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Author	Topic: MovieMusic reviews

PeterK FishChip	I don't know how many of you venture outside of these message boards when visiting this site, but if you don't, I'd like to make you aware of a plethora of soundtrack reviews submitted to the site in recent days (30 alone in the last two days). Many are long reviews, some are track-by-track analyses, and others are short 'n schweeeet ("succinct" as some say) thoughts on the various offerings in the catalog. To highlight a few recent reviewers: Mirna has arrived and has quickly belted out a number of reviews. She's from Yugoslavia studying at the American University in Bulgaria and offers you a well-rounded female perspective on a number of scores and song soundtracks. You'd never guess English wasn't her mother tongue. Ken S fills up the review database focusing on Disney soundtracks, as well as scores by Alan Silvestri, John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. Again, there's something about writers who've learned English as a second or third language. Bravo! Lancelot has kicked positive reviews into high gear (which is a plus), with reviews that are "just right" (as Goldilocks would say). From Pokemon to Dogma, Lancelot shares his thoughts with a handful of recent, decent reviews. Keep up the positivity, Lancelot, and show 'em all you ain't the negative chum people "say" you are. James has provided the definitive review of Richard Band material in the database. He describes at great length the music of the now out-of-print House on Sorority Row/The Alchemist. Thanks for encouraging us to want something now completely out of reach! Crono/Kyp, cameronCR, bigboss2k1000 and others who've contributed reviews in the last month or so, many thanks from all of us. There's plenty of great reading to go 'round. You may have noticed the "Most Viewed MovieMusic Profiles" on the charts and members main pages has been replaced with "Our most popular reviewers" list. This will give you a glimpse into who MovieMusic web site visitors are paying attention in any given week. This list has also been incorporated into the top of the "new comments and reviews" main page here: http://www.moviemusic.com/search/reviews.asp Hey, while I am on this subject, now's an opportune time to place your suggestions/comments/complaints in the box. Like 'em? Hate 'em? Don't read 'em? Want an "official" MovieMusic review column? What? Speak up.... Again, to everyone who's contributed to the review database, you have all of our thanks.
posted 10-09-2001 01:33 AM PT (US)

Crono/Kyp Goldmember	I for one like the reviews, of course I write them too so I'm biased I guess. And I know there are a few CDs out there I still need to site up on. I think feedback is a good thing, and we should keep going with it! Back to homework now... --Brian [Message edited by Crono/Kyp on 10-09-2001]
posted 10-09-2001 10:32 AM PT (US)

Ken S Goldmember	The truth is, that when I first got hooked to this site by the end of July, I REALLY DIDN'T have anything else to do... But now when I DO have something else to do, I have focused all the REST of my energy into these Message Boards... But if truly people READ those reviews, I'm sure doing them more..! Warmest thanks, Peter and all the rest of you who have made me smile with your kind and friendly comments about my contribution. Sincerely, KEN
posted 10-09-2001 12:59 PM PT (US)

wistiti Goldmember	Do I get a rebate when I review? No! Well then, no reviews from me! +
posted 10-09-2001 04:18 PM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	All jokes aside, the best reviews are from people who are not influenced by freebies nor monetary reward. Those are the reviews I enjoy reading the most, anyway. Today's world is too full of minced words ground out of things like Commercial WordMaster 2.0, so much so there are rarely any words we can relate to when it comes to sharing our enthusiasm for this kind of music. That's one point of view....
posted 10-09-2001 08:08 PM PT (US)

wistiti Goldmember	The other point of view is that movie music sucks and there's no point in reviewing it (address all hate mail to isham@canada.com) K, have you ever considered switching sides? And renaming this site by calling it www.MusiclessMovies.com ?
posted 10-10-2001 06:29 AM PT (US)

Castor Troy Goldmember	Peter, I uploaded a review for the Faculty Score CD a few weeks ago and it never appeared! Why?! Castor
posted 10-10-2001 09:23 AM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	Castor, ball's in your court. I sent you an email regarding the review. It was months ago, not weeks. Wistiti, quit revealing all my plans!
posted 10-10-2001 11:37 AM PT (US)

John Zimmer Goldmember	I've written probably thirty reviews at the least I just haven't had the time to post them here. Course I've had LOOOOOOOOTTTT'SSS of time to hang around here with you weirdos. Jz
posted 10-10-2001 02:41 PM PT (US)

Lancelot Goldmember	Actually, I think we'd benefit from a daily (or weekly?) column ala fsm....just my thought....
posted 10-10-2001 10:18 PM PT (US)

Castor Troy Goldmember	Peter, for unknown reasons the provider deleted my e-mail account. As you can see my adress has changed. Can you send the message again? Thanks! Castor
posted 10-11-2001 01:05 PM PT (US)

Lorien Goldmember	How does one write these? I can read them, and probably "reply" review, but how do I introduce, say, a review of FIERCE CREATURES if it hasn't already been posted? And how can I find all of the reviewed discs?
posted 10-12-2001 01:16 AM PT (US)

Nicolai P. Zwar Goldmember	Same question here. How should one submit a review if the CD isn't already in the database?
posted 10-12-2001 01:46 AM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	In Lorien's case, if the soundtrack is in the database, all you must do is find the soundtrack on the site (use the search bar up at the top of the page) and look for the "enter your thoughts" link, which should appear just above the tracklisting information. Click it. In Zwar's case, if the soundtrack doesn't exist in the database on this site, please send me an email, or fire one off to "feedback@moviemusic.com" with your request. It should be fairly simple to add your reviews, comments, thoughts, etc. to the database. If it's not, let me know where the problems are and we'll work 'em out. At last count (and not counting the few "I LOVE THIS SOUNDTRACK! IT'S THE DOPEST!!!" comments), there are well over 1,000 high quality reviews here. Plenty o'readin if you find yourself bored, that's for sure. Lancelot, your suggestion for a daily something-or-other on the homepage is a good thought, but unless it's somehow more unique than what FSM is doing, it's hard for me to find time to want to do something already done somewhere else. Got more specific ideas? With most of the stuff here, the plans are to offer things not really found anywhere else. And speaking of, there are a few cool little things coming soon for you to waste even more of your time... very addictive little boogers. All this begs the question... do you find most movie soundtrack websites to be too much the same?
posted 10-12-2001 02:05 AM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	And Castor, no, I can't see your email address.... send me an email!
posted 10-12-2001 02:07 AM PT (US)

Lancelot Goldmember	Well, I have lots of thoughts about starting a column, or series of columns about film, film scores....nothing that could be seen to be as totally different from what FSM is doing, except that it'll be...different....(in a presently undescribable way...) I'd like to see (better) interviews, but not sure what kind of clout writing for a webpage brings when it's bending the ear of an industry individual. And on another different note: What about that movie music cartoon.... How difficult is it to start up your own cartoon, here...?
posted 10-12-2001 07:52 AM PT (US)

jonathan_little Goldmember	quote: Originally posted by Lancelot: And on another different note: What about that movie music cartoon.... How difficult is it to start up your own cartoon, here...? http://www.moviemusic.com/comic/ Whistles innocently
posted 10-12-2001 08:42 AM PT (US)

Lancelot Goldmember	uh...yeah, I know it's there. i'm talking about starting one. whistles patiently
posted 10-12-2001 09:07 AM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	I'd like to hear more when things are a little less "undescribable"; perhaps we'll break some ground. As for Composed and Conducted ("that comic"), there are no openings. Al hasn't pinkslipped himself.
posted 10-12-2001 11:01 AM PT (US)

Joey168943 Goldmember	I would like to apply for the position of MovieMusic Pot Smoker/Reviewer. * I have at least two years experience smoking pot/reviewing soundtracks/watching movies. * I am a hard worker. I will not start writing until I am properly stoned (I promise not to cut corners on that front). * I would love my job. I am available immediately and believe that my experience would add immediate extra value to MovieMusic.com. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss my experience. Sincerely, Joey
posted 10-12-2001 03:15 PM PT (US)

jonathan_little Goldmember	quote: Originally posted by Lancelot: *uh...yeah, I know* it's there. i'm talking about starting one. whistles patiently** http://www.geocities.com Free webspace, 15mb storage, 3gb transfer a month.
posted 10-12-2001 08:07 PM PT (US)

Lancelot Goldmember	on this board...an original comic...what words am i not using to convey this idea...?
posted 10-12-2001 08:44 PM PT (US)

Nicolai P. Zwar Goldmember	After having done a cursory review search, I think I might be better if one could always see who actually wrote them. That doesn't mean that one needs to see the reviewer's name, but that one needs to be able to see which reviews were written by the same person. The anonymously uploaded reviews vary greatly in quality, and it's more difficult to decide what to make of a certain review if one doesn't have the slightest clue who might have written it and what he might have written about other scores. I believe the average quality of the reviews would go up. [Message edited by Nicolai P. Zwar on 10-13-2001]
posted 10-13-2001 02:44 AM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	Interesting suggestion, Zwar. Like "soundtrack fan #1," "soundtrack fan #2," etc... One concern: most anonymous contributors post comments only once and never again. Interesting suggestion, though, which leaves me with a question: Does the name of a reviewer influence how you read a review? I've found most reviews to be anthropological in nature, which obscures the "importance" of who's doing the writing.
posted 10-13-2001 02:12 PM PT (US)

Lancelot Goldmember	Anthopological? What are you saying? A New York review vs. a Chicago review vs. a L.A. review...?
posted 10-13-2001 02:44 PM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	AnthRopological, as in "scientific," as in "In track one of The Music Man, the seventy six trombones blast away for 1 minute and 23 seconds. Next, a string section swells in, performing the theme in the spotlight. Afterwards, Robert Preston belts out a short, overture-rendition of 'Ya Got Trouble' with great enthusiasm..." As in... anyone could have written this, and no reviewer's name would have mattered. Ok, back to the question.... [Message edited by PeterK on 10-13-2001]
posted 10-13-2001 03:31 PM PT (US)

Nicolai P. Zwar Goldmember	Personally, I think it's a great help to know who wrote a particular review. Because once you get to know a reviewer's personal preferences, the reviews become much more meaningful. For example, if a reviewer didn't like a score by, say, Goldenthal, that's one thing. But if I would see that he previously praised all other scores by this composer, it would put a different perspective on things. In my opinion, a review should be an informed opinion that puts a release into perspective and aids me perhaps in my buying decisions to try out something I normally wouldn't buy or prevent me from buying something I normally would. I think it is a great asset of this board that one can read the reviews of many different people, fans young and old, starting soundtrack afficionados and seasoned collectors. But the reviews -- all reviews -- would get more weight if one could tie them to a reviewer's "profile". A good review always contains a lot of opinion as well, and good reviews have personality, just like a good book; it's not a technical manual. So for the same reasons it's important for me to know the name of the author of a novel I'd like to know the name of a reviewer (as I said, "name" meaning that one knows who wrote which review if the reviewer -- for whatever reason -- insists on using a different screen name for his reviews than he uses here).
posted 10-16-2001 01:44 PM PT (US)

Lancelot Goldmember	Accepting a personal review is fine...but as we've noted in the past, identity is cheap around here. Sure, some one could offer an opinion...but they could be a lunatic, too. One of the best Oscar run-downs I ever read was William Goldman's in Premiere magazine a few years back. I didn't always agree with him, but I enjoyed it, because--ta-daah--it's William Goldman. Likewise with Kevin Smith's breakdown of the Sundance film festival, (also in Premiere). Ok, so we don't have William Goldman or Kevin Smith floating around the MM forums...but still, it's good to consider the source. "Cold" reviews (or "anthropological" reviews) don't carry a lot of weight. As I said in chat the past evening, I don't care for the star-rating system, or the "thumbs-up/thumbs-down" approach. Likewise, rating by 1-through-10. This doesn't mean, necessarily, that if I haven't mentioned or written anything about a score, it must be bad. I don't have limitless resources...I have to pick and choose at the check-out counter, like any other average consumer. Once in a while, sure I catch a lucky break--I get a promo, I win a contest....I'd like to recieve special stuff, sure, but I don't own my own webpage. So, if something's worth writing about, it's worth saying something good. Even the "bad" stuff has some value, now and again. And it's probably worth noting that some stuff is not going to appeal to everyone, but I'm writing for the individual that it does appeal to. [Message edited by Lancelot on 10-16-2001]
posted 10-16-2001 02:08 PM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	More props for the reviews submitted in the last month: Swashbuckler's Godfather Trilogy, as well as an in-depth review of The Duellists / The Riddle in the Sands. John Zimmer has been putting in good time writing up on a bundle of favorites. Speaking of favorites, Goldsmith_Fan_33 is at it again with unquestionable writing talent and reasoning (insert wink here), after a 4 or 5 month withdrawal. cine-sin (The Piano), jonathan_little (100 Rifles, "The Mole"), wistiti (Soul Survivors), scoreguy16 (True Lies, Daylight), JoeInSanDiego (From Hell), Lancelot (Wyatt Earp, Green Card, Far Off Place), Ken S -- thank you all for such great reading. To keep up with all the newest reviews posted, bookmark or visit this link: http://www.moviemusic.com/search/reviews.asp
posted 11-10-2001 07:51 PM PT (US)

Shaun Rutherford Goldmember	Here's one.....when did you start databasing the FSM discs? Are you going to carry them? Shaun
posted 11-10-2001 10:01 PM PT (US)

jonathan_little Goldmember	Goldsmith_Fan_33!!!
posted 11-10-2001 10:44 PM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	All of the "soundtrack fan" monikers have been replaced with the reviewer's pre@ ID from their email address. This at least puts more of a name on these things, even though we're unable to view a more detailed profile on them (these people choose not to write up a profile), or link up all of their comments on one page. The benefit of not becoming a member, I s'pose! And Shaun, not yet. But eventually.
posted 08-25-2002 11:55 PM PT (US)

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