Now Playing L

played earlier: Merlin (1998) - Trevor Jones

NP: The Mists of Avalon (2001) - Lee Holdridge

Two awesome TV scores that wonderfully depict the Age of Magic.

Volker

Played earlier: Crocodile Dundee (1986) - Beter Best

Long time no listen. Among the first scores I bought on CD. A playful pop score that perfectly supports the film and is still nice to listen to. It occurred to me that there is certain "body study" of Linda Kozlowsky that wouldn't find its way into the film in today's enlightened times. And that would be a pity.

NP: Young Sherlock Holmes (1984) - Bruce Broughton

Just excellent!

Volker

NP: The Silence of the Lambs - Howard Shore

I've been eagerly waiting for this one to drop through the letterbox since it was announced that there was to be an expanded release of this excellent early-ish Shore score.

And, although a lot of what is extra (there's about 10-15 minutes extra (excluding a few alternates)) extends the feel of the original score, the main reason for getting this is that the tracks on the original that were cut-and-pasted for 'improved' listening have been restored to their original form from the movie (I know the music on this quite well and it always annoyed me that some of the key passages were mixed up and moved around). "Lecter Escapes" now sounds the way it should be - and included a middle passage that adds to the tension.

I don't notice too much of a difference in the sound quality of this new release compared with the original but it's certainly an album to recommend.

NP: RED SPARROW - James Newton Howard

Well, this certainly is unexpected.

Is it a 'hot potato' on the scale of BLACK PANTHER? There's certainly enthusiasm to hear a new JNH but I haven't heard as much inflated enthusiasm as I read for BLACK PANTHER.

The three lengthy 'suite' cues are the only ones worth keeping. Such a shame the rest of the score doesn't keep that tone -- they're superb.

The album begins so auspiciously, but once that overture ends, it's familiar JNH-thriller territory (until the end).

Can't complain too much though, that's almost 30 minutes of great film music.

That's pretty cool. 3 cues, totalling 30 minutes, and you have a smokin' album. What an idea!

Mange tout, mange tout.

RED SPARROW - James Newton Howard

So I did indeed pick out exactly those tracks that made Red Sparrow sound like a symphonic spy-thriller score from yesteryear - even when I picked a track or two in the bus on my way to work I happened to select those that were in that vein. So when I sat down to listen to the whole thing I was introduced to that other side of the score - the one that was I fearing to get from the get go, the modern thriller mode of JNH with electronics and tracks leading nowhere.

However, there's enough material to distill from it that old fashioned spy-score, the 'symphonic' tracks that stem from the characters background in ballet and give the score that classical quality, mixed with some shorter more quiet orchestral tracks that emphasise the old-fashioned, almost Bernard Herrmannian nature, give a bit more color, or are needed for the flow and transitions in mood.

This playlist focusses on the orchestral parts and mostly eschew the electronic elements:

1. Overture (11:34)
2. Arriving at Sparrow School (2:50)
3. There's a car waiting to take you to Moscow (1:49)
4. Follow the trail wherever it leads (2:29)
5. Blonde suits you (4:59)
6. Ticket to Vienna (1:45)
7. Can I trust you? (3:06)
8. So what next? (3:45)
9. Didn't I do well? (8:48)
10. End titles (9:30)

Total time: 51 minutes

NP: VERTICAL LIMIT - James Newton Howard

Death Wish - Ludwig Göransson

Pretty dreadful stuff this, nothing I find worthwhile, not even the best parts of it. I give it 1 star out of 5. I wasn't a big fan of Black Panther at all, but compared to this dreck - it is a masterpiece which tells you how weak this score is.

Red Sparrow - James Newton Howard

One of the best scores of the year so far, I like the Main Titles and End Titles in particular, the rest is OK. I give it a solid 3 stars out of 5.

Urgh. One of the best sound design-type score ever written, perhaps (within the film), but I'd rather brush my teeth with a razor than listen to it on album.

NP: Looking For Richard - Howard Shore

Another excellent score. I believe that this is a good example of a score written to a large extent (if not completely) without picture, with Shore basing the cues on the album on the characters of Richard III - hence the album track titles.

The first cue and the two last ones are exceptional. Everything else is a massive disappointment (in the sense that Howard is so much better than this). However, the three exceptional cues amount to about 30 minutes, so would make a great album.