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"House of Sand and Fog"

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Author	Topic: "House of Sand and Fog"

Crono/Kyp Standard Userer	Anyone? Anyone? --Bri
posted 12-09-2003 11:30 PM PT (US)

Kris Standard Userer	No ... i.e. not yet.
posted 12-10-2003 01:56 AM PT (US)

Hornerfan Standard Userer	Here's a new one: Try going out on a limb and buying the score yourself instead of always asking for everyone else's opinion! You know...broaden your horizons a little. Mike
posted 12-10-2003 08:10 AM PT (US)

Dalboz Standard Userer	... says the guy who's nick is "HornerFan"
posted 12-10-2003 09:36 AM PT (US)

Crono/Kyp Standard Userer	Hornerfan, I would, except I have no job because I'm a full time student therefore I'm kind of tight on cash and can't go out any buy every new CD I want. You do remember those days don't you? And I don't see the harm in asking either. It's not like I ask about EVERY CD that comes out. The last one I asked about was "Gothica." So take a chill pill and sit down. --Brian NP: Beyond Borders [Message edited by Crono/Kyp on 12-10-2003]
posted 12-10-2003 09:47 AM PT (US)

Al Standard Userer	I've read on the Filmtracks forum that it's a soft, minimalist score but with some very lovely piano writing. I was wondering about it myself, as I thought the restraint in The Missing was a step in the right direction for Horner, but I wasn't going to shell out the cash just to satisfy my curiousity. NP: Morricone's "The Island"
posted 12-10-2003 11:02 AM PT (US)

Hornerfan Standard Userer	Hey. I haven't even bought this CD yet. But, I do remember the days as a college student, and still had the money for every CD I wanted. I just limited the CDs I wanted to a manageable number and looked for the best deals, and saved the rest as gift ideas. I would always go almost every November and December in college without buying a CD, and ask for them as Christmas presents. If I got them, great, if not, I just bought them later. I didn't want every CD release by every major composer I liked then right away, and I still don't to this day. I was in the same financial situation, but didn't post asking for opinions of major CD releases as often as you have, that's all. Not meant to be an attack or anything. And Joe, what exactly in my post was an attack? And the use of quotes around "people" is not pathetic in its own right, and then assuming the only joy I get is from attacking other people? I'm sorry, but three words: Pot. Kettle. Black. Mike
posted 12-10-2003 12:53 PM PT (US)

BMikeJ Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Hornerfan: Hey. I haven't even bought this CD yet. But, I do remember the days as a college student, and still had the money for every CD I wanted. I just limited the CDs I wanted to a manageable number and looked for the best deals, and saved the rest as gift ideas. Mike Guess what, Mike... Not everybody is you. Until you've walked in Brian's shoes or anybody else's, you should stow that crap. Brian asked a legitimate question and one that may help spur a little discussion. If you don't want to answer the question, eat some fudge.
posted 12-10-2003 01:21 PM PT (US)

Bond1965 Standard Userer	Okay...someone who's heard it...ME! To be honest...it's a VERY quiet score. Very subdued. I need to spend more time with it to give you a better opinion. I was expecting some really powerful stuff toward the end due to Varese's "hype" but if it came, I missed it. It all sounded of a more quiet color without any real dramatic outburst. Hope that helps a little. Sorry I don't have a better "review" for you. James P.S. I did notice "Hornerisms" that sounded like some of his piano writing from "A Beautiful Mind/Bicentennial Man"
posted 12-10-2003 02:48 PM PT (US)

porter Non-Standard Userer	it sounds like a very lovely score from what i've heard of the samples on filmtracks. been trying to find samples of every track at various retailers but haven't been able to yet. here's a review from All Music Guide: One of James Horner's most hushed works, House of Sand and Fog is an aptly brooding, implosive musical counterpart to Vadim Perleman's adaptation of Andre Dubus III's heartbreaking, and bestselling, novel. Horner captures the aspirations of the Behranis, a family of Irani immigrants, in the score's opening tracks. Pieces such as "An Older Life" and "Waves of the Caspian Sea" are quietly hopeful, string-driven compositions that feel like they're going to blossom into the kind of lush, sentimental pieces for which Horner is renowned -- but they never do. Likewise, "'This Is No Longer Your House'" and "Kathy's Night" reflect the seeping frustration of Kathy Nicolo, an alcoholic young woman forced to give up her family's house, which the Behranis buy soon after. The musical themes of Nicolo and the Behranis come together, in a subdued manner on "Parallel Lives, Parallel Loves" and more urgently on "The Shooting, a Payment for Our Sins." But even the score's most dramatic moments are understated, providing more of a backdrop for the film's events than a commentary on them. Regret and nostalgia dominate House of Sand and Fog, particularly on "Behrani's Thoughts - Long Ago," "The Dreams of Kings," and "'We Have Traveled So Far, It Is Time to Return to Our Path'." These aren't the easiest emotions to depict in music, but Horner does an admirable job of turning these subtle emotions into a compelling score. Heather Phares
posted 12-10-2003 07:55 PM PT (US)

Crono/Kyp Standard Userer	Those samples on Filmtrack's site...I keep gettin' an error. Anyone else have this? --Bri
posted 12-10-2003 08:03 PM PT (US)

Ace Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Crono/Kyp: Those samples on Filmtrack's site...I keep gettin' an error. Anyone else have this? --Bri Hey Brian, I'm getting that too. I wonder why? Anyway, it's not just you Kyle
posted 12-10-2003 09:20 PM PT (US)

rkeaveney Standard Userer	Filmtracks has installed a script that limits access to their soundclips in order to corral bandwidth bandits. Ryan
posted 12-10-2003 09:44 PM PT (US)

Imas Non-Standard Userer	It's boring, boring, boring. 70 Minutes of very slow music, utilizing the old 'Gayaneh'/'Braveheart' static strings, a sub-theme from 'A Beautiful Mind'(rather nice in 'The Waves of the Caspian Sea')and meager piano solos, which seemingly go on forever. The main problem is the lack of a proper theme or an interesting musical idea to warrant even a halfway decent 30-Minute-CD, but if you really need to prove you that one CAN have every James-Horner-Score, by no means, grab it. This one's so nondescript, i smell an award-nomination(if the film is good).
posted 12-11-2003 01:33 AM PT (US)

enigmaron Standard Userer	Crono! Here's the skinny according to Intrada: HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG James Horner � $16.99 Label: Varese Sarabande 302 066 532 2 (69:46) Original soundtrack from Vadim Perelman drama starring Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley. James Horner creates sensitive score for orchestra without brass. If there's an opposite to "mickey mouse" scoring, this may be it. Horner melds gentle two-part writing for woodwinds with long lines for strings. Harmonic vocabulary mixes equal parts minor, major. Sometimes somber, sometimes sweet, always subdued. Typical for composer, long cues allow cohesive structure. James Horner conducts. http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.ACCT67745/sc.2/category.5/it.A/id.2887/.f Draw your own conclusion from this possibly? [Message edited by enigmaron on 12-12-2003]
posted 12-12-2003 02:26 AM PT (US)

Imas Non-Standard Userer	Now, if not even Doug Fake sees fit to praise the score in hyperbole fashion(� la Enemy at the Gates), there certainly isn't much to it.
posted 12-12-2003 05:51 AM PT (US)

Crono/Kyp Standard Userer	Thanks for the input everyone --Bri Guy NP: The Last Samurai
posted 12-12-2003 09:39 AM PT (US)

porter Non-Standard Userer	Barnes and Noble's website has 30-second clips from all the tracks.. it's only from the beginning of them though so you don't really get to hear much. the clips on Filmtracks sounded so much better, when you could actually hear some of the themes and such.
posted 12-14-2003 11:09 AM PT (US)

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