Month: March 2016

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The Best Composers: Elliot Goldenthal

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I’m starting a new series called The Best.  In these posts, I will be discussing the aspects of movies that I feel are the best, be it special effects, acting, directing or anything else of that nature.  This is intended to be kind of a celebration of what makes movies so memorable and engaging.  This will in no way detract from my reviews, it’s just kind of something I want to talk about.  Each Best post will feature a certain theme and that theme will last anywhere from a couple of days up to a couple of weeks and I will move on to the next topic.  The current theme will be the folks behind movie music or composers.  In most cases, music can enhance a movie-going experience by drawing on your emotions.  Some of the best soundtracks and movies will have an emotional impact on you in some form or another.  Certain composers will always be associated with certain directors and certain film franchises.  I will be talking about both past and present composers; ones who are no longer with us and those that are still here.  My first post will be a composer who is extremely underrated, but extraordinarily talented:  Elliot Goldenthal.

Elliot Goldenthal is an Academy-Award winning composer from New York City.  He was a student of the legendary musician Aaron Copeland.  The music he does for action movies hits hard  and brutal and can be pretty bizarre at times.  Some of the movies I’m listing here are not necessarily the best movies ever made, but they have some of the most unique soundtracks.

  1. Alien 3

Alien 3 had major problems during production.  The studio constantly interfered with David Fincher’s ability to create a coherent film.  Constant problems with the script and writers basically just torpedoed a potentially great film.  I’m one of the few who actually really likes the final product, despite it’s problems.  The acting is superb, and some of the story elements were absolutely fantastic.  The visuals are haunting and extremely gothic.  But one of the most amazing aspects about the film was the music.  While it certainly wasn’t untouched by the production issues, it still ended up being one of the most beautifully haunting and emotionally impactful film scores I have ever heard.  The use of string instruments and some vocals made for what I felt was a compelling film.  It’s dark and at times depressing, but it is extraordinarily powerful and breathtaking at the same time.  It really helps give the film its atmosphere.  I love the movie, and I love this soundtrack.  Elliot Goldenthal really crafted something special here and I don’t think it’s nearly appreciated enough.  It’s worth listening to.

2.  Batman Forever/Batman And Robin

Before anybody gets on my case for saying something positive about Joel Schumaker’s Batman films, let me say this: I don’t care what you think, I liked Batman Forever.  You can hate on Batman And Robin for sure, but ease off of the third film at least a little bit.  Tim Burton had left the franchise after the second film and he took Danny Elfman with him.  So, Joel Schumaker brought in Elliot Goldenthal to score the new Batman films.  Let me tell you, he didn’t do a bad job.  Say what you will about the rest of the films, but the music is absolutely phenomenal, because it does sound like Batman.  It’s a new theme, but I think it works just as well, specifically for the kind of movies that Schumaker’s films ended up being.  It’s campy for sure, but it’s absolutely thrilling and grandiose.  It’s BIG, and you really want big for movies like this.  Elliot Goldenthal has aquitted himself admirably here.

These aren’t the only movies that Goldenthal scored, but they stand out the most to me.  He’s also responsible for the music to Interview With A Vampire, Heat, Public Enemies, Frida, and Pet Semetary.  The guy absolutely has an incredible list of films to his name.  He’s won one Golden Globe and an Oscar for his work on Frida.  He has been recognized, but I still feel that he hasn’t been given enough attention.  So, Elliot Goldenthal stands out as one of my favorite composers.  I have many favorites, but I would put Mr. Goldenthal towards the top.

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Star Trek: First Contact

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Released: November 1996

Director: Jonathan Frakes

Rated PG-13

Run Time: 111 Minutes

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Genre: Science Fiction

Cast:
Patrick Steward: Captain Picard
Jonathan Frakes: Commander Riker
Brent Spiner: Data
Marina Sirtis: Troy
Michael Dorn: Worf
LeVar Burton: Geordi
Gates McFadden: Beverly Crusher
Alfre Woodard: Lily
James Cromwell: Zephram Cochran
Alice Krige: Borg Queen

Growing up, I consider myself fortunate to be exposed to both Star Wars AND Star Trek.  While I tend to lean towards Star Wars, I can’t ignore the impact that Star Trek had on me as a child.  I grew up watching the original series with William Shatner and the Next Generation series with Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes.  While each franchise definitely had its fans, I’ve never truly understood the animosity between the two groups.  While I certainly admire the passion of the fans for each franchise, I never really understood why each side decided that their particular franchise was the best.  I guess this comes from having been exposed to both franchises, as I stated before.  Each franchise has its ups and downs in terms of writing and storytelling.  That being said, there is a strange logic among Trek fans where the best films in the franchise are II, IV, VI and VIII.  I’ve NEVER bought into that.  While I agree that the 2nd, 6th, and 8th entries are phenomenal, I still feel that the original Star Trek film is one of my personal favorites.  I also really loved Star Trek III.  I hated the fourth movie, even to this day.  I’m not saying it’s bad, I just don’t like it; it doesn’t feel like Star Trek to me.  November of this year will mark the 20th anniversary of Star Trek: First Contact, the first fully Next Generation film.

The film opens as the new Enterprise E is scouring the Neutral Zone chasing comets.  Why?  The Borg have begun their invasion of the Federation and Starfleet Command feels that Captain Picard had spent too much time with the enemy, so they ordered him to stay out of it.  Intercepting a transmission from the fleet, Picard disobeys his orders and heads straight for Earth where a Borg Cube is attacking.  Showing up in the nick of time, the Enterprise and the fleet successfully destroy the enemy ship, but not before a sphere is launched towards the planet.  Picard follows the sphere, and ends up following the borg back to the mid-21st century, to keep the Borg from changing history.  Star Trek is at its finest when it focuses on the story and the characters, and that is no exception here.  What makes the story in First Contact so special, is because of how it ties in with not just with the original TV series, but also Next Generation.  There was a phenomenal story arc in Next Generation called The Best of Both Worlds, in which Picard was captured and assimilated by the Borg.  Those two episodes changed Patrick Stewart’s character forever, and Picard is still angry about it.  This fuels the character’s emotional journey and it comes to a head when he meets Lily, a woman from the 21st century who confronts him about his quest for revenge.

Star Trek: First Contact is a very strong entry into the film series and it ties off one of the greatest stories in Star Trek history.  Star Trek has always been about exploring ideas and philosophies about where we are going as a species and what our future holds.  First Contact explores the beginning of that journey by featuring a character that was introduced in the original TV series: Zephram Cochran played by James Cromwell.  The film explores a not-to-distant future that feels real.  There a lot of elements in this film that are truly amazing.  I said earlier that Star Trek was at its best when it focused on the story and the characters.  The characters in the film are incredible.  Fans will already be familiar with the crew of the Enterprise E, and the actors really bring their A game.  The additional characters of Zephram Cochran, Lily and the Borg Queen are all fully realized and written 3-dimensionally.  These characters are extremely compelling.  The Borg Queen, played by Alice Krige is both lethal and strangely alluring as she tempts Data into joining her.  One of the strongest moments in any Star Trek film is when Lily confronts Picard about his need for revenge.  Alfre Woodard and Patrick Stewart are heavy-weights and they really do an amazing job bringing this relationship to the screen.  It’s powerful and we see a side of Picard that we have never seen before.  He’s PISSED.  These are great character moments and show-case these actors at their best.

While First Contact definitely focused on the story, the visual effects and the action have NOT been neglected.  The visual effects and CG were done by Industrial Light and Magic, probably the greatest visual effects company in the world.  The opening battle sequence with the Borg cube is EPIC.  There are a lot of details involved.  You see all these little Federation ships flowing around and blowing up, but you also see power fluctuations in the Borg cube before it explodes.  The action sequences on the Enterprise are also great.  The costumes are phenomenal and seem very functional.  The design of the Borg has been updated from the Next Generation series to be more…organic.  We see wires and cables that actually come out of the skin, which illustrates how every single person assimilated by the Borg is changed.  It’s the little details like these that really illustrate how much effort went in to making the best Star Trek film that they could.  This was Jonathan Frakes’ first film as a director and he just nailed it.  Yeah, he directed several episodes of Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager, but all that experience really helped him in crafting one of the most memorable science fiction films of the last 20 years.

The music in Star Trek: First Contact is some of the greatest music ever composed for a film, and we have the late Jerry Goldsmith to thank for that.  It’s not just the familiar themes from the original series and film, but there’s a lot of emotional and hopeful themes that are present throughout, and really help give the film its emotional depth.  Star Trek, at its core, has always been about exploration.  Not just the galaxy, but ideas, emotions and the future.  Star Trek has always been optimistic, even in its darkest moments, and there are plenty in First Contact.  A great film will always find a way to draw you into its world, and Star Trek has done that for decades and hopefully will continue to do so FOR decades.  With a new film coming out in October and a new television series in the works, I’m very curious to see where we go from here.  Like many people around the world, Star Trek will always have a special place in my heart.  While First Contact isn’t perfect, the writing, the story and characters are second-to-none, and it solidifies the film as one of my favorite Star Trek films.  This one easily comes highly recommended.  9.5/10

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Indiana Jones 5 for 2019? Seriously?

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As a life-long fan of the Indiana Jones films, I have to confess that I’m one of the few people out there that actually really like the 4th film: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  Yeah, I would have been happy with just the original three films, considering that The Last Crusade ended perfectly with Indy and company riding off into the sunset.  That was a perfect ending if there ever was one.  But after that, people were clamoring and wondering if there was going to be a 4th film.  To everybody’s joy and/or dismay, we DID get a 4th film in 2008.  With Harrison Ford once again donning the whip, fedora and leather jacket, Indy heads to South America in search of a mysterious crystal skull and a mythical lost city.  On the way, he’s joined by Mutt Williams played by Shia LeBouf, Karen Allen reprising her role as Marion Ravenwood, and Cate Blanchett who plays the villainous Irina Spalko.  The reviews were mostly mixed on the film due to it’s subject matter, which involved “Interdimensional Beings” as described by Steven Spielberg.  In other words:  ALIENS.    The reviews also criticized the over-use of CGI, which I do agree with, it was excessive.  Ultimately, though, I still Crystal Skull to be a fantastic ride, nuked fridge or otherwise.  While I don’t think the film really added anything to the series, it was by no means a terrible film.  We had plenty of action.  Harrison Ford could still hold his own and do most of his own stunts despite his age.  It was fun.  It was an Indiana Jones movie, and I was thrilled to have seen it in theaters.

Since 2008, there have been many rumors and speculations about the possibility of a 5th entry into the franchise.  Spielberg and Ford themselves have stated that would like to do one more before Harrison Ford is no longer physically capable of doing such things.  It was announced earlier this week that a new film is indeed planned….for 2019.  The official title is unknown at this stage, as the film just barely announced.  Harrison Ford is returning as Henry Jones, Jr. a.k.a Indiana Jones.  Cool, right?  I thought so, initially, but the more I think about it, the more I think that this is a really bad idea.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Harrison Ford as an actor.  He is phenomenal.  He’s got two of the largest film franchises in the world under his belt, but let’s be realistic here:  He’s almost 80 years old.  He’s not getting any younger, and I’m not entirely sure his body can take the pounding anymore.  Second, they plan to release the film in 2019, which is the same year in which Star Wars: Episode IX is being released.  Why would you release two of your biggest movies within months of each other?  Granted, Disney owns both franchises since George Lucas sold his company, LucasFilm to Disney, but do you really want Indiana Jones to be competing with Star Wars AND Avengers: Infinity War?  The mind boggles.

The only way I can really think this MIGHT work, is if they pull the same trick they did with the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.  Harrison Ford guest-starred in one of the episodes called the Mystery of the Blues, in which he played the older and more grizzled Indiana Jones.  The trick would be that he’s reminiscing about an adventure he had when he was much younger.  To do that, however, they would have to cast a younger and more energetic Indiana Jones.  It could really work.  Here’s the problem:  The producers and director don’t want to hand the role over to anybody else but Ford.  Even so, that idea could still work, because they cast Sean Patrick Flannery as young Indy in the TV series and River Phoenix at the beginning of the third film.  It’s not a new idea, but it’s one I feel has merit and is the most practical considering Harrison Ford’s age.  Story-wise, it would make sense, because Indy had a TON of adventures, if you’ve read any of the comics or novels, so there’s a lot that can be done with Indy.  Just not Ford, it pains me to say.  Before anybody gets on my case about The Force Awakens, yes, Ford did a fantastic job, both physically and as an actor.  He’s just not going to be able to keep it up for much longer.  But those are my thoughts.

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Ghostbusters 2016 Preview…..What Is This?!

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Apologies, I haven’t been doing this for a while, since I’ve been sick for the better part of two weeks.  Don’t do it.  It’s not fun.  No, I’m making this post because this week we have our first trailer for the new Ghostbusters film.  The new film stars Kristin Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones as the titular Ghostbusters.  Chris Hemsworth plays the receptionist.  The idea of a third live-action Ghostbusters has been floating around since the release of Ghostbusters II.  When the original film came out, it was a blockbuster sensation.  It was a phenomenal comedy that was infused with paranormal and supernatural elements making the film a one-of-a-kind experience.  It was written by Dan Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis, and featured the exceptional talents of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis, Rick Morranis, and Sigourney Weaver.  With sharp and witty writing combined with state-of-the-art(at the time)special effects, the original Ghostbusters film was massive hit with fans world-wide.  It has since spawned one sequel, multiple video-game adaptions(only one of them was any good: The 2009 game), several cartoons and now, a full-on reboot.  It was announced about a year or so ago, that a new film was going to be made with female characters in the lead roles instead of men.  Okay, I can deal with that.  I like strong female characters, even in comedies.  Now, we have a new trailer for the new film and….holy shit, and not in a good way.

What really made the original film work, and to a lesser extent, its sequel, was the perfect balance between comedy, visual effects, story and writing.  The visual effects were a combination of miniatures and stop-motion animation.  It also had some genuinely scary things in it, like the demon dogs.  Those fuckers gave me nightmares when I was a kid, and even today they give me the creeps.  The ghosts and proton pack effects were absolutely amazing.  You also can’t forget Slimer.  The 1984 film was a perfect storm of a movie that holds up even today.  I consider the original Ghostbusters film to be one of my favorite films of ALL time, and many people would agree with that assessment.  So, what is it about the new film and its trailer that puts me off?  First off, the casting of the female actors feels less like a natural progression and more like Paul Feig caving into the demands from several Social Justice Warrior groups.  That’s what it feels like to me.  The only female character that actually looks the least bit interesting is the blond girl, who suspiciously looks like the female version of Egon.  At least she has some personality.  Next, the neon-style CGI:  Oh. My. God.  The CG looks incredibly awful.  Lastly, the humor:  That image is basically me reacting to the whole trailer.  I’m not alone in this.  Basically, the whole damn Internet is basically saying that this trailer is garbage.  A good film trailer is supposed to get you excited for the movie that it’s previewing, and we’ve had MANY examples of that.  We’ve also had many examples of really bad trailers.  The first trailer for Ghostbusters 2016 falls squarely into the bad trailer category.  This is NOT how you get people excited for your reboot of a classic film.  That being said, if the film actually ends up being really good, I’ll eat my words, because we’re not really given a lot of information on what’s actually happening in the movie.  There is a possibility that the new film could be really good.  You shouldn’t really judge a movie by the trailer, but it does give you some kind of insight as to how the final product will be.  I’m crossing my fingers, and hoping that this trailer is just a bad fluke, and that the new movie is going to be at least passable.  This is just a really poor first impression, and I think it will damage the final film in some way.