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Hmmmm.. Nice to watch Jack Nicholson after long time. I am die hard fan of him.
 
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Thank you for reminding me! I need to see that this weekend.

Scorsese was my favorite director until I got into artier stuff (like Guy Maddin), but he's definitely the master of that 70's American cinema style.
 
Sue Meng
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Indeed. Scorsese no doubt still on the top.
 
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Good movie - script, acting, editing.
My husband who usually thinks he can do a better job than all the other directors in the world thought it was "Not bad, pretty good!"
 
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Amazing movie!! Brilliant screenplay and I loved the background score too. I know I am going to own this one when it comes out on DVD
 
marc weber
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Originally posted by Ganpi Srinivasan:
...I loved the background score too...


The score or the licensed songs?

Scorsese has always had a good feel for music (especially since working with Robbie Robertson). In the last couple of decades, there's been quite a trend towards using licensed songs in place of composed scores. I think most directors miss the mark with this, because pop songs that have a certain emotional value to them don't always translate the same way to an audience. A good film composer is usually much better at manipulating emotions to enhance scenes -- although the tie-in CD doesn't generate anywhere near as much revenue (especially considering how "eager" labels might be to get their artists on a sure-selling soundtrack).

The score for The Departed was by Howard Shore (of Fellowship of the Ring) fame, but the soundtrack CD is comprised entirely of licensed songs -- no score.
 
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I haven't seen The Departed yet, but I'm responding to marc's points regarding soundtracks.

I don't it this as composed vs. licensed, so much as orchestral/instrumental vs. pop. Sometimes pop songs are commissioned specifically for a given movie, but that doesn't necessarily make them a whole lot more suitable than pre-existing licensed songs would have been.

[marc]: In the last couple of decades, there's been quite a trend towards using licensed songs in place of composed scores

I'd think it's more like the last four decades, starting with The Graduate in 1967. the popularity of which paved the way for a long list of pop soundtracks. Orchestral scores gained back a fair amount of ground a decade later when the Star Wars soundtrack became a hit. Then around the time of Batman and Dick Tracy, we started seeing two CD releases for some movies - a "soundtrack" (pop) and a "score" (orchestral). Which is OK I guess if customers can choose which they want - but the crhestral stuff seems to attract fewer buyers, so now in many cases they may never bother releasing a "score" CD, even if the movie itself movie does have plenty of music that would be suitable.
 
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Originally posted by Jim Yingst:
...I'd think it's more like the last four decades, starting with The Graduate in 1967. the popularity of which paved the way for a long list of pop soundtracks...


Yeah, that makes sense too.

But I guess I'm focusing more on the trend of labels to "lobby" their pop songs into films as a means of exposure, as opposed to directors and musical directors selecting or commissioning pop songs that best fit the film. It's sometimes regarded as a mild form of payola or product placement. But more importantly, it's a symptom of a bigger problem: The glut of full-length artist releases that are lucky to contain a single good song and wouldn't sell despite huge marketing efforts. As the market slumped, CD singles began outselling the full-lengths they were intended to promote, causing many labels to drop the single format entirely. Meanwhile, movie soundtracks (as compilations of singles) were also outselling artist releases, and became a preferred vehicle for promoting new songs.

If it's the director's artistic choice, that's fantastic (and Scorsese is great at that). But if it's part of the deal...
 
Jim Yingst
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[marc]: If it's the director's artistic choice, that's fantastic (and Scorsese is great at that). But if it's part of the deal...

Yep, I agree with that. Generally I prefer intsrumental scores to pop soundtracks - but sometimes those pop songs really work well. So I'm not going to begrudge them all. I just dislike seeing a listing for a "soundtrack" that omits what I (often) consider the best music from the movie.
[ October 19, 2006: Message edited by: Jim Yingst ]
 
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Die Hard? I think that was Bruce Willis.

-Cameron McKenzie
 
marc weber
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Originally posted by Jim Yingst:
...sometimes those pop songs really work well. So I'm not going to begrudge them all. I just dislike seeing a listing for a "soundtrack" that omits what I (often) consider the best music from the movie...


Absolutely! Pulp Fiction, Lost Highway, The Limey, Kill Bill, King of Comedy... All great soundtracks with pop music that worked especially well. Remember Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale" over Scorsese's extreme close-ups in Life Lessons? (That was his short in New York Stories.) And Goodfellas' slow zoom on DeNiro as Cream's "Sunshine of your Love" cranked? Very powerful stuff.

Now that you mention it, I think there's an important song missing from "Kill Bill, Vol. 1," but I don't recall what it was.
[ October 19, 2006: Message edited by: marc weber ]
 
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Originally posted by Sue Meng:
Hmmmm.. Nice to watch Jack Nicholson after long time. I am die hard fan of him.


By the way, the epic Reds (1981) finally came out on DVD last week. Nicholson plays a supporting role as Eugene O'Neill.
 
Sue Meng
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By the way, the epic Reds (1981) finally came out on DVD last week. Nicholson plays a supporting role as Eugene O'Neill.



Yes I heard bout that. probably this weekend.
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