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O ile on nie jest hejterem Newmana

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Some early notes about the Skyfall score album:
1. Very long album that drags in several places. Significant downtime and vaguely exotic atmospherics occupy entire tracks. The score cue "Skyfall" is damn near inaudible for its 2:33. Same with "Modigliani," "Enjoying Death," "Voluntary Retirement," "Close Shave," and "Someone Usually Dies." That's a lot of nearly dead airtime.
2. Bond theme not utilized fully or hinted more than a few token insertions. Only one full statement of the theme in "traditional" form (first minute of "Breadcrumbs"). Pacing in that one performance is hurried. The full fanfare for brass is not heard once on the album.
3. Tom Newman has lost the ambitious jazz and pop elements of the franchise's past and sticks to more linear action structures closer to post-2000's Hollywood norms, including standard ostinatos.
4. Action cues are largely tepid. Too few lines of activity in the orchestra on many occasions. The exception is "She's Mine," which is the Bond theme-infused cue we've heard in the train sequence, I believe.
5. There are serious flow issues with the score. The action stumbles through spurts and does not sustain itself in David Arnold fashion. The electric guitar-laden "Grand Bazaar, Istanbul" tries to emulate the usual kick-ass Arnold opening, but it doesn't feature enough ball-busting force to be effective.
6. The Adele "Skyfall" song melody is heard in masked fragments throughout (though that's possibly attributable to its close adherence to the Bond theme itself, which Newman might instead be hinting at). Only one obvious reference exists; "Komodo Dragon" is this throwback "location cue" to the Barry/Arnold formula and is, not surprisingly, the highlight of the score.
7. The mixture of symphonic, electronic, and exotic elements is very good, an action cue like "The Bloody Shot" balancing them well despite sputtering through its sequences. The lack of fluidity is a bit baffling.
8. A lot of tapped cymbal rhythms... the best alternative to the outward jazz to infuse some ambient coolness. Newman tries to use a solitary, thumping electric bass for the same purpose, but it's too muted to have much effect.
9. The score lacks its own dominant theme, and it does not clearly reference any of Arnold's ideas from the Quantum-related films.
10. Noble horn interludes, possibly for "queen and country," are an almost awkward diversion in "Voluntary Retirement" and "Mother."
11. No narrative development in the score whatsoever. No transitional location cues other than "Komodo Dragon" (and maybe "The Chimera") and no clear momentum swings or satisfying finale. Lots of stuttering crescendos. The album closes with the disappointing exotic rhythms of "Adrenaline," almost something Mychael Danna would write for a lesser drama.
12. The only romance in the score is "Severine," which is extremely underplayed. The violins seem undermixed in many cues, oddly.
13. Obviously no title song on the score-only album. This is simply unacceptable.
Overall, the score is sufficient. Parts are quite enjoyable. Newman has made an attempt to incorporate the franchise's sound with his own, but without anywhere near the same success as Arnold. Newman doesn't capture the established tone of his predecessors and really misses the mark in the romance department. There's none of the expressed turmoil and tragedy associated with the character, and the score is mostly devoid of truly gripping suspense. The action is not as snazzy as Arnold's (don't expect much wailing brass), but it suffices.
More interestingly, Newman doesn't really show any enthusiasm for the concept in this work. Much of his music here is procedural. He doesn't try particularly hard to leave his comfort zone, and that zone isn't exactly similar to the Bond sound to begin with. Arnold, on the other hand, slipped into the franchise without much alteration to his style necessary, and you could tell in each of his scores, even the poorer ones, that he loved what he was doing. He's a fan. Conversely, there is no passion from Newman. The lack of passion is devastating.
The title song easily out-classes the score. Don't be surprised if you find yourself enjoying about 10-15 minutes of Newman's action material and being bored by most of the rest. While Newman shouldn't be flogged for this entry (in fact, it might earn 3 stars from me), I suspect there will be significant fan demand for Arnold to return to the franchise.
I'm not sure when I'll get to a formal review of Skyfall... That's why I wanted to post these initial notes. Things are hectic here, and judging from the screaming in the attic at the moment, I do believe that one of my sons just pissed on the carpet. As Mitt Romney suggested in his rather humorous loss at last night's debate, I clearly need a binder full of women to help out around this place!
Christian