at the box office in the summer of ’01 with critics liking it well enough. That said, the main takeaway now seems to be that it features the final film role for Marlon Brando in a supporting role.



The score for… The Score… is unfortunately a major step down from the prior two titles covered in this installment though it does allow Shore to stretch his contemporary jazz side along with his now standard thriller mode. In a way, this is not too far removed from what Christopher Young was doing around the same time for films like Entrapment just with that heavy morose edge that a Shore thriller has. If only the score wasn’t so damn repetitive. 



There’s often the line that “you only need the end credits” or two or three select tracks from a score to have everything you need, and honestly The Score is one of those instances. Even with this being one of those ultra short Varese Sarabande releases from the 90’s-early 2000’s the listening experience is far too monotonous to really enjoy. “Main Titles”, "Flashback" and “Bye Bye” are all you need from this… and maybe “Suspended”. Despite this glaring issue as a standalone experience, Shore does well with the music itself overlying brass, bongos, standup bass, electric guitar and lite percussion to his typical orchestral ensemble for a jazzy, sexy and dangerous sound. Given the repetitive nature and short runtime, this might be Riley’s favorite Shore offering, but to everyone else approach with caution… or just check out those three or so tracks I specifically mentioned.



SCORE:

2/5

> Dogma (1999)



> Oh yeah, this was a Weinstein production which caused the film to be OOP for years due to
> Harvey and Bob being...well, Harvey and Bob.

Nicely put.

> 

Alright, enough about the movie. What’s the score like?
> Well, what if I told you this was the next and final step towards Shore
> reaching full Lord of the Rings mode?

Fascinating point to consider, and you definitely have a point when making the calculation: Looking for Richard + Dogma + The Yards = the ground is set for LotR to commence. And yes, there are many "Shore calling cards" in these previous works that will see their full bloom (English is once again not-quite on point today, my apologies) in the coming three to four years.

However...

> including the circular three-note Evil of the Ring motif (I think that’s the right name…
> been ages since I’ve read the CR linear notes or Doug Adams' tome),

Three-note Evil of the Ring...well, you made me cue up Dogma for later today, because I can't place such an instance out of memory. The "Weakness and Redemption" motif is definitely there (here and in The Cell!)...

> the opening phrase of the Fellowship theme and even a
> brief motif that would much later seemingly inform Shore’s title music for
> Rings of Power in the closing cue “A Very Relieved Deity”.

Will listen out for these as well! Cool.

> There's also some fun references to the religious epics of Miklos Rozsa
> and even Elmer Bernstein’s beloved Ondes Martenot gets a starring role
> (which I’m sure will delight Rob Taylor). 



AND ABSOLUTELY NO ONE ELSE! Sorry, Robert, but it's even in the name: Ondes Martenot!

> Be forewarned.

Use it on your enemies!

> listen to this gem. 



And in comparison to Shore's more usual endeavours like The Yards ("morose" is the perfect description here), it's a nice change into something more light-hearted.

> SCORE:
4 1/2 out of 5

Four from me.

> The Yards (2000)



> (...) as it's Neo-Classical beauty and fairly consistent tone & style should be a winner
> for more than a few here. As Clem rightfully pointed out in his review, The Yards
> feels like a slightly lesser precursor to Eastern Promises.



The melancholy that permeates the entire score is very alluring, I must admit. Or morosity, if that's even a word. The final track places a wonderful, and at the very end wonderfully dramatic, tie on the entire (short) package.

> SCORE: 4/5

Yup.

> The Score (2001)

> SCORE:
2/5

Nope. Also four. It's more rhythmically active than almost anything Shore had done up to this point, but I agree you need to be in a certain mind-set (or simply be a jazz fan) to fully appreciate it. And as with many of Shore's scores, it's very specifically tied to its movie, which is one of Shore's strengths and which was reportedly one of the reasons Peter Jackson chose him for LotR.

Good stuff, my friend! Looking forward to the future entries!

Ta & tata,
CK

> AND ABSOLUTELY NO ONE ELSE! Sorry, Robert, but it's even in
> the name: Ondes Martenot!

When you assume, you make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’. Really, I don’t think the instrument has ever sounded lovelier than in this score, “The Last Scion”, especially. Overall, one of Shore’s hidden gems.

The scene is damn good, too. It continues to blow my mind that Alan Rickman was never nominated for an Academy Award, and if Smith had tamped down some of his more puerile indulgences (that shit demon…), I truly believe that the film could’ve been in conversation for some prizes.

> AND ABSOLUTELY NO ONE ELSE! Sorry, Robert, but it's even in
> the name: Ondes Martenot!

When you assume, you make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’. Really, I don’t think the instrument has ever sounded lovelier than in this score, “The Last Scion”, especially. Overall, one of Shore’s hidden gems.

The scene is damn good, too. It continues to blow my mind that Alan Rickman was never nominated for an Academy Award, and if Smith had tamped down some of his more puerile indulgences (that shit demon…), I truly believe that the film could’ve been in conversation for some prizes.

> Nicely put.

Thanks.

> Fascinating point to consider, and you definitely have a point when making
> the calculation: Looking for Richard + Dogma + The Yards = the ground is
> set for LotR to commence. And yes, there are many 'Shore calling cards' in
> these previous works that will see their full bloom (English is once again
> not-quite on point today, my apologies) in the coming three to four years.

No, "coming to full bloom" works fine. I think the term you might have been looking for was "fruition", but the same point was made.

> Three-note Evil of the Ring...well, you made me cue up Dogma for later
> today, because I can't place such an instance out of memory. The 'Weakness
> and Redemption' motif is definitely there (here and in The Cell!)...

> Will listen out for these as well! Cool.

Great! Hope you enjoy your (re?)listen to Dogma!

> AND ABSOLUTELY NO ONE ELSE! Sorry, Robert, but it's even in
> the name: Ondes Martenot!

To concur with Lonestarr, it's actually used in quite a lovely fashion here by Shore.

> Use it on your enemies!

An unwanted guests!!

> And in comparison to Shore's more usual endeavours like The Yards
> ('morose' is the perfect description here), it's a nice change into
> something more light-hearted.

Darkly light-hearted, but true.

> Four from me.

I can live with that.

> The melancholy that permeates the entire score is very alluring, I must
> admit. Or morosity, if that's even a word. The final track places a
> wonderful, and at the very end wonderfully dramatic, tie on the entire
> (short) package.

> Yup.

*nods approvingly*

> Nope. Also four. It's more rhythmically active than almost anything Shore
> had done up to this point, but I agree you need to be in a certain
> mind-set (or simply be a jazz fan) to fully appreciate it. And as with
> many of Shore's scores, it's very specifically tied to its movie, which is
> one of Shore's strengths and which was reportedly one of the reasons Peter
> Jackson chose him for LotR.

The fact that I'm not particularly a Jazz fan probably didn't help matters.

> Good stuff, my friend! Looking forward to the future entries!

Thanks! Hopefully the future installments will be out in a more timely manner.

> This is part of a series. The prior installments can be found below:

> Part 1:
> https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=141012
> Part 2:
> https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=141088
> Part 3:
> https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=142208
> Part 4:
> https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=142588

> ------

> Dogma (1999)



> So this may come as a surprise to some (or not) but… I’ve never watched
> any of Kevin Smith’s films. The vast majority of what he has made doesn’t
> particularly interest me and the few I might have been curious about the
> clips I’ve seen didn’t win me over. So yeah, 90’s indie darling Mr. Smith
> is staunchly “whatever…” for this cinema fan. Wait… where was this going?
> Oh yeah, Dogma.



> An über irreverent (“blasphemous” in some circles) comedy/fantasy about
> two disgraced angels trying to find a loophole in Catholic dogma (hey!!
> The title of the movie!!) to get back into heaven while both heaven and
> hell attempt to stop or encourage this, respectively. Starring a veritable
> who’s who of late 90’s talent including Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris
> Rock, Selma Hayek, Alan Rickman, Janeane Garofalo, Linda Fiorentine and
> Alanis Morissette along with Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes (as their
> characters Jay and Silent Bob), Dogma was released at the end of
> 1999 to moderate critical appraisals, lots of controversy and making a
> nice little profit for the Weinstein’s. Oh yeah, this was a Weinstein
> production which caused the film to be OOP for years due to Harvey and Bob
> being… well, Harvey and Bob.

> 

Alright, enough about the movie. What’s the score like?
> Well, what if I told you this was the next and final step towards Shore
> reaching full Lord of the Rings mode? And that it also has some
> not-so-subtle references to some old school composers? Sounds awesome
> right??

> 

It is.



> The majority of Dogma is Shore in Gothic grandeur mode (adult mixed
> choir, church organ) with a central theme that mixes Herrmann’s
> Psycho theme (the main titles, not the “killing theme”) by way of
> Richard Band’s Re-Animator with a precursor to the Shelob material
> in Return of the King. It might seem kinda odd to have your score
> based on this particular theme, but it works surprisingly well. The
> rest of the somewhat short score album is filled with all manner of
> goodies including more early sketches for ideas that would become part of
> Rings including the circular three-note Evil of the Ring motif (I
> think that’s the right name… been ages since I’ve read the CR linear notes
> or Doug Adams tome), the opening phrase of the Fellowship theme and even a
> brief motif that would much later seemingly inform Shore’s title music for
> Rings of Power in the closing cue “A Very Relieved Deity”.
> There's also some fun references to the religious epics of Miklos Rozsa
> and even Elmer Bernstein’s beloved Ondes Martenot gets a starring role
> (which I’m sure will delight Rob Taylor). 



> There’s also two songs included on the album, “Still” by Alanis
> Morissette and “Mooby the Golden Calf”, the latter a joke song
> performed by British children’s choir and as catchy as it is irritating.
> Be forewarned.

> 

Overall Dogma is a delight whether one is a fan of
> Shore’s work as a whole or just looking for more Rings-esque
> material. It’s highly amusing that the score to a raunchy stoner comedy
> about the apocalypse would feature the final bridging score between
> Looking for Richard and The Lord of the Rings. With the
> album now readily available for streaming… do yourself a favor and go
> listen to this gem. 



> SCORE:

> 4 1/2 out of 5

It's one of his stronger/smarter films, but yeah, not essential viewing (can't believe the blu-ray I found at a pawn shop for 3 bucks is now worth a shitload of money haha).

> ------

> The Yards (2000)



> An American crime-drama from filmmaker James Gray (We Own the
> Night, The Lost City of Z, Ad Astra) about political
> corruption, in-fighting and corporate crime within the commuter rail yards
> of New York City. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize
> Theron, Faye Dunaway, Ellen Burstyn and James Caan, the film was given a
> limited release back in 2000 and has since seemingly been forgotten by
> most outside of the factoid that this is the first time Wahlberg and
> Phoenix played onscreen brothers (which they would do again for Gray’s
> … Night).

> 

As for Shore’s music, this is a surprisingly low-key and
> introspective work given the subject matter of interpersonal conflict and
> familiar melodrama. Three central themes are at play here: a central “Old
> World” inspired piece that could easily fit into a Godfather styled
> flick (“Queensborough Hall”), a tentative romantic idea with an
> undercurrent of tragedy reminiscent of the Aragorn & Arwen music
> (“Erica in Silhouette”) and finally a near direct lift from Gustov
> Holst’s “Saturn, Bringer of Old Age” from The Planets
> (“Blackout”). The reminder of the work is either variations on
> these ideas or more typical Shore dark drama/thriller material, which
> actually makes for a very accessible listening experience. While Shore’s
> adherence to his themes can be a tad repetitive as the album goes on,
> their clear enunciation’s help to make this issue less overt compared to
> some prior efforts.



> While I personally really loved this score, a completely new discovery for
> me, I can see this getting a lower grade if you happen to take more
> umbrage with Gray’s insistence on using the Classical temp-track or if the
> repetitiveness is too much. That said, I highly recommend giving this
> lesser discussed work by Shore a chance as it's Neo-Classical beauty and
> fairly consistent tone & style should be a winner for more than a few
> here. As Clem rightfully pointed out in his review, The Yards feels
> like a slightly lesser precursor to Eastern Promises.



> SCORE:
> 
4/5

Haven't heard or seen.

> -----

> The Score (2001)

> 

An American heist-thriller from director Frank Oz (Little
> Shop of Horrors (1986), The Dark Crystal, voice of Yoda) about
> a master safe-cracker (Robert De Niro) who is dragged into one final job
> by a younger thief (Edward Norton). Yet another movie that seems to have
> been mostly forgotten in the grand scheme of things, The Score did
> O.K at the box office in the summer of ’01 with critics liking it well
> enough. That said, the main takeaway now seems to be that it features the
> final film role for Marlon Brando in a supporting role.



> The score for… The Score… is unfortunately a major step down from
> the prior two titles covered in this installment though it does allow
> Shore to stretch his contemporary jazz side along with his now standard
> thriller mode. In a way, this is not too far removed from what Christopher
> Young was doing around the same time for films like Entrapment just
> with that heavy morose edge that a Shore thriller has. If only the score
> wasn’t so damn repetitive. 



> There’s often the line that “you only need the end credits” or two or
> three select tracks from a score to have everything you need, and honestly
> The Score is one of those instances. Even with this being one of
> those ultra short Varese Sarabande releases from the 90’s-early 2000’s the
> listening experience is far too monotonous to really enjoy. “Main
> Titles”, 'Flashback' and “Bye Bye” are all you need from
> this… and maybe “Suspended”. Despite this glaring issue as a
> standalone experience, Shore does well with the music itself overlying
> brass, bongos, standup bass, electric guitar and lite percussion to his
> typical orchestral ensemble for a jazzy, sexy and dangerous sound. Given
> the repetitive nature and short runtime, this might be Riley’s favorite
> Shore offering, but to everyone else approach with caution… or just check
> out those three or so tracks I specifically mentioned.



> SCORE:

> 2/5

Ha! Well...you were close. I don't love the score, haven't heard it in probably 20 years...but it was damn near the first Shore I ever bought, I remember the score being 50% off at A&B Sound so I picked it up and listened to it quite a few times while studying and doing homework. I remember it being very fine for that purpose :P

Great write up!

> It's one of his stronger/smarter films, but yeah, not essential viewing
> (can't believe the blu-ray I found at a pawn shop for 3 bucks is now worth
> a shitload of money haha).

One of my in-person friends was telling me how expensive Dogma was on physical media because of the Weinstein's and I told him there was a collector's DVD set at the local HPB for around $20. He went and bought it that night.

> Haven't heard or seen.

Pretty, morose music with themes repeated multiple times. You'd probably dig it. Can't say anything about the film as I too have not seen it. But it has a young(ish) Charlize Theron in it, sooo....

> Ha! Well...you were close. I don't love the score, haven't heard it in
> probably 20 years...but it was damn near the first Shore I ever bought, I
> remember the score being 50% off at A&B Sound so I picked it up and
> listened to it quite a few times while studying and doing homework. I
> remember it being very fine for that purpose :P

Haha! Well, I was close enough that it was a Shore score you liked at least... and have a nostalgia story to tell. Should have included that for bonus points.

> Great write up!

Thanks! Just noticed you posted another of your 2000's Action Scores series. Going to go reposed to that now.