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The Best Composers: Randy Edelman

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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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1ptDVpZih8

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.

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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.