Score Sample: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

John Williams = Star Wars. There really isn't any argument against it, so don't try it! Without his masterful score for The New Hope in 1977, I feel the film would not have been as memorable and powerful as it turned out to be. So when J.J. Abrams stepped up to take on a new Star Wars film in 2015 he had a choice to make. Stick with his talented friend Michael Giacchino, or ask John Williams to return. 

Really, there was no choice. Williams returned and Giacchino got to play s stormtrooper in the new film. So everyone wins!

I've seen a lot of negative responses to Williams new score for The Force Awakens. I'm a bit surprised by this. This score is really great in a lot of ways. But it is certainly not written in the style of the 1970s and 1980s Star Wars scores. John Williams has not written in that style in a long long time. HIs style is more complex, more detailed and in a lot of ways more dynamic than his older work. But this means that the simple clear themes he used to write are few and far between.

A perfect example of his new style of theme is this lovely one he created for the new character Rey. It actually has three different elements to it, and Williams uses each element in different ways throughout the score. Sometimes he uses a single element, like the rhythm that opens this track. Other times he uses two portions, or all three of them. This theme is also highly malleable, as he can make it sound mysterious, frightened, horrified and noble. This is a testament to Williams skill. But, there is no obvious "hook" in this theme. During the film you aren't really given a clear obvious single statement of the full theme. But he uses it in various guises the entire time. 

For me, this is a clear winner of a theme, and the more you listen to the score, the more you hear Williams genius at work. I'm really looking forward to hearing the next couple Star Wars scores to hear how this theme changes as the character and her story evolve.

So here is Rey's Theme from The Force Awakens, by John Williams

Nostalgia Nugget: So Good at Being Bad

I get the feeling that Gruber always got coal for
Christmas.

Alan Rickman was one of those actors who was so good at being bad. I first saw him in Die Hard. When it comes to 1980s action films, it is difficult to top that one. So many elements of the film work, and Rickman's portrayal of the urbane and deadly Hans Gruber became a template for baddies after that. Not only did Rickman get some great lines, but his delivery (along with his accent) made the character memorable and a solid match for Willis. Gruber was calculating and clever. But his plans are wrecked but he wild card John McClane. Still Gruber never gives up... never surrenders. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Rickman played a similar role as Marston the wicked rancher in Quigley Down Under. While the role itself isn't too interesting, Rickman makes it work and you love hating him. But his real triumph as a villain in the early 90s was as the absurd, cowardly and hate filled Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Costner was pretty bland in the lead role, but Rickman brought the goods, going over the top in a fun way and making all his scenes count. This version of Robin Hood works because of its villain (and the wonderful assist from Morgan Freeman). But around this time, Rickman admitted he was tired of playing the villain.

"You were never serious about the craft!"

He was in plenty of great films after that. Sense and Sensibility, Michael Collins and Love Actually filled out his drama roles. He also got into some comedy roles with Dogma and Bob Roberts. But my favorite comedic role that he tackles was as Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest. He combined the long suffering "talent" with the fish out of water concept and the result was comic gold. In a movie that is filled with hilarious lines, a fun concept and solid casting, Rickman steals the film. Galaxy Quest is one of my favorite comedies from the 1990s and he is one of the main reasons.

Snape has had just about enough of Mr. Potter.

However it is his role as Severus Snape that gave him a whole generation of fans. Rickman appeared in all eight of the Harry Potter films. I remember when I first heard about his casting as Snape. I had been reading the books and the casting seemed so perfect. He could take that contempt he expressed in Galaxy Quest and combine with the deliciously evil performance of Die Hard. But Rickman went beyond that. He made Snape into his own character. The performance was so good that any time I reread the Harry Potter novels it is Alan Rickman I see in my mind's eye as the character (not something that carries over with a lot of the the film cast). Kids who grew up with the Harry Potter films may know Rickman from this role only. But the role was more than a simple villain (as we discover in the final installments of the story). I think that is why Rickman took the part. Snape seems like the perfect dark wizard. But by the end of the series we discover he was an unpleasant man, but there was a very powerful reason for his actions. Rickman brought this part to life on the screen, and made his scenes in the final episode really resonate. I don't think his legacy in that role will soon be forgotten. 

It is sad that we lost a fine actor. But Alan Rickman gave us so many wonderful performances and we can always go back and revisit those. And with some certified classics in his resume, I think we will be revising them for years to come.

First Impression: Star Wars VII - The Force Awakens

When it comes to Star Wars I'm a fan. But my fanboy days were back in the 80s and 90s. I wanted episode seven to be a good fun movie, but I was prepared for it to be less than that. I did my best to avoid spoilers, but I did read a few reviews from folks I trust (and who kept spoilers out) and they were all positive. So I was excited to see the film, but didn't feel the need to rush out and see it right away (in sharp contract to the ravenous mania that gripped me in 1999 for The Phantom Menace, yeah I was one of those fanboys).

So this little post is basically my first impression of the film. I intend on seeing it again, probably at home. I've purchased all the previous films, why stop now. Once I've given the movie a second spin, I'll provide a full review. But for now...

Three Things I liked

• Gorgeous looking cinematography 
• All of the new main characters were well realized and fun
• Some of the dialogue was very funny and had me laughing out loud

Three Things I didn't like

• The plot structure was overly familiar
• Went into fan service overdose a few times
• Lacks an immediately memorable musical theme as the identity of this episode

Overall
I had a really good time with The Force Awakens. It was a fun movie that felt like an extension of the original trilogy. It was good to see the original cast come back and be worked into key elements of the story and the new character's journey. I also really liked the new characters. I want to see what happens to them in the next installments. This is a well made and constructed film that delivers solid entertainment. The overly familiar plot and moments of "hey look old time fans isn't this just like the original trilogy" do end up keeping this from feeling like a fresh film. But this is a great start to a new trilogy of adventure in this universe. And for the first time in a  long time, I'm looking forward to seeing this movie again and seeing the next episode.

What did you think of the movie?

Blog Updates and Format Changes

So over the past few weeks I've been thinking about giving this blog a facelift. I want to update the look a bit. I'm also thinking of changing up my format to allow for some more frequent updates. I'm still going to cover all the usual stuff: movies, movie scores, Mystery Science Theater 3000 and anime. But I wanted to spread a bit beyond simple reviews and throw in more editorial slants on stuff. My opinion or feelings on certain things with a less organized structure. 

That means some changes and probably some hiccups as I shift styles and try new stuff. I want to keep this blog fresh and interesting. So if you particularly like the direction I'm going (or don't like it) please tell me. 

It will probably be another week before regular posts start up again, but I wanted to give you heads up that it is coming.

And yes the first few posts will be about something everyone else on the internet has been talking about for a couple months, but I've kept my mouth shut about...

The Bots are Back - MST3K Lives!

So I'm a bit late in posting this. But the Kickstart not only met the goal of 5.5 million, but surpassed it to bring 6.3 million in. It really was an amazing feat and I have to commend Joel Hodgson and his team for really making getting crowdsourcing to work for this project. 

This means we'll be getting 14 brand new episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 2016. I'm really looking forward to this, especially since one episode is going to feature a Christmas film. As you know, some of my favorite MST3K episodes feature Christmas (Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Mitchell, Santa Claus and Jack Frost all being a lot of fun).

I know some folks are really disappointed that none of the original cast (including Joel) will be back in front of the camera. But the talent Joel has assembled is impressive. I'm really looking forward to what Felicia Day brings to the table as the mad scientist and Patton Oswald as her befuddled assistant. The Kickstarter videos featured the bots and their new voices Hampton Yount (Crow) and Baron Vaughn (Tom Servo). And I have to say they are doing a great job. Finally the new host will be Jonah Ray who has also appeared in the Kickstarter videos and has some very funny interactions with Joel and the bots. 

Joel has announced potential guest stars, guest writers, and even some impressive behind the scenes folks for helping this series come back. He also has made it very clear that the door is open to any of the original cast or crew to come back for cameos or guest writing. Joel feels that some new blood in front of the camera is the best way to bring new audiences to the show. And the whole production will be guided by Joel. HIs creative oversight and obvious passion for the project convinced me that this iteration of MST3K has a real shot of working. I really don't think this show will stray much from the original spirit of the series with Joel watching over it. It may take a few episodes to get everything worked out (as is pretty obvious when you watch Season One or Season Eight of the original series), but I'm hoping that this all turns out giving us more hours of hilarious movie based entertainment. 

I'll keep you posted as I find out more (donating got me on the info club mailing list), but in the meantime... WE HAVE MOVIE SIGN!!!!!

Blog Update and MOVIE SIGN!

Hope everyone had a good November. If you haven't followed by Storytelling in All its Forms Blog, I did meet my goal for National Novel Writing Month. I had a great time doing it. But the novel isn't quite finished yet, so I'm going to continue working on it until it is done. I'm thinking I'll be finished in mid-December. So that means no new content on this blog for another month. But you can head over to my other blog if you are curious about my writing process or want to know what I'm listening to while I write. Hint: it involves movie music.

The other thing I wanted to mention is the exciting Kickstarter campaign to bring back Mystery Science Theater 3000! This effort is being lead by the original creator of the series Joel Hodgson. While it doesn't look like the original cast or crew are involved at this point, Joel is assembling a new cast of comedians and writers to bring back the laughs. And he's got an impressive crew signed up so far. 

At this point we are good for six new episodes! So no matter what happens, we'll see those come to light in 2017. But if Joel meets his goal they are looking at a full season of MST3K, and potential for this to turn into a regular series. Now that would make my day. 

So if you love the show as much as I do, check out what Joel is offering to everyone who donates (there are some sweet incentives on there) and see what you think about the cast. To me this is a no brainer. It is still my favorite television series and with Joel guiding the creative side of things, it should be a lot of fun.

Find out more at Bring Back Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Kickstarter.

Writing a Novel This Month - but I'll be back!

I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year. Wish me luck!

That means I won't be posting any new content on this blog for all of November. But I'm planning on coming back in December with some more reviews, musings and meandering. 

If you're interested, I'll be blogging a bit about my novel writing experience at my other blog. Yes I do have another blog that I haven't updated in years, but it is all about writing, so my NaNoWriMo experience fits right in there. So head on over, give me some support and I'll keep you posted on how this whole process goes. I've done it before and it was fun, exhilarating and intense all at once. Just what I need to get the fiction flowing again.

Have a great November, and I'll catch up with you soon!

Check out my Storytelling in All its Forms blog.