Cool News
Thomas Newman Scoring SKYFALL!
Greetings! ScoreKeeper here with a bit of news which broke last week but was only recently made official. Stalwart 007 composer David Arnold will be tied up as musical director for the 2012 London Olympics so SKYFALL (2012) director Sam Mendes is turning to a trusted collaborator to compose the music. For the first time since 1997 somebody other than David Arnold (five films) will be composing a score for a James Bond film.
Thomas Newman was assigned the mission!
I'm a tremendous fan of Thomas Newman and am super-intrigued by this appointment. When I interviewed him a couple of years ago I asked him why he hadn't yet tackled any big-budget action flicks. He had an interesting response....
"The thing about action movies is unless you have a real visionary director, the music for action movies is very… there’s a real requirement. It’s really required to do things and in that requirement often times I think you run out of room for personality. You are really making things exciting. Often though, not always, you have to resort to devices to do that.
Action movies are just not something that I longed to do. I guess if something came along like THE MATRIX (1999) or something that was so stylized…that would be a real fun kind of movie to score."
I think his requirement of needing a "real visionary director" is being fulfilled with Mendes at the helm. I've always felt that Newman is one of the more cinematically diverse composers working today and this new appointment will give him a chance to flex his muscles and show a side of himself he may not yet have had the opportunity to reveal. I was already interested in seeing Sam Mendes' SKYFALL. I'm even more enthusiastic to see a Sam Mendes SKYFALL scored by Thomas Nemwan. Bravo!
ScoreKeeper!!!
If you're on Twitter look me up...
Readers Talkback
comments powered by Disqus-
+ Expand All
-
Snore! Actually, I like him
-
Loved the work he did on Road To Perdition, that was masterful.
-
Jan. 9, 2012, 10:06 p.m. CST
This could turn out to be one of the best James Bond movies ever
by Sardonic
or one of the most disappointing James Bond movies ever. I'm hoping for the former.
-
Been a fan since I heard his score to "Oscar and Lucinda," so I'm pretty pleased to hear this. Guaranteed purchase on my end.
-
Everything about this movie sounds so great, which means I'm probably over-hyping myself but I don't care, can not wait!
-
The new Bond Theme will be a reworking of "Short People."
-
fuck, no. american beauty? jarhead? road to perdition? revolutionary road? serviceable at best, nothing visionary about sam mendes in my opinion.
-
Jan. 9, 2012, 10:28 p.m. CST
When I first glanced, I thought it did read Randy Newman! Lol
by Mandolorian
That would suck.
-
His horrid music ruins anything.
-
Jan. 9, 2012, 10:38 p.m. CST
Fascinating....I still woulda took Arnold if he was available, but this will do
by zillabeast
-
Newman has NEVER tried a big action movie before, but at least with a trusted collaborator behind the camera, he won't have his music mutilated by test audience or studio execs. But, will Newman have any say in the title song? Will he write it and/or utilize it in the underscore?
-
One of my favorites ever. Listen to this and tell me this isn't the work of a great artist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=julOT8OYW2o
-
Jan. 9, 2012, 10:49 p.m. CST
Arnold was up for composing the score, but was Mendes' call...
by Scott
I've known since June....Sam and I talked about it and I said I am very much of the opinion that a director should have who they want
-
Hate his dopey voice.
-
Jan. 9, 2012, 11:13 p.m. CST
David Arnolds scores for Tomorrow Never Dies and Casino Royale will be hard to beat...
by Legolars
I don't like this news at all. Has Newman ever scored an action picture?
-
Jan. 9, 2012, 11:17 p.m. CST
creepythinman-returns, holy fuck, you actually proclaimed a fact that was true!!??
by Mattman
Mind exploding. Yes, Carter Burwell would be PERFECT for a Bond movie. Thomas Newman... not so much.
-
David Arnold's scores have been like white noise. I've long since resigned myself to the fact that no one will ever beat John Barry, but Arnold's efforts have been extremely disappointing. Good to have some new blood.
-
Jan. 9, 2012, 11:24 p.m. CST
Yes, but who will do the opening credits song? If it's Lada Gaga, I walk out.
by Crobran
-
Jan. 9, 2012, 11:32 p.m. CST
Newman is the best film composer out there (Martinez a close second)...he will bring something unique to Bond which is exactly what it needs
by quantize
-
i've always been a fan of newman, but that score for "the help" was like the score of a lifetime tv movie. usually he adds a dimension of melody and artistry (or at least pomp) to make otherwise pretty straightforward american films (shawshank, american beauty) sometimes sound better than certain scenes deserve, but it sounds like he just gave in to the soft cheese of the film. it actually pulled me out of the film before the overbearing story did.
-
Usually I agree with most talkbackers on everything on this site, but I am NOT a fan of Thomas Newman. While I liked Wall-E, there was a period when he scored "American Beauty", "Six Feet Under", and "Pay it Forward." All I could think was, "Dude, you know there are like 80 other keys on a piano. Try them out. In different beats and combos." There's personal style and then there's lack of imagination.
-
Jan. 9, 2012, 11:42 p.m. CST
Let's try this again...Opening credits song should be done by...
by Crobran
(Didn't realize that hitting Return would submit my comment) U2 could maybe pull it off, and they're one of the few big names that hasn't done a Bond flick. Massive Attack could be interesting. Or we could reunite Duran Duran or A-Ha.
-
All of the great Barry scores had motifs relating back to the title song. Thunderball and Living Daylights had two title songs. I wish they gave Giacchino a shot, but T. Newman is a strong choice. Let him write the song and tie it into the score like Barry did. It made for some great scores. It also gave each film it's own flavor.....the one thing missing from the David Arnold scores.
-
Meet Joe Black. Seriously. Maybe he gave a few moviesshows what they wanted, when they wanted that minimalist piano vibe, but he's legitimately a really good composer.
-
GoldenEye was written by Bono and the Edge. But yeah, I think they'd be a good choice.
-
I would bet money.
-
...with a motif for "Tomorrow Never Dies" entitled "Surrender" and performed by K.D. Lang and it was a big orchestral, classy piece not unlike the Shirley Bassey collaborations with Barry, however, at the time the soundtrack deal was with A&M and since they were releasing they wanted a bigger name and pushed for their contracted talent - Sheryl Crow's hideous song...
-
Can't wait.
-
...Jerry Goldsmith is the king of the score mountain with John Williams second. Elfman might be a strong third but man, I do love me some John Powell and David Arnold...
-
Yep...know the story. Loved Surrender, especially K.D. Lang. Awesome. Got stuck in the back of the film, not unlike Barry's and Hynes' song for Living Daylights.....the end title was far better than the title song.....too bad. Same thing happened to the best song in the entire series. "We have all the time in the world" got buried in the middle of the film and never got the chance to be the hit that it should have been.
-
...but man, John Barry just grabbed you by the throat with that lyric-less intro piece! I'll defend "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" as the best Bond film forever! Everything was perfect in that film! Also refreshing was a Blofeld / Archenemy that wasn't just shouting orders safely from his lair, but that he actually got out in the field and led his men and was pro-active in eliminating the hero.
-
Good call. I can totally see them going for Adele. She could bring that new-old sound I think they had been hoping Winehouse would provide for Quantum.
-
My personal fantasy choice for a Bond composer is Howard Shore, but this should be interesting.
-
Unless someone mentions it, I forget films HAVE scores. Fuck scores. Only Lina Minelli fans give a shit about a film's score.
-
I respect your opinion. It's just when I sat in the theater to watch "Road to Perdition" (another movie which he collaborated with Mendes I believe) his score took me out of the movie. It was too similar to what I had heard before. Thank goodness I was too young to notice the similarities between the "Krull" and "Star Trek II" scores by Horner. Otherwise Khan wouldn't hold such an esteemed place in my head.
-
I'm a fan of Newman and am interested to see what he will come up with. I met him a few months ago at a grocery store in Pacific Palisades, CA. I approached him and told him I was a fan and really admired his work. He was very surprised that I recognized him and thanked me for the kind remarks. Very nice man.
-
The Incredibles was the best 60's Bond score that never was. Bond needs some of the swagger back that Michael Giacchino's music brings - especially after QOS.
-
Will never happen though.
-
http://www.playmountain.net/featured/thomas-newman-to-score-skyfall/ Better luck next time AICN.
-
Jan. 10, 2012, 4:16 a.m. CST
PLUS...if you cant rate Newman in your top ten of all time after Road To Perdition..then yeh..IMO you have no taste
by quantize
-
Weird choice, but Bond scores aren't too difficult. He will stick to the opening song chords, and the Bond theme song.
-
...to post a link to another website's story isn't scooping,its just...well its pretty much nothing really. Its even less relevant to post something like that when the article here itself already says this story broke last week. And this article gets a bump on the relevance scale since it actually has an interesting take on the story, being that the author had an interview with Newman that provides a bit of insight to the story, where every other article just says Newman on Bond.... Newman's other work... So fail on trying to credit yourself and fail on trying to slight ScoreKeeper.
-
Let's get back to decent Bond music, and maybe, just maybe, another killer song.
-
jaygarnham is a twat!
-
Jan. 10, 2012, 4:55 a.m. CST
His Scores for 'Gung ho' and 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' were...
by Nick Sadler
... huge parts of my childhood - of course I didn't know it was him, but recognised some phrases and themes in the Shawshank redemption and green mile Scores, and looked at his back catalogue. Sure enough there they were. .. Mega - I'm overjoyed.
-
Arnold is nothing more than a third rate John Barry clone, he's totally shit!! Why on earth Barry recommended him to Barbara Broccoli i'll never know. Very much looking forward to Newman's score, perhaps he'll give us the first great Bond score since Barry's swansong The Living Daylights back in '87. THAT is a fucking awesome score.
-
I must admit if felt like on the last couple of Bond flicks that Arnold was starting to settle down a bit. His scores seemed less over-orechestrated and hectic and he was starting to approach a more Barry-like minimalism. There were moments in both (the under-rated) QoS and Casino Royale that could have easily been taken from a late 60s/early 70s Barry score. And let's face it, anyone trying to do something different to that kind of thing will always come off as an ass. Arnold recognises this entirely. Barry's the real 'author' or continuity within the Bond movies. Conti, Hamlisch, Martin and Legrand all have done great work for these films but their work somehow never feels totally 'Bond-ian'. I have to say the jury's still out for me on Mendes, too. Whenever a 'quality' director is brought in this can often mean 'misfire'. There is an implication here that somehow he'll 'elevate' the films and that misses the point could mean trouble and we could end up with something no one loves. Micheal Apted and Lee Tamahori were similarly feted, remember. Martin Campbell seems to be one of the few contemporary directors who really gets what the series is all about.
-
Jan. 10, 2012, 5:22 a.m. CST
I still can't believe Newman's score to "Wall-E" lost to "Slumdog Millionnaire"
by jawsfan
Slumdog won a ton of Oscars for no good reason at all --- the lazy way that Oscar voters vote. All you need to listen to is the music cue called "Eve" on the "Wall-E" soundtrack. It's barely a minute long but it is beautiful. And Newman's score for "The People vs Larry Flynt" was pretty damn good too. Not hummable by any means but certainly appropriate for the movie.
-
Jan. 10, 2012, 5:43 a.m. CST
This is just like the 70s and 80s when John Barry occasionally skipped out on scoring a Bond film
by BoyNamedSue
And as great as Barry was, the results produced some terrific variety (Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, License to Kill). Admittedly, Bill Conti's score in For Your Eyes Only seems way too dated for the time the movie was released. I liked Goldeneye's unique score, but I think my opinion is the minority. And as much as I like these scores, I wouldn't have wanted those composers to return for encores. Those guys just offered a nice change of pace, something other than the usual. Hopefully Arnold will at least do every other Bond film from now on.
-
Someone on a Bond forum said the track "Ladies First" sounded like R2D2 having sex! Sums it up perfectly I think. Serra fucked that score up. Just look at the casino scene where Bond is exchanging innuendos with Xenia Onnatop. What should be a playful and funny scene, is let down by Serra's moody, downbeat tune in the background. Almost ruins the movie. Seriously. However, when Serra has the right project he's great. You can't knock any of his work with Luc Besson.
-
I've been a massive Arnold fan since I first heard his TND score more than 14 years ago. To think he's been replaced by a snore like Newman! I could live if this is a one-off, but if this signals Arnold's departure from the series, it's a huge letdown.
-
Come on, even people who don't like Arnold much can't knock that one. He perfectly channels Barry and puts a modern spin on it aswell. His music in the pre-credit sequence is downright stunning. He doesn't let that movie down once. His score for "The World Is Not Enough" was OK, if a bit too muscular. Sadly his work on "Die Another Day", "Casino Royale" and "Quantum Of Solace" isn't particularly memorable at all. Maybe the series does need a bit of new blood. I thought the best choice would've been Michael Giacchino - who delivered a very 60's Bondian score for "The Incredibles" and also did excellent music for two "Mission: Impossible" movies. That dude knows spy thrillers. But still, I'm very interested to have a listen to what Thomas Newman does.
-
be at least dramatic. finney, bardem and dench are very good actors. and sam mendes started his career in theatre and was up untill the end of the 1990's director of the the donmar warehouse theatre in the uk. can he handle action. that remains to be seen will mendes give bond a retro feel. very modern but at the same time very sixties feel in a mad men sort of way. or go the way of Tinker, taylor, soldier spy.
-
The amount of times I've watched a film and just thought 'why the hell is there music here?'. Often it takes me right out of the film. we just accept it as an integral part of the artform, without really questioning it. Do some films benefit from it? Of course. Are there some scores that are beautiful works of art in their own right? Absolutely. I jut find it amusing the idea that if even a casual moviegoer were to watch a film without music, they'd feel something was wrong. Of course, Bond is Bond.
-
Plink plonk...rattle rattle ...CLONK.... All that minimalist BS is awful. He did do a nice Golden Age pastiche for The Good German, so my guess is he'll ape John Barry throughout the score
-
This can't possibly live up to the hype can it? I hope so.
-
Opinion!
-
Pay attention Mendes, I said 'GARY NUMAN'!
-
Siouxsie And The Banshees - Kiss Them For Me...Hell, the name even sounds like a Bond title. Someone needs to create a Bond-like montage of nude silhouettes to that song and stick it on You Tube.
-
Jan. 10, 2012, 9:08 a.m. CST
Jesus Christ! Make that: Existing song that would make a kick-ass Bond theme!!!
by Lou Stools
-
"Sleep Is Impossible" by Deluka! That tune RAWKS!!!
-
Jan. 10, 2012, 9:19 a.m. CST
Fuck this- if you had said Trent Resnor I'd be shitting myself.
by UltraTron
-
I mean I like Thomas Newman's work but his scores are always simplistic but catchy melodies not the big bombastic orchestra-like scores that Bond movies often call for. Someone like Michael Giacchino or even Danny Elfman would've made more sense in my opinion.
-
That's called counterpoint, a rarely used but effective way of playing the subtext of a scene (Bond trading innuendos with a crazy sycho bitch, while in a beautiful Monte Carlo casino) - not the surface. Do you realise how lame music underscoring the humour would have been? Come on, surely you've heard Michel Legrand's NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN? Serra's hits mood perfectly, as does throughout most of the score. Far more "Barry-esque" in its subtlety than anything David "throw everything at the wall and hope some it it sticks" Arnold's done.
-
Zimmer more experimental than Williams? What are you smoking dude? Go listen to IMAGES, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, JFK, NIXON, SLEEPERS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, THE LONG GOODBYE, MUNICH, MINORITY REPORT, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, and heck, even the atonal underscore in his franchise work (STAR WARS, JURASSIC PARK, INDY). John Williams was doing crazy avant garde shit (a la Penderecki and Takemitsu) when Hans Zimmer was going through puberty.
-
of statler and waldorf.
-
Jan. 10, 2012, 10:11 a.m. CST
For people thinking Newman can't "catch" action...
by Nasty In The Pasty
...how often did John Barry's music really relate to what was going on in the Bond movies? He would usually just play THROUGH the on-screen action with a self-contained three or four-minute cue, instead of Mickey-Mousing every little action beat (like David Arnold has done to the detriment of his overall scores). All the way up through The Living Daylights, Barry would just create a sort of "mood" cue for even the most intense action setpieces. Newman may not have a traditional "action" movie to his credit, but he has a similar style of playing THROUGH scenes instead of the kind of "GAHHHH, LOOK OUT...!" style Arnold specializes in. I choose to remain cautiously optimistic.
-
who doesnt know very much but will jump on any mistake. and pick that mistake apart to justify to them that everyone else is stupid and they are not. talkback is becoming like that. we all know better then the filmmakers. say talkbackers.
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLDyrun_Cc
-
Jan. 10, 2012, 10:34 a.m. CST
I thought it was confirmed that Adele is doing the title song, no?
by Orbots Commander
She has that old style jazzy voice that Amy Winehouse had, but you know, with less heroin.
-
Go fuck yourself. Again.
-
I find Newman's more orchestral pieces to be very reminiscent of Barry. great news.
-
That was supposed to be a Seinfeld impression. Also, Randy Newman is awesome.
-
Thanks, guys.
-
Who's thomas newman??? Why not hans zimmer, michael G, or steve jablonsky!!!! OMFG imagine jablonsky on a bond movie. how epic is that!!!
-
Often thought it odd that some filmmakers try and make a film so realistic, so hell bent on being authentic, yet they are happy to put music over a scene... no matter what shit happens in my life I never get an accompanying musical score!
-
your not cool like shaft to get his own theme music.
-
''no matter what shit happens in my life I never get an accompanying musical score!’’ That’s weird. You must not be doing it right. Seriously though, you raise an interesting point.
-
Jan. 10, 2012, 12:29 p.m. CST
HAve always wondered what Jerry Goldsmith would have done...
by ZodNotGod
No one beats Barry. Arnold is decent. Looking forward still.
-
Shit, it normally takes someone to meet me before coming to that conclusion!
-
I like a good film score as much as the next uncool guy, but it does seem to be the one element of a movie that seems sacrocanct... I might be wrong but didn't even films like Festen have a score?
-
Not too long ago, Duran Duran's current producer let it slip that they may be recording another Bond theme. Not sure if that panned out or not.
-
Jan. 10, 2012, 12:55 p.m. CST
Just use the original Bond theme on the credits. Get away from the tired format of the opening scene.
by cameron
I always prefer the classic theme to the specially commisioned 'songs' . I'm glad Newman's involved, maybe he'll have a score that enhances the movie, much like Zimmer and Howard have with the Batman movies.
-
... and it's a Bond film composer's job to create it. John Barry's classic scores cast a long shadow over the series, but that's what James Bond movies are supposed to sound like. Brass choir, lush strings, urgent percussion, twangy guitar, melancholy flutes, Stan Kenton-esque trombones and trumpets. The traditional "James Bond Theme" can be beat to death and should be used sparingly, but it SHOULD be used. David Arnold has done a sterling job for the past five films, by subsuming his own "artistic" leanings and doing the job he was hired to. (Eric Serra did not when he scored GoldenEye, which is why chunks of the movie had to be rescored by anonymous studio hacks.) Hopefully, Thomas Newman will bring his talent and passion for film music to the job, but also his understanding that this is factory work, to be performed within specifications.David Arnold's score for Quantum of Solace, his most mature work to date, is a great example of what a talented composer can bring to the project, while still coloring inside the lines. I'm looking forward to SKYFALL as much as any other 007 geek, but the troubling phrase "talented bombing" keeps occurring to me each time I read about which artiste has been brought on to the show.
-
Noel Gallagher. The fucker's as good as already written it anyway. England expects, Mr G. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6pLbqiuq98&sns=em
-
is still alive and working, right? Why hasn't he done a James Bond score yet? Something tells me John Ottman would love to do a James Bond score. He's a huge John Barry fan. And Muse needs to do a Bond theme. Seriously. They kind of already did one—"Butterflies and Hurricanes".
-
Music to ride car park lifts to. The fact that Adele is a huge "musical" draw and Sarah Millican makes a decent living as a "comedian" in the UK is proof that there's far too much money in the hands of middle-class housewives. They're both a bit tubby and therefore unthreatening and achingly, desperately "inoffensive".
-
David Arnold would have happily done it; Sam Mendes' choice entirely.
-
I've commented before on my hatred of David Arnold's Bond work, so this is great news. Frankly, I'm amazed at the level of support that he still enjoys for his instantly forgettable 007 scores - i've enjoyed his work elsewhere, but on the Bond series which has contained some of the most famous movie music ever, his shabby John Barry 'tributes' are a real low-point of the last five films. Frankly, in the last twenty years the only decent Bond film has been Casino Royale - imagine if it had had a John Barry score instead of another pile of nothing by Arnold. I hope this marks his permanent departure from this once great series - in Mendes we trust? Pass the fucking asparagus Blofeld!
-
Jan. 10, 2012, 4:42 p.m. CST
The opening song is going to Adele, but I'd much prefer Goldfrapp
by ZoeFan
-
then Meh. Slap whatever stylized chick song to your Bourne movie that you want.
-
Shut up. You know you love that song.
-
by Garbage. Sexy, sultry. They should have put Shirley Manson in the opening credits.
-
I guess it's the closest they'll get to having Amy Winehouse do a Bond song now, but Adele seems kind of... eh. Florence + The Machine would be a more interesting choice.
-
Wow. That's a first!
-
...it is not however the best. Of the "modern" Bond songs, hands-down I'd say "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell is the best. Also - this Bond had better fucking have the Gun Barrel opening or I'll be mighty pissed!
-
...I heard they shot one for Never Say Never Again. The music is on the score. Any footage of it?
-
Jan. 11, 2012, 1:33 a.m. CST
"minimalist BS" = ie interesting music as opposed to hollywood blowhard histrionic retard shit
by quantize
-
...was every bit as good as Casino Royale and Marc Forster is a FAR superior director to Martin (yawn) Campbell. Bitch and whine all you like, deep down you know it to be true.
-
Seriously. They sure like picking bland fucking singers, don't they? Fucking ADELE? Jeez. Someone give 'em Anna Calvi's number, quick...
-
The Bond flick and the Olympics I mean. But that London 2012 logo looks like shit.
-
Tomorrow Never Dies also had two title songs in effect, and the score was based on the one that wasn't chosen for the intro (kd lang's). Still don't understand why they went with Sheryl Crow's version for the title and used kd lang's for the credits. </b></b>Had no idea Thunderball had two themes.
Top Talkbacks
-
HERCULES ON THE RADIO!!
Learn What Ain’t It Cool’s TV Critic Thinks About STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS, Next Week’s HANNIBAL, MAD MEN, GAME OF THRONES, The New Fall Shows And More!! Listen And Call In LIVE Saturday 8pm PT/11pm ET!! -- 229 total posts 103 posts - Hey! Fat Face! Here's The New Teaser To ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES! -- 217 total posts 55 posts
- Harry dives into STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS' spoilers to reveal the truth behind the blockbuster we're seeing! -- 178 total posts 48 posts
- Here's A Behind-The-Scenes Look At MAN OF STEEL With New Footage! Also... Is Supergirl In The Prequel Comic? -- 103 total posts 20 posts
- Nordling Reviews STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS! Spoilers Abound! You Are Warned! -- 978 total posts 12 posts
- UPDATE The Friday Docback Calls 'The Name of the Doctor'!! DOCTOR WHO's S7 Finale Arrives This Weekend!! Now With Glen's Ultra-Brief, SPOILER FREE MiniReview!! -- 270 total posts 12 posts
- New PACIFIC RIM Trailer Takes A Battleship Upside The Head Of Every Other Summer Movie Trailer! -- 283 total posts 11 posts
-
Ben Affleck Tonight Hosts
SNL’s 38th Season Finale!! -- 40 total posts 6 posts - 1st Trailer for Jean Pierre Jeunet's THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS SPIVET!!! Joy Follows... -- 23 total posts 6 posts
- Last minute red-band trailer for THE HANGOVER PART III released! -- 132 total posts 5 posts