Benjie Messer » appreciation

Favorite film scores

benjie — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:17:00 +0000

Now that I’ve done a film score, and am thinking of doing some more, I’m trying to become a more organized fan of film composers. Anyway, in my first step of getting more organized, here’s a list of my favorite film scores- which is really a list of my favorite movies in which I’ve been really struck by how the music gives life to the movie:

Mirrormask- This is probably my favorite film score to date. It’s by a British saxophonist named Iain Ballamy. The music has a hundred colors, and it’s largely played by six guys, who also appear in the movie as an integral part of the plot. It’s a fantasy film, and the way the music changes to transport the viewer from the real world to the fantasy world is just awesome.

Brazil- Probably my favorite movie ever, and not least because Michael Kamen’s score makes me laugh out loud. Tremendously creative use of a single song.

Brick- This movie came out in 2008, and I’m totally cheering for and following this brilliant young director Rian Johnson, and his brother Nathan Johnson, who did the music. Nathan runs a band in Boston called the Cinematic Underground that performs on homemade instruments- it sounds like an indie punk vaudeville thing, I can’t quite tell- and his score for Brick is both perfect and very unconventional- very spare and eerie, lots of weird sounds. They have a new movie coming out this summer, The Brothers Bloom, that I’m looking forward to.

Batman- This is probably my favorite “big fat superhero” score. It was Danny Elfman’s first “big fat big-budget hero” movie- he’d mostly done goofy movies up to this point: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Edward Scissorhands, etc.- and I think he really created a new masterpiece in the genre. Of course since then he’s done a ton of these- I also love his recent score for Ang Lee’s Hulk, but then I sort of identify with the main character, so…

Twin Peaks- I know- it was a TV show- but Angelo Badalamenti’s music is SO iconic and mysterious that it makes the list.

Hero- How many modern classical composers can you recognize from a few notes? I love Tan Dun for that reason- he’s got such a personal style. His score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a huge hit, and I think this one is just as great- it just wasn’t as well received because the movie was too philosophical for most martial arts fans. Itzhak Perlman is the featured violin soloist.

The Matrix- Don Davis did a brilliant job with this. I’ve watched a bunch of these fight scenes on YouTube recently, and the music and sfx are brilliant at uniting and pacing these scenes, and making them look cool. It’s no accident everybody wants to sound like the Matrix now.

Star Wars- Kids today grow up knowing John Williams’ score for Jurassic Park, but for me, it’s still all about the Star Wars movies. I just love his orchestral writing- it’s so emotional. Sure it’s cliche if you’ve seen it a hundred times- but you wouldn’t see it a hundred times if it wasn’t good. And as long as we’re on John Williams, his score to the first Indiana Jones movie was pretty iconic as well.

Hmm… what else…

James Horner is a composer I want to listen to more. I remember being very moved by the music to Glory when I saw it as a kid- picking it out on the piano afterwards and reliving the movie. And he also wrote the music to Sneakers, one of my most-times-watched movies, which features saxophonist Branford Marsalis in a sort of cool-jazz chill-out vibe.

Probably my oldest favorite movie is Spartacus (which isn’t even that old, I guess- it’s from 1960). I used to see it on TV all the time, and Alex North’s music is awesome. His “Love Theme from Spartacus” has been recorded as a ballad by lots of jazz musicians, but I think North’s original scoring is still the best version.

Two Shout-Outs

benjie — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:57:00 +0000

First, my friend Toby’s band Kayodot just played Phoenix on their current US tour, and it was great to see him, Mia, my good buddy Terran, and the rest of the band. They sound better than ever, and if they’re coming to your city (their schedule is on their myspace page), I urge you to consider going to their show (and bringing earplugs). You’ll be supporting some true artists in the nearly impossible dream of performing music that no one expects to hear.

I don’t know how to describe their music at all anymore, and certainly not without stringing a lot of words together. “Metal chamber music dreamscapes” is the best I’ve come up with so far. I was astounded by the show they played here.

Second, I’ve been listening to my good friend Michael Daves’ solo record for a SOLID MONTH on my commute- I’ve probably heard it fifty times now- and let me tell you, this man is a legend in his own youth. I’m serious. His singing on this record took me a few listens to get used to- it’s very evocative, but hard to understand the words at first- but once I’d heard it a few times, I couldn’t imagine it sounding any other way. He makes the old time/bluegrass tradition sound new all over again, in our time, and it’s beautiful.

Pete’s New Album

benjie — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:04:00 +0000

Guitarist/singer-songwriter/bandleader Pete Pidgeon is a friend of mine from Boston. He did some gigs with the Inner Orchestra, and I did some gigs with his band, Arcoda. He has a great new album out, Doubt Is For Losers, a sprawling stew of rock (orchestral/pop/hard/hippie/funk/etc.) And my friend Taka from the Hot Tamale Brass Band plays tuba on the album. I’ve probably listened to it twelve times in the last three days (yes, I’ve spent a lot of time in my car), and I like it more and more. Congratulations, Pete!

Current Commuting Album

benjie — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:14:00 +0000

Guitarist/singer/songwriter/bandleader Ryan Montbleau was one of my and Sarah’s favorite acts to go see in Boston, plus our friend John Adams does his album art, and my friend Matt Gionarros plays bass for him. I used to like Ryan’s solo shows better than with his band, but the band sounds amazing on his new album, Patience on Friday. Definitely his best yet- been listening to it for two weeks solid.

Current Commuting Album

benjie — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:32:00 +0000

Yusef Lateef, Every Village Has a Song, disc 2. No one rocks the oboe like Yusef. I still have to buy the poster my friend DiDonna made for him.

Movie Appreciation: Rashomon

benjie — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:56:00 +0000

Watched Kurosawa’s Rashomon for the first time a few nights ago. A fascinating and cool movie in many ways. The music is by Fumio Hayasaka. Sarah suggested that it was very Tchaikovsky, and it reminded me a lot of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf- interesting to remember how close Russia is to Japan. It’s orchestral fantasy music with tons of featured woodwinds- much closer to “classical music” than fantasy music is these days. He must have written a solid 30 minutes of music, too, with very little repetition. Clearly recorded in the 50′s- lots of bassoons squawking like shawms.