Volume 8
Number 2 (March - April 2006)
Editor and Publisher: Roger L. Hall
Contributing Writer: Steven A. Kennedy
This e-zine will focus on film scores and compilations of the past, but will also feature new soundtracks, especially those by lesser known film composers.
The old FMR site with Volumes 1-7 will remain online (click on link in top left column) for those who want to read over reviews of past soundtracks and compilations, also...
- From the Editor
- Top Ten Film Scores (1930s - 1970s)
- Book Reviews and Magazine Articles
- Film Composer Tributes
- Film Music Essays
- Film Music News
Here is the revised FMR rating system:
**** (Superlative - Highest Recommendation)
***1/2 (Outstanding - Recommended)
*** (Good - Okay)
**1/2 (Fair - Nothing Special)
** (Mediocre - Barely Passable)
* (Poor - Save Your Money)
The Special Merit and Editor's Choice - Best of the Month CDs are chosen at any time during the month for outstanding soundtracks or compilations.
There are only a few copies remaining of the Limited Edition book:
A Guide to Film Music. To order, click on the link in the right column.
Your comments are always welcome. Send them to:
FMR
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Film Music Review
Use this Search for Books, CDs, DVDs and other products...
Past reviews are found here:
Volume 8/ Number 1 (January - February)
CD Reviews for March - April
Editor's Choice - Best of the Month for April:
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THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! THE ULTIMATE ANTHOLOGY OF M-G-M MUSICALS (6 CDs + 108 page booklet) - ****
This CD has received Special Merit:
CHARLIE CHAPLIN: The Essential Film Music Collection - ****
Other reviews:
BASIC INSTINCT 2 - music by John Murphy - ***
CAPOTE - music by Mychael Danna - **
ECHOES OF INNOCENCE - music by Brad Sayles - ***
ENDURING LOVE - music by Jeremy Sams - ****
ESCAPE TO VICTORY - music by Bill Conti - ***
GREAT FILM FANTASIES (2006) - music from Star Wars, Harry Potter,
and Lord of the Rings - ***1/2
HOSTEL - music by Nathan Barr - ***
KING KONG VS. GODZILLA - music by Akira Ifukube- **
MUSIC FROM THE HARRY POTTER FILMS - music by John Williams and Patrick Doyle - ****
RANSOM - music by Jerry Goldsmith - ***1/2
THE TRIANGLE - music by Joseph Lo Duca - ***1/ 2
TRISTAN AND ISOLDE - music by Anne Dudley - ***
Editorial:
78th Academy Awards --
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
By Roger Hall
In past years, I've enjoyed watching the Oscar telecast because it was live and anything could happen to cause some chuckles. Now the whole thing is so tightly scripted and with such time limits that it's become a big bore. Of course it's easy to dismiss this annual parade of red carpet princes and princesses in their designer clothes and say that the awards are merely an overblown popularity contest. That it is.
As for this year's buzzfest, the only surprise was CRASH getting the Best Picture Oscar. Everything else was predicted far ahead of time by the media hounds who sniffed along the trail of these Oscar nominees like bloodhounds after their prey.
It's all become so tiresome that the films with the most buzz (like BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and KING KONG), get the most Oscars. Of those two films, one was a sensitively told love story and the other one was about a girl and her ape pal, that was way too long and mostly poorly acted (except for Naomi Watts). So BROKEBACK had a good story and acting and deserved its Oscars for Adapted Screenplay and especially for Director Ang Lee. KING KONG got three technical Oscars: for Visual Effects, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. I believe they weren't all justified. How about MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA which had far more subtle visual effects? Or WAR OF THE WORLDS with its eerie sound effects? But who can predict these lesser known Oscar categories? It seems these days splashy spectacle rules over story substance.
Rather than go on with the other categories I'll skip to the music categories...
Best Song
This was the worst choice of songs ever! Only three of them were nominated and none of them were very memorable. But the song which got the Oscar was the worst of them all. I didn't see the film, HUSTLE & FLOW. I have a hard time believing the Academy voters really thought the rhythm and rhyme junk with the provocative title, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," was the best song of the year. This was the worst song ever to receive an Oscar. It's just gutter trash.
On to the next music category...
Best Score
This isn't a great choice since the score is very sparse and doesn't make much of an impression. But it worked well enough in the film. I preferred the songs in this film and chose "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" for a Sammy Award. I didn't pick the Santaollalla score. Instead, I believe that MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA was the best score of 2005..
So there it is...the good (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN), the bad (KING KONG), and the ugly ("It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from HUSTLE & FLOW).
Will the Best Song or Best Score be remembered in years to come? Probably not. They seldom are these days.
The voters could have chosen a very good film like GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. Instead they were more in the mood for an L.A. CRASH. They could have chosen the brilliant John Williams score for MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA. Instead, they went off on a trip to BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.
Go figure. That's Hollywood!
18th Annual Sammy Awards
These film music awards have been announced.
To read the list, go here:
Sammy Awards
The International Film Music Critics Assocation
Film Music Awards for 2005
BEST ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE
Memoirs of a Geisha ( John Williams)
BEST ORIGINAL ACTION/ADVENTURE MOTION PICTURE SCORE
King Kong ( James Newton Howard)
BEST ORIGINAL COMEDY MOTION PICTURE SCORE
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit ( Julian Nott)
BEST ORIGINAL DRAMA MOTION PICTURE SCORE
Memoirs of a Geisha ( John Williams)
BEST ORIGINAL HORROR/THRILLER MOTION PICTURE SCORE
A History of Violence ( Howard Shore)
BEST ORIGINAL SCI-FI/FANTASY MOTION PICTURE SCORE
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ( Patrick Doyle)
BEST ORIGINAL TELEVISION SCORE
Lost ( Michael Giacchino)
BEST NEW CD RELEASE OF A PREVIOUSLY EXISTING MOTION PICTURE SCORE
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – The Complete Recordings (Howard Shore/Reprise)
SOUNDTRACK RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
Film Score Monthly
FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
John Williams
More Mozart at the Movies
Elvira Madigan (1967) - Andante movement from Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21in C Major, K. 467. Also used in the film are excerpts from music by Antonio Vivaldi (the sensuous "Red Priest"): "L'Amoroso" - First Movement from Violin Concerto in E Major; "L'Estro Armonico" - First Movement from Violin Concerto in D; "Summer" Concerto from The Four Seasons.
