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Continuing with the theme of film composers, I picked Randy Edelman as my next topic.  Born in New Jersey, Randy Edelman has some of the most memorable film scores under his belt.  While the films in question may not necessarily be the highest quality, there is no doubt in my mind that the music he wrote for some of these films are the finest that I’ve ever heard.  His big break came in 1989 when he composed the music for Ghostbusters II.  Nothing particularly memorable, but it was a Ghostbusters film.  This man has nearly a 100 titles to his name as a composer, but some of his most memorable themes and compositions would show up during the 90s.

The Last Of The Mohicans

I’m kind of cheating on this one as it was a collaboration between Randy Edelman and fellow composer Trevor Jones.  The resulting film was an absolute masterpiece featuring Daniel Day-Lewis in one of his most memorable roles.  The film was incredibly well-constructed, acted and had some of the most riveting sequences in any film up to that point.  It’s incredibly rare for a film’s soundtrack to be as memorable if not more so than the film it accompanies.  The Last of the Mohicans is one of the greatest soundtracks in film history.  It has a very grand and epic that also brings a certain emotional and foreboding weight to the whole affair.  The use of string instruments is astonishing, especially during the last battle.  In a word, it’s poetic.  If you have not seen The Last of the Mohicans, I suggest you see it now.  It’s brilliant.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story

With The Last of the Mohicans, Randy Edelman proved that he is a force to be reckoned with in terms of film music.  He does it again with the main theme from Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.  The film is a biopic loosely based on Bruce Lee’s life.  A good chunk of it is fictionalized, but it still ended up being a pretty good movie.  The theme became so popular it was used in multiple film trailers during the 90s.  It starts off with a simple piano solo and than flourishes into a grander and emotional piece that I feel is really appropriate for Bruce Lee.  While I don’t think Lee would have approved of the movie, I think he would have liked the music composed by Randy Edelman.  It’s an uplifting and amazing theme for one of the most influential people in film history.  The film is definitely worth a watch.

Dragonheart

Mr. Edelman hits it out of the park yet again with Dragonheart.  It has a very soulful and emotional theme that is not only epic, but very playful at times.  Personally, I loved the film itself with Sean Connery’s Draco stealing the show at every turn.  It was an old-fashioned adventure film with great visual effects that ended up being really fun, and yet emotionally engaging at the same time.  The film’s music reflects this in almost every single way.  This was also a soundtrack that used for movie trailers, because it was so memorable.  Even if you haven’t seen the film, you’ve heard the music, and that is how powerful a movie’s soundtrack can and should be.  While the main theme would be used for the direct-to-video sequels, it still manages to impress 20 years later.  I think Randy Edelman should be really proud of this particular film’s soundtrack.

Randy Edelman would later go on to score movies such as Shanghai Noon, xXx, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.  Unfortunately, as the 90s came to a close, Randy Edelman’s work became less and less memorable as time went on.  It’s a shame, because he’s extremely talented.  His work during the 90s has yet to be matched by anyone.  As it stands, the man has had a fantastic career and shows no signs of slowing down.  I just wish he would come up with another memorable theme.  Well, that wraps up my second post on The Best Composers for the day and I will be back with another one quite soon.  Stay tuned.

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.

To start, I realize that this is generally a blog about movies.  I’m also a gamer.  I enjoy video games, so I periodically talk about them.  Today, I find myself to be well….pissed off.  Why?  Let’s start at the beginning:  I’m a Mortal Kombat fan.  I’ve been a huge fan of the game franchise since the debut of the original title back in 1992.  That’s 24 years of Mortal Kombat.  I’ve played every single title in the series including the bad ones like Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero.  God, that was awful.  I witnessed the game transition from the 2D plane with digitized actors to a fully 3d environment, starting with Mortal Kombat 4.  It’s not the best of the series, but it was still gloriously bloody.  Things got better with Deadly Alliance, Deception, and Armageddon.  But after that, the company that produced the game, Midway Studios, closed down.  So, the remaining staff formed a company called NetherRealm Studios, and they began work on a 9th MK title.  The game’s release back in 2011 was heralded as a return to the gory ways of Mortal Kombat after the disappointing Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe cross-over.  Mortal Kombat 9 was a bit of a reboot of sorts, but it was absolutely fantastic.  The controls were tight, the combos were easy and brutal, and the introduction of a brutal new move, called the X-Ray was added to the mix to create a brutal new experience.  That was the last Mortal Kombat to be released for the PS3 and XBOX 360.  The follow-up, Mortal Kombat X would be the first next-gen Mortal Kombat title to be released for the new PS4 and Xbox One.  It was also released on the PC, and this is where things went horribly wrong for PC users like me.

I had pre-ordered the game, because I’m a huge fan of the series, and I wanted to be able to play as Goro, one of the classic characters of the franchise.  I had absolutely NO reason to expect that the PC version of Mortal Kombat X would be horribly broken.  I start the game, and the performance is horrible and most of the main features of the game are were missing:  No story mode, no towers, none of that.  All it had was a practice mode and a single fight option against the AI.  If it was a demo of the game, I would understand that, but this was a fully priced game at 60 bucks, and it was fucking broken.  I get it, sometimes launches don’t go according to plan, it happens.  But this was incredibly embarrassing for a triple-A game.  The game got fixed in about 12 or so hours.  I was able to review the game after putting in a number of hours.  Fun as hell, and the gameplay was solid, just as a Mortal Kombat game should be.  BUT:  The initial PC launch of the game had already done its damage.  WB Games/NRS(NetherRealm Studios) were in a rush to get the game into a far more playable state, which unfortunately ended up with a huge number of people losing all their progress.  I had found out that WB had outsourced the PC port to a substandard outfit called High Voltage Studios.  Had the port been done in-house, I believe it would have been a much stronger release.  The worst part is that WB KNEW the game had problems, and had shoved it out the fucking door anyway.

So, a couple of months later, I download a couple of DLC characters(DLC=downloadable content)including the Predator(fuck, yeah), Jason Voorhees(also fuck, yeah), and a couple of others.  Now that the game has been patched and is running very well now, we finally get an announce for a new “Kombat Pack 2” which includes the infamous Xenomorph from the Alien films, Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tri-borg(three robot characters from previous games all rolled into one), and Bo Rai Cho(an ancient drunken teacher of sorts).  I’m absolutely THRILLED.  Until I found out that the new DLC pack is for the PS4 and Xbox One only.  So….why them and not the PC?  WB/NRS hasn’t said anything as of yet, and that’s pissing off a lot of people.  I’m one of them.  The game is working fine now, but it appears that WB/NRS are dropping support for the PC version regardless.  Why?  I’m sure it has absolutely nothing to do, whatsoever, with the fact that people were complaining about the disastrous release of the PC version.  You know, when people are willing to drop 60 bones on a highly anticipated video game only to have it not work when they downloaded it, they have a right to be fucking pissed.  They are just as pissed when they found out they were getting the shaft when it comes to the new DLC pack and XL edition, which includes ALL the prior DLC.  I would say that’s a pretty big “fuck you” to the PC crowd.  This isn’t the first time WB Games has given the PC base the finger.  Batman: Arkham Origins was a wreck when it was released, but they refused to patch the game, saying the needed to focus on the DLC.  Batman: Arkham Knight, the latest in the Batman Arkham series, was just as broken on PC.  So much so, that because of Steam’s(it’s a software platform for buying and downloading PC games)new refund policy, they pulled the game from the store for months while they tried to fix it.  It was released again, and it was still a terrible port.

Until WB Games and NetherRealm Studios begin to start respecting their PC customers, I refuse to give any more money towards these companies because of their shady business practices.  That means my 24 year ride with Mortal Kombat has come to an end, and it breaks my heart.  It really does.  But I cannot support companies that treat their customers like shit, and I would strongly advise other people to do the same.  So, I’m officially boycotting WB Games and NetherRealm Studios, until they stop fucking their customers in the ass.

I know I said I would see you guys next on my last post, but I lied.  My blog, I’m entitled.  Seriously though, I figure it being New Year’s Eve, I would take a look at some of the movies that are coming our way next year, and what a year it will be.  2015 has been astounding with a lot of great movies and of course, Star Wars.  I’m going to take a look at some movies that are grabbing MY attention.  Will these be any good?  Who knows?  With any movie, it’s a 50/50 chance whether it’s good or not.  There are some that look pretty iffy, while others look like they could really kick some serious ass.  So…let’s see what we should see and what we should possibly avoid.  Come on movies of 2016, don’t let me down.

1.

I’ve been hoping for this ever since we first saw the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  The problem with that movie is that they totally fucked it up.  They got the right guy to play Wade Wilson, Ryan Reynolds, but the final “evolution” of the character in Wolverine was an absolute abomination.  Swords that come out of his arms, unable to speak, and computer controlled.  People were pissed off about that.  They were so pissed off that when the Deadpool movie was finally announced, people were understandably cautious.  Then we heard it was going to be rated R.  YES!!!  The trailers they recently put out for the film have me genuinely excited for this movie.  Is it going to be the best comic book movie ever?  Unlikely, but it’s probably going to surprise people.  God, I hope they get it right.  Deadpool’s one of my favorite comic book characters ever.  Bring it on!  Release Date: February 4, 2016.

2. 

This one looks particularly interesting.  It’s supposed to be about a woman who is searching for her sister who had disappeared into a notorious forest in Japan.  This is supposedly a supernatural film.  Aokigahara, also known as the Suicide Forest, is a real forest at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan.  It’s a notorious forest for suicides, so it kind of makes sense that this film would be inspired by such a thing.  I’m rather curious, so I will be seeing this when it comes out next Friday.  It is rated PG-13, so for horror movie fans, it may be a bit of a turn-off.  The concept is what’s drawing me to the whole thing.  So, I’m interested.

3. 

Despite not being a believer, I’m a sucker for really great Biblical epics, like The Ten Commandments.  This one is a little different as it deals with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The story is supposedly told from the perspective of a non-believer, so watching a movie like this as a non-believer, it’s an interesting approach to what is considered to be one of the most interesting aspects of Christianity.  I’m not opposed to a movie like this, but I do tend to approach subjects like this with a healthy dose of skepticism.  It could very well turn out to be a great movie, or it could bomb big time.  I’m definitely keeping an eye on this one.  Release Date: February 19, 2016.

4. 

I’m calling it now:  Gods of Egypt will be the first huge box-office bomb of 2016.  There is absolutely no way that this movie is going to be successful, despite Alex Proyas directing the film and it starring Gerard Butler as the evil god Set.  Don’t get me wrong, it looks like a hell of a lot of fun, but there is an insane amount of CGI, just from the trailer that I watched.  This movie will be compared to the Clash of the Titans re-make as the similarities are striking.  I really do like the idea of a movie based on Egyptian mythology, however.  It’s not a subject that I’m very familiar with.  So, I’m curious.  Release Date is February 26.

5. 

Olympus Has Fallen was one of the most surprising action films released in 2013.  Aaron Eckhardt played the President and Gerard Butler play a disgraced Secret Service agent when a terrorist group took down the White House in 13 minutes.  If you can get past the fact that would never, EVER happen in today’s world, Olympus was a pretty good time.  Butler is a fantastic action star, despite the fact that his American accent is atrocious.  Explosions, gun fights and Morgan Freeman:  What could go wrong?  Well, three years later, we’re getting a sequel that takes place in London…..Right.  I’m reminded of a quote from Die Hard 2:  “How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?”  I honestly didn’t think that the first movie did all that well in the box office, but it made enough money, so here we are.  Release Date: March 4…approximately.

6. This one is going to be a heavy hitter this year, whether it’s good or not.  It’s going to make some serious dough.  I’m both excited and concerned for this movie.  Here’s why:  Batman V. Superman is throwing in everything AND the kitchen sink, apparently.  Not only are they bringing in Wonder Woman, but they are also bringing in Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern and…….Doomsday.  I’m not sold on either Doomsday or Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.  I’m not.  I could be wrong, and this movie could be the best action movie of the year.  I’m taking a wait and see approach, as I believe it’s still TOO early to do the Doomsday story arc.  I’m actually sold on Ben Affleck as Batman.  I think he can do it.  Henry Cavill obviously returns as Superman, so I’m grateful for that.  But there are too many issues thus far to think that Dawn of Justice is going to get through this unscathed.  Release date: March 25.

7. 

This is one that I’m really excited about.  They are using elements from the Civil War story line from the comics, with Cap and Iron Man basically being on opposite sides now.  The film follows the events of Age of Ultron where people are considering legislating registration for superheroes and whether or not they should be allowed to act unchecked.  Steve Rogers believes that they should be able to do so without government intervention and Tony Stark believes that regulation is necessary to keep the collateral damage at bay.  From the trailer that was released, Iron Man and Captain America do go head to head.  There’s obviously more to the story than what we’ve seen, but I’m genuinely excited for how all this turns out.  Release Date: May 6.

8. 

This is the OTHER big damn movie being released this year.  X-Men: Apocalypse is the third in a series of X-Men films that were rebooted with First Class, starring James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as the younger versions of Xavier and Magneto, respectively.  This could very well be the biggest X-Men film to date.  We’re finally dealing with the first mutant, Apocalypse and his Four Horsemen.  People were and are still concerned about the look of the title villain.  To be fair, most of the stuff that we saw was behind-the-scenes footage.  We got a first look at the character in the trailer that was released a short while ago.  Given how awesome the previous two films were, I’m definitely checking this one out.  I love massive destruction.  Release Date: May 27.

9. 

Not a whole lot is known about this one, since it’s still a long ways off.  But what we do know is that Benedict Cumberbatch has been cast as Doctor Strange.  They just released a new photo of Cumberbatch dressed up as Stange, so I’m hopeful they get the character right.  As for the rest of the film?  It’s too early to tell.  Doctor Strange isn’t the most well-known of comic book characters, so the lack of familiarity may hurt the film.  But the same was said of Guardians of the Galaxy, and that film was a runaway success.  Who knows?  Release Date: November 4

10. 

It looks like Disney is making good on it’s promise to release a Star Wars film every year.  We just saw the release of The Force Awakens, the first in a new trilogy of films.  While I’m definitely excited for Episodes VIII and IX, it’s the ones in between that I’m really curious about.  For example: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  This is a film that’s supposed to be set just prior to the events of Episode IV, the original film.  The story is basically going to revolve around how the Rebel Alliance got their hands on the plans for the Empire’s Death Star.  I’m excited for this one, because not only does it star Mads Mikkelson and Donnie Yen, it’s also directed by the same guy that directed the Godzilla movie in 2014: Gareth Edwards.  He’s got his work cut out for him, but I believe that he can really make a stand-out film with Rogue One.  Release Date: December 16.

There is definitely a hell of a lot more movies than this coming out next year, but these are the ones that really caught my attention the most.  Be aware that some of these movie are 6 months or more away from being released, so patience is required.  Some of these could be good, some could be bad, but it looks like another really strong year for movies.  So, I don’t know about any of you, but I’m genuinely excited.  This will be my final post for 2015, so I will see everybody next year.  Have a happy New Year and be safe, and try to drink responsibly…..or not.  Just have fun.