Emily's film blog: soundtrack

Showing posts with label soundtrack. Show all posts

Thursday, 17 November 2011

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).

Sunday, 23 October 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.

Friday, 19 August 2011

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.

Sunday, 17 July 2011

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)

The Chamber of Secrets

The Prisoner of Azkaban

The Goblet of Fire

The Order of the Phoenix

The Half-Blood Prince

The Deathly Hallows Part I

The Deathly Hallows Part II

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!

Saturday, 16 July 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Composed by Alexandre Desplat, released 12th of July 2011.

This soundtrack hasn't even been released for a week, and yet it is already my most listened to album of the past 3 months. I listened to it in full before seeing the film, so that my viewing would be even more emotional, as I'd know some of the music. Upon first listen, I knew it'd be one of my favourite soundtracks ever. Then I saw the film at midnight on Friday the 15th, and absolutely loved it.

I adore the Harry Potter soundtracks. In fact, the first soundtrack I ever received was for 'The Philosopher's Stone' at Christmas 2001, but back then I wasn't bothered about the music! I look back at myself in shame, but hey, I was only 7. Eventually, I became more interested in instrumental music and soundtracks, so I listened to it and loved it. And my favourite Harry Potter soundtrack prior to 'Deathly Hallows Part 2' was 'Goblet of Fire', as it features so many lovely themes. Plus, The Weird Sisters are awesome, let's not deny.

The first track on this soundtrack is 'Lily's Theme' which sounds, as it's intended, sentimental. By listening, you can tell that it's the theme of someone who is dead, as the single vocal in it sounds somewhat ghostly. It is a bewitching theme that is later reprised in 'The Resurrection Stone'.

The next track that stands out for me is 'Dragon Flight'. It's one of those pieces of music that make you feel invincible, and it takes 'Lily's Theme' and makes it more powerful. I think this is my favourite faster-paced track on the soundtrack.

'Neville' introduces a theme that is courageous and comforting. It replicates the same reassuring feelings I got when Neville arrives in the film.

The first point in the film when I felt a lump in my throat was when McGonagall summoned down the statues of Hogwarts to protect the castle. I felt like this not because of what was happening, but because it's the first use of my absolute favourite theme of the film. In fact, I'm gonna go ahead and link you to 'Statues' because I can't describe it.

This is similar to 'Courtyard Apocalypse', played as Harry, Ron and Hermione run through the battle taking place in Hogwarts. This was one of my favourite scenes as we are seeing Hogwarts, the magical castle we've been watching since 2001, is now the setting of this epic war. Usually, music accompanying a scene like this would be fast-paced, so to put the audience at unease, however, it is a slow track that makes it far more emotional. It really feels like it's coming to an end.

Uh oh, now we're onto the track that I love the most, 'Severus and Lily'. The Prince's Tale scene was so perfect, I have declared it my favourite Harry Potter scene. But goodness, the tears wouldn't stop. After all these years of seeing Alan Rickman as Snape, showing little to no emotion (and I'm not meaning that in a nasty way, that's his character) to see him completely break down in tears was a truly unforgettable thing. Even listening to the music from it makes me want to burst with emotion (This is a good thing, Alexandre Desplat has done well in that sense) Today it has come to my attention that there is an extended version of this track, which features a choral section and violins, and listening to it now I can see the moment in my head. If you've seen the film, you'll know exactly which part I mean, it's the most heartbreaking thing. The extended version can be heard here.

Then is 'Harry's Sacrifice', which uses the theme of 'Obliviate' from Deathly Hallows Part 1, a piece of music which I fell in love with back in November 2010. This is a crucial moment in the film, as Harry accepts what he has to do, so this music couldn't be more appropriate.

Lastly is 'A New Beginning', used in the '19 years later' scene which personally I loved and thought was a brilliant ending to the series, although lots of people seem to be saying the opposite. A sense of contentment is very recognisable in this piece, creating the perfect end.

If you've seen the film and haven't checked out the soundtrack yet, do it now because it's honestly so good. I can't and don't want to stop listening to it. My favourite tracks are: Lily's Theme, Statues, Courtyard Apocalypse, Severus and Lily, The Resurrection Stone and Voldemort's End.

I would give this soundtrack a rating of 10/10. Well done, Mr Desplat.

Saturday, 2 April 2011

Kick-Ass

Featuring music by various artists, released 17th of May 2010.

I went to see Kick-Ass in the cinema back in April last year, and was blown away. I hadn't seen such a violent, loud film in the cinema before so the whole experience was amazing. A major aspect of that was because of how much I loved the music used. I went home and immediately listened to the soundtrack on Spotify, which features songs by The Prodigy, Mika, Primal Scream and many more. In fact, it's through that soundtrack that I got into The Prodigy, who have opened my mind to a different genre of music that, just over a year ago, I would have never expected to like!

A while later, I noticed that the score had been uploaded to Spotify. Before that, I didn't know it even existed, I thought the soundtrack was the only thing available.

I remember when I saw the film, I heard what seemed to be the theme from 28 Days Later. This made me nudge my friend like "WHAT IS THIS?! THAT'S FROM 28 DAYS LATER?! HAVE THEY JUST COPIED THE MUSIC AND REMIXED IT SLIGHTLY?" but I soon found out that John Murphy, the composer, had in fact been involved with the soundtrack on this film, and Strobe (Adagio in D Minor) from Sunshine is also used. (I still haven't seen Sunshine though.) The 28 Days Later theme is known as 'Big Daddy Kills' on this score.

This score compiles a wide variety of composers, hence lots of different styles. The opening track on the score, The Armenian Superhero, has a very heroic feel, but ends with the sound effects of the "superhero" crashing into the car. I must admit I jumped when I heard it.

Next is the funky 'Stand Up' by The Prodigy, which is a shorter version of the original. It sets the scene in the film really well, and listening to it makes me feel awesome, not even gonna lie.

There are 39 tracks on this score overall, so I'm not going to talk about them all. The next significant track for me is 'Roof Jump', which starts off slow, building anticipation. The guitar riff is great.

'Big Daddy Dies' is heartbreaking, I can see the scene in my head as I listen to it. It uses parts of 'Big Daddy Kills', but features more violins.

When I listened to 'The Corridor' for the first time, I thought it sounded familiar. I did some googling and discovered that it uses a sample of the riff from November Rain by Guns N' Roses. I think it fits really well and this is one of my favourite tracks.

A track that makes me happy is 'Flying Home', it sounds like everything a happy ending should be.

Generally, there are definitely some stand out tracks such as 'Roof Jump', 'Famous', 'Leaving Rasul's' and others, but there are also many that blend in and don't make an impact. I'm not saying they're bad, they just get a bit repetitive, but it all makes for good background music.

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

Friday, 18 March 2011

How To Train Your Dragon

Composed by John Powell, released 23rd of March 2010.

I saw this recently and absolutely loved it. I remember seeing the trailer over a year ago and thinking that it looked like a mediocre animated film, similar to Over The Hedge. However, when it was released, it was a big success critically, but I never got round to seeing it in the cinema unfortunately, although now I wish I had.

I didn't notice the music throughout the whole film, but there were points when I thought "Blimey, that piece is lovely." For example, the scene when Hiccup makes friends with Toothless, as seen on the cover art above. The scene involves almost no dialogue, and so the music is quite noticeable. It's really beautiful. This is a bit of a lame example but it reminds me of the relationship between me and my cat, because we don't talk. Obviously, in this story, there's a lot more danger involved because there's a dragon, not a cat. I think that the piece 'Forbidden Friendship' shows this well, because you can also hear elements of danger in the music, that would be involved with becoming friends with a dragon. From this track alone, it is obvious to me why this was nominated for 'Best Original Score' at the Oscars. However, I'm not mad about it not winning, because I also like The Social Network score.

From reading a lot of other people's thoughts about this soundtrack, the tracks which accompany the more action-based scenes in the film are fairly popular too. However, I prefer the tracks that represent the relationship side to the film, such as 'Romantic Flight'. I enjoy the louder, more epic tracks, but I prefer the more emotional parts, as it were.

The song that plays in the end credits is 'Sticks & Stones' by Jónsi, who is well known as being the main vocalist in the band Sigur Rós, whom I adore. John Powell even said " I've always liked Sigur Rós. They were an influence as well, even though that seems paradoxical" I haven't listened to much of Jónsi's solo music before though, but I really like this song. Simply, it's a very positive song. It's not a traditional song you would expect in an animated film, but it has that same feeling of satisfaction you get after finishing a brilliant film, and completes the film superbly.

My favourite tracks are: This Is Berk, Forbidden Friendship, See You Tomorrow, Test Drive, Romantic Flight and Coming Back Around.

I would give this soundtrack a rating of 9/10.