Before he jumps in, let me explain said instructiveness: It is reasonable, is it not, to assume that most folks come here to celebrate really good movie music. It is probably even more reasonable to assume most folks truly want to celebrate the latest score. I mean it's just more fun to share something that has affected you deeply and there is no greater affection than mutual affection. Makes sharing that much more satisfying.

Sometimes a score is just not that much worth celebrating. Maybe too many times, these days. So when that really good and all too infrequent one does come along, it's hail! hail! let's-pop-the-cork time.

Thing of it is, such celebrations are cheapened when the urge to elevate that which honestly is nothing more than average or functional at best takes over. And sometimes you have to question the motives behind such posturing. And I'm talking posturing, not misguided, not uninformed, not ill-conceived, not inexperienced, not cavalier whoop-de-doing.

When someone who has a professional or any other kind of stake, per se, in a composer's work and has to resort to iconoclastic {go ahead and look that one up! } insinuations, that kind has unwittingly confessed that the music cannot stand on its own merits. And for that matter, the composer. You've seen it; you know, the Salieri factor i.e. can't measure up so tear the other guy down.

I am not familiar with the work of Brian Tyler but IMHO Mr. Tyler is ill-served by the kind of 'backing' his latest score is getting from some of its proponents, so-called, within this thread. And I also don't think Mr. Tyler honestly needs nor would want this kind of specious praise.

The objection has been raised to bringing up the score and its composer that have supposedly been rejected. Such objection is again, suspicious. All scores be they final or 'rejected'--for want of a better term--are fair game in a forum wherein respondents take their movie music a little bit more seriously than the average moviegoer. And I don't care if it's T. Newman not John Barry or Isham not Bernstein or Tyler not Goldsmith.

Hey, the music's the thing. Let it stay that way.

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Say there is a mediocre film out there (take your pick). Batman (name your favorite composer) is assigned to scre the film...does so...sees his score tossed out the window, only to be replaced on the project by, say, Robin (place name of new composer here). Well, Robin REALLY likes Batman's work, but Chief Gordon doesn't. Gordon, you see, is getting criticized for releasing a mediocre movie. So Gordon replaces Batman with Robin. Robin produces his score.

Now...say Robin's score is decent. It serves the film well, making Chief Gordon happy and quieting the critics to Gordon's satisfaction. (At this point, it must be said that Batman has moved on with his life and doesn't care about Gordon or the critics...he's doing something else PROFOUNDLY more important!)

Robin is thrust into the spotlight and the good citizens of Gotham, still enamored with Batman, denounce Robin's effort as trivial. However, Robin DOES have his supporters. After all, even an apprentice super hero needs to fly out on his own. Nightwing MUST be born....

So, Robin has created a good score. Perhaps not great, definitely not bad, but it is an honest work, filled with passion and born of sweat, tears and not a little fear at replacing Batman on the project!

The detractors attack it however, decrying it as a piece of fluff, talentless and, GASP, trite!

Well, Robin's supporters aren't about to put up with this VICIOUS ATTACK!!! THey defend their fledgling hero's work, attempting to balance the hateful vitriol of his attackers with a beatific, orgasmic afterglow of near-perfection!

So....what started out as a strong, honest and solid score has once again been polarized (as it almost always seesm to be) into either a piece of trash, or God's gift to film music. It is this polarization, not only of ideas, but of positions, that gets not only the film music world, but the world in general, into so much trouble. The polar opposites attempt to create a mythical balance, but only ends up creating polar opposites...and what was once a solid score by Robin, has become a meager replacement of Batman's music...

Such a pity Batman doesn't give a crap any more one way or the other...nor does Chief Gordon (who too has moved on), nor, at this point, does Robin, who also has other projects he must focus his energies on. The only ones who REALLY care to continue the war are the ones who faced off in the first place and created the extremes.

Then again, without those extremes, would we even need a Batman or Robin to protect us?

Yep. You've illustrated the point about vested interests and how they wreak havoc on the spirit of honest give-and-take. And passion should never be confused with honesty or its lack thereof. But we must not forget Gordon's role in all this. Gordon has a tendency to see everything in $$ only. Gordon has a tendency to know nothing about music. We acknowledge Gordon's 'right' to see $$ as his $$ and/or name (read: ego) are backing the project. We just don't care. As for his knowing nothing about music...we do care since our band of moviemusicers most often ends up poorer for it.

Too often and more so than ?I recall from many years past, do members argue and fight and bicker.

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Originally posted by VaultComplex:
And I thought this board had more intelligence than Filmtracks. Now I'm not so sure.

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