Blog Archives
The Stellar Sound of the Space Around Us
They say that “tails never fails.” Except for, you know, roughly 50% of the time. Anyways, how about this:
The ear can hear what we fear, and cheer.
Be kind, it’s a first draft with rough edges galore.
This blog has made the case that orchestral numbers can strike something profoundly powerful inside us that doesn’t necessarily offer confirmations to our myriad of questions, but stirs a wonderful mixture of mystery, caution and, incredibly, an unyielding pursuit of discovery. Once again, Christopher Nolan’s space operatic epic Interstellar is the focus of yet another blog post. This time, the form is the music from the film’s long past third trailer from late 2014 (with admittedly the faintest hint of audible lyrics at the end).
To quote a line from a fellow Nolan cinematic achievement, “And here we go.”
So, where will that music take you?
Wherever it leads you, just know that attempting to save the human race is always a crowd-pleaser. However, I myself may start with something slightly less grand…for the moment anyways.
These Musical Chairs Are a Force Unlike Any Other
Continuing yesterday’s blog post, let’s explore a bit of the force and its enduring power…
John Williams.
Enough said, I know. Mr. Williams is a masterful music composer who is responsible for some of the most iconic and treasured movie scores in history. Among them, the theme from Jaws (1975), all the Star Wars films (starting in 1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Superman (1978), all the Indiana Jones films (starting in 1981), E.T. (1982), Home Alone (1990), Schindler’s List (1993), Jurassic Park (1993) and so on.
Forgive me for not listing all his movie soundtracks, but it’s a very long list.
Returning to the Star Wars franchise was a thrill for Mr. Williams, as he explains in the video below. Inspired by the chance viewing of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope on the first day of 2017, any reason to listen to and learn from a genius is a good one. And this is one of those occasions. For any fan of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (or of brilliant music in general), please enjoy a special behind-the-scenes look into the process for writing and imagining the soundtrack for the blockbuster smash hit The Force Awakens.
If that interview makes you ponder life in a slightly unorthodox, yet better way, then the force may not be that far off for you…
The Instrumental Heartbeat of Cinema
When a story is so unique and stellar, it’s difficult to let it go.
Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer are film making BFF’s (perhaps not the bonding phrase these reserved movie maestros would use). The many collaborations with Mr. Nolan writing and directing and Mr. Zimmer composing powerful accompanying movie soundtracks have left audiences in awe and amazement in the theater and in the years beyond the film’s premiere. The video below has been featured on this blog before, yet its story of how the score of the emotionally-driven Interstellar (2014) evolved from a rather ambiguous note is remarkable.
And Throwback Thursday seems like a fitting day to showcase the kind of random spark that creates movie magic.
That’s why we go to the movies…
and it’s inspiring that there are movie-makers who know why.
Sci-Fi’s Newest Passengers
Is there space for another movie about…space?
Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence star in a new film Passengers that, as far as we know, tells the story of two people aboard a space ship/stunningly awesome city in the stars who wake up from their slumber 90 years early to chaos that builds and builds towards an explosive third act. At this point, the primary question surrounding this movie is whether it’s solely rooted in cutting-edge entertainment or if it combines special effects and a subtle, yet profound commentary about the current state of humanity? The best films incorporate both qualities with cleverly disguised dialogue and open-ended questions without giving clear, direct answers hidden throughout the film worthy of Houdini himself.
Let’s check out the Avalon together.
On December 21st of this year, we’ll discover if Passengers has what it takes to be in the driver’s seat of innovative science-fiction.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 