Comments on: Star Trek & Giacchino Nominated by Film Music Critics + Saldana at DGA Awards + Final Oscar Predictions

By: The Disinvited

The Disinvited — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:44:38 +0000

#12

I couldn’t agree with you more about Trek music.

I find Horner to be infuriatingly frustrating in that he has demonstrated the talent to do well but he falls back on habits that I can only describe as “lazy” composing in most of his works. I don’t know, maybe he’s only “inspired” by a few projects?

If any need an ear opener listen to the soundtracks of ST:TMP, BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS (Cameron connection there too.) and ST:TWOK in that order.

By: ML31

ML31 — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:19:28 +0000

I do like James Horner. But he does, on occasion, copy from himself at times.

Haven’t seen Up or heard Giacchinno’s score from it. But it seems to be the best bet of Michael. Which is unfortunate as I felt his Trek work was pretty good. And his Lost stuff I think is under appreciated as well.

By: S. John Ross

S. John Ross — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:50:41 +0000

#14: I agree, Sadly, on Horner’s habits (I feel the same way about several other composers who used to rock me to the core). I dig Avatar, but its soundtrack did the job without really contributing much that’s memorable.

“Up” for the win.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:30:17 +0000

Let’s hope it does win Trek XI you got to realise this movie was brilliant in my opinion off course

By: U.S.S. Manila NCC-99232

U.S.S. Manila NCC-99232 — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:12:26 +0000

Can’t stop listening to Star Trek 09’s music. I hope Star Trek gets it

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:44:22 +0000

Best visual effects. Deserving. My one (seemingly odd) beef, not against the effects themselves but the industrial vision of the future — the giant factory farm towers in Iowa (just finished Jonathan Saffran Foer’s “Eating Animals” so this terrified me) the brutalist buildings in San Francisco (which in TMP was planned to have been portrayed as a city taken over by nature) and on Vulcan. It worked in that it seemed a lot more real… but not quite a blueprint for what the future should look like… Can’t it be functional AND not so ugly? I’ve been waiting to find somewhere to post this…

By: Robogeek

Robogeek — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:31:52 +0000

Giacchino should and will win the Oscar — but for UP.

Horner should be automatically disqualified on principle any time he recycles his infamous four-note motif of doom (like he did over and over again with annoying, distracting impunity in AVATAR).

Other scores I’d rather see nominated from last year: Zimmer’s SHERLOCK HOLMES, Mark Isham’s BAD LIEUTENANT, Joe Hisaishi’s PONYO, and especially Clint Mansell’s MOON. (If you haven’t seen MOON in particular, you’re missing out on a truly great science fiction film.)

By: Eli

Eli — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:11:10 +0000

While Avatar had a good score, it suffers the same fate that all of Horner’s scores have since he’s achieved elite status in Hollywood. He likes to apply the same tonal or thematic structure to his scores and simply modifies them to accommodate the unique environment of the film he’s making the score for. It may make for an efficient way to score a film, but you definitely get a sense of “been there, done that” while listening to his later works and end up with only a couple unique tracks of original music per score, if any at all.

Horner used to be my favorite, and I’ll still place early Horner high on my list of favorites, but newer artists like Giacchino and even more experienced artists like Hans Zimmer, who knows how to keep film scores fresh, have risen on my favorites list due to later Horner cutting corners.

So due to Horner’s paint by numbers composing as of late, (you can so hear the theme to “Glory” when the Na’vi first go to catch their flying creatures) and the sound effects ripped right out of Jurassic Park, “Star Trek” should have those awards in the bag if the Oscar voters even bother to watch movies.

By: Thorny

Thorny — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:04:09 +0000

12… Exactly, “Enterprising Young Men” and a few other pieces are excellent, but the score as a whole, not so much, and the end credits theme, merging the main ST2009 score and TOS’s theme, is jarring and they just don’t work well together despite Mr. Giacchino’s best efforts. I do hope Mr. Giacchino wins an Oscar, I just hope its for “Up”. Horner’s “Avatar” score is entirely forgettable.

By: Author of "The Vulcan Neck Pinch for Fathers"

Author of "The Vulcan Neck Pinch for Fathers" — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:19:27 +0000

@3 – i laughed out loud when I read your comment, because I find that true regarding most of Horner’s scores – a rehash/combinations of his previous scores. I lost interest in Horner’s work when I heard entire threads of it were rolled into Cocoon and others. Its one thing to have a recurring style, its another to fire up the xerox.

I am delighted that Trek is getting quality recognition, although I personally do not share the enthusiasm here for Giacchino’s ST09 score. I found it tedious and unimaginative, but clearly the best elements are Labor of Love and Enterprising Young Men. I just know there’s no way we’ll be humming or recognizing the theme to ST09 as a legendary piece of film music as we have Goldsmith’s TMP score.