Archive
THE MATRIX RELOADED – Don Davis
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The original Matrix movie was a bona-fide phenomenon when it was released in 1999, breaking new ground in many areas: the level and depth of the story by directors Andy and Larry Wachowski; the mysticism and theology that peppers the story; the fetish chic “look” of the film; the once-innovative special effects, with the now passé bullet-time slow motion sequences; and Don Davis’s lavish, electronically enhanced orchestral score, which was lauded by fans but which I personally didn’t care for. Whatever your feelings about its artistic merits, the impact of The Matrix was and is impossible to ignore – and the sequel raises the bar again. Beginning where the original movie left off, The Matrix Reloaded sees Neo (Keanu Reeves) now an established member of the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar, one of many ships under the control of human freedom fighters who are striving to rid the world of the race of machines who have enslaved humanity and tricked them into thinking they are free by creating “the matrix”, a vast computer programme designed to simulate reality. Along with crewmembers Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), Trinity (Carrie Anne Moss) and Link (Harold Perrineau), the crew seek to fulfill the prophecy of “The One” by tracing the Matrix to its source and freeing humanity… but this is only the beginning. Read more…
X-MEN 2 – John Ottman
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Following the musical debacle of the original X-men movie in 2000, in which the studio heads at Fox meddled so much with Michael Kamen’s score it rendered it almost redundant, it stands to reason that director Bryan Singer would return to composer John Ottman, for the sequel. Ottman, who had worked with Singer previously on The Usual Suspects and Apt Pupil, had been away making his own movie, Urban Legends: Final Cut, and was unavailable to score X-Men 1. His efforts here bear all the hallmarks of a composer trying to stamp his own musical authority upon a series, and establish himself as the obvious composer of choice for future movies in the franchise. He has only partly been successful. X-Men 2 picks up where the original movie left off: the evil Magneto (Ian McKellen) is incarcerated in a plastic prison; Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is scouring the globe trying to unravel the mysteries of his past; and the various other mutant members of the X-Men continue to fight the fight against evil, under the benign authority of Dr. Xavier (Patrick Stewart). However, when a renegade mutant attempts to assassinate the President of the United States, it becomes apparent that past differences must be put aside, and the mutants loyal to Magneto and Xavier must join forces to stop a new enemy which could destroy all mutants. Read more…
GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS – Joel McNeely
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Following his Oscar winning 1997 movie Titanic, director James Cameron has since become very interested in the shipwreck of the real life ocean liner, which struck an iceberg on 14 April 1912, while on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York, and sunk beneath the freezing waters of the north Atlantic, killing almost 1,500 passengers. In Ghosts of the Abyss, Cameron, along with a team of the world’s foremost historic and marine experts and his friend, actor Bill Paxton, embarks on an unscripted adventure back to where some of the footage for his dramatic film was shot. Using state-of-the-art technology and new 3-D IMAX cameras developed expressly for this expedition, Cameron and his crew explore virtually all of the wreckage, inside and out, as never before. In addition, actors re-create key moments from the Titanic’s last moments (in a way similar to Discovery Channel documentaries), breathing life and immediacy to the science. Read more…
NIRGENDWO IN AFRIKA/NOWHERE IN AFRICA – Niki Reiser
Original Review by Peter Simons
Nowhere In Africa (or, in its native German, “Nirgendwo In Afrika”) tells the tragic story of a Jewish family that moves from Germany to Kenya just before WWII in 1938. There, in Africa, they start a farm, but not all members of the family can get used to their new lives. However, the war in Europe makes it impossible for them to return back home. So, all anyone can do is try and make the best out of things. The film was written and directed by Caroline Link, who based her screenplay on the book by Stefanie Zweig. Quite surprisingly, this German film nabbed the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s ceremony. This is the third time Swiss composer Niki Reiser composed a score for director Link. They previously worked together on Jenseits Der Stille (Beyond The Silence, 1996) and Pünktchen Und Anton (Annaluise & Anton, 1999). The soundtrack for Nowhere In Africa is a lovely combination of European and African music. There are bittersweet string chords that could have sprung from the minds of James Horner or Rachel Portman, a theme for oboe that’s quite reminiscent of the theme from The English Patient and there’s quite a bit of mellow African percussion and chanting. There are, unfortunately, a few things working against this score, but ultimately the music is just too darn nice to be really upset by its shortcomings. Read more…
GODS AND GENERALS – John Frizzell, Randy Edelman
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
After the massive success of Randy Edelman’s Gettysburg score in 1993, it was only natural that he should be involved in the music for the sequel. However, whereas most of the music in Gettysburg made surprisingly good use of an anachronistic synthesiser and string amalgam, the music for Gods and Generals is more traditionally orchestral, employing powerful instrumental and choral forces without anything remotely electronic to be heard. The most surprising – and pleasing – thing about it is that it was written by John Frizzell, who is enjoying something of a career renaissance with what is easily his most high-profile and accomplished score since Alien Resurrection. Rather than being an actual sequel to Gettysburg, Gods and Generals actually covers much of the same ground, but from different perspectives and points of view, notably that of the legendary General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (Stephen Lang) and the events of 1861-1863, leading up to the legendary battle at Gettysburg. Gods and Generals is directed by Robert F. Maxwell, from the book by Jeff Shaara, features a star-studded supporting cast including Jeff Daniels, Mira Sorvino, Kevin Conway, Bill Campbell, and Robert Duvall as General Robert E. Lee, and clocks in at a staggering 3 hours 40 minutes running time. Read more…
DAREDEVIL – Graeme Revell
Original Review by Peter Simons
In many ways, 2003 has become the year of the comic book revival, with movies inspired by characters including The Incredible Hulk, the X-Men and even The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen hitting cinema screen’s throughout the year. Stan Lee’s Daredevil is another to add to this list. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson, whose previous movies include the syrupy drama Simon Birch, and whose screenplay credits include Jack Frost and the Grumpy Old men films, Daredevil tells the tale of attorney Matt Murdock (Ben Affleck), blinded by toxic waste as a child, whose lack of sight increases his remaining senses to such an extent that he find he has the ability to become a superhero and fight crime. Before long, Murdock finds himself up against New York’s number one crime lord The Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan) and his newest apprentice Bullseye (Colin Farrell) – and crossing paths with the sexy, leather-clad Elektra (Jennifer Garner), who has an agenda of her own. A triumph of style and atmosphere over plot and performance, director Johnson said he wanted to make a movie similar to The Crow – which he lists as one of his favourite films – in both look and feel. Unsurprisingly, given this fact, he turned to Graeme Revell for the music. Read more…
THE RECRUIT – Klaus Badelt
Original Review by Peter Simons
Ever since John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams left the Media Ventures studio, Klaus Badelt has been busier than ever. We are barely halfway through 2003 and already the young composer has scored five movies, including the Aussie drama Ned Kelly, the Matrix rip-off Equilibrium, and the swashbuckler Pirates of the Caribbean. And then there is this one: The Recruit. A thriller directed by Roger Donaldson, starring Colin Farrell as a brilliant CIA-trainee who is asked by his mentor (Al Pacino) to detect a mole operating within the Agency. If nothing more, Donaldson has created an entertaining movie. Donaldson is a bit of a stealthy director in Hollywood, despite several entertaining high-profile movies such as Species, Dante’s Peak and Thirteen Days. For the music Donaldson has turned to a different composer for every new movie, creating an impressive track record of having worked with the likes of Vangelis, Maurice Jarre, Mark Isham, Chris Young and Trevor Jones. For The Recruit, he turned to Klaus Badelt. Read more…
DARKNESS FALLS – Brian Tyler
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Traditionally, horror movies have given enthusiastic young composers an opportunity to “show what they are made of” and demonstrate their orchestral know-how to the world at large. Unconstrained by the demands of subtlety and studio interference, and working in a genre where music is perhaps more important than in any other, these ambitious men and women have regularly begun their careers writing for stalk and slash, knife-wielding stories, honing their craft, and demonstrating their talents. Over the years, the likes of James Horner, Christopher Young and (more recently) Marco Beltrami have embarked on their career ladder by scoring serial killer movies and monster flicks – and now Brian Tyler can be added to this list. It’s been quite a while since we had a balls-to-the-wall horror score on our hands. Darkness Falls is one of them. Read more…
THE HOURS – Philip Glass
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
In film music circles, Philip Glass is the victim of a certain degree of “reverse-snobbishness” that is rather unusual. As a classical composer, some of his film music work lacks the same depth of emotion as those by his contemporaries – not because he cannot write in this way but because, as he still maintains a high standing in the classical music world, he seems to embrace the “technique over emotion” standpoint favored by the classical glitterati. It is surprising, therefore, to discover that The Hours is by far his most emotional film score to date. Sadly, it sounds broadly like every other score he has written, and is repetitive to a point where you almost want to pull out your hair. Read more…
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN – John Williams
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Steven Spielberg and John Williams have been working together since 1974, when the then-young director hired Williams to score The Sugarland Express. Their subsequent creative collaboration has become near-legendary, spanning almost 20 movies in as many years. Catch Me If You Can, their latest offering, is something of a departure for both of them: a) because Spielberg has made his first “light hearted” movie since the lamentable 1941, and b) because John Williams has given it a jazz score. The film is based on the true life story of Frank Abagnale Jr, who in the 1960s became the youngest person to be placed on the FBI’s most wanted list after committing a series of elaborate confidence tricks. Leonardo Di Caprio stars as the eponymous Abagnale, oozing bravado and charisma, while all the while being shadowed but never quite outwitted by FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks, in an unusually low-key and monochrome role). Christopher Walken co-stars as Abagnale’s father, with Martin Sheen and Jennifer “Alias” Garner in extended cameos. Read more…
SPIDER – Howard Shore
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Following the critical and commercial success of his scores for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it has somehow been forgotten that, prior to the world at large hearing his work for Peter Jackson’s epic masterpieces, Howard Shore was known as a “dark” composer. His scores, for directors such as David Fincher and David Cronenberg, were predominantly moody, themeless, atmospheric works which thrived in the grimmer aspects of film music, where evil things lurked in the shadows. Before Lord of the Rings, no one really knew that he was capable of the grand, orchestral-and-choral majesty he ultimately delivered, and since then his musical nightmares have almost been forgotten. But, with Spider, the latest film from David Cronenberg, Shore proves that he has not completely abandoned his roots. Read more…
ANTWONE FISHER – Mychael Danna
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
I’m almost certain I’ve written this sentence before, but Mychael Danna continues to surprise and delight me with each new score he pens. The 45-year-old Canadian composer first challenged my perceptions of him with his brilliant, breathtaking Western epic Ride With The Devil, and has continued to impress me with such wide and varied works as Girl Interrupted, Green Dragon, Monsoon Wedding and Hearts in Atlantis. His 37th feature score, Antwone Fisher re-asserts Danna’s standing as one of the most talented and consistently enjoyable composers working today. Read more…
TWO WEEKS NOTICE – John Powell
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
It’s nice to see the development of John Powell as a film composer is continuing apace. Although his modern action scores, for films such as Face/Off and The Bourne Identity, have never really impressed me, his thematic consistency in scores such as Antz, Chicken Run, Shrek and Evolution appeals to me a great deal. And, despite the high quality of his works with Harry Gregson-Williams, it’s also nice to see him developing a distinct individual persona away from the clutches of the old Media Ventures franchise. As far as I am aware, Powell has never attempted a “traditional” rom-com before but, if Two Weeks Notice is anything to go by, he has a career following in the footsteps of Alan Silvestri ahead of him. Read more…
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS – Howard Shore
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Howard Shore, welcome to the world of film music pressure. It’s a peculiar phenomenon, akin to the “second album” syndrome faced by rock and pop musicians whose debut works are hugely successful; John Williams faced it when embarking on the follow-up scores in the Star Wars saga. Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner, such is their popularity and fan base, face it each time they write a new score. Other composers face it when they write music for a beloved piece of fiction – especially in the fantasy or comic book genres – or have scored a major hit with their last effort in a series. With The Lord of the Rings, Howard Shore has joined this latter group. Read more…
STAR TREK: NEMESIS – Jerry Goldsmith
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Jerry Goldsmith’s involvement with Star Trek now stretches back almost 25 years. He is as associated with the franchise as the USS Enterprise, “Beam me up, Scotty” and “Make it so”, and with the possible exceptions of James Horner and Alexander Courage, is the only composer to truly get to the heart of the Star Trek universe – even though he himself has said that he does not fully understand the phenomenon, or why his work is so well-loved. Having written so much classic music over the years, it is therefore somewhat disappointing to report that his work on Star Trek: Nemesis is pretty standard, uninspiring stuff. A few snatches of thematic familiarity, some exciting action material, and echoes of Total Recall aside, it’s actually a rather predictable, albeit enjoyable, sci-fi score. Read more…
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