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 #49: "Charade" (1963)

I (Hamlette) am finally back with another delicious movie soundtrack to discuss with you!

Is there any composer at all who embodies '60s cool so completely as Henry Mancini?  Yeah, didn't think so.  And nowhere does his music exude cool so much as in the soundtracks for The Pink Panther.  Be that as it may, today I'm going to talk about a different movie Mancini scored, namely Charade (1963).  It stars Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn and James Coburn and Walter Mathau and George Kennedy, and if you haven't seen it, I'm not going to spoil it for you.  If you like cool '60s movies OR rompy mysteries OR movies with a Hitchcock vibe, then go watch it.  But if you don't have time to watch it just this minute, then just hang out here and listen to a few of my favorites from the soundtrack.

"Main Title" has this sexy, lounge-y theme set over some very tense and insistent percussion.  Like someone telling you to run away from the bad guys, but be sure to look really fetching while you do so.

"Megeve" has that mellow '60s sound going on -- a good rhythm to keep life moving along, but overall it's laid-back and happy to just hang out in the background while you sip a few cocktails and discuss who's cooler, Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin.

"The Drip-Dry Waltz" comes from that super-famous scene where Cary Grant takes a shower.  Oh yes, he does, in his own charming Cary Grant way, and if you want to watch, I can almost guarantee it will make you laugh (and want to watch the whole movie -- that's what happened to me.  I saw this scene in some sort of PBS program when I was a teen and would not rest until I found and watched the whole movie).  But anyway, the song is a frothy little bit of adorableness that perfectly matches the scene in every respect.

If you want, you can listen to more here on YouTube.  Ciao!

Movie Music and More #46: "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hit theaters recently and so did Hans Zimmer's latest, and apparently last, score for a DC flick. As a whole, Zimmer's score is good, albeit a bit generic at times, but there are a few specific tracks that standout. My personal favorite is, "Is She With You." If you have seen the film or trailer, it is played when Wonder Woman first appears in costume. The use of, what I assume, is the electric guitar captures the mystery of the character perfectly. During the scene, the music was noticeable and made me want to find it as soon as arriving home from the theater. Sure, the track itself isn't a masterpiece, but it contains a unique blend of instruments that appeals to me. Even though Zimmer will not scoring Wonder Woman, hopefully a variation on the theme will be used for the film. 

Above is one of the stronger atmospheric tracks from the film. Contained within the embedded video is the rest of the soundtrack in a playlist. After listening to the entire score, there are not that many memorable tracks, aside from "Is She With You." It is quite good at times, yet never finds a true theme that carries across the film. During the film, the score is fine, but after listening to it, it lacks a central theme, like Alan Silvestri's Avengers main theme. Maybe I am missing certain cues in the music that others have picked up. What do you think? Please comment below and let me know! And if you missed it, click here to read my review of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

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

Movie Music and More # 47: "The Princess Bride" (1987)

I (Hamlette) am here to discuss one of my most recent soundtrack acquisitions.  It's quite ridiculous that it took me this long to buy this soundtrack, because I've loved The Princess Bride (1987) for more than twenty years.  Sometimes, I make very little sense.  Anyway, Mark Knopfler's score for The Princess Bride is as subtly off-kilter as everything else in the movie.  Fairy tale motifs get twisted slightly to make them fresh, funny, and surprising.

"I Will Never Love Again" begins very sad, pensive, minor.  Lots of strings, a bit of a twangy '80s sound going on here and there.  It's a love theme gone horribly wrong, which suits the early part of the film perfectly.

"The Friends' Song" is an obviously humorous song, got a good swagger and a bounce to it.  Some cheeky guitars open it, then a flute joins in with a delicate little strain of sweetness that is eventually overwhelmed by more strings.  But that flute isn't going down with out a fight, and reasserts itself, learning to play nicely along with the strings.  After two minutes, the whole mood shifts to almost a dance, bits of a menace coming in underneath.  It's like a little peasant dance that's being interrupted.

"The Swordfight" is delightful.  Parry, thrust, parry, thrust -- even the music is dueling.  There are some blithe castanets at the beginning to bring in a Spanish flair as befits Inigo, and lots of worried strings keeping us anxious as to what the outcome of this duel will be.  Some trumpets try to butt in triumphantly, but they get pushed back out, and the song twists minor, the strings get dizzyingly busy, and it almost feels like something you'd hear during a swashbuckly silent film where the story has to be helped by the music because there's no dialog.

You can listen to the whole soundtrack on Mark Knopfler's YouTube channel here.  And if you've never visited it, the Official Site is a delight for any Princess Bride fan :-)

Movie Music and More #46: "Emma" (1996)

One of my (Hamlette) favorite film scores, Rachel Portman's Emma (1996), won the Academy Award for best original score that year.  Since we've got Oscars on our minds, I thought this would be a great time to discuss this delightful soundtrack.

Rachel Portman is one of those composers whose scores I almost always enjoy.  She's great at writing joyful music that moves scenes along, and she can layer deep emotions under the surface of that joy as well.  

"Main Titles" gives you a great idea of what the tone of the movie will be before anyone says a single word of dialog.  It begins softly, sweetly, a little bit pensive even, then picks up tempo and becomes sprightly and humorous.  Then it ends with grace and dignity.

"Harriet's Portrait" makes me smile, and not just because the part of the film it belongs to makes me laugh aloud.  It's such vivacious music, isn't it?  Playful and bright and energetic.

"The Dance" is pure fun.  It makes me want to cavort.  Sometimes I do.  It's a little bit repetitive at first, and you can envision people doing an English Country Dance with it's fancy patterns, and then about 40 seconds in, it gets louder and boisterous, and yeah... who can resist dancing to such music?

"Emma Insults Miss Bates" is a more serious track, as befits a more serious scene.  You hear that same theme from the opening credits, only now it's very slow and sad, mournful in places.  Emma grows up quite suddenly in this scene, realizing that her behavior can affect others in bad ways as well as good, and this delicate, wistful song fits the scene perfectly.

The entire soundtrack is delightful -- you can listen to it on YouTube here.  It's one of my favorites to listen to in the early spring, when I'm feeling very bright and hopeful, but with a touch of wistfulness here and there too.

Movie Music and More #44 : "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938)

I (Hamlette) am here today to discuss a film score that is a classic in every possible way a soundtrack could be.  From long ago, still enjoyable today, and something others might try to imitate but can never duplicate.  And it even comes with an adventure story of its own, separate from the one in the movie it accompanies!

Composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold and his family escaped Vienna just before the Nazis invaded in 1938 thanks to this film score.  According to the liner notes of my copy, Korngold was offered the job of composing the score for The Adventures of Robin Hood in Hollywood, and he took his wife and younger son along, leaving his older son with family in Austria.  They arrived safely in California, where Korngold promptly turned down the job because there was too much action in the film!  He wrote operas and scored romantic movies, not action films, and he didn't think he could match the studio's needs and expectations.  But they prevailed on him to try, so he stayed, and wrote the entire score in six weeks.  During that time, Hitler invaded Austria, and they learned that their other son had escaped with his grandparents to Switzerland just in time.

This score went on to with Korngold his second Oscar, which is amazing when you think that he wrote it in a relatively short time-period and didn't want to write it at all at first.  It's a very sweeping, lyrical score, one I enjoy listening to on a glum morning to help boost the mood for me and my kids.  They're actually the reason I bought this album in the first place -- they love the movie and kept asking why I didn't have the soundtrack.  Well, I didn't have it because the original recording isn't available -- all you can get are re-recordings.  I did some research and consulted with a knowledgeable friend, and learned that the 1988 recording available from the Varese-Sarabande label is the best available, so that's the one I got.  It was produced by George Korngold, the composer's young son who accompanied him to Hollywood on the trip to compose the score.

When we listen to this, my kids will tell me exactly what's happening in the movie during different parts of the music, and sometimes act it out :-)  Very fun, though sometimes a bit disruptive of breakfast.

The first cue, "Prologue (Main Title)," begins with a lot of rollicky, boisterous prancing that lets you know this is the sort of movie that will make you bounce up and down in your seat and cheer.  Then the mood shifts and a softer theme weaves its way in, alerting the audience to the fact that yes, there will be a love story here too.  But that doesn't last long -- the piece ends with a some bold and vaguely regal flourishes.

This score has some of the most cheerful action music you'll ever hear.  "Escape from the Castle" is a joyous romp from start to finish, lots of flourishes and musical galloping.  

My favorite track is "The Archery Tournament."  It's brash and playful and ready to have a good time.  Rather like Robin Hood (Errol Flynn) in this version, come to think of it.

This is a really fun movie.  If you haven't seen it, I strongly encourage you to!  You can read James' review of it here (on this blog), and my own thoughts here (on my own blog) if you want to know more about it.

Movie Music and More #41: "3:10 to Yuma" (1957)

George Duning's brooding score perfectly suits the original 3:10 to Yuma (1957).  It's dark, intense, and full of emotions, just like the film, which tells the story of a desperate rancher (Dan Evers) who agrees to help take a dangerous outlaw (Glenn Ford) to the train to Yuma State Prison in exchange for enough money to save his drought-stricken cattle.

If you had a western movie or TV show theme song you needed sung back in the 1950s, Frankie Laine was a the guy you wanted singing it.  His husky, lonesome voice so perfectly evokes the sorts of strong, yet weary men that filled those stories.

"Lovely Emily" reuses the melody from the "Main Title," but turns it into a tender love song, simple and haunting.

"One More Shot" might be my favorite cue of all.  It combines both danger and peace, starting out with a shiver of violence, then pulling in a wistful melody that was used in earlier scenes at Dan Evers' quiet ranch.  This track feels very yearning and anxious to me.  And there's a menacing little duet between piano and guitar that reminds us there's a lot to be done before this can be resolved.  Parts of the theme song come into play too, never letting us forget about that train.

You can listen to the whole soundtrack on YouTube here, if you liked these selections and want to hear more.

Movie Music and More #40: "Hamlet" (1996)

Since the beginning of October, I (Hamlette) have been hosting a read-along of Hamlet on my book blog, The Edge of the Precipice. We've finally finished it up, and to celebrate, I'm holding a giveaway of several Hamlet-related items, including two movie versions AND a brand-new copy of Patrick Doyle's soundtrack for Kenneth Branagh's 1996 film version. You are hereby invited to enter that giveaway here, on my blog.

Now, for the music!

The first track on the CD is "In Pace," which is Latin for "in peace."  It's sung by the great tenor Placido Domingo.  I love how it begins softly and intimately, like a prayer asking for peace, and then swells gradually to a bold statement that someone has found the peace they sought, even if it's only peace with themselves and not with the world.

"Oh Heavy Deed" is a much darker track, full of discontent and malice.  It makes me think of someone pacing back and forth, plotting something.  Or maybe a predator stalking its prey.  You get a pretty clear idea just form the music that something very bad is happening.  

"Good Night, Sweet Prince" is soft and sad, but not despairing.  It begins with that same theme from "In Pace," but without the vocals.  It feels calmer, thoughtful, almost dreamlike.  Events have reached their inevitable conclusion by this point in the story, and now the remaining characters need to process all that has occurred.  Then the music swells briefly, like it's crying out for our attention before it subsides into a more accepting attitude.  Doyle is a master of lush orchestral scores, and this definitely showcases his expertise.

Again, if you'd like to enter the giveaway, go here to do so.  It runs through Monday, January 4, 2016.

Movie Music and More #39: "Star Wars (1977)"

As everyone already knows, Star Wars music is absolutely freaking amazing, and arguably the best film score of all-time. Of course, music is highly subjective, but it should be no surprise to say that it is my favorite, with no other even being close. And with Star Wars: The Force Awakens coming soon, there is literally no better time for Star Wars to be featured in "Movie Music and More," and by Star Wars, I am referring to the original 1977 film, Star Wars, or as it has been retitled, "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope," aka one of the best films ever made. Below are a few of the many absolutely incredible Oscar winning tracks from John Williams' score. 

Honestly, ranking Star Wars music in general is virtually impossible for me to rank since there is not a single track in the OST that is anything but exceptional, especially in the Original Trilogy. And there is not a film score that I have listened to more times than Star Wars. Whenever I do not know what to listen to while writing, I always go back to Star Wars for guaranteed excellence. What do you think of the score? Please comment below and let me know! 

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

Movie Music and More #38: "Kara no Kyoukai"

Haunting and epic the best way to describe today's music! Hello everyone, it's Jamie from Through Two Blue Eyes and today I get to share one of my all-time favorite soundtracks with you guys! While I've sadly not seen the Kara No Kyokai movies, I’d love to one day just because its music is epic. Simply epic. I’m incredibly excited to get to share these with you guys today because I'm still not tired of listening to them!

薄れる – Fade: I was floored by this track. Just floored. It’s tone is airy with a touch of peril and techno, followed up by the angelic female vocals. Then a driving beat come in to round it all out. It’s beautiful, deadly, alluring, and determined all at the same time. Mid-way through it softens back out without loosing any of its drive and we get a soft airiness to carry us to the song’s end.

Mirai Fukuin: Wow. The reverb. The darkness. The power; this pieces emanates such power! Again, the airy dark techno, the female vocals; they work so well to create a chilling approach of shadows. I wish this track wasn’t so short because I could write pages of fiction to it. Just wow. I really must give a round of applause to the composer Yuki Kajiura for her talent in creating such chilling musical soundscapes.

Ryogi Shiki – A bone no a lily: Now this piece is very different to listen to. It opens with a powerful chorus that reminds me of a 16th century church chorus, mixed with bits of chaos–and then it cuts to very powerful, gentle notes on the piano. Airy wafts of sound flutter in and the two build to the finale of orchestral strings and bass. A very beautiful piece in its own way!

Jamie enjoys Sherlock Holmes, Marvel movies, and anime among many different things. She loves blogging about anime soundtracks and more at her blog Jamie Talks Anime and everything else under the sun at her blog Through Two Blue Eyes. Thank you for having me again, James!

Movie Music and More #37 : "Mad Max : Fury Road"

Mad Max: Fury Road, one of the summer's biggest and most critically acclaimed films, and while you may not have noticed during the explosions, Junkie XL's score is one of its many highlight! Today's "Movie Music and More" features Mad Max: Fury Road's score because on Thursday, I will be reviewing the film, so until then, check out the intense soundtrack below. 

My only real complaint about the score is it can be considered repetitive with its almost tribal rhythm of drums, except with a modern electric guitar twist. Due to the insane nature of the film, the music perfectly tone of the film. And while the film on its own is insanely intense, with the addition of the pulse-pounding score, the film feels even crazier! Below are three of the tracks, which are connected to the full playlist if you wish to listen to it. Also, please do not forget to check back Thursday for review of the film. If you reviewed the film, please let me know in the comments! 

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

Movie Music and More #36 : "The Monuments Men" (2014)

I (Hamlette) think The Monuments Men is a lovely movie, if you can ever call a movie about war "lovely."  It feels like a throwback to classic WWII films from the 1960s, like The Great Escape (1963) and The Guns of Navarone (1963).  Alexandre Desplat's soundtrack also hearkens back to the movies of that era, and it has become one of my favorite scores to write to. 

The first track I'm sharing is "Basic Training."  It's upbeat and cheery, one of those "let's all get working on something together" sorts of songs.  And about 30 seconds in, it brings in the movie's main theme, which is endearingly jaunty and optimistic.

"I See You Stahl" is completely different -- dark and foreboding, and with a sense of desperation.  In the middle it gets very menacing before a calmer theme arrives to bring a sense of hope that leads back into the more can-do feel that pervades the movie.

"Normandy" is a more thoughtful song, quiet and reflective, and yet ultimately also strong and confident.

If you enjoyed those three short selections, you can listen to the whole soundtrack on YouTube here.  I heartily recommend it.

Movie Music and More #35 : "Anastasia" (1997)

I (Hamlette) have owned this soundtrack since I was in college.  I first saw Anastasia (1997) on Thanksgiving break during my freshman year of college, and loved it so much I bought the soundtrack when I was home for Christmas.  Anastasia is hardly the stuff historical documentaries are made of, but if you're like me and don't expect your animated movies to be exactly factual, then you can enjoy it for the history-inspired fable it clearly is.  The music by David Newman, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty, was nominated for two Academy Awards, though it didn't win either of them.

The first song in both the movie and the soundtrack is "A Rumor in St. Petersburg," and it's so much fun -- it reminds me of the song "The Rumor" from Fiddler on the Roof, as I'm sure it's meant to.  After all, both movies are set in Russia in the early part of the 1900s.  The song works splendidly to communicate not just the setting, but also tell us the basic plot:  two con artists (voiced by John Cusack and Kelsey Grammer) are searching for a girl to impersonate the missing Princess Anastasia to get them a big reward from her grandmother.

Meanwhile, an orphan named Anya (Meg Ryan) with no memory of her past sets off to figure out who she used to be, as the song "Journey to the Past" explores.  The music helps us feel the mixture of determination and hesitancy she feels about trying to find out her history.  The music swells as her questions give way to optimistic ideas of what she might find on this journey.  This was nominated for the Oscar for Best Song, but of course it lost out to a little tune called "My Heart Will Go On."  Sigh.

My third selection to share today is "Once Upon a December."  I think this is the most beautiful song in the whole score, and the one that best captures the mystery and yearning that run through this film.  In it, Anastasia regains a memory of dancing with her father in the palace as a child.  It's haunting, isn't it?

Usually I limit myself to three tracks for these reviews, but today I'm sharing one more song.  "At the Beginning" plays during the end credits, and it's my favorite song on the whole album.  This song gives me a happy energy high, and I could listen to it over and over.  In fact, I have :-)  My favorite part is at 2:25.  

Dasvidanya!

Movie Music and More #34: "The Untouchables" (1987)

I (Hamlette) am back again to share another wonderful movie soundtrack with you.  Today, I'm featuring Ennio Morricone's delicious music for The Untouchables (1987).  Both movie and music are a masterpiece, and this soundtrack is one I pull out and listen to quite regularly.  By now you're probably aware that I'm a Morricone fan, and this is definitely one of my favorites of his.  

I'll start off with "The Untouchables Theme," which is such a lovely blend of tender feeling with determination.  It tells you up front that this is a story of Good Guys and Bad Guys, doesn't it?  I like how it soars at the end, but remains melancholy and grounded, not utterly triumphant.  Definitely brings home the idea that winning a war comes at a steep price.

Next up is "Strength of the Righteous," which is very militant and swaggering.  I love the way the percussion makes me think of both footsteps and gunshots at different times.  As a song it doesn't exactly go anywhere, which also works to underscore the idea that this fight against organized crime is ongoing, not something that gets all tied up quickly and neatly.

And I also love "Machine Gun Lullaby," which plays during the famous shoot-out on the long staircase, a scene that deliberately evokes the famous slaughter in Battleship Potemkin (1925).  The music leads off with a tripping little melody like a baby's music box or wind-up toy, then adds some ominous strings underneath that gradually swell and are joined by menacing horns. These burgeon until they overwhelm the music box melody, and by the end, the whole piece is eerie, high-pitched and minor.  It's such a chilling, evocative piece of music, isn't it?

That's it for today, friends :-)  Until next time, remember:  if they put one of yours in the hospital, you put one of theirs in the morgue.  Always excellent advice, don't you think?

Movie Music and More #33: James Bond Franchise

Spectre is in theaters, so there is no better time than the present to listen to the many classic theme songs and tracks from the James Bond franchise. Today, I highlight a few of my personal favorites pieces of music from the franchise, although there are many, many others are equally as excellent.

James Bond's theme is one of the most iconic and recognizable in cinema history. The above is specifically the rendition from Casino Royale, although it is virtually identical to every other version of the theme. 

Visually, Casino Royale's opening sequence is the best and interesting by far. The song, "You Know My Name," is quite good as well.

The first James Bond film to feature a song during the open sequence, "Goldfinger" by Shirley Bassey, is still one of the best in the franchise.

"Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney and the Wings is the song from the franchise that I have listened to the most. It might not actually sound like a typical Bond song, but it is an enjoyable listen. 

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

Movie Music and More 32# : "Brigadoon" (1954)

I (Hamlette) used to listen to this soundtrack all the time as a teen.  In fact, I still have most of the songs memorized, even the minor ones.  I'd listen to this while I was doing schoolwork or writing, and hearing it always makes me think of my little corner in the basement where I had my desk, not far from the family computer, which was a 486 and played CDs!  (Does anyone here even know what a 486 is?)

(Why does this lobby card advertise "the joy of color!" and then feature a big black-and-white photo?)

Okay, anyway, this is the soundtrack for Brigadoon, a musical about a very unusual town in Scotland:  it only exists on earth once every hundred years.  Two American hunters, Tommy (Gene Kelly) and Jeff (Van Johnson), stumble into the town on that one day, and Gene's character quickly falls in love with a Brigadoon woman, Fiona (Cyd Charisse).  Most of the movie takes place during that one day they have together.

"Once in the Highlands" is a lovely, haunting song that tells you the basics of the story before the movie even begins.  I guess the show's writers audiences to have extra help wrapping their heads around this kind of odd story.  "And this is what happened... the strange thing that happened... to two weary hunters who lost their way..."  I like the use of chorus here because it ends up sounding sombre and eerie, and really setting the mood for the story.

"The Heather on the Hill" is the big romance number.  Tommy is fascinated by Fiona, mostly because she's not trying to get him to marry her, but also because she's quiet and intelligent and sincere.  He's got a girl back in America who is loud and bossy and wants to marry him, you see, and the contrast kind of hooks him.  So here, he asks if he can join her in gathering flowers.

After that song, they dance this dance, which I love, partly because it's very different from Gene Kelly's typical jaunty, peppy dancing.  Fiona hasn't told Tommy yet that Brigadoon is magical, and in the dance, she's trying to keep herself from liking him because she knows it can't last, but gradually she finds she can't help falling for him.  (Her dress has the weirdest neckline ever, though -- it's always bugged me.)

And after dancing together, she leaves, and he sings my favorite song from the whole movie, "Almost Like Being in Love."  And dances a much more typical dance, for him.  He says "almost," but we can all tell there's no "almost" about him being in love by this point.  I'm just going ahead and including the movie clip for this song, partly because I love watching Gene Kelly dance and partly because Van Johnson is so grumpy and fed up through the whole thing that he makes me chuckle.  But if you'd rather just listen to the music, you can do that too -- you don't *have* to watch it if you're not all that into musicals or whatever.

That's all for today!

Movie Music and More #31 : "The Quick and the Dead" (1995)

I, Hamlette, love westerns.  You probably know that by now.  I also tend to like Alan Silvestri's scores, and this ties with The Avengers (2012) for my favorite of his.

I feel like The Quick and the Dead is not an especially well-known movie, so I'll quick recap what it's about:  An unknown female gunslinger (Sharon Stone) enters a gunfighting competition on a quest to avenge her father's death.  It is a leeeeeetle bit cheesy here and there, but that's more than made up for by the presence of Russell Crowe as a killer turned pacifistic preacher, and of Gene Hackman as the powerful man who runs the town and knows everyone's secrets.  There's also a young Leonardo DiCaprio, and Gary Sinese is in a flashback scene.  Good cast, good music, satisfying story.  It's rated R, though, so watch with caution, as there are some skippable things.

But you don't need any caution when listening to the soundtrack!  I've had this on pretty heavy rotation lately, as it really fit the mood of a short western story I'm writing.  So here are a few tracks to give you an idea of what the soundtrack as a whole is like.

"Redemption" has such a classic western sound to it, with the whistling, the whip-cracks, and lots of guitar.  Really captures the exciting-but-sometimes-dark-and-pensive tone for the movie.

Here's that dark-and-pensive thing again.  Cort has a sad story, as you can tell from the music.  He's also my favorite Russell Crowe character ever.  He's gentle and kind, but so dangerous underneath.

"The Big Day" starts off all edgy and off-kilter, upping the tension handily.  It builds slowly, finally reaching a moody climax that conveys more sorrow than triumph.

Back to that main theme again that you heard in "Redemption," only this time it's presented with a clear and determined trumpet instead of whistling.  Then, because this is played during the end credits and composers like to do this, it pulls in other themes from throughout the score, so that this one track is kind of a nice overview of the major themes.

You can listen to the entire soundtrack on YouTube here, on Alan Silvestri's official channel.

Movie Music and More #30: "Ben-Hur" (1959)

I (Hamlette) have had an incredibly hard time writing this post.  Well, not writing it so much as choosing which tracks to showcase.  This is the most majestic score I have ever heard, and I have many favorite themes which get featured in many different tracks.  Miklos Rozsa 100% earned that Oscar, my friends.

So I consulted my friend DKoren, and with her help, I narrowed down which tracks to highlight here.  But if you like these at all, do yourself a favor and listen to the whole thing on YouTube.  Then if you love it, buy the CDs, the big, long, full score, because it is completely worth it.  I do not tire of this music.  Because it's a long movie and a massive score, I'm going to break my usual tradition of sharing two or three songs and share... five.

I'll begin with "The Prelude" because it's what opens the film, and because it has bits of most of the major themes in it, so if you're only going to listen to one track, this one gives you an excellent taste of the style and overall sound of this soundtrack.  And yet it manages to meld so many disparate themes into a cohesive whole -- remarkable achievement, really. 

"Friendship" is a lyrical song, but with a masculine sensibility.  The title refers to the bond of friendship between the main character, a Jewish noble named Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), and Messala (Stephen Boyd), a Roman soldier.  The destruction of their friendship sets the story in motion, as a beautiful childhood relationship dissolves under the weight of adult loyalties.

"Parade of the Charioteers" is all barely-contained energy and mounting adrenaline.  Even if you don't know there's going to be a famous, fantastic chariot race happening next, this music would cue you in that something awesome and exciting is about to take place.

And now for something completely different:  the "Love Theme."  It's tender, pensive, yearning.  An oasis of quiet gentleness among all the spectacle.  But at the same time, not remotely boring.

If you want a little more, "The Overture" is also fantastic, and it covers even more of the main themes than "The Prelude."  Yes, Ben-Hur is such a colossal movie, it has an overture, and then a prelude.  And an intermission.  And it deserves them.

Okay, I'll stop 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!

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