Jablonsky Variations

To me there's something slightly "off" about Steve Jablonsky's score for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. For awhile I couldn't put my finger on it but I think I've figured it out. More on that later though.

Jablonsky's score functions well in the film which is its primary - and arguably its only - job. It punctuates the film in all the ways we've come to expect from years of Zimmer training and, like the film, occasionally takes itself a little too seriously. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.

The old themes that reappear are clearly developed rather than merely cut-and-pasted onto the film. Nowhere is this more evident than in the theme for Optimus Prime. Not only is it much more elegiac (appropriately) this time around it is also elaborated upon and altered slightly to represent the history of the Primes. Lisbeth Scott once again is called upon to deliver her "vaguely ethnic wailing" for a Remote Control score. However it occasionally treads dangerously close to lines of questionable taste. I do miss the theme for the All Spark from the first film. I thought that it had transferred to Bumblebee during the downtown battle at the end of the first film but I guess not.*

As far as new themes are concerned I find the theme for The Fallen to be, well, a bit simplistic. I realise it doesn't have to be overly complex; all he has to do is be the really bad guy (though to be honest I never felt like the danger was that great with this character). I guess my issue with it is that it sounds like music leftover from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.

At first I wasn't wild about the album but it has since grown on me. There don't seem to be any real standout cues the way "Arrival to Earth" and "Scorponok" are on the first album/film. I don't think I'll ever find it the rollicking good time the first is, but it's still a lot of fun (which, I suppose, is unfair because the first album/film is an embarrassment of musical riches for film music lovers). It's a little uneven but there are several really nice moments on the album (I've recently come to particularly enjoy "Einstein's Wrong" and "Tomb of the Primes"). I do wish the album had been sequenced better. Most of the action cues seem to be situated on the back end of the disc and it doesn't make for quality ebb-and-flow. I think a simple matter of reordering could have made the disc better.

As far as the "off" element of the score, I think the problem is actually Hans Zimmer himself. In both the CD insert and the end of the credits in the film there's a big "thank you" to Hans. Although he is uncredited, Hans Zimmer apparently produced a large chunk of the score for the film, which is not difficult to surmise simply by listening to it. I think I know why. The score for the first Transformers is fantastic. The problem is it was for a Michael Bay film; it constantly lost out to over-the-top, amped-up sound effects. I think that Steve Jablonsky asked Zimmer to produce the score so that he wouldn't "overcompose". To be fair I think it's a perfectly legitimate concern. If you're scoring a Michael Bay film, half of your music probably won't be heard over the thunderous sound design so you may as well reign it in a bit. Perhaps Jablonsky didn't know exactly how to do that so he asked Hans for help**. I also think that Zimmer was able to bring some "darker" aspects to Jablonsky's score. These things being said, I miss all those tiny little details from the first score.

Overall I enjoyed the score and think it functioned well in the film. I just miss the abundance of thematic writing that characterizes the first score.

*In retrospect it seems plausible that this might have been Jablonsky's original intention. This would make sense since Bumblebee is the only one of the Autobots or the Decepticons that has direct contact with the All Spark (until Sam uses it to kill Megatron). Perhaps I'm giving the composer too much credit for possibly putting that much thought into it. I might be wrong but it seems that from listening to "Bumblebee" on the album (which is denoted as "different version in film") that it was more-or-less intended for use during the downtown battle when Mikaela drives the attached-to-a-tow-truck Bumblee through the streets so he can help his fellow Autobots. However, after consulting the film and listening also to the album that shall not be named this intention was never carried through. Perhaps, if this was the intent, its intelligence was lost on the director.

**Please note: I'm not denying the craftsmanship of Steve Jablonsky here, just saying that perhaps he didn't know how to write less and keep it functional and good. Hans, as we all know, has become a master of drawing on the smallest amount of material.

Abandonment

No. Actually I haven't abandoned the blog. There's a post coming.

I swear.

Meanwhile, if you have an entire day of nothing planned to do, might I suggest this or this if you're having a Paranoid Android moment. Combine with a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster or two and you've got the makings of an entertaining day at the end of which you might feel the desire to end it all.

That is all.

Science Experiments

That's what children are, right? I mean, you can look up anything you could possibly want to know in a book or online but the fact of the matter is that every baby is different.

I don't want to talk about that right now. What I want to talk about is the dirty little secret that nobody wants you to know about babies. They way your relationship changes after the birth of your child(ren).

That's right. I'm talking about poop.

When you're at the hospital they tell you what you should expect as far as what a "good poop" is. For example: my wife is breastfeeding so the poop should be a little watery, light green in color and slightly seedy (I have yet to figure out where the seeds come from). I've found myself changing my daughter's diaper and saying - out loud with no other adult present - "Hey, that's a really great poopy!" And the kid just looks up at me like Eddie Izzard's cat thinking, "Interesting words."

Anyway I've reached the point where I feel like I should have a lab coat, a pair of goggles and a clipboard when changing a diaper. "So, let's just start with what we have. What did this do to you? Tell me. And remember, this is for posterity so be honest. How do you feel? " Or perhaps turning to an assistant (might I suggest Liz Vassey from C.S.I. if your wife isn't available) and saying, "Get this back to the lab for analysis right away. We need to know exactly what we're dealing with here."

Actually it's been more like, "Ooh, congratulations, sweetie. That's got good consistency and perfect coloring throughout. Let's take a picture of it and mark it on the graph."

I Am So Far Behind

So I'm a dad now.

Our little girl, Aislinn Morgan, was born at 9:33 pm on Tuesday May 12th. This picture was taken the morning after she was born.

Star Trek: First Listen

Unlike The Warrior Bard, I sometimes prefer listening to a new score before I hear it attached to the film, try to make it a "pure music" experience. I still try to have few, if any, preconceived notions about any aspect of the film. So if you don't want to know anything you should probably move along. And remember: this is my first listen. I just wanted to get some initial reactions and elaborations out.

I never watched Alias and I don't watch Lost so my only exposure to Michael Giacchino's music is through The Incredibles and Mission: Impossible III (both scores I like). I think the writing is mostly elegant though, as in the case of the aforementioned, it can be a little less than subtle. To me, though, this actually sets his music apart from a lot of other composers. I think a lot of composers might have gone the opposite direction musically and I actually commend Giacchino for it.

The main theme is nice, if somewhat generic. The Pikey mentioned that the theme sounds more like a counterline to a main theme (more on this in a moment) . While I'm not going to dispute this point, I think the greater thing to keep in mind is that, while it isn't terrific, it is versatile. One of the things that immediately strikes me about this score is that Giacchino seems to be channeling the sonic world of James Horner's Star Trek scores; rather craftily in some places. I particularly enjoy his clever deployment of a chromatic tail that travels through the same mediant relationships as Horner's theme (Cliff Eidelman's theme for The Undiscovered Country is similar in this respect). Elaborating on a previous point, track 4, "Hella Bar Talk" seems to expose the theme for what it is: an extension and elaboration of Horner's thematic material.

It might also be of interest to mention another parallel here. One of Giacchino's orchestrators is Jack Hayes (who turned 90 in February). Jack Hayes orchestrated The Wrath of Khan (how's that for a game of connect the dots?). Surely the sonic similarities are no accident.

Anyway, the first listen is delicious! I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of the score in the film.

The Nightmare Scenario

I was watching Hardball with Chris Matthews the other day (because it's good to keep your heart rate up while working out and nothing seems to do that better than politicians saying stupid things) and his guest panel was discussing whether torture works. Over the course of the discussion Tom Tancredo (former Republican congressman from Colorado) actually uttered something along the lines of the following regarding the so-called "Ticking Time Bomb" or "Nightmare Scenario":

"In that situation, I'm looking around for Jack Bauer."

You should probably read that again before you go on.

Did these people not get the memo? Jack Bauer is fictional. Made up. Not real. Entertainment.

Now, I've never watched 24, and probably never will, but there's a point that has to be made here (beyond the fact that Jack Bauer and 24 are fiction). If Jack Bauer is willing to do whatever it takes, regardless of the legality, doesn't that make him ideologically no better than the terrorists he's combating? Depending on your point-of-view he is either a hero or a criminal.

So what I want to know is, where does this Republican wet dream come from? These guys clearly need to be paying more for their sex if this is what they fantasize about. The idea that we need to be able to use torture as a means of getting useful information is preposterous. And why is it that it's just the politicians stepping forward saying (or mumbling in the case of Dick Cheney), "These techniques have yielded us information that has kept us safe". Why is it that none of the interrogators who have come forward are telling us that these methods - torture - yielded useful information that made us safer? Now, admittedly, I have liberal tendencies, but I try to get my news and information from multiple sources even if it means I have to strap on a helmet to protect myself and others while doing it (Fox News). One government official (a Bush appointee, no less) has stated that torture hasn't foiled any plots. Interrogators that have been willing to step out of the shadows say it doesn't work any better than traditional interrogation techniques.

Let me set up the "nightmare scenario" in a way that is probably more realistic. A committed radical (let's not forget that in the last 20 years not all of the attacks on American soil have been committed by those that are foreign-born) has, on his own or as part of a team, set a weapon of mass destruction (nuclear or otherwise) on a timer in an obviously undisclosed location. Said terrorist is apparently intelligent enough to steal a WMD and hide it in a major metropolitan area but is stupid enough to get caught. Do you think that a terrorist who is willing to go through all of those things is actually going to give up before dying under the duress of torture? Hardly. Furthermore someone who is that committed would never get caught. Do you know why? Because he would blow himself up just to make sure it occurs the way he plans that it does.

So the "ticking time bomb" scenario is a straw man. The point is moot. We can't say that it would never happen. We also can't say that it would ever happen.

The fact of the matter is the terrorists (whoever they are) didn't beat us on 9/11. Instead they beat us when we waterboarded (tortured) our first prisoner of war. Of course, the term "Enemy Combatant" seems to have been invented to skirt the rights of P.O.W.s according to the Geneva Convention. We sold our souls for it and in getting it back there will be hell to pay.

How Lucky Can One Guy Be?

Die Frau and I were watching a baseball game last week and the TV spot for Star Trek came on.



I'm not gonna lie, every time I see it I get a little more excited for the film. What was funny, though, was that Die Frau, who was half paying attention, asked when it came out.

It comes out the day before the baby is due.

I mentioned that this might have to be our first post-baby date. To my surprise she suggested that if she hadn't gone into labor yet we should probably go see it on opening night. Then she reminded me that Wolverine comes out the week before and that we should make plans to see that, too. How awesome is my wife?