For Kunzel's "Mega Movies" album of 2000, the recordings would drop the synthetic choir and contract a local high school chorus for the one cue that absolutely required a choral presence. The pop-like percussion is limited to just three or four scores usually falling under either the animation genre or the Hans Zimmer style of synthetic anthems. And the sound effects, sometimes the selling point of these compilations, are rather anonymous and less interesting on "Mega Movies." One of the ensemble's other main concerns is having fun, which cannot quickly be dismissed. The dynamic percussion section and the sound effects it helps insert directly into the performances have created several undeniably lovable recordings in the past, and one such highlight exists in the form of Randy Newman's A Bug's Life on this compilation. Easily the highlight of the album, The Cincinnati Pops lets rip in "The Time of Your Life" with outstanding enthusiasm and, in the absence of Newman's voice, utilizes various, wild percussive effects to lend character to the performance. Four other fantastic performances exist on "Mega Movies," and it would be impossible to blindly predict which ones they would be. A Bug's Life is joined at the top of the list by Jerry Goldsmith's "Badge of Honor" from L.A. Confidential, a piece that takes advantage of both the robust percussion section and the hearty jazz inherent in the ensemble's solo trumpet presentation. The "Windsong" cue from James Horner's Mighty Joe Young utilizes the voices of the aforementioned local school, and the resulting performance is stunningly entertaining. With accurate solo voices in the counterpoint role, this performance proves, at the very least, that a group of high schoolers can provide talent equal to a big budget film score. The suite from Horner's Titanic is always a tricky proposition given how insufferable the score has become in the years since its splashy debut. Kunzel barely makes an attempt to emulate Horner's electronics for this cue; instead, the low whistle and Uillean pipes provide more sincere character that you hear in many other performances.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of "Mega Movies" is the remarkably energetic and infectiously robust rendition of Stephen Warbeck's theme from Shakespeare in Love. The performance here is not only superior to the concurrent offering from Frederic Talgorn and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra on a previous Varèse Sarabande compilation, but it could give the original recording a definite run for its money as well. Much of the success of these highlights is owed to Kunzel's strong, often unique arrangements of each piece, though the end performance is usually the key. There are, as always, a few selections that The Cincinnati Pops simply can't provide with authenticity, including the ensemble's inability to imitate the masculine power of Media Ventures scores. The performance of Crimson Tide on "The Big Picture" was badly lacking the necessary depth in bass, and a similar problem persists here. Themes from The Rock, Prince of Egypt, Armageddon, and, for that matter, Mark Snow's The X-Files feature none of the resounding power that makes their originals popular. In other cases, orchestration and choral problems hinder the recordings. Goldsmith's The Mummy, without chorus here in "The Sand Volcano," and John Williams' Star Wars: The Phantom Menace are better interpreted by the RSNO and Talgorn. Horner's The Mask of Zorro, while arranged well, desperately lacks the flair of the original percussion and flute; it's extremely difficult for any ensemble to capture the spirit of Horner's two Zorro scores. The other selections not mentioned here are satisfying, though not memorable. On the whole, "Mega Movies" is very much a typical Kunzel album. They all make good additions to a film score collector's shelves because their enthusiasm and sound quality (rivaling any of the recordings of The City of Prague Philharmonic by Silva Screen) mirrors an impressive, live concert performance. The sound effects (by the same editor as those previously heard on Kunzel's albums) are not as intriguing this time around, though the Godzilla one is certainly adequate enough to cause your neighbors some consternation.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download