Hamlette's Soliloquy: music

Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

Friday, November 01, 2024

Soon, Soon to Faithful Warriors Comes Their Rest

Today, the Christian church traditionally celebrates All Saint's Day. The hymn "For All the Saints, Who From Their Labors Rest" by William Walsham How is a pretty traditional choice to sing in church services on or around this day.

Three weeks ago yesterday, my dad joined the throng of saints who from their labors rest.

It was the phone call you don't want to get, the one from a neighbor of your loved one saying there's been an accident, we aren't sure what happened, the ambulance is on its way, and we'll update you when we know anything definite.

And then you wait, and you put your kids to bed after letting them know their grandpa has had an accident, and you wait some more. The neighbor calls you back, you talk to your mom, and you learn that your dad is gone.

Somehow, your heart keeps beating, your thoughts keep progressing, your lungs keep inflating and deflating. You call your brother to let him know. You put on your pajamas and go to bed and cry and sleep and cry and sleep.

And you pray. Pray for courage, for comfort, for the ability to continue. For the right words to say to your kids, your brother, your mom. To your best friend since high school who thought of your parents as basically hers too. To your church family that your dad pastored for 26 years. To your dad's last surviving sibling.

And God in His mercy grants you all that you need, just like He always has and always will. HIs grace is sufficient.

Monday, December 25, 2023

Merry Christmas to You!

I hope you have been enjoying a joyful Christmas. It's been so quiet and lovely here -- went to church in the morning, baked a pie after lunch, read a book and built Legos with my kids and took a nap, then had a lovely feast. Just now, we took a "Christmas lights walk," a yearly tradition where we walk around our neighborhood enjoying everyone's outdoor decorations.

If you're looking for some nice background music or something more low-key to watch during your celebrations, my college has posted a great video of their annual Christmas at Bethany concert on YouTube. We watched it yesterday afternoon, and I was so impressed by this year's musical selections. Every year's concert is lovely, but I think this is the best one I have ever experienced (including the ones I performed in many years ago)!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

Monday, November 27, 2023

Movie Music: Alexandre Desplat's "The Monuments Men" (2014)

I think The Monuments Men (2014) is a lovely movie, if you can ever call a movie about war "lovely." It feels like a throwback to classic WWII films from the 1960s, like The Great Escape (1963) and The Guns of Navarone (1963). Alexandre Desplat's soundtrack also hearkens back to the movies of that era, and it has become one of my favorite scores to write to.

The first track I'm sharing is "Basic Training." It's upbeat and cheery, one of those "let's all get working on something together" sorts of songs. And about 30 seconds in, it brings in the movie's main theme, which is endearingly jaunty and optimistic.

"I See You Stahl" is completely different -- dark and foreboding, and with a sense of desperation. In the middle it gets very menacing before a calmer theme arrives to bring a sense of hope that leads back into the more can-do feel that pervades the movie.

"Normandy" is a more thoughtful song, quiet and reflective, and yet ultimately also strong and confident.

And, as a timely treat, here's a rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" that figures into the plot:

If you enjoyed those three short selections, you can listen to the whole soundtrack on YouTube here. I heartily recommend it.

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on November 29, 2015.)

Thursday, October 05, 2023

Movie Music: Miklos Rozsa's "Ben-Hur" (1959)

Yesterday -- October 4, 2023 -- was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Charlton Heston! I meant to finish and post this yesterday, in celebration, but life got in the way. Still, only a slightly belated celebration :-)

Ben-Hur (1959) is the first movie I ever saw Charlton Heston in. My family rented it from the video store one weekend when I was probably ten or eleven, and I absolutely loved it. When we bought our own copy a few years later, I watched it once a year or so. For years, I dreamed of a chance to see it on the big screen, and I was actually able to do that a few years ago! My husband and kids and I got to go see it in the theater, and it was magnificent.

While I have seen Charlton Heston in many other movies over the years, Ben-Hur remains my favorite film of his, and my favorite performance of his. So, today, I am reviewing the film's soundtrack.

This is the most majestic score I have ever heard, and I have many favorite themes which get featured in many different tracks. Miklos Rozsa 100% earned that Oscar, my friends.

I'll begin with the "Prelude" because it's what opens the film, and because it has bits of most of the major themes in it, so if you're only going to listen to one track, this one gives you an excellent taste of the style and overall sound of this soundtrack. And yet it manages to meld so many disparate themes into a cohesive whole -- remarkable achievement, really.

"Friendship" is mostly a lyrical song, but with a masculine sensibility. The title refers to the bond of friendship between the main character, a Jewish noble named Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), and Messala (Stephen Boyd), a Roman soldier. The destruction of their friendship sets the story in motion, as a beautiful childhood relationship dissolves under the weight of adult loyalties.

"Parade of the Charioteers" is all barely-contained energy and mounting adrenaline. Even if you don't know there's going to be a famous, fantastic chariot race happening next, this music would cue you in that something awesome and exciting is about to take place.

And now for something completely different: the "Love Theme." It's tender, pensive, yearning. An oasis of quiet gentleness among all the spectacle. But at the same time, not remotely boring.

If you want a little more, "The Overture" is also fantastic, and it covers even more of the main themes than "The Prelude." Yes, Ben-Hur is such a colossal movie, it has an overture, and then a prelude. And an intermission. And it deserves them.

Okay, I'll stop here :-) If you like these samplings at all, do yourself a favor and listen to the whole thing on YouTube, starting here. Then if you love it, buy the CDs, the big, long, full score, because it is completely worth it. I do not tire of this music.

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on October 13, 2015.)

Sunday, March 05, 2023

"A Song is Born" (1948)

A Song is Born (1948) is a remake of Ball of Fire (1941), and both were directed by Howard Hawks! Or, rather, they're both based on the story "From A to Z" by Billy Wilder and Thomas Monroe. They both have the same basic plot but, while Ball of Fire is a screwball comedy, A Song is Born is a musical comedy. Although I enjoy the former more than most screwballs, I really do prefer the latter in nearly every way. We'll get to that.

Like the earlier film, this is basically a retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, only it's about a nightclub singer on the run who seeks refuge with seven professors, plus an eighth professor who turns out to be a handsome prince, sort of.

The Totten Foundation is a group of eight musical academics who have been working on a comprehensive encyclopedia of world music. Whenever their sponsor, Miss Totten (Mary Field, who played the same role in Ball of Fire!!!), threatens to cut off their funding if they don't finish their work soon, the older academics throw Professor Hobart Frisbee (Danny Kaye) in her path. Miss Totten has a crush on Hobart and is always easily convinced to continue supporting their project if he's the one talking to her.

After spending nine years locked away in an old New York mansion, the professors tell Miss Totten they're nearly finished cataloging, describing, and providing musical examples for every single form of music from Baroque to barbaric. But then, two window washers (played by the popular duo Buck and Bubbles, aka Ford L. "Buck" Washington and John W. "Bubbles" Sublett) introduce them to jazz music, and the academics have a crisis of conscience. How can they say their work is finished when they know absolutely nothing about jazz and have not included it in their encyclopedia?

Hobart Frisbee sets out to learn about jazz, swing, Dixie, jive, blues, and everything else jazz-influenced. He does this by visiting nightclubs all over New York City and listening to a dazzling array of actual musicians and bands, including Louis Armstrong and Tommy Dorsey (but not Benny Goodman because he is playing one of the other professors, the one up there wielding licorice stick). While he's conducting all this research, Hobart eventually meets a girl.

Like so many Hawks films, A Song is Born features a female character who has strength, style, determination, and a hidden sweetness that eventually shines through her tough exterior. Here, it's a nightclub warbler called Honey Swanson (Virginia Mayo) who starts out an opportunistic conniver and winds up a softhearted sweetheart. Honey's gangster boyfriend Tony Crow (Steve Cochran) is on the lam, avoiding a murder rap, and he tells Honey to find someplace to hide until he can quick marry her so she can't be forced to testify that his alibi for that murder is a phony.

Oh, and her outfit is super-duper similar to what Barbara Stanwyck wears in Ball of Fire too! I love that touch. They both have this weird shimmery skirt that's actually just strips of sequined fabric. Both versions are pretty daring, if you ask me.

Hobart had invited Honey to visit the Totten Foundation to discuss jazz music, and she decides that is the perfect place to hide out. She plants herself in the midst of all those professors in the middle of the night and refuses to leave until she's been able to educate them. Musically, of course.

Honey is not the only performer Hobart invited over, she's just the first to arrive. The next day, a whole lot of the musicians he visited (including Louis Armstrong and Tommy Dorsey) show up, and they play a perfectly delightful array of musical numbers, including the titular ditty "A Song is Born." If you enjoy jazz, swing, or '40s music at all, you will be delighted by that whole segment.

Naturally, Hobart is dazzled by the glamorous, worldly Honey. Naturally, she doesn't take him seriously at all. But Hobart IS serious about her, and proposes. Meanwhile, Honey's gangster boyfriend wants her to find a way out of the city that won't be spotted by the cops. She's supposed to meet up with him out in the country for a quickie wedding.

SPOILERS in the next two paragraphs!!!

Honey tricks Hobart and the other professors into taking her out to a gangster hideout, where she breaks Hobart's heart and Tony Crow smacks him around a bit for good measure.

Somehow, everyone ends up back at the Totten Foundation, including Tony Crow and his henchmen with a very deaf justice of the peace in tow to perform the wedding. Honey realizes she's in love with Hobart and tries to get out of marrying Crow, but he threatens to have all the professors shot if she doesn't go through with the wedding. However! Love and music conquer all -- literally. The professors use their knowledge of musical vibrations to overcome the gunmen and stop the wedding, and everything ends up happily.

END OF SPOILERS

I mentioned that I don't entirely prefer A Song is Born to Ball of Fire, and that really is only concerning the gangster boyfriend. Steve Cochran as Tony Crow in this movie is pretty boring and rarely menacing. He's annoying, and I feel very happy to see him get what he deserves. But Dana Andrews as Joe Lilac in Ball of Fire is quietly, calmly dangerous, but also handsome and charming, which makes him much more formidable. But, then, I'm a Dana Andrews fan, so I guess it's not shocking I prefer him.

Is this movie family friendly? I think so! There's the mildest of mild suggestiveness in a "mating song" performed toward the beginning, and Honey's nightclub outfit shows a goodly bit of skin. She also shows off her legs to the professors to dazzle them. One of the other professors is a widower and tries to give Hobart some marital advice that is very innocent and naïve. There are a couple of kisses and the threat of violence. No bad language. I intend to show it to my kids one of these days.

This has been my contribution to the Danny Kaye Blogathon hosted by Poppity Talks Classic Film :-)

Saturday, February 11, 2023

Behold! A Sunshine Blogger Award!

Samantha at Bookshire has awarded me the Sunshine Blogger Award! Thank you, Samantha!

The rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog
Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you
Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions
List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in your post and/or on your blog

1. Have you ever had an encounter with an unusual animal (either in the wild or otherwise)?

Well, I've ridden elephants and camels, and I've petted stingrays. Those were all pretty unusual. None of them were in the wild, though.

(At the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI)

2. Would you dog-ear a library book? If not, what's a weird thing you've used as a bookmark?

I would. But I would probably dog-ear the bottom corner so it would be less noticeable to other readers and not irk them so much. I've used a lot of random stuff as bookmarks, though, including hair ties, necklaces, earrings, and a comb.

3. What's your favorite Christmas song? (I know I'm out of season to ask this, bear with me)

I love Christmas too much to pick only one. My top three are:

Elvis's version of "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful" (listen here)
Bobby Darin's version of "Go Tell it on the Mountain" (listen here)
Dean Martin's version of "Marshmallow World" (listen here)

4. Have you ever been out of the country? If so, where? If not, where would you like to go?

Yup! I've been to Canada many times, to Mexico for an afternoon, to Poland for a few hours, to Ukraine for a little over a week, and to a couple islands in the Caribbean for a few hours.

(In Montreal a dozen years ago)

5. What's your least favorite book?

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, closely followed by Lord of the Flies by William Goldman. I've linked both those titles to my reviews of them if you want to know why I hate them.

6. What's your favorite cuisine?

American! I love cheeseburgers and peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and pumpkin pie :-9

7. Favorite miniseries?

The Blue and the Gray (1982) -- it's a sprawling Civil War epic following a Virginia boy who sides with the North, plus delving into the lives of his brothers and sister, cousins, and friends. Some fight for the South, some fight for the North, and some try not to pick sides. I owe my lasting interest in the Civil War and its effects on people to this miniseries, which I watched with my family many times when I was growing up.

Over the course of the miniseries, we get to see most of the major battles and meet up with many of the most-important figures of the war, including Abraham Lincoln, whom I will forever be convinced looked and sound like Gregory Peck for real, thanks to this.

8. Would you rather try to wrestle a bone away from a dog, or a chicken wing away from a cat?

It depends on the dog and the cat. If it was my dog Westley I had when growing up, I'd pick trying to wrestle a bone away from him because he'd think we were playing tug-of-war and eventually let me have it.

9. Have you ever had surgery?

Alas, yes. When I was 12, I broke my arm while roller skating and had to have surgery to set the bones. When I was 18, I had my wisdom teeth removed, which involved full anesthesia, so I think it counts. When I was in my 30s, I had to have my gall bladder removed. And when I was 42, I broke my arm while roller skating (same arm, about an inch below the first break) and had to have surgery to set the bone.

10. What's your favorite kind of day? (you can answer this however you want, whether it be in weather, activities, books read, &c)

A lovely, quiet day where I don't have any errands to run or appointments to keep, but can stay home and enjoy my family, my books, my movies, my hobbies, and my home.

11. Do you have a favorite board game, and if so, what is it?

I love Scattergories a lot!

(Random picture of me from back when
my hair was red and the grass was green)

So, now it's time for me to tag nominate blogs for this award and ask them 11 questions! I hereby nominate:

The Caffeinated Fangirl

Classic Film Observations and Obsessions

Finding Freedom, Living Loved

Holds Upon Happiness

I'm Charles Baker Harris (and I Can Read)

Musings of an Introvert

Phyllis Loves Classic Movies

Realweegiemidget Reviews

The Sacred in the Secular

Taking up Room

VT Dorchester

And here are my 11 questions:

1. What's the farthest you've ever been from home?

2. Do you like Shakespeare?

3. Do you have a green thumb?

4. What musical instrument would you like to learn if time and money were no object?

5. Have you ever watched a silent film?

6. Do you like kumquats?

7. Have you ever dyed your hair?

8. Have you ever been to a rock concert?

9. What's the last movie you watched?

10. What blogs do you think more people should know about?

11. What inspired you to start blogging?

Play if you want to! :-)

Tuesday, February 07, 2023

Movie Music: Mark Knopfler's "The Princess Bride" (1987)

Mark Knopfler's score for The Princess Bride (1987) is as subtly off-kilter as everything else in the movie. Fairy tale motifs get twisted slightly to make them fresh, funny, and surprising. Here are my favorite tracks that show off the flavor of the music really well.

"I Will Never Love Again" begins very sad, pensive, minor. Lots of strings, a bit of a twangy '80s sound going on here and there. It's a love theme gone horribly wrong, which suits the early part of the film perfectly.

"The Friends' Song" is an obviously humorous song, got a good swagger and a bounce to it. Some cheeky guitars open it, then a flute joins in with a delicate little strain of sweetness that is eventually overwhelmed by more strings. But that flute isn't going down with out a fight, and reasserts itself, learning to play nicely along with the strings. After two minutes, the whole mood shifts to almost a dance, bits of a menace coming in underneath. It's like a little peasant dance that's being interrupted.

"The Swordfight" is delightful. Parry, thrust, parry, thrust -- even the music is dueling. There are some blithe castanets at the beginning to bring in a Spanish flair as befits Inigo, and lots of worried strings keeping us anxious as to what the outcome of this duel will be. Some trumpets try to butt in triumphantly, but they get pushed back out, and the song twists minor, the strings get dizzyingly busy, and it almost feels like something you'd hear during a swashbuckly silent film where the story has to be helped by the music because there's no dialog.

You can listen to the whole soundtrack on Mark Knopfler's YouTube channel here. And, if you've never visited it, the Official Site is a delight for any Princess Bride fan :-)

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on March 12, 2016.)

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Movie Music: Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1954)

For nearly seventy years, the actual motion picture soundtrack for the wonderful Christmas movie White Christmas (1954 -- my review here) was unavailable. They never released it when the movie was made because Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney sang for competing recording companies and were contractually forbidden from singing together on an album. They could sing together in a film, but not on a recorded album. Because contracts are fun like that. So, when the studio did release an album of music from the film, they had Peggy Lee sing all of Rosemary Clooney's songs instead.

However!!!

Just this year, the real movie score was FINALLY released on CD!!!

I bought my copy from Amazon, but it is probably available from other sellers too. I have listened to my copy over and over... though I haven't managed to listen to the second CD yet, which has the soundtrack for Holiday Inn (1942).

Today, I'm going to share my favorite songs from this movie. The best versions I could find on YouTube are actually clips from the film, so that's what I'm sharing here.

"Sisters" is super fun to sing. I don't have any actual sisters, just one brother, but I have four sisters-in-law who are all very dear to me, and so I sing this in their honor sometimes. I do have two daughters, though, and they find this song super fun. From observing them, I've come to understand this song even better -- how you can love and be protective of a sister, but also compete with her.

Cowboy likes to sing "Snow" to me whenever I get super excited because it is snowing, it's going to snow, or there's even the slightest chance that we might get snow. And I'm completely fine with that, because I absolutely love snow! The harmonizing in this song is spectacular. Wow, such perfect blending.

My mom used to sing "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" once in a while, and I always think of her when I hear this song. It's so tender and sweet and full of the appreciation of ordinary life. I've sung it as a lullaby to my kids once in a while.

Obviously, the big star of the show is the song "White Christmas." The ending of the film is such a beautiful, spectacular, heart-warming celebration of Christmas and dreams coming true. I adore it.

Merry Christmas to all! Happy listening :-)

Sunday, December 04, 2022

Movie Music: Newman, Ahrens, and Flaherty's "Anastasia" (1997)

I have owned this soundtrack since I was in college. I first saw Anastasia (1997) on Thanksgiving break during my freshman year of college, and I loved it so much, I bought the soundtrack when I was home for Christmas. Anastasia is hardly the stuff historical documentaries are made of, but if you're like me and don't expect your animated movies to be exactly factual, then you can enjoy it for the history-inspired fable it clearly is. The music by David Newman, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty, was nominated for two Academy Awards, though it didn't win either of them.

The first song in both the movie and the soundtrack is "A Rumor in St. Petersburg," and it's so much fun -- it reminds me of the song "The Rumor" from Fiddler on the Roof, as I'm sure it's meant to. After all, both movies are set in Russia in the early part of the 1900s. The song works splendidly to communicate not just the setting, but also tell us the basic plot: two con artists (voiced by John Cusack and Kelsey Grammer) are searching for a girl to impersonate the missing Princess Anastasia to get them a big reward from her grandmother.

Meanwhile, an orphan named Anya (Meg Ryan) with no memory of her past sets off to figure out who she used to be, as the song "Journey to the Past" explores. The music helps us feel the mixture of determination and hesitancy she feels about trying to find out her history. The music swells as her questions give way to optimistic ideas of what she might find on this journey. This was nominated for the Oscar for Best Song, but of course it lost out to a little tune called "My Heart Will Go On." Sigh.

My third selection to share today is "Once Upon a December." I think this is the most beautiful song in the whole score, and the one that best captures the mystery and yearning that run through this film. In it, Anastasia regains a memory of dancing with her father in the palace as a child. It's haunting, isn't it?

Usually I limit myself to three tracks for these reviews, but today I'm sharing one more song. "At the Beginning" plays during the end credits, sung by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx. It's my favorite song on the whole album. This song gives me a happy energy high, and I could listen to it over and over. In fact, I often have :-) My favorite part is at 2:25. My college roommates and I used to belt this song together -- we were all singers, and although we had wildly different musical tastes, we all loved this soundtrack and this song. Ahh, such good memories <3

Dasvidaniya! (Which doesn't mean "farewell" the way Rasputin claims in one of his songs, but is more like "until we meet again," just fyi...)

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on November 18, 2015.)

Tuesday, August 02, 2022

Movie Music: Alan Silvestri's "The Quick and the Dead" (1995)

I, Hamlette, love westerns. You probably know that by now, since I just finished co-hosting Legends of Western Cinema Week for the... fourth year? Something like that.

I feel like The Quick and the Dead (1995) is not an especially well-known movie, so I'll quick recap what it's about: An unknown female gunslinger (Sharon Stone) enters a gunfighting competition on a quest to avenge her father's death. It is a leeeeeetle bit cheesy here and there, but that's more than made up for by the presence of Russell Crowe as a killer turned pacifistic preacher, and of Gene Hackman as the powerful man who runs the town and knows everyone's secrets. There's also a young Leonardo DiCaprio, and Gary Sinise is in a flashback scene. Good cast, good music, satisfying story. It's rated R, though, so watch with caution, as there are some skippable things.

But you don't need any caution when listening to the soundtrack by Alan Silvestri! Here are a few tracks to give you an idea of what the soundtrack as a whole is like.

"Redemption" has such a classic western sound to it, with the whistling, the whip-cracks, and lots of guitar. Really captures the exciting-but-sometimes-dark-and-pensive tone for the movie.

"The Big Day" starts off all edgy and off-kilter, upping the tension handily. It builds slowly, finally reaching a moody climax that conveys more sorrow than triumph.

Back to that main theme again that you heard in "Redemption," only this time it's presented with a clear and determined trumpet instead of whistling. Then, because this is played during the end credits and composers like to do this, it pulls in other themes from throughout the score, so that this one track is kind of a nice overview of the major themes. In fact, it might be my favorite track on the whole album!

Silvestri's score for The Quick and the Dead is one of my favorites to write to, especially if I'm writing action scenes or gunfights. But it's also great when I need a little burst of energy while cooking or doing housework.

(Most of this review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on October 22, 2015.)

Sunday, July 17, 2022

Movie Music: Greg Edmonson's "Firefly" (2002-03)

The soundtrack for Joss Whedon's tragically short-lived TV show Firefly (2002-03) is a lot of fun. Composed mainly by Greg Edmonson, the music is a fascinating blend of east plus west, like the show's culture. You've got twangy banjos and ethereal flutes, pounding rhythm and delicate melodies. It's got such a unique flavor, just like the rest of the show.

"Inside the Tam House" offers a good example of the more eastern music, with lyrical melodies from strings and a flute laid over a trickling piano.

"Mal Fights Niska/Back Home" represents what I think of as the classic Firefly sound -- lots of strings and wind instruments and percussion. I like how this one starts a little slow, then switches to a more actiony vibe, because it definitely gives you the feeling of people facing each other, then starting to fight. Around 1:22, it then flips to the more peaceful and gentle "home" theme that makes me feel cozy and happy.

Hands-down, my favorite track on the whole album is "River's Dance." It's joyful and carefree, which the rest of the album isn't, for the most part. Definitely makes me feel like dancing!

I'm so glad that, although Firefly was short-lived, the powers that be saw fit to release a soundtrack to CD, because I have had many hours of enjoyment from listening to this.

If you've never heard this before, what did you think of it?

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on August 21, 2015.)

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Movie Music: Danny Elfman's "Mission: Impossible" (1996)

Way back when this movie came out, my brother and I pooled our money and bought the soundtrack together because we loved the movie so much. We listened to it All The Time. We especially thought it was awesome as background music when we were playing with our Star Trek action figures -- we memorized which tracks were which so we could cue up exactly what we needed for whatever was going on in our tiny fictional universe.

So, today I'm going to share my favorite tracks from the soundtrack. And I'm of course going to begin with the iconic theme song. It's an instant smile-inducer for me :-)

My mom had this book from the 1960s that had the sheet music for the theme song from the original TV show, and I figured out a jazzed-up version of it to match this one and memorized it. Did I mention that I really love this soundtrack (and movie) a lot? Thanks to this, Dick Tracy, and Men in Black, Danny Elfman was possibly my favorite composer in the '90s.

I think my favorite track of all is "Zoom B" because it's basically an adrenaline rush set to music.

But I also love "Betrayal." It's very minor, and feels shadowy, mysterious, kind of chilling.

Okay, that's it for today, my friends. As Jack Harmon says, hasta lasagna!

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on August 15, 2015.)

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Movie Music: Davies, Gordon, and Tognetti's "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" (2003)

Today I'm going to share one of my absolute favorite soundtracks with you, that for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), which is one of the most beautiful scores I've ever heard. It contains both original music composed by Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon, and Richard Tognetti and classical pieces by Mozart, J.S. Bach, Boccherini, and others. Why the mix? Because the two main characters, Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) and Dr. Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), play the violin and the cello.

(In the books the movie is adapted from, they first met at a concert, where Aubrey annoyed Maturin by tapping his toe and waving his hand to the beat -- Maturin dismissed him as a gauche musical naif, only to discover that Aubrey was actually a gifted violinist. Not only that, but Aubrey was in command of a ship about to sail that needed a surgeon, and Dr. Maturin was in need of a job, and so an unlikely friendship was formed.)

Here's a scene from the movie where they play a song that's on the soundtrack, part of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3:

(Both actors took music lessons so that they would at least look reasonably proficient at playing their instruments, though their performances do not appear on the soundtrack.)

And here's one of my favorite written-for-the-score tracks, "Into the Fog." A lot of the music for this movie is very militaresque, as befits a movie about a British warship that involves a healthy number of naval battles. Lots of drums, some strings, some fifes and other wind instruments. I love listening to it in the morning, when I need to get myself motivated to make breakfast, etc.

And here's one final song, which also happens to be from the end of the film, a snippet of Boccherini's "La Musica Notturna Delle Strade di Madrid No. 6." Or, as I call it, "the song where Aubrey and Maturin pretend they have guitars."

I consider this movie to be one of the finest book-to-film adaptations ever, and I've always been so happy that it has a splendid soundtrack to match.

You can read my review of this movie here, and a Femnista article I wrote about Aubrey and Maturin's friendship is here.

(The bulk of this review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on June 9, 2015.)

Friday, March 25, 2022

Movie Music: Fernando Velasquez's "Hercules" (2014)

I almost didn't go see Hercules (2014) in the theater. I tend to enjoy Dwayne Johnson's movies, but I don't know a lot about the Greek gods and goddesses, and the trailers for this didn't really grab me. But I'm glad I did go see it, because it turned out to be a truly fun movie -- not serious, but not too cheesy, either. In fact, I went to see it twice, and ended up buying the DVD too!

You can read my review of Hercules here, and I wrote a Femnista article about it, which you can read here.

Fernando Velasquez's music fits the movie incredibly well, with lots of gutsy action stuff, bold and epic. Hands-down, my favorite track is "Arrival at Lord Cotys' City." It's full of swagger and bravado, and makes me want to hop in a chariot and do a victory lap around the city.

But I also really like "The Lion's Tooth" because it's a complete change of pace from most of the other tracks. It's soft and tender, a quiet moment in the middle of all the mayhem. I like soundtracks that don't sound all the same all the time -- variety is important! Even a big, brawny action movie needs some quiet time, and I like the soundtrack to reflect that too.

Have you seen Hercules? If so, did you also get the biggest kick of how they made his mythical labors believable? I find it so, so clever.

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on May 21, 2015.)

Tuesday, February 08, 2022

Movie Music: John Williams' "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1982)

Today is John Williams's 90th birthday! To celebrate, I am here today to discuss one of the coolest soundtracks ever. Ever. It's one of those soundtracks that is delicious to listen to by itself, but when paired with its movie, it's just sublime. I am, of course, talking about John Williams' insta-classic score for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982).

The first track I'll share with you is "A Thought for Marion/To Nepal." I love how expectant it is, beginning with some soft, sweet ponderings, then a little mystery creeping in. And from there, a jolt of excitement, that wonderfully playful Indy theme popping in for a moment. Then it finishes up with a little Oriental flourish to bring in the idea we're going somewhere Foreign and Exotic. So cool!

My next selection is "The Basket Game," which balances playful and fearful so niftily. We're worried cuz Marion gets chased and then abducted, but there's a lot of comedy going on during the chase scene too, so the whole song feels like juggling, doesn't it?

This might be my favorite moment in the whole movie -- when Indy's in the Map Room and the medallion on top of the staff actually shows him the location of the Ark. "The Map Room: Dawn" perfectly captures Indy's expressions there, going from hopeful to awestruck.

"Washington Ending & Raiders March" starts off all sentimental. Indiana Jones has lost his prize. But he's got Marion still, so that's something. The song doesn't waste too much time on his annoyance -- he gets one minute to grouse, and then here comes the most glorious theme song in action movie history (IMHO).

Really, the Raiders March feels to me like eating a giant Snickers bar while riding on a roller coaster with my best friend -- like being surrounded with joy, in other words. I'm sitting here with a big, goofy grin on my face, bobbing my head along with it as I type, and fully intending to hit "replay" as soon as it ends. How about you?

That's all I've got for you today, but if you want to listen to more, the entire album is available for your listening pleasure on YouTube here.

(This review originally appeared in a slightly different form here at J and J Productions on July 8, 2016.)

Saturday, February 05, 2022

My Ten Favorite John Williams Scores

John Williams is probably the only composer whose music is just as familiar to my kids as to my parents. His career has lasted since the late 1950s through now, which is just staggeringly cool. And his ninetieth birthday is February 8, so I am celebrating him this weekend by talking about how much I like his music.

Now, I'm no music expert. I enjoy music. I love soundtracks. I can't tell you what makes a soundtrack good or bad, only whether or not I enjoy it. And I really enjoy a lot of his soundtracks. Not only has John Williams composed some of the most memorable and recognizable theme songs of all time (Star Wars? Indiana Jones? Harry Potter? All the same guy? WOW.), but his music is simply fun to listen to. And he's written for such a variety of genres that there's a little something for everyone, which is always a bonus.

So, here are my top ten favorite John Williams scores, listed in order by how often I pull them out to listen to them (though there are a couple here I don't own on CD, but must listen to as mp3 files or on YouTube because those are what's available).

Titles are linked to my reviews of the movies themselves, where applicable, but I've also included a link to a YouTube version of a favorite or iconic track for each score.

1. The Patriot (2000). A beautiful blend of haunting melodies and insistent themes that fill me with resolve. Listen to the final track here. It brings a lump to my throat just around the three-minute mark. And then keeps building. Glorious.

2. Sabrina (1995). Floating, gentle, sparkling music that perfectly suits one of my favorite movies of all time. This is one of the first soundtracks I bought with my own money, though I have long since upgraded my cassette tape copy to a CD. Listen to the main theme here.

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). This soundtrack makes me grin and want to go learn to do parkour or ride a horse or something. Such an upbeat batch of music! You can hear the last track here, which has all the good stuff in it, especially that march ;-) Just so classic!

4. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977). I don't think I could separate these movies from this music. They're all tied up so well in one happy and exciting package. My favorite track is probably "The Throne Room/End Credits" because, like so many I'm sharing here, it makes me grin. Also, I seem to have a thing for the last track on a soundtrack? Anyway, you can listen to it here.

5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). More happy, bouncy, let's-run-around-and-have-a-lot-of-rowdy-fun music :-) With some poignant bits here and there, for balance. My favorite track might be "Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra" which you can listen to here.

6. The Rare Breed (1966). If this soundtrack was available as an album for real, it would be way higher on this list. Probably at number two or three. But it's not. All I have ever found is a suite, which you can listen to here. But I love that suite, and I love the movie, so... that's enough to put it on this list.

7. Return of the Jedi (1983). Even though this is my favorite Star Wars movie, I don't pull the soundtrack out as often as the first one. But I really like the medley of "Leia's News/Light of the Force" because it's sweet and gentle... and one of my favorite parts of the movie, heh. Listen to it here.

8. The Phantom Menace (1999). A rather weird case of me liking the soundtrack better than the movie. Especially "Duel of the Fates," which is just one of the best movie score tracks ever. Listen here. It gives me goosebumps.

9. The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Even though this is my least-favorite of the original trilogy, it might actually edge out Return of the Jedi for number of tracks I really like. But when I listen to a soundtrack, I'm listening as much for the pleasure of remembering bits of the movie that goes with it as I am for the music itself, so that bumps this down a few notches. I really like "Clash of Lightsabers" a lot -- so dark and chilling. You can hear it here.

10. Superman (1978). This is the only soundtrack on this list that I do not own a copy of and must listen to on YouTube. I heartily recommend the main theme because it is such an iconic and delightful fanfare -- listen right here. It's so exuberant!

This has been my contribution to the John Williams Blogathon hosted all weekend by Taking Up Room in celebration of John Williams's 90th birthday!

By the way, if you've enjoyed this, I have been sharing an ongoing series of movie soundtrack reviews over the past few months. You can find a list of all of those on my Movie Music Reviews page. I'll be sharing a review of one of John Williams's scores on his birthday, too!

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Movie Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita" (1996)

I have such fond memories of this movie. Watching it for the first time over Thanksgiving break my freshman year of college. Loving it so much, I bought a copy of the movie AND the soundtrack as soon as I got back to school. Sharing the movie with my parents and some of their friends, all of them expecting not to like it, and all of them enjoying it. I have most of the major songs memorized, and quite a few of the lesser-known as well.

Although The Phantom of the Opera is the first Andrew Lloyd Webber musical I heard, Evita is the first I saw because it was made into a movie starring Antonio Banderas and Madonna. The movie is rich, nuanced, probably wildly historically inaccurate, and wonderful.

Everyone knows "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," so I won't say much about it here. There's a reason it's famous, though -- it's quite stirring. I'm always disappointed it's not actually about a guy named Argentina, though. I heard it before I saw the movie, but I didn't know the story line at all, so I made up what I thought it was about. I thought it was her saying goodbye to a guy she nicknamed Argentina and telling him not to miss her. Sigh. Well, it was a cool idea.

One of my favorites is "Another Suitcase in Another Hall." I like how subdued and heart-achy it is. Much of Evita is militant and brash, but this is very emotional. It's about how young Eva has to turn to being a "kept woman" to support herself, but she never stays with a man long, so she always ends up holding her suitcase, standing in a hall outside a place she's leaving.

Here's a much more fun song, "And the Money Kept Rolling In (And Out)." This one has such a great energy, and of course, lots of Antonio Banderas singing. In the musical, his character Che is the narrator, but he also interacts with other characters, he doesn't just stand on the sidelines and watch, though sometimes he does that too. It's a really nifty device, and one of my favorite things about Evita. In this song, Che is explaining how, once she's the first lady of Argentina, Eva starts this fund to help the poor, but everyone's so busy collecting and distributing the money, no one's keeping books, so there might be some corruption going on, but who cares as long as the money keeps pouring out, right?

"High Flying, Adored" is my most-favoritest song on the whole soundtrack. Che singing about how Eva has become super famous, but so easily and so young that she's in danger of becoming bored with everything. It is elegant and soaring and delicious. Eva insists it won't be a problem, she's not convinced she's that special. Che knows better.

Even if you don't like musicals (and that's not a sin), if you're interested in politics, corruption, or the history of South America (though I've heard this is not entirely accurate), you might enjoy it. It's only rated PG, but there is a lot of innuendo, the Argentinian version of the middle finger, some rough language, and violence. You can read imdb.com's Parent's Guide for it here if you want to know more.

Also, it's a light opera more than just a musical -- nearly every line is song, as is typical for Andrew Lloyd' Webber's shows. People don't dance about and burst into song only periodically, they do that for the whole movie.

I remember reading once that, as a young man, Antonio Banderas lived in an apartment with thin walls next door to a theater where people were performing Evita, and he learned all the songs by hearing them over and over that way. So when he was cast as Che, he didn't have to learn any of the lyrics because he knew them already! That story makes me grin :-D

(The bulk of this review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on August 25, 2015.)

Monday, December 27, 2021

Movie Music: Patrick Doyle's "Cinderella" (2015)

Patrick Doyle is one of my favorite film composers, and he definitely did not disappoint me here.

A movie crammed with lush, vibrant detail like this one demands an equally glorious score, and Doyle delivers exactly that. He tends to favor richly orchestral music, which fits perfectly with this fairy tale world. Here is one of my two favorite tracks -- I love how it combines a simple, innocent theme with a bolder, richer one. A lovely musical picture of humble Cinderella joining her famous prince. I also love that this track includes a little of the song "Lavender's Blue," because that song is really important to the movie's plot. I do wish there was a vocal version on the soundtrack, but at least it's used here and there, most memorably in this track beginning at 2:14.

My other favorite track is "Pumpkin Pursuit." It has all the excitement you'd expect for a good chase scene, with an eager strings section that carries things merrily along. At the very beginning, it utilizes this little 4-note theme that sounds like the word "Cinderella," and I absolutely love that theme.

In fact, I really wanted that 4-note "Cinderella" theme to be on the soundtrack more because it's used in a beautiful song for one of the trailers. Happily, you can buy that song as an mp3 single called "Aeon," which I did. You can listen to it here, and I definitely recommend it because it's such an emotionally evocative track, at least for me. I love how it builds and builds in intensity and joy, and then slowly ebbs away.

You can read my review of this movie here.

(This review originally appeared at J and J Productions on May 28, 2015.)

Friday, November 26, 2021

Movie Music: Patrick Gowers's "Sherlock Holmes" (1984-1994)

I've reviewed several episodes of the delightful Granada television productions of Sherlock Holmes cases starring the masterful Jeremy Brett, but I haven't really talked about the music much in any of those reviews. So I'm here to rectify that today.

A recording of music used in Sherlock Holmes (1984-1994) was released on CD a decade or so ago. (Granada did two TV movies and four miniseries, all under different names, over ten years. They're now all just lumped together and called the Granada Sherlock Holmes. Because Granada insists upon being DiFfErEnT about everything, I guess?) ANYWAY, the soundtrack is lots of fun to listen to if you're a fan of the show, but I've pulled out a few tracks that I think you'll enjoy even if you haven't watched it.

By the way, if you're a BBC Sherlock fan, the opener for The Abominable Bride (2016) mimics the opener of the Granada Sherlock Holmes series. Which I find absolutely endearing. Anyway! Here's the main theme for the series, all energetic and mysterious and ready for adventure:

Since we're entering the Christmas season now, I thought it would be fun to share "Mr. Henry Baker's Christmas," which is from the episode "The Blue Carbuncle." I like how it brings in traditional Christmas carols like "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" and "Silent Night," but winds them around its own sprightly themes as well.

And I really like "Irene Adler" from "A Scandal in Bohemia" because it's wistful and yearning, but not maudlin. It's elegant, even, but with a sprinkling of humor, and builds through some very minor parts to a satisfying, quiet conclusion.

The score uses a LOT of violins and other strings, for obvious reasons, since Holmes himself is a violin devotee. You can listen to the score here on YouTube, and it's not terribly hard to track down a reasonably priced copy on CD either.

I'm contributing this post to the Celebrate Jeremy Brett Month event hosted all through November by Carissa at Musings of an Introvert. Check out her post here to see the other entries.

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