By Brett Blake Why eight? Honestly, it’s because - while 2018 was a fine year for movie music - I really think there were only eight scores from this year that were truly deserving of being on my “Best” list. There were other scores that had some good moments, sure, including Justin Hurwitz’s FIRST MAN and James Newton Howard’s THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS, for example, but there were only eight that truly felt like cohesive, complete works able to be enjoyed on their merits alone, divorced from the films they were composed to accompany. Could I have stretched this list to ten? Probably, but that would have felt a little disingenuous to me, therefore eight it is! So get comfortable, and let’s dive in! 8. THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX (Bear McCreary) Far and away the best thing to come out of an otherwise forgettable (some might say outright bad) movie, McCreary’s score is emotional, mysterious, and unafraid to go big. McCreary’s influences can definitely be heard at times, but never in a pure pastiche or rip-off sense. This is a worthy successor to his also-terrific 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE score. The two cues I’ve chosen to highlight here really showcase the best of what the score has to offer. 7. JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (Michael Giacchino) After an only passable effort for the first JURASSIC WORLD, Giacchino answers detractors of that score with a rollicking second outing here which introduces a somewhat more self-aware and grandiose sense of excitement. While it primarily functions as a big monster movie score, there are a few effective nods in the direction of genuine emotion (“Volcano to Death”), but even in its darker passages (“Shock and Auction” / “Declaration of Indo-Pendence”), there is a playfulness at work in almost all of Giacchino’s writing here, and that gives this score a feeling of fun and adventure that his first score was (mostly) lacking. In addition to a new main theme that appears throughout, Giacchino also introduces a pair of really catchy, moustache-twirling themes for the story’s villains (heard in entertainingly massive fashion in both “Raiders of the Lost Isla Nublar” and “Jurassic Pillow Talk”). 6. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (Alan Silvestri) Alan Silvestri returns to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and brings with him his best-yet effort for the MCU. This is an action extravaganza, no doubt, complete with some pretty rollicking setpieces (“Field Trip”), but Silvestri also goes the extra mile and brings in an element of near-operatic emotion to underline the dark and dire circumstance facing the Avengers in the film. “Even For You” is one of the single best cues of the entire year, for example, while “Get That Arm/I Feel You” shows how Silvestri is able to juggle both the action and emotional demands simultaneously. 5. READY PLAYER ONE (Alan Silvestri) With a main theme that is a delightful throwback to the unabashedly optimistic, positive melodies of the 1980s (“Ready Player One (Main Title)”), Alan Silvestri delivers a score that would have been right at home in the era which the movie unabashedly homages. While primarily filled with big and orchestral action (“Looking for a Truck” is one of the standout action cues of the year), Silvestri also employs electronics to give certain elements a mysterious or sinister feeling (“Sorrento Makes an Offer”). 4. HALLOWEEN (John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, Daniel Davies) John Carpenter (along with his son and godson) returns to the HALLOWEEN franchise, and his work here really makes it apparent that the non-Carpenter-scored entries truly lacked that extra, intangible energy. Rather than simply rehashing his score for the original 1978 film, Carpenter takes this score into more contemporary directions while still adhering to the basic electronic/synthesizer/piano-driven philosophy. The iconic main theme is back in full force, of course, and Carpenter plays with it in some fresh ways (before really kicking it into overdrive in the concluding “Halloween Triumphant” track), but the most memorable material of this score consists of the new thematic ideas and motifs that he introduces. “The Shape Hunts Allyson” is an instantly memorable piece that somehow manages to sound both fully in-line with classic Carpenter and pretty modern. 3. INCREDIBLES 2 (Michael Giacchino) Giacchino returns to the world that inspired one of his greatest scores, and he’s back for the sequel in full force, still with the jazzy, “1960s Bond score from John Barry, but with superheroes” approach, but this time with a greater array of orchestral color and mood (“Searching for a Screenslaver” / “Ambassador Ambush”) and more ambitious action writing (“Train of Taut”). There are refreshingly few passages that are straight quotations of material from the first score, and Giacchino finds fun ways to expand on that sound in a way that feels fresh in its own right (“Consider Yourselves Undermined”). It’s a blast to listen to. 2. FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (James Newton Howard) Unabashedly sweeping, lush, and with a grand fantasy soundscape, THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD is the type of score that isn’t afraid to be in-your-face with its themes and orchestration. James Newton Howard is one of the most reliably-great composers working today, and he has a particular knack for getting right to the heart of a story’s emotional undercurrents, while also giving the music the proper scale and excitement that a wannabe-blockbuster needs. This is a darker, more mournful score than the first FANTASTIC BEASTS (“Leta’s Confession”), but there is still some pseudo-swashbuckling adventure to heard (“Matagots”), and Howard introduces a pair of very solid new themes (“Dumbledore’s Theme” / “Leta’s Theme”). The album climaxes with a one-two punch (heard below) that concludes the musical narrative in pretty epic fashion. 1. SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (John Powell, featuring John Williams) An extraordinarily entertaining score from John Powell, in collaboration with STAR WARS legend John Williams himself. Williams graciously contributed a pair of wonderful new themes for Han Solo (heard in concert suite form above) before passing the baton (almost literally) for Powell to take and run with. And run he does. In addition to the new themes from Williams, which Powell fully integrates into the score (“Meet Han”), and in addition to classic STAR WARS themes, Powell himself offers up several terrific ones of his own, including an absolutely gorgeous love theme reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood (“Lando’s Closet”) and a heaping handful of superb action setpieces (“Corellia Chase” / “Mine Mission”); the cue titled “Marauders Arrive” is a particular standout, being a wonderfully crazy piece of action writing where Powell blows the doors off with some memorably unhinged choral chanting and the most impressive, dazzling brass writing (and performance) of 2018. It’s a phenomenal score, and one that positions John Powell as the clear heir apparent when John Williams’ time with the series is done.
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By Brett Blake I’ve noticed lists like this becoming more frequent among film fans, so I decided to try my hand at one. I watched nearly 200 movies this year, some from 2018 itself, some revisiting films I’d already seen, and some from earlier years that I saw for the first time. That third category is the subject of the following list, which consists of the ten best/favorite/most interesting “older” movies that I saw for the first time in 2018. Criteria for appearance: a movie with an American release date from any time prior to 2018 that I watched for the first time during this calendar year. Attentive readers will note that the bulk of this list consists of horror films and thrillers, but that was not intentional. It’s just the way things shook out this year! In any case, let’s get started. In no particular order... NIGHT CREATURES (1962) A half-chiller, half-nautical adventure from Hammer Films, this is one of their lesser-known offerings, probably because the horror elements (which the studio is most famous for) are mostly relegated to the background... though when they do show up, they’re suitably creepy. For the most part, however, this is an engaging mystery involving a British crew’s investigation of a smuggling operation in a sleepy English seaside town. It has atmosphere to spare, and a very fine central performance from Peter Cushing as a man with many secrets and several faces. STRAIT-JACKET (1964) A tale of axe murders and mental illness that was clearly inspired by the success of PSYCHO (and even features a script written by Robert Bloch, the author of PSYCHO!), this probably should have been pure schlock, given that it is directed by gimmick-meister William Castle. But yet... this is actually a legitimately compelling and effective thriller, boasting an impressive and fairly brave central performance from Joan Crawford. Bloch’s script rather sadistically puts Crawford’s character through the wringer, but it does so with a slightly wry, self-aware quality that offers a few moments of macabre humor in what is otherwise a fairly bleak tale. There’s also some surprisingly in-your-face (for the era) violence, with axe murders galore, and that’s never a bad thing! SUDDENLY (1954) Frank Sinatra vs. Sterling Hayden. That dynamic, alone, should be enough to get any movie buff hooked. This is a small-scale, contained noir thriller that proves to be quite effective due to the quality of its performances and the staging of its suspense by director Lewis Allen (an underrated talent who also directed the spooky classic, THE UNINVITED). Sinatra (freshly an Oscar-winner here) and Hayden make for a powerhouse duo at odds with each other, and it’s a pleasure to see such strong personalities (and screen presences) square off throughout; it’s particularly fun to see Sinatra playing such an overtly nasty, unhinged guy. Director Allen really handles the tension well, and while the script hits some pretty conventional beats (mostly in hindsight, because we’ve seen a lot of this sort of story in the decades since), Allen knows how to generate suspense in ways that keep you engaged. NIGHT SCHOOL (1981) From the director of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG (!) comes this slasher from the banner year of 1981. It’s set in Boston, and was filmed there, which lends it a bit of a unique flavor, and there’s some nice “early ‘80s urban environment” mood here. There are actually a couple legitimately stylish moments, mostly involving the kills, and it’s clear that director Ken Hughes - in a director-for-hire capacity though he may have been - is invested in the story and is doing all he can with it. He’s aided by a surprisingly decent screenplay, which manages to avoid some of the pitfalls of lesser slasher movies by allowing most of its characters to be reasonably intelligent. There are some missteps, but it feels like an actual movie, not just cheap sleaze. Some real effort was applied, and it pays off. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? (1972) A stylish slice of 1970s Italian genre filmmaking. As with most of these movies, this is totally sleazy subject matter dressed up in an attempt to appear classier and more elegant than it really is, while also fully embracing the weird sadism and off-putting sexual overtones (both violent and otherwise) that are sometimes prerequisites for the genre. This is a great-looking film, one that makes effective use of some strategic London location shooting, and it has a nice score from the great Ennio Morricone, which never hurts. The story follows some of the classic Italian horror tropes (a murder mystery, a black-gloved killer, a private citizen protagonist under suspicion embarking his own investigation to find the killer), and it has a solid whodunnit yarn to keep us hooked. It’s a little slow going in the midsection, but it recovers for the third act, which culminates in a shocking revelation that is either in glorious bad taste... or just regular bad taste; either way, it’s memorable. It’s not for everyone, certainly, but if you’re on the right wavelength, there’s stuff to appreciate in here. THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN (2016) This is not particularly a film I had any burning desire to see. When circumstances conspired to make it happen, I resolved to keep an open mind and give it a fair shake. I'm glad I did, because this is a far more interesting, textured, and nuanced look at the teenage experience than I was expecting. The characterization of Hailee Steinfeld's protagonist is refreshingly honest and complex, and Steinfeld herself absolutely aces her job of walking the fine line between being a difficult, screwed-up teenager and also still being sympathetic; there is a monologue she has near the end of the film that demonstrates Steinfeld has far greater range than one might realize, and it is one of the most heartfelt, affecting, and empathy-inducing moments I've seen in this genre since the glory days of John Hughes. The movie is not perfect, but the overall package is impressive, and it shows that Steinfeld has real chops she can put to work. CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER (1974) Hammer’s CAPTAIN KRONOS attempts to fuse the horror film with the swashbuckler, and the result is a mostly entertaining treat. Narratively, we get a bit of an unconventional spin on familiar vampire tropes (instead of merely draining blood, victims are drained of youth), and the titular character has the air of a proper adventurer, wielding swords and engaging in duels. The villains are also fleshed-out enough to rise above merely being obstacles for the heroes. The latter-period Hammer atmosphere is here in full force (lots of location shooting in the countryside and in chilly-looking forests), and the presentation of the period setting is a little more grounded and less overtly theatrical than the early years of Hammer Horror, which gives this particular story a bit more grit that pairs nicely with its adventure tale inclinations. POSSESSION (1981) An in-your-face piece of work, this is the cinematic equivalent of a mental breakdown. It’s deeply upsetting and provocative on a number of levels... probably too much so, really. It externalizes the intimate conflicts of a marriage in visceral, hallucinogenic fashion, and curious directorial choices keep us off-balance even before the film takes a turn for the overtly hysterical and horrific. The degree of strangeness that the movie ultimately achieves basically becomes overwhelming in a way that is undeniably compelling, yes, but which also makes the film as a whole difficult to wrap ones head around. Isabelle Adjani is absolutely tremendous here; it’s a fearless, go-for-broke performance that somehow manages to also capture some emotional subtlety. I don’t know if POSSESSION is a movie that a person can actually enjoy or truly “like,” but it’s certainly an idiosyncratic and unique creation that has some truly indelible moments, and pretty much needs to be seen to be believed. Tread lightly if weird horror isn't your thing, though. ANGUISH (1987) A film that cannot be adequately described without delving into spoiler territory, ANGUISH is is a forgotten lost gem, a movie full of weirdness and interesting story angles, and one with a fabulous central conceit that I will not ruin here. It’s very well directed by Bigas Luna, who utilizes the widescreen frame quite well, and who also makes great use of some wonderful genre elements, including birds, eyes, telepathic communication, hypnosis, and psychotic murder. There are some great moments of visual and narrative juxtaposition throughout, and ultimately the film is a commentary on the power of the cinematic experience. LONE STAR (1996) A fascinating, engrossing piece of work that more people should probably be talking about, LONE STAR rather remarkably fuses together many seemingly disparate elements into a cohesive and surprisingly satisfying package. There’s so much in here: complicated and dysfunctional families, small town politics, race relations, the military, and - tying it all together - a murder mystery; on paper, that really should be too much for one film to handle, but writer/director John Sayles does a great job of keeping things from flying apart. His script boasts some incredibly well-observed writing, full of rich and nuanced characters that help create a textured portrait of life in a Texas town on the Mexican border. It has the feel at times of a classic western, with colorful dialogue, memorable interactions, and dramatic confrontations, but it also has modern (for the 1990s) concerns and sympathies. It may be a touch overlong, but overall it’s a pretty potent, even at times poignant film. |
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