Soundtrax

Eli Roth's CABIN FEVER has an amazing five different commentary tracks.
© Lions Gate Entertainment

Music To Be Abducted By

By: Randall D. Larson
Date: Thursday, January 29, 2004

THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS

TAKEN, a Steven Spielberg-produced Emmy Award-winning TV miniseries, traces four generations of a single American family that has been beset with alien abductions. The show was broadcast in ten segments on the Sci-Fi channel in 2002, was noted for creating "a powerfully emotional and evocative tale of mankind's encounters with extraterrestrials." For the 20-hour series (recently released on DVD), television composer Laura Karpman (Showtime's ODYSSEY 5 and the TV-remake of CARRIE among many others) composed a sweeping, monumental work (the equivalent of scoring ten two-hour movies) laden with melody and exuding strong emotions. The score is firmly rooted in Americana, emphasizing the human characters as the story depicts their encounter with extraterrestrial forces. Released on Varese Sarabande (302 066 522 2), the music is broadly orchestral, thematic, and soaringly symphonic, taking on an epic quality as it traces the unusual history of this family and its appeal to the inquisitive alien. For the Varese soundtrack, Karpman and executive producer Robert Townson have taken the score's essential elements and derived a very cohesive and interesting 45-minute soundtrack CD.

Karpman's score opens with a melodically rich and soaring main title theme. Although only a minute in length, it comfortably sets the stage for the human side of this story, rooted in lyrical Americana. The next cue, "Spaceship," is the "Main Title's" antithesis, as furtive melodies are supplanted by a dissonant tempo of shrill winds, rivet-blows of brass, pounding percussion and keyboard. The Main theme re-emerges in "Artemis," which at two and a half minutes, lets it resonate a little better. In "To The Rescue" the melody soars triumphantly, swelling to a gentle crescendo and resolving satisfyingly. "Ride" is a pretty piano and strings composition, lush and romantic, defining movement and in its gentle cadence. "Implant Mania" is a haunting ambience of reprocessed voices, heavy timpani, slowly stated brass, and ghostly chorus. "Truth Kills Owen" is a pulsating suspense cue that rises to a tremendous pitch before dropping off at the end. "Mary's Dream" is a gorgeous, heavenly evocation of wonder and awe. The score nicely balances motifs of suspense with the more lyrical, benign melodies, but always keeps its feet entrenched upon earth's terra firma. It's a quite likable journey. www.varesesarabande.com

SOUNDTRACK & FILM MUSIC NEWS

Composer Billy May died last week at the age of 87. Billy May was a noted trumpet player, arranger and conductor, and was one of the musicians in Glenn Miller's Orchestra featured in the two Miller films of the early '40s: SUN VALLEY SERENADE and ORCHESTRA WIVES. Later, May worked at Capitol Records with Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole and on Sinatra's classic "Come Fly With Me" album. He scored a number of TV shows in the 1960s, including NAKED CITY, THE GREEN HORNET (his buzzing main theme was recently reprised in KILL BILL Vol. 1), EMERGENCY!, THE MOD SQUAD, and the third season of BATMAN. May's swing music expertise landed him an assignment to collaborate with James Horner on the big band music in *BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED.

This week's [IMG3R]new releases include a sparkling reissue of Basil Poledouris' ROBOCOP on Varese Sarabande.

Howard Shore won a Golden Globe for Best Dramatic score for the final film in the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, THE RETURN OF THE KING. In addition he picked up a Golden Globe for the song 'Into The West' from the same film. THE RETURN OF THE KING also won Best Picture and Best Director at the Award Ceremony held last Sunday.

Speaking of Howard Shore and LORD OF THE RINGS, in several recent interviews Shore has alluded to plans for a forthcoming, massive boxed CD set encompassing all three of the LOTR films, including rarities, expanded and full versions of tracks cut down for the single CD releases, and so on. No specific details have been released yet, but it does sound like something likely to appear in the near future. There's certainly enough music for it.

Correction: Composer John Debney's publicist corrected an error sent out last week in promotion of Debney's score for Mel Gibson's THE PASSION OF CHRIST: Although, Mel Gibson did work very closely with John Debney, Gibson did not sing on the score or score album. This was a misunderstanding on the publicist's part. The film, which opens nationwide February 25th 2004, continues to receive as much critical acclaim and it has been shrouded in controversy.

Music From the Movies reports that Carter Burwell, who has been working hard on his massive western score for John Lee Hancock's THE ALAMO, due out in April, has two new films coming up. His latest assignment is KINSEY, a drama written and directed by Bill Condon (whose latest credit is the screenplay for CHICAGO) and starring Liam Neeson, Laura Kinney and Chris O' Donnell. Condon and Burwell previously worked together on GODS AND MONSTERS, which landed Burwell an award from the Los Angeles Film Critics in 1998. Burwell is also scoring THE LADYKILLERS, Joel and Ethan Coen's remake of the 1955 comedy. The film opens on 26th March and stars Tom Hanks.

Geoff Zanelli finally emerges from behind the 'additional music' credits he has been saddled with on a number of MediaVentures projects such as THE LAST SAMURAI, MATCHSTICK MEN and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. Latest news from Music from the Movies reports that Zanelli has been hired to score DELGO, a new animated adventure film directed by Marc F Adler and Jason Maurer. The film, featuring the voices of stars like Val Kilmer, Anne Bancroft, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Lou Gossett Jr, is supposed to be the first completely independently produced CGI feature in USA.

Composer Marc Shaiman, who has been scoring films since the late 1980s and also won a Tony Award for his HAIRSPRAY musical, has been appointed musical director and conductor at the 76th Academy Awards presentation. "Marc's significant talent is evident in the memorable films and television shows that he has worked on, as well as his Broadway musical version of "Hairspray," comments telecast producer Joe Roth. "His contribution to the musical architecture of the 76th Academy Awards show will make him a tremendous addition to the production team." This year's Oscar host is Billy Crystal, with whom Shaiman has worked several times. He scored Crystal's directing efforts MR SATURDAY NIGHT and FORGET PARIS and won an Emmy Award for co-writing Billy Crystal's "Oscar Medleys" for the 72nd Academy Awards.

From April 8^th through June 7^th of this year, the Film Music Society will present a unique film music related exhibit at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum, called: "Film Noir: The Music That Sets The Tone." The music that accompanies the highly stylized Film Noir genre - identified by dark images, attitudes and characters - embrace moody and atmospheric orchestrations that incorporate intense dramatic and emotional compositions. The Film Noir exhibit will feature the music and composers who created scores for a broad range of memorable films. Composers represented will include John Barry (BODY HEAT), Elmer Bernstein (THE GRIFTERS), Don Davis (BOUND), Jerry Goldsmith (L.A. CONFIDENTIAL), Bernard Herrmann (TAXI DRIVER), Henry Mancini (TOUCH OF EVIL), John Ottman (USUAL SUSPECTS), David Raksin (LAURA), Dimitri Tiomkin (STRANGERS ON A TRAIN), Franz Waxman (SUNSET BOULEVARD) and Roy Webb (JOURNEY INTO FEAR). The exhibit, co-curated by Warren Sherk and co-presented by The Film Music Society of Los Angeles, will display music sketches and scores, photographs, disc recordings, sheet music, cue sheets, and production-related materials and correspondence.

The

Eli Roth's CABIN FEVER has an amazing five different commentary tracks.

Hollywood Entertainment Museum is located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, CA. Admission prices are $8.75 for adults, $5.50 for seniors, $4.50 for students with ID, $4 for children ages 5-12 and free for children 4 and younger and museum members. Museum hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from Memorial Day to
Labor Day and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday from Labor Day to Memorial Day. For more information, call (323) 465-7900 or visit www.hollywoodmuseum.com.

On the CABIN FEVER DVD, released last week, composers Nathan Barr (score) and Angelo Badalamenti (primary themes) describe in brief their involvement with the film and their approach to its eerie score.

Upcoming Genre Scoring Assignments (courtesy Film Score Monthly):

Neal Acree: DEADLY SWARM (Sci-Fi Channel)

David Arnold: THE STEPFORD WIVES

Christophe Beck: CINDERELLA STORY

George S. Clinton: MORTAL KOMBAT 3: THE DOMINATION

Jeff Danna: WRINKLE IN TIME (ABC-TV)

John Debney: CHICKEN LITTLE (Disney)

Danny Elfman: SPIDER-MAN 2

Robert Folk: IN THE SHADOW OF THE COBRA

Harry Gregson-Williams: MADAGASCAR (DreamWorks animated)

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek: NEVERLAND

Harald Kloser: THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW