X-Men

By: Randall D. Larson
Date: Thursday, June 08, 2006

THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATION

John Powell (THE BOURNE IDENTITY, ICE AGE 2: THE MELTDOWN, SHREK) has composed a magnificent, melodic, and powerfully reverent score for X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, released last week by Varese Sarabande Records. The music has plenty of furious action moments (of which the somewhat Herrmannesque "Meet Leech, Then Off To The Lake" and "Fight In the Woods" are prime examples of carefully controlled orchestral onslaught), but arcing above them is a compelling melodic motif that elevates the characters and their events into an epic scale. Performed by full orchestra with choir, Powell's motif takes on a larger-than-life heroism and elevates the titular mutants into legendary mythic status. First introduced in "Whirpool of Love" the motif is a romantic melody for strings and French horns that emanates with its own epic import near its end. "Examining Jean" is a vaguely John Barryish melody, introduced for powerful French horns. "Dark Phoenix is a provocative atmospheric piece for repeated chord progressions.

The film's action first climaxes with "Shock and No Oars," a furious piece for raging female choir over powerful orchestral patterns. "Attack on Alcatraz" dispenses with the choir but proffers some similarly amazing orchestral action writing, as flailing percussion, shrieking winds, and muscular violin measures provide a terrific battle sequence, richly and fully composed. "Massacre," "Battle of the Cure," and "Phoenix Rises" continue the frantic tone and take the music through to the film's amazing climax, Powell keeping the fury of the orchestra and choir well heeled, his melodic theme making frequent appearances to humanize the raging musical chaos, culminating in a splendid triumphant ascension for full orchestra an chorus.


"The Last Stand" reviews and renews the X-Men motif and provides a suitable musical denouement in both character and poignancy. X-MEN: THE LAST STAND is a very fitting follow-up to what Michael Kamen and John Ottman composed in X-MEN and X2. Powell's work is as captivatingly aggressive and as sonically persuasive as either of its antecedents; as a more reflective and introspective composition, THE LAST STAND is a terrifically power and impressive score, truly epic in scope while also frequently tender and subdued.

www.varesesarabande.com

2003's unusual and entrancing score for THE BIG EMPTY has been released by La-La Land Records, providing a fine gallery for Brian Tyler's enchanting musical score, suitable to accompany director Steve Anderson's wild journeys throughout the middle of nowhere. As Tyler notes in the CD booklet, "There are contrasting styles in the score that include nods to mystery scores of classic cinema, jazz, prepared piano music, 1970s scores, and late night infomercial music. Steve challenged me to compose a score that was different from anything I had done before." Musically very creative, it's kind of a deliriously conceptual cousin to Tyler's wonderfully inspired score to BUBBA HO-TEP (lend an ear to "Mud Flap" if you're not sure about the similar soup of creative design, before is turns suddenly Indonesian and morphs into a psychotic gamelan, or later on rages from subtle ambience into fierce heavy metal riffing and then straight ahead into a doggedly wicked percussive tonality that heralds an oncoming cloud of squeaking synthesizer viscosity). That kind of unexpected variation is the norm for THE BIG EMPTY, which tends to reflect a constant state of rhythmic disorientation; the music is at once extremely attractive in its comfortable cadences while its also virtually impossible to define categorically. "Free Catalog" is an amazing bit of iPod-worthy virtuosity taking sampled TV commercial voiceover overlaying a kind of bizarre and yet strangely compelling miasmic electronica. "Back of the Neck" is an array of haunting synth tonalities, reflecting recurring patterns of texture, reprising the sensibility introduced in "Star Field." Or check out the mesmerizing world woodwinds exhaling life in "Indian Bob," the ghostly female voicings of "Prologue," or the woody intones of didgeridoo in "Cowboy Arrival." Tyler's music seethes and sizzles with the blistering stasis of a desert mirage, the cyclonic instrumental cohesion of a poltergeist-inhabited music store, and the effervescent intensity of a leisurely orbiting comet, inexorably approaching. It's an amazing sonic substance that is both pervasive and persuasive and must be listened to repeatedly to truly appreciate or believe.

www.lalalandrecords.com


For the first time commercially available, Barry Gray's stereophonic soundscapes for the technologically progressive Gerry Anderson SuperMarionation series, JOE 90, has been released by Silva Screen in their sixth volume in their Barry Gray/Gerry Anderson soundtrack series. The show had to do with a 9-year old boy whose adoptive father had developed a method of transferring special skills into his son's brain which allows him to become an innocent but talented agent for the World Intelligence Network. Like many in the Silva series, there's much more to the episode scores that the oft-compiled series theme might imply. "The Most Special Agent" opens with a reflective conversation between violin and woodwind reflection which opens into as version of the Main Theme. Like most of Gray's scores for Anderson, JOE 90 runs the gauntlet between dramatic underscore and cheerfully tuneful, rhythmic riffing on the main theme ("Operation Mcclaine" and "The Race" are good examples of this, morphing between styles and modes with cartoonlike elegance. "Arctic Adventure" is an especially effective track, segueing through a series of textures and instrumental habitats until culminating in a severe downward chordal thrust of violins. The music ranges from the Hollywood romance of "Double Agent Entertainment" to the heartfelt string and wind romance of "Death Love and Betrayal. A very pleasing score very good to have on its own CD

www.silvascreenmusic.com


FILM MUSIC NEWS

Cinescape editor Anthony Ferrante's first feature film, BOO, which he wrote and directed, made its broadcast cable debut on Saturday, June 3, on the Sci Fi Channel (Ferrante notes that the movie is currently available on DVD for those purists who like their horror unrated). The movie's potent film score was written by Alan Howarth (HALLOWEEN II AND III, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK collaborator) and Carey James. Robbie Rist (Cousin Oliver from the BRADY BUNCH) and Ferrante also composed and performed two blues songs that appear in the film as well. BOO stars Dee Wallace-Stone and focuses on a group of teenagers trapped in a haunted hospital by a vengeful ghost. It's an old-fashioned, scary, atmospheric horror film.

You can view the trailer here.

A star-studded gathering featuring some of Hollywood's most impressive composers for horror, fantasy and science fiction will be greeting fans and autographing their best genre cd's at the "Soundtrack Signing Extravaganza" on Saturday, June 10th at Dark Delicacies in Burbank from 2 to 4 PM. Sponsored by Percepto Records, this event will include Vic Mizzy (THE ADDAMS FAMILY, THE RELUCTANT ASTRONAUT), David Newman (SERENITY), Lee Holdridge (SPLASH, BEASTMASTER), John Massari (KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE), John Frizzell (STAY ALIVE), Bear McCreary (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) and John Ottman (X2, KISS KISS BANG BANG).

The event features the in-store premiere of Bear McCreary's CD for BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - Volume 2, as well as John Frizzell's STAY ALIVE. David Newman will also be making his first composer signing appearance.

Dark Delicacies can be found at 4213 W. Burbank Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505, and can be reached at 818-556-6660, or at 888-DARKDEL. Those unable to attend this event can pre-order CDs for the composers to personally autograph both on-line and by phone. For more information, go to www.darkdel.com, e-mail darkdel@darkdel.com, or call 1-888-DARKDEL or (818) 556-6660 for local residents. -via filmmusicradio.com


Varèse Sarabande has announced the CD release of the big orchestral score for Amblin Entertainment's upcoming horror adventure film MONSTER HOUSE, composed by newcomer Douglas Pipes. The film is directed by Gil Kenan, also making his feature film debut, and stars Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jon Heder, Kathleen Turner and Nick Cannon. It's scheduled to premiere on July 21, and Varèse's score album comes out on July 18.

MovieScore Media's sixth exclusive online soundtrack release is the music to VET HARD, composed by Alex Heffes (TOUCHING THE VOID, ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER, TRAUMA, THE PAROLE OFFICER). The Dutch action comedy, also known as TOO FAT, TOO FURIOUS, contains a highly entertaining orchestral score performed by the Metropole Orchestra of Amsterdam. Heffes' playful and varied music incorporates the popular song "Una Paloma Blanca," featured prominently in the film.

iTunes purchase link

Sound bytes available to sample at www.moviescoremedia.com

Graeme Revell will compose the music for the new film by veteran director Barry Levinson: MAN OF THE YEAR, starring Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Linney. It's a comedy about a late-night talk show who becomes the world's most powerful man after running for president on a lark. Revell, whose latest credits include AEON FLUX and THE FOG, has also just completed the score for BORDERTOWN, Gregory Nava's thriller starring Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas


Film, television and video game composer Inon Zur (noted for his powerful orchestral scores for the video games Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest and Men of Valor) and the promotional trailers for films such as ANNAPOLIS, THE NEW WORLD, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, and FANTASTIC FOUR) is featured in the third episode of the Film and TV Music Podcast, sponsored by APM, a joint venture of EMI Music Publishing (the world's largest music publisher) and BMG Music Publishing that provides the United States and Canada with music selection services and exclusive licensing rights to over 25 different music libraries specifically for use in film, television, radio, recording, and new media..

In the podcast. Zur discusses his music background in film and television, how he got started in the video games industry, his involvement with the APM Endgame music library, as well as his music for the recently released movie trailer album Dramatic Fantastic.

The APM Film and TV Music podcast is available at www.productionmusicpodcast.com and can be heard on any computer desktop or portable MP3 player. Listeners can download and play the podcast on demand, or subscribe to the RSS feed to receive new episodes automatically as soon as they are released.

The podcast is also available through iTunes, Yahoo! Podcasts, Odeo, Podcast Alley and other podcast syndicates. Listeners are invited to send feedback and suggestions for future episodes to podcasts@apmmusic.com.


Former editor/publisher of CinemaScore magazine, Randall Larson was for many years senior editor for Soundtrack Magazine and a film music columnist for Cinefantastique magazine. He is the author of Musique Fantastique: A Survey of Film Music in the Fantastic Cinema (Scarecrow, 1984) and Music from the House of Hammer (Scarecrow, 1995). In addition to Soundtrax and Music News for Cinescape.com, Randall reviews soundtracks Music from the Movies, writes for Film Music Magazine, and in many other fields.


Recommended Soundtrack sources:

www.buysoundtrax.com
www.intrada.com
www.screenarchives.com
www.footlight.com
www.arksquare.com/index_main.html (Japan)
www.intermezzomedia.com/ (Italy)
www.moviegrooves.com
www.moviemusic.com


For questions or comments, contact the author at Soundtrax@cinescape.com