Movie Music U.K. As Heard In The Film 1998

Movie Music U.K. As Heard In The Film 1998

ENEMY OF THE STATE

TREVOR RABIN and HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS

A stylish paranoia thriller from director Tony Scott, Enemy of the State starred Will Smith as a Washington lawyer up to his eyes in trouble when he finds himself being pursued and his life being wrecked by the NSA after he inadvertently gains possession of a videotape incriminating big boss Jon Voight in a political assassination. The music, by Media Ventures duo Trevor Rabin and Harry Gregson-Williams, typifies the current style of action-thriller scoring: lots of top-heavy chase sequences full of loud and overbearing synthesisers and trumpets; much electronic dissonance and percolating drum machines, and one triumphant string theme to make the viewer sympathise with the protagonist's plight. In short, the same as countless other film scores over the last ten years, which sound great in the cinema but are totally underwhelming and over-familiar outside. Enough already - we need some originality fast!

THE PRINCE OF EGYPT

HANS ZIMMER

The Prince of Egypt has the word "epic" stamped all over it. A majestic, powerful, intelligent retelling of the ancient tale of Moses, Rameses and the book of Exodus, Dreamworks' first "real" animated feature was four years in the making, had three directors and boasted an above-the-title voice cast including the likes of Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Steve Martin and Martin Short. For the music, Dreamworks handed the reins to composer Hans Zimmer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, and they have delivered on all counts. Zimmer's underscore is suitably reverential in parts, dramatic and emotional in others, is ethnically correct and sounds wonderful when accompanying the lovingly-crafted vistas of ancient Egypt. Moments of special note include the opening chariot race (which, sadly, is not on the CD), the incredibly haunting "burning bush" scene with its' recurring three-note theme, the disturbing and horribly tragic plague, and the climactic sequence where Moses parts the Red Sea. Schwartz's songs are also top quality - the mighty and moving "Deliver Us", Moses' lament "All I Ever Wanted", the lively "Heaven's Eyes", the darkly amusing "Playing With The Big Boys Now" and the uplifting "When You Believe" being particularly memorable. Incredibly, there are three Prince of Egypt CDs: the OST, featuring Zimmer's score, Schwartz's songs and various pop adaptations; a CD of "inspirational" music featuring a variety of pop stars; and a CD of country music (?), also seemingly "inspired" by the film. Click here for a full review of The Prince of Egypt.

THE MASK OF ZORRO

JAMES HORNER

In Martin Campbell's throwback to the swashbucklers of the 1940s and 50s, the combination of the proud and honourable Anthony Hopkins, the charming and passionate Antonio Banderas and the utterly stunning Catherine Zeta-Jones make The Mask of Zorro one of the must-see films of 1998. Along with a self-deprecating sense of humour, wonderful action set-pieces and a definite sense of its evocative Mexican location, one of its' most memorable aspects is James Horner's exciting and lyrical score. It combines two majestic themes, for Zorro and Elena, with a series of spellbinding action cues to accompany the sword fights and scenes of derring-do, and acts as the emotional and dramatic core of the whole movie. Horner uses lots of traditional Spanish and Mexican orchestrations - guitars, castanets etc. -along with some more familiar touches (like the shakuhachi flute) in with his large and lush orchestra, and several scenes really stand out as being musically excellent: especially the opening scene in town plaza; the incredible horseback chase through the desert; and the finale in the Montero's mine. This is one case where the score actually sounds better in the film than it does on CD (even though it sounds teriffic on CD!). Horner hits all the right spots in all the right places, and even the song with Tina Arena and Marc Anthony has an increased power and resonance when the credits roll. Undoubtedly one of the best of the year - both in terms movie and its music. Click here for a full review of The Mask of Zorro.

THE PARENT TRAP

ALAN SILVESTRI

Alan Silvestri is the man of the moment for Disney family comedies. First time director Nancy Meyers' The Parent Trap is a remake of the classic 1960s Hayley Mills comedy about two twins who, upon discovering the other's existence, decide to bring their estranged parents back together. Then, as they say, hi-jinks ensue. I seem to remember the original Parent Trap ending with the entire cast covered in foam, but this 1990s version starring Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson and the terrific Lindsey Lohan is a little less slapstick, but much more sentimental. Accentuating the inviting and homely sets and panoramic vistas of Napa Valley, all shot with soft focus lenses, is Silvestri's unashamedly manipulative but undeniably beautiful score, which is a close counterpart to his work on Father of the Bride. It's all very romantic and sweeping, with lots of "sensitive string themes" offset by spine-tingling cymbal rings, lounge bar piano themes and a couple of jaunty marches for the pint-sized protagonists (including an arrangement of Bernstein's The Great Escape theme). Every hug is greeted with a huge musical crescendo impeccably engineered to bring a tear to the eye of the most hardened, but it nevertheless sounds wonderful, and confirms Silvestri's standing as the king of the romantic comedy. Click here for a full review of The Parent Trap.

TWILIGHT

ELMER BERNSTEIN

A snail's pace mystery thriller, Robert Benton's Twilight starred golden oldies Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, Stockard Channing and James Garner in a tale of murder, lies and deceit amongst Hollywood's rich and famous. It's an interesting, but incredibly slow moving movie, and Newman is a little miscast as a down at heel former private eye working as a odd job man for film star couple Hackman and Sarandon. Elmer Bernstein's score a perfect accompaniment for the film, in that it moves incredibly sedately, is sort of sleazy and ultimately goes nowhere. He uses a prominent solo piano for much of the score, backed up by moody strings and a saxophone to capture the neon-lit underbelly of LA, but for the most part the score is simply that - underscore - with nothing that really captures the ear. There are two cues of note: a lively travelling montage for when Newman is driving through the northern California hills to reach Hackman's summer house; and the End Credits cue, which finally rises to present a proper, recognisable theme after a couple of minutes. Maybe Bernstein just ran out of ideas for Twilight. Or maybe he was too busy coughing on Sarandon's cigarette smoke to be able to think straight.

RUSH HOUR

LALO SCHIFRIN

Lalo's back! After years in the film music wilderness, the Sultan of Cool blasts back into theatres with Rush Hour, a marvellously entertaining throwback to his glory days of the seventies. Brett Ratner's movie stars motor-mouthed Chris Tucker and action man Jackie Chan as mismatched police officers on the trail of a kidnapper who has snatched the Chinese ambassador's daughter. The plot is really an inconsequential necessity in a movie which is really nothing more than a showcase for the lightning wit of Tucker and the incredible agility and speed of Chan's stuntwork, but Schifrin's score is one to savour. Combining some terrific action pieces, incorporating electric guitars, a full orchestra and a small jazz combo with some stylised Chinese instrumentation reminiscent of his work on Enter the Dragon, Schifrin's score adds flavour and excitement to the film's narrative drive. Especially worth noting is the opening chase sequence, which was written and shot with Schifrin in mind, and the surprisingly delicate theme for Soo Yung. Let's hope that Rush Hour marks the beginning of a new era of film scores for the maestro from Argentina. Click here for a full review of Rush Hour.

ROUNDERS

CHRISTOPHER YOUNG

Continuing his intentional departure from his beloved gothic horror style, Chris Young's score for Rounders is a wonderful piece of laid back jazz and blues, with a couple of lovely string themes thrown in for good measure. John Dahl's movie about two young card sharps taking on the world at poker - sometimes winning, sometimes losing - is a surprisingly enjoyable and engaging movie. With the exception of John Malkovich and his unbelievably bad Russian accent, the cast of Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro and Martin Landau are all excellent, and Young's music captures the mood and feel of the film perfectly: the late nights, the long sessions, the booze and the tobacco, and the battle of wits that ensues over the green baize. His small ensemble score is a distant, more serious cousin of The Man Who Knew Too Little, but when the violin and piano theme kicks in towards the end of the movie, it's one of his most moving compositions since Murder in the First. Click here for a full review of Rounders.

OUT OF SIGHT

DAVID HOLMES

Hot on the heels of Get Shorty and Jackie Brown, the third Elmore Leonard adaptation to hit the silver screen is Out of Sight, directed by Steven Soderbergh. It stars George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez as, respectively, a bank robber and a U.S. Marshal who inexplicably fall in love when the former escapes from jail and finds himself in the trunk of Ving Rhames' car with the latter, who has been taken hostage. British composer David Holmes' underscore is a moody combination of blues and jazz with a slight Latin influence. His music is performed by a small ensemble of electric guitars, percussion and synths and, in the main, is fairly unobtrusive. It never presents a really memorable theme, instead creating an overall impression of laid back cool with just a touch of danger, but two scenes in the movie particularly sticks out as being memorable, both musically and visually - the car trunk scene, where Clooney and Lopez discuss life, love and movies in the scarlet glow of the brakelights; and the marvellously filmed and edited scene in which the two of them flirt like crazy one snowy night in Detroit. The soundtrack album is a combination of Holmes' score and various song cuts.

THE NEGOTIATOR

GRAEME REVELL

In the high octane screen partnership of the year, heavyweight thespians Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey team up in this intense, highly-charged thriller about a hotshot police negotiator who finds himself on the other side of the law when he is framed for murder and extortion. F. Gary Gray's nail-biting movie pushes all the right buttons in all the right places, as does the excellent score from New Zealand composer Graeme Revell. I have always had the opinion that Revell is a kind of "last-resort" composer - the guy you get when no-one else is available to write for your movie - but his work here is exemplary. Combining a modern, slick orchestral sound with exciting electronic effects, his music accentuates and drives the action scenes, as well as forming the emotional core with a fabulous love/romantic theme which, in my opinion, surpasses the one he wrote for The Saint a few years ago. The Negotiator is an unexpected musical highlight, and probably the one of best thriller scores of 1998. Click here for a full review of The Negotiator.

LES MISÉRABLES

BASIL POLEDOURIS

It's not exactly a laugh a minute, but Bille August's historically accurate but rather dour version of the classic Victor Hugo tale of revenge and redemption nevertheless stands as one of the best literary adaptations of the year. Through the grime, dust and squalor of turn of the century France, Liam Neeson's performance as Jean Valjean, the reformed thief and respected public servant, and Geoffrey Rush's turn as the obsessed, self-loathing police inspector Javert shine through. Despite having fifteen cinema versions and a hit stage musical to contend with, Basil Poledouris' thick, dramatic, string-led score is equally impressive, adding weight and power to the tragic tale without being overbearing or leaden. His themes for Valjean and Javert are suitably dark and ominous: Javert's theme, especially, having a real sinister quality for a man who will stop at nothing to bring down his lifetimes nemesis, no matter what the cost. Not all is doom and gloom - there is a pretty woodwind motif for the blossoming romance between Valjean's adopted daughter Cosette and Parisian revolutionary Marius, and some standout, full-bodied action sequences as well. Highly recommended, if you can find it on CD. Click here for a full review of Les Misérables.

RONIN

ELIA CMIRAL

If you like car chases, Ronin is the movie for you. John Frankenheimer's tale of modern-day samurai-for-hire, wreaking havoc across France, contains more twisted metal and auto wrecks than any movie I have ever seen, and contains at least five set-pieces which make Bullitt seem like a Sunday afternoon drive in the country. As well as having an excellent and unusual cast including Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Jonathan Pryce, Stellan Skarsgård and Sean Bean, it also introduces the work of young Czech composer Elia Cmiral. Cmiral came in at a late stage to replace Chris Young, and his unusual, modern-sounding music makes an instant impression, without being particularly special or original. His action music is loud and pumping, combining the usual orchestral and synth lines, and he makes good use of the Armenian duduk (kind of like a clarinet) in a few key scenes, most notably in his soft, romantic theme for Sam and Dierdre. Overall, Ronin is a competent feature début for Cmiral, who I'm sure will go on to make a name for himself. Click here for a full review of Ronin.

HOPE FLOATS

DAVE GRUSIN

Hope Floats is a schmaltzy, sentimental, manipulative, but sincere and very well-performed movie starring Sandra Bullock as a former high school prom queen who, after a spectacular fall from grace on a Jerry Springer-style TV chat show, returns home to Texas to lick her wounds and re-evaluate her life. As well as boasting excellent supporting performances from Harry Connick Jr., Gena Rowlands and the utterly amazing child actress Mae Whitman, one of Hope Floats' other plusses is a lovely soundtrack. It combines slushy, country-tinged love songs by the likes of Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan, with a delicate, bluegrass-style underscore by Dave Grusin, whose music is low-key but attractive and gives the movie a small town cosiness. There are some fine string, piano and saxophone solos (the latter courtesy of Tom Scott), and the songs - credited to "executive soundtrack producers" Forest Whitaker and Don Was - are perfectly placed throughout. There are two CDs from Hope Floats - one songs, one score - but I feel that, for this movie, a single album combining the two elements would have been a greater success. Grusin's music is a little too lightweight to survive on its own, and would have been sufficiently bolstered by some of the more prominent songs (one of which, "When You Love Someone", was written by Michael Kamen.) Overall, Hope Floats is good, both as a movie and as music, and should appeal to romantics everywhere.

BLADE

MARK ISHAM

Jazz great Mark Isham is not an obvious choice of composer for Stephen Norrington's action/sci-fi/thriller starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, about a war between 'pureblood' and 'daywalker' vampires in the big city. Surprisingly, though, Isham gives this silly, bloodthirsty but enjoyable film an emotional and dramatic core which belies its comic book roots. The music is dark, moody and powerful, and utilises both the acoustic and the electronic in equal measure. The incredible kung-fu inspired action scenes, of which there are plenty, are loud and driving, and have a fast-paced synthesised rhythm. Many scenes are underscored simply with low, eerie strings and synths but, occasionally, Isham lends the movie an overblown Gothic grandeur, and these crescendos are especially memorable during the film's climax, when resonant horns sound the potential arrival of the vampire Blood God. There are two soundtracks for Blade - Isham's score album on Varèse, and a commercial collection of pounding dance music (which is used wonderfully well during the opening bloodbath in the nightclub). Click here for a full review of Blade.

ANTZ

HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS and JOHN POWELL

Which movie can you take your kids to, safe in the knowledge they will be entertained for an hour, but at which the adults will also be treated to some great movie parodies, a knowing script, and even a lesson in Marxist propaganda? Antz is the answer, a fantastic new computer-generated animation about life in an anthill, featuring a voice cast including Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Sylvester Stallone, Gene Hackman and Christopher Walken. As well as being both fun and funny, it also has GREAT music, courtesy of the former Media Ventures duo Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell. Their music is bright and lively, with a mambo-style main title accentuated by a neat whistled melody. There are a series of wonderful action sequences (one of which intentionally lampoon's Starship Troopers, both visually and musically), a lovely romantic theme for Z and Bala, and plenty of ooh-aah choral crescendos as the intrepid bugs discover "Insectopia". Cast your votes now for this being the score most likely to challenge Mulan for the Musical and Comedy score Oscar. Click here for a full review of Antz.

SNAKE EYES

RYUICHI SAKAMOTO

Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto rarely ventures forth into Hollywood but, when he does, the results are usually favourable (think The Last Emperor and The Sheltering Sky). Snake Eyes, a labyrinthine crime thriller directed by Brian De Palma, allows Sakamoto to enter the seedy world of the Atlantic City casinos and write music for a tale of political espionage, assassinations and high level corruption against the backdrop of a championship boxing match. His music, surprisingly, does not go down the "urban cool" road one would have expected, but instead is quasi-classical, with strings given the most prominent role. Sakamoto cleverly combines some elegant violin passages for the film's quieter moments of investigation and discovery, with a series of great action/chase cues, most notably during the finale where a battered and bruised Nicolas Cage is shadowed by Gary Sinise down a maze of tunnels and passages. Overall, Snake Eyes is a very well-crafted score, and one which makes me wish that Ryu would come west - or east, depending on the flight times - more often. Click here for a full review of Snake Eyes.

THE EXORCIST

JACK NITZSCHE

The scariest thing about the music for The Exorcist is the virtual absence of it. Because the horrendous scenes of little Linda Blair's demonic possession are performed completely without music, they take on a whole new sense of authenticity and realism, as through the viewer is watching them for real rather than on a movie screen. Director William Friedkin was originally going to use music by Bernard Herrmann, but decided against it at the last moment. Instead, his film makes sparing use of a disturbing, dissonant string underscore by Jack Nitzsche, snippets of music by Polish-born composer Krzysztof Penderecki, and, most noticeably, the classic anthem Tubular Bells by British writer Mike Oldfield, which accompanies Ellen Burstyn's walk through Georgetown. I suppose it's a little unfair to give The Exorcist only two stars, because it's use of music is actually quite inventive and original. However, I'm rating the music itself, not the lack of it, and there isn't really enough original score to make a proper critical judgement, however effective it may be.

PRIMARY COLORS

RY COODER

Primary Colors, directed by Mike Nichols, is a fictionalised but blatant portrayal of the Clintons' rise to power, with John Travolta in the Bill role of Governor Jack Stanton, and the oddly-accented Emma Thompson in the Hillary role of his wife Susan. The original composer, Carly Simon, backed out at the very last minute in protest over the film's portrayal of the Hillary character, so Ry Cooder was brought in to write a replacement score. His music is so subtle as to be almost unnoticeable, and only comes to the fore in a few brief scenes. Most notable among these are the scenes in the doughnut shop and during Adrian Lester and Kathy Bates' drive to Florida, which feature some nice piano work; and the scenes in Mammoth Falls, which have some unusual but effective brass melodies. In all, Primary Colors is as good as could have been expected under the circumstances, but it still plays second fiddle to a series pop tunes.

ELIZABETH

DAVID HIRSCHFELDER

Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth is a very impressively mounted film - full of whirling camera movements, opulent costumes and lavish sets combining dark, shadowy corners in the upper echelons of parliament with bright, sumptuous Elizabethan excess. David Hirschfelder's score is appropriate, and lends a certain dramatic weight to a number of key scenes, especially the opening moments of heretics being 'burnt at the stake', Elizabeth's arrest, and the assassination attempt. However, Hirschfelder also makes good use of ecclesiastical and period tunes, most notably in the fabulous coronation sequence, and rounds off his score with adaptations of music by Elgar and Mozart. Click here for a full review of Elizabeth.

EVER AFTER

GEORGE FENTON

Despite a clunky script and, with the exception of the deliciously spiteful Anjelica Huston, rather below par acting, Andy Tennant's Ever After succeeds due to a high dose of charm, romance and good old fashioned magic. The lush photography, lavish sets and flamboyant costumes make for wonderful viewing, and George Fenton's lovely score carries across the fairytale romance and pomp and pageantry of the French monarchy to a tee. Built around a sweet, beautifully crafted love theme for strings and flutes, Fenton's score is certainly one of the film's main attractions. It is prominent in many scenes, most notably at the moment of the first kiss between Danielle and Henry at the end of her driveway, during the quietly amusing courtship scenes between the two, and the finale when the glass slipper finally does fit Drew Barrymore's delicate foot. Also worth mentioning is the "Masked Ball" sequence which, visually, equals the party scene in William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet but, musically, knocks it for six. I would say that this is one of the most attractive romantic scores of the year. Click here for a full review of Ever After.

MULAN

JERRY GOLDSMITH

Jerry Goldsmith hasn't scored an animated movie since The Secret of N.I.M.H., and nobody has scored a Disney animated feature other than Alan Menken for over a decade. I knew straight away that this was going to be special. Mulan has, obviously, a real Oriental influence to its underscore, and an immense scope and scale throughout. Three key scenes really stick out in my mind as being of particular musical note: the awe-inspiring Hun attack, and the resulting avalanche; the tremendously action packed final fight between the evil Hun leader Shan-Yu and the heroic Captain Shang; and the utterly spectacular choral finale inside the Forbidden City. The songs, by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel, are adequate, but don't really capture the essence of previous Menken attempts. With song limitations aside, I would say that this is one of Goldsmith's best scores for quite a few years, and this is also my tip to get Jerry his second Oscar, for Best Musical or Comedy Score. Click here for a full review of Mulan.

A PERFECT MURDER

JAMES NEWTON HOWARD

A conventional thriller score from Newton Howard for this remake of Hitchcock's Dial M For Murder, this time starring Michael Douglas as a rich businessman planning to bump off his wife Gwyneth Paltrow after he discovers her in a compromising position with would-be artist Viggo Mortensen. Although the score is generally devoid of memorable thematic content, Newton Howard's music fits the bill perfectly. His unique blend of moody orchestral passages and dramatic synthesisers accompany the introspective moments well, the action is bolstered by classic shrieking strings (although occasionally the sound level reaches almost ear-shattering proportions) and, on the occasions when a choir is added into the mix, the score is given a noticeable lift. I doubt whether A Perfect Murder will please fans of Newton Howard's more lush and tender works, for even the love scenes here are made to sound quite jarring and dissonant, but it nevertheless suits the film perfectly. And that's what counts. Click here for a full review of A Perfect Murder.

THE LAND GIRLS

BRIAN LOCK

The Land Girls is a lovely, romantic movie following the fortunes of three independent women sent to work on a rural farm in the 1940s while the menfolk were away fighting in World War 2. British composer Brian Lock, whose big screen credits are very few and far between, has written an attractive score which perfectly complements the idyllic picture-postcard landscapes of the rolling English countryside, and underscores the blossoming love lives of the Land Girls themselves with a small ensemble for strings and flutes. In places, the music simply idles along as typical underscore, but in places it rises to be the centre of attention - a scene especially worth noting is the movie's beautiful finale in the orchard. As well as romantic passages, Lock has also written a few amusingly bouncy mock-military marches for the more comic escapades of the girls, which feature snare drums and, oddly, harmonicas, which nevertheless work wonderfully well. One of the best British scores of the year. Click here for a full review of The Land Girls.

THE TRUMAN SHOW

BURKHARD DALLWITZ and PHILIP GLASS

I always thought that this would be only film capable of surpassing Saving Private Ryan this year, and I have been proved right. Jim Carrey delivers a meticulous and perfect performance as the man who is the unwitting star of the world's biggest TV show, and Peter Weir's challenging and thought-provoking direction breaks new barriers in terms of how audiences relate to what they see on screen. Just as clever is the movie's use of music, written by Australian composer Burkhard Dallwitz with support from Philip Glass, David Hirschfelder and Wojciech Kilar. Dallwitz's score fulfils two purposes: as a plot device used to accentuate the TV show's own phoney emotional content, complete with intentionally OTT and lush strings; and also to conventionally underscore the movie itself. However, so clever is its use that one is never sure whether you are listening to the music from Truman Show the series, or Truman Show the movie, and this blurs the lines between fantasy and reality even moreso. Scenes to watch for: Truman and Marlon's heartfelt conversation; Truman's frantic car chase; the reunion scene between Truman and his supposedly long-dead father; the watery climax; and the scene where Philip Glass pops up as a keyboard player onboard Christof's moon. Oscar perhaps? Click here for a full review of The Truman Show.

MERCURY RISING

JOHN BARRY

Mercury Rising, a taut thriller directed by Harold Becker and starring Bruce Willis as an FBI agent assigned to protect an autistic boy who has cracked a top secret government code, is John Barry's first pure action score for nearly five years. It's style and content is unmistakable, and all the traditional Barry trademarks are there, the roots of which can be traced all the way back to the Bond movie series. The main title is actually a quite dour affair performed mainly by percussion, but as the score wears on it settles into a rhythm of three recurring themes: rolling timpanis and booming brasses for the chase and fight scenes; and two elegant and poignant character based theme for clarinet and flute which represent the relationship between Art and Simon (Willis and the excellent Miko Hughes). Every part of this score screams John Barry, and that's what makes it a success. A worthy purchase, and an absolute must for fans of the maestro's work. Click here for a full review of Mercury Rising.

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY

JONATHAN RICHMAN

In a movie full of unusual things, cult rocker Jonathan Richman's music for the Farrelly Brothers' raucous, tasteless romantic comedy gets one of the most unusual treatments I have ever seen. I mean, seriously, how often do you see the film's composer performing the main title song on-screen whilst sitting up a tree? In musical terms, There's Something About Mary is not really anything to write home about - hence its three star rating. There are three recurring songs: "There's Something About Mary", the hilariously tragic "True Love Is Not Nice" and the quasi-romantic "Let Her Go Into Darkness" which sit alongside a plethora of period tunes by the likes of Joe Jackson, The Propellerheads, Danny Wilson and Lloyd Cole, as well as some accordion-led incidental music. However, the true genius lies not in the music but in its presentation, with Richman popping up at every opportune moment, on street corners and balconies, with percussionist Tommy Larkins in tow. There's Something About Mary is not musically brilliant, but the fate of the two performers will have you in stitches!

LETHAL WEAPON 4

MICHAEL KAMEN

The fourth instalment in the seemingly never-ending Lethal Weapon series finds Michael Kamen at his most relaxed and expressive. As one would expect, the film's high quotient of buddy-buddy comedy and explosive action is perfectly captured by Kamen's energetic music. The action cues are loud and punchy, and once again the leitmotifs for Mel Gibson Riggs and Danny Glover Murtaugh and present. As usual, Eric Clapton's guitar and David Sanborn's saxophone wail and squeal at every opportune moment, but the refreshing things about Lethal Weapon 4 are the new and improved elements. There is a funky harmonica motif for Murtaugh's motor-mouthed son in law Butters (Chris Rock), and a mysterious Chinese violin theme for the incredible Jet Li, the movie's bad guy, whose arms and legs seemingly defy gravity. Whether there will be a Lethal Weapon 5, and whether Michael Kamen will score it, is open to debate, but the ending of number 4 seems to have a celebratory, nostalgic feel - looking back on the previous three films and saying "weren't they great?". The really notable thing is the fact that, when Kamen, Clapton and Sanborn's names are credited, there is a huge photo of the three of them on-screen - almost certainly the first instance of a composer's face appearing on the end credits of the movie he scored.

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

JOHN WILLIAMS

What can I tell you about Saving Private Ryan that you don't already know? It's undoubtedly the film of the year, the direction of the year (Steven Spielberg), the screenplay of the year (Robert Rodat), the lead performance of the year (Tom Hanks), the supporting performance of the year (Tom Sizemore) and the cinematography of the year (Janusz Kaminski). It's an awesome, utterly devastating motion picture which, like many have said before, is probably the greatest war film ever made. Unlike other Spielberg epics, John Williams' thoughtful brass-led underscore is not a major player in the film. The two epic battle sequences, on Omaha Beach and in the town of Ramelle, are totally musicless, leaving Williams to underscore the quieter scenes of reflection in between all the carnage. Such is Williams' genius that these scenes seem all the more poignant and pack much more of an emotional wallop than a lesser composer would be able the muster. Schmaltz and Hollywood sentimentality never figure in the slightest, and the end credits cue - the 'Hymn to the Fallen' - strikes precisely the right tone of honour and remembrance. Personally, I don't feel that this is the greatest score of the year, but this doesn't stop me from predicting that John Williams will follow his fellow Ryaners onto the Oscar stage next March. Click here for a full review of Saving Private Ryan.

COUSIN BETTE

SIMON BOSWELL

Composer Simon Boswell and "period dramas" are not really obvious bedfellows, but with Cousin Bette he has pulled out all the stops and come up with one of the loveliest classical scores of the year. Adapted from the novel by Honore de Balzac, Cousin Bette is a cleverly manipulative movie featuring terrific performances by Jessica Lange, who is both demure and deadly in the titular role, and Elisabeth Shue, who oozes burlesque sexiness as a Parisienne club singer. Boswell's score is a prominent feature in the film, portraying as it does the lavish French aristocracy with haughty, pompous, fully orchestral passages accentuated by harpsichord and accordion. The concert-hall songs, performed in the film and on CD by Shue herself, are also excellent, and are adapted by Disney regular Danny Troob from music by Pierre de Béranger. Overall, this is a classy score by Boswell. Click here for a full review of Cousin Bette.

THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO

MARK SUOZZO

Whit Stillman's The Last Days of Disco is "Boogie Nights lite", a celebratory look back at the decade when disco was king - a time of yuppies, glitterballs and clubs you couldn't get in unless you knew the doorman personally. Weaved in with a couple of splendid performances by Kate Beckinsale and Chloë Sevigny and some marvellously highbrow dissections of movies such as Lady and the Tramp and Bambi, are a fabulously diverse collections of disco anthems from the era by the likes of Chic, Diana Ross, The O'Jays, Blondie and Sister Sledge. As you would expect, the soundtrack release comprises solely of songs such as these, leaving Mark Suozzo's orchestral underscore out in the cold. However, this is not such a bad thing. Suozzo's efforts are really nothing more than 'filler music' for the scenes taking place away from the club, and consist mainly of peppy, upbeat, contemporary synth-and-string tracks. Despite being well composed and suiting the urban setting well, they serve no real purpose outside the film. The four star rating is for the songs, because anyone with an affinity for the music of the early eighties is likely to find The Last Days of Disco a real nostalgic treat.

SPECIES II

EDWARD SHEARMUR

To give Edward Shearmur his due, everybody knew it was going to be difficult to equal, never mind surpass, Christopher Young's haunting music from the original Species. Gory, sexy, but a little bereft of intelligence, Peter Medak's belated sequel Species II is a nevertheless enjoyable movie, in a "get it out on video and watch it with the lads" kind of way. Shearmur's workmanlike score presses all the right buttons in all the right places, but unfortunately is completely lacking any kind of originality or memorable thematic content. There are the usual swirling strings for the introductory outer space scenes, the usual testosterone brass-led action sequences, the usual Herrmannesque suspenseful passages which occasionally burst into life and make the audience jump put of their skin, and there is a delicate piano solo for the more tender scenes. Exactly what you would expect. It's just a shame that Shearmur didn't stray away from the tried and tested formula and stretch his very talented musical muscles to a greater extent. As it stands, Species II is a serviceable but uninspired score. I'm sure that Shearmur will impress more than this in the future, and I just hope he is given the opportunity to score some similarly high-profile assignments.

THE HORSE WHISPERER

THOMAS NEWMAN

Isn't it funny how seeing a movie can completely alter your perceptions of a score? On CD, Thomas Newman's The Horse Whisperer is an attractive but somewhat disjointed listening experience which sounds a little flat when one would expect to be overwhelmed by a lush score. However, in the cinema, it takes on a whole new life. It makes Robert Richardson's magnificent cinematography of majestic Montana seem all the more grand and sweeping. It gives a feeling of homely charm to Chris Cooper and Dianne Weist's cattle ranch. It makes Scarlett Johansson's relationship with her horse Pilgrim seem all the more poignant and tragic. It makes the blossoming love affair between Robert Redford and Kristin Scott Thomas seem all the more touching and real. It captures the essence of the relationships between man and beast, between nature and civilisation, between mother and daughter, between husband and wife. In short, it's perfect. The sweeping themes have a much more prominent role on-screen, which just goes to prove that a CD release can actually be a poor representation of a score's qualities. The Hollywood Records release does not do justice to this lovely musical journey and, although I stand by my three-star rating of the CD, the music as heard in the film gets a definite five. And I bet it gets Oscar-nominated, too. Click here for a full review of The Horse Whisperer.

THE SPANISH PRISONER

CARTER BURWELL

The Spanish Prisoner is an ingenious thriller from the pen of David Mamet with more twists and turns than an Alpine slalom and more red herrings than a dodgy fishmonger. Featuring beautifully understated performances from, among others, Campbell Scott and Steve Martin, the film also boasts a suitable moody score from Carter Burwell which works wonders in creating an atmosphere of mystery and confusion. Written for a minuscule orchestral complement with solos for oboe and piano, Burwell's music never features prominently in the film, but instead accentuates the mood of each scene as it comes. The three core elements are equally effective: bongo-driven Caribbean rhythms for the early scenes in the tropical paradise of St. Estephe; delicately performed piano solos for the intimate scenes between the hapless Joe and his faithful admirer Susan; and noirish jazz-style oboes which underscore Joe's increasingly desperate attempts to find out just what the hell is going on. Unfortunately, there is no soundtrack album for this one, so you'll just have to go to the cinema to experience Burwell's score. And you'll see a fine movie while you're at it - in my opinion, the best con trick since The Usual Suspects. Click here for a full review of The Spanish Prisoner.

LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS

DAVID A. HUGHES and JOHN MURPHY

Scoring duo David A. Hughes and John Murphy have written some pretty decent scores for British independent films over the years - the lovely The Feast at Midnight and Stiff Upper Lips being recent examples. Unfortunately, Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels is not one which can be added to that list. A violent but blackly comic Reservoir Dogs style crime drama transferred to London's underworld, it called for a gritty urban-grunge style score. Although the music represents the East End lowlife perfectly, with screeching electric guitars, growling drum machines and hyped-up synthesisers, it is nevertheless an earbleed-inducing mess to listen to. As a reference point example, parts of the score are quite similar to Billy Corgan's musical efforts on the Ransom soundtrack. The one and only saving grace are a couple of Zorba-inspired guitar tracks which are used as a leitmotif for the drug dealer character Nick the Greek, and this alone earns the single star. Other than that, it is recommended that you give this one a miss, unless you have a lifetime's supply of paracetamol to hand.

THE X-FILES

MARK SNOW

I have never been a huge fan of The X-Files, either the series or the music, but I must admit I highly enjoyed the big screen version. This is by far the most high profile assignment Mark Snow has ever had, after years of sterling work on TV movies and low-budgeters, and he firmly grasps the opportunity with both hands. The infamous whistled main theme is incorporated into a number of key scenes, and is given a clever new twist in many of them with some fresh and innovative orchestrations by Jonathan Sacks. The action scenes are tense and nail-biting and, when the orchestra is unleashed with full fury, the effect is startling (like when Mulder and Scully are creeping around in the bee compound, and during the resulting cornfield chase scene). There are a couple of renditions of a lovely romantic theme (in Mulder's hallway, and when the two are lying spent after their Antarctic adventures), and some eerie synthesised effects to represent the mysterious alien virus. A good, solid, competent effort which should see Snow finally graduate from TV movie hell into the big leagues. Click here for a full review of The X-Files.

THE AVENGERS

JOEL McNEELY

Joel McNeely was an eleventh hour replacement for Michael Kamen on The Avengers, Jeremiah Chechik's ill-advised update of the classic 1960s TV series starring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman. The film itself is an absolute turkey - bad acting, a groan-inducing double-entendre laden screenplay, lacklustre action sequences and so much tea as to give the characters a caffeine overdose - and McNeely's score suffers the same fate as the movie. Throughout the score, everything seems too forced and obvious, so much so that the music goes further than the intended parody and veers off into the realms of ridiculousness. The action cues are grand and overblown, but thematically and structurally underdeveloped, and rely far too much on noise and speed rather than intelligent writing. The extremely brief love theme is far too subtle and understated, while the classical sections representing the film's stereotypical "englishness" is old hat and predictable. There is a fairly decent, attractive cue for the scene where Sean Connery and Uma Thurman are waltzing, but in all honesty, all the best-sounding bits come when Laurie Johnson's classic TV theme is worked into the underscore. Much like the film, the score is a well-intentioned but ultimately misguided attempt to freshen up an already classic style and bring it firmly into the nineties. I would like to hear what Michael Kamen came up with for The Avengers, because you can be sure it would be better than this. Click here for a full review of The Avengers.

ARMAGEDDON

TREVOR RABIN

There's a new guy on the film scoring block. He writes for action movies. His name's Trevor. Trevor Rabin. And, if Armageddon is anything to go by, he's got one hell of a future ahead of him. It's a long way from being the lead guitarist with Yes to scoring 1998's biggest summer blockbuster, but Rabin accomplishes the transition with aplomb. He bestows Armageddon with huge action cues, tender love themes, incredible choral sections and some cool electric guitar riffs, all surrounding a phenomenal, flag-waving central melody. Admittedly, it does tend to lean very heavily on some rather more famous predecessors (most notably Crimson Tide and Titanic), and it certainly adheres to the near set-in-stone Media Ventures style of music, but it nevertheless adds a real touch of genuine emotion to Bruce Willis' awesome escapades saving the Earth. It's not particularly original, it's patriotic almost to the point of absurdity and, at times, it's downright corny. But, by God, it sounds fantastic! Click here for a full review of Armageddon.

SLING BLADE

DANIEL LANOIS

Let me start by saying that this movie is amazing. Everything about it, from the no-frills cinematography to the intelligent, funny, terribly moving screenplay is absolutely first rate, and the four main performers - Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, Lucas Black and Natalie Canerday - are all nothing short of exceptional, Thornton especially being quietly mesmerising as the gentle Karl Childers. Daniel Lanois' score plays an integral part in capturing the mood of the film, but is much more "mood music" and has no dominant theme or memorable melodies. Instead, Lanois composed in three distinctly different styles: homely, electric-guitar driven country-flavoured tunes to underscore Karl's comic misadventures; soft piano and fiddle solos for the more emotional, thought-provoking scenes of self-reflection between Karl and his young friend; and ambient, highly atmospheric synthesiser work to represent the tumultuous, confused mind of the child-like killer. Especially effective is the music in the climactic scene between Karl and Doyle, where the synthesisers build to an almighty cacophony, before stopping dead in their tracks and becoming instantly silent as Karl performs his final act of self-sacrifice for the Wheatley family. An excellent score, I reckon. Mmm-hm.

THE GINGERBREAD MAN

MARK ISHAM

It's a peculiar but highly effective score that Mark Isham has come up with for The Gingerbread Man, Robert Altman's take on yet another lawyer-in-peril tale from the pen of John Grisham. The vast majority of the film is scored with low, groaning strings typical of the genre, but three other elements really stand out. First, the Main Titles, which reminded me no end of the theme from The Terminator with its harsh, rhythmic, metallic sound; the End Credits, which is where Isham finally presents his theme (a bluesy trumpet solo). However, the most interesting things of all are the unusual musical effects that he and sound design whizz Andrew Allen King have come up with to allow the inclement weather conditions that are prevalent throughout the movie to become part of the score. The Gingerbread Man does not have a soundtrack CD - it's not the kind of music you'd want to sit and listen to, and there are no songs to speak of in the movie. But however atonal the score may be, it suits the film perfectly. And that's all that matters, really, isn't it?

DR. DOLITTLE

RICHARD GIBBS

The score for this completely un-funny and unnecessary Eddie Murphy remake of the classic musical is by Richard Gibbs. Not that you'd know this, of course, because the music as heard in the film is so subtle and unobtrusive as to be almost non-existent. Seriously - other than the main title, which features a catchy little ditty with a disco beat, I would be hard pressed to tell you anything about the rest of the score in the film. Apparently, there are quite a few leitmotif elements representing the different animal characters in the film (like an Indian sitar for the tiger) but I didn't notice them. Either they had the sound mix too low in the cinema, or Gibbs was emulating Simon & Garfunkel by scoring his movie with the Sound of Silence!

LOST IN SPACE

BRUCE BROUGHTON

Bruce Broughton replaced Mark Isham, who replaced David Arnold, who replaced Jerry Goldsmith on this musically-troubled big-budget remake of the classic campy 1960s TV series. Broughton's score is a clever combination of full orchestra and subtle electronics, and is appropriate and action-packed but, upon hearing it alongside the film, it never really seemed to make any kind of impression and instead faded away into the background alongside all the sound effects and other auditory mayhem. There are a couple of decent action cues, especially for the opening dogfight scene and the space spider scene, and a spine-tingling choral element to represent the time travel part of the story, but other than that I was a little underwhelmed. One thing I noticed is the lack of a really memorable main theme. Perhaps it sounds better on CD... Click here for a full review of Lost In Space.

GIRLS' NIGHT

EDWARD SHEARMUR

Michael Kamen's protégé Ed Shearmur continues to enhance his growing reputation as a talent to watch with this understated, lyrical score for Girls' Night, a low-budget British movie starring Julie Walters and Brenda Blethyn as two English women who take off on a holiday to Las Vegas when one of them falls ill, and run into hunky cowboy Kris Kristofferson én route. Many of Shearmur's cues are written for pianos, harps and delicate strings, which make the slightly melodramatic nature of the film all the more poignant and moving. Especially effective are the cues for death/funeral scene and the End Credits, which feature a beautiful, heartfelt piano solo a little reminiscent of Basil Poledouris' It's My Party. I very much doubt that Girls' Night will ever see the light of day as a CD, which is a shame, because overall it is an impressive score.

GODZILLA

DAVID ARNOLD

When David Arnold scores a Roland Emmerich movie, you don't need me to tell you what kind of music you're going to get. It's going to be big, it's going to be bold, it's going to be brash, it's going to be patriotic, it's going to be loud and it's going to be heavy on the horns and trumpets. Godzilla is all of these things and, although Arnold does absolutely nothing new, and 99% of the score sounds like a repeat of what he did in Independence Day and Stargate, the music is just so darn good you just can't help liking it. It's exciting, especially in the scenes where Godzilla goes on the rampage (although some of the score's intricacies do tend to get a little lost under all the sound effects; it's menacing and frightening during the finale in Madison Square Gardens, and there is a surprisingly gentle love theme for the Matthew Broderick and Maria Pitillo characters Nick and Audrey. As I write this, only two cues of Arnold's score are included on the absurdly song-heavy soundtrack release. Please, God, let there be a full score album later in the year! Click here for a full review of Godzilla.

MAD CITY

THOMAS NEWMAN

Costa-Gavras' Mad City, a biting satire on the manipulative nature of tabloid journalism, brought forth a low-key, unobtrusive but highly effective score from Thomas Newman, whose subtle blend of folksy melodies and sugar-free sentiment added volumes to the movie's impact. To be honest, the score is hardly noticeable in the film, but this is not a negative comment as any kind of overbearing music would have been completely inappropriate. As it stands, many of the key scenes between Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta are scored with quiet strings and soft brasses, while the scenes outside the beset museum feature homely fiddle solos and bluegrass guitars to reflect the backwoods mentality of the setting. A definite success.

SIX DAYS SEVEN NIGHTS

RANDY EDELMAN

To be quite frank, this is a fairly run of the mill score by Edelman. There are a couple of highlights: the main theme is a good, solid, emotional, synth-and-string affair which Edelman churns out in his sleep but nevertheless sounds great, and there is some admittedly quite funky calypso stuff which sounds like Edelman had a great deal of fun writing. The score doesn't make any real impact in the context of the movie as a whole, although some of the scenes of Harrison Ford's plane soaring over the tiny Polynesian islands are musically impressive, and the End Credits are good too, once you get past the obligatory tagged-on-at-the-end song. Click here for a full review of Six Days Seven Nights.

CITY OF ANGELS

GABRIEL YARED

Considering the incredible run of bad luck Gabriel Yared has had since his Oscar win, City of Angels is a beautiful score. It starts of by being very soft and low-key, with lots of piano and acoustic guitar solos supplemented by subtle strings, but as the movie wears on the emotional content is turned up to the complete maximum. Scenes especially worth noting are the ones where Seth is contemplating his 'fall from heaven' on the roof of the skyscraper; the scene where Maggie is cycling back from the grocery store; and the finale, where Seth swims joyously in the Pacific Ocean. This latter scene especially reminded me of the 'Cave of Swimmers' cue from Yared's other major score, The English Patient. Overall, a very laid-back, delicate and magical score which has been sadly under-represented on the soundtrack CD. Click here for a full review of City of Angels.

MIMIC

MARCO BELTRAMI

A highly atmospheric and extremely effective score by Beltrami, the third horror in a row from the young Italian-American. The majority of his music here is fully orchestral and, at times, it reminded me of James Horner's work on Aliens with the liberal use of groaning strings and shrill brass bursts, although here Beltrami has cleverly worked a choir into the proceedings (who, at one point, chant the syllables of his name!). A few sections really stand out: the opening titles, with its unsettling, tumultuous bursts of orchestra and voice; the beautiful but sinister piece when Giancarlo Giannini is searching for his son outside the disused church; a couple of excellent action sequences when the mutant cockroaches start to go on the rampage; and the finale and End Titles cue, where Beltrami finally lets loose with a soaring theme to bring the movie to an end. Click here for a full review of Mimic.

THE APOSTLE

DAVID MANSFIELD

A flavoursome guitar-and-fiddle based country score written and performed by David Mansfield for Robert Duvall's modern day parable of a Pentecostal preacher trying to change his ways in a backwoods church in rural Louisiana. Mansfield's score certainly captures the essence of the deep south and complements the gospel and country songs used throughout the movie, I don't think I'd go out of my way to own any of the music. And it's a good job too, because the soundtrack album is nothing more than a compilation of songs.

THE WEDDING SINGER

TEDDY CASTELLUCCI

Teddy who? That was my reaction when I first read his name, but the really surprising thing is that his score is great. Although the movie, which starred Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, was absolutely packed with 80s pop culture references from Billy Idol to Madonna to Culture Club and 99 Luftballon, the thing which stuck most in my mind was the finale on board the plane, where Castellucci includes an absolutely gorgeous, romantic string theme. It's just a shame that none of his music included on the soundtrack album. But, nevertheless, I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more from young Mr. Castellucci in the future, especially if his recent BMI/ASCAP award is anything to go by.

THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS

HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS

Not that good really. The film itself, which marked Chow Yun Fat's American feature debut, was absolutely awful - just a series of action sequences linked together with a thinner than paper-thin plot, and Gregson-Williams' score is pretty much the same. Lots of high octane action sequences, utilising the usual synths and drum machines, although there is a semi-decent quiet motif for the scenes in the Buddhist temple.

RED CORNER

THOMAS NEWMAN

Newman's usual style is in evidence here: unusual, quirky incidental cues topped off with an absolutely gorgeous finale for the scene where Richard Gere and Bai Ling have their airport farewell. The difference here is that Newman's music has a definite Oriental influence, utilising traditional Chinese instruments, to add an ethnic touch to the standard western orchestrations. A good, solid score. Click here for a full review of Red Corner.

WISHMASTER

HARRY MANFREDINI

A fairly run of the mill horror score by Manfredini, who has not had this high profile a job since Deep Star 6 back in 1989. A quite good main title, with a low chanting choir, and some effective but not atypical action fare are all this soundtrack has going for it really. I'll give it a miss.

DARK CITY

TREVOR JONES

A mix of differing styles: lots of ominous, atmospheric music for the scenes where Rupert Sewell is wandering around in the darkness and the shadows; some chaotic action stuff which occasionally reaches an incredibly loud crescendo, and an absolutely stunning string based love theme for Sewell and his wife/not wife Jennifer Connelly. Undecided. Click here for a full review of Dark City.

SLIDING DOORS

DAVID HIRSCHFELDER

David Hirshfelder's follow up to his Oscar-nominated score Shine is for this British romantic comedy starring Gwyneth Paltrow. The biggest tragedy here is that none of Hirschfelder's score is included on the soundtrack release: yet another case of commercial marketing being put ahead of musical excellence. Hirshfelder's score is lovely, with a beautiful string love theme underscoring the scenes between Paltrow and John Hannah, offset with magical chimes to represent the split in the story.

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Movie Music U.K is designed and maintained by Jonathan Broxton (c) 1999. All opinions and views expressed on these pages are my own and are in no way intended to reflect those the University of Sheffield. All photos and album artwork used on Movie Music U.K. are only for the non-profit making promotional purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.