Category Archives: Films

My Thoughts on: Slayers Return (1996)

*warning: spoilers follow

Aside from running for five seasons, Slayers also spawned five animated films, the second of which is Slayers Return. Unlike the anime series, none of the movies (except for the last one) feature Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, or most of the characters Lina meets during the show. Instead, Lina teams up with another sorceress named Naga the Serpent (who DOES have a connection to the show but I won’t spoil how). Naga is…interesting. Like Martina in Slayers NEXT, Naga dresses in incredibly revealing outfits (she’s very confident in herself) and has a laugh that is memorable for being nightmare-inducing for Lina and other characters because it can literally come out of nowhere. That being said, I LOVE Naga and her constant bickering with Lina is a joy to watch.

Now, on to the movie. In Slayers Return, after getting into yet ANOTHER fight over food (because how dare Naga take the last piece of Lina’s steak??) the two sorceresses find themselves hired to save the village of Biaz from an evil organization. Lina only agrees because she remembers that this village is supposedly the sight of a legendary treasure (and Lina will do just about anything if treasure is involved) and Naga tags along because she suspects that Lina is after said treasure (and if so she wants her fair share). One thing I love about watching Lina and Naga is that they will argue over anything (but particularly about food and treasure), and when these two argue, inevitably things get blown up (which always makes me laugh for some reason).

From this point on, most of the movie’s humor comes from subverted expectations. For example, we are led to believe that this Zein Organization that has enslaved Biaz is this huge group ensconced in some hidden fortress. But the truth is…there’s only two members in the group, their leader is a third-rate magician (and I suspect also a con artist) and they operate out of a run-down shack in the woods. What makes it even funnier is that Galev (Zein’s would be leader) maintains this “pompous evil lord” attitude even after he’s mostly exposed as a fraud. It’s almost disappointing that the supposed villain of this story is a dud, but the humor pretty much makes up for it. And it turns out the story does have a proper villain (sort of) after all.

Remember the “treasure” that Lina was hoping to collect? Well…it turns out it wasn’t so much a treasure as it was a giant golem capable of destroying everything in its path that’s incapable of being controlled. And oh yes, Naga just happens to be wearing a bracelet that acts as a homing beacon for the golem (and it can’t be taken off). The remainder of the film is devoted to an extended chase as everyone flees from the golem while trying to figure out how to stop it. The dialogue between Lina and Naga is hysterically funny, as is the comeuppance that Galev receives at the end of the film. I should mention that this is one ugly golem: it looks like a giant chicken crossed with a turtle, with extended claws coming out of its back (and it says “Yo!” all the time).

If you enjoy the Slayers anime, you will love Slayers Return. It is a little jarring at first to not have Lisa Ortiz voicing Lina, but Cynthia Martinez does a great job. The animation is on point, though I should also point out the spells are a little different than what you see in the regular anime (in particular, Lina’s incantation for Dragon Slave is noticeably different). It’s really a fun movie to watch and I hope you get the chance to check it out.

Let me know what you think about Slayers Return in the comments below and have a great day!

My Thoughts on: Slayers NEXT (Season 2) (1996)

My Thoughts on: Slayers TRY (season 3) (1997)

My Thoughts on: Slayers Great (1997)

Animated Film Reviews

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James Newton Howard talks Dinosaur (2000)

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I remember Dinosaur being a really big deal back in the year 2000. Not only was it a leap in CGI animation, it was also filmed against mostly live-action backgrounds (which I believe was a first). The film follows the story of a dinosaur named Alladar who travels with his adoptive lemur family to find a new home after the island he grew up on is destroyed by a meteor.

James Newton Howard composed the score for Dinosaur and I remember the music standing out to me right away due to the extended preview that the film had in trailers. Howard gave the score this huge, symphonic sound to highlight the live-action background and the various dinosaurs seen in the preview. I was really excited to find this video clip because “making of” clips with James Newton Howard are relatively hard to come by and he’s worked on some of my favorite childhood films.

As the interview clip explains, Howard uses the music in Dinosaur to direct emotional feelings, be it fear, wonder, or humor. And there is a full range of emotions to be found in the film, which shows just how talented this composer is. It was also emphasized that they wanted to make the music sound primal but not ethnic. That is, they didn’t want any music that could be traced back to a particular human culture (since this movie is set way before humans existed).

I really hope you enjoy this behind the scenes video with James Newton Howard. Let me know what you think about Dinosaur (and the music for Dinosaur) in the comments below and have a great day!

James Newton Howard talks Signs (2002)

James Newton Howard talks The Village (2004)

James Newton Howard scoring King Kong (2005)

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

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My Thoughts on: Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

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*note: spoilers for Alita: Battle Angel can be found below

After being forced to delay my trip to the movie theater for a week (blame my sinuses), I finally got to see Alita: Battle Angel last night and all I can say is wow! This might be the best Western adaptation of a manga I’ve ever seen. For those not in the know, this film is based on Yukito Kishiro’s manga series Gunnm (better known to Western audiences as Battle Angel Alita). The film was in development for close to 20 years (it was originally announced in 2003) and while the film isn’t perfect, honestly I feel like it was worth the long wait. Alita: Battle Angel is directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron.

First, an overview. Alita: Battle Angel is set in the year 2563, 300 years after a devastating war known only as “the Fall.” Alita (Rosa Salazar) is salvaged from a junk pile by Dr. Ido (Christoph Waltz who for once isn’t playing a villain) and awakens with no memory of who she used to be. The story is set in Iron City, a cyberpunk metropolis located directly underneath Zalem, a floating sky city. Under Ido’s watchful (and protective) eye, Alita sets out to discover who or what she used to be. Along the way, she discovers the insane sport of Motorball (imagine roller derby, NASCAR racing, and pro wrestling combined into a single sport where you fight to the death) and falls in love with a human named Hugo (Keean Johnson) who in turn is entangled with the dangerous Vector (Mahershala Ali).

While this film is incredibly beautiful, it is, as I said, flawed. The biggest problem is the story makes a hundred times more sense IF you read the manga first (or at least the first two volumes). While the broad strokes of the film are largely faithful to the original story, there are a myriad of background details that you’ll miss or otherwise not understand without the manga’s explanations. To be fair though, I feel like Alita: Battle Angel tries very hard to explain as much as it can without being too exposition heavy. Another issue I noticed right away is how the story begins. The discovery of Alita and her reawakening literally takes place in the first five minutes of the film. This is more of a personal preference on my part, but I feel like the film should have started with some of the flashback material we get throughout the film playing at the beginning instead as a sort of prologue.

And speaking of the flashbacks…I loved watching them, but they almost create more questions than answers. This is largely due to the fact that Alita: Battle Angel is blatantly setting up for a sequel that we may or may not get. I’m not against sequel hooks per se (Battle Angel Alita is hardly the kind of story you can tell in one film) but to leave several story threads hanging in the hopes that a sequel will finish the job…that I have a problem with. This leads to the biggest problem in the film: Nova (Edward Norton in a non-speaking role). While the film implies that Nova is the “big villain” of the story, we learn next to nothing about him (aside from the fact that he’s apparently immortal). This is very frustrating especially if a sequel never comes.

Aside from these problems, the film really blew me away at times (in a good way). The setting of Iron City and Zalem looks like it came straight out of the manga. While I do agree that Alita’s over-large “anime eyes” look a little peculiar, for me I was able to adjust to them fairly quickly. I also love the motion capture that was used to bring Alita to life, she looks very real (no sense of the uncanny valley at all). I was also pleasantly surprised to not be bothered by the romantic sub-plot between Alita and Hugo, which comes across as incredibly sweet (if somewhat rushed). I did roll my eyes a little when the film included a stereotypical kiss in the rain, but it felt like a good kind of cheesy at the same time.

If you’re on the fence about seeing this film, I highly recommend checking it out. Despite the flaws, it IS a good story and one that deserves to be continued. Let me know what you think about Alita: Battle Angel in the comments below and have a great day!

Film Reviews

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Daniel Pemberton talks Steve Jobs (2015)

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Steve Jobs (2015) marked the first collaboration between director Danny Boyle and composer Daniel Pemberton (their second team-up, Yesterday, comes out in June). In this behind-the-scenes video, the composer discusses how he divided the film’s score into three distinct parts, each one corresponding to one of the three acts of the film. The first act (he explains) is full of synthesizers to match the vibe of 1984. The second act (and the one I like best) is purely orchestral. Not just orchestral, it’s more of a miniature opera (complete with singers). And the third act is squarely placed in the digital medium, referencing how just about everything in our lives has gone digital, thanks in large part to the real Steve Jobs.

I’m fascinated at how Pemberton essentially created three different scores for this film, that’s not something you come across very often (in fact I’m hard pressed to name another example). Daniel Pemberton is very quickly becoming one of my favorite film composers and I for one am excited to learn more about him. I hope you enjoyed the video! Let me know what you think about Steve Jobs (and it’s score) in the comments below and have a great day!

Daniel Pemberton talks Gold (2016)

Daniel Pemberton talks King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

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Daniel Pemberton talks King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

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While it’s no secret that Guy Ritchie’s retelling of the King Arthur legend was a colossal flop at the box office, that shouldn’t stop you from learning about what went into making the film’s soundtrack. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword marked the second collaboration between Guy Ritchie and Daniel Pemberton and just like he did with The Man from U.N.C.L.E, the composer went all out in putting the music together.

Daniel Pemberton employed a variety of musical instruments both ancient and modern. As he says in the video, he sought to make the score visceral and gritty, something that felt distinctly unpolished. If the excerpts heard in this video are any indication, I think the composer succeeded in that aspect. It’s a shame the film flopped so badly, it sounds like Pemberton’s score for the film is really good (and it’s not that uncommon to find a great score hiding in a terrible film). I find myself hoping that Ritchie and Pemberton will collaborate again (hopefully on The Man from U.N.C.L.E 2), though hopefully the resulting film will do much better than this one did.

Let me know what you think of this behind the scenes look at the music for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword in the comments below and have a great day!

Daniel Pemberton talks Gold (2016)

Daniel Pemberton talks Steve Jobs (2015)

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

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

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Daniel Pemberton talks The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015)

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I’m fairly certain that The Man from U.N.C.L.E served as my introduction to the film music of Daniel Pemberton. I first watched the film about three years ago and while the story took some time to grow on me, the score immediately grabbed my attention. Pemberton (I’ve since discovered), has this talent for creating quirky and memorable scores that stick in your mind. Such is the case with the score for The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

In the making of featurette which you can access above, Daniel explains that director Guy Ritchie requested a score in which every cue feels iconic. And on that point alone I think the composer succeeded, because none of the music in this film feels “throwaway,” it all feels very necessary. You’ll also learn that Pemberton employed a lot of unique instruments to create the film’s distinctive 1960s-like sound. While there are traditional orchestral elements in certain places, the lion’s share of the music comes from non-traditional instruments, which is really cool.

I hope watching this behind-the-scenes video gives you an even deeper appreciation of Daniel Pemberton’s score for what I consider a highly underrated film. Let me know what you think of the music for The Man from U.N.C.L.E in the comments below and have a great day!

Daniel Pemberton talks Gold (2016)

Daniel Pemberton talks King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

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

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

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Brian Tyler scoring session for Iron Man 3 (2013)

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has featured musical scores from a number of composers, but some of my favorite work comes from Brian Tyler, who to date has scored three films in the MCU: Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Iron Man 3.

The thrilling conclusion to the Iron Man trilogy features some dark and stirring music that’s on full display in this recording (to be completely honest, I’m not sure if this is from an actual scoring session or a later re-recording for a soundtrack, but it’s pretty much the same setup as a scoring session so that’s what I’m calling it). Brian Tyler is one of those composers who also conducts and it’s always fun to watch him at work. From the moment the music starts you can tell he is completely into what he’s doing.

I love sharing these recording videos with you because I feel like it’s only once you see and hear the music being performed separate from the film that you can truly appreciate just how much work goes into putting the score together. Action scores (and often superhero scores) can get a bad rap but I really feel like the MCU has changed what a superhero film score can be in the 21st century. These scores are organic, breathing things, and I think this clip really shows that.

At any rate, I hope you enjoy watching Brian Tyler at work with Iron Man 3. Let me know what you think of the clip in the comments below and have a great day!

Brian Tyler scoring Partition (2007)

Brian Tyler talks War (2007)

Brian Tyler talks Rambo (2008)

Brian Tyler “Law Abiding Citizen” scoring sessions (2009)

Brian Tyler “Dragonball Evolution” scoring session (2009)

Brian Tyler talks The Expendables (2010)

Brian Tyler talks Fast Five (2011)

Brian Tyler “Battle: Los Angeles” (2011) scoring session

Brian Tyler “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2014) scoring session

Brian Tyler conducting and scoring Now You See Me 2 (2016)

Brian Tyler “Power Rangers” scoring session (2017)

Brian Tyler conducts The Mummy (2017)

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

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

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

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Justin Hurwitz talks La La Land (2016)

See also:

Film Composer Interviews A-H

Film Composer Interviews K-Z

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

The Three Caballeros “The Three Caballeros” (1944)

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*note: in the context of this song “gay” means happy/carefree

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but during the 1940s Disney released a lot of what were called “package films.” While ostensibly released as a single feature, package films actually contained a series of separate animated shorts connected by a plot line. This happened because Disney found themselves with a lot of material that was too long to be regular cartoons and too short to be standalone features. This is how The Three Caballeros came into being. The common thread is that Donald Duck is celebrating his birthday and while opening his presents he learns about Mexico and South America via his friends José Carioca (a Brazilian parrot) and Panchito Romero Miguel Junipero Francisco Quintero González III (a Mexican rooster).

Once Panchito joins the party, he leads his friends in singing “The Three Caballeros.” In this song, Panchito praises the life of a caballero and how he is always loyal to his friends (unless there’s a girl involved, in which case forget it!) The rhythm and last verse of this song come from Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes!, a popular Mexican ranchera song released in 1941.

A running gag throughout the song is Donald trying (and failing) to imitate José and Panchito. For example, he flops to the ground when the others fly, and he can’t summon a guitar out of thin air (instead he gets a saxophone, a trumpet, and a double bass).

We’re three caballeros
Three gay caballeros
They say we are birds of a feather
We’re happy amigos
No matter where he goes
The one, two, and three goes
We’re always together

We’re three happy chappies
With snappy serapes
You’ll find us beneath our sombreros
We’re brave and we’ll stay so
We’re bright as a peso
Who says so?
We say so!
The three caballeros

Ooooh!
We have the stars to guide us
Guitars here beside us
To play as we go
We sing and we samba
We shout, ¡Ay caramba!
What means “Ay caramba”?
Oh, yes! I don’t know

Ooooh!
Through fair and stormy weather
We stand close together
Like books on a shelf
And pals though we may be
When some Latin baby
Says yes, no, or maybe
(wolf whistle)
Each man is for himself!

¡Ay, Jalisco no te rajes!
Me sale del alma
Gritar con color
Abrir todo el pecho
Pa’ echar este grito
¡Qué lindo es Jalisco!
Palabra de honor!

The end of the song made me laugh for years when I was growing up. At the end, when the song has supposedly finished, Panchito keeps right on holding that last note (and truthfully, a well-trained singer can theoretically hold a note indefinitely). José and Donald try everything to make Panchito stop, but nothing affects the rooster, until he appears to shrink away and disappear. Just when the pair think he’s gone though, the rooster reappears with a gigantic piñata!

What do you think about “The Three Caballeros”? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and have a great day!

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Pinocchio “When You Wish Upon a Star” (1940)

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Pinocchio “When You Wish Upon a Star” (1940)

As Disney’s second animated feature film, Pinocchio is responsible for creating one of the company’s most memorable songs. Since its release, “When You Wish Upon a Star” has become the official anthem for the Walt Disney Company (a snippet plays right before the start of every Disney movie) and has been covered numerous times. But the original version was performed by Cliff Edwards (the voice of Jiminy Cricket) and became an instant hit. In fact, “When You Wish Upon a Star” was the first Disney song to win an Academy Award, taking home the Oscar for Best Song.

The song arrives at the start of the film and takes us through the opening credits until we come to Jiminy Cricket himself, singing the last part of the song by the Pinocchio storybook.

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true

The song is also reprised at the end of the film while everyone is celebrating Pinocchio’s transformation into a real boy. To be perfectly honest, this song always makes me cry every time I hear it, so much so that there are times I have to skip over it so I can watch the film without bawling.

Here’s an interesting piece of trivia: if you look closely at the background of the picture with Pinocchio’s book, you’ll see two books titled Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Both of these stories would be released as Disney films in the following decade (1951 and 1953 respectively).

What do you think of “When You Wish Upon a Star”? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

Pinocchio “Little Wooden Head” (1940)

Pinocchio “Hi Diddle Dee Dee (An Actor’s Life for Me!)” (1940)

Pinocchio “I’ve Got No Strings” (1940)

Pinocchio “Hi Diddle Dee Dee (reprise)” (1940)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

Disturbing Disney #1: The Coachman in Pinocchio (1940)

Disturbing Disney #2: The truth of Pleasure Island in Pinocchio (1940)

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