Soundtracks

[HorseradishTree]

Did you notice that in trailers everyone uses each other's musical scores. I think it's getting annoying because they keep using the same ones. ESPECIALLY the score from Dragonheart. Damn, that's been overplayed.

[Ilker81x]

James Horner's scores are overused in trailers too...especially the music for the nuclear blast at the end of "Aliens." That's been used waaay too much. Not so much these days, but for about five years in the '90's, I was hearing it ALL over the place.

Either use your own scores or come up with new music for the trailers I say.

[HorseradishTree]

Oooooh, and the theme from Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, that's used a lot too. I watched the teaser trailer for Sleepy Hollow on the DVD, and saw that they used Danny Elfman's Darkman on a chunk of it. I ought to stop watching trailers. They really don't do any good for me. My brother has already the sense to not do this. If he sees a trailer for a movie he wants to see, he'll cover his eyes and ears for the duration. I sadly cannot bring myself to do this.

[cinemabon]

The composers who are most guilty of repeating themselves, are the ones who score pictures every year. John Williams is one of the most guilty. While many of his scores are brilliant with original themes. There are some that lift directly from other films he's done, like "The Witches of Eastwick" or "The Accidental Tourist" or "1941". His work in the late 70's and early 80's is his best. Then he started borrowing from himself and went downhill. Elfman has done that, too.

My big beef on trailers is that everyone uses the classical music piece, "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff... it's so over done its been used in everything from selling aftershave to cars to every "cult" or "terror" movie this side of "The Exhorcist". They've got to stop or my brain will explode if I hear it again!

"I've got to concentrate... trate... trate... trate...." from "Airplane"

[Ilker81x]

I never understood why they couldn't just use music FROM the movie being advertised. "Pi" did that. "Heat" did that. I'm sure people will say it's because a familiar piece of music helps people get in a certain mindset to see a movie, but I think if you're going to advertise the movie...ADVERTISE the movie. Don't just use scenes and dialogue from the film, use the music too. Granted Clint Mansell's score for "Pi" was appropriately enticing and paranoid, immediately interesting because it was both cool and scary, and while not all scores are like that, I think it will help sell the validity of the movie since every movie makes some attempt to be original...even movies that are copycats...there's always something. Try to sell the movie on its own merits, and that means use it's music too.

[cinemabon]

touche... well spoken! Or is that spoken well? Anyway, that sums it up for many of us!!!

How vain of me to waste valuable space like this...

[HorseradishTree]

I think I've finally reached a conclusion as to why I don't like John Williams' music that much.

I believe that with his scores, he makes it seem as though the movie itself is almost entirely revolving around the music. It should be vice-versa. Film music is meant to guide the story along, not make itself stand out on its own. This is an issue that should be brought up with musicals. For you can't just have these songs totally dominating everything. I think that's why I disliked Joseph.

[Ilker81x]

Interesting theory. I guess you're right that it is hard to think of "Star Wars" without thinking the themes, and they do tend to dominate in certain areas. One could defend that and say it's a result of the classical idea behind themes for different characters and events, but...it's a little too much with John Williams.

As for musicals...I guess I can understand that too. I do like "West Side Story" mainly for the combination of good dialogue WITH good songs, as opposed to it being entirely musical.

Good thinking HorseradishTree.

[HorseradishTree]

I personally have grown tired of the Star Wars themes, especially because the same stuff is used in every media it invades.

Star Wars Galaxies, a massively multiplayer online computer game, was recently released. It annoyed me so much to hear that bloody soundtrack all over again. While I am very tired of the score, it bugged me even more to hear the themes misused. Whenever you start a gunfight or brawl with someone, the theme from the asteroid field begins to play. Oi vey...

[Ilker81x]

Lucas said that? Why Scorcese didn't just beat him to a bloody pulp right then and there I'll never understand.

[Stomper]

Just decided to check out these boards at the suggestion of my friend Johann...

Lucas said that? All those special effect laser beams must have done something to his brain. Talk about delusions of grandeur...

Chariots of the Gods. How's that for a soundtrack? It's a rather obscure 1960s film on the subject of aliens being the first race on earth. A bit pretentious maybe but you gotta wonder. Plus it's the most unique music-lots of ethnic stuff.

Amadeus. One example where the soundtrack is as good as the movie.

Pulp Fiction. And Reservoir Dogs! Tarantino sure can pick the tunes.

Gladiator. Sorry, i'm a sucker for these big epic historical films. Hold the line!

Can't think of anything else right now, I got to listen to the Pokemon soundtracks courtesy of my nephews this summer, for this i think i deserve at least a few hours out of purgatory.

Peace!