John Williams
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For better and for worse, the music of ‘Star Wars’ dominates its middle chapters
Among the many sweeping divisions that separate the original Star Wars trilogy from the Prequels is in how “used” the films feel; or to put it another way, how the Prequels don’t. The franchise’s earlier installments have endured trends of computer graphics and frenetic editing across several generations in part because George Lucas leveraged a tight production budget with rusty edges […] More
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John Williams defined a musical template with ‘Star Wars’ — and then redefined it in ‘The Phantom Menace’
The story of Star Wars may repeat, but its music tells a narrative all on its own. More
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‘Star Wars,’ ‘Indiana Jones’ composer John Williams to get AFI Life Achievement Award
One of the most recognizable movie composers of all-time is about become the very first to win an AFI Life Achievement Award. John Williams — known for his work on Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and Superman — is set to awarded the 44th AFI Life Achievement Award, the organization announced on Thursday. Previous […] More
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Listen to the ‘Jurassic Park’ theme 1000x slower
Jurassic World continues to make an absolute ton of money. People just really like to see Chris Pratt chasing dinosaurs around. And with so many people still enthralled with the nostalgia of Steven Spielberg’s classic Jurassic Park, this latest rendition of John Williams’s iconic score seems more than fitting. 1000 percent slower, Williams’s score […] More
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The 10 Most Anticipated Movie Scores of 2015
Film scores are pretty ephemeral to a large chunk of the movie-going populace, where music isn’t noticeable unless a triumphant fanfare or sweeping ballad draws enough attention to itself. So if scoring is already the film industry’s unappreciated middle child, how silly is a list about ones that haven’t been released yet? Very silly. Oftentimes, […] More
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Hey You Geeks!! Podcast #22: Dissecting the Star Wars VII Cast
Just as we did with the inaugural episode of Hey You Geeks, Episode 22 is dedicated entirely to Star Wars. With the announcement of the new cast, the release of the trailer for the new Rebels animated series, official statements on the Expanded Universe in regards to canon and a rumored title for Episode VII, […] More
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‘Jurassic Park’ and Digital vs. Film: Sound on Sight Podcast # 353
With Steven Spielberg’s landmark blockbuster Jurassic Park making a 3D-assisted comeback in theaters, Ricky, Josh and Simon take a look back in order to rank it among Spielberg’s crowd-pleasers and see how it stands the test of time, regardless of technological additives. After that, the floor is opened to a general discussion of the digital vs. film debate, sparked by the Keanu Reeves-produced and hosted doc Side by Side. (Special guest Gregory Ashman of CriticalMassCast joined us for the first chunk of the show, but had to be dropped due to a Skype issue.) More
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Five Forgotten Gems From Five Great Movie Music Composers
Anybody who has ever been to a high school reunion (and I’ve been to my share) will tell you that the calendar and the clock can be incredibly cruel (particularly when combined with the long-term effects of gravity, but let’s not go there). Time punishes creative works as well. Some work grows dated, stale, stiff. […] More
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‘Lincoln’ score is an immersive work of musical Americana
Lincoln Composed by John Williams Sony Classical November 6, 2012 From Jaws to Munich, John Williams has feasibly become the most seminal American film composer of the 20th century, creating bold and enthralling themes that have embedded their way into the audience’s collective subconscious and establishing himself as one of the true greats. So it […] More
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John Williams Scores Again
John Williams is one of the established masters of the art of film scoring. Along with the recent releases of Tintin and War Horse, some of his older scores, including Midway and 1941, have received recent digital releases. The combined listening experience is a lesson in itself: here’s how to write nuanced music that has […] More