Yesterday a classmate hopped online and asked me if I wanted to accompany her to the premiere of The Time Machine, so of course I said yes! And I'm glad I did. While it's far from being a great movie, it does rank as a fun popcorn flick with some pretty intense action sequences and as expected, dazzling special effects. While the portrayal of the Morlocks remains questionable (in their non-cg form), Jeremy Irons' performance as the Uber-Morlock is awesome. Brief, but awesome. I'll probably be seeing it again this weekend w/ the rest of my family... and I definitely look forward to another round.

As for Klaus Badelt's score? Very good, as I predicted (and hoped)... certainly an above average effort from a guy who's just now beginning to get big business. I'm glad he chose to actually employ a large orchestra... it did the score a tremendous service. The main theme is bold and heroic yet determined and desperate... great and very memorable - I was whistling it as I left the theatre. Of note: all of the music that accompanies the actual time travel sequences is terrific and the choral stuff for the Eloi is pretty darn nifty. Great stuff, Klaus! Here's hoping Varese puts out an album that'll do the score justice.

Jeron

Did you stay through the credits? Any mention of the other composers who helped out on the score?

quote:

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Originally posted by dgoldwas:
Did you stay through the credits? Any mention of the other composers who helped out on the score?

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Ramin is Klaus' assistant, FYI.

I say again, what's with all of the freaky names at Media Ventures. Where are they digging these people up?

quote:

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Originally posted by Shaun Rutherford:
I say again, what's with all of the freaky names at Media Ventures. Where are they digging these people up?
Shaun

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Ever heard of human cloning? They're not digging, they're just manufacturing them.

http://www.varesesarabande.com/details.asp?pid=302%2D066%2D337%2D2

Guys, the three weeks will pass very slow !
I can´t wait to hear this score !

Philipp

NP: THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 ( SHIRE )

Philipp

quote:

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Originally posted by Shaun Rutherford:
My sentiments exactly, Hasta.

I say again, what's with all of the freaky names at Media Ventures. Where are they digging these people up?

Shaun

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A few facts to get straightened out, for those of you who don't know:

Klaus was never Hans' assistant. I know this because I know him personally. While it's amusing to watch some of you folks bash each and every composer who comes through the halls of Media Ventures, I suppose it's pointless to drudge up the following... but perhaps you may learn something.

Hollywood has a tradition of exploiting talent and not giving credit where due. This is the case in the VAST majority of film composers in that it is hard to throw a stick in Los Angeles without hitting someone who was a "ghost writer" for "<insert nearly any composer>" Sometimes they get orchestration credits, usually they get none, but in the case of Media Ventures, they routinely get "additional arranging" or "additional music" credits. So whine all you want about "OH MY GOD HANS USED ANOTHER WRITER TO HELP" but Hans should be applauded for actually crediting the writers who help him. Hans is very much an advocate of giving credit where due; he fights to secure credits for his help, and many other composers simply do not do so for whatever reason. Does this mean that every composer uses three or four ghost writers? No, of course not, but some do. Many do.

Regardless, Klaus was not an assistant at Media Ventures ever. He is also allowed to "move up" in Hollywood, the same way folks move up through orchestration, copy work, etc. He wrote a damn good score.

Bottom line, the score for Time Machine is the best thing going for it...

And since you asked the origins of all the weird names, here's what I know:

Jim Dooley -- this one WAS Hans' assistant up until a few months ago
Ramin Djawadi -- Klaus' current assistant
Geoff Zanelli -- John Powell's assistant, circa 1996-1999, MV composer since then
Tim Jones -- I think did some "arranging" for Bill Frisell, not positive...

[Message edited by Kosta on 03-07-2002]

[Message edited by Kosta on 03-07-2002]

Oh, and for the record, I'm not the same "Kosta" you may know from MV. Kosta's just an internet name

quote:

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Originally posted by Kosta:

Hollywood has a tradition of exploiting talent and not giving credit where due. This is the case in the VAST majority of film composers in that it is hard to throw a stick in Los Angeles without hitting someone who was a "ghost writer" for "<insert nearly any composer>" Sometimes they get orchestration credits, usually they get none, but in the case of Media Ventures, they routinely get "additional arranging" or "additional music" credits. So whine all you want about "OH MY GOD HANS USED ANOTHER WRITER TO HELP" but Hans should be applauded for actually crediting the writers who help him. Hans is very much an advocate of giving credit where due; he fights to secure credits for his help, and many other composers simply do not do so for whatever reason. Does this mean that every composer uses three or four ghost writers? No, of course not, but some do. Many do.

Regardless, Klaus was not an assistant at Media Ventures ever. He is also allowed to "move up" in Hollywood, the same way folks move up through orchestration, copy work, etc. He wrote a damn good score.

Bottom line, the score for Time Machine is the best thing going for it...

And since you asked the origins of all the weird names, here's what I know:

Jim Dooley -- this one WAS Hans' assistant up until a few months ago
Ramin Djawadi -- Klaus' current assistant
Geoff Zanelli -- John Powell's assistant, circa 1996-1999, MV composer since then
Tim Jones -- I think did some "arranging" for Bill Frisell, not positive...

[[/B]

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Kosta,

I totally agree with you regarding Hans Zimmer's use of orchestrators/composers/etc.

I think the fact that he worked with two other gifted composers (Stanley Myers and Richard Harvey) who were kind enough to show him the ropes and give him a co-composing credit has made him pass on this trait.

I think most people's frustration is that it seems Hans does less & less of his own work and they are never sure which pieces are his and which ones aren not. This tends to be the case more & more with the Media Ventures group. It's film composing by comittee.

This is not a new trend at all. I always think back to Quincy Jones and his orchestrators/co-composers' work on "The Color Purple." We had 12 composers who were up for Best Score for that film and ironically the theme was a rip off of "Our Mother's House" by Georges Delerue.

Maybe it is better to do one or two films a year and do the whole job (like Ennio Morricone or Howard Shore) than a bunch and have to have a bunch of people help.

On the other hand, knowing how Hollywood that isn't going to happen often as they always want these 120 minute scores in 2 weeks or less. It's a wonder these guys don't die of exhausion after assignments.

quote:

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Originally posted by Kosta:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=1 face=arial>quote:</font><HR size=1>Originally posted by Shaun Rutherford:
[b]My sentiments exactly, Hasta.

I say again, what's with all of the freaky names at Media Ventures. Where are they digging these people up?

Shaun<HR size=1></BLOCKQUOTE>

A few facts to get straightened out, for those of you who don't know:

Klaus was never Hans' assistant. I know this because I know him personally. While it's amusing to watch some of you folks bash each and every composer who comes through the halls of Media Ventures, I suppose it's pointless to drudge up the following... but perhaps you may learn something.

Hollywood has a tradition of exploiting talent and not giving credit where due. This is the case in the VAST majority of film composers in that it is hard to throw a stick in Los Angeles without hitting someone who was a "ghost writer" for "<insert nearly any composer>" Sometimes they get orchestration credits, usually they get none, but in the case of Media Ventures, they routinely get "additional arranging" or "additional music" credits. So whine all you want about "OH MY GOD HANS USED ANOTHER WRITER TO HELP" but Hans should be applauded for actually crediting the writers who help him. Hans is very much an advocate of giving credit where due; he fights to secure credits for his help, and many other composers simply do not do so for whatever reason. Does this mean that every composer uses three or four ghost writers? No, of course not, but some do. Many do.

Regardless, Klaus was not an assistant at Media Ventures ever. He is also allowed to "move up" in Hollywood, the same way folks move up through orchestration, copy work, etc. He wrote a damn good score.

Bottom line, the score for Time Machine is the best thing going for it...

And since you asked the origins of all the weird names, here's what I know:

Jim Dooley -- this one WAS Hans' assistant up until a few months ago
Ramin Djawadi -- Klaus' current assistant
Geoff Zanelli -- John Powell's assistant, circa 1996-1999, MV composer since then
Tim Jones -- I think did some "arranging" for Bill Frisell, not positive...

[Message edited by Kosta on 03-07-2002]

[Message edited by Kosta on 03-07-2002]

[Message edited by Kosta on 03-07-2002][/B]

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My problem with Media Ventures was summed up beautifully by Bond, when he wrote:

"I think most people's frustration is that it seems Hans does less & less of his own work and they are never sure which pieces are his and which ones aren not. This tends to be the case more & more with the Media Ventures group. It's film composing by comittee."

I will also continue to make fun of the names of Media Ventures composers, so long as they all keep being names like Ramin Djawadi, Klaus Badelt, Romeo, Dooley, and Jablonsky. I believe I'm entitled to that much, as us "elders" (!) have to put up with most of you guys collectively sucking the wangs of Media Ventures, Inc. on a daily basis.

Shaun

quote:

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Originally posted by Shaun Rutherford:
Jeron. Kosta. Get a room.

...

I will also continue to make fun of the names of Media Ventures composers, so long as they all keep being names like Ramin Djawadi, Klaus Badelt, Romeo, Dooley, and Jablonsky. I believe I'm entitled to that much, as us "elders" (!) have to put up with most of you guys collectively sucking the wangs of Media Ventures, Inc. on a daily basis.

Shaun

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You can't possibly maintain any legitimacy with comments like that... is that really called for? Am I trolling like you when I come here and give useful information? Isn't this the place to discuss film music with people who are open-minded?

quote:

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Originally posted by Shaun Rutherford:
I will also continue to make fun of the names of Media Ventures composers, so long as they all keep being names like Ramin Djawadi, Klaus Badelt, Romeo, Dooley, and Jablonsky. I believe I'm entitled to that much, as us "elders" (!) have to put up with most of you guys collectively sucking the wangs of Media Ventures, Inc. on a daily basis.

Shaun

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I agree wholeheartedly with what Shaun and Bond wrote; MV is getting ridiculous, and personally I wish it'd just die all together.

The "scoring by comittee" thing is too true, and I'm getting fed up with it. I enjoy the works of Zimmer, Gregson-Williams, Rabin -- even Glennie-freakin-Smith, but for the love of christ, COMPOSE THE SCORE BY YOURSELF.

I've argued this with people over on FSM (like the moron named Bondo), who defend it with "who cares?". These people just don't get the point, I guess; is something wrong with me because I want to hear a score composed by one individual?

It's like watching a movie directed partly by Spielberg, partly by Scott, and partly by Jackson; you wouldn't like it and neither would I (at least I don't think you would )

Granted, Zimmer's been doing it for many a year, but personally I'd rather just be ignorant about the whole thing; if other people composed the music, who cares... Just put Zimmer's name on it so I'm fooled at the least.

"Give credit where credit is due" is legitimate, I suppose, but the bottom line is these composers need to start working alone and not together.

But then again, "who cares?".

quote:

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Originally posted by Hasta:
It's like watching a movie directed partly by Spielberg, partly by Scott, and partly by Jackson; you wouldn't like it and neither would I (at least I don't think you would )

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It's like watching A.I.

Come on, you can't tell me that you haven't thought to yourself, "Jeez, is Hans hiring these guys because nobody else can pronounce their names?"

quote:

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Originally posted by HadrianD:Let's chalk this one up to the HZ defender now.

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Did someone call my name?? Ha Ha it is I the Zimmer defender!! Defender of...uh, Zimmer!

**Justin strides into the room but trips over his own feet and falls to the floor in a miserable heap**

....sigh.....

quote:

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Originally posted by Shaun Rutherford:
I really hate sounding like Ford here, but it's easy to slam people when you hide behind a fake name. At least I post my inane comments using what I'm told is my real name.

Come on, you can't tell me that you haven't thought to yourself, "Jeez, is Hans hiring these guys because nobody else can pronounce their names?"

Shaun

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I saw it tonight. It wasn't good. I enjoyed it, but it was for all the wrong reasons. There was MST3K commentary running through my head the entire time. The script was formulaic and predictable, and I'm not just saying that because I've read the novel: this film has little connection to it. Special effects were too inconsistent and, in most cases, disappointing. Too many things made no sense. I (and indeed the entire audience) laughed uproariously during an important scene that was supposed to be melancholy.

Am I being too critical? No; like I said, the film still succeeded in that I enjoyed the time there. It was like a bad Charles Band film injected with $200,000,000 and edited for mass consumption.

All in all, I'd say it's worth seeing for matinee price or lower if you enjoy frolicking in nonsense like I sometimes do. If you can't enjoy bad movies in that way, I suggest you avoid it.

While I thought the Adiemus-like vocals for the Eloi were a bit overdone, in general I thought the score was terrific. The first two time travel sequences were truly outstanding, and the action music in the later portions of the film was entertaining and exciting. The album should be real winner! "Bullseye!" as they say at Intrada.

quote:

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Originally posted by Shaun Rutherford:
Isn't it funny that 99.7% of Zimmer's defenders don't know how to speak English, though most of them claim to be from the United States?

Shaun

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First off, Kosta, welcome to MM.com, my IM window is always open to anyone if you feel the need to chat about anything and everything. (I like the name BTW hehe )

Shaun, lay off the MV bashing. We all know you hate Zimmer and his "crew" and you don't need to press your felling onto other people, it gets annoying.

JZ: Keep playing that "Potter" CD!

I can't wait to see and hear the score. And that's final.

--Bri

And on another note about the film, a review I listened to on the radio this morning has caused me to re-examine my reaction. At its heart, this Time Machine is really a throwback to corny adventure movies of the 60's and 70's... the type of thing Doug McClure would have done. The movie really works from that perspective. So if you're in the mood for that kind of thing, go see it.

Fascinating. I think I liked the movie more than I originally gave it credit for.