tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2801441755423984496.post6375180073093916312..comments2024-03-05T17:26:44.559-08:00Comments on Roman's Movie Reviews and Musings: Top Ten - Favorite Electronic Film ScoresRoman J. Martelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09545497713474664555noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2801441755423984496.post-11465928822671692502015-05-04T22:40:09.602-07:002015-05-04T22:40:09.602-07:00Yeah I gave the first mini-series a try, and it ha...Yeah I gave the first mini-series a try, and it had some good points. But it really seemed to be missing something. I've read the novel ages ago, and frankly I think I was too young to really get into it. It was not at all what I was expecting. Especially since I grew up with Lynch's film. That movie fascinated and scared me quite a bit as a kid. I'm a big fan of Lynch and I love his take on the story, and the production design (as you pointed out) is amazing. Really feels like an alien culture and world in front of you. Roman J. Martelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09545497713474664555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2801441755423984496.post-15267749167641234762015-04-29T09:04:29.036-07:002015-04-29T09:04:29.036-07:00I don't know if you ever saw the two made for ...I don't know if you ever saw the two made for TV series from the Syfy Channel irrc. They were okay, but not as good as the Lynch film. They broadened the story and could go a bit deeper into detail, but something was lost as well like the sets, bigger budget effects, and really Lynch's alien, odd take on the story. I'd love to see some tackle a mini series of the next three books (though the second mini series dealt some with the second book) leading up to God Emperor, but I won't hold my breath. El Voxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05985563041511492981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2801441755423984496.post-40584125355216397822014-12-22T08:59:24.848-08:002014-12-22T08:59:24.848-08:00Some really good picks. I need to explore Tangerin...Some really good picks. I need to explore Tangerine Dream a bit more. I've heard some of their stuff and really enjoyed it. But I need to just jump in there and explore. <br /><br />I think I'm going to have to do a review of Dune in 2015. I really dig that film and it could use more defenders. :)Roman J. Martelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09545497713474664555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2801441755423984496.post-69020324046541290692014-12-19T09:06:24.355-08:002014-12-19T09:06:24.355-08:00Good picks, though I wouldn't have thought of ...Good picks, though I wouldn't have thought of Hoosiers. For sure it's a good film, but I guess I never paid attention to the score and realized there's any electronic scoring on it. <br /><br />Dune I have on CD too. I love the films too and never understood the hate towards it, though I think at the time it was released some might have been expecting something similar to Star Wars, and it wasn't. <br /><br />I might have included: A Clockwork Orange. <br /><br />Film Music by Mark Isham--includes three tracks from different films: Mrs. Soffel, Never Cry Wolf, and The Life of Harvey Milk (documentary). The synth here isn't overwhelming or in the forefront, but more of to flourish and embellishs the soundtrack, but either way, it's a great album. <br /><br />Firestarter by Tangerine Dream--pretty mediocre movie, which I've never watched all the way through, though I bought the album just because I've been a TD fan for many years, and it's a nice one. <br /><br />David Bowie & Brian Eno's A Man Who Fell To Earth--Ok, there never was an official soundtrack to this film about an oddball alien coming to Earth to save his family, but Bowie's album, Low, was released around the same time frame, and has a few songs on it on the second side of the vinyl that recreate that atmosphere rather well: Warsazawa, Art Decade, Weeping Wall, & Subterraneans. There were three songs on Heroes that were along the same line as well: Sense of Doubt, Moss Garden, and Neukoln. <br /><br />Another Tangerine Dream: Sorcerer. Great film and score. If you haven't seen it give it a watch. It came out on Blu-Ray recently, if you like Roy Scheider as an actor, it's a must watch.<br /><br />Vangelis Antarctic is another good soundtrack, though I've never seen the film. El Voxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05985563041511492981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2801441755423984496.post-56860004835188328032014-12-17T07:17:48.317-08:002014-12-17T07:17:48.317-08:00It is great to see another fan of Lynch's &quo...It is great to see another fan of Lynch's "Dune". I'm a big fan of Lynch, so you can take my feeling with a grain of salt, but I really love the unique world he created. Yes, lots of elements come right from the book, but there is an atmosphere and alien feel to the whole thing that is unique in pretty much any other science fiction/space opera I've ever seen. That and the production design is amazing. Really great stuff in this movie. Yes it has its flaws, but for me that makes it more interesting to watch.<br /><br />The score is a huge part of that. I'd love to have a longer version of the score on CD, as some of the tracks on the score release to do not match the final mix of the film. A great example is the title sequence, which sounds like it is mostly orchestral, while what you hear on the CD is all electronic and actually sounds more like a demo version of what you hear in the film. <br /><br />And you make another good point about period films. A lot of film score fans lament the use of electronics in period films. But a full symphony orchestra is wrong for anything pre 1800s I believe. So most film score fans love "Kingdom of Heaven" by Harry Gregson-Williams. But he even states in an interview that using period instruments would have made the score too alien for modern ears. So he used them as accent pieces to the score, giving it a medieval feeling rather than a true medieval sound.<br /><br />For "Conan the Barbarian", Basil Poledouris used medieval songs as a starting point, sometimes only uses the rhythm or meter from the song to work into the score. This makes the score sound unique, but still appealing. And you can't argue when he unleashes the might of the full orchestra and chorus. Amazing stuff.<br /><br />So yeah... electronics for "Alexander" works well enough in the film, and is a valid approach to historical films, in my opinion. But don't let the folks who hate "Chariots of Fire" hear you say that out loud. ;)Roman J. Martelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09545497713474664555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2801441755423984496.post-27072640713432983642014-12-16T11:28:07.669-08:002014-12-16T11:28:07.669-08:00I think Dune was underrated in any number of ways....I think Dune was underrated in any number of ways. I mean the two hour theatrical version. In a reversal of the usual attitudes, Lynch didn't like the extended 3 hour studio release for video, and that one does drag. I can see the two-hour might be confusing to some who hadn't read the book, but if you have it is the better cut. Anyway, the music works well too, in any version.<br /><br />Electronics were an interesting choice for Alexander, but I suppose they are no more anachronistic than the instruments of a standard orchestra.Richard Bellushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10108081864942272619noreply@blogger.com