tarkus Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Baaa-zzzing! Regardless of the source, I have to admit - the guy is SPOT-ON! What he should've given dishonourable Mention to: "To Live and Die in LA" had the worst score I ever sat through and I can still recall it to this day. But that was an awful film anyway... I have to agree here: 4. The Third Man: Im not exactly going out on a limb here; most people with an IQ over 50 hate this score. The movie is a good one, but the zither theme, which has nothing to do with anything, is omnipresent, obnoxious, overbearing, and oppressive. By the time youre done watching this film, you want to find every zither in the world and smash it to pieces on the composers head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Interesting concept/list, never really put much thought into it. I disagree with the author regarding the Social Network, I really liked that score and thought it added a lot to the movie. My nomination: that god-awful dissonant piano thing for "Eyes Wide Shut." "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABECK Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 [What he should've given dishonourable Mention to: "To Live and Die in LA" had the worst score I ever sat through and I can still recall it to this day. But that was an awful film anyway... Horrible score indeed (Wang Chung, WTF!?!?!), but IMHO a classic William Friedkin movie. Love it. I liked the Social Network score quite a bit and thought it worked well in the context of the film. Of course, it's no where near the level of Inception (few are). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 My nomination: that god-awful dissonant piano thing for "Eyes Wide Shut." Are you seriously dissing Ligeti? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarkus Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 I have to agree with him on Chariots of Fire. It was a period piece. It even bothers me when Pulp movies like the remake of Clash of the Titans and 300 annoyed me with heavy metal garnishes. I had this discussion about "Scarface". The Moroder themes were squishy but good padding. The "Push it to the Limit" montage scene - laughable - awful... I think the producers thought the soundtrack would have made a great video album... Everything was geared towards MTV back then. Just silly today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinny Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The "Push it to the Limit" montage scene - laughable - awful... I'm reminded of this South Park montage. Stuff and things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoooombiex Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 My nomination: that god-awful dissonant piano thing for "Eyes Wide Shut." Are you seriously dissing Ligeti? I was about to write the same thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 My nomination: that god-awful dissonant piano thing for "Eyes Wide Shut." Are you seriously dissing Ligeti? I was about to write the same thing... Actually, I can probably come up with one or two other scores that I may not favor from other famous classical composers.....seriously. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 My pet peeve is when the movie breaks to play some vocal pop song while we see a montage of characters passing the time. Blehh. In fact, there is probably almost no time in a movie where I want to hear any music with words. (Unless that's the point of the movie, of course, as in a musical, or a movie about musicians where the songs are part of what's going on, etc.) Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Beaumont Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The last movie I went to with vocal songs was "Ray". Another thing that has me reaching for the mute is the use of TV series to promote some act and then telling me I can get it at iTunes. As if the dozen or so emails in my inbox from Apple or Amazon this month didn't feature the same group. Usually the songs are totally contrived and don't fit the show at all. And who watches WWE and says " I got to get that theme song!"? Boards: Kurzweil SP-6, Roland FA-08, VR-09, DeepMind 12 Modules: Korg Radias, Roland D-05, Bk7-m & Sonic Cell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The guy's biases are on full display. Probably not a surprise given the site. Keep it greazy! B3tles - Soul Jazz THEO - Prog Rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Mullins Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I disagree with the author of the article concerning Trent Reznor. Regardless of whether it stands on it's own as a piece of music (seperate from the film), at least it was a much-needed break from the conservative efforts by the usual suspects (Williams, Zimmer, etc.) It's so hard to define "worst" since I"m sure there are dozens each year which are beyond horrible. So let me just give my vote for "most annoying by someone who has a big reputation": War Horse. A terrible, sappy, over-rated movie with a terrible, sappy score by John Williams ....to tell you exactly when you are supposed to cry. Yuck. Made me want to immediately go and watch Punch Drunk Love and crank the crazy Jon Brion score. Yamaha CK88, Arturia Keylab 61 MkII, Moog Sub 37, Yamaha U1 Upright, Casio CT-S500, Mac Logic/Mainstage, iPad Camelot, Spacestation V.3, QSC K10.2, JBL EON One Compact www.stickmanor.com There's a thin white line between fear and fury - Stickman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Paxton Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 This one doesn't qualify as painful, just irksome, but... Recently I came across The Secret Of My Success on TV -- a forgettable late-'80s flick with Michael J. Fox. As soon as I noticed the score, I thought, "Wow, who's doing the bad imitation of David Foster?" It turned out it was... David Foster. He had really taken his signature sound to the point of self-parody -- the acoustic piano, DX electric piano, and synth pad layered together, moving in 3rds and 6ths; the big drums with the snare that sounds like it was recorded in a parking garage; the throaty, muscular tenor sax playing lots of happy pentatonic licks, with the occasional flat 3rd to make it "soulful"... there was just way too much of all of it. The thing is, I couldn't help wondering if it was deliberately overdone as an indirect nod to the title of the film -- if it was his way of saying, "Here's the secret of my success: DX Rhodes layer, big snare, and throaty tenor. There ya go!" If so, props to him for his subtle use of lack of subtlety (meta-subtlety?). But I wouldn't hold my breath that that was actually the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarkus Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 The guy's biases are on full display. Probably not a surprise given the site. DAMN THOSE ZITHER HATERS!!!!! lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Titanic needs to be mentioned for the cheezy synth choir. The movie cost 7 trillion dollars, yet they wouldn't put out 3 grand for a choir? Yuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The guy's biases are on full display. Agreed. Usually the composers of a bygone era knew the craft of composition; how to develop a theme, how to evoke different emotion through the colors of the orchestral palette and the shifting harmonies underlying them, how to modulate from one key to another without the wrenching shift of the neophyte or the same chords repeated ad infinitum. Really? The idyllic past was filled knowledge and composers today are ignorant? Or is it more likely that tastes have shifted and left William Bigelow out of touch? Chariots of Fire: Okay, shoot me. We are in 1924, preparing for the Olympics and what are we hearing when the poetic images of the runners float across the screen? An electronic score, no less -- and a theme which never goes anywhere, just keeps being hammered into the audiences ears. Sorry, but Im a big believer in music reflecting the time period its purporting to represent, and the score took me out of the movie. OK. Opinions can differ on whether the music is part of the scenery, or part of the narrative which floats in an emotional plane. By this type of reckoning however Star Wars would have to be totally silent when during the space action. (Don't you hate it when music doesn;t obey the laws of physics?) Also Miklos Rozsa couldn't have brass valve instruments or even western harmonic language for Ben Hur. Oops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The guy's biases are on full display. Probably not a surprise given the site. DAMN THOSE ZITHER HATERS!!!!! lol! More like his end comment about writing an article about the best soundtracks and guaranteeing they won't use synths. I like the soundtrack to Chariots of Fire. Does every movie set in a certain period have to have music of that period? What about movies set in 1400? Should they not use a full 100 piece orchestra with modern A440 instruments and absolutely no modern harmonic progressions? It's a silly, arbitrary "rule". And like others here, I thought the soundtrack to The Social Network fit the movie perfectly. Keep it greazy! B3tles - Soul Jazz THEO - Prog Rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus64 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 And like others here, I thought the soundtrack to The Social Network fit the movie perfectly. I didn't notice it. The lead actor drove me nuts, I never even watched the end. He was completely unbelievable to me in that role. I've seen him in other things and he was fine, but I thought it was terrible casting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucktronix Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The guy's biases are on full display. Probably not a surprise given the site. DAMN THOSE ZITHER HATERS!!!!! lol! More like his end comment about writing an article about the best soundtracks and guaranteeing they won't use synths. I like the soundtrack to Chariots of Fire. Does every movie set in a certain period have to have music of that period? What about movies set in 1400? Should they not use a full 100 piece orchestra with modern A440 instruments and absolutely no modern harmonic progressions? It's a silly, arbitrary "rule". And like others here, I thought the soundtrack to The Social Network fit the movie perfectly. How about a more "fitting" score for the movie "300", with Gregorian chants and some percussion of the primitive variety Kronos 88 Platinum, Yamaha YC88, Subsequent 37, Korg CX3, Hydrasynth 49-key, Nord Electro 5D 73, QSC K8.2, Lester K Me & The Boyz Chris Beard Band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Weiser Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Well there's this gem... [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ-vAg9opbo&feature=related (The 80s fabulous-ness commences at 1:06!) I did agree with the author that Elmer Bernstein would have done a fantastic job with Princess Bride, just as he killed it on the film Heavy Metal. https://www.theboywhowantedtorock.com http://www.weisersound.com https://www.facebook.com/weisersound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarkus Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 The guy's biases are on full display. Probably not a surprise given the site. DAMN THOSE ZITHER HATERS!!!!! lol! More like his end comment about writing an article about the best soundtracks and guaranteeing they won't use synths. I like the soundtrack to Chariots of Fire. Does every movie set in a certain period have to have music of that period? What about movies set in 1400? Should they not use a full 100 piece orchestra with modern A440 instruments and absolutely no modern harmonic progressions? It's a silly, arbitrary "rule". And like others here, I thought the soundtrack to The Social Network fit the movie perfectly. I had to agree with him on The Third Man. What a great film. I can watch it year after year, but the zither drives me nuts! The Social Network was a pretty lame movie coupled with a decent soundtrack. I understand your point, but looking back at Ben Hur or Spartacus, you realize how silly the modern "triumphal brass" is for a period piece. Not for the score, but to serve as a prop in the film. out of place there. But I digress - Chariots of fire was a good film with a decent theme that was beaten to death. If you like it - you like it. If you don't you don't. It reminded me too much of that awful "Music Box Dancer " that all the kids were forced to play in grade school Midnight Express was another synth soundtrack that was overplayed. But it does add to the atmosphere - again not a great flick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Paxton Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Does every movie set in a certain period have to have music of that period? What about movies set in 1400? Should they not use a full 100 piece orchestra with modern A440 instruments and absolutely no modern harmonic progressions? It's a silly, arbitrary "rule". Agreed. By that guy's standards, the score for Quest For Fire should have consisted of people banging rocks together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Every last one of those scores were heard by more than a few people prior to being "signed off" by a "music supervisor". PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Towne Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Sort of on topic...I always thought that "The Fabulous Baker Boys" was a great movie with a fatal flaw. Jeff Bridges is supposed to be this really burning jazz player who had decided to abandon his passion for the easy paycheck. This backstory is set up throughout the film. When Michelle Pfeiffer clandestinely follows him to the jazz club, we finally get to hear Bridges burning it down, right? Wrong. He's playing some luke-warm Dave Grusin easy listening "jazz." That killed the movie for me. Hell, the jazz flute scene in "Anchorman" has hipper music than what passed for "jazz" in The Fabulous Baker Boys. Endorsing Artist/Ambassador for MAG Organs and Motion Sound Amplifiers, Organ player for SRT - www.srtgroove.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuzikTeechur Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Two movies from which I have always loved the score are "When Harry Met Sally", and "The Whole Nine Yards" - in fact I own the sound tracks from both. In the liner notes for "When Harry Met Sally", Director Rob Reiner is quoted as saying that he specifically wanted "timeless" music for the score, so they hired Harry Connick Jr., who was relatively unknown at the time, to play standards and I think it worked very well. "The Whole Nine Yards" has some great stuff, performed by the "Charlie Biddle Trio" including a great performance of "Autumn Leaves" in French. On the sound track, Bruce Willis plays some harmonica, but other than that one glaring turd, it's pretty good. On the other side of the coin, we have *anything* scored by "Tangerine Dream" (i.e. most Tom Cruise movies of the 80's, among others). Gag. Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine. HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 And like others here, I thought the soundtrack to The Social Network fit the movie perfectly. I didn't notice it. The lead actor drove me nuts, I never even watched the end. He was completely unbelievable to me in that role. I've seen him in other things and he was fine, but I thought it was terrible casting. Let me guess - you would rather they used this guy. [video:youtube] "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The last most painful score was University of Texas' last loss to Oklahoma. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJAzHiwpW7g "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 [video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJAzHiwpW7g Still love "Touch And Go" though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 The live EL-Powell "Mars" was the loudest thing I'd heard in my life. Other than that, though, good show! Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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