Forum Replies Created
- Posts
“To be fair, Elfman didn’t score that many movies during that time. That said, I’d consider A Simple Plan, Sleepy Hollow, and Planet of the Apes Elfman masterpieces. Family Man is also very good. “
A Simple Plan
A Civil Action
Instinct
Anywhere But Here
Sleepy Hollow
Proof of Life
The Family Man
Spy Kids
Planet of the ApesI think you may wanna re-think that statement. Plus, of all those score only four were good. Sleepy Hollow, The Family Man, Spy Kids, and Planet of the Apes.
Yeah, I agree. It’s all subjective. Personally, I think “Simple Plan” is a bore. “Good Will Hunting” was boring too, but he also did “Men in Black” in `97 so he balanced himself out. But `98 had no balance. “A Civil Action” is easily one of his most forgettable scores. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that 1998 was his worst year.
“You keep reverting back to subjective favorites”
This entire thread is subjective. And for the record, I don’t hate Spider-Man. I think it’s a great score and the one he rebounded with after 98-01 which consisted of mostly un-memorable scores.
“I disagree with you about Batman to Spider-man. Both are very different heroes, different tone”
Darkman is a different hero and tone from Batman yet both scores were great. Being a different hero and tone doesn’t affect the quality of the work. The Spider-Man score simply isn’t anywhere near as good as Batman. Then again, Batman is considered one of Elfman’s 3 best along with Edward Scissorhands and Nightmare Before Christmas. So, perhaps it’s a bit harsh to compare the two. But…that’s what people are gonna do. It’s two big superheroes and the two biggest movies that Elfman has composed. So, it’s hard not to compare.
“you cannot argue that he is ‘passed his prime’ because he no longer writes catchy tunes.”
I think you can. Spider-Man is no where as good as Batman. Corpse Bride is no where as good as Nightmare Before Christmas. Charlotte’s Web is no where as good as Black Beauty. See, the problem is that Elfman may have evolved as a composer but he hasn’t evolved in the movie choices he makes. So, he hurts himself through comparisons. Wanted, for example, was a step in the right direction for him. During his `85-94 heyday he never composed pure action movies. Mission: Impossible in 1996 was his first. And Proof of Life in `98/`99 was his second. And, Wanted was a million times better than those. Red Dragon was another good choice. It was his first true horror-thriller. So, there was nothing to compare it to and you enjoyed it for what it was.
mubneosic, I agree but not really. 1985-1994 was 9 years. 9 years! That’s almost a decade worth of music. And Elfman did evolve during that era. You can’t compare Pee-Wee to Batman or Batman to Edward Scissorhands. He did evolve and tried different things.
2002-Present has been a great time for Elfman. Spider-Man, Hulk, Red Dragon, Big Fish, Willy Wonka, and Wanted to name a few. But as great as those scores are they’re not in the same league as the ones in `85-94. Wanted came close. As did Spider-Man 2. And even the songs on Willy Wonka. But overall he’s gotten too percussion heavy and not enough “in your face” themes.
TenderLumpling, yes, `85-94 was his best era. To begin with, don’t insult Back to School, Wisdom, Big Top Pee-Wee, and Hot to Trot. Those were great scores…even if the movies themselves weren’t so good. Summer School and Article 99 you can insult if you want.
But, anyway, that era gave us:
Pee-Wee
Beetlejuice
Midnight Run
Scrooged
Batman
“The Simpsons” Theme
“Tales of the Cyrpt” Theme
“Beetlejuice: The Animated Series” Theme
Nightbreed
Dick Tracy
Darkman
Edward Scissorhands
“The Flash” Theme
Batman Returns
“Batman: The Animated Series” Theme
Sommersby
“March of the Dead” from Army of Darkness
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Black BeautyFace it, Elfman is never gonna top those 9 years. 100 years from now those are the scores people are gonna remember. That was the defining Elfman era. Batman! Simpsons! Edward Scissorhands! Nightmare Before Christmas! When people think Elfman that’s the first thing that pops into their head.
Danny is STILL an amazing and talented film and TV composer. However, that being said, he has indeed past his prime. 1985-1994 is an era he’ll never be able to repeat. From Pee-Wee to Black Beauty! Talk about an era of AMAZING music. 1995-97 was good too but he got too experimental and percussion heavy. 1998-2001 was his worst era. Some scores were good, like Sleepy Hollow and Planet of the Apes, but overall he composed some of his most un-memorable scores. If not, his most un-memorable. He rebounded in 2002 with Spider-Man and has continued to write great music, some even outside cinema and TV, but it’s no where near the brilliance of 85-94.
Thor, I don’t think the Edward musical was that successful. It did go on tour, but only a few key cities. Edward Scissorhands isn’t that popular aside from the emo/goth crowd. Something like Batman would fare better for an Elfman concert tour. It’s a score everyone knows and loves and it’s Batman.
Nacho Libre would probably be included in Darkened Theater 3. I don’t think a stand alone Nacho Libre score album would sell.
I’ll be happy if they release Darkened Theater 3 and a remastered Oingo Boingo compilation with Only A Lad, Little Girls, Violent Love, Grey Matter, Private Life, Reptiles and Samurai, Gratitude, Just Another Day, Dead Man’s Party, Weird Science, We Close Our Eyes, and the cover of I Am the Walrus. Oh, and remastered Forbidden Zone soundtrack as well.
Ryan, it was the mix. The previews were loud in comparison to the movie. Plus, I go see animated movies all the time (especially the Pixar ones) and those weren’t as low as this.
Among a bevy of surprise guests at today’s D23 Expo presentation, Tim Burton offered attendees a look at the 3D teaser for Alice in Wonderland (the same version currently available online) and confirmed that he’ll be following it up with Frankenweenie, a full stop-motion adaptation of his original live-action short film that tells the story of a dog brought back to life by a mad scientist kid. Also confirmed was a 2011 release date.
Scrooged was an important film for Elfman in the sense that it was his first high-profile movie. Pee-Wee and Back to School were summer flicks, but they were the in-between blockbuster movies. While Beetlejuice was a sleeper hit. Scrooged, on the other hand, was a big Thanksgiving weekend movie directed by famous director Richard Donner. So, yeah, it kinda prepared him for Batman. Although that was in an entirely different ballpark.
I agree with Thor. Scrooged is a rather short score. I actually re-watched the movie back in December and the 10 minute suit on MFADT is pretty much like 70% of the score.
Based on observation, it would seem like Elfman’s album did better in the long run. It is rare to find Prince’s album in any store. Yet you’ll always find atleast one or two copies of Elfman’s album.
