Movie Music and More #50: "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1982)

I (Hamlette) am here today to discuss one of the coolest soundtracks ever.  Ever.  It's one of those soundtracks that is delicious to listen to by itself, but when paired with its movie, it's just sublime.  I am, of course, talking about John Williams' insta-classic score for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982). 

The first track I'll share with you is "A Thought for Marion/To Nepal."  I love how expectant it is, beginning with some soft, sweet ponderings, then a little mystery creeping in.  And from there, a jolt of excitement, that wonderfully playful Indy theme popping in for a moment.  Then it finishes up with a little Oriental flourish to bring in the idea we're going somewhere Foreign and Exotic. So cool!

My next selection is "The Basket Game," which balances playful and fearful so niftily.  We're worried cuz Marion gets chased and then abducted, but there's a lot of comedy going on during the chase scene too, so the whole song feels like juggling, doesn't it?

This might be my favorite moment in the whole movie -- when Indy's in the Map Room and the medallion on top of the staff actually shows him the location of the Ark.  "The Map Room: Dawn" perfectly captures Indy's expressions there, going from hopeful to awestruck.

"Washington Ending & Raiders March" starts off all sentimental.  Indiana Jones has lost his prize.  But he's got Marion still, so that's something.  The song doesn't waste too much time on his annoyance -- he gets one minute to grouse, and then here comes the most glorious theme song in action movie history (IMHO).  Really, the Raiders March feels to me like eating a giant Snickers bar while riding on a roller coaster with my best friend -- like being surrounded with joy, in other words.  I'm sitting here with a big, goofy grin on my face, bobbing my head along with it as I type, and fully intending to hit "replay" as soon as it ends.  How about you?

That's all I've got for you today, but if you want to listen to more, the entire album is available on YouTube here.

Movie Music and More #29: "Harry Potter"

What's up everyone!? James here with a Movie Music and More featuring Harry Potter! The Harry Potter franchise is full of whimsical tracks that capture magical nature of the film series. John Williams composed the score for the first three films, and his early work is arguably the strongest in the franchise. However, the various other composers in the later films also delivered high quality music, as well as rearranging the iconic main theme.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third installment in the Harry Potter series and the last one that John Williams' composed the soundtrack for. Some of this track reminds me of one of the themes use in one of the Star Wars movie with a Harry Potter theme twist.

This is one of my favorite tracks from the movie. If a theme is effectively composed to fit a scene, you should be able guess what the scene is about with just the track and this theme does exactly that!

OK, John Williams did not compose this track but I really like this one. I listened to it on a loop many times while writing the review for the Order of the Phoenix. I even liked this track before watching the movie!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Winter Olympics have Begun!

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Russian have officially begun! Being a sports fan, of course I will be watching the Olympics this year! U.S.A! U.S.A! Since I have not seen any Olympic themed movies, I cannot make a best of list or review anything like that, but I can tie this into one of the themes of J and J Production, John Williams music. Nothing gets me ready for the Olympics more than John Williams' iconic "Olympic Fanfare and Theme." If you did not already know, that iconic music played during every Olympics was composed by legendary composer, John Williams, aka the best composer to ever walk the face of the earth! And the full theme is posted below. Even though I watch most of the events that come on during prime-time, my favorite events are snowboarding, skiing, speed skating, and the highly underrated Curling, which I enjoy because it is an intellectual sport. What are your favorite events? Are you watching the Olympics? Which country are you pulling for? Please comment below!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

John Williams Scoring Star Wars Ep. VII and Posting Schedule.

Finally some awesome news about the Star Wars Ep. VII, the greatest composer to ever live, John Williams is officially signed on to score the new Star Wars film! This is the best news to come from the new Star Wars trilogy since the old cast was returning. Star Wars just is not Star Wars without Williams' legendary score. Hopefully Williams will live long enough to score all three of the new trilogy, although I wonder if he will be involved with the standalone side films also in production. On other Star Wars news, Dave Filoni answered a few questions at a panel, although he revealed almost nothing about the series. What are your thoughts on this breaking news of Williams' return? Please comment below. Also please check back tomorrow for details on how J and J Productions will be expanding into social media. Here are the upcoming posts.

Note: Any day after Tuesday I may go see, and therefore review, the Wolverine, so it would push one of the posts on the list and move Friday's post to the next Tuesday. However, there is a good chance that I will have to wait a few weeks for the movie to be released in a theater near me.

 

Monday: Bloglovin', Facebook, Twitter, and More.

Tuesday: Coming Soon: August 2013 (by Jordan)

Wednesday: Serenity Review (Firefly Review Part 4).

Thursday: Man of Steel Sequel Villains: Part 2.

Friday: Return of the King: Book Vs Movie: Part 1.

 

Note: When I stated yesterday that I was going to post my video tribute next week, I meant next week from Sunday, not Saturday, which means sometime after next Monday.

 

Also click on the link to read the Doctor Who Tag: Part 1.

 

 

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Name That Soundtrack.

This trivia post is finished, please click here to go back to the main page.

Superman Theme: New and Old.

For the Man of Steel Countdown I have posted one of the greatest film themes of all-time, the original 1978 Superman theme composed by John Williams. It would easily rank among my Top 15 if not Top 10, film scores of all-time. I consider Williams' third or fourth best score after Star Wars, Indiana Jones and maybe Jurassic Park, but I believe Superman just beats it out. Few pieces of music are this iconic and recognizable, and make you feel so heroic. As for Hans Zimmer's new score in Man of Steel, from what has been released, it sounds good. While it will never replace Williams' theme, I look forward to seeing (and hearing) how it will be used in the new film. While highly unlikely and virtually impossible, it would be completely awesome if Man of Steel ended with John Williams' classic theme as Superman flies off. What are your thoughts on this iconic theme and on Zimmer's theme?

Note: Although I originally planned to post a "Name That Soundtrack" trivia today, I had an idea for this, so here it is.

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.