Intrada Soundtrack Forum

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I'm absolutely positive that Deep Rising is a truly underrated Goldsmith gem. I went on record to say so when it came out originally at FSM years ago and my opinion hasn't changed. There's not a single dull moment in the score.

Other scores that may qualify:

I also love James Horner's Thunderheart and never tire of it.

Leonard Rosenman's Robocop 2 is another score I never tire of defending. Great main theme, cool action and suspense music... I wish this would get an expanded release one day. But since the score isn't particularly popular, I'm not counting on it any time soon.

I also believe John Williams' Heartbeeps to be fantastic and can listen to it over and over again, even though practically nobody apart from the uttermost die hard Williams completionists has ever heard it. In fact, the limited Varese Club release -- which is the first release of this score at all -- is still available after years! Any other John Williams score would have sold out long ago. Pity, it's such a marvellous off beat Williams effort.

Elliot Goldenthal's Titus is among my favorite scores, too, yet not too many people seem to be keen on it.

But, probably worst of all for somebody who's got so much Brahms, Bartok, Schönberg, and Stravinsky in his collection, I truly enjoy Madonna's Confessions on a dance floor, which is a top notch disco-pop album. Yes, it's fluffy and poppy and musically about as nourishing as bubble gum, but, like bubble gum, it's a lot of fun and entertaining as hell. This one's more in the "quilty pleasure" category though.

I have a few...

M:I2 (Zimmer) - One of the worst film scores of all time... but it works so damn well on CD. Nyah and Ethan is absolutely beautiful.

U-571 (Marvin) - The ultimate Jerry Goldsmith rip off score. But I love big, loud, crash-bang action scores so this one gets a lot of play.

HEARTBEEPS (Williams) - And people say that Williams doesn't experiment with electronics? The Crimebuster theme is absolutely fantastic.

VIRUS (McNeely) - Give it a chance. It's really one of the composers most impressive efforts. And he wrote a dynamite End Credit cue.

KULL THE CONQUEROR (Joel Goldsmith) - I hate rock and roll scores for films of this sort... but my God does this score absolutely sizzle.

PAULIE (Debney) - Wonderful opening to the album... "Paulie Medley" is shamelessly over the top and the thematic development is very well done.

What about film songs?

Cindy Lauper's "Goonies 'r' Good Enough." My God that takes me back. The two Huey Lewis and the News songs from Back to the Future also get a lot of play. "The Wild Rover" sung by Ellen Smith -- what a GREAT old fashion country twang tune.

That's it for now.

-Erik-

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Erik Woods
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For me:

Devil's own- J.Horner

Phonebooth- H.Gregson Williams

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ric

Laurence Rosenthal's highly under-rated and never mentioned HOTEL PARADISO and THE COMEDIANS. PARADISO is one of the most cheerful scores I've ever heard and COMEDIANS has tremendous atmosphere -- both well preserved on the Chapter III two-fer.......

John Williams' controversial monothematic masterpiece "The Accidental Tourist" is one of my favorites, both with the film and apart from it.

Williams matches the film's deliberate pacing and imbues the film with subtle emotional nuances. While some folks declare it all sounds the same, it's actually textured and varied.

It's a challenging and rewarding listen with a HUGE payback!

I like James Newton Howard's more "modern / urban" atmospheric scores, such as Dreamcatcher, The Interpreter, Freedomland; I don't think they are dorning at all, but that he manages to make such a difficult thing sound interesting and listenable-- it's a matter of taste, of course, but as a great man once said, " I alone know this. The rest of you are tone deaf!"

Deep Rising is quite an exciting action score.

And I love the moody Star Trek: Nemesis, which features a beautiful melancholy new theme and good atmospheric writing as well.

Another of those scores many film music fans loathe is Leonard Rosenman's "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home."

What a joy this score is for me! When I first saw "Star Trek: The Voyage Home" I was immediately seized by Rosenman's rapturous main titles. Not only was it the best Star Trek movie ever, but aside from Goldsmith's original movie score, Rosenman's score is easily the best of the rest in my book. That main theme's inevitable capitulation into sheer baroque joy as the whales are released into the ocean remains one of the finer screen moments in science fiction film.

I feel sorry for those who do not hear it through my ears.

I love John Ottman's Fantastic Four score -- it's got a catchy-as-hell theme, and the theme recurs through the score, with a big wrap-up. (And I recall that Doug liked it as well.) It's just a fun listen, to me!

And in keeping with comic book films... John Powell's X-Men 3: The Last Stand. Yeah, he rips off John Williams' Superman rhythm... but this is still a fun, powerful listen, with two really great themes (the X-Men theme and the Dark Phoenix theme) that get a workout throughout the score. I've listened to this at least a couple dozen times since it came out.

Oh yeah, and another thing: I love Patrick Doyle's score to Frankenstein -- and I don't care what people think, I love the crazy-ass, over-the-top movie it's attached to, too.

-- Jon

For me, it's Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. I could never understand the complaints about this score. Of course John Williams was unavailable and rather than simply cobble something together out of past scores, Patrick Doyle came up with a musical breath of fresh air for the series. "Harry In Winter" is one of Doyle's most touching cues (and he gets extra points for working in a Shakespeare reference). "The Quidditch World Cup" was simply astonishing the first time I heard it. Bravo!

ST:IV? yuk!

I guess mine is CAT PEOPLE . most folks don't like it and think the synths are cheesy. I like Moroder's moody soundscapes and spooky percussion.

Just program out the title song, sit back and enjoy!

And skip the film. Unless, of course you don't want to see Nastassi Kinski ffn. Not a bad reason to watch it, come to think of it.LOL!

Bacharach, baby!

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

I mightn't ever have suggested this Oscar-winner were it not for the critical backlash both the score and the film have inexplicably weathered since their groovy reception in '69. Newman, Redford, Ross, Goldman, Hill, and that wistful, rollicking, top 40 sound that touches all the right chords in both the quiet as well as the propulsive moments. "The Old Fun City" is a dynamite cue!

And while I'm at it, may I share in the revelry of both Cat People and The Accidental Tourist? (But please don't omit Bowie's "Putting Out Fire"!) I frequently listen to "New Beginning" and "End Credits" while imagining the brilliant film Kasdan might have made to warrant the exquisite melancholy of that peerless Williams finale.

(And hey, Star Trek IV was too darling by half for my personal taste, but I too like Rosenman's score.)