The Johnny Depp Project

I decided that instead of watching films I've not seen before, I want to spend more time rewatching films that I've loved in the past. Johnny Depp was my favourite person ever when I was 12/13 and so I felt the need to own everything related to him. Hence, I own quite a lot of his films on DVD, many of which I haven't watched for about 5 years. So, this summer (22nd June until 30th September) I'm going to rewatch Depp's filmography in chronological order. This is quite a big task because he's starred in so many films, however some I am excluding from this project (For example, Before Night Falls, which he appears in for about 5 minutes, which I watched for the first time only recently and didn't enjoy it much, so I don't want to watch it again anytime soon.) Here's a list of the films I plan to watch and write about on this blog, a few of which I will be watching for the first time (I've put these films in italic)

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984
2. Private Resort, 1985
3. Platoon, 1986
4. Cry-Baby, 1990
5. Edward Scissorhands, 1990
6. Benny & Joon, 1993
7. What's Eating Gilbert Grape, 1993
8. Arizona Dream, 1993
9. Ed Wood, 1994
10. Don Juan DeMarco, 1995
11. Dead Man, 1995
12. Nick of Time, 1995
13. Donnie Brasco, 1997
14. The Brave, 1997
15. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1998
16. The Ninth Gate, 1999
17. Sleepy Hollow, 1999
18. The Astronaut's Wife, 1999
19. Chocolat, 2000
20. Blow, 2001
21. The Man Who Cried, 2001
22. From Hell, 2001
23. Once Upon a Time in Mexico, 2003
24. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, 2003
25. Secret Window, 2004
26. Finding Neverland, 2004
27. The Libertine, 2004
28. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005
29. Corpse Bride, 2005
30. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, 2006
31. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, 2007
32. Sweeney Todd, 2007
33. Public Enemies, 2009
34. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, 2009
35. Alice in Wonderland, 2010
36. The Tourist, 2010
37. Rango, 2011
38. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, 2011
39. The Rum Diary, 2011

Some of these films I really disliked, and watching them again is going to be a bit of a struggle (for example, The Tourist) But generally I'm looking forward to the project. I'd like to include the TV series of 21 Jump Street but I'm afraid that would take too long.

First up, A Nightmare on Elm Street!

Films I've seen in the past week

For the first time:

1. Moonrise Kingdom - 4.5/5
2. Chopper - 2.5/5
3. Rock of Ages - 2.5/5
4. The Remains of the Day - 3.5/5
5. Le Quattro Volte - 3.5/5
6. Charade - 4/5
7. Paris, Texas - 4/5
8. Mirrormask - 1/5

Rewatches:

1. Prometheus - 4.5/5
2. Grizzly Man - 3.5/5
3. Army of Darkness - 3.5/5
4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - 3.5/5

Various film score recommendations.

Welcome to Jurassic Park, composed by John Williams, from Jurassic Park.

Ballad for Mathilda, composed by Eric Serra, from Leon: The Professional.


The Homecoming, composed by John Williams, from War Horse.


The Legend of Ashitaka, composed by Joe Hisaishi, from Princess Mononoke.

First Love Touch, composed by Angelo Badalamenti, from A Very Long Engagement.

They're Calling My Flight, composed by Cliff Martinez, from Contagion.

Gina and Elvira's Theme, composed by Giorgio Moroder, from Scarface.

Rango Suite, composed by Hans Zimmer, from Rango.

This Is My Choice, composed by Alan Silvestri, from Captain America: The First Avenger.

2PiR, composed by Clint Mansell, from Pi.

Fright Night, composed by Ramin Djawadi, from Fright Night (2011).

The Help

Composed by Thomas Newman, released 13th of September 2011.

I had the privilege of seeing The Help at a preview screening today, as it doesn't come out in the UK until later this week, and I am aware it came out in the US back in August!

Firstly, I really loved the film. All the actors were brilliant and the characters extremely convincing, and the film even made everyone in the cinema roar with laughter (Seriously, I don't think I've ever been sat with such a loud audience before, it was great.)

The music in the film wasn't something I immediately noticed. In some scenes it stood out slightly more and it's quite pleasing music, but it's not until now listening to the score that I've noticed how wonderful it is. And how could it not be with Thomas Newman composing? His most well-known score I'd say is American Beauty, and there are definite hints of this within the music for The Help. The piano is the main instrument, creating a tender feel.

One thing to notice is that this score is not overpowering. It adds feeling to the scenes but does not "suffocate" you, considering most of the time I didn't notice it.

However, some of the melodies are really beautiful. One that stands out for me is 'Amen', which sounds hopeful whilst at the same time remaining light. In fact, it reminds me of Newman's score for The Shawshank Redemption.

Generally, it's not one of the most exciting scores of the year, but there's something captivating about it and I'm going to enjoy many more listens to it I'm sure. My favourite tracks are: Aibilene, Them Fools, Bottom of the List, First White Baby, Amen and Ain't You Tired.

I would give this soundtrack a rating of 8/10.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Composed by Patrick Doyle, released 16th of August 2011.

I went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Wednesday and I liked it a lot, but of course, one aspect that stood out for me was the music. In the end credits I noticed that it's composed by Patrick Doyle, so I thought "no wonder I loved it" because he also did the music for Thor (which I love) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

There were scenes in the film where the music was such a big part, it was almost impossible not to notice it. The first instance of this being when Caesar climbs the huge tree in Muir Woods, and this music plays. It's a majestic piece of music that compliments the happenings on screen, because it is as Caesar ascends up the tree that he grows older, and as he reaches the top it is then '5 years later'. 

The next track that stands out for me is 'Who Am I?' which plays as Will explains to Caesar about what happened to his mother. It's an ethereal piece of music that flows in such a way that it sounds like it will become more cheery by the next note, but it never does, unlike 'Lofty Swing' which is probably the most optimistic track on the soundtrack.

The majority of the soundtrack makes good background music, but it's mainly the music from the beginning and end of the film that I like the most. 'Golden Gate Bridge' is in the climax of the film, and it's a good fast-paced track that I can't help but relate to the Thor soundtrack. In my opinion, Doyle is great at composing "epic" pieces of music that conform to the fictional universes of these films, whilst also being able to build on the character development through his music. As with any film, there are many scenes that would fall flat without Doyle's music, particularly when Caesar is left in the primate facility.

Overall, it's not the most exciting soundtrack in the world but I know I'll be listening to it quite a lot in the coming weeks! My favourite tracks are: Lofty Swing, Muir Woods, Off You Go, Who Am I?, Golden Gate Bridge and Caesar's Home.

I would give this soundtrack a rating of 7/10.

My favourite film composers, and my favourite scores of theirs.

(Although, some film scores I include, I may just know the main theme. Also, I'm including composers that I know more than one film score from, hence there are several I didn't include)


Alexandre Desplat - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2, The King's Speech, Girl with a Pearl Earring,  Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium


Clint Mansell - Black Swan, The Fountain, Moon, Requiem for a Dream


John Powell - How To Train Your Dragon, Shrek, Horton Hears a Who!, Rio


Dario Marianelli - Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, V For Vendetta


Ennio Morricone - Cinema Paradiso, The Good The Bad & The Ugly, The Mercenary 



John Williams - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Jaws


Patrick Doyle - Thor, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Much Ado About Nothing


Nicholas Hooper - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and the Half Blood Prince


Hans Zimmer - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Dead Man's Chest, On Stranger Tides, Inception, The Holiday, Sherlock Holmes, The Lion King


Carter Burwell - True Grit, Where The Wild Things Are,  


Henry Jackman - Kick Ass, X-Men: First Class


Danny Elfman - Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, 


John Murphy - Sunshine, 28 Days Later


Randy Newman - Monsters Inc, Toy Story, A Bug's Life


Michael Nyman - Man on Wire, The Libertine, The Piano


David Arnold - Paul, Hot Fuzz, Sherlock (BBC)


Alan Menken - Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, Enchanted, Hercules, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid

My favourite Harry Potter soundtrack tracks.

This past week has made me remember how much I love all the Harry Potter soundtracks, so I've compiled a list of my favourite tracks from them.  Click on each for a link to the track in a Youtube video.


If you're a big Harry Potter fan and have never listened to the soundtracks before, I'd like to think that this post is an "introduction" to them. Enjoy!

The Philosopher’s Stone (composed by John Williams)

• Harry’s Wondrous World
• The Arrival of Baby Harry
• Visit to the Zoo and Letters from Hogwarts
• Diagon Valley and The Gringotts Vault
• Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters and The Journey to Hogwarts
• Entry into the Great Hall and The Banquet
• Mr Longbottom Flies
• Christmas at Hogwarts
• Leaving Hogwarts

The Chamber of Secrets

• Prologue: Book II and the Escape from the Dursleys
• Fawkes The Phoenix
• The Flying Car
• Knockturn Alley
• Dobby the House Elf
• Fawkes Is Reborn
• Reunion of Friends

The Prisoner of Azkaban

• Buckbeak’s Flight
• A Window to the Past
• Secrets of the Castle
• Hagrid the Professor
• The Patronus Light
• Finale

The Goblet of Fire

• The Story Continues
• Neville’s Waltz
• Harry in Winter
• Potter Waltz
• Another Year Ends
• Hogwarts’ Hymn

The Order of the Phoenix

• Fireworks
• Another Story
• Dumbledore’s Army
• Possession
• The Kiss
• A Journey To Hogwarts
• The Sirius Deception
• The Ministry of Magic

The Half-Blood Prince

• Opening & Deatheater Attack
• The Story Begins
• Harry and Hermione
• Farewell Aragog
• When Ginny Kissed Harry
• Journey To The Cave
• Dumbledore’s Farewell
• The Friends
• The Weasley Stomp

The Deathly Hallows Part I

• Obliviate
• Snape to Malfoy Manor
• At The Burrow
• The Will
• Ron Leaves
• Destroying the Locket
• Ron's Speech
• Farewell to Dobby

The Deathly Hallows Part II

• Lily’s Theme
• Dragon Flight
• Statues
• The Grey Lady
• Courtyard Apocalypse
• Severus and Lily
• The Resurrection Stone
• Voldemort’s End

Considering that there are over 180 tracks overall, I think it's good to have narrowed it down to the 61 tracks here. Give them a listen!