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Will John Debney save Christmas?

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Author	Topic: Will John Debney save Christmas?

PeterK FishChip	Debney is all over the map again as we head out the year. Dreamer Duma Chicken Little Zathura Cheaper By The Dozen 2 Can we viably ask if Debney will write his most acclaimed score with so much output in such a short time? Apparently, Zathura sounds like Cutthroat Island in space, which is a good thing. I've not heard it. If it's anything related to Horner's Jumanji orchestral wall of themeless sound, I won't be impressed. We want big huge themes. Dreamer has some nice music with a quaint theme, but I'm ready for some big thematically driven stuff again. Anyone else?
posted 10-24-2005 10:57 PM PT (US)

joan hue Standard Userer	.."big thematically driven stuff." Yep, I vote for that too. His website did have a few clips, and his Zathura did sound similar to Cutthroat Island, which is fine with me. I like his music. Sometimes he scores some movie clunkers, and we then miss some good music, I think. Christmas With the Kranks was a wretched movie with Debney's solid music. [Message edited by joan hue on 10-24-2005]
posted 10-24-2005 11:26 PM PT (US)

zimmerito Standard Userer	dreamer is a beautiful score. John debney's version of goldsmith's rudy. A nice theme with some energetic action tracks. debney will save xmas! np:dreamer
posted 10-25-2005 12:34 AM PT (US)

Kris Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by PeterK: [B]Apparently, Zathura sounds like Cutthroat Island in space, which is a good thing. I've not heard it.[B] Check www.johndebney.com for soundclips.
posted 10-25-2005 09:27 AM PT (US)

Dinko Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by PeterK: Debney is all over the map again as we head out the year. Which is a very good thing. Debney is one of those composers who can write a masterpiece. More than that, he is a chameleon. One score can sound completely different from the next. And he's one of the last symphonists in Hollywood... along with William Ross, Mark McKenzie and a few others. By symphonists, I don't mean someone who bangs notes on a synth then has the themes performed by an orchestra (the performance then later sonically modified to make it sound like a synth. ) quote: Can we viably ask if Debney will write his most acclaimed score with so much output in such a short time? Some of these composers work best under pressure. quote: Apparently, Zathura sounds like Cutthroat Island in space, which is a good thing. I've not heard it. If it's anything related to Horner's Jumanji orchestral wall of themeless sound, I won't be impressed. We want big huge themes. From the clips on Debney's site, the theme sounds closer to Seaquest DSV or Galaxy Quest. Not exactly Cutthroat Island, but admittedly the clips are pretty short.
posted 10-25-2005 09:49 AM PT (US)

James Standard Userer	While these scores all sound rather nice and pleasant, I can't shake the feeling that Debney is just going through the motions. There are clips from The Dreamer and Zathura that have all the orchestral trappings of inspired work, yet it almost seems like Debney is simply following templates or stencils. They may be stencils he designed himself in previous scores, but they are stencils nonetheless. The theme from Zathura sort of sounds like Cutthroat Island in spirit, but somehow sounds as if little thought was put into it. It's like he just used the first vaguely heroic thing that popped into his head without putting in any effort to make something really distinct, the sort of themes that run rampant throughout Cutthroat Island. Perhaps Debney is spreading himself a little too thin. But I'm the weirdo who loves Dragonfly and thinks it's Debney's best work to date since Cutthroat, so I don't expect my opinion to be a common one. Kirk
posted 10-25-2005 03:10 PM PT (US)

zimmerito Standard Userer	I really love Dreamer score.I'm listening again and again the key tracks(too much bland score for my taste,but amazing tracks and themes in this score). Cuthroad island,Scorpion king,Passion of christ dragonfly and even seaquest score makes JOhn debney one of my favourite composers working today.And time ago I thought this guy was very conventional and rather mediocre.But like always(ehehe) my mind has changed. the clips from zathura are not amazing,the main theme is decent.But i have to listen the full score,and i'm sure i will like this score too! NP:the last race(Debeny playing to be goldsmith in rudy)
posted 10-25-2005 03:14 PM PT (US)

Kris Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by James: While these scores all sound rather nice and pleasant, I can't shake the feeling that Debney is just going through the motions. There are clips from The Dreamer and Zathura that have all the orchestral trappings of inspired work, yet it almost seems like Debney is simply following templates or stencils. I felt the same way about what I heard from The Dreamer and Zathura. I was just expecting more. The themes didn't really feel new and inspiring. But as you've mentioned, they're only short clips. Finally someone else that thought Dragonfly was a great score. [Message edited by Kris on 10-26-2005]
posted 10-26-2005 01:01 AM PT (US)

PeterD Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by zimmerito: dreamer is a beautiful score. John debney's version of goldsmith's rudy. A nice theme with some energetic action tracks. debney will save xmas! np:dreamer Zimmerito, could you tell me if any of the tracks are TOTALLY energetic action music? If so, I might pick this one up.
posted 10-26-2005 08:14 PM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	Wow, that first score track on Chicken Little is one of the bigger symphonic tracks I've ever heard from Debney. "The Sky is Falling," that poor chicken. It's apocalyptic!
posted 10-26-2005 09:25 PM PT (US)

zimmerito Standard Userer	No,its more nice theme with bland underscore. but contains some 4 or 5 action tracks really worth to listen.But not its an action score.
posted 10-27-2005 05:48 AM PT (US)

PeterD Standard Userer	Thanks, Zimmerito. But what I meant was, those 4 or 5 action tracks -- are they all energetic action music, or are even those tracks a mixture of action music and bland music?
posted 10-27-2005 07:46 AM PT (US)

zimmerito Standard Userer	A mixture.even the track last race (lenght 6 minuts) contains a little part of bland music in the beginning and in the end of the track. Sorry.
posted 10-27-2005 08:34 AM PT (US)

PeterD Standard Userer	Thanks Zimmerito; I appreciate the information, even if it wasn't what I was hoping for.
posted 10-27-2005 08:10 PM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	Some Debney/Chicken Little press quotes and photo link from the premier: http://www.soundtrackinfo.com/ost.asp?soundtrack=5322 Who's gonna see Chicken Little this weekend? Sounds like a lot of fun...
posted 11-04-2005 10:49 AM PT (US)

Bond1965 Standard Userer	I'm skipping CHICKEN LITTLE this weekend. First off I hate seeing children's films with tons of screaming kids. (I got lucky on CORPSE BRIDE & WALLACE AND GROMIT and saw them at late weekday shows without kids.) Also, I'm REALLY, REALLY tired of the marketing push Disney is doing on this film. I mean, trailers during breaks on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES for this film? And posters & billboards EVERYWHERE. I just got back from NYC and I swear I saw CHICKEN LITTLE'S ass on every damn street corner. (It was the poster of his backside, hiding his head.) Plus the clips I've seen really haven't sold me on the story or comedic stuff. Can't wait for Pixar's next project. They've all been winner so far. James
posted 11-04-2005 10:57 AM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Bond1965: I'm skipping CHICKEN LITTLE this weekend. First off I hate seeing children's films with tons of screaming kids. (I got lucky on CORPSE BRIDE & WALLACE AND GROMIT and saw them at late weekday shows without kids.) Also, I'm REALLY, REALLY tired of the marketing push Disney is doing on this film. I mean, trailers during breaks on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES for this film? And posters & billboards EVERYWHERE. I just got back from NYC and I swear I saw CHICKEN LITTLE'S ass on every damn street corner. (It was the poster of his backside, hiding his head.) Plus the clips I've seen really haven't sold me on the story or comedic stuff. Can't wait for Pixar's next project. They've all been winner so far. James I'm with you on this one James. I'm putting in a pre-order for Carpenter's expanded Escape from New York score and I was contemplating adding Duma and something else to the mix. Any recommendations?
posted 11-04-2005 09:04 PM PT (US)

Graham Watt Standard Userer	Peter, I don't know if John Debney will save Christmas: I rather doubt it - it all started going downhill when I stopped believing in Santa Claus and realised I had to fork out money myself for other people's illusions. I was always a bit wary of Debney after hearing CUTTHROAT ISLAND. Yes, it's got some great strong thematic material (hooray, Joan!), but on the whole it was such a schizophrenic mish-mash of Silvestri and God-knows-who-else that it ended up being vaguely annoying to my ears. Coincidentally (Kris and James), I watched DRAGONFLY last night, and quite liked the movie. And I particularly liked the Debney score. That descending lament motif still sticks with me after twenty-four hours ( ask me again in a week). I was wondering beforehand how he would approach it, and I think he hit the button more or less. Not too derivative, not too mawkish - even if I think the template was still James Newton Howard and his (great) score for DEVIL'S ADVOCATE.
posted 11-06-2005 04:42 PM PT (US)

tjguitar Standard Userer	What is the film Dreamer about?
posted 11-09-2005 03:51 PM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by tjguitar: What is the film Dreamer about? A girl, a horse, and her father; formulaic Disney tripe. It has Snake Plissken and RACHEL!!!(think War of the Worlds) in it.
posted 11-09-2005 06:23 PM PT (US)

tjguitar Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by nuts_score: <BLOCKQUOTE><font size=1 face=arial>quote:</font><HR size=1>Originally posted by tjguitar: [b]What is the film Dreamer about? <HR size=1></BLOCKQUOTE> A girl, a horse, and her father; formulaic Disney tripe. It has Snake Plissken and RACHEL!!!(think War of the Worlds) in it.[/B] Ah, so when someone compared it to rudy...they didn't mean a sports film score.
posted 11-09-2005 08:18 PM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	Exactly. By the way, welcome to the status of "Standard Userer". Enjoy.
posted 11-09-2005 08:30 PM PT (US)

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