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.

Pentatonix's Star Wars Tribute

If you read yesterday's important post, you know that I do not plan to post EVERY day of the week (click here for details). However, that does not mean I won't try when there are enough things that interest me. So, today is Pentatonix's tribute to Star Wars! Pentatonix is a popular acapella group that started mostly on YouTube and has now become relatively popular. The above video is from the American Music Awards where they performance an entertaining tribute to John Williams' incredible score. 

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Latest Lindsey Stirling Epic Violin Music Videos

If you remember, on occasion, I like to highlight one of my favorite musicians, Lindsey Stirling, and her magnificent violin music! While I am personally a little disappointed that she has moved towards covers and collaborations with singers to add vocals to her music instead of her wonderful original pieces, she has, nevertheless, released several excellent music videos that you should check out. Let me know what you think of them, and I apologize for the lack of quality content by me (although a big shoutout to the guest author crew for picking up the slack in the last two weeks!). That is because of my constant arm issues, but I hope to get back to posting more of the usual content soon!

Roundtable Rival

Senbonzakura cover

We Are Giants ft Dia Frampton

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Movie Music and More #21: "Arrietty" by Jamie

Hello all, it's Jamie! James asked me to drop in to share one of my favorite soundtracks that I've featured on my blog! So, today I'm highlighting a track from the OST of Studio Ghilbi’s The Secret World of Arrietty, which is story filled with a stunning attention to detail about a unlikely friendship. The soundtrack was one of the elements that really grabbed my attention during my first viewing of the film. Thanks to the Celtic tunes and melodies that captured my heart, I’m now an anime fan. Funny, no?

Sadly, the soundtrack for Arrietty is incredibly hard to find on YouTube, so I only have one song to share today. Thankfully, it's a good one! (I do own the soundtrack, in CD format! Well worth the purchase!)

Shawn's Lament: This song is incredibly peaceful and haunting. It's "music box" sound reminds me of childhood innocence and a bedtime lullaby. The guitar and flute flow smoothly together throughout the song's course, with the strings stepping in every once and awhile to play a few notes. The harp's clear notes dancing up the scale is also a beautiful addition to the melody. I love listening to this at night for it's soothing nature when I can't sleep!

I hope you enjoyed this track; I highlight unique music just like this every Tuesday on my blog Jamie Talks Anime. I'd love to have you visit and find more great music you can enjoy!

Jamie is a Marvel fan, Sherlockian, and anime enthusiast. She sometimes writes about movies and TV shows on her main blog, Through Two Blue Eyes. However, anime is so special to her that she gave it its own blog, where she writes almost more frequently: Jamie Talks Anime. Come visit her anytime, she will welcome you with streamers in the comment sections. ;) Thank you for having me on the blog, James! :D

Movie Music and More #17

Today's Movie Music and More is about one of my personal favorite soundtracks, and it is one that I listen to often. Hiroyuki Sawano composes the score, and it is my favorite of his work. He combines many genres from Danny Elfman type scores, to rock, to oriental, most of which blends together brilliantly. Listen to one of my favorite tracks below.

Of the score, Nui Harime's theme is easily the most haunting. It reminds me of a Danny Elfman score combined with hints of rock and electronic beats mixed in. It is almost playful in nature, yet eeirely haunting, which perfectly compliments Nui's character. The track takes a few seconds to get going, but when it does, it is some truly great work by the composer.

Nonon Jakuzure's theme effectively captures the marching band feel, while simultaneously throwing in some slightly techno distorted sounds, resulting in one rather bombastic score. Aside from the appealing cadence and general bombastic sound that you would expect from a march band, it is the type of track that I can listen to on a loop many times without tiring of it.

Among the score, Blumenkranz is the one that is most often praised, and I can most certainly understand why, because it is utterly superb. While listening to the song on its own is quite good, it is even more effective when used as the villain's main theme, making it one of my favorite villain themes in recent memory. The lyrics are in German, which makes the song all the more ominous. 

Uzu Sanageyama's theme is fittingly fast, fun, and heavily influenced by the oriental aspect of the character. Again, some minor electronic distortion is mixed in there to rather great effect along with some background chanting. While not the best of the score, it is rather good and fun to listen to. 

Another villain type theme titled, Satsuki Kiryuin's theme, and it very bombastic and imposing, just like the character. It perfectly captures the militaristic overlord feel that it is trying to convey. Later in the track, there are some fun guitar notes, which I am very fond of. 

There are several other tracks from the series, particularly the song "Don't Lose Your Way," however, I wanted to focus more on the more orchestral music opposed to the songs, which are still really good for the most. 

What did you think of the soundtrack of Kill la Kill? Please let me know in the comments!

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Movie Music and More #15: "The Mask of Zorro" (1998)

Hamlette here, with very sad tidings:  James Horner died in a plane crash on Monday.  

Words come to my mind like "tragic" and "avoidable" and "loss."  For decades now, Horner had made our movie-going experience richer, more fun, more emotionally resonant with his wonderful film scores.  Star Trek II:  The Wrath of Khan.  Willow.  The Journey of Natty Gann.  Aliens.  An American Tail.  Willow.  Field of Dreams.  Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.  The Rocketeer.  Thunderheart.  Patriot Games.  The Man Without a Face.  Braveheart.  Apollo 13.  Jumanji.  Titanic.  The Mask of Zorro.  A Beautiful Mind.  Troy.  Avatar.  Chances are, there are at least two or three movies there that you love.  I love 8 of those so much that I own them on DVD.  And those are just a handful of the films James Horner composed music for.  

Now, there won't be any more.

Today, to honor him even as I mourn his loss, I'm going to share some of the music from The Mask of Zorro.  This is one of the first soundtracks I ever bought, and my friends and I listened to it so very often when I was in college.  I can hear most of it in my head, track by track, without having to put the CD on -- it's ingrained in my memory, every clash and howl and clatter of drumbeats.  You can listen to the entire album here, and I recommend you do.  In fact, search YouTube for lots of Horner's music and sample as many as you can -- you're going to find some amazing treasures.

If you don't have time, though, here are my two favorite tracks from The Mask of Zorro:

Movie Music and More #9

To continue my two weeks of Marvel, today's Movie Music and More is about Alan Silvestri's score of Captain America: The First Avenger. One of Silvestri's most underrated soundtrack, the film's score perfectly complements the 1940s setting with music that combines the feeling of classic heroism and nostalgia of a bygone era. My favorite tracks, "Captain America March" and "Captain America" capture the spirit of the film and the character with a score that occasionally is reminiscent of John Williams' score in Indiana Jones, another film set in the 1940s. All in all, the soundtrack features several standout tracks, while others are not nearly as memorable, albeit still good.

If everything goes well, I will hopefully be able to see Age of Ultron tonight or tomorrow, which means a review will be coming soon. If not, I hope to actually finish that long overdue Agent Carter review and a multiple part Daredevil review.

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

Movie Music and More #8

In anticipation for Avengers: Age of Ultron next, today's Movie Music and More features the soundtrack from Thor, by Patrick Doyle. Now this is an epic soundtrack. It may be considered derivative from other works, but its classic orchestral theme in "Thor Kills the Destroyer" works well for Thor's heroic turn at the end of the film. On the other hand, "Sons of Odin," fits well for the family drama element of the earlier parts of the film. In fact, all of the tracks are rather fantastic, and after watching the film, I listened to the entire soundtracks many times back in 2011. Listening to it again for this post reminded just how excellent of a soundtrack Patrick Doyle composed for the film. Maybe, I will rank the soundtracks from Marvel's Cinematic Universe films; that could be a fun post (no promises). 

However, I do have some special things planned for a countdown to Age of Ultron starting next week. Also, please refrain from mentioning anything about the film in the comments. Whether it be someone else's review or your opinion, please do not say anything about it. I have avoided most trailers and I want to go in without the bias and expectations of others holding back my opinion.

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

Movie Music and More #7

Today's music is the Iron Man soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi. Of superhero main themes, Iron Man's theme is among the most underrated and unique. It is not the classic orchestral type of superhero music, but rather a more an orchestral rock with a bit of techno. Maybe I am not describing it right, but there are not many soundtracks like it, at least in mainstream entertainment, and yet it works. Every time I listen to "Driving with the Top Down," "Merchant of Death," or any of the other tracks (included below), it makes me feel ready to build an Iron Man suit! In fact, I listened to this while studying for a test and writing a paper. It really works to get my brain functions going. Additionally, it just really fits the film. What do you think of today's pick? Please comment below and check back tomorrow for the final part of my Top 10 Villains post.

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

Movie Music and More #6

After receiving feedback in the comments (thanks everyone for that), I have decided that alternating between more well known and obscure music is best, and today's track is one that few if any of you have ever even heard of it, "Hyouri" from Bakemonogatari by Satoru Kōsaki. "Hyouri" is the type of track that sets an eerie and mysterious mood. The electric ting and string instruments towards the end are not the best, but the other aspects are perfect for the mysterious nature that it used in. Below is another track from the Monogatari series titled "Imitation," and it has more of a mischievous, yet slightly sinister, tone to it that almost remind me of something from a Danny Elfman score for a Tim Burton film. While neither is a track that I listen to all the time, both are excellent mood setting tracks for writing that give off a fun feel. What did you think of this week's music? Please comment below and let me know.

If you are curious about the works that these tracks came from, the Monogatari franchise is a collection of stories that venture into the supernatural with an almost arthouse and experimental style packed with quick and witty dialogue. The series is a personal favorite of mine.

My current desktop background

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Movie Music and More #5

To mix things up for today's Movie Music and More, I want to highlight not only a song, but an opening credits sequence in which the song is used: Casino Royale’s opening featuring "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell. Visually, Casino Royale's opening is my favorite James Bond opening sequence, and "You Know My Name" is very good song that is worth listening to on its own on occasion. In addition, below is the original James Bond, which is an all-time and one of the many recognizable elements of the Bond franchise. What do you think about today's music? 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 #4

Today's Movie Music and More features one of my absolute favorite main themes of all-time, Danny Elfman's theme from the original Spider-Man trilogy. As soon as the theme starts up, it makes you feel as though you are swinging through the city just like Spider-Man himself. Of all superhero themes, this is my favorite with John Williams' Superman theme not too far behind. While some may prefer Elfman's scores from Tim Burton's films, this is easily my favorite of his work, and it is one of my all-time favorites. Elfman brilliantly draws in the listener with a slow and enticing start before the heavier instruments start to play coming together to create my favorite theme for any hero since Indiana Jones. Please check back tomorrow for an announcement about my profile name change and Wednesday for a big announcement that will change the blog. After Wednesday, I will go back to my regularly scheduled posts with the final part of the Top 10 Comedies and my Year in Review post.

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

Movie Music and More #3

After my first two Movie Music and More posts have gotten the series off to a strong start with more well known film scores, let's take a look at one that is relatively popular, yet not brought up nearly enough, Princess Mononoke by Joe Hisaishi. My particular favorite of the score is "Departure to the West." Everytime I listen to the score, I literally get chills. Even though more fast pace fair is usually my thing, Hisaishi's sweeping melody sets the perfect melancholy yet adventurous atmosphere that fits the film perfectly. Another excellent track is "The Legend of Ashitaka," which is also included on the playlist above along with several other tracks

If you are interested in film scores, you should probably have at least heard of Joe Hisaishi, and if not, you have now, because he is one of the greats that is most known for working with Hayao Miyazaki on many Studio Ghibli films.

What do you think of today's pick? Are you interested in these lesser known film scores? Please comment below and let me know, and check back tomorrow for a trailer review.

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

Movie Music and More #2

Instead of featuring an obscure track, today's music is from one of the best film scores of all-time, “Concerning Hobbits" by Howard Shore from The Fellowship of the Ring. The track is often known as "The Shire Theme," and it is the perfect encapsulation of everything about the Shire. "Concerning Hobbits" is a personal favorite of both me and my brother, and the track is perfect for creating a calming atmosphere. Every time I listen to the track, it takes me back to the Shire as it evokes the feeling of watching the opening scenes in the Shire. If I were to create a list of Top 10 individual tracks list, "Concerning Hobbits" would undoubtedly make the list, and while it may not be the "best" theme in the LOTR score, it might be my favorite, and it is the one that takes me back to Middle Earth just like Star Wars' main theme takes back into its universe. It is just absolutely beautiful, and I love every minute of it. What is your opinion of "Concerning Hobbits"? Please comment below and let me know. Also, I am planning to mix up this post series with some more obscure music next week, so I hope you will be interested in it.

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

Movie Music and More

Today I introduce a new post series to J and J Productions, Movie Music and More! On this new series, I will post a track or two from a film, television, or other media. Some of the tracks are from an underrated score, while others might be lesser known tracks from a well known movie, like today's pick from The Avengers. Alan Silvestri's score for The Avengers is very underrated as a whole for giving us a score that matches the epicness of the heroes themselves. However, the track above, "A Promise," is an all too often overlooked track from the film's score. It is played near the end during one of the film's most impactful scenes, and it is one of my favorites from Alan Silvestri's body of work. Hopefully, unlike my previous failed attempts, this post series will actually become popular enough to continue in the future, and please let me know what you think of it in the comments below.

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

New Lindsey Striling Video!

Lindsey Striling has another new video up! This time with an original song and a fun music video. While not her best song ever, it is still fantastic. It's Lindsey Striling, when is the last time she had something not excellent? I really enjoyed the music video and the editing with clips from her world tour is executed excellently. If you have her album like I do, you have already heard the song, which is "Minimal Beat." 

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

New Lindsey Lindsey Stirling Video and Posting Schedule

My favorite musician, Lindsey Stirling, has released another new video! She has now made an orchestral version of her popular Elements song. While the original dubstep version is great, I much prefer this new orchestral rendition of Elements. Which do you prefer? Please comment below. 

Here is the upcoming posting schedule:

Monday: Agents of SHIELD: Eye Spy Review

Tuesday: Top 10 Movie Battles: Part 1

Wednesday: Oblivion Review 

Thursday: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Analysis

Friday: Batman: Arkham Origins

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

Funniest Christmas Song Ever!

We know it has been a few since Christmas but we forgot to post this on our favorite Christmas song post.

Christmas Muisc.

These are some of our favorte Christmas songs enjoy and have a Merry Christmas! These are not order.

 What are your favorite Christmas music?

Merry Christmas and may the force be with you, always.

Remix Mania.

If you are a Lord of the Rings fan you most likely have seen this one. If not check it out.

Here are a few other funny remixes.