Unpopular movie opinions.

[dashrendar44]

Still sound better than the B89 theme.

 

Nope. B89 is real music played with real instruments by real musicians. Dynamics, variation, nuances. Something Zimmer's Batman throws out the window for loud and deafening noise that only impress people that don't know any better.

 

That's why Zimmer is the easiest mocked-up composer out there. Anyone with a computer and a music software with Orchestral VST can emulate a Zimmer-like track because those orchestrations are so poor and simple any amateur can churn out a tune made of repetitive loud droning based on 4 chords samples and post it on their youtube channel with countless comments like "Yo you totally sound like Zimmer, man, you're a genius like him!!!"

 

But ask those same people to emulate Williams style or Elfman style, suddenly it's not that easy to recreate their sound, arrangements and orchestrations with a computer because it's ten leagues above with lot of instrumentations dividing carefully melodies and counter-melodies intertwined between groups, time shifts, modulations and requires orchestration knowledge that you don't need at all if you want to fake Zimmer's style. No amount of samples on copy/paste mode will do the trick.

 

By the way, in terms of faking Zimmer's style, Zack Hemsey's Mind Heist used for Inception's track was better than any Inception track.

Edited August 12, 2013 by dashrendar44

[Goffe]

Of course

[John Marston]

Elfman's score is actually a film score using the whole range of a real symphonic orchestra. Zimmer's A Dark Knight is drone music for trailers. No dynamics at all, no variations, no time shift, no modulations (Zimmer Batman's theme stays in D minor from beginning to end. A composer that doesn't modulate a theme is someone trying to write an entire novel with one letter), no range, no nuances and no rich orchestrations except mushy and monotone loudness. It's boring loud drums loops, synth ostinatos samples with 2 horn notes therefore repetitive and dull.

 

Zimmer's Batman scores are a joke on every single film scores forums.

 

 

whatever. 

[dashrendar44]

Yeah, I know talking music in music terms produces that effect on non-connoisseurs.

 

Whatever.

[John Marston]

Yeah, I know talking music in music terms produces that effect on non-connoisseurs.

 

Whatever.

 

 

Yeah I don't give two shits about little details like that. I personally find the Score for the Nolan films far superior to Elfman's score. And I have seen soundtrack reviews give positive reviews to those scores

Edited August 12, 2013 by Robert Muldoon

[dashrendar44]

Quality resides in little details. That's what makes the difference.

Edited August 12, 2013 by dashrendar44

[John Marston]

don't know why you're ragging on me, it's just my opinion  My opinion: Elfman's score is  inferior (though he is still a great composer)

Edited August 12, 2013 by Robert Muldoon

[dashrendar44]

Let's see if someone can hum TDK theme 24 years after its release...

[fishstick]

GotG is going to own SW7! It's an unpopular opinion now but you just wait when both come out. GotG is going to be so much better.

[CoolioD1]

GotG is going to own SW7! It's an unpopular opinion now but you just wait when both come out. GotG is going to be so much better.

Yep, I totally wouldn't be surprised if Guardians kicks Star Wars' ass when it comes to quality. Just from the leaked snippet of gotg it looks crazy awesome and unique and while I am pretty excited for the new SW I could imagine them trying to play it as safe as possible there.

[Goffe]

Nope. B89 is real music played with real instruments by real musicians. Dynamics, variation, nuances. Something Zimmer's Batman throws out the window for loud and deafening noise that only impress people that don't know any better.

 

That's why Zimmer is the easiest mocked-up composer out there. Anyone with a computer and a music software with Orchestral VST can emulate a Zimmer-like track because those orchestrations are so poor and simple any amateur can churn out a tune made of repetitive loud droning based on 4 chords samples and post it on their youtube channel with countless comments like "Yo you totally sound like Zimmer, man, you're a genius like him!!!"

 

But ask those same people to emulate Williams style or Elfman style, suddenly it's not that easy to recreate their sound, arrangements and orchestrations with a computer because it's ten leagues above with lot of instrumentations dividing carefully melodies and counter-melodies intertwined between groups, time shifts, modulations and requires orchestration knowledge that you don't need at all if you want to fake Zimmer's style. No amount of samples on copy/paste mode will do the trick.

 

By the way, in terms of faking Zimmer's style, Zack Hemsey's Mind Heist used for Inception's track was better than any Inception track.

I think you're conviced that there's just one way to make intrumental music, like one of these people that only love old movies because they are old and the new ones are trash. just like those hipsters intellectuals

[Goffe]

unpopular opinion: this thread is da best 

[CaptainJackSparrow]

I rated the topic a 5/5. I didn't know you could rate a topic!

Edited August 12, 2013 by KingKong

[luna]

i love all sorts of experimentation in music, and i don't think film scores do enough of it. however, using zimmer as an example of this 'way of the future' is hilarious given that he's one of the most boring and generic composers out there. if you want a bit more non-traditional stuff then look toward something like american beauty, not zimmer's ambient slush or tiresome ostinatos. i don't feel as though i'm boasting when i say i could replicate most of zimmer's recent work without much problem.

[The Stingray]

By the way, in terms of faking Zimmer's style, Zack Hemsey's Mind Heist used for Inception's track was better than any Inception track.

 

For the longest time I thought the one in the trailers (Mind Heist) was Zimmer's as well. Even though I love the Inception soundtrack I can agree that Mind Heist is even better.

[ThatMovieGuy]

sorry to change subject, I don't really know where to post this but does anyone else think that the new ben stiller movie(the secret life of water mitty) looks way over-hyped, like I can see it being good just not as good as there making it out to be, I guess time will tell. anyone seen an early cut of this?

Edited August 13, 2013 by ThatMovieGuy

[The Stingray]

I got a question though, Dash. If Zimmer is such a bum composer, then how come he got 9 Academy Award nominations, including 1 win?

[dashrendar44]

I got a question though, Dash. If Zimmer is such a bum composer, then how come he got 9 Academy Award nominations, including 1 win?

 

Because Academy Awards are not the be all end all of music soundtrack quality appreciation?

 

Because The Lion King is actually a movie score with textures, theme orchestrations and variations; in short sounded like what you should expect from a real orchestral score for movies?

 

http://imnotafanboy.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/why-hans-zimmer-can-blow-me/

[The Stingray]

Because Academy Awards are not the be all end all of music soundtrack quality appreciation?

 

Because The Lion King is actually a movie score with textures, theme orchestrations and variations; in short sounded like what you should expect from a real orchestral score for movies?

 

http://imnotafanboy.wordpress.com/2010/11/15/why-hans-zimmer-can-blow-me/

 

It was just a question man. No need to deride.

[Jake Gittes]

Let's see if someone can hum TDK theme 24 years after its release...

That's surely the best quality indicator of all. Hummableness. I wouldn't say people today would be able to hum the themes from, say, Blade Runner, does that make it a lesser score?

 

I'll admit I'm no professional when it comes to music, but to me what really matters when it comes to any film score is how well it suits the film. In that respect, I think Elfman's and Zimmer's Batman scores work about equally well. Richer and more grandiose doesn't instantly mean better. I've seen TDK a dozen times and listened to the score even more, and I think it fits the movie like a glove - it's dark, intense when it needs to be and even tragic when it needs to be (mostly in the final scenes as Dent delivers his everything-has-gone-to-hell monologue). It perfectly captures the film's overall atmosphere and then transports it. In that way I don't see how it's not successful. It doesn't need to be orchestral to be good, I thought we left that line of thinking behind for good a long time ago.

 

Inception is an even better example of it (and, in my opinion, the best thing Zimmer ever did). It functions not just as a film score, but as a conceptual album. Here it doesn't simply serve the film, capturing the mood (like in TDK), it enriches it. Things like slowing Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien way down (like everything slows down in a dream) and incorporating it into the score are nothing if not inspired. Moreover, just as a film score, it gets the chance to be a lot of things - bombastic, tense, rising. triumphant, but also incredibly quiet and melancholic, almost ambient. At the same time, nothing sticks out, nothing feels out of place. 

 

As far as Zimmer's work overall and him being one-note and simplistic all the time, well I've listened to his scores for The Lion King, The Rock, Black Hawk Down, The Thin Red Line, Gladiator, Dead Man's Chest, TDK, Inception, Sherlock Holmes and Rango numerous times and if those aren't all fairly different from one another and if each and every one doesn't perfectly suit the movie then I must be from another fucking planet. I don't consider myself a fanboy, either, I know Zimmer can produce a lot of uninspired whatever-scores, as well as some total shit - it does him no favors when he's working on six films a year - but when he's game, he can be as great as anyone.