In general, the purpose of a movie’s music is to complement the action without getting in the way. Even a soaring John Williams score, with memorable themes representing the major characters, is meant to enhance the impact of what we see on screen, not replace it.
But sometimes you — yes, you, personally — can’t help but notice the music.
Have you ever found yourself absolutely electrified by opening credits, only to be bored to tears by the movie that followed? Has a musical ever inspired you to sing along with it, even though you don’t speak Tamil or Cantonese? Have you ever gone crazy over the music for a movie you couldn’t stand — or vice versa? Has a terrible movie ever made you furious by ruining your favorite song? Love it or hate it, sometimes music follows you out of the theater and refuses to leave you alone. It’s a difficult experience to try to put into words — so that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
This month, we celebrate the movies that — for better or for worse — added something to the soundtrack of our lives. Join us as we consider movies… In the Key of B.
All through November at the B-Masters’ blog!
#1 by RogerBW on November 1, 2017 - 10:24 am
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For people who don’t know them already, I commend to your attention Immediate Music – they do trailer music in particular, and are very good at creating a mood in just a few notes. You can find a fair bit of their work on youtube.
#2 by The Rev. on November 1, 2017 - 11:36 am
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Okay, now that is a cool idea for a roundtable. I’m going to guess this was Will’s idea. I’m sure I could sit and think of bad music in good movies, but right now all I can think of is the opposite, like “Four-Leaf Clover” from Leprechaun.
Too bad Ken already did Crossroads; he could use Brittany Spears desecrating Joan Jett for his. (Assuming he’s able to join in this time, anyway.)
Not knowing Lyzzy’s musical tastes, I’m not sure I can spook her by guessing her movie beforehand. My first thought was the next one (or two since they’re basically parts of a whole) Puppet Master movies, since the theme song for that series is wonderful. Plus she gets further into a franchise that isn’t Amityville; and she’d get to coo over the Totems, which I all but guarantee she will do.
#3 by Richard on November 2, 2017 - 8:46 am
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This could be fun! My choice for an example is “Ladyhawke”, where Rutger Hauer’s performance ALMOST makes up for the cheesy electric guitar music. In a medieval fantasy movie, you want electric guitars?????
#4 by Chris on November 2, 2017 - 1:18 pm
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That’s a great roundtable idea. Krull immediately comes to mind as my favorite soundtrack to enhance a B-movie. Music from The Time Machine remake and Hellraiser II also followed me out of the theater.
#5 by Ken on November 2, 2017 - 8:28 pm
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I’m sure I’ve read several B-Masters reviews that mentioned the music. Phrases like “I hope you enjoy that five-note theme, because you’re going to hear a lot of it” come to mind…
#6 by Luke Blanchard on November 5, 2017 - 4:08 pm
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The example that springs to my mind is the song “The Look of Love from the 1967 version of CASINO ROYALE.
#7 by Jared on November 16, 2017 - 8:38 am
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I can definitely think of a few films where I love the score more than the movies themselves — The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Stephen Sommers’ Mummy movies, and Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla, to name but a few.
On the other hand, and as an aside, I sometimes feel like I’m the only one in the world who finds Jerry Goldsmith’s score for the original Planet of the Apes — which others have described as daring and avant-garde — too intrusive for its own good.