Beginning in 2010, Columbia Pictures decided to reboot the Spider-Man franchise (that had previously starred Tobey Maguire from 2002-2007) and recast the title role with Andrew Garfield. The film was very well received, with Garfield’s performance being highly praised.
The film, being a reboot, starts the story of Peter Parker over again, showing how he develops from a bullied teen into a superhero after a genetically modified spider bites him. Parker begins using his abilities to hunt down criminals, and eventually must stop a rampaging villain known as the Lizard (who has also discovered that Spider-Man is Peter Parker!) The story was continued in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014).
James Horner was brought in to compose the musical score for the film. On that merit alone, I would recommend this soundtrack to anyone (because by this stage in his career, Horner had writing film music down to a fine art).
I admit I haven’t actually seen the reboot of Spider-Man, but the general consensus is that it is a good film worth seeing. Please enjoy this behind the scenes look at the scoring of The Amazing Spider-Man, featuring the one and only James Horner (it sends chills down my spine to see him conducting the orchestra, he was surely a master of his craft), enjoy!!
The basis behind The Expendables is so simple and at the same time so crazy, I’m surprised they didn’t try it sooner: create a film starring every single action star you can get your hands on and have a story where they all have to work together against a common foe. It’s insanely brilliant when you think about it. (I haven’t gotten the chance to see it all the way through yet, but the parts I have seen, I loved!!)
The plot follows an elite group of mercenaries led by Barney Ross (Stallone) and the chaos that ensues as a routine contract to overthrow a dictator becomes anything and everything but. Aside from the all-star cast, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger have small cameos as well.
Brian Tyler was hired to compose the score for The Expendables, having previously worked with Sylvester Stallone on Rambo (2008). Please enjoy this behind the scenes look at how Tyler assembled the score.
Events in Beauty and the Beast begin to come to a head with “The Mob Song.” To recap, Belle has been allowed to leave the castle to rescue her father who has gotten lost trying to find her (Belle) and is now dangerously ill. Belle’s return is exactly what Gaston has been waiting for: unless Belle agrees to marry him, he’ll have her father taken away to the insane asylum. I’m not sure that Gaston is thinking rationally at this point: no girl in her right mind would agree to that kind of proposal, and even if she did, it wouldn’t be a happy marriage. Belle unwittingly makes things worse when she fetches the magic mirror to prove that everything her father has been saying is true. Gaston is visibly shocked to see that Maurice WAS telling the truth, but is almost as quickly filled with jealousy because it’s crystal clear to him (if not to Belle) that she has feelings for this “monster.” Belle finally snaps and tells Gaston the cold truth:
“He’s no monster Gaston, YOU are!”
The truth hurts, doesn’t it? Enraged at this final rejection, Gaston decides that “if I can’t have her, no one can” and begins to paint a picture of the Beast as this terrible monster that MUST be destroyed. This pack of lies that Gaston feeds to the townspeople is the basis of “The Mob Song” and is a perfect illustration of how mob mentality works. Keep in mind that up until five minutes ago, no one in the town believed that the Beast even existed, and they certainly didn’t consider it a real threat. But now, with Gaston painting a picture of their darkest fears, it doesn’t take much to turn the crowd into a ranting mob bent on one thing: killing the Beast!!
The Beast will make off with your children! He’ll come after them in the night! We’re not safe ’til his head is mounted on my wall! I say we kill the Beast!
We’re not safe until he’s dead He’ll come stalking us at night Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite! He’ll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free So it’s time to take some action, boys It’s time to follow me!
Through the mist, through the woods Through the darkness and the shadows It’s a nightmare, but it’s one exciting ride Say a prayer, then we’re there At the drawbridge of a castle And there’s something truly terrible inside It’s a beast! He’s got fangs, razor sharp ones! Massive paws, killer claws for the feast Hear him roar! See him foam! But we’re not coming home ’til he’s dead Good and dead! Kill the Beast!
Belle, to her credit, tries to intervene, but Gaston is way ahead of her this time. He locks both Belle and her father in the cellar and gathers the crowd to head to the castle. And thanks to the magic mirror, he’ll have no trouble finding it. At this point, the song becomes a choral number, with the townspeople carrying the melody. Meanwhile, back in town, Belle is trying to break out, but she can’t do it. Thankfully, little Chip stowed away with her and is still outside the house. He sees the invention that Belle’s father made still sitting on the hill and notes that it has a very sharp axe in front. To make a long story short, Chip uses the device to break the door down, freeing Belle to race to the castle.
But at the same time, the townspeople have nearly reached the castle, still singing of death and vengeance, while the Beast broods upstairs, deep in depression. There’s one verse the townspeople sing that basically sums up how these people think:
We don’t like what we don’t understand/in fact it scares us/and this monster is mysterious at least
All of this really boils down to fearing what you don’t understand, and now Gaston is going to use that fear to destroy the Beast and the castle (though the enchanted occupants aren’t about to make it easy for him).
“The Mob Song” really is a great Disney song because it serves to drive the story forward toward its climax. Gaston is firmly in place as the story’s true villain (reinforced by riding a black horse), and the stage is set for the final battle.
It goes without saying that after the runaway success of Skyfall (2012), anticipation for Spectre was at a near fever pitch, especially since it was assumed (correctly) that the SPECTRE organization would finally be making it’s long awaited return to the franchise for the first time in 44 years. Which automatically led to another question: would Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the villainous leader of SPECTRE (and played by numerous actors in the past) also be making his return? The answer, thankfully, was yes. While Donald Pleasance remains my personal favorite actor to play the part (in You Only Live Twice), Christoph Waltz absolutely nailed the role here in Spectre.
The fourth Daniel Craig film sees Bond in trouble with M, yet again. It would seem in the opening adventure in Mexico City that Bond has gone off on a “mission” of his own choosing (i.e. MI6 didn’t authorize it), to assassinate a terrorist before they can execute a plan to blow up a packed stadium (this takes place during the height of Day of the Dead festivities). M demands an explanation, but Bond refuses to give one, so Bond is officially put on leave until further notice and is banned from leaving the country.
Times are changing rapidly for MI6: now as in Skyfall, the organization is being viewed as more obsolete than ever, and Max Denbigh (nicknamed “C” by a not-impressed Bond) seeks to have the agency replaced by the “Nine Eyes” global surveillance network. But there is much more at stake here than anyone realizes (even Bond). Since Casino Royale, a single entity has been manipulating world events, bringing everything to a head at the climax of this story. And if Bond should fail in his mission, there might be no stopping the enemy this time, because SPECTRE has returned.
I’m going to come right out and say it: Spectre is not as good as Skyfall. Now having said that, Spectre is still an awesome film. It has a little bit of everything: car chases, romance, high stakes, and a number of witty one-liners that could only come from a James Bond film. And yet, it doesn’t quite meet the bar that Skyfall set, but that’s no crime, since Skyfall may be the perfect Bond film.
One of my favorite characters has to be Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista). Hinx is a villain in the mold of the classic Bond henchmen (think of Oddjob and ESPECIALLY Jaws (you know, the tall guy with titanium teeth in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker). I enjoyed watching him so much that I secretly hope they find some way of “resurrecting” the character for the next Bond film. Another element that I loved? The classic “gun-barrel opening” FINALLY returns to its proper place at the beginning of the film.
For the musical score, Thomas Newman returned once again to compose the music for this film. According to director Sam Mendes, the final film contains over 100 minutes of music (and believe me, that is a LOT of music for any film). I really enjoyed the music for this film, it contains an appropriate mix of the classic James Bond theme, while at the same time using new motifs to emphasize the swiftly changing events of the story (the music for the car chase in Rome in particularly good, especially when the cars pass through St. Peter’s Square).
The theme for the title sequence was titled “Writing’s On the Wall” and performed by Sam Smith. The song immediately received mixed reviews, with many comparisons being made with Adele’s “Skyfall” (with the latter being described as a much better Bond song). I don’t think it’s very fair to compare “Writing’s On the Wall” with “Skyfall” because, let’s be honest, “Skyfall” is an excellent piece of music. Certainly this latest Bond song has some flaws, the most noticeable being those moments when Smith goes into falsetto. If this were anything BUT a Bond film, I wouldn’t have an issue with it, but this IS a James Bond film and that makes the falsetto feel out of place. The strongest part of the song (for me) is the brief refrain “If I risk it all/Could you break my fall?” If he kept that quality of voice that he used in that moment throughout the song, I think it would have been better received.
Now on a final note, let’s talk about the ending of the film. Was I the only one who expected Madeleine Swann to be killed out of nowhere as James walked over to her? The tension was so thick, that I kept expecting something to happen. I also can’t forget the fact that Bond let Blofeld live (remember how Blofeld kept his eyes locked on Swann and Bond as they walked away together?) I’d be shocked if the next Bond film didn’t feature Blofeld out for revenge in one way or another (because in four Craig films, this is the first time Bond has let an adversary live). It was rather symbolic actually, that moment when Bond stood over Blofeld on the bridge.
On the one side stood M, representing Bond’s duty as a Double-0 agent. But on the other side stood Madeleine, representing the side of life that Bond had kept locked away ever since Vesper died: the possibility of a life away from murder and death, the possibility of a life filled with love. And in that moment, Bond chooses love, by letting Blofeld live, by throwing his gun in the river, and by steadfastly walking AWAY from M and choosing to go with Madeleine. It will definitely be interesting to see where the story goes from here. Hopefully we don’t have a repeat of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but only time will tell.
Of course we know James Bond will return, but the big question is, will it be Daniel Craig, or someone new? As much as people (including myself) would like to see him return for a 5th outing as 007, the truth is that Craig is now 48 years old, and assuming it takes at least two years for the next film to begin filming, that would make him 50. Given how physically demanding the role of James Bond has become, I would not be surprised if we see someone new when the 25th Bond film rolls out. And if that was indeed the finale of Craig’s Bond, I can’t think of a better exit than driving off with his lady love in that gorgeous Aston Martin.
And for the time being, that concludes Introducing James Bond.
On May 8th, 2009, the universe of Star Trek, as seen by J.J Abrams, came hurtling into theaters.
Oh where to begin with this movie, with this concept! I was initially thrilled that a new Star Trek movie was being made (Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) having been billed as the final adventure) and couldn’t wait to learn more. And then details began to come out, that this movie was going to be different, the “How they all met” story, as it were. But the previews didn’t look right to me, the story they were telling seemed off somehow. And then the movie came out and I learned why. This movie was set in a totally different universe. Effectively, the Star Trek universe that had been established since 1966…really didn’t exist anymore.
I.Was.FURIOUS.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to bash the actors (they did a fine job) or the soundtrack (even though Goldsmith and Horner created much better sounds for their respective Star Trek films), it’s just, calling this an “alternate universe” is just a fancy way of saying they rebooted the series but they didn’t want it to look like one. A reboot is a reboot, and, maybe I’m in the minority but, Star Trek didn’t need one (in my opinion). I’m okay with a new cast of characters, but recasting the original crew does not sit right with me.
The story is that in the original Star Trek universe, the planet Romulus is about to be destroyed by a huge supernova. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has come up with a last-ditch effort plan to save Romulus but the method is utilized too late to save the planet. In the aftermath of the explosion, a time vortex is created and both Spock and a Romulan named Nero (Eric Bana) are flung back into time (due to the “red matter” that Spock had tried to use. Nero holds Spock personally responsible for the death of his family and vows to make the Vulcan suffer. How? Oh, simply by destroying the planet Vulcan, that’s all. (You know, Vulcan, the site of some of the most important events in the original series, it gets blown up.) In effect, the presence of Spock and Nero in the past creates an alternate universe because the course of events is being altered from what it should have been.
Despite my feelings, I really did try to like this movie, I really did (after all, it’s the only option for seeing Star Trek in theaters at the moment) and I just couldn’t get into it. I think the problem (for me) is, I grew up watching the original Star Trek movies and tv shows and that is the Star Trek I know and love. This Star Trek…it says most of the right things, but, as I’ve said before, it doesn’t feel quite right. To this day, I still can’t put my finger on the issue, but I’m hoping Star Trek: Beyond is different.
You would have a very hard time convincing me that there is a Disney character more narcissistic and conceited than Gaston. I mean seriously, this guy is convinced that he is absolute perfection, God’s gift to women, etc. The other townspeople certainly don’t need any convincing of this “fact.” Therefore, Gaston can probably (maybe) be forgiven for presuming that Belle would agree to marry him without any argument whatsoever.
Yes, I said marry. Gaston has decided to completely skip courting Belle and is just going to ask her to marry him (and then hold the ceremony immediately afterward), what could POSSIBLY go wrong?
What Gaston can’t fathom is that the idea of being a housewife, raising a large brood of kids and doing whatever a boorish husband demands is the LAST thing Belle wants to do with her life. So needless to say, the proposal goes badly (Gaston ends up face first in a mud hole). But rather than accept this rejection, Gaston won’t take no for an answer, he MUST have Belle, it doesn’t matter what she thinks!
Despite this proclamation, Gaston is depressed that Belle said “no” to him, and while Belle is adjusting to life in the castle, Gaston is brooding in the tavern while Le Fou tries to cheer him up. This is the setting for “Gaston”, one of the crazier songs of the Disney Renaissance.
Gosh, it disturbs me to see you, Gaston Looking so down in the dumps Every guy here’d love to be you, Gaston Even when taking your lumps There’s no man in town as admired as you You’re everyone’s favorite guy Everyone’s awed and inspired by you And it’s not very hard to see why!
No one’s slick as Gaston No one’s quick as Gaston No one’s neck’s as incredibly thick as Gaston For there’s no man in town half as manly! Perfect, a pure paragon! You can ask any Tom, Dick or Stanley And they’ll tell you whose team they prefer to be on!
From beginning to end, the entire song is an homage to Gaston, how amazing he is, how perfect he is, and how everyone wishes they could be him!
No one’s been like Gaston A king pin like Gaston No one’s got a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston As a specimen, yes, I’m intimidating! My what a guy, that Gaston! Give five “hurrahs!” Give twelve “hip-hips!” Gaston is the best and the rest is all drips!
No one fights like Gaston Douses lights like Gaston In a wrestling match nobody bites like Gaston! For there’s no one as burly and brawny As you see, I’ve got biceps to spare Not a bit of him’s scraggly or scrawny. That’s right! And every last inch of me’s covered with hair!
There’s actually a funny story as to how this song came together (I referenced it in Film Music 101: “Test” Lyrics ). What happened is, when the writers were putting the songs for this film together, they created fake lyrics to accompany the melody to serve as a placeholder. However, the fake lyrics for “Gaston” proved to be so catchy that the writers made the decision to keep them!
No one hits like Gaston Matches wits like Gaston In a spitting match nobody spits like Gaston I’m especially good at expectorating! Ptoooie! Ten points for Gaston!
When I was a lad I ate four dozen eggs Ev’ry morning to help me get large And now that I’m grown I eat five dozen eggs So I’m roughly the size of a barge
No one shoots like Gaston Makes those beauts like Gaston Then goes tromping around Wearing boots like Gaston! I use antlers in all of my decorating!
My what a guy, Gaston!
As it is, the song gives an enlightening view of how Gaston’s mind works. He receives constant praise from all the townspeople, which in turn feeds his massive ego. It’s amazing what the townspeople have put up with from him: Gaston knocks over the chess board when he’s about to lose; Gaston cheats in a brawl; Gaston is a bully but everyone seems to be okay with that! The song also reveals that Gaston is a hunter par excellence (this includes mounting a rabbit head and a frog head on his wall).
Except for his ego, Gaston otherwise fits the bill of a traditional Disney hero, even his singing voice is excellent. This was all planned by the Disney animators, they wanted Gaston to appear as this perfect specimen in the beginning, to contrast him with the terrible behavior of the Beast. However, as the story develops, the Beast and Gaston gradually switch roles: with the Beast becoming more “human” and Gaston becoming more and more “Beast-like.”
That’s all for Gaston for the moment (we’ll get back to him after while), next time, I’m not sure which song I’ll pick next (they’re all so good), but I’ll be back with more tomorrow! Have a great day!
*all images are the property of Walt Disney Studios
The year was 1991. It had been two years since Disney successfully launched the Disney Renaissance with The Little Mermaid (1989), and now the time for their next animated classic had come: Beauty and the Beast (1991). The movie adapts the French fairy tale of a beautiful girl named Belle (which is French for “Beauty”) who slowly falls in love with a terrifying Beast, not knowing that he is actually a prince trapped in an enchantment. The score for this film was composed by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Ashman, suffering from AIDS, did not want to work on the film but was eventually persuaded to do so. His health took a turn for the worst during production and he died not long after work was completed on the film (though a few of his songs did appear in Aladdin.)
“Belle” is the opening number of the film and serves as our introduction to the book loving Belle, who is considered “a funny girl” by almost everyone in town. The exceptions to this are her father Maurice, the book-seller, and Gaston. The song begins with Belle walking into town, singing about how every day is the same (a fact that bores her immensely). As the townspeople sing “Bonjour!” (Good morning/Good day), Belle lists off all the familiar sights that she has memorized by heart. But Belle is dissatisfied and sings her refrain of “there must be more than this provincial life.” Having read all of these stories of adventure and romance, Belle dreams of finding her Prince Charming and being swept away to lands unknown.
Little town, it’s a quiet village Every day like the one before Little town, full of little people Waking up to say
Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!
There goes the baker with his tray, like always The same old bread and rolls to sell Every morning just the same Since the morning that we came To this poor provincial town
Now, before I continue, there’s something that should be pointed out. The Disney animators wanted to emphasize how Belle is different from everyone else in the village. To that end, they color-coded her outfit to stand out. Look at the scene of “Belle.” See the blue pinafore she’s wearing? No one else in town is wearing blue! Automatically Belle stands out to the eye (and it’s very effective). But I digress, back to the music…
Unfortunately (for Belle), there is a “Prince Charming” who is very interested in her, the town hero Gaston. When you first meet him, Gaston appears to be the stereotypical Disney hero: perfect good looks and a great singing voice (though this was by design to serve as a contrast to what comes later).
Right from the moment when I met her, saw her I said she’s gorgeous and I fell Here in town there’s only she Who is as beautiful as me So I’m making plans to woo and marry Belle
For all his gifts, Gaston is a narcissist, who thinks that he (Gaston) can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, BECAUSE he is Gaston! This includes marrying Belle, “the most beautiful girl in town” because he “deserves the best” (the fact that Belle might not WANT to marry him doesn’t seem to make a difference). Gaston attempts to sing his own verse about how he fell in love with Belle at first sight, but it’s interspersed with lines praising his own handsomeness (you just know this “romance” is not going to end well).
As Belle prepares to leave town to head back home, the entire community begins to sing about her and this last verse sums up how much the town doesn’t “get” Belle:
Look there she goes, the girl is strange but special, a most peculiar mademoiselle/
It’s a pity and a sin, she doesn’t quite fit in/but she really is a funny girl, a beauty but a funny girl, she really is a funny girl, that Belle!
Belle has always been my favorite Disney Princess ever since I first saw the film, because, like me, Belle is a bookworm, and she feels isolated because of this. Belle also dreams of adventure in far off places (and what young person doesn’t?) Interestingly, we never learn how old Belle is, or anything about her mother (we can presume she’s deceased, but when or how long ago is never broached). This is also one of my favorite Disney songs because, unlike Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, where the singer is a high soprano, Belle is a mezzo-soprano (which is my vocal range).
I admit, when I was younger (a lot younger) I used to wish that real life included people singing as they went about their daily lives, so sometimes I would pretend (as I was walking around) that people were singing the “Belle” song about me (ah, the power of imagination). That’s all for “Belle”, next time, as predicted, Gaston’s courting of Belle doesn’t exactly go as planned, and for that he’ll want revenge!!
*all images are the property of Walt Disney Studios
Thus far in the Daniel Craig era of James Bond, we’ve had one good and one not-quite-as-good film. Skyfall, the penultimate film thus far, is for me, the moment where the Daniel Craig Bond finally hit his stride. No more awkwardness, no immaturity, THIS is the Bond we’ve come to know and love over the decades.
Skyfall begins with another mission in progress: Bond is in Istanbul accompanied by a female agent (and there’s a good reason we don’t know her name yet). The end of this scene (being the pre-credits) features Bond accidentally shot and presumed dead in the aftermath.
In reality, Bond is alive and well, he decided to use his presumed death as a way to take some much needed time away, but it doesn’t last. Back in London, M (Judi Dench) is facing considerable pressure from Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) over the continued existence of MI6 in the 21st century and she is being pushed to retire. Out of nowhere, the MI6 servers are hacked and the building is bombed, prompting Bond to return to the city.Bond is up against his most dangerous opponent yet, and not everyone is going to make it out alive.
Unlike the previous two Bond films, I was unable to catch Skyfall in the theater (something I deeply regretted once I did see the movie). If Goldfinger is the perfect classic Bond film, then Skyfall is the perfect Bond film of the new era, I can’t think of any flaws.
Ben Whishaw is PERFECT as the new Q by the way, I didn’t think anyone could ever replace Desmond Llewelyn in that role, but he is perfect (and Bond’s line during their introduction “You’ve still got spots!” always makes me laugh)
*warning: spoilers for the ending of Skyfall follow*
I did not see (or I didn’t want to see) the death of Judi Dench’s M coming, but I also understood her reasons for leaving (she had been playing the role since 1995 after all). Without a doubt, the series won’t be the same without her, but Ralph Fiennes makes a pretty great M too. And speaking of the new M, this is the first time in the cinematic Bond universe that we actually know M’s real name (Gareth Mallory). M’s real name IS mentioned in the books, but that’s a separate thing from the movies.
And before I get to the music, I have to talk about that final scene, where Bond properly gets introduced to Eve Moneypenny (aka that female agent from the pre-title sequence): that was perfect!! I had this overwhelming feeling of: finally, everything is right with the Bond universe again (it just didn’t feel right without Q and Moneypenny, and both were reintroduced in this film). And the last scene where Bond faces the new M in his office, just that moment alone was an homage to classic Bond with the design of the office, Bond’s suit, M’s suit, the painting behind M’s head (go back to the Connery films and check out M’s office, you’ll see what I mean). And for the first time in a long time, when the screen went black, I instantly wanted more!
Now on to the music! For the first time in quite a while, David Arnold did NOT return to compose the score to Skyfall; instead the score was written by Thomas Newman (a great film composer in his own right and a frequent collaborator with director Sam Mendes). (It should be noted that Arnold was also busy composing the music for the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.) Newman’s score won the BAFTA for Best Film Music. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score (only the second Bond film score to be so honored).
Thomas Newman’s score contributed more than a little to the success of this film. In this short making-of segment, Newman talks about how the score was put together, along with a little behind-the-scenes action.
While the score for Skyfall was well-received, the title song turned the world upside down. “Skyfall” was performed by Adele and received instant critical acclaim from everyone, and is now considered one of the greatest Bond songs ever created. The song was nominated for and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song (the first Bond song to win an Oscar) and it also won a Brit Award for Best British Single (as well as a Critic’s Choice Award and a Golden Globe AND a Grammy Award.)
Credit to Art of the Title
I seriously doubt that any film will top Skyfall for quite some time, but Spectre certainly tried to (but more on that next time).
I think there is no Disney film so underrated as Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001). Released in the first few years after the Disney Renaissance (which most will say concluded with Tarzan in 1999), Atlantis featured an all-star voice cast and was also the first animated Disney film with no songs whatsoever. Despite gorgeous animation and a sublime musical score (more on that in a minute), the film under-performed at the box office, causing a planned animated series to be scrapped (it was reworked as Atlantis II: Milo’s Return), an Atlantis-themed ride at Disney World to be cancelled and furthermore, it led to Princess Kida NOT being recognized as an official “Disney Princess” (seriously, she has never appeared at the theme parks, any of them). (And on a further note, remember how everyone says Elsa from Frozen was the first Disney Princess to become a Queen onscreen? I hate to be the one to burst that bubble, but that honor actually belongs to Kida, who is QUEEN as the film ends!!) But I digress…
The music, as I said, is exceptional and was composed by James Newton Howard (he’s composed for many films, including the remake of King Kong in 2005).
“The Crystal Chamber” takes place about 2/3 of the way through the film and begins when bad guy Roarke (James Gardner) discovers that the powerful “Heart of Atlantis” crystal has literally been underneath their feet the entire time. But as hero Milo (Michael J. Fox) has been trying to tell everyone, the Crystal is not some giant diamond, it’s alive, it feels and it currently knows that it is in danger so it moves into “protection mode” by seeking out the closest person of royal blood, in this case: Princess Kida.
The music begins to move forward in earnest when the Crystal (speaking through Kida) reassures Milo that everything is going to be okay.
Howard has constructed a slowly building melody that begins with a single voice and builds to a huge orchestral moment as Kida (Cree Summer) begins walking on top of the bottomless lake to immediately below where the Crystal is hovering. A single beam of light converges on the princess and as it completely disappears the music vanishes for a moment. And then…Kida rises!!! And the music matches her ascent, this beautiful hovering melody that lifts you up in the air along with her!
The best part though, comes when Kida is joined with the Crystal. As the orbiting stones move around them, the music reflects this sense of motion. Listen to the same moment in the soundtrack version of this scene and you’ll hear what I’m talking about: the music “moves” closer and then farther away, giving the impression of movement.
As the scene ends, the music slowly winds down, allowing the audience to admire the Kida-Crystal that has now formed (I love the animation for that).
I remember seeing this in the theaters and being enraptured by this scene. This is the epitome of a good movie moment, the sound and visuals just work together to pull you in to the story. If you haven’t seen this movie, find a copy and don’t let it go, because it is worth it. (I secretly hope that Disney will include this in the list of live-action remakes so the story can FINALLY get the attention it deserves).
*poster image is the property of Walt Disney Studios
Like many, I was excited to hear that Quantum of Solace would be coming out only two years after Casino Royale (2006). After the success of the first film in the rebooted series, everyone was excited to see where this new Bond would go next. Well…about that….
Quantum of Solace is (to my knowledge) a first for the Bond series. It is the only Bond film I know of to pick up exactly where the previous film left off. Think about it, with the exception of For Your Eyes Only (1981) which references Bond’s wife (as seen in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) (and a very small reference to Dr. No in From Russia With Love (1963)), no other Bond film refers to any of its predecessors, they can all be viewed in pretty much any order you like. This changes with Craig’s Bond; unlike all the others before him, this series of films retains the consequences of what happens in earlier films. A good case in point would be Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), Bond’s one-time love interest. Even though she (spoiler alert) dies in Casino Royale, her presence lingers all the way through Spectre (2015) in one form or another.
The unusual title of the film comes from one of Fleming’s short stories collected under the umbrella title “For Your Eyes Only.” According to Fleming, the term “quantum” refers to the absolute minimum. Therefore, a “quantum of solace” would be the smallest amount of solace (read: consolation) that a person could feel. I believe this refers to Bond’s feelings regarding Vesper’s death and the circumstances behind it (he becomes obsessed tracking down the Quantum organization). Now on to the story…
The characters of Q and Moneypenny are still absent. As the film opens, we find Bond in the midst of a high-speed pursuit with a certain Mr. White (first seen in Casino Royale) unceremoniously tied up in his trunk, after Bond located him at the conclusion of the previous film. (This is the same Mr. White who later appears in Spectre). Bond successfully eludes or destroys his pursuers, and brings White in to M. But before they can question him, M’s bodyguard reveals he is a double agent and helps White to escape before Bond kills him in retaliation. It turns out this agent had a contact in Haiti, a hitman who is now contracted to kill the girlfriend of Dominic Greene, a known environmentalist entrepreneuer.
Through a series of events, Bond realizes that Greene is actually working for the elusive “Quantum” organization, the unnamed group that employed Le Chiffre in the previous movie. Before the studio could reacquire the rights to the “Spectre” name, I believe “Quantum” was supposed to be a sort of replacement, the new arch-villain, as it were. But then he rights to SPECTRE were re-acquired and the point became moot (I could be wrong, but that’s my take on the situation).
Bond is obsessed with vengeance for a good portion of the film (even if he denies it), and wreaks bloody mayhem through a lot of the film (there are 250 distinct acts of violence in the film; by contrast Dr. No has only 109, making this the bloodiest film in the Bond series). I think partially because of the violence, and also because the plot was a little…blah…this film wasn’t as well-received as others, the reviews were decidedly mixed. Craig’s performance was praised, but the supporting details…not so much (I’m not saying ecology is unimportant, it’s just not the first thing you think of for a James Bond plot).
Before I get to the title sequence, I need to talk about my favorite musical sequence in this film. An important moment takes place at the Bregenzer Festspiele in Bregenz, Austria. The festival site features a floating stage on the shores of Lake Constance. During filming, the open-air amphitheatre was host to a performance of Tosca (an opera that centers around a plot of revenge, much like Quantum of Solace)
I love how the music of the opera interweaves with the plot of the story in this scene; it is (for me) very much a predecessor of the opera scene in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)
For Quantum of Solace, the music was again composed by David Arnold, his fifth entry in the series. As in Casino Royale, the classic “James Bond” theme is kept to a minimum (which really bugs me, because, I know this is a “new” Bond, but the theme partially defines the character as a whole, if you don’t have it, is he “really” Bond?)
The song performed for the title sequence is a first: “Another Way to Die” is the first duet in the history of the Bond franchise, and features the voices of Jack White and Alicia Keys. The song was nominated for a Grammy, a Critics’ Choice Award and it won a Satellite Award for Best Original Song. That being said, reception was still mixed. On its own, the song is considered to be good. As a James Bond theme however…not so much (think of the arguments that came up when “Writing on the Wall” was announced as the Spectre theme).
To conclude, I think of the four Craig Bond films, this one is the weakest, especially when you look at what followed (Skyfall and Spectre).
Credit to Art of the Title
Random trivia: Agent Strawberry Fields (yes that is really her name) death is a direct homage to Jill’s death as seen in Goldfinger (1964).
That’s all for Quantum of Solace, next time: Skyfall (2012), arguably the best Bond film ever made. Until then!
Film Music Central 