It is rare that a movie has to compare itself with one of the classics of the sixties, but 2005’s remake of Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” tries to do just that. There are a few things that this re-make has going for it out of the gates; first off, the music and lyrics are still all those produced and written by Mel Brooks. If anything, the set of songs from…
Very few directors actually have the talent or desire to score their own movies. However, Tom Tykwer is one of those directors that does just that, and the soundtrack for “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” seems to have a closer connection to the events in the movie than would a non-director-created score would have. Like many different soundtracks, there are a number of shorter segments designed to be present…
Alexandre Desplat is responsible for the soundtrack to “The Painted Veil”. To get an idea of what the compositions are framed by, The Painted Veil’s action takes place in the 1920s. The story behind The Painted Veil is that a doctor and a younger woman marry, move to China, break up and then have to get back together through turmoil. To help Desplat during this score, Lang Lang lies down…
Harry Gregson-Williams may be best known at this point for the scores to Veronica Guerin and Phone Booth, while director Joel Schumacher has had a few hits of eir own (The Lost Boys, St. Elmo’s Fire, and Batman Forever). What results when these two get together to work with a movie in which Jim Carrey portrays a wildly-different character than anyone is used to? Essentially, there is a blend of…
I had heard a lot of hubbub about the original John Williams theme being used for the introduction of “Superman Returns”. I had also heard that Ottman was going to retool the general sound of the theme, but to be honestly, I’m not hearing much in the way of difference from the original theme. Regardless of the form it found itself as on the disc, this theme is a good…
Dario Marianelli has a hard job; how exactly does ey create music that fits with the period nature of the movie but do it in such a way that individuals in 2005 will be able to properly appreciate it? Well, with compositions like “Stars and Butterflies”, a strong arrangement really carries the day. It is not only the piano that keeps individuals interested, but rather the atmosphere created by Jean-Yves…
When I first saw that they were going to recreate the television show “Miami Vice”, masking it into the next Hollywood blockbuster, I forecasted that Atlantic would cull together a listing of eighties music a la Grand Theft Auto: Vce City. This is not the case with this soundtrack, with Nonpoint, Moby, Mogwai, India.arie, Goldfrapp, and more all being present on this CD. Nonpoint cover Phil Collin’s compelling original “In…
From the bouncy opening of The Jam’s “Town Called Malice”, the soundtrack for The Matador holds much to capture listeners. The song, which has more to do with the Blues Brothers than The Clash, fits in nicely with the fusion, eclectic Spanish romp that is Los Fabulosos Cadillacs’ “El Matador”. Everything seems so polished and perfect when it comes to these first few tracks, which seems to be a deliberate…
The slow, sorrowful opening of this soundtrack shows the emotional power of the unrivaled master of the movie soundtrack, John Williams. All that is needed for this track is the bare minimum of instrumentation to back a female’s voice to send shivers down a listener’s spine. The tracks grows in intensity and power to become even more dark than the previous section, with a back and forth like sound that…
Lady in the Water is the next M. Night Shyamalan film, and it is another Shyamalan film that is scored by James Newton Howard. There is a dreamy feel to the compositions on “Lady in the Water” that do have similarities to the other Howard-scored firm soundtracks. The use of dramatic tension during tracks like “Charades” ratchets up the intensity levels during this soundtrack. There may not be anything in…
The opening compositions for “King Kong” are very tranquil; they do not start gaining any intensity or anger until the strings enter during “Defeat is Always Momentary”. What the early tracks for this soundtrack really do is show the misunderstood ape (characterized at the beginning by very friendly arrangements) and the much more devious humans (the strings). There are not the dizzying highs and deep lows present in much of…
It has been quite a few years since Sheryl Crow has had a hit, but “Try Not To Remember” is a track that will easily put eir back into the pop ranks. The track is not as dramatic of a return to pop superstardom as what the Goo Goo Dolls released earlier this year, but compared to the rest of the tracks Sheryl Crow has created, this is near the…
Two Gallants was one of my favorite bands of the last decade. Stick them up alongside Lucero and Latterman, and you’d have a hell of a concert. For whatever reason, Tyson (Vogel) from the band has attempted to have lightening hit twice. This is because ey has just released “Devotionals”, a full-length from a side project of the same name. The disc begins with “Toil and Joy”, a track that…
OST: Home of the Brave OST: Home of the Brave / 2006 Lakeshore / 19 Tracks / http://www.mgm.com/homeofthebrave / http://www.mgm.com / Reviewed 28 December 2006 It has been quite a few years since Sheryl Crow has had a hit, but “Try Not To Remember” is a track that will easily put eir back into the pop ranks. The track is not as dramatic of a return to pop superstardom as…
For the life of me, I cannot think of too many bands from the New Orleans area. I can think of even less in the way of bands that really project so much of the New Orleans sound as Haarp. From “The Filth”’s first track, “The Rise, The Fall” all the way out to the later reaches of the album (in missives like “Minutia” and “The Fall, The Rise”), there…
OST: Da Vinci Code / 2006 Decca / 14 Tracks / http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thedavincicode / http://www.decca.com / Reviewed 10 July 2006 The twinkling of pianos during the opening strains of “Da Vinci Code” paint a picture of mystique and intrigue. The sorrowful tempo taken by “Dies Mercurii I Martius”shows the scenery as being in the church, while the increasing strings during the track show the increased action present in the second half…
OST: The Color Purple (2005 Original Broadway Cast) / 2006 Angel / 29 Tracks / http://www.colorpurple.com / http://www.angelrecords.com / Reviewed 28 February 2006 The bouncy beat of each track on “The Color Purple” is something that will creep up on listeners and keep them up and going for hours after listening to this disc; 79 minutes of music will ensure that one’s day is continually joyful. A heavy dollop of…
Charlotte’s Web is a book that I believe is assigned in pretty much every American elementary school. Whether it is assigned in other countries’ classrooms is not something that I know, but what I do know is that there is a movie out now that brings this book to life. Tied to this movie is a soundtrack that is created by Danny Elfman, often considered one of the most magestic…
There are a number of individuals that make their bread and butter playing music that do not really excite me. While this list may include some of rock’s greatest axe men (and women), suffice it to say that Eric Johnson is not one of those individuals. Most casual fans will know Johnson for 1990’s “Cliffs of Dover”, but the simple truth is that ey has had a tremendous career. Up…
I don’t know how I feel when it comes down to soundtracks. Specifically, I am not sure whether I prefer more albums that have a mix of previously recorded and fresh songs by established band, or those cases in which a master musician is given the reins for the entirety of the CD. For those that are not familiar with this soundtrack, “Catch and Release” has 17 cuts by a…