Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Most annoying film score award 2006


I've just watched Lucky Numer Slevin with a score by some weirdo called Joshua Ralph. Despite the so-called "music" being utterly crap, it's played under a lot lot of dialogue where no music is needed at all and it's so loud that you can barely understand a word. The only dramatic funtion this music has is that you feel relieved when it stops - but as soon as you have breathed in once it starts again.
Why the director decided to present his movie that way is far beyond my understanding, but perhaps he didn't see it WITH the music and just listened to a tape or whatever. That's because I just played the MP3s of the score and it doesn't sound THAT bad on disc (just average uninteresting). In the movie the music sounds like Thomas Newman having a nightmare and is highlighted by loooooong single note sounds that hurt in your ears. A good example is the track "Restaurant Date" on the CD: while it is there an easy listening track that is actually o.k. (the organ gives it a cool sound), in the movie your hear just the annoying rhythm of the track. In most cases of the movie the composer was probably so proud of his efforts that he gave all his money to the sound mixer to put the volume for the music track a big little bit more upwards.
No wonder the movie cashed in only 22 millions in the states and does not even hit the screens here in Germany (it will go directly to DVD in January 2007). I hope that this first film ruined by Ralph will also be his last. This picture would have been far better if it had no music at all.
However, this is a good example for film music these days: all ambience, no melody or reasonable structure at all. All film composers who have died by now are lucky that they don't have to see their art decline that much. Imagine what a Rózsa or Herrmann would think of such a score ? Listen to Knight Without Armour or Citizen Kane if you want to hear how a first score by a master should sound.
But you need not to believe me. Listen for yourself:
http://rapidshare.de/files/32830934/Lucky_Number_Slevin_-_Joshua_Ralph_____Part_1.rar#
pass: Rida Sabassi
http://rapidshare.de/files/32830935/Lucky_Number_Slevin_-_Joshua_Ralph_____Part_2.rar#
pass: Keyser_88_soze@hotmail.com

I'm sorry that I forgot the passwords at first, these were external old links I downloaded some months ago.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Any possiblitlity you can share the password for this?

Thanks!

9:21 PM  
Blogger Omega said...

It's done.

Many thanks for the hint.

12:19 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home