Logo

Cool News

ScoreKeeper's Fantastic Fest 2007 Round Up!!

Published at:  Oct 04, 2007 11:01:51 AM CDT


Greetings! ScoreKeeper here still in recovery after a jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, eye-boggling, ear-opening, eight day orgy of films known affectionately as Fantastic Fest.

I attended FF last year and it turned out that I found my number one and number two favorite scores of 2006 in PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006) and THE FOUNTAIN (2006) respectively. It was one of the very best film festivals I had ever attended so when the third iteration of FF came prowling around I knew I that my return was inevitable.

This year I saw twenty-one films compared to the sixteen I viewed last year. I know, I’m a bit of a minor-leaguer compared to the thirty plus films many others attended. However, It’s not quantity, but quality that fulfills ones expectations of a great festival and FF certainly delivered.

Last year I wrote about my thoughts concerning the fresh crop of scores I unearthed at the festival. Although I wasn’t going to automatically write up a retrospective this year, the films and scores I experienced forced my hand to express the salacious joy wrought during this week long genre festival specializing in sci-fi, horror and fantasy films.

A host of fantastic folk have chimed in already with great film reviews. I’m a smidgen late, however I thought I’d keep my score report alive and comment upon the great music that jolted me at Fantastic Fest 2007.


One of the first really cool scores I discovered was SPIRAL (2007) directed by Adam Green who also directed HATCHET (2006) which was a darling at last year’s festival. I loved his score for HATCHET which was composed by Andy Garfield so I was rather excited to see what the score had in store for SPIRAL.

With Joel David Moore co-directing the picture with Adam they enlisted Todd Caldwell and Michael Herring to craft an eclectic jazz-based score born from the lead character, Mason’s, affinity for classic jazz music. Long before the audience is introduced to this dimension of Mason’s persona, the score weaves the idea into the narrative from the outset of the film.

You don’t her many jazz scores in the first place much less used in dark, macabre settings. The use of free jazz during key frenetic moments in the film are extremely effective and the subtle play of source scoring compliments the reality of particular situations with a facet of the fantastical.

I do have one complaint concerning the music. During the final unraveling of the film at the story’s apex the filmmakers chose not to allow their well-seasoned jazz score to wrap up the events unfolding on screen. Instead they forced a pop song into the narrative thus usurping the musical continuity Caldwell and Herring had successfully spent the previous ninety minutes trying to achieve. It reminded me of an episode of GREY’S ANATOMY whose trademark is featuring a woefully inappropriate song at the conclusion of every episode. Caldwell and Herring’s wonderful jazz horror score meticulously earned its audience only to be upstaged by a song with no prior association to the film at the crucial moment when it was needed most.


One of the things that I love so much about Fantastic Fest is that I am introduced to so many talented composers whom I previously had never been privy to. Such is the case with Kiyoshi Yoshida and Olivier Bernet who both composed exquisitely gorgeous scores for THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME (2006) and PERSEPOLIS (2007) respectively. Both films couldn’t have been more different yet their similarities create common ground for enjoyable cinema: compelling stories, delicious art work, and evocative chamber scores expressing breadth in their brevity.


For pure fun and unadulterated excitement no score during the entire festival could compare to Garth Jenning’s SON OF RAMBOW (2007) composed by Joby Talbot, well-known for his tongue-in-cheek score to THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (2005). The film, about a sheltered boy whose imagination explodes after seeing FIRST BLOOD (1982) for the first time, is a poetic love letter to the 1980’s and Talbot throws in all the tricks in the book to effectively capture it.

I’m a huge fan of 80’s scores mostly because of their audacity and unapologetic boorishness. Talbot encapsulates much of what 80’s scoring is about with his music for SON OF RAMBOW. There are shades of Danny Elfman in the opening titles, Bill Conti during the triumphant climaxes, John Williams in the character introductions, Jerry Goldsmith in the spotting, and it had the tone and overall vibe of Dave Grusin’s score for THE GOONIES (1985). I don’t think that Talbot quite matched the sheer collective talent of all those aforementioned composers but his intentions were fruitful and ultimately rewarding. I couldn't help but smile throughout this entire film.


Over on the darker side of cinema I visited THE GIRL NEXT DOOR (2007) which was an openly poignant opus reflecting the horrors of child abuse set in the 1950’s. It was an unexpected amalgam of STAND BY ME (1986) and HOSTEL (2005) which was loosely based on actual events. Composer Ryan Shore was tasked to enter the dungeon and express the brooding atmospheres necessary to propel the narrative through the firm acquiescence of the audience. It’s a very emotional film and hard watch yet Shore’s music helped ease us through the delicacies of the story with subtle efficiency. There are long haunting melodies and he’s careful not to comment upon the horrific images on screen directly but rather give them a soundboard for which to resonate.


Any genre festival worth its weight would be remiss to omit a straight-up combustible action flick.
For me, the pinnacle of action at Fantastic Fest was Wilson Yip’s FLASH POINT (2007) starring Hong Kong martial arts sensation Donnie Yen. This was one of those “kick-your-ass-now-and-take-names-later” kind of films which danced around a techno-infused score by Kwong Wing Chan of INFERNAL AFFAIRS I, II, and III (2002-2003) fame.

Kwong Wing Chan managed to craft one of the most dynamic, exciting, and effective techno-laced scores I’ve heard in an action film. Kwong creatively blends various forms of music around an electronica foundation incorporating Chinese folk idioms using the erhu, hard rock elements, grand orchestral elements, and constantly evolving loop based techno music. He’s careful not to let the music get too static even during the unrelenting action sequences. The music is always contouring the action from its highest peaks to its most fragile subtleties. The spotting is particularly ingenious as well. His musical entrances and exits scream of badassedness and his methodical use of well placed silence helps balance the aural and visual elements of the movie.


Probably the most controversial and conversed about score of the entire week was Jonny Greenwood’s audacious music for Paul Thomas Anderson’s THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007) starring the 2007 Academy Award winner for Best Actor, Daniel Day Lewis. For me this was a mixed bag. There were moments of brilliance interwoven amongst cardinal sins. It was almost so venturesome that it became cool but ultimately its functional failures are far too discernable to elevate it to such status.

The first third of the film highlights the majority of what is successful about this score. It’s composed primarily of a small chamber string orchestra accentuated periodically with subtle piano. This is a sound that I adore in film music and for the most part it works exquisitely with the picture giving the images and the unfolding story multiple dimensions from which to absorb the narrative. It’s these smaller, less austere moments that I think really show some classy scoring.

From there the music begins to unravel for me. The square-peg-in-a-round-hole dimension the music reflected in the first act progressively becomes a liability as it struggles to develop and sustain the narrative through the course of the picture. It evolves into an obstacle with which the audience is expected to hurdle. For some it is easy. For others its nearly impossible.

This is one of the worst sins film music can commit. The inherent nature of film makes it difficult for any director to command the audiences’ attention for the time in which it takes to completely tell the story they are trying artistically to tell. One of the more important roles of music in film is to smooth over any potential obstacles in achieving that goal. The worst thing it can do is turn into an obstacle itself.

I’m down on my share of new film music but the score for THERE WILL BE BLOOD won’t be one of them. There are still some very cool moments showcasing a musical daredevil in the early stages of his film scoring career. I hope that if Greenwood chooses to score more films he will approach it with the same sense of adventure as he did this film. It sounds like there could be something remarkable awaiting us in the near future.


Now, I’ve saved the best for last.

On the penultimate night of Fantastic Fest we were treated to what is currently my number two favorite film of the year complimented by what is, so far, my number two favorite score of 2007. EL ORFANATO or THE ORPHANAGE (2007) was, for me, the most enjoyable cinematic experience of the entire festival. Produced by Guillermo Del Toro, directed by first time feature film director Juan Antonio Bayona, and composed by second time feature film composer Fernando Velázquez, THE ORPHANAGE represents much of what I love about cinema.

The film and its lovely score remind me slightly of director and composer Alejandro Amenábar’s THE OTHERS (2001); a standout achievement in 2001. He turned the musical ideas of a horror based ghost story completely upside down by creating a eerily romantic score that spared us many of the modern horror clichés heard in film music.

Velázquez follows suit in THE ORPHANAGE by crafting a wholly gorgeous score void of modern clichés. Instead of evoking terror with cacophonic and aleatoric music paired with obscenely obnoxious bangs on every scare gag in the film, Velázquez uses music to reveal what is instinctively creepy about things already familiar to us. Although it’s bone chillingly scary, it’s in principle a romantic score which creates depth to the story and a presence within the characters. At times it even reminded me of a classic Universal monster movie score.

I don’t doubt that once this film is seen by the general audience that it will invoke similar praise. The film and its score are both among the best I’ve seen this year and I’ll be looking forward to it crossing over from its native Spain to theaters here in the US.

Other highlight films and scores I discovered last week were AACHI AND SSIPAK (2006), LOS CRONOCRIMENES or TIMECRIMES (2007), George Romero’s DIARY OF THE DEAD (2007), the Ennio Morricone love fest in KILTRO (2006), and the short films PUPPET (2007), TYGER (2006), and THE TALE OF HOW (2006).

Fantastic Fest 2008 is still fifty weeks away but I’m already looking forward to drowning myself in the sea of fantastic cinema that it promises to deliver. Whether you’re a fan of film music, cinematography, screenwriting, acting, directing, special effects, or just cinema in general, Fantastic Fest is your festival. See you in September!



ScoreKeeper!!!





Other Articles By ScoreKeeper:






Interviews

Klaus Badelt (05.25.06)
Bear McCreary (06.07.06)
Lalo Schifrin (06.18.06)
John Ottman (06.27.06)
Joseph LoDuca (08.21.06)
Alex Wurman (08.23.06)
Jeff Beal (09.08.06)
Chris Lennertz (09.29.06)
John Debney (10.15.06)
Howard Shore (11.15.06)
Clint Mansell (11.27.06)
David Julyan (12.19.06)
John Powell (12.30.06)
Craig Armstrong (01.02.07)
Tyler Bates (02.22.07)
John Debney (2nd Interview/03.06.07)
Christopher Young (06.07.07)
Aaron Zigman (06.19.07)
Jeff Dana (07.04.07)




Reviews

THE DAVINCI CODE (2006) by Hans Zimmer (05.06.06)
THE PROMISE (2005) by Klaus Badelt (05.25.06)
NACHO LIBRE (2006) by Danny Elfman (06.10.06)
MONSTER HOUSE (2006) by Douglas Pipes (07.12.06)
PETITES PEUR PARTAGÉS by Mark Snow (08.29.06)
ScoreKeeper Reviews The Super Fantabulous ELMER BERNSTEIN'S FILM MUSIC COLLECTION!!
(10.15.06)
ScoreKeeper Reviews Danny Elfman's CHARLOTTE'S WEB Score!! (11.30.06)
ScoreKeeper Contemplates Christopher Young's SPIDER-MAN 3 Score!! (05.03.07)
ScoreKeeper Reviews FINDING KRAFTLAND!! (05.10.07)
ScoreKeeper Reviews Bear McCreary's REST STOP Score(05.08.07)




Miscellaneous

Who is Composing Which Scores This Summer (and Beyond)?? (05.09.06)
Elfman Removes his Credit from NACHO LIBRE? (06.12.06)
ScoreKeeper on John Williams’ New NBC Sunday Night Football Theme (09.01.06)
ScoreKeeper on Danny Elfman’s CHARLOTTE’S WEB Interview (09.05.06)
ScoreKeeper Considers the Film Music of Fantastic Fest (10.03.06)
ScoreKeeper’s Smolderin’ Potpourri of Cool Film Music News and Bits and Things!! (10.09.06)
ScoreKeeper Re: Marilyn Manson's Cover of NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Tunes!! (10.26.06)
Basil Poledouris Is Gone (11.08.06)
Shirley Walker Is Gone (11.30.06)
SCOREKEEPER’S BEST SCORES OF 2006 LIST-O-RAMA!! (01.17.07)
American Composer Mark Snow Nominated For French Ceasar!! (02.07.07)
The Debut Film Music Weekly!! (02.11.07)
ScoreKeeper Wax Off On The New KARATE KID 4-CD Set!! (03.12.07)
Herman Stein is Gone (03.28.07)
Upcoming Soundtracky Events!! (04.16.07)
AICN EXCLUSIVE: The Never Before Released Score For THE ENFORCER Is Coming Soon!! (04.24.07)
Who's Scoring HELLBOY 2?? (06.09.07)
John Williams' Future Projects (08.24.07)

















AddThis Social Bookmark Button
    + Expand All

    Readers Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 11:05:35 AM CDT

    1st

    by darthscotsman

    Yeah Baby!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 11:07:18 AM CDT

    first?

    by jugdish

    ..

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 11:07:34 AM CDT

    cool stuff

    by turd furgeson

    makes up for the EFNY news....

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 11:14:21 AM CDT

    Why call yourself ScoreKeeper

    by geronimo jackson

    When you are clearly musically illiterate. The guy can only describe a score by comparing it to another one.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 11:14:55 AM CDT

    astroboy teaser

    by ironic_name

    http://tinyurl.com/2lt9v5

    second time I've posted news on here.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 11:16:22 AM CDT

    Southland Tales soundtrack!

    by pviii

    c'mon that Moby has some creepy stuff (i.e. that song used in the X-files).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 11:26:31 AM CDT

    Scorekeeper

    by gengrievous82

    @Geronimo Jackson

    Actually he does use a lot of musical terminology and in the realm of film scores, the best way to relay the tone of a particular film's score IS to compare it another film that most people have seen.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 11:46:56 AM CDT

    on the contrary

    by geronimo jackson

    He rarely, if ever uses music terminology. He talks about 'vibes', makes comparisons or uses the vaguest descriptions. Obviously you are musically illiterate too, because you haven't picked up on this. When most people talk about cinematic style and drop a name, they at least qualify it with a description of what they mean. They don't just say: 'the film was Bergman in this scene, then switched to a Kar Wai Wong in the next...'

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 11:55:28 AM CDT

    Geronimo Jackson

    by gengrievous82

    Okaaay, whatever. Try reading his past articles sometime. Oops. You know what, I made an assumption about you. That wasn't nice. I take it back. You know, kind of like how you do with the whole musically illiterate thing. But whatever, that's your thing and you're entitled to it. Actually, I am a music minor, no music pun intended (see, I know a few musical terms here and there) and I've been playing French horn since the age of 7. Scorekeeper, not to brown nose too much here, does write very concise articles on film scores and that's just my opinion. I also read sites like filmtracks.com, which are very very heavy on the music terminology, which are good for people like you and me (I just made another assumption about you knowing a thing or two about music so don't disappoint me. Just kidding). Then there are articles like Scorekeeper's for readers that just like to sit back and listen to a good film score without worrying if the composer was leaning too much on one or more given motifs *cough*James Horner*cough*.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 12:33:25 PM CDT

    Speaking of Dave Grusin`s "GOONIES" score.....

    by elgyn6655321

    .....why the HELL has it never been released??? I mean it`s a classic 80`s film score!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 12:34:29 PM CDT

    Thanks Scorekeeper

    by palimpsest

    Another enjoyable article! A pity you didn't find the Joby Talbot work that good, as he'd seldom disappointed in the past (especially his non-film work). Thanks again for the effort you're putting in. It is appreciated.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 12:44:48 PM CDT

    Good Article!

    by konkrete590

    I liked the score for the beginning of There Will be Blood. It kept me tense for the first half hour to 45 minutes. Have to agree with PVIII, the Southland score was great!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 12:59:35 PM CDT

    Music literacy...

    by scorekeeper

    What does musical literacy have to do with enjoying film music? I guess I wasn’t aware that to really love film scores you had to know when music was resolving the antecedent phrase of the primary theme with a plagal cadence before modulating on a secondary dominant to the subdominant of the tonic key. Or to be able to recognize two opposing counterpoint lines constructed of whole-tone hexatonic scales. Who would’ve ever thought that in order to deeply love film music it was paramount that you grasp the understanding of non-triadic units, polychord functionality, and the spelling of a German augmented sixth chord in the key of Eb (Ab, Eb, C, and F#) and what it resolves to (the mediant...G). Sorry all you music illiterates out there. There’ll be no enjoyment of film music for you!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 1:19:05 PM CDT

    You miss the point ScoreKeeper and Grevious

    by geronimo jackson

    Nice little show off there btw way ScoreKeeper. My post has nothing to do with some elitist view of music appreciation, I don't know how you came up with that angle on my critique. It was a comment on your journalism. If you aspire to have more than a completely shallow description of the music some terminology could help; some discussion of idioms, orchestral techniques, or at least some creative writing skills. Film reviewers have no trouble writing reviews of intelligence and substance for the 'lay-person' without getting bogged down in terminology. But perhaps I am making this comment on the wrong site.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 1:29:33 PM CDT

    Geronimo Jackson

    by gengrievous82

    So now you went from your critical stance on musical literacy to criticizing journalistic skill. Interesting. You're both assuming and fickle. Scorekeeper has a good a very good point and it's what I was trying to convey in my last sentence in my last comment. You don't need to worry about understanding anything technical about music to enjoy it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 1:45:48 PM CDT

    Grievous

    by geronimo jackson

    Obviously you don't have the analytical skills to interpret what I'm saying, so this will be might last post. Look up the word 'fickle' in the dictionary. His articles are musically illiterate. You don't have to understand anything about music in order to enjoy it, but to get something substantial out of an article about music, to actually learn something about it, you better look beyond his stuff.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 1:48:57 PM CDT

    ScoreKeeper rules!

    by musicballs

    Scorekeeper, can you arrange for John Williams to answer everyone's questions for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull like Sylvestor Stallone did for Rocky Balboa?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 2:13:11 PM CDT

    Geronimo Jackson

    by gengrievous82

    I did and your name came up. Surprisingly, it also linked to obscure. Not sure why. Sometimes to enjoy something, you don't have to demand the deepest most allegorical meaning of it. Instead of analyzing the living crap out of something, try sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying it. You just might like it. Oh, and Scorekeeper, keep the articles coming. They're the best and your interviews are awesome. Like Musicballs says, try and score a Q&A with John Williams. That would be awesome.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2007 3:19:00 PM CDT

    oh I am so in agreement about that rock pop song...

    by therealseveren

    at the end of SPIRAL. Its also in the cemetary scene and undermines the emotional core of the flick. I almost asked them about it at the QandA but I didnt want to criticize that choice in a public setting like that. That song cue ruined the end of the movie for me and seemed like an insert suggested by an executive rather than a choice made by the filmmakers. Why not play some Bitches Brew at the end?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 31, 2007 7:55:02 PM CDT

    Film Music Fan

    by casinoskunk

    i have been listening to film music since i was 5 years old. I dont know crap about music theory. i just know what i like!

    Why does scorekeeper get so much hate? talkbackers are worthless anymore.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 31, 2007 8:23:50 PM CDT

    What the fuck????

    by bobo_vision

    Whats with all these old articles?

    Reply to Talkback

User Login

Forgot password? Retrieve it here

or register as new user

Quick Talkback Form

Please login to post talkback