82nd ANNUAL OSCAR NOMINEES FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

AVATAR - James Horner


Avatar. Where to begin?

It's not one of the greatest cinematic achievements of our time, like Hollywood would like you believe. Nor is it one of the worst films made, like bitter internerd fanboys would like you to believe either. It's simply an evenly told adventure story, that tries a little too hard to preach eco-issues to the audience. Visually and technically, Avatar is simply astounding. Story and character wise it's a little dry, but it's to be expected and therefore can be forgiven if it's just a wild romp that you're seeking out. All that aside, it's James Horner's colorfully exotic adventure score that's in the spotlight here.
At first, I dismissed the Horner's score as nothing but a retread of his previous efforts and other composer's works that explored the realms of other planets and cultures. In a way, it is, but it's done with such masterful intelligence and thought, that all else is forgotten.
Horner's third collaboration with the equally egotistical, director James Cameron, is a fine one indeed, littered with some of Horner's most obvious and overused motifs and themes, which should come as no surprise to the film score community or fan of the composer's earlier work.
While the composer spoke of irregular instrumentations and textures rarely ever used in scoring procedures, nothing really stands out as being groundbreaking or original, but in all fairness, it's so well done it almost doesn't matter.
There are interesting moments of synth textures blended in seamlessly with orchestra or a tribal vocal and/or percussion section, that the regular listener probably won't pick it up upon the first few listens.
The small ethnic vocal ensemble is quite powerful indeed, as it speaks wonders with it's wordless chanting and spelling out an innocence long forgotten by the western civilization. It almost grounds the otherworldliness of the score, by the organic feel it radiates.
The obvious use of ethnic percussion and woodwinds is to be expected, but Horner also treats the ears to some more subtle ethnic playing in the more mystical sounding sections with chimes, flutes, bells and electronics that weave in and out of each other.
James Horner has written quite possibly one of the best action cues of his career right here, with the astounding 11 minute "War". If you're going to listen to anything from this film, this cue is the one to seek out, with it's dizzying orchestral blasts of brass battle cries, ethnic war calls, thundering percussion and a pulsating electronic current subtly running through the greater body of the cue.
On album, the score includes about 74 minutes worth of score, plus a 4 minute pop single that I won't get into it (because it hurts my ears and brain). The album presentation is all right, but it demands at least a two disc edition to truly explore the 2 plus hours worth of music that Horner actually wrote for the film.
I know there's an deluxe edition available now, but for only 18 minutes more music, it hardly seems worth it when one suspects a better more well rounded album presentation SHOULD become available in the future.
Honestly, I could probably write one of the longest reviews I have so far on this blog, about this score. Not because it's so good or bad, but because it's layered with so much careful planning and weaved together in several different directions so intelligently, it begs for a deeper exploration. I won't though, seeing as this is almost the length of regular review and the Oscar Nom reviews are supposed to be short......woops.
I'm glad I waited so long to review the 2009 Oscar Nominees. Had I written this last year, I probably would have only given this 3 stars and forgotten about it. However, after given it sometime to settle in within my tastes, its risen to an extremely strong 4 star rating. I tip my hat to you, Mister Horner. Your 18 months of hard work on this score does not go unnoticed.
Say what you will about the movie, but the music itself deserves all the recognition and hype it received.

****

FANTASTIC MR. FOX - Alexandre Desplat

Alexandre Desplat's work has never really struck a chord with me. While I recognized his technical brilliance, his work had always came off as sort of cold and lacking from the warmth of a heart. All that changed with his score to Wes Anderson's animated flick, based off of Roald Dahl's children's novel, Fantatic Mr. Fox.
Fox is a wonderfully, colorful array of tinkering, twinkling and twankering. A musical ride that is really quite refreshing in a year full of deeply, serious or massively epic orchestral scores.
Desplat had an absolute ball here and it's made quite apparent with the final product. He pulls out all sorts of bells and whistles, including banjos, woodwinds, glockenspiels, xylophones, chimes, a children's choir, his own whistling and a frolicking cello.
A rather pleasant theme for Mr Fox is at the forefront, telling the story of a simpler, innocent life. With a banjo serving as the heart, we are treated to some wonderful cello soloing, chimes and guitar plucking.
Desplat works in some wonderful themes for just about every character, one of which stands out as obvious nod Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western days for the Rat character. It twangs, whistles, marches and brings a smile to the face, reminding one just how much fun scoring can really be with a smaller ensemble.
Another nod to the past can be heard in a John Philip Sousa inspired march. That seems right at home, as we're reminded of Nick Park's animation, because he's made so much use of that sound in Chicken Run and his Wallace & Gromit cartoons. Monty Python enthusiasts will be reminded of The Flying Cirus and all it's silliness.
Desplat surprises with some astoundingly beautiful pieces near the end of the score, that bring in a quirky Elfman charm to the project. Here, Deslplat makes use of solo boy soprano and some chimes, which at times, takes me back to John Morris' tragic The Elephant Man score.
I should mention, PULP frontman, Jarvis Cocker has a single cue, Petey's Song, included that makes me laugh every time with it's playful ridiculousness. Cocker did end up recording 4 songs for the film, but had them ultimately cut, as he was originally the narrator of the film, but producers felt it too confusing.
All in all, Desplat's Fantastic Mr. Fox is a wonderful surprise to me, as I never really felt close to any of his scores until Fox.
While the commercial album presentation is fun, including some source songs to boot, I would highly recommend the MP3 only album, The Abbey Road Mixes, as it showcases Delsplat's delightful score only.
It's not an amazing score or one that will appeal to everyone, but I for one, was delightfully surprised and entertained by this score and will revisit in regularly.

*** 1/2

THE HURT LOCKER - Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders


There were two scores from the 2009 Oscar Nominations that I'm glad I gave myself the chance to revisit so much later. James Horner's Avatar was the first, Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders' The Hurt Locker is the other.
Directed by Point Break's Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker tells the story of three American soldiers on the Explosive Disposal unit, during the war in Iraq.
A score I had been eagerly awaiting for quite sometime, as Beltrami had never really composed for a war film before, The Hurt Locker, came as a complete disappointment at first.
I found it to be nothing more than a jumbled conglomeration of synth sounds, tweaked and pitch-shifted to make the ears bleed.
Giving it some time to age and repeated listens to study it some more, I found it to be so much more than that. Beltrami and longtime collaborator/soundscape artist, Buck Sanders sculpted one of the most intensely, disturbing avant-garde scores I think I've heard since Christopher Young's first 1987 Hellraiser score.
The score screams of extreme hostility from the very get go and hardly ever lets up from this unpleasantness, other than a few spots of lone depression, which isn't anymore comforting.
It attacks the senses with such precision and intensity, it's easy to see why the average score listener would hate it. It's not a fun listen at all, but it's perfect for such a film as The Hurt Locker and feels as if it's absorbed all the intensity on screen and is filtering it through your ears.
I don't know how they did it, but it's made quite obvious, through dissonant sounds and drones, which cues are meant to magnify the hostile dry, landscape that surrounds the characters and which ones rely heavily on angry, insane interiors of the minds of the main characters. How you would go on about personalizing sounds like that, boggles the minds as to how long it took the two composers to come up with what was interior and what would be exterior.
In an interesting twist, Beltrami & Sanders don't make use of the Iraqi instruments or voices by shoving the down the throats of the listeners, like Zimmer or any of his minions would do. They don't need to let the viewer know which country the film takes place in, by rocking out with an oud or a rebab to a hip hop beat. Instead, they mute the instrumentation and vocals to be heard in the background, almost as they're attempting to invade the characters heads over a wall of noise and insanity.
Not all is angry screeches and electronic pulses though. Interestingly enough, a Western like theme is created for the cowboy like main character, Sgt. James, deliciously played by Jeremy Renner. No stranger to beautiful Western music, Beltrami & Sanders craft a depressing, lonely little piece using an e-bow and 3 slightly different tones on an electric guitar.
This score is immensely threatening and makes no attempt to pretend to be anything but. Beltrami & Sanders took this project with a perfect approach with industrious "noise", when a straightforward musical score, would have made too much sense and by no means, are we or the characters to be making sense of such a situation.
The Hurt Locker is angry, noisy, depressing and constantly reminding the listener that you are alone...Beltrami & Sanders capture that perfectly.
It could have easily been nothing but a noisy synthesized mess with one slight misstep, but the two composers handled it so well and closely, it actually comes off as genius and well thought out.
At first, I figured their score was nominated solely because it was attached to 2009's darling film, The Hurt Locker (who would nominate something so avant-garde for an Academy Award?). Now I would like to believe it was nominated because it deserved it for capturing the feel of the film to a tee (doubtful still, but that's really why it deserves the nom).
Beltrami & Sanders' score is a very difficult listen that won't appeal to many, but if you have the patience for it, it is extremely rewarding as it twists your emotions into a tense knot of anger, confusion and takes you completely out of your comfort zone.
I love it.

*** 1/2

SHERLOCK HOLMES - Hans Zimmer


On paper, director Guy Richie tackling the Sherlock Holmes character in a new film seemed really weird. Casting Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law in the iconic lead roles seemed even weirder. Hiring composer Hans Zimmer on a Guy Richie project (most of all this project) sealed the deal as 'weird'.
...And the best part about such a project? It all worked out in the end.
Upon the first listen, the main theme sounds a lot like Jack Sparrow's theme from Pirates Of The Caribbean. Which can be forgiven, as both Holmes and Sparrow are comedic, eccentric and pompous characters that call for such a theme.
Here Zimmer focuses on a playful cimbalom and a famously detuned piano (which Zimmer threw down a flight of stairs) as the central instruments for Holmes' main theme. It works extremely well, as a wild, slightly off-kilter romp, with some mystery sprinkled into for obvious reasons.
Zimmer tosses in some bizarrely played solos by a screeching violin and fiddle, to boot there's also a drunken accordian jig, some tubas, a banjo and bagpipes and in a stroke of pure offbeat genius, the Westminster Chimes even makes an appearance.
For the most part, Holmes, sounds as if Gogol Bordello came along and covered The Pogues with an array of broken instruments. I don't know if this was intentional or not, considering Richie's close friendship with Gogol Bordello, but I'm suprised to see that I'm the first one to mention this.
I might go so far as to say Sherlock Holmes sounds like a certain type of pure madness, that usually comes attached to genius, which is perhaps what Zimmer was aiming for. The character of Sherlock Holmes was supposed to be a bit of a madmen, cursed with a generous amount of intelligence.
Holmes comes off as a style Zimmer does not visit often and I wish he would more often. It sprinkles in flavors of some of his previous efforts, including An Everlasting Piece, The Peacemaker and of course Pirates.
This score, like Mr. Fox, isn't for everybody. In fact, I'm willing to bet, most Zimmer fanboys who loved his work with Christopher Nolan, will be left confused and wondering where the "epic manboy" music is.
I love this score and quite frankly is an easy one to get excited about. It's fun, crazy and loud.
Let's hope Zimmer keeps on writing surprises like this more often.

****

UP - Michael Giacchino



I've all ready gushed over this score in an earlier post. So I should think it's quite obvious that I think Giacchino's UP should (and was) be the the winner of the Oscar for Best Score.

Since I've all ready expressed my feelings for this wonderful modern classic, why not post what other more respected score reviewers thought of it?

"Giacchino's UP gets a huge "thumbs up" from me. Big ups for not being afraid to return to "good, old fashioned" scoring techniques that have made classic animation features endure the tests of time and trend."
-Christopher Coleman, Tracksounds

"Giacchino's music, being completely acoustic and orchestral, has an organic nature to it which is refreshing in and of itself, but he goes one step further by employing colorful orchestral techniques and instrumentations which give his scores a completely delightful flavor."
-David Abraham Dueck, suite101

"Giacchino has done extremely well scoring Up, as it would have definitely been a difficult film to compose, since getting the mix of simple French street music and the grandiose of an orchestra to combine together is not an easy task, it has been done superbly and it has really captured the emotive pictures that are being projected onto the screen."
-Doug Belfast, Sputnik Music

"Buy it if your heart was broken by the tragic whimsy of Michael Giacchino's theme for the primary couple in the context of Up, its combination of vintage jazz and waltz rhythms both affably light-hearted and remarkably intimate at the forefront of the film's mix."
-Christian Clemmenson, Filmtracks

"Up is a wonderfully entertaining and enjoyable score, illustrating perfectly Giacchino's lighter, thematic side, and more than confirming his newly acquired status as one of Hollywood’s rising music stars."
-Jon Broxton, Movie Music UK

....

...I urge you to check this one out. URGE.

INK (Written & Dir. Jamin Winans. 2009.)

Good people do good things and bad people do bad things, or more often than not bad people get someone else to do it for them.   Ink is such a person, or thing, sent on an errand by a higher power to kidnap an eight year old girl as she sleeps seemingly safe in her bed.  And despite the combined efforts from a number of strangers, he succeeds in snatching little Emma.  His motivations for this act are revealed to us as the story unfolds.  However, it’s not as straightforward as that.  The part of Emma that is stolen is in the dream world, where Ink resides, while her physical self remains in the real world in a comatose state.  If the two parts of Emma are not reunited within a given time, disaster will befall her.  What follows is the journey undertaken by the kidnapper, the kidnapped, and those trying to save her, both in the dream world and concurrently in the real world.  And it’s (mostly) a joy to watch.

Ink is a fantasy movie that dares to do things a little different from the norm, it dares to fail.  It’s a self-financed venture, the brainchild of primarily two individuals, Jamin Winans and Kiowa Winans.  Jamin wrote, directed, edited, and composed the original soundtrack for the film, and Kiowa was responsible for the Art Direction, Costume Design and Sound Design.  They were also the executive producers, and subsequent distributers.  Ink is their baby.

The direction is stylised, a little overly stylised at times and at others it seems almost amateurish.  More than once it reminded me of a British Public Information film, about the dangers of excessive drinking or about taking care while driving.  The editing is often clumsy, bordering on irritating; especially the fight scenes where it’s clear Jamin has compensated for a lack of experience in these matters by moving the camera too close to his subject to keep the viewer’s attention away from the poor choreography.  While the fighting is essential to the story, it is undoubtedly its weakest aspect.  Not what you want on your CV.  However, what the film lacks in finesse it makes up for in ideas.  It is literally bursting at the seams with plot, both attended to and left unexplored; and quite often the plot is implied as opposed to being revealed in the conventional manner.  In order to get the most from Ink you have to engage on a conscious level with it.  The best cinema uses this as a device.  Films that wash over you are often instantly forgettable affairs.

At times it reminds of a Neil Gaiman fairytale, putting me instantly in mind of Gaiman’s own failed Neverwhere project (1996 BBC series, may be unfamiliar to non-UK audiences) and the occasional bronzed lighting effects remind of Gaiman’s long time collaborator, Dave McKean (Mirrormask.  2005).  The sound is competent, often inspired.  When the protectors appear they are accompanied by an audible “click/pop” sound, like a light bulb blowing out, crossed with the sound the hinge of a Zippo lighter makes.  It sounds weird, but it works.

The soundtrack, being conceived by Jamis, as you would expect fits the scenes perfectly and at times it raised my sympathies so much that my heart took up a firm residence in my throat.  Especially towards the end, it integrates beautifully heightening the emotional impact of the narrative.

Whether the viewer realises it or not, cinema is a medium of thirds; from the pre/production/post to the lighting (3 point lighting) to the very frame itself (rule of thirds), this is the case.  Ink, the film not the character, is split into a three-way fight with itself.  Initially intriguing, it stumbles into mediocrity a third of the way in, leaving it’s actors to carry the story; a task for which they are not wholly capable.  At times it seems as if they are fresh out of acting school.  As mentioned already the action scenes are clumsy, and it is this middle section of the film that all my criticisms are directed.  Sadly, this is also the point many people will decide to hit the stop button.

Persevere, and the final third of the film is a complete turnaround.  It not only redeems its existence, it excels in all the right ways.  The editing is tighter, the direction is inspired, and even the fighting seems more accomplished.   The threads of story that have been dangled before us begin to weave and knit together beautifully.  The scenes with Emma and her protector are fantastic.  Along the way Ink has tasks of his own that he must complete in order to deliver his cargo.  The Pathfinder, a stranger employed to help track the girl, ceases to be an annoying fool with black tape over his eyes and takes on a whole new relevance and essential role.  The beat of life becomes the beat of the film, and the urgency which was previously lacking reaches its potential.  The final third of the film is the finest of its kind I have seen this year.  Like well crafted music it reaches a crescendo right before the final act, leaving you grinning like the Cheshire Cat with a fish the size of a bus.

Wikipedia tells us (don’t read the Wiki article before watching the film, it has major spoilers) that no major studio picked up the film for neither theatrical nor home distribution; this doesn’t surprise me, they don’t have such insight and many of them need a diagram to find their own ass.  Double Edge Films, Jamin Winans and Kiowa Winans’ own company, pitched the movie directly to independent cinemas and to the DVD, Blu-ray and online distribution markets themselves. After the release it became the most downloaded movie in file sharing torrent history, 400,000 times in a single week, and this helped expose the film to a large audience, leading to higher DVD and Blu-ray sales in return. It’s a fairytale success story.  The filmmakers claimed to have "embraced the piracy" and are "happy Ink is getting unprecedented exposure."  More power to them.

All that remains is for me to tell you to seek it out and watch it right to the end before forming a lasting opinion.  And to give it a mark.  Without hesitation I give Ink...

***** out of 5

To purchase go to the Official Ink site HERE

MARNIE music composed by Bernard Herrmann

The working relationship between iconic director, Alfred Hitchcock and composer, Bernard Herrmann was a match made in heaven. Together they worked on a number of classic films (nine to be exact), beginning with Shirley MacLaine's 1955 film debut, The Trouble With Harry and then followed with a variety of humorously macabre thriller projects, including Psycho, Vertigo and North By Northwest. Herrmann wasn't only involved with Hitchcock's films, but composed magnificent scores for other cinematic classics, such as Taxi Driver, Twisted Nerve, Fahrenheit 451, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Journey To The Center Of The Earth and some little film called Citizen Kane.
With such an impressive resume, you would assume Herrmann's shelf would have been littered with statues of that little gold man, Oscar. Sadly, he received only one Oscar and that was for German director, William Dieterle's slightly strange drama, The Devil and Daniel Webster in 1941. However that didn't stop the AFI from ranking both Psycho and Vertigo as #4 & #12 on the Top 25 Film scores in American cinema.
Herrmann had a very strict rule, when working on a film: it's his own way or he's out (something Danny Elfman learned from him). This interesting philosophy is a rarity in the film business, which is never usually accepted and it inevitably destroyed his partnership with Alfred Hitchcock. While working on Torn Curtain, Hitchcock insisted Herrmann compose a jazzy pop score...Herrmann disagreed and wanted a traditional score. Neither could come to a compromise and Herrmann walked out, never to work with Hitchcock again.
Before parting ways on Torn Curtain, Herrmann composed the score for Hitchcock's sexually driven psychological thriller, Marnie in 1964.
Marnie, starring 'Tippi' Hedren and Sean Connery, was a critical and box office failure. It was lambasted for being too outdated, unconvincing, riddled with flat storytelling and Hedren turning in a poor performance (partially due to some behind the camera drama going on between her and Hitchcock). The Fat Man took this to heart and was probably one of the main reasons why he was so concerned with having Torn Curtain being more of a modern Hollywood film.
If anything, it was Herrmann's score that helped push the story of Marnie forward and elevated the character of Marnie into someone sympathetic and interesting. Herrmann's knack for pushing not so obvious character traits to the forefront, pratically lifted Marnie's head out of the water in a way.
While, the music itself is one of Herrmann's weaker scores, it still manages to create a fairly bold identity for itself in the context of the film.
The "Main Title" wastes no time letting the viewer know dramatic tension is upon them. With a blaring French horn section that unsettles within the first few notes heard, it quickly sweeps into a lush string section accompanied by a harp, foreshadowing the twisted romantic side of the story. After that, Herrmann lets the violins hop up and down the frets in a frantic manner, mirroring that of something that would have been comfortable (or uncomfortable) in Norman Bates' head.
Herrmann is at some of his best Golden Age composing, with the "Hotel Room" cue. It serves as Marnie's character theme with a sweeping string section and some wonderful subtle woodwind solos, it is perhaps the only thing in the film that immediately makes the viewer like Marnie as a person, while we watch her steal and sneak her way out of town.
"The Hunt" cue is perhaps the highlight of the entire score, as it positively bounces up and down with the French horns happily bugling throughout the first six bars or so. All is not well though, as the mood slows down quite quickly, the strings slowly beginning to growl, then accompanied by the sudden bursts of horns blaring like internal screams. The cue turns back to the upbeat hunting march again, only this time it's noticeably more frantic, matching the images on screen of Marnie riding away on her horse in a panic. It finishes in a tragic tone, mourning for Forio the horse (which is quite frankly the most disturbing scene in the film for me).
"Obsessions" is another one of my favorite cues on the album. It begins with a muted string section, playing the once lush, sweeping main theme, now more sinister and intimate, almost as if it's burrowing it's way into your head just to simply confuse your emotions and thoughts.
The "Finale" is a wonderful way to wrap things up, playing like a requiem to a life that never really existed and is now replaced with something completely different and uncomfortable. It manages to squirm and mourn at the same time, leaving a delightfully bitter taste in the mouth. Herrmann knew exactly what the story needed, as Hedren's performance at this moment was so horribly wooden, the only thing that could save the final scene was his music...and he succeeded.
Normally a complete score release would be ideal, but in most cases with Bernard Herrmann's music it is quite the opposite, unless of course you're the archiving type. Herrmann doesn't ever really let his themes develop or change up in any sort of instrumental variation for the separate performances of the same theme, as he writes the themes for usually only the main protagonist and what their actions are, not necessarily for their emotions which tend to develop quite a bit. So with this, his scores become quite repetitive and I find you would be better off with a shorter album presentation or an extended suite, for a more emjoyable listening experience.
While the "collector" would be more inclined to purchase the Varese Sarabande Joel McNeely re-recording of the complete score, I would highly recommend the Tsunami release instead as it was overseen and conducted by Herrmann himself. The downside to the going with the original Herrmann recording is the sound quality, which is quite obviously dated. However, it can be argued that the McNeely conducted edition's sound quality is a little muddled up, due to the overuse of reverb played into the mix.
I can't speak for anybody but myself, when it comes to album preference, so it is worth looking into which one better suits you.
In the end, I found Bernard Herrmann's Marnie to be a mediocre listen on album and a superior storyteller on film.

Music on Album - ***

Music as Heard In Film - ****1/2

MARNIE (Dir. Alfred Hitchcock. 1964)

“You’re a cold practiced little method actress of a liar.”

Marnie Edgar is a beautiful but disturbed young woman with an aberrant fear and mistrust of men, thunder and lightning, and the colour red. Marnie is also a career criminal, who charms her way into jobs only to steal from her boss at the first opportunity, and then moves onto the next town and the next identity. And yes she is blonde, has a grey suit and a bag, but this is not your typical Hitchcock movie. In fact, it deals with subjects that were, and still are even today, not easy to watch.
Hitch himself had this to say about it, “One might call Marnie a sex mystery. That is, if one used such words.” Well, I’m less restrained than the fat man and I’m telling you now to beware, the film has very strong themes of implied sexual abuse and rape, which may offend some viewers. The rape scene is handled tactfully (if such a thing can ever be said to be so?) and as an interesting side note Hitch fired the first screenwriter because the guy removed it from the script, and hired a woman (Jay Presson Allen) to put it back in.
It’s debatable as to whether the film needs it, or recovers from it; nevertheless it remains.

Marnie continued Hitchcock’s proclivity for adapting suspense novels for the screen. It is based on the novel of the same name by British author Winston Graham and was originally perceived as a vehicle for Grace Kelly, with whom Hitch was keen to work with again after the successful Rear Window. However, Grace Kelly was too busy playing the pretty Princess of Monaco and so Hitch abandoned the project and thankfully went on to shoot The Birds instead, where he met Tippi Hedren. Despite their much publicised tussles, Hitch was impressed with Tippi and I for one am glad she got the role rather than the simpering Grace Kelly. The project was reborn with Tippi onboard as Marnie Edgar, and further casting began.

The leading man in Hitch’s movies is always superbly dressed and charismatic, but it’s not unfair to say they are usually very similar, almost stoical, “man on the run and on a mission” stock types. Here Sean Connery gives us his only Hitchcock performance, playing a man named Mark Rutland, a widower who owns a large printing company and is not only wealthy but also well educated. And for a change he’s not a man on the run, though he does have a mission. Fresh from his stint in Dr No, Connery was far from being typecast and he not only relishes such a challenging role, he throws himself into it completely. I was sceptical at first as to whether he was the right man for the job, but my doubts were assuaged when I saw him fit the shoes Hitch had provided for him. He has his detractors but reviews are subjective, so I make no apology.

Mark Rutland (Connery) likes to gamble. He likes to play dangerous games and is fascinated with animal instincts and behaviourism, which brings us back to Tippi Hedren. Rutland sees Marnie as a pitiable wounded animal that is crying out to be helped, and in his arrogance he concludes that who is more suited to help such a beautiful creature than he? Marnie, however, is reluctant to let him into her hermetically closed world, but can any woman resist the advances of Sean Connery for long? The sexual chemistry between the two leads is a little lacklustre when compared with, say, Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart, but there is a reason for that, and their complex relationship is about more than just attraction.

Some of the key scenes are classic Hitchcock moments. A theft is especially suspenseful, where through an open door we are witness to a robbery on one half of the frame while unbeknownst to the thief a woman is on the left hand side of the frame, outside the room, cleaning the floor. So while one cleans out a safe and one cleans a floor both are oblivious to the other... but for how long? I’m not telling.
A scene between Hedren and Connery in his office as a storm rages outside is also notable. The angry storm, being both a trigger for a deep rooted memory and imbued with an associated and unwelcome symbolism, frightens Marnie but it also saves her from further enquiry. Ironically the storms only seem to appear when she needs them, or rather when the story needs them to advance.

I said previously that this not a typical Hitchcock movie, however it does have a number of the famous Hitchcockian moments that he used in previous films. Colours are a trigger for memory (Vertigo), there is a sexual fascination with the criminal (To Catch a Thief), we are the subjective observer taking a long and slow descent down a stairway (Notorious), we are the watcher, watching a man watching something off-screen (Rear Window) and finally the famous “zoom in / dolly out” he used in Vertigo to show Scotty’s disorientation surfaces again here. There are dozens more examples but I won’t go on, except to say that the camera movements are as beautiful as ever, and the editing is sublime.
Hitch’s goal with all his movies was to achieve what he called the “Pure Cinema” and with Marnie he almost nailed it. It’s been criticised by many people, and it performed poorly at the box office, but I believe they missed the point. It’s not a mirror for real life; it’s not supposed to be. It’s about filmic storytelling in its purest form. There isn’t a scene that isn’t necessary, perfectly timed, or played out to perfection. Forget the all too obviously painted backdrop and set based fake exteriors, and the often subdued performances, they don’t matter, for this is a film about form and about creative goals. (There is the theory that Hitch was so in love with German Expressionist cinema that he wanted the backgrounds to reflect that, this is certainly true for the lightning scene but I have studied the Expressionists and I’m not convinced Hitch was aiming for that at all; I would guess he was simply reluctant to go out on location.)

The final 20 minutes are heavy viewing and while initially unable to relate with what I was watching, I found Hedren’s believability in those last moments to grow more credible with repeated viewings. But the performances take second place to the technical side of Hitch’s filmmaking processes, and it’s this technical aspect that gives Marnie the classic status it deserves.
I would argue that Marnie is in fact the last great Hitchcock movie; what followed, while still of interest to aficionado’s, was under par for the great man. This too was the last time a film score by long time collaborator Bernard Herrmann was used, for more on that see cuckoo77’s music review.

I’ve tried here to show the importance of the film in the Hitchcock cannon without delving too much into the plot, for to see it unfolding before your eyes is how it should be appreciated. In closing I will simply say this: If you have ever enjoyed a Hitchcock movie, WATCH Marnie.

NOTE: The version I own is the Universal edition presented in a 4:3 ratio, but if you hunt online you can also find it in its proper 1:85 ratio. I would recommend that one.

***** out of 5.

Cuckoo's TOP 10 SCORES OF 2009

Every year we're graced (or punished) with an army of film scores. I've picked out my Top 10 favorite of 2009....hopefully, you'll find something you like here or perhaps have some sort of disagreement with me...whatever it is, I'm more than happy to hear about it.....

I should mention that all the listed scores are 4 out of 5 stars, with the exception of number one that earned a 4 1/2 out of 5.

so without any further ado, onto the list:

10. IN THE ELECTRIC MIST - Marco Beltrami



Coming out of an action-packed year of scoring on projects like Knowing and The Hurt Locker, Marco Beltrami settles down quite successfully with this quiet little thriller, In The Electric Mist.
One of the most unique sounding scores to come out of 2009, Electric Mist is heavy on the Cajun-flavoring. With it's eerie guitar and banjo work, a swirling icy string section and a subtle insertion of electronic sound design that creates a ghostly pulse of it's own, Beltrami's developed a tense, yet quiet atmosphere.
When the music isn't so anxious and cold, Beltrami throws some more wood on the fire, by using some mournful brass and woodwind sections, heard prominently in the opening title track.
Unlike most composers these days, Beltrami not only composes music to compliment the action onscreen, but he also constructs an aural surrounding to the film that practically becomes a character of it's own, with minimal distraction.
It should be noted that there were two separate releases of Electric Mist. The first release was in the U.K. as a 40 minute MP3 download only album and the second, being a 35 minute North American CD release. While the U.K. release is longer, the North American version contains more of Beltrami's score as it excludes two source songs.
However both versions include the excellent French Louisiana song, "La Terre Tremblante", co-written by Marco Beltrami and banjo & fiddle player, Dirk Powell.
I highly recommend this score album if you're looking for an atmospheric score using modern sounds but written with old-fashioned style.

9. DRAG ME TO HELL - Christopher Young



Re teaming with director, Sam Raimi, after the criminally underrated The Gift and the overblown mess that was Spider-Man 3, veteran composer, Christopher Young is at the top of his game with the occult horror, Drag Me To Hell.
Assaulting our ears with a Gothic grandeur of violence and terror is something Young hasn't done since the late 1980's with the first two Hellraiser films...I welcome it back with a twisted, rabid grin.
A single violin motif leads as the recurring theme throughout the score, tingling your spine as if it's haunting you from a past century, but things are quick to switch over to such grand-scale choral and orchestral beauty, one can't help but be reminded of Young's own fantastical Hellraiser waltz.
The film's protagonist, Christine's theme is a sad and lonely, as it tugs at the heart with a delicate descending piano motif, weaving itself around some lovely string work. It's very reminiscent of something James Newton Howard might write for such a film.
Now what would a Chris Young horror score be without what he does best? And that's creating a chaotic wall of absolute terror, using next to no sense in his writing technique. Making use of multiple hushed chatters and whispers to tickle the ears with an unsettling manner and manipulating the orchestra with such intensified anarchy it would make Krzysztof Penderecki proud.
When Young isn't amazing us with a grand Gothic choir, elegant somber beauty or a wall of orchestral nightmares, he's literally trying to make our hearts stop with the type of pounding orchestrated violence that Jerry Goldsmith was so damned good at. No shit of lie, not since Beltrami's "Love Turns Sour" from Scream 2, have I caught my muscles tensing up from anxiety while listening to a score.
Very much like the film itself, Young's Drag Me To Hell shocks and disturbs, yet makes one laugh quite frequently as well, with the over-the-top terror it creates...wait for the vomiting...seriously, folks, there's vomiting.


8. THE LAZARUS PROJECT - Brian Tyler



After writing for a long line of action films, composer Brian Tyler finally stepped out of his element by approaching the drama/thriller, The Lazarus Project, with great inspiration and enthusiasm.
Beginning to get a little too comfortable with large orchestrated pieces, Tyler held himself back with this project and doesn't disappoint as he plays the piano, guitars, percussion, cello, vibraphones and vocalizations himself, along with some violin and electronics to boot.
Working with two simple yet hypnotizing themes, Tyler creates a dreamlike melodic soundscape that sounds like Cliff Martinez's Solaris and Thomas Newman's American Beauty met in Heaven.
Throughout the entire album an intimate, other worldly impression is layered upon every track with such familiarity it's almost as if the score has always been playing within your mind.
Fear not action fans, the score does throw a small number of effective, heart-pounding action cues at you, if not only to remind one that Tyler is one of the best action score composers working in the field today.
The electronics in this score pulsate and breathe like a slight breeze while you sleep. Most composers today use electronics in their scores to replace a real orchestra (Zimmer & Co. I'm looking at you), however Tyler and just a small handful of other composers use them to compliment the live instruments, which work in such astonishing ways.
Unfortunately, this mesmerizing little gem went far under the radar with most film score collectors and even Brian Tyler fans. Why? I'm not sure. It could be that the film itself was poorly received and went directly to DVD. Don't let that scare you away though, it is Tyler doing some of his best work since Children of Dune or Partition.
I urge you to explore The Lazarus Project and become drawn into this enthralling diamond in the rough.

7. UP - Michael Giacchino



I think it's fairly safe to say that composer, Michael Giacchino, has had an extremely successful year. Delivering some remarkable work for the fifth season of TV's LOST, the Star Trek reboot, the environmental crisis documentary Earth Days, Giacchino produced his best score for Pixar's latest instant classic, UP.
His third venture into the Pixar world, following The Incredibles and Ratatouille, Giacchino falls onto his most heartfelt and adventurous score yet with UP.
Unlike most composers these days, Giacchino prefers to keep his orchestration very organic, using next to no electronic/synthesized wizardry and it really bumps UP up to the next level of quality.
Using a very simple little waltz-like theme as the heart of the score, Giacchino instantly reminds us of the Golden Age Of Cinema. Throughout the duration of the film, he takes this simple theme and reshapes it into several different variations, yet keeps it easily distinguishable. It just adds so many assorted layers to what at first appears to be a simple score. The theme is played solo for the most part using everything from a gorgeous sounding piano piece to a very effective muted trumpet. However Giacchino allows the main theme to soar to amazing grandeur with the whole orchestra in "UP With End Credits".
The heart and soul, Giacchino pours into many of the cues is absolutely astounding. Listen to the fourth track, "Married Life" and you will instantly be taken back to the montage in the film that ends in such heartbreak, you'd have to have a heart of stone if you didn't get even a little teary-eyed.
It's not all sweet and sensitive though, as Giacchino takes us through the motions and really kicks it into high gear with the heart-pounding action cues. So be warned, if you were expecting a nice relaxing listen, judging by the first handful of tracks, the tones changes immensely and gets induced with such adrenaline they could mistaken as an Indiana Jones cue.
Giacchino's composed a few more little themes to cleverly bounce off the main theme that's almost always in the air. There's a tribal sounding theme in a few cues that echo that of Max Steiner's 1933 classic King Kong score with it's ravishing use of jungle drums and mystery. Then there's a slight laid back tropical theme that weaves itself around the main theme in such a playful manner, it can't help but bring a smile to your face.
The Carl Stalling type of arrangements and composition make UP easily the most entertaining scores of the year and without a doubt an Oscar Contender in 2010 and already a Best Score Golden Globe Winner.
As much as I gush about this score, I should mention that there is one major problem with the album itself. For some baffling reason, Disney decided to release UP as a MP3 download only album. This is major disappointment for me and many other collectors, as I would proudly display this album on my CD shelf for all to see.
In the end, Giacchino's UP has firmly established the composer as one of my favorites working in the business today. UP is a thoroughly enjoyable score that will without a doubt stand the test of time and probably go down as one of Giacchino's greatest accomplishments.

6. AGORA - Dario Marianelli



Oscar-winning composer, Dario Marianelli's score to The Others director, Alejandro Amenábar's historical drama, Agora, is truly that of epic proportions. I don't mean Internet Fanboy "epic", I mean the the correct definition of "epic": of unusually great size or extent.
From the get-go, it is clear Marianelli is about to take us on a vast, thought provoking musical journey to a civilization from long ago.
Blending the emotional impact of Hans Zimmer's Gladiator and the layered intelligence of Elliot Goldenthal's Titus, Marianelli has constructed a lush, dramatic score to match the film's monumental tale about the rise of Christianity in Roman Egypt.
While, Marianelli doesn't really incorporate much in the way of a theme into Agora, apart from a short, subtle string motif, he opts for the use of individual instruments as the voices for separate moods and settings.
The ethnic female "wailing" has become somewhat of a tired cliche in film music today, with mostly Zimmer and his buddies to blame for that. However, Marianelli puts the voice to good use here. In a rather clever move, he's developed the ethnic female vocals into somewhat of a voice for the Alexandrian Pagans. Then he uses a massively overwhelming male choir as the menacing Christian Roman voice, resulting in a similar intimidating power heard in Howard Shore's The Lord Of The Rings scores. At one point, Marianelli even has both 'voices' battling it out with each other for the lead, resulting in enormous intensity.
The score starts out rather quietly, relying mostly on the solo female voice, some mournful string work, a collection ethnic woodwinds & flutes, complimented with some light percussion in the background. Over the duration of the score it becomes significantly darker as Marianelli begins introducing some heavy brass, the male choir and some thundering drum work.
Like in Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, Marianelli composes tragic romance, better than any other composer working today. His textural use of the harp and the cello in the more tender cues is absolutely intoxicating.
I'll be honest and admit that I wasn't entirely convinced I liked Agora all that much upon my first few listens. Although after multiple listens, like Marianelli's brutal score to The Brothers Grimm , the lavish textures and rousing orchestrations won me over.
Agora, without a doubt, is my favorite Dario Marianelli work to date and I urge you to give it a few listens to allow it to fully absorb you into it's ancient world.

5. POPE JOAN - Marcel Barsotti



Every now and then, I am reminded of how vast a planet it is and just how much great music is out there, that so easily slips under my radar.
Fortunally, I obtained a copy of Swiss composer, Marcel Barsotti's score to the German produced, historical drama, Pope Joan. Had I not been randomly browsing film score reviews online, this hidden treasure surely would have become some of that great music to go undetected.
Filled with lush orchestrations and rich, harmonious themes, Pope Joan is a rare gem that will shamefully go unnoticed by the "mainstream" score collector.
Saturating us with the standard orchestra, an array of period instruments and an enchanting choir, Barsotti develops his themes with empowering grace and intelligence.
The main theme opens the album, with a string section crescendo that reaches such powerful orchestral beauty, it's firmly established that we are in for a real unexpected treat.
The main character, Joanna's theme delights the ears with a frolicking piano and an absolutely gorgeous cello, I can't help but be reminded of the more upbeat moments in Danny Elfman's Black Beauty score.
Inevitably, Barsotti introduces the liturgical male choir with great success. While, many listeners will be put off by the overtly religious overtones of the plainsong cues, I find them to be some of the greater highlights of the album.
Perhaps what will perk the ears of the "average" score listener, are the action-flavored cues. With the rising brass sections and thundering percussion, these tracks still seem strangely at home with the rest of the softer cues.
Even more so on the extreme variation are a few tracks that introduce a medieval dance or Middle Eastern vocals into the blend. On paper these elements sound as if they'd be terribly out of place. Yet Barsotti eases them in with such elegance, you won't even notice the sudden change in tone.
Mixing modern orchestral and choral techniques with a classical style, Barsotti delivers a clean sounding, enchanting work of beauty and an astounding well-rounded album presentation.
Pope Joan is easily attainable through MP3 downloads on Amazon and iTunes, however if it's CD format that you want, prepare to pay extra, as it's only available as an import album in North America.
I can not urge you enough to give this score a chance with multiple listens. As it's layered with so many subtle thematic progressions and orchestrations, it will reward you with something different each time you explore it's pure artistry.

4. THE KILLING ROOM - Brian Tyler



While trying to narrow down my list of favorite scores of 2009, I didn't intend or even think any single composer would appear more than once on the list. But here we are, with Brian Tyler making his second appearance on the bill with yet another non-action score from Mister Action Composer himself.
Tyler's brooding, moody score to The Killing Room acts almost as if it's the evil twin to Tyler's work on The Lazarus Project. Although, both scores share the same textural tone, Lazarus was warm and dreamlike, while The Killing Room is cold and nightmarish, with it's feet firmly planted in an all too stark reality.
The Killing Room is tightly wound up, ready to burst with claustrophobic feelings of paranoia and isolation, yet it develops a deep sense of thoughtfulness as well.
Once again, Tyler is out of his bombastic action scoring element, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know what he's doing. Infact, it seems as if Tyler is out to prove that he can go back to his roots and write small and still come out with something this large and impressive. Here Tyler puts to good use The City Of Prague Philharmonic and The Berlin Heiliger Choir, along with some solo violins, cello and piano.
Although no real theme is really present, Tyler does make use of repeated textural sounds, such as a swirling string section that appears to murmur amongst itself, like the thoughts inside your head, creating a frigid sense of urgency and dread.
Not to say the string section does not reach moments of beautiful despair, because it does and it really sneaks up on you in short instances scattered throughout the score.
There are long drawn out passages of rising intensity, such that you feel as if you're going to scream waiting for it to finally snap. Almost reminding one of a modern day Penderecki, with it's screeching strings and minimiliast wailing, Tyler perfects the art of the morose here.
Interestingly enough, Tyler sparingly makes us of the choir, choosing to mix it far into the background, creating an effective haunting chill. The mix here is clean, crisp and clear to the point of such intimate fright, you feel as if the music's gotten deep inside your thoughts.
The Killing Room is Brian Tyler at his most mature composing yet, with it's subtle waves of minimalism and long passages of teetering paranoia. I can't get enough of this score and could go on forever about the feelings it stirs within me, but I hope you'll discover that on yourself. It is, in my honest opinion, Brian Tyler's best work to date.



3. THE STONING OF SORAYA M. - John Debney



The Stoning Of Soraya M. is a film meant to be experienced for it's important message against the brutal violence against women in modern day Iran, rather than be seen for entertainment purposes. The same goes for John Debney's emotionally heavy and draining score to this intense film.
Much like his own score to The Passion Of The Christ, Debney makes us of the same tone and ethnic mood, only this time there is no glimmer of hope at the end of the score. It is flooded with suffocating despair that does not let up until long after the album has finished.
I'm not trying to sway you from this magnificent masterpiece, I'm just trying to warn you, this is not the score to listen to if you're enjoying the happy go lucky mood that you're in. Rather, this score is best listened alone, at high volume in your favorite chair, just so you can absorb each and every note Debney works into his the themes and textures he creates here.
Debney uses the sorrowful voice of Sussan Deyhim, a cello, a violin and a collection of ethnic instruments, including a duduk, a oud, and some percussion, to create a more intimate sound, instead of the more operatic mood he created with The Passion Of The Christ.
Ofcourse most of these instruments have been done to death in film music today, Debney succeeds in not resorting to tired cliches and rehashed motifs, but instead brings a certain freshness to the table that can't be denied.
While Passion uses a much more rhthymic approach, Soraya goes for more of an ambient feeling. This techinque is a very effective decision, as it creates more of modern day stark reality, which constantly reminds us that this story is really happening in this day and age.
Stoning comes out with one of the most impressive cues of 2009, with it's 13-minute title track that plays over the graphic death scene of Soraya (which I never want to see again as long as I live). While most composers might take this a chance to really lay on the heavy emotional terror and overpowering sadness, Debney does quite the opposite. Instead he plays it quietly and more intimate, which ultimately ends in pure heartbreak and emotional defeat.
The Stoning Of Soraya M. will completely drain your emotions, therefore I don't imagine I will revisit it too often, but I do know I am guaranteed to be overwhelmed and entranced with it's great beauty and sadness.

2. THE RED CANVAS - James Peterson



In this day and age, it's become all too common to completely disregard the army of lacklustre action scores Hollywood seems to shit out like hotcakes. So I was completely floored when I first heard newcomer, James Peterson's score to the mixed martial arts flick, The Red Canvas. To call this score a pleasant surprise is an extreme understatement, Peterson almost literally picks you up by the scruff of the neck and hands you a real ass-kicking.
The Red Canvas recreates the action scores of yesterday, that disappeared with Miklos Rozsa and Basil Poledouris. Now take those two composers, throw in a little Elliot Goldenthal and John Williams for flavoring and you've got one of the best action scores of the past decade.
Normally I would start at the beginning of the album, but I'm gonna go ahead and start with the score's grand finale: the 11 minute opus, "Ballet For Brawlers". A well executed suite that gracefully combines the four main themes heard throughout the score. With it's brass heavy crescendos, reminiscent of Rozsa's gladiator epic, Ben-Hur and delicate string work echoing that of William's early Star Wars scores, you'd be hard off to find a better cue this year. Now 11 minutes seems like it might be too long for an action cue, but precise timing and emotion, "Ballet For Brawlers" goes by so fast, a guaranteed replay is at hand.
Unlike most film composers today who obviously take influence from other modern composers, Peterson works in a classical influence as well. Hints of Sergei Prokofiev and Gustav Holst can be heard strongly throughout the duration of the score. What stands out the most though, is a nod to Samuel Barber's "Adadio For Strings", popularized by Platoon and The Elephant Man.
Peterson throws around different moods and tones, to break the intense heavy fanfare gladiator themes and introduces some dark, romantic string writing into the mix. You can almost see Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh onscreen with these dramatically lush cues. Even a Golden Age noirish sounding jazzy number shows up, painting a picture of Humphrey Bogart enjoying a beverage on his own at a smokey saloon in the big city.
After all this, we come to back to "Ballet For Brawlers" at the end of the score. And it's still there, kicking ass.
As if this weren't enough, Peterson tags on a delightful, 20 minute long concert piece, "Moving Canvas Suite". This multiple pieced project, nods it's head to a century of film genre's music, sucessfully jumping from the romantic, the fantasy, the adventerous and the comedic. Peterson obviously knew, The Red Canvas would receive as much critical acclaim as it did, or he probably wouldn't have added it as an extra surprise to the album. "Moving Canvas Suite" almost serves as a very impressive resume showcasing his many talents in genre hopping.
If all this is just a sample of what Peterson has instore for us in the future, then consider me a fan...we'll see though. Although, I get the feeling he is not going to disappoint.
Finally I should mention I'm not usually a fan of brass heavy action music, but I had never heard it really done properly like this in a long, long time. Atleast not since I was born over three decades ago. Hell, even Williams' Indiana Jones scores aren't really all that much of a favorite in my books. Yet, The Red Canvas isn't just modern action music, it is a return to cinema music's roots of what bold and brassy used to be...and I could simply do some more.

1. LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS - Debbie Wiseman



Hmmm...Debbie Wiseman's Lesbian Vampire Killers. Heh-heh...i just like typing that title.
What can I really say about this wonderful score that I haven't all ready in my gushing review written earlier this year?

A gothic masterpiece of magnificant grandeur and orchestrated choral beauty that just isn't heard in horror films anymore...nevermind, horror-comedies as terrible as the actual film itself, Lesbian Vampire Killers.
But enough of my chatter...how about a few quotes from other film score reviewers gushing over this score too?

"An extremely classy and old-fashioned orchestral romp." - Paul Cote, cinemusic.net

"...rises to the occasion with class and style...I can’t recommend Lesbian Vampire Killers highly enough, especially when you compare it to the majority of the Hollywood fare which has accompanied genre films lately." - Jonathon Broxton , Movie Music Uk

"Brilliant! Just brilliant! What a surprise this score was, particularly after watching the trailer. It is not what I expected at all and it’s a gem!" - Jorn Tillnes, SOundtrack Geek.com

"If you love gigantic gothic horror music, you need look no further....absolutely terrific, full-blown gothic romp which is enough to set the pulse well and truly racing. " - James Southall, Moviewave.net

What more do you need? Go out and seek this masterpiece out!


-------

There you have it folks, my Top 10 favorite scores of 2009.
Whew! That was a lot of work....what I thought was only going to be about 2 hours worth or writing and research turned out to be about 14 hours.

Some honorable mentions go to:
Klaus Badelt : Pour Elle
Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders : The Hurt Locker
Marco Beltrami : Knowing
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis : The Road
Bruno Coulais : Coraline
Jeff & Mychael Danna : The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassu
Danny Elfman : Taking Woodstock
Michael Giacchino : Earth Days
Michael Giacchino : Star Trek
Victoria Kelly : Under The Mountain
Clint Mansell : L'affaire Farewell
James Newton Howard : Duplicity
John Ottman : Astro Boy
Douglas Pipes : Trick R' Treat
A.R. Rahman : Couples Retreat
Howard Shore : The Betrayal
Hans Zimmer : Sherlock Holmes

So back to our regulary scheduled programming for now, until the Oscar nominees for best score are announced....expect to see UP show up again ;).