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Listen to some of Alan Silvestri's Captain America score here!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a YouTube embed that features some 13+ minutes of Alan Silvestri's score from the upcoming Captain America. As a score geek, I've been dying to hear what Captain America is going to sound like. He's a superhero that can get away with a huge, orchestral iconic score... His story has everything... action, drama, high adventure, war elements, comedy and suspense.
Now we have our first real listen to Silvestri's score and my first impression is favorable. There are hints of Silvestri's Back to the Future and Predator scores and even a bit of James Horner's Rocketeer can be felt, most likely due to Joe Johnston's input.
It may not be as iconic as I wanted it to be, at least on first impression, but it's a huge, sweeping orchestral score, which is exactly what I hoped for the score to this movie.
We'll see how it plays in the film. Check out the below to give it a listen!
While we're at it, I'm with Scorekeeper in his sadness at the disappearance of Cinemagic from SiriusXM Radio. Back in the day when they weren't combined I chose XM over Sirius exactly because they had a movie music channel. I have all the channels I could want for classic rock, pop, oldies, etc on my radio. What I don't have is a local station that plays movie music 24/7. I'm hearing from many people that Cinemagic could be saved if a big enough stink is raised. If you care at all, take a minute to email cinemagic@siriusxm.com and state your displeasure. Be nice, but firm. Your voice will be heard.
Movie geeks unite!
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
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Readers Talkback
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Glad to hear a real orchestral score again.
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Sounds epic and I can hear a throwback to 1980's Silvestri in it.
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Not glad to hear a real orchestral score again.
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that's about it
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The theme in the first minute of the video is pretty sweet. We haven't had a superhero with hummable theme music in a long time.
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F--K YEAH!
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It's no John Williams but it's no Danny fucking Elfman either.
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and quite good. 1 vote for Silvestri
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July 3, 2011, 3:04 p.m. CST
First Silvestri score that's stuck out to me since the 90's.
by little_lebowski
I *know* he's done a lot of work since then, but it just feels like he disappeared after Forrest Gump -- until now.
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July 3, 2011, 3:10 p.m. CST
The hero theme sounds a little bit like a concert band song..
by Robert79797979
... but I still love it.
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Reminds me of Dynasty and Falcon Crest.
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That music is awesome! I was afraid they were going to try something too moderny, but instead we get this music! Man, my hopes for this movie are going way, way up. But still, its not John Williams, which would've been my ultimate wet dream, a Captain America movie with a booming score by The Williams, but a booming score Mr. Silvestri will do.
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But the horn fanfare does recall BTTF as well. Nice mix. I think it will play better with the visuals, though.
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rather more than does the job, the Marvel Studio scores have never been horrible but they've never been John Williams Superman, nothing has accept the original Danny Elfman Batman score, which as it turns out is the only thing he can do. This is the closest, Thor wasn't bad either.
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July 3, 2011, 4:30 p.m. CST
I'm going to youtube to listen to some Elfman and Williams.
by Nerd Rage
That shit was weak. Maybe that corny shit passes if you haven't seen and heard Superman the Movie and Batman (89).
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I'm getting real tired of these generic, paint by numbers superhero scores - Thor, Green Lantern, X-Men, Hulk, etc. Man I miss John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and Danny Elfman in his prime. I miss memorable themes!!
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July 3, 2011, 4:38 p.m. CST
There was a score in Green Lantern? I can't remember hearing anything! Am I going deaf?
by whatevillurks
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Besides Batman 89? He got to be predictable it wasn't even funny. I loved the Army Of Darkness theme he contributed to the AOD score though.
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That's what this movie needed, that's what this movie got.
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it was just kinda, generic
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Dick Tracy, Simpsons, Tales From The Crypt, Men In Black, Sleepy Hollow and Nightmare Before Christmas were all excellent post-Batman compositions from Elfman. He had some other solid entries too- but those would be the most memorable to me. I am digging this Silvestri score, but I still think they should have gotten James Horner to do it. Fuck, Horner's Rocketeer score is still used as area-mood music in parts of EPCOT (as is Edelman's score from Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story- both to great effect).
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The only good track from the GL score was We're Going To Fly Now. It's on youtube. The rest of the score was meh, but that track is nice.
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.....when this score was used for The Mummy Returns? C'mon ScoreKeeper, you've heard this music 10 years ago.
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I am a firm believer that one of the most pivotal components of a movie is the soundtrack. Something that filmmakers, and I suppose the studios, have lost sight of. Name 10 of your favorite movies and I guarantee the music in each one either fits the movie perfectly, or is instantly memorable and classic. I have loved many of Alan Silvestri's soundtracks and what sounds like the main theme in this seems to approach greatness, but doesn't achieve it. Granted, there could be a lot more to this soundtrack than what this 13 minute snippet may imply, but wouldn't they release the main theme to get us even more hyped first? If not, why release the music first at all? The main theme of this, to me, actually reminds me of the main theme of Baseketball. That can't be good. Funny, how the music in that movie I can recall instantly, but the music in Iron Man, Thor, X-men: First Class, Hulk, and basically 99% of most movies these days I can barely remember a single note of. I think Iron Man 1 had a great main theme going with the Mark 1 armor in the cave, but it lasted all of 15 seconds and then disappeared. Shame. Shouldn't superhero movies be THE PLACE where huge iconic scores should be pushed the hardest? It's not good when a small movie like Kick-Ass has a better main theme ("Flying Home") than Marvel's biggest lineup. Maybe Mathew Vaughn and his crew just cared a lot more about their smaller project than he did about X-men? Or maybe they just didn't have enough time? I don't pretend to know. But I do know that How To Train Your Dragon and Tron: Legacy with live on far into the next few decades just on the strength of their amazing scores alone. I hope I'm wrong about Captain America. If anyone deserves a classic score, it's this character. I hope I can at least remember some of it.
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I think the main theme is a little weak, I think it needed to be a bit more bombastic or have a wider amount of brass in there to give it some breadth, at present it feels like a fanfare that's missing the main chorus line. Aside from that, the rest of it is excellent and really works well. It might not be quite as good as BTTF, Predator or The Abyss but it's far more distinctive and interesting than the utter shit that's been turning up in summer blockbusters lately. I can't wait to see the film that goes with it!
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July 3, 2011, 6:03 p.m. CST
Username change, point of view remains
by Ernest_Menvilles_Flaccid_Penis
The Mummy Returns is a great score, but when did Silvestri become James Horner?
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once the GOP takes over the USA because he is a gawd dang lib-uh-rawl. :^)
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...as John Badham observed on the liner notes to John Williams' rapturous score to the Frank Langella Dracula movie, too often movie scores aren't strong enough to stand on their own. This one isn't bad, but it just doesn't fly enough to be really worthy of Captain America. It sounds a lot like a mild version of David Arnold's score for Independence Day, which was properly anthemic. Makes you wonder why they couldn't get him. Beyond the Dark Knight score (which in no way could translate to this film), the best score I've heard recently was Michael Giacchino's for Star Trek. This dude can do no wrong in my humble, but it looks like he's WAY too busy to have squeezed this one in. We'll have to see how this score plays on screen, but I agree with y'all: Marvel movies have yet to have a truly memorable score.
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It's appropriately lush and orchestral, if not memorable or hummable. Certainly better than most Marvel movies. It's sad when the 90's X-Men cartoon had a way better and hummable theme than any of the X movies.
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Love Williams score for "Dracula." Wonderful score
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I loved his score for Beethoven. Don't laugh, it's some of the best music to ever be put in a family movie.
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July 3, 2011, 6:40 p.m. CST
DANNY ELFMAN PEAKED IN 96-97 WITH MISSION : IMPOSSIBLE/MARS ATTACKS - GOOD WILL HUNTING/MEN IN BLACK!!!FACT!!! HIS BEST WORK SINCE THEN.....
by CreepyThinMan
Was "Farewell" from Spider-man. That music, when Spidey is swinging around New York, was fucking EPIC beyond words!!! THAT should have been the Spider-man theme.
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July 3, 2011, 6:46 p.m. CST
OH AND SILVESTRI'S BTTF THEME WAS A RIP OFF OF HIS OWN THEME FROM STEPHEN KING'S CAT'S EYE!!!FACT!!!
by CreepyThinMan
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEIFfOuAtNg
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Just sent in an email too about them removing it from the lineup. That was my most listened to channel as long as I've had my car. Sure, I've got a lot of soundtracks on my iPod, but Cinemagic was where I listened to new stuff to decide if I want the full soundtrack, not 30 second sound clips on iTunes or Amazon. Hopefully enough people will email them to possibly reverse their decision.
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July 3, 2011, 7:09 p.m. CST
little_lebowski - What about "Contact", "Cast Away", "Van Helsing" and "Beowulf"?
by The_Genteel_Gentile
Those didn't "stick out" to you? "Contact" is an outright masterpiece on every level as far as I'm concerned. Of course "Cast Away" had very little score but what it had was great and moving. Van Helsing is unwatchable... but NOT unlistenable, Silvestri's score was the one good thing to come from that catastophe. Same is true for "The Mummy Returns". I have a few qualms about the film itself, but "Beowulf" was epic! "Polar Express" has a good score too. Silvestri doesn't know how to compose shite.
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July 3, 2011, 7:20 p.m. CST
billemic - Yeah, Randy Edelman has really been unfairly slighted.
by The_Genteel_Gentile
You're right "Beethoven" had a real decent score. Edelman's music for "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story", "Dragonheart", "The Quest" and "Gettysburg" is nothing short of magnificent. I really dig his score for "Kindergarten Cop" too. I don't know, the gut dosn't get many good gigs anymore and we're all the poorer for that.
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Partially thanks to Hans Zimmer that's all I wanted to say about that
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the rest is ok. but the theme needs to be simple and catchy and patriotic and heroic and memorable. ive already forgotten it.
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Holy shit, man. I forgot about his score for "The Quest." I saw that flick in the theater and his music really made the experience better than it had any right to be, considering the movie itself. :P Totally epic and melodic music...would have loved something like that score for Cap, honestly.
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July 3, 2011, 7:39 p.m. CST
Sounds like a Silvestri variation on David Arnold's "ID4".
by The_Genteel_Gentile
I mean that as a compliment. In fact when Scorekeeper put up that youtube video of the "Captain America" trailer with Jerry Goldsmith's "Air Force One" score, I thought; actually I'd go with either David Arnold's "Independence Day" or James Newton Howard's "The Postman". With the underlying prerequisite of course being to try for the classical Americana of Aaron Copland. So I'm delighted, a very nice Copland-esque theme. And it's still VERY Silvestri at the same time, which is awesome. Too bad the film itself has that ugly glazed-over digital (counterfeit) cinema aesthetic to it's visuals. Y'know, where everyones eyes look muted and skin appears airbrushed... Oh how I really loathe that. That alone may still ruin the whole thing for me.
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...mainly because of a bet me and my friend had. We both had a bet over which would do better at the u.s box office out of Transformers 3 and captain america. My friend thinks that transformers 3 will do better than captain america in the united states, because " captain america looks corny" and that "super hero movies are on the way out". There are many reasons why I think that captain america will beat transformers 3 but the main one is this- its a movie about a super hero named "captain america" for fuck sake! Wether you've heard of the comic or not ,the very concept sells itself. I think a movie about an all american super hero battling evil invaders from over seas (especially after the death of osama bin laden) will really resonate with an american audience and allow captain america to wipe the floor with tranformes 3, financially. As for alan slivestris score, its not bad- not as good as his classic stuff (back to the future, predator , who framed roger rabbit etc) but better than a lot of stuff he's done lately.
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A lot of it sounds like something from a Star Trek TV spinoff. What was the last movie that had a truly iconic theme? The type of theme that you can't imagine the film without, or visa versa? To be honest I'm struggling to think of anything post the original Harry Potter... maybe Lord of the Rings but that's debatable.
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Well said.
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...so so score.
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aside from comparisons to other movies, there are even a couple cues there that remind me of Alan Copland music.
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You know what they say about great minds.
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I agree with your comment on Silvestri's scores. I would go further and say that—even if the film itself is rather crappy—the score to "Beowulf" is absolutely magnificent. The main theme is among the best things ever composed in movie history. (Way too short, though. ;) ) But there's so much more: BTTF of course, but especially "Predator" (incl. the sequel), the amazing "Roger Rabbit", the "Shattered" theme was great too, "The Abyss" has some very memorable moments, "Super Mario Bros" some very funny ones, and "The Clan of the Cave Bear" is a genuine film music classic. "Captain America" doesn't sound like his best works, but a generic Silvestri action score is still better than much of what other Hollywood film composers spout nowadays.
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So hard!
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Ahh the Predator is after me!! Silvestri definitely has some recognizably "Silvestri-y" stuff in there (but in a good way).
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Bill Conti's 'Masters of the Universe'. Sure, it's a product of the sci-fi landscape of the time and steals a march from several other already established and iconic works, but jeez, when it needs to be it is iconic and brilliant in its own right.
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Joe Johnston and James Horner nailed that film and score. This is merely OK...better than 99% of most film music crap Zimmer and his drones put out, but that's faint praise really.
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July 3, 2011, 9:45 p.m. CST
Okay, I'm gonna demystify how "memorable themes" are written
by Jim_Kirks_Crunchy_Delicious_Chair_Apple
Spoiler alert. This will spoil the magic for a lot of people. It's not rocket science. I know of production music houses that used to turn memorable tunes out by the hundreds for use in commercials and such. What makes a theme memorable is, of course, melody. And what makes a melody memorable is that it suggests its own chord. That is, when you hum it, you pretty much are humming an arpeggiated chord. That suggests the rest of the orchestration in your head, and makes it fun and memorable. And that is the simple secret to composing a memorable melody. You start with a chord -- it can be as complex or moody or simple a chord as you like. You choose it based on what sort of mood you're trying to convey. It can be a suspended, augmented, diminished, 7th, 9th, 11th, or combination. Or just a simple triad -- major, minor, whatever. Then, if you like, you might invert it. Put the third or fifth (or other note) on the root. The next step is to simply randomly arpeggiate the chord. You can add "slip notes" or half-step fill notes if you like. You just noodle until you have it. It only takes minutes. BINGO you have your theme. You have a memorable melody because it suggests the chord it's derived from. Then you fill it out and orchestrate/arrange it. And that's it. Knowing this simple reality is why some composers produce endless memorable themes. And it's also why those who recycle themes instead of just coming up with fresh ones really don't have an excuse. Except for maybe they don't realize how simple it really is.
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The truth bares repeating. Yes sir.
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He proved himself very adept. I wish Conti would've gotten (or even still get) more gigs like that. I do wonder why he hasn't worked and doesn't work way more.
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July 3, 2011, 9:56 p.m. CST
lol @ it sounds like a soap opera theme song
by WINONA_RYDERS_PUSSY_JUICE
I agree with a lot of the negative comments. But I also agree with a lot of the positive ones as well. It's o.k.
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July 3, 2011, 10:02 p.m. CST
Y'know this conversation has gone way to long without anyone mentioning THE SHADOW!
by The_Genteel_Gentile
THE SHADOW! Jerry Goldsmith put it all the way down for that one! I like it every bit as much as Horner's Rocketeer (which I love). Such an underratted movie and score. I remember hearing Alec Baldwin badmouthing it a bit back and thinking "WHAAAAT?!". Guy had no clue that movie's easily in the top five things he'll ever be a part of. So sad. The Shadow's a classic as far as I'm concerned, I wish more would agree and we might get a decent DVD release.
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July 3, 2011, 10:03 p.m. CST
Listen to the beginning again and imagine Sam Elliot's voice saying "Beef -- it's what's for dinner."
by Greggers
And now you can't stop imagining it.
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July 3, 2011, 10:05 p.m. CST
"TOO" long (not "to", that obviously makes no sense).
by The_Genteel_Gentile
Need me an edit function.
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This suite all sounds properly muscular, optimistic and era-appropriate. Good job, Al.
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July 3, 2011, 10:22 p.m. CST
You guys are either forgetting or do not know about one of the greatest film score's ever: The Lionheart score by John Scott
by The Krypton Kid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ05fYcYkqU LIONNNNNHEARRRRRTTTTT!
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July 3, 2011, 10:35 p.m. CST
Main theme would be perfect for Tin Cup 2:The Masters
by StevenScorsese
Fire up the blender, Romeo!
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I had been hoping Giacchino would score this film (and if you remember his Medal of Honor scores you know why), and I can't say I've been excited about a Silvestri score in years, but damn this sounds absolutely magnificent - very much in line with my high hopes for this film. God, I hope Johnston nailed this. DYING to see it.
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So, perfect for a Captain America movie.
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July 3, 2011, 11:16 p.m. CST
You know, the Shadow really was pretty good. Weird but very comic booky
by Proman1984
I dig that
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Up until now I always thought the theme to Silverado would have made a good Cap score. This is in the same neighborhood. I'm looking forward to seeing this.
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Unfortunately, it's not very memorable. I wish there were some memorable spots in it, like Superman Batman, Indiana Jones and 007, but unfortunately, it is more like Spider-Man, Iron Man and the newer Batman movies. I can't tell you how many times I have seen each of those movies and I don't know if I could pick their themes out of a hat full of themes. At least it is orchestral. That's saying something. Of course, the most memorable scores of the last few years to me are There Will Be Blood, Inception and The Social Network. Those were all memorable for different reasons. I don't how much, if any of the music in those was orchestral. And The Shadow? The one thing I remember about that score is a scene where Lamont is sitting in a club and some awful Kenny G sounding, easy listening, light jazz trash began playing. It did not evoke the period at all. The movie wasn't awful. It was just underwhelming. The villain was unoriginal and boring.
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That's for sure!!!
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Where is the God Damn M E L O D Y ??????????????????????????????????????
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And I'll take The Shadow over all this Marvel crap.
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Nothing to see here folks, move along.
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July 4, 2011, 1:17 a.m. CST
I sent an email to Sirius telling them i was glad they were getting rid of the Cinemagic..
by Fritzlorrerains
Just to spite you jerks for your lack of a Ryan Dunn obit.
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H isnt answering any of your posts.
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They did a Ryan Dunn obituary, fucktwit.
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You just need to be listening
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Greatest theme ever.
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Funny how film music fans are so damning about James Horner plagirising himself... Silvestri's action music since Mummy Returns sounds so similar to that film, it's getting to be a joke.
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Funny how film music fans are so damning about James Horner plagirising himself... Silvestri's action music since Mummy Returns sounds so similar to that film, it's getting to be a joke.
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No idea why but I keep thinking of Goldsmith's Rambo scores when I think of Captain America, especially with the solo trumpets of the main theme. I reckon he would have done a cracking score for this. I'm just thanking God that it's not James Horner and his wobbly trumpets. His best score will always be Wrath of Khan - you know, the one he cannibalised for Cocoon and Aliens. His Avatar score was pretty uninspiring for such a visually powerful film. (You'll notice I said visually powerful, not emotional). I love me some Silvestri (Predator, BTTF and Judge Dredd scores stand out the most for me) so I reckon he's a good choice for this.
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but it's VERY reminiscent of the Star Trek Generations soundtrack by Ron Jones. That's not a criticism, thought the generations soundtrack was one of the best things about the film (which I thoroughly enjoyed BTW), just an observation.
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Orchestral, majestic, patriotic. I'm happy about that. But I was keeping my fingers crossed the theme would also be rousing and memorable, like SUPERMAN or RAIDERS. Silvestri's score lands a little closer to AIR FORCE ONE and INDEPENDENCE DAY: second tier, and probably not listenable outside of the context of the visuals of the movie. Not too concerned about how this will affect the movie. None of the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films has a killer score, and they're still great films.
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The action, the story, the effects, and now the score.
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There's no bringing it back, no matter how many customers complain, because the combined SiriusXM has proven over and over again that they don't give a fuck about their customers.
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... from the netherlands: http://shoutcast.omroep.nl:8070/
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But probably not "Transformers" level--T3 cost 195 million dollars, and probably had another 150 million ad budget on top of that, with something like 90% recognition factor. Cap probably cost half that, with far less recognition. My guess is it will be more "successful" in terms of multiples of investment, but make less money. We've GOT to stop calling films "flops" just because they don't push their way into the 10 ten box office of all time. That is an absurd standard of success. And if we do it...how dare we criticize "Hollywood" for trumpeting the same standards.
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Try "A Fistful of Soundtracks." Great fun.
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Is that the only way it can be seen as a success? genderblender on every comic book movie talkback with "facts". My favorite is: "in the already-practically-shut-down AVENGERS movie"
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July 4, 2011, 9:23 a.m. CST
Passable but a little too homogonized. It doesn't highlight specific sections to make it memorable like Empire or Indy. Each of those had signature runs absent here...
by Boober
My 2 cents from what I heard so far...
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all i heard was ... umm i forget.
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Definitely the first memorable score of 2011. Certainly his best work since the 90's
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I love it!
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How can you not and log into this site?
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July 4, 2011, 10:24 a.m. CST
Scrap this and just fill the soundtrack with Foreigner songs.
by highfunctioningsociopath
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...musically speaking. <br><br> Love how the main theme seems to go 'Cap-tain A - mer - i - CA!' Can't wait to hear the rest
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It was a great superhero movie back in the day, i.e, pre-Spider-Man and pre-LOTR. I watched it the other day on Netflix, and it's just horribly dated now. It's even worse when you see how wasted Sir Ian McKellan was in that film.
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Very World War 2 American pomp. But I definitely think it's a combination of Independence Day, The Rocketeer, Hoffa, and Patton, and a little of The Last Starfighter. Seeing it with the film will be the only way to tell if it works though. Gotta admit, I'm kinda geeked about this. I always hoped Chris Evans would get another shot at a main role, I think he was brilliant in "Sunshine" and I think he has a lot of potential, more than Ryan Reynolds anyway.
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July 4, 2011, 12:13 p.m. CST
It really is unfortunate Marvel wasn't able to open Cap this July 4th weekend...
by Prof. Pop-Cult
Sucks for them that Transformers snagged it first. The holiday theme and national mood would have been perfect for opening Captain America. But to be honest, I wonder if the average American movie-goer is going through superhero fatigue this summer, and now I wonder how well Captain America will do at the box office.
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July 4, 2011, 12:32 p.m. CST
Too "patriotic" bullshit for my taste. Maybe in the movie it sounds better and alright.
by AsimovLives
And on it's own it's cringe inducing. One can kill kitties for lesser traumas.
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July 4, 2011, 12:34 p.m. CST
Why is it that no composer in Holywood today can be ins+pired by HYMN TO THE COMMON MAN by Aarom Copland?
by AsimovLives
They are always making this bombastic pesudo-crap patriotic stuff for their heroic themes. But sometimes, the best way to go heroic is to be simple. Copland understood that.
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July 4, 2011, 12:51 p.m. CST
By the way the score snippets sound good
by Jim_Kirks_Crunchy_Delicious_Chair_Apple
Nice Americana sound in the main theme. Reminds me a bit of Randy Newman's work in The Natural. And nobody does Americana like Newman.
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This seems the ONE movie that should play up the patriotism factor, don't you think? I like that it's big and brash... but as you said, need to hear it within the movie to know how it works.
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Composers would create a musical motif based on the main characters name or the movie title. I think James Bernard did this famously with his theme for Dracula (the Hammer films Dracula) and Williams certainly did it with Superman. I might be clutching at straws but I also think that "Indiana Jones" fits it perfectly with part of the Raiders march. This...ach, this is okay. It's pure Silvestri and I guess that's a good sign in the fact that it's not Silvestri through the Zimmer Filter. Newton Howard and Doyle both seem to have been put through the Zimmer filter for their superhero scores and that's a shame.
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Toning it down would actually make it look more sincere. It seems that this CAPTAIN AMERICA movie will be another one of those in which i'll like it DESPISTE the score. I'm starting to get used to that this days.
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I saw your comment regarding my moniker on the Transformers score CD and never got round to answering it. Aye, I'm a huge fan of Peter Cushing - he was both a true gentleman (I met him once as a wee small lad and he was everything that you would hope for him to be) and he was also one of the finest actors ever produced by Britain. It's a shame that he is mostly remembered for his roles in Hammer movies (he is always brilliant) but he was so much more. I do try to be as 'gentlemanly' as possible, last year was probably not me at my finest but I lost my dad earliier in the year and was basically angry 5 days out of every 7 :)
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Speaking of Raider's March, John Williams had actually composed two marches as the theme for the movie. Spielberg liked both so much he asked Williams to incorporate both in a single march theme. Williams inicially opposed the idea, and even tried to talk Spielberg out of it. But Spielberg convinced Williams that he was just shortchanging himself. So, Williams begrudgingly acquiescenced to Spielberg's request. And the rest is history.
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I love to death his score for THE ABYSS. But somewhere around the mid-90s/early 2000s he seems to have lost his mojo. Nowdays he's pretty unremarkable.
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Yeah, I saw that, I think on the Indy DVD box set or something. It was weird hearing them as Williams had intended - they felt unfinished because the amalgamation is so perfect.
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As someone who lost a mother myself, i think i know you must be feeling. How is it they say? It's easy to be nice and kind in the easiest of times. It's whenthings are hard that our true worth is tested. Something like that. So you meet Peter Cushing in real life. How awesome is that? That's so great! Mty favorite sotry about Cushing is alos one of the most heartwarming thing about him: he was so inlove with his wife, that when she died, he spent hours running up, and down a flight of stairs so he could give himself an heart-attack, so he could join her. If that doesn't move your heart, you are made of stone and barely worth being called a human.
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July 4, 2011, 1:47 p.m. CST
As for the lack of leitmotifs in today's movies Holywood in general...
by AsimovLives
... i think there's two reasons for that: One is that some filmmakers truly prefer more ambiental and moody music to their movies. But mostly, i'd say that composers actually want to make leitmotifs for the movies they work for, but are being discouraged by the studios which hire them. Truly, what composer doesn't want to get known and recognized in years to come because they made this cool theme that people can imediatly identifiy just from a few bars? But they are not being hired to do that, i'm affraid. So often today, music scores are just for mickley-mousing the action. It can work, but most of the time it's just insulting the audience's intelligence. I even prefer when in certain scenes the music goes dissonante to what's being portaited onscreen. My favorite example is the music used for the final combat scene in GHOST IN THE SHELL, between Major Kusanami and the Spider Tank. It's a kick-ass shootout scene, and yet the score is so etherial and melancolic that it just perfect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK8V9jG7Wjg
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I met him when I was about 10 or 11 - we were on a family holiday in Kent - a town called Whitstable and he lived their. I saw him on the sea front sitting on a bench with a woman and I knew him primarily as Grand Moff Tarkin. My dad took me over and asked in he minded talking to me and he did - for about ten minutes. He was a genuinely, genuinely sweet man. One of the things that I had assumed was that he knew Alex McCrindle (whom played General Dodonna) in Star Wars as he was a third cousin to my gran and I assumed that all the actors were there all the time. He let me down gently :) I remember in the mid eighties he was on a show called Jim'll Fix It (a show where dreams came true etc - typical bollocks really) but he was on and had a strain or rose bred and named after his wife. The Helen Cushing Rose. Yep, losing a parent is hard and the one thing that I came to realise last year is that there is no rights or wrongs when it comes to grief.
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July 4, 2011, 1:58 p.m. CST
by cushing1967: "there is no rights or wrongs when it comes to grief". I agree.
by AsimovLives
I lost my mother about 15 years ago. I didn't cry about my mother's death. Not in the wake nor in the funeral. But it still haunts me. The biggest lesson i took from my mother's death was to take life a bit less serious. I actually lighted up quite a bit after her death. The liche thing seen in the movies is that a loved one's death turns us into darker moody people. It did the opposite to me. I guess to took a lesson on the value of life from her. Her last lesson to her son.
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It's good that you got something positive from your loss. I did too, but my anger came from the fact that his death was needless. If the doctors had made some different decisions and communicated properly I know he'd have still been here. I got angry at that - but what happened happened and he went with dignity and without any pain and he had his family around him when he died. So, as inevitable outcomes go - it was a good one you know?
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Do today's composers just not have the talent to compose them or are studios telling them not to? The debate rages on. As much hate as Hans Zimmer gets, he was pretty good at the beginning of his career. I like the score for "Broken Arrow," as synth-y as it is. But yeah, nothing is as iconic as in the old days. Know what was another great score from the 80's? Fuckin' "Gremlins." Talk about an iconic theme.
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But that was Jerry Goldsmith, one of the undisputed kings of leitmotifs.
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July 4, 2011, 2:45 p.m. CST
Fuck, Jerry goldsmith was so good, he mannaged to create a few leitmotifs for his score of PLANET OF THE APES. A score which is pratically wholesomely made of dissonant music.
by AsimovLives
How the hell did he do that?
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Basil Poledouris, R.I.P. Conan the Barbarian wouldn't be half the movie it is without his score. Robocop is damn good too.
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I think Poledouris's CONAN THE BARBARIAN score is a whole score entirely made of leitmotifs. Very Wagnerian. Interestingly enough, if was the first time that Poledouris worked with a full orquestra for a movie, and the first time he had to write music for a whole orquestra. No pressure then. And don't forget his score for HUNT FOR THE RED OCTOBER either.
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Has, in my opinion, always brought out the best in composers. Young Sherlock Holmes has probably one of my favourite scores. Zimmer's Sherlock Holmes score was probably one of the few of his that I really really liked. Patrick Gowers Sherlock Holmes from the ITV series is magnificent and Rozsa's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is also up there in my all time favourites.
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The Captain America fanfare is ridiculously un-memorable and pedestrian. The "action" stuff is just fine.
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I heard a 13 minute reel of the Tron Legacy OST and thought it sucked at first, but after hearing the whole thing, it turned out to be awesome, so who knows.
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July 4, 2011, 3:44 p.m. CST
Well it starts of with pomposity, then goes 'Aliens', 'predator', back to pompous 'straight to DVD' vibe, all this while being dull............
by Arkhaminmate001
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I do think it's their fault that movie soundtracks have changed for the worse. It fits that if they rush movies into production and cut corners whenever possible, the music would suffer just like everything else does. I was shocked to hear that Iron man 2's soundtrack was made in 4 days only, but that seems to be common these days. Nobody puts in the effort anymore, pretty much everyone is ripping off Zimmer's scores for TDK and Inception these days.
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July 4, 2011, 3:46 p.m. CST
I have to admit some of my favorite scores has been for HBO TV shows
by AsimovLives
Carnivale, Rome and now Game Of Thrones has some of the best scores i have heard for a good long time. Deadwood's score is pretty niffy too.
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July 4, 2011, 3:54 p.m. CST
by hesiod2k7: "Should have been Michael Giacchino" Fuck that Guachini fuckass up his fucking ass!!!
by AsimovLives
I take it back all my compalins about the score. Thank fucking god that the Guachini fuckass didn't made it. Talk about small mercies!
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The Rocketeer and Masters of the Universe were on blu-ray. I feel like cranking those fuckers.
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July 4, 2011, 3:57 p.m. CST
by centilope: "pretty much everyone is ripping off Zimmer's scores for TDK and Inception these days." There's a good reason why that is so.
by AsimovLives
It's ebcause the people who are ripping off Hans Zimmer are part of his bunch of little helpers who make film music the exact same way and style he does. And they are now extremely predominant in Holywood, to the point they make most of the music for movies made in Holywood today. This is why it all sounds the same.
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I know Steve Jablonsky and Ramin Djawadi are, anybody else? Just curious.
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Originally I had this idea that it should be possible to create some kind of community around this kind of work, and I think by muddying the titles - not having "you are the composer, you are the arranger, you are the orchestrator" - it just sort of helped us to work more collaboratively. It wasn't that important to me that I had "score by Hans Zimmer" and took sole credit on these things. It's like Gladiator: I gave Lisa Gerrard the co-credit because, even though she didn't write the main theme, her presence and contributions were very influential. She was more than just a soloist, and this is why I have such a problem with specific credits.
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That talkback I just posted was a quote from Zimmer that was only part of a hugely entertaining and profound post in which I basically said that Remote Control Productions has monopolised and homegnised film music to the point where it is pretty much nothing more than a bland soup of noise. Sigh.
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July 4, 2011, 4:34 p.m. CST
Not bad was hoping for idk somthing a little more GRAND
by Jeremy Bayles
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Harry Gregson-Williams, Klaus Badet, Steve Jablonsky, John Debney, Ramin Djawadi, Trevor Rabin, Nick Glennie-Smith, Mark Mancina, John Powell, Marc Streitenfeld, to name a few.
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July 4, 2011, 4:42 p.m. CST
--- "Remote Control Productions has monopolised and homegnised film music to the point where it is pretty much nothing more than a bland soup of noise" ---- Indeed.
by AsimovLives
Even though there's some composers inthat bunch of thieves who i actually like their work, like Klaus Badet and John Powell. But there are so many of them that i have nothing but pure despise and disgust, and of those, none more then Harry Gregson-Williams. Even though the fucker has made some good work for KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, SERAPHIM FALLS and the Ben Affleck's directed movies. But i despise that fucker like hell. Whenever i know he makes the score of a movie, i just want to run away from the movie as far away as possible.
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I love orchestral scores, no doubt about it -- have hundreds of them. But what I hear here is all bombast and no memorable THEME. I hope they're holding it back because I don't hear anything remotely memorable like the Superman, Batman (Elfman, even Goldenthal!)or Rocketeer themes. Except for three or four bars of triumphant horns this could serve as the generic musical bed to any number of action films. I know Silvestri's got it in him... at least, he used to. I'm so ready to love this movie so I'm still holding out hope!
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Up there with my other two favorite recent scores, Inception and How To Train Your Dragon.
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July 4, 2011, 10:19 p.m. CST
Yes, Game of Thrones AND John Adams score (on HBO today) is superior to this from what I've heard.
by Boober
Maybe seeing the movie will change my mind. I believe this is the one movie where critics and movie-goers will agree this summer...so long as the "hate America" crowd doesn't try to bull-fist their bias down our throats.
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July 4, 2011, 10:24 p.m. CST
Okay, so I'll just come out and ask it: Has the biz neutered the potential for truly memorable scores? Seems a thing of the past...
by Boober
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JNH knocked it out of the park on M. Night's THE LAST AIRBENDER score. The movie is nigh unwatchable, but the music is out of this world! And BT's score for CHILDREN OF DUNE for the SciFi Channel is one of my most listened to complete works of all time. Really fantastic stuff that captures the culture, setting and action of the story. As for this CAPTAIN AMERICA score, I am finding the main them to be memorable and hummable. Not the greatest ever, but better than most of what we've gotten lately. If you want a truly heroic piece check out "The Big Shoe" from Randy Newman's ANTZ soundtrack;That'll get you going in the morning! Oh, and GREEN LANTERN's score was abysmal! That ridiculous pop-rock driving drum beat had me expecting Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears to come out at any time and start "singing".
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any day of the week against TDK.
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Tons of great (and some truly crappy) streaming movie/game music from mostly fantasy films.
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July 4, 2011, 10:57 p.m. CST
"Iconic" scores are non-existent these days. They're all generic and forgettable.
by IronEagle74
Sad, but true. Of course, it's even worse since most of the movies themselves are garbage as well. With that said, this score for Captain America MIGHT end up being one of the better ones I've heard in a long, long time. This clip is cerytainly progress over any other recent movie. I hear the Predator influence for sure, which is one of the more iconic scores in action movie history.
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Hell, Volcano's score was more memorable than this. I appreciate his effort - he's one of my favorite composers - but CapAm's score reeks of his last 3-5 scores, like A-Team and GI Joe. He's trying here, and it's not bad, but it's not great.
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July 4, 2011, 11:36 p.m. CST
There needs to be a sequel where Cap is woken in 1970 ...
by highfunctioningsociopath
... To slaughter thousands of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian villagers. Their bamboo huts and rice fields are no match for the power of the Cap. Ooh, and then he's woken in 2003 to anally rape Gitmo and Abu Ghraib prisoners who've been sold to the US forces by their neighbours as terrorists because they once said something bad about their mothers. FUCK YEAH!
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July 5, 2011, 3:01 a.m. CST
Sounds like a sample of Jurassic Park that ended up on the cutting room floor
by axelfoley
Don't like the Williams-esque imitation either.
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One of the things that seems to be missing is the repeating "theme" or "cue"? I don't know the exact name for it but it's when there's a small segment of the music that is repeated over and over throughout the soundtrack, unifying it. This was very much standard in Star Wars, Superman, Back To The Future, etc. Is there some particular reason they stopped doing this? Is it not considered in style or does the studio not want this? I want answers!
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July 5, 2011, 11:59 a.m. CST
Fuck yeah- A strong anthem! I was getting sick of hearing "BWAAAAHHHHHHMMMMMPPP" in scores.
by Playkins
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If you really listen to a lot of scores, you can put the score into words:<P> "Dun, duh duh dun dun, SUPER-MAN!"<P> "Back to the future I go.."<P> etc, etc.<P> And you're right, they dont do that enough enymore. The rousing anthem is a lost art.<P> BWWWWWOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMP....BRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHMMMMMPPPPP.
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July 5, 2011, 1:11 p.m. CST
There are still some memorable and iconic scores being made today. One just has to dig longer and deeper the find them.
by AsimovLives
And half of those are being made for TV. Like the aforementioned GAME OF THRONES.
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You two, gentlemen, are the EPITOME of what kind of film fans we should have around here as opposed to the dipshits we are surrounded by! Very awesome to partake in a conversation with you two!
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Thank you, good sir. My pleasure to make your acquiantance as well. Others would disagree with you about me, specially those who know my posts in any talkback related to Abrams Trek. They aren't pretty.
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I hear bits of Predator in there, which is by no means a bad thing, IMO.
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July 5, 2011, 3:56 p.m. CST
why is it so hard for composers to write a memorable theme for a movie anymore?
by Brannagins Law
name me more than 3 reoccurring themes in the past 5 years that you can pull from memory because they haves powerful and catchy hooks.
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July 5, 2011, 4:27 p.m. CST
Yep! I agree. Remember when movie scores were memorable?
by Orionsangels
You just need to repeat main catchy theme, like Star Wars and Superman the Movie. This score sounds like every low key score ever and is all over the place. What an unmemorable mess of a score!
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Generic at best (and i'm a Silvestri fan)
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TRONLEGACY actually has a theme that not only is not a repetition from the first movie, butit's memorable on it's own. Other then that... well, you got me. I can remember some leitmotifs from INCEPTION, but i can understnd why others wouldn't given that the movie is mostly ambience moody music. I have a particular foundness for moody music, so that could be just my own predisposition toward it. But really, catchy movie themes? Hard pressed to find one.
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July 5, 2011, 5:33 p.m. CST
who composed the (terrible) score for Terminator Castration? I know it was one of the classics, but damn if i can remember anything from that film's score.
by AsimovLives
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Why are you lamenting the loss of something that can be quickly remedied with a bit torrent site? Get what you want and play it back on your mp3/Ipod- problem solved. Stop being a crybaby and go download to your hearts content.
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July 5, 2011, 9:54 p.m. CST
THIS IS DOOOOOOPE, IT'S SOUNDS AMERICAN, I'M WIT THIS @2:00 let's hope the movie fairs just well
by NorthTronic
i've always liked Silvestri. his music doesn't always need images.
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From the 60's, when movie scores were actually memorable, here's a sample of Alex North's theme from "The Devil's Brigade." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-flHotxf5s
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July 6, 2011, 2:05 a.m. CST
northtronic, sure it is dope. And remember, drugs are bad.
by AsimovLives
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The Alex North score is fun and utterly engaging. That got me poking around for the scores to Big Country, Magnificent Seven, Bridge on the River Kwai, Guns of Navarone, great scores attached to great big movies. Silvestri's Captain score is technically polished, but it's not centerpiece music, it's not flagship-y. In short, it's just not ambitious enough. It lacks iconic strokes. I suppose that if it didn't have to compete with a lot of THX explosions and zinging bullets and planes and aural overload, it would work nicely, but few composers (John Williams comes to mind) can write scores that hold their own even in the midst of sweeping sound effects/mixing. Oh, well.
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I know people love to hate on Hook as a movie, but it's score is still way more iconic and memorable than 99% of today's scores.
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I like Abram's Trek but it's healthy to agree to disagree. We're all film fans here and we all have different tastes and different loves. Who the fuck wants to like everything everyone else does?!
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First Class. When I watched the film, Magneto's theme in particular stood out for me (when he's in Argentina) - its called Frankenstein's Monster, have a listen on Spotify. It's superb.
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