Monthly Archives: May 2020

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai (2007)

My quest to watch all of the Pokémon movies continued with Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai, a 2007 film that is the first of 4 films set in the “Diamond and Pearl” era. This is the 10th Pokémon film overall and, to my knowledge, is the first to begin a storyline that is continued in a followup story (the rest of the films thus far have been standalone features).

Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai is a weird one, even by Pokémon standards. The closest thing I can compare it to is the third Pokémon film with Entei and the illusory world created by the Unown. Actually, in hindsight, that’s not a bad comparison at all, since the Unown are spotted in the dimension where Dialga and Palkia are fighting. But I digress…before all of that, the story begins with Ash, Brock and Dawn (no more May and Max, I’ll miss them) traveling to Alamos Town for, what else, a Pokémon tournament. Predictably, their plans become disrupted when strange occurrences begin disrupting the town, occurrences that appear to be caused by a mysterious Pokémon known as Darkrai, though not everything is as it seems.

I’m embarrassed to admit that it wasn’t until I watched this film that I learned what Darkrai looks like. Right up until today, I thought Palkia was Darkrai (in my defense, I’ve never played Pokémon Diamond & Pearl so there’s no way I could’ve known). That being said, Darkrai freaked me out just a little bit, though I’m hard pressed to say why. Something about his appearance is just unsettling. You know what else was unsettling? The extended nightmare sequence where the ghostly Pokémon are floating around. That’s when things really got weird in my opinion. I get that things can get strange when you have two massive Pokémon that can manipulate time and space respectively, but still, weird is weird.

One thing I did enjoy very much was Baron Alberto, which is to say I loved to hate him. Actually the entire situation with Alberto and Alice reminded me quite strongly of Gaston and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Alberto seems to think he’s entitled to Alice’s affections and he also doesn’t seem to be able to take no for an answer. But the biggest similarity? He’s determined to blame Darkrai for everything, he even rallies the other Pokémon trainers to take down Darkrai in an almost identical manner to Gaston rallying the townsfolk to go after the Beast. Quite an interesting parallel if you ask me.

But the thing I liked most about Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai is the role that music plays in the climax. It was already awesome enough that the Space-Time Towers are shaped like a massive musical instrument (they vaguely remind me of a lyre), but then to have the power of music be what it takes to get Dialga and Palkia to stop fighting, that just blew me away. I feel like music doesn’t always get its just due when it comes to storytelling, and to have a story not only acknowledge but emphasize the power that music can have, that’s just something special. I loved the sequence where ‘Oracion’ plays from the Space-Time Towers; it was beautiful and so, so well done.

While Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai did weird me out at times, I did enjoy the overall story. More than that, I’m eager to see where the story goes, since I know now that the next two films continue the story that was begun here. If you haven’t seen this one, I do highly recommend it. I’ve still yet to see a Pokémon story I didn’t like.

Let me know what you think about Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai in the comments below and have a great day!

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: The Movie 2000 (1999)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon 3: The Movie: Entei – Spell of the Unown (2000)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon 4Ever- Celebi – Voice of the Forest (2001)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias (2002)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: Jirachi—Wish Maker (2003)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: Giratina & the Sky Warrior (2008)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)

Animated Film Reviews

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My Thoughts on: Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005)

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After a lengthy delay (largely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that temporarily killed any desire to watch and review anything), my quest to watch all of the Pokémon movies continued with Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. This is the eighth Pokémon film in the series and it came out in 2005. The story follows the ongoing adventures of Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May and Max as they help a Pokémon called Lucario unravel the mystery of why he was sealed away by his master, Sir Aaron, a thousand years ago. And oh yes, did I mention Mew puts in an appearance?

I’ve yet to see a Pokémon film that I didn’t like, but this definitely has to be my favorite after the first three films (which in my mind will always be the best). The story is fairly straightforward: Ash and company stumble onto an adventure, Team Rocket inevitably tags along, and Ash must to do something to save the immediate area. The story’s setting is out of this world. There’s a beautiful castle, the phenomenal Tree of Beginning that looks like a tree but is actually made of stone and crystal, and (I can’t mention this enough) some completely adorable scenes with Mew. I’ve loved Mew ever since the first Pokémon movie and this story has more than enough of the adorable critter in it.

I really like how this story uses “time flowers” as a way of looking into the past to find out what happened without resorting to true flashbacks every five minutes. It’s really interesting how the story actually seems to employ the “unreliable narrator” trope. That is, it forces you to question if you can really believe the accepted version of what happened to Sir Aaron, or if Lucario’s version of events is actually correct. The truth, once it’s revealed, is pretty heart-wrenching (but I’m discovering that’s par for the course for Pokémon films).

My favorite visual in the film has to be the secret world inside the Tree of Beginning. It’s amazing how many of these Pokémon films involve secret worlds where Pokémon thrive without any interference from humans. This one is particularly well put together, and I genuinely wished it was a real place I could explore, that’s how beautiful it was. On a separate note, it’s also fun to watch all of the Pokémon interact with each other. Even though all they do is repeat their own names, you still get an idea of what they’re saying.

The one character that surprised me the most in this story was Kidd Summers. When she initially started snooping around the castle, I was convinced that she was the bad guy for this film, the kind that would ingratiate herself with Ash and company before revealing her true colors. But not only was that not true, now that I think about it, there really isn’t a villain in this story (and no, Team Rocket doesn’t count, they don’t even really try anything this time). That shows what a good film this is, when you get totally engrossed in the story despite there not being a villain for our heroes to go against.

If you’re looking for Pokémon films to try outside of the first three films, I highly recommend watching Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. The story was excellent and the animation was spot-on. This was truly a great story about the world of Pokémon and I hope you get the chance to check it out.

Let me know what you think about Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew in the comments below and have a great day!

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: The Movie 2000 (1999)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon 3: The Movie: Entei – Spell of the Unown (2000)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon 4Ever- Celebi – Voice of the Forest (2001)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias (2002)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: Jirachi—Wish Maker (2003)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai (2007)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: Giratina & the Sky Warrior (2008)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009)

My Thoughts on: Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)

Animated Film Reviews

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi “A New Alliance” (2017)

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Three years after it came out, Star Wars: The Last Jedi continues to polarize fans of the galaxy far, far away. While this will likely remain true for many years to come, there’s no denying that The Last Jedi has its fair share of awesome musical moments. One of my favorites comes late in the film when Kylo Ren brings Rey before Supreme Leader Snoke in his throne room on the Supremacy. This piece is called “A New Alliance” and covers a critical part of the story, when Kylo Ren seemingly turns to the light and kills Snoke.

There are some interesting moments in “A New Alliance” and I’ll highlight a few of them. First of all, the piece starts with what sounds like a brief reprise of “Snoke.” This continues as the tension builds in the music until suddenly at 1:07 the music “explodes”, corresponding with the shocking moment when Rey’s lightsaber ignites, cutting Snoke in half.

Another significant moments comes seconds later at 1:17 when we hear a reprise of “the Force” theme, heard when Rey calls the lightsaber to her and she shares a moment with Kylo Ren before they team up to take out Snoke’s Praetorian guards. This is the big moment that gives me goosebumps, since the tone of the piece flips from tension to shock and surprise almost instantly.

The remaining music focuses on Rey and Kylo’s fight with the Praetorian guards. If you listen carefully, around 2:25 you’ll hear a reprise of “Rey’s Theme” fittingly played as the scene focuses on her own fight.

I chose this piece because I wanted to show that good film music can be found in many places. It’s true, you don’t hear a lot of this because there’s a massive lightsaber battle raging at the same time. But despite that, John Williams took the time to craft this theme together, and it is one of my favorite musical moments in all of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Let me know what you think about “A New Alliance” in the comments below and have a great day!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens “Rey’s Theme” (2015)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens “Snoke” (2015)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens “March of the Resistance” (2015)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi “The Spark” (2017)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker “Kylo Ren’s Theme (Redeemed Version)” (2019)

Film Soundtracks A-W

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Soundtrack News: ‘Succession’ Season 1 Soundtrack is Out on Vinyl now

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Milan Records, an imprint of Sony Music Masterworks, has released the soundtrack for season 1 of Succession with music by Academy Award-nominated composer Nicholas Britell (If Beale Street Could Talk, Moonlight, The Big Short and Vice) in vinyl format. Created by Oscar and WGA nominee Jesse Armstrong (In the Loop), with the pilot written by Armstrong and directed by Oscar-winner Adam McKay (The Big Short), Succession tracks the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their aging father begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate they control.

Academy Award-nominated composer and pianist Nicholas Britell is known for his critically acclaimed scores on feature films with close collaborators, Academy-Award winners Barry Jenkins and Adam McKay. His most recent work includes the score for Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) for which he received his second Academy Award nomination as well as a BAFTA and Critics Choice nomination, and was awarded Best Original Score by numerous critics’ groups, including LA, Boston, Chicago and Washington DC Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics Online and the Online Film Critics Association. In 2018, he also wrote the score for McKay’s Vice, starring Christian Bale, which went on to receive eight Academy Award nominations

Of the soundtrack, composer Nicholas Britell says:

“I am so excited to be releasing this music from Season 1 of Succession. The score features a juxtaposition of strings, winds, brass, pianos, odd electronic textures, 808 bass, and hip-hop beats. From the earliest stages of working on the show, I hoped for the music to have a sense of old-world gravitas, while also feeling strange and – at times – absurd. I’ve loved collaborating with Jesse Armstrong and Adam McKay to craft this musical landscape for Succession.”

Set in New York, Succession explores themes of power, politics, money, and family. Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the tough, powerful, aging patriarch, is head of Waystar Royco, a family-controlled international media conglomerate. He is married to his third wife, Marcia (Hiam Abbass), a loving, formidable partner. The Roy family, which includes troubled former heir-apparent Kendall (Jeremy Strong), his outspoken, fun-loving brother Roman (Kieran Culkin), and his savvy but conflicted sister, Shiv (Sarah Snook), jousting for power as they struggle to retain control of their father’s empire. Connor Roy (Alan Ruck), Logan’s eldest son, and only child from his first marriage, has pursued an independent life in New Mexico.

You can get the soundtrack to season 1 of Succession on vinyl now.

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Soundtrack News: Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ The Final Season (Episodes 9-12) Original Soundtrack is Out Now

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The last of three original soundtracks composed by Kevin Kiner for Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released day along with the final episode in the series. All 12 episodes of season 7 (and indeed the entire Clone Wars series) have been scored by Kevin Kiner, an award-winning composer who is one of the most versatile and sought-after composers in Hollywood.

Highlight tracks include the adrenaline-inducing “Ahsoka vs. Maul” which calls back to John Williams’s “Duel of the Fates” from ‘The Phantom Menace’, and the heart-wrenching electronic synths and angelic tones of “Burying the Dead”.

About Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7:

Now it is the end of the historic Clone Wars, as the forces of darkness have amassed great power in their bid to transform the Republic into the Galactic Empire. In the conflict’s final days, clone troopers specialize for the dangerous missions ahead, Ahsoka Tano confronts life outside of the Jedi Order, and a familiar menace returns to wreak havoc.

If you haven’t checked out the soundtrack for Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 before now, I highly recommend checking out the tracks for the last four episodes, as Kevin Kiner takes the music to another level.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Bad Batch Theme” (2020)

Film Soundtracks A-W

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Soundtrack News: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Original Video Game Soundtrack to be Released this August

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As part of Star Wars Day (may the 4th be with you) Varèse Sarabande Records has announced the upcoming special release of the Original Video Game Soundtrack for Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire by GRAMMY®-nominated composer Joel McNeely. The soundtrack will be released for the first time on LP and reissued on CD on August 7, 2020, exclusively from Varèse Sarabande Records. Pre-order for LP and CD are available now

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire was developed and published by LucasArts for Nintendo 64 on December 3, 1996, and sold one million copies in its first year. A version for Microsoft Windows followed in 1997, and sold out reissues have kept the game alive amongst the Star Wars fan base since its release over 20 years ago. In the game, which serves as backstory between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the player controls the mercenary Dash Rendar in his efforts to help Luke Skywalker and rescue Princess Leia from Prince Xizor.

As part of the Shadows of the Empire multimedia project, a full soundtrack was composed by Joel McNeely and recorded with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Samples of the soundtrack were used in both versions of the game, with the Windows version containing many of the full tracks. The album art features the main Star Wars characters and was created by legendary illustrator Drew Struzan (Blade Runner, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future).

TRACK LISTING

Side A:

Main Theme from Star Wars and Leia’s Nightmare (3:41)
The Battle of Gall (7:59)
Imperial City (8:02)
Beggar’s Canyon Chase (2:56)
The Southern Underground (1:48)

Side B:

Xizor’s Theme (4:35)
The Seduction of Princess Leia (3:38)
Night Skies (4:17)
Into the Sewers (2:55)
The Destruction of Xizor’s Palace (10:44)

You can pre-order the LP and/or CD of the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire soundtrack at the links below:

PRE-ORDER

LP: https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/star-wars-shadows-of-the-empire-lp

CD: https://www.varesesarabande.com/products/star-wars-shadows-of-the-empire-1

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Become a Patron of the blog at patreon.com/musicgamer460

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Don’t forget to like Film Music Central on Facebook 🙂

Star Wars: The Force Awakens “Snoke” (2015)

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This particular theme in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens soundtrack means a great deal to me, because it helped spawn a theory that took four years to be proven correct. Remember how Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker revealed that the Emperor had been alive all this time? Well, even before that reveal, I half-suspected that something like this might happen, and the “Snoke” theme in Star Wars: The Force Awakens had a great deal to do with it.

Listen carefully to Snoke’s theme below and then I’ll explain what I mean.

You hear all of that? Snoke’s theme is pretty ominous; a droning male choir, the smallest hint of a dark melody, the entire thing reeks of tension and pure evil. In fact, it sounds like a close relative of the Emperor’s theme (as heard in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi), in spirit if not in actual musical relationships. And that is what really drew my attention: this theme for Snoke sounded so much like the Emperor’s theme that, combined with the fact that Snoke was based on concept art for Palpatine, that I could only draw two possible conclusions:

Snoke was Palpatine, just in a different form
Snoke was Palpatine’s puppet/mouthpiece

Time would eventually prove me somewhat correct on the latter conclusion, and it’s all thanks to the music. There’s also the fact that John Williams is not the type of composer to craft a character’s theme a certain way for no good reason. If one theme resembles another, it’s not unreasonable to say that character (in this case Snoke) might be connected to another (in this case, Palpatine). I’ve said it many times, you should always pay attention to the music if you want to get hints about the true identity/true nature of a character. Four years before Palpatine was revealed to the world, John Williams created a theme hinting at the Emperor’s continued presence (there’s an even more blatant hint in The Last Jedi but I’ll discuss that another day).

Let me know what you think about “Snoke” (and whether you drew similar conclusions) in the comments below and have a great day!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens “Rey’s Theme” (2015)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens “March of the Resistance” (2015)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi “The Spark” (2017)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker “Kylo Ren’s Theme (Redeemed Version)” (2019)

Film Soundtracks A-W

Become a Patron of the blog at patreon.com/musicgamer460

Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

Don’t forget to like Film Music Central on Facebook 🙂