Sometimes They Come Back

A few years ago, if you had asked me if I'd like to have one of my favorite fandoms/franchises come back into the light, I'd have given you a resounding "yes!" Remakes, reboots, sequels, updates (for brevity: "revivals")... any of these would certainly make me happy, for one or more of the following reasons:

*A revival would signify that my fandom still had value & importance.

*A revival would potentially bring new people to the fandom, increasing its overall "value."

*Merchandise!

*Something new to watch and enjoy.

For years, it seemed like everybody else's fandoms got shiny new shows, remakes, and sequels, while my fandoms sat idly back in history, remembered by few and forgotten by most. My brother's favorite franchises, in particular, always seemed to be thriving. He liked James Bond (currently at 26 films), Star Wars (8-odd films, with more to come), and Star Trek (currently clocking in at 12 movies and 6 shows).



My fandoms didn't produce as much material, and certainly not as often as my brother's did. Mine also went through some serious dry spells. My fandoms have included Lois & Clark (canceled in 1997), Mystery Science Theater 3000 (canceled in 1999), The Pretender (2001), Harry Potter (last book in 2007; last movie in 2011), DuckTales (canceled in 1990), Indiana Jones (a 19-year film gap between films III and IV), Nancy Drew (mediocre TV movie in 2002, rotten film in 2007), Beauty and the Beast, Back To The Future, Anne Of Green Gables, Full House, and Pride & Prejudice.

Back To The Future, one my favorites (both as a kid and a young adult), had two sequels (1989 & 1990) as well as an animated TV series, so that was fortunate for us fans. I also loved Beauty and the Beast (1991), which... um, well, also had 2 sequels (horrific abominations that they are.) Another fave of mine, My Girl (1991) got a sequel in 1994, which I really liked. On the other hand, Father Of The Bride, a favorite go-to film of my preteen years, had a less-desirable sequel of its own in 1995. Father Of The Bride Part 2 may have been my first indication, at the tender age of 15, that revivals aren't always great.

Eeeek!

Then there are remakes & updates. The two that stand out for me are The Parent Trap (original: 1961/remake: 1998) and Freaky Friday (original: 1976, remakes: 1995 and 2003). Both of the original films had a fun premise, but by the 90's, it was clear the earlier versions needed updating. The original Parent Trap has a weird, sort of flippant encounter with domestic violence, and the girls dancing to Annette Funicello records is just a bit too old-fashioned to even be quaint. The original Freaky Friday mom is stuck in an antiquated female role (Dishwashing! Cleaning! Mending! Baking!) and seems to like it, while the dad is a sexist douche. Annabel's friends say things like "far out" and one is literally named Bambi. FF's two updates both did a fair job, though I won't be surprised if another Freaky Friday comes along in the 2020s.

This is how it tended to go for most of my life. Every few years, there'd be some kind of fandom-related revival to look forward to. Even if the final product itself wasn't great, the revival could pave the way for something better. Like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. The movie may have been a bummer, but its release prompted a lot of cool merchandise, including multiple LEGO sets and video games.

But within the past couple of years, something strange has been happening with my fandoms. In a short time period -- the last two years, in fact -- a bunch of my fandoms have come swarming back from the land of relative obscurity and into the limelight. Crashing, more like. All at once. So much for that "every few years" thing....


2016 & 2017

• DuckTales: After Treasure Of The Lost Lamp in 1990, DT had a 23-year dry spell. In 2013, they remade the video game (DuckTales Remastered). Now -- oh what the heck -- they're rebooting the freaking show!!

• Anne Of Green Gables revivals are rampant these days. Admittedly, it seems like Kevin Sullivan releases some new Anne-related product every time there's a new moon, but not counting him, just in the last decade we've had books (Before Green Gables and Looking For Anne Of Green Gables), a movie (PBS's Anne Of Green Gables, with 2 sequels planned), and a Netflix series (Anne With An 'E'). Those last two came out within the last eight months. Two entirely independent productions about the same fiery Canadian redhead in less than a year!

I'm thinking of climbing a wild cherry tree to get away from it all...

• Full House: Only in my wildest teenage dreams could that show have come back, but it has -- as Fuller House for Netflix. It premiered in February, 2016. With 90% of the original cast on board, it is already filming season 3. I don't like it, but... it's there.

• Mystery Science Theater 3000: I could have never imagined it would be back. I resigned myself to enjoying Rifftrax in all its humorous glory. But... they brought it back. The actual show. I mean, there's a new Joel/Mike character, and the bots sound different, and Tom Servo can, um, fly now? But it's still shadows in a theater making fun of cheesy movies, as if they've been carrying on that way for 18 years, no big deal.

Finally, there's...

• Beauty and the Beast. I loved the original. Top 3 films of all time. For years I had wanted, and thought about, a live-action version. Probably ever since they did those live-action 101 Dalmatian movies with Glenn Close in the 90s. I imagined this new BATB being darker than the original, more adult. Angsty. Romantic. Heart-wrenching. Beautiful.

Y u no luv me?

Well, I do know some people who loved it!

Just the other day, it was announced that the 90's cartoon series Animaniacs may be coming back. While that show wasn't one of my personal favorites, it was important to people I know. Maybe those people are currently feeling excited. Or maybe they're feeling the way I am. Which is...

NO. STOP. LEAVE IT ALONE. BACK AWAY, HOLLYWOOD. PUT DOWN THE CAMERA. BACK, I SAY!

*Backs away slowly*

*Hides under a pop culture-less rock*

Anticipatory Delight

I did it again. I dreamed about the live action Beauty and the Beast movie last night. This time, Belle was searching for her father in the open ocean, gliding through the calm, navy-blue water while ethereal voices offered whispered guidance and clues to his whereabouts.

Yeah, I've dreamed about this movie at least twice, now. 

I think I might be excited.

Of course, with excitement comes anxiety. What if I have all this anticipation, and then don't like the film? What if it's terrible, and my hopes are dashed, and I feel like Gaston after his proposal to Belle, sloshing around in the mud with a pig on my head?

I'm not a film buff; in fact, I rarely go to the theaters anymore. But every once in a while I'll get excited about an upcoming film. Maybe the movie is based on a book I've enjoyed. Perhaps it's part of a franchise I care about. Or maybe it stars someone I like.

Recently I got to thinking about some of the movies I've looked forward to over the years. Did the film meet (or even exceed) my expectations? Was it a dud? So I brainstormed a list of about two dozen films from the past 20 years that I have, at some point, been excited about, and have now seen. For each one, I've rated what my excitement level was prior to the film's opening. That scale can be seen here:


Molly's Excitement Scale

0- Not interested. In which case, it wouldn't be on this list, so...

1- I was aware of the movie and looking forward to seeing it.

2- I was pretty excited. Watching trailers, keeping an eye on casting, production, etc.

3- I was super excited! Tried to be there on opening weekend!


Also, ratings-wise:

👏 - Exceeded expectations.

👍 - Met expectations.

👎 - Did not meet expectations and/or hold up over time.



The Movies

• Titanic (1997)

Excitement Level: 1. I'd seen the trailer and thought, "I want to see that." 

After Seeing The Film: LOVED IT! It was one of my favorite films for quite a while.  👏

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Excitement Level: 3. I watched every interview and read every article I could.

After Seeing The Film: I really enjoyed it. Saw it twice in theaters, in fact. Was a little disappointed by some of the changes from the book. I'd also wished they'd filmed it sequentially, as Daniel Radcliffe's appearance and voice slightly change back and forth during the film (yay adolescence!) But otherwise, I was quite happy. Expectations met. 👍

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Excitement Level: 3. The momentum from the first movie was still going strong a year later.

After Seeing The Film: I may not have liked this one quite as much as the first, but what the heck, Harry Potter rules! 👍

• Subsequent Harry Potter Films (2004-2011)

Excitement Level: 2. I still went and saw most of them in the theaters, but I think the 1.5-year gaps between some of the films slowed the excitement momentum. 

After Seeing The Films: I enjoyed all of them to varying degrees. The last two (Deathly Hallows) are probably my favorites. 👍

• Freaky Friday (2003)

Excitement Level: 1. I was a fan of the Jodie Foster version, and was interested to see how they updated the story.

After Seeing The Film: Not bad, really, though I don't think I've seen this since about 2005. 👍

• Peter Pan (2003)

Excitement Level: 2. I heard about the movie about a year before it came out. I followed the production, watched trailers, etc.

After Seeing The Film: LOVED IT! 👏

• Ella Enchanted (2004) 

Excitement Level: 2. I was a fan of Anne Hathaway. After I found out she was making this movie, I read the book and really enjoyed it. I remember dreaming about this movie before it came out, too, with dreams about them messing it up.

After Seeing The Film: I liked it upon first viewing, but after re-reading the book and then re-watching the movie, it finally clicked that they are so different. Different as in... the book is good and the movie is not. I tried re-watching the movie a few months ago and couldn't even get through half. 👍/👎

• The Princess Diaries 2 (2004)

Excitement Level: 1. Well, I'd enjoyed the first Princess Diaries movie, so the second would be more of the same, right?

After Seeing The Film: False. It was terrible. I mean, I recall enjoying it the first time I saw it, but it's really quite awful. 👎

• The Polar Express (2004)

Excitement Level: 2. A long time ago in a decade far, far away, I really liked director Robert Zemeckis. He had done four films in a row that I enjoyed (Forrest Gump, Contact, What Lies Beneath, and Cast Away) and I was looking forward to his next offering, which was The Polar Express. There was a four-year dry spell between this film and his previous one, so my anticipation kept growing.

After Seeing The Film: I liked it well enough. I don't rewatch it all that often, but it's a fine holiday film. 👍

• Superman Returns (2006)

Excitement Level: 1. It's interesting, because although I have been a fan of Superman for over half my life, in 2006 we already had Smallville on the air (which I didn't care for) and, perhaps because of that, I couldn't seem to get too excited for this new version of Superman. Sure, I would give it a shot, but I went into it without knowing much about it.

After Seeing The Film: I really liked it! Fun fact: the movie makes a lot more sense if you've (recently) seen the first two Christopher Reeve films beforehand. Good to know... now. 👏

• Nancy Drew (2007)

Excitement Level: 1. I do enjoy those classic books, and have always wished for a good film adaptation. (The 2002 TV-movie was okay.)

After Seeing The Film: Super sadface. I didn't like it at all. 👎

• Beowulf (2007)

Excitement Level: 1. This was Robert Zemeckis's next directorial offering after The Polar Express.

After Seeing The Film: Um, well, that was the last Robert Zemeckis movie I ever saw in theaters.... 👎

• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

Excitement Level: 2. Indiana Jones IV was "in development" forever, so of course when it actually went into production, I was stoked. But as opening day approached, I was a little fearful. I mean, I'd disliked Temple Of Doom, so it was feasible that I'd dislike this Indy film, too. At any rate, it couldn't be better than Last Crusade (one of my favorite films), because that would take a miracle.

After Seeing The Film: The miracle did not happen. At least I liked Crystal Skull slightly better than Temple Of Doom.... But mostly I didn't like it. 👎

• Twilight (2008)

Excitement Level: 3. Let's be honest... I mainly wanted to see this because it was filmed in our area and I my car was a background extra in it. I tried reading the book first and couldn't get through it. But I followed the news and the countdowns and everything.

After Seeing The Film: It was okay, I thought then. I even went and saw New Moon a year later. But I can't sit through it anymore. This film is sooo bland and dumb. 👍/👎

• Ramona and Beezus (2010)

Excitement Level: 3. I've been a fan of Ramona since grade school, and I enjoyed the 80's TV series. I was happy the characters were coming to the big screen. This is another movie that seemed to be in development for a long time, giving me ample time to obsess over it.

After Seeing The Film: I really liked it for what it was. It won't make any AFI lists, but it's a worthy adaptation of the books, and a sweet family-oriented film. 👍

• Tangled (2010)

Excitement Level: 1. Even as a kid I'd hoped Disney would do a version of Rapunzel.

After Seeing The Film: I enjoyed it about as much as I've enjoyed any non-Pixar movie Disney has put out in the last 20 years. It had its good points, it had its meh. I wasn't disappointed, but it didn't become my new favorite Disney film or anything. 👍

• Robin Hood (2010)

Excitement Level: 2. I love the character of Robin Hood, but Russell Crowe? Ick! What to do?

After Seeing The Film: What to do was see it anyway. And say, "hey, that wasn't so bad." 👍

• Tiger Eyes (2012)

Excitement Level: 2. This was one of my favorite books. With any book-to-movie adaptation, one worries that it won't be done right.

After Seeing The Film: There are a few things I would've done differently, but overall it was a nice film and a pretty good adaptation. 👍

• The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Excitement Level: 2. I had seen the previous two Nolan Batman films on DVD, and I'd enjoyed them (especially Batman Begins). As the third movie in the trilogy approached, my excitement grew.

After Seeing The Film: It was fine, but I've never been compelled to re-watch it. 👍

• Man Of Steel (2013)

Excitement Level: 2. I had been hoping for a sequel to Superman Returns, and I knew that this wasn't going to be one, but rather a reboot. Still, it was Superman. I had to check it out.

After Seeing The Film: I wanted to leave the theater halfway in. Sigh. Figured I'd give the sequel (Dawn Of Justice) a chance if I heard good reviews first. Did not hear good reviews. I don't think I'll be revisiting this franchise until the next reboot. 👎

• The Giver (2014)

Excitement Level: 2. I'd read the book a few times and enjoyed it. I follow Lois Lowry on Twitter, so I was aware of the production (which seemed to take forever).

After Seeing The Film: A few differences from the book (notably that the characters are older) but I was pretty satisfied with it. I could have done without the Taylor Swift cameo, though. 👍

• Pan (2015)

Excitement Level: 1. Back in 2003 I was super excited for Peter Pan and then ended up loving it. So I was looking forward to this... until I kept hearing not-so-great things. It even got its premiere date pushed back, which is rarely a good sign. (Well, it worked for Titanic, but....) I finally saw it on cable a few months ago.

After Seeing The Film: I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU COULD RUIN PETER PAN!!!! 

Which is to say I didn't like it. 👎

• Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Excitement Level: 3

After Seeing The Film:

(Written on 3/19/17)

*Expectations met.

*It's not better than the original, but it was fine.

*There are moments that slightly improve on the animated version and ones that tried to improve on the original, but didn't work.

*Hierarchy = Animated Film > Broadway Show > Live-Action Film > > > > > >  The Straight-To-Video Sequels.

*Why were there so many other couplings trying to happen in the movie, huh? Focus on Belle & the Beast, please!

*Gaston using a gun instead of a bow & arrow or a knife was kind of... loud.

*Philippe is a gorgeous animal and there should be more Disney horses, thank you.

*SO MUCH ROCOCO

*Emma Watson's singing voice is very nice.

*Yeah I teared up during the titular song, WHAT?

*I liked Maurice, but wish he'd been slightly kookier.

*Guillotine joke circa Be Our Guest was amusing.

*The Enchanted Book element seemed unnecessary and kind of weird. But also, kind of cool?

*👍

Beastly Musings

I can't exactly say why I've decided to do a feature on Beauty and the Beast. Oh. I mean... it might be because I love it. Which may be because I'm a romantic sap at heart. Or maybe because it's the best Disney film ever! (Take that, Aladdin!) Alas, it has been given the sequel treatment. One of these days I'll actually rent those and write a Woe Column about them. But for now, I shall focus on the original movie.

Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991. I was eleven at the time and saw it one time in the theater. I also bought the video the day it was released. By age 13, I had memorized the entire freaking flick. I currently own the video, the DVD, the movie soundtrack, the Broadway soundtrack (I also saw the musical in 2001), a sounds book, sheet music, a Golden book, 2 special edition Cornflakes boxes, a musical snowglobe, a stuffed Beast, and I have no idea what else. So you could either consider me an almost-expert or an almost-wacko. But either way, if you're reading this column, I assume you must have some interest in the film. Which is why I'll unapologetically continue...

My cousin and I used to have a shared love for the movie. From ages 12-14 we would often playact and involve the B&TB characters. This is very complicated, so don't expect to understand. All I really remember about it is that we called Belle "Belle" but referred to the prince as "Prince Ug." As in ugly. As in, give me back the beast, this guy's a freak! Seriously. I know it sounds weird, but at age 11 or whatever, we thought the prince was better off as a furry, clawed-and-pawed creature than the "man" he became at the end of the film. Recently I have come to realize that he isn't really that bad. Just the way they make him turn around... I mean, look...

"He's a man!"

"Eh?"

"Ugh!"

"Oh, the sight! It's blinding! Don't look directly at it!"


I mean, check out Belle's reaction...

I think that says it all. (Ahem, note the pix are (c)Disney & the people who drew them. You know that.) So basically even Belle is immediately turned off by the sheer horror of this guy. But wait! He gets increasingly more attractive (well, and more cartoon-like) as the film progresses (ok, so there are like 2 minutes left in the film by that point...) and, quite frankly, I'm all for the Beast becoming human again. Now he and Belle can kiss without the possibility of fang damage to the girl. It's a happy ending for all!

A lot of people have had some -- how shall I say this -- issues with the film. Mostly there's the whole "how old is the Beast?" debate, which stems from the fact that, at the beginning of the movie, the narrator says the rose will bloom until the Beast's "twenty-first year." Since the rose drops its final petal during the course of the film (gee, hope that wasn't a spoiler for you), the Beast is, what, 20? 21? (Ah, a youngun. I feel so old.) However, during the Be Our Guest song, Lumiere delivers the line "ten years we've been rusting!" which suggests that he's been a candlestick for 10 years, or perhaps, just in service to the antisocial prince/Beast for 10 years. And if he's been a candlestick for 10 years, that means the prince was only 10 or 11 years old when he turned the old beggar woman/echantress away. Which doesn't make any sense at all, because in the stained glass windows and in the portrait of the prince that the Beast has a claw-party on,

the prince is clearly not that young. Plus, what kind of enchantress (not that I know a whole lot about enchantresses) would punish an 11-year-old kid like that? Kind of rude. Oh, and the other thing of issueness is Chip, the little teacup. When he returns to his human state, he's not more than five years old. So unless he was born a teacup (okay, then, where's Mr. Potts? Yeoch.), he can't have been like that for more than 5 years.

Which leads me to... my theory! (Yayyy, she's getting to her point finally!) Okay, remember when Maurice leaves town to go back and get Belle? From that point, it seems like days or even weeks pass at the castle. Belle and the Beast fall in love, play in the snow, and have their dance. If you want to buy into the sequels, they even have Christmas and a wide variety of other adventures during that time. Yet, after the ballroom dance scene, Belle looks into the magical mirror to see Maurice lying in the snow. He hasn't been back to his house, we know, because Lefou is there staking the place out. So Maurice has been lying in the snow, or tromping through the snow, for weeks? Um no... he may he a spry old man, but even spry old men will turn into Popsicles after awhile. And, you know, die and stuff. So we have two possibilities. A) Maurice is really from the planet Krypton and didn't bother to tell us or B) Maurice was only out there, like, a day. But if weeks passed in the castle, then that must mean... time seems to pass differently in the castle! Why not? It's enchanted, after all. Shut up, it's possible! This would explain a few other things too.

Okay, let's say that the prince got turned into a beast when he was 18, and he falls in love with Belle when he's 21. He's been a beast for three years. Everyone in the castle has been an object for 3 years. But it has seemed longer to everyone in the castle. Lumiere thinks it has been 10 years because he has seen 10 winters/springs/summers/autumns pass. But so what? Maybe the weather in the vicinity of the castle, thanks to the spell, is unnaturally freaky. Maybe the castle residents have seen 10 winters and maybe their days and nights are a bit wacky, too. So basically the residents of the castle age according to outside time, but they have more time than outside time, within the castle. So the prince has only aged 3 years according to outside time, but it has felt like longer. And Chip was turned into a teacup when he was, perhaps, 2, and is now 5.

Well... I guess it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, unless, of course, you're me. Oh well. Hey, so I have some other fun Beauty and the Beast stuff for you. Let's talk about Gaston.

I used to like Gaston a whole lot. Not sure why, exactly... maybe because he could scale rooftops without breaking a sweat... or because he suffered from a case of unrequited love... you gotta sympathize. So for a while I was convinced that there should be a new sequel, titled: Beauty & The Beast: Gaston's Revenge, in which we discover that Gaston survived the plunge into the ravine (maybe he landed in the water, and hey, he's tough!), climbed his way back out, and has been stalking Belle and Prince Dijon (I named him that. It's French. Hey, it's better than "Ug," okay?), and is crazy-angry that Belle and Dijon are now married. So he plots his revenge, kidnaps Belle, and then there's a duel... because there always needs to be a duel... and, in the end, realizes he's just a big loser, and marries one of the ditz triplets.

But happy endings just aren't to be had. While watching the commentary on the DVD, I learned about this little frame...

... skulls, man. Skulls. I'm sorry, folks, but you just can't argue with something like this. Gaston is undoubtedly no more. There's just no denying it. It's so sad... but really, Gaston lost all my lovin' after I realized what an utter jerk he was for stabbing the beast... I mean, anger is one thing, but violence is quite rude.

Another thing I discovered while watching the commentary was that they had to change some of the artwork in the film when they did the special edition. So if you have the DVD and watch the original scene with the Beast getting towel-dried, you'll see this...

br />
...and if you watch the same scene on the extended/special edition track, you'll see this...

Mainly because in that Human Again song on the special edition track, the castle objects tidy his room; whereas in the original film, they're lazy slackers and they don't. Oh, but get this. The DVD has one thing that bothers me. There's a scene on the VHS tape (and, as I've heard, on the version they air on TV) where the Beast stutters -- it's during the scene where he's in the dungeon talking to Belle.

VHS version: "You wanna-wanna stay in the tower?"

DVD version ("original" and special edition): "You wanna stay in the tower?"

Now, I may be off, here, but I think that when a girl has spent 10 years hearing a track where the Beast stutters in that spot, you should not go and take the stuttering out... even if it was an audio flaw. Obviously it annoyed somebody at Disney, and that's why it was changed, but really. Oooh, or maybe they got complaints from a speech-impediment organization. Cuz, you know, complaints are why they changed the wording in the "Arabian Nights" song from Aladdin and changed the sort-of-sexually-suggestive clamshell Little Mermaid box. Oh, heck. I don't even care why they did it, but I think it's dumb. The Beast has practically just laid eyes on a woman who he will soon call "beautiful" and, you know, fall in love with. If he wants to stutter, let him stutter.

And that, folks, is all I have to say about Beauty and the Beast for now... hope you enjoyed. Now go watch it.


(Originally published on my website AlligatorJuice.com on April 12, 2003.)

Good Idea/Bad Idea - Disney-Style

Back when Disney's Beauty and the Beast was being made, a song was written for, but ultimately not included in, the film. When the film was adapted into a Broadway show, the song was included on that program. That song, "Human Again," is a sweeping musical number sung by the castle's enchanted objects. They lament about their current state (as... objects) and sing about how they hope Belle breaks the spell so they can get back to business. The song proved so popular on Broadway that, when the film was re-released for Imax ten years after its initial debut, it now included an all-new scene featuring "Human Again," new animation, and some additional dialogue between Belle and the Beast. When the DVD was released, viewers were given a choice between watching the original version of the film, or the "Special Edition" with "Human Again" seamlessly put in.

I've been a fan of Beauty and the Beast since age 11, and had watched my VHS of it many, many times. I bought that DVD the second it was available. I watched the version with "Human Again" and liked it so much that, now, I nearly always watch the film with that scene included. It's a great song, and it adds an extra -- but not intrusive -- dimension to the film.

Since that seemed to work out for audiences, Disney decided to do something similar when they released Pocahontas on DVD. There was this song, "If I Never Knew You." And it's a really great song. They got pop artists to do a rendition of it to play over the end credits, but the song wasn't in the actual film. While the lyrics fit with the theme of the movie, the scene it was intended for just... didn't work. Test audiences, it seems, didn't go for it. It dragged things down. And so it was cut.

But hey... why not reinstate it, animate a scene for it, and get John Smith and Pocahontas to sing it to each other?

Lord have mercy, that's terrible. Is that really Mel Gibson singing? If so, the man needs vocal training, stat. Even The Poc sounds off. And I'm sorry, guys, but those tent walls aren't soundproof... there are probably two very bewildered guards standing outside of it, covering their ears. STOP. JUST STOP.

So, to summarize:

Human Again, sung in and around the castle by the enchanted objects? Good Idea.

If I Never Knew You, sung inside a tent while a weak-voiced John Smith is tied to a pole? Bad idea.

Very bad idea.

My Top 14: Film Scores

I love film scores. I love the way the music makes me feel while watching a film, and then later, when I'm merely listening to the music on its own, how it can transport me back to that theater. I love how it can stir my emotions. Movie music really is a glorious thing. 

So it is with great pleasure (and a little apprehension) that I present my own personal list of my Top 14 film scores. Why the apprehension? I'm afraid I've forgotten some. I'm worried you all won't love them as much as I do. But then, I guess it's all a matter of taste. These are my favorites. So let's begin.

P.S. Be sure to click on the links after each movie. (Links last verified on 8/12/13). They'll send you to samples of the music itself, and I've selected my favorite pieces from the soundtracks, so I'd definitely recommend a listen.

Okay, here we go.


My Top 14: Film Scores

*   *   *   *   *
#14

Nicholas Nickleby (2002)



music by Rachel Portman

This film's music is delightful and beautiful. The only problem? The movie isn't! Yeah, it's Dickens, so it's dark, it's sad, and it's a bit depressing. So what's with the cheerful music that suggests the endless frolicking of woodland nymphs? I'm not exactly sure -- but I still like to listen to it! (Portman did something similar with her score to 1996's Emma, so the number below may sound a bit familiar to fans of that film.)

Main Titles
End Titles

*   *   *   *   *
#13

Flight of the Navigator (1986)

music by Alan Silvestri

On its own, I guess Flight of the Navigator's music isn't anything to write home about. It's synth-heavy and pretty much the exact opposite of what you'd expect from a sweeping film score. (I like to think Mr. Silvestri, better known for his score from Forrest Gump, had a really fun time making this one.) That said, when paired with the film -- a great, sci-fi family movie that packs an emotional punch -- the music is spot-on. It makes me delightfully happy and nostalgic.

Robot Romp
Have To Help A Friend

*   *   *   *   *
#12

My Girl (1991) and My Girl 2 (1994)

music by James Newton Howard (1) and Cliff Eidelman (2)

These two themes -- by different composers -- share a similar sweetness. The films -- made two and half years apart -- are quite different from one another. But in the end, they're both about a young girl searching for answers. I love both pieces because they're melodious and gentle, with a little essence-of-childhood-fun thrown in. I do wish the scores for these films had been made available in their entirety, but I'll take the themes if nothing else. All in all, two of my favorite little numbers from two of my favorite movies as a teen.

My Girl: Vada's Theme 
Theme From My Girl 2

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#11

Tuck Everlasting (2002)

music by William Ross

Beautiful music graces this film, music that features whistling, upbeat Irish melodies, and the sounds of a tiny music box. And I know I'm not the only fan of this score -- barely two years after the movie came out, the soundtrack went out of print and the price shot up to nearly $100 per (used) CD! Fortunately, if you've got the DVD, the music plays over many of the title screens, which means you can listen to it to your heart's content.

The Wheel/Treegap

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#10

Beauty and the Beast (1991)



music by Alan Menken

Sure, everyone knows about "Be Our Guest," "Gaston," and the title number, but the unheralded stars of the film are its instrumental pieces. The official soundtrack has five of them: To The Fair, West Wing, The Beast Lets Belle Go, Battle On The Tower, and Transformation. The latter is my favorite: what a range of emotions that one covers! Which is to say it makes me cry. Yeah.

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#9

Dear Frankie (2005)

music by Alex Heffes

If I was merely putting together a list of beautiful soundtracks, this would likely take the #1 spot. I really, really love it. A gorgeous score for a sweet film.

The Final Letter

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#8

Rudy (1993)

music by Jerry Goldsmith

Rudy's a fine film, a feel-good type of underdog-beating-the-odds story. Its main title is pretty and delicate, and makes a great piano piece. The track Spring Training, on the other hand, will make you stand up and cheer. Jerry, we miss you, we really do.

Main Theme

Spring Training

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#7

Hook (1991)

music by John Williams

So one thing about John Williams is that he sometimes just rehashes his own work, which means the soundtracks to two different movies he's done will sound eerily similar. But when he's on his A-game, he brings it home. And Hook has a stellar soundtrack. Maybe the movie itself hasn't held up that well. (Yeah, I own it, it's corny.) But the music has. Who cares if John W. "borrowed" from it when he composed the scores for Home Alone 2 and Harry Potter? Not I! (Okay, maybe a little.) His themes from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Superman, and E.T. may be more iconic, but Hook is the one that gets my heart racing. Laugh if you must.

Remembering Childhood

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#6

Peter Pan (2003)

music by James Newton Howard

I saw this film in the theater on opening day, and the music lodged itself into my brain and stayed for months. I ended up going back to the theater three more times just to get my fix (well, I loved the film, too). I may have over-listened to the soundtrack back in '04, because it doesn't give me quite the same thrill these days, but it is really fantastic. Flying, Fairy Dance, and I Do Believe In Fairies are favorites. Annnd now I want to go watch the film again.

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#5

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

music by Elmer Bernstein

I've noticed that a lot of older movies (pre-1970) have this sort of old-timey quality to their music, with violins playing loudly but slowly, blended with the sounds of a choir, people in white robes with cropped hair and/or pompadours who you figure are probably all dead now. To Kill A Mockingbird manages to avoid this, with music that sounds rather modern (or has just held up remarkably well). It's beautiful and fits the story, a story of childhood, (in)justice, and innocence lost. And even though the music and the film are fifty years old, they're every bit as wonderful today as they ever were. (As is the book, which you should go read immediately.)

Main Title

Roll The Tire

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#4

The Goonies (1985)



music by Dave Grusin

This is one of those films that you probably only enjoy if you first saw it (and liked it) as a kid. Well, I did. And whenever I hear most any piece of music from the film -- whether it's the scene with the wishing well or the reunion on the beach or whatever -- I get immensely nostalgic. But it's more than that. Like I said, I get nostalgic over Flight of the Navigator's music, too, and that one's lower on the list. The Goonies is just a really, really good soundtrack, full of exciting, great music that lends itself to a fun film.

End Theme
Fratelli Chase (and others)

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#3

Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (1991)

music by Michael Kamen

There's a reason people keep borrowing the Robin Hood overture to use for their trailers, commercials and montages: it's epic. And yet, who ever really remembers what movie it's from, the way you might if you heard the Star Wars theme? Trust, it's from this movie, and this movie is just plain fun. Swordfights, romance, badass archery-doings, and a whole lot of Alan Rickman being campy and evil. Gotta love it.

Overture
Training

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#2

Back to the Future (1985)



music by Alan Silvestri

I've seen BTTF roughly a hundred times, and I never get sick of the music. Alan Silvestri did something with this movie that I do not believe he's done since (except maybe with BTTF III). We all know he's great at making sweet melodies and feel-good orchestral numbers, but BTTF's music is feel-good with a shot of kick-ass and a gallonful of hell yeah. If this music doesn't get your blood pumping rapidly, then... I'm sorry, but you're probably dead.

Overture
Main Title

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#1

The Man In The Iron Mask (1998)



music by Nick Glennie-Smith

I'll admit it: I was one of those girls who went and saw this movie in 1998 after falling for Leonardo Dicaprio in Titanic. I mean, why else would I care about the Three Musketeers-as-middle-aged dudes? I couldn't even tell Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich apart! But I went and saw it, and I found myself getting into the whole swashbuckling saga. I also remember how much I loved the music. Some years later, I got the soundtrack, and it's one I can listen to repeatedly. Nick Glennie-Smith did an amazing job on this one.

All For One (be sure to listen all the way to the end!) is my favorite and Training To Be King is another good one. Which brings up an interesting question: why do so many of my favorite tracks have the word "training" in the title?

Eh, forget it.

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So that's my list. I know I've probably forgotten one and may have to revise this later, but for now....

Honorable Mentions: Dances With Wolves, Batman Begins, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Princess Bride, Harry Potter 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8, Ever After, Anne Of Green Gables, Forrest Gump, Now & Then, E.T., Back to the Future III, Contact, Superman, Superman Returns, Mary Poppins, The Secret Garden (1993), Attila, The Natural, The Game Of Their Lives, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Pirates of the Caribbean, A Little Princess (1995), The Lion King, Little Women (1994)

There's A Trope For That - Week of March 4

This week's trope: The Smurfette Principle

"The Smurfette Principle is the tendency for works of fiction to have exactly one female amongst an ensemble of male characters, in spite of the fact that roughly half of the human race is female. Unless a show is purposefully aimed at a female viewing audience, the main characters will tend to be disproportionately male. 

In many series, men will have various different personalities, but women will always be The Chick. Thus, by the Law of Conservation of Detail , you only need one."

Even as a little kid, I noticed this happening in a lot of the shows I watched. 

The Muppet Show: 

Males: Kermit, Fozzy, Rowlf, Animal, Gonzo, Skeeter, Waldorf and Statler, Swedish Chef, Beaker, Bunson

Female: Miss Piggy*

MASH:

(yeah I watched MASH!)

Males: Hawkeye, Klinger, B.J. Hunnicut, Major Winchester, Father Francis, Colonel Potter, Radar

Female: Hotlips Houlihan*

Ducktales:

Males: Scrooge, Launch Pad, Gyro, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Duckworth, The Beagle Boys, Flinthart Glomgold; later, Bubba and Fenton/Gizmoduck.

Females: Mrs. Beakley and Webbigail; Ma Beagle and Magica DeSpell occasionally.

But where was I? Oh yeah. So it never really bothered me. Having just one regular female on the show meant that that person was special. Translation: girls are special and awesome. They are SO awesome that if there was any more than one per show, the TV set would... um... explode, I guess.

Of course, there were exceptions. The Cosby Show was female-heavy, at least until Martin and Elvin joined the cast, evening things up a bit. Then, Martin also brought with him Olivia, so at that point the main cast included four males (Cliff, Theo, Martin, Elvin) and six females (Clair, Sondra, Denise, Vanessa, Rudy, Olivia). 4:6... not too bad of a ratio, there.
 

-MORE EXAMPLIFYING-

As a teenager, my favorite show, Lois & Clark, went crazily male-centric at the end of the first season after Tracy Scoggins (Cat) left the show. Lois, the lone female, was surrounded by Clark, Perry, Jimmy, Jack, and Lex Luthor (count: 1 female, 5 males.) By the beginning of season 2, Jack and Lex were gone, but that still left things at 3:1, and adding Clark's parents to the mix (they appeared in roughly 59% of the episodes) still put it at 4:2. And that's if you don't count Superman as an additional character, but then, why should we? All it is is a costume. Right? RIGHT?

Another favorite, The Pretender, had Jarod, Sydney, Broots, Mr. Raines, Mr. Parker and Mr. Lyle vs. Miss Parker (whose very presence, granted, was equivalent to several members of humankind) and occasionally the awful Brigitte. 6:2. I guess you could count Miss Parker's mother as another female, but then why not also count Angelo? Or Jacob? Or Sam the Sweeper? Or DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I'M EVEN TALKING ABOUT, no you probably do not, I am totally talking to myself, here.

SO ANYWAY!

Let's examine my current favorite shows for male/female proportionality!

Community: It was pretty even... four males, three females... until Chang and the Dean joined the regular cast; now it's 6:3.

Downton Abbey: Ha, I jest, this one is swarming with females. Lord Grantham's got all daughters. Plus a wife. Plus a mother. Plus there's Matthew's mother. And a slew of maids and things.

Oh crap! I just realized most of my favorite movies are male-heavy! (I don't know why I'm saying oh crap. I think I've already said I don't care if males outnumber the ladies. BUT ANYWAY...)

Beauty and the Beast

Males: Beast, Gaston, LeFou, Maurice, Cogsworth, Lumiere, Chip, Philippe, Monsieur D'Arque (Total: 9)

Females: Belle, Mrs. Potts, the wardrobe with six lines, the featherduster? I guess? (Total: 4, and that's being generous.)

Back to the Future

Males: Marty, Doc, Dave, George, Biff/Griff/Buford/Whoever, Biff's 3 cronies, Strickland (Total: 9)

Females: Lorraine, Clara (arguably a strong character, but only in the third film), Linda, and Jennifer, who is parked on a porch swing and left to rot for a movie & a half. (Total: 3.56)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Males: Indy, Henry, Salla, Marcus, Walter Donovan, the Nazi general, the grail knight, Kazim (Total: 8)

Females: Elsa. And, um, well the only others I can remember appearing in the movie at all are the Nazi who yells "alarm!" at the castle and the random extra who holds up her ticket on the zeppelin. (Total: 1.002)

Dang, that may be the worst one yet!

 In conclusion, NONE OF THIS MATTERS ONE IOTA, and goodnight.

*Yes, I know there were a few minor female characters who sometimes showed up and were all "hi, other female here," but let's face it, nobody cares about them.

And for once it might be grand...

Okay, I'm all into Beauty and the Beast again. I say "again" because this comes in regular cycles. 2012 has been a good year for BATB. The Broadway show, the 3D theatrical release... I reckon it won't be long before I'm lovingly stroking the DVD and dancing around the house to Be Our Guest. But until then, here's a little snippet from my dad's journals regarding me, my cousin Emily, my brother Stan, and my mom Carol.

"January 1, 1992:

Emily stayed overnight with Molly and this afternoon we all went to see 'Beauty and the Beast,' a really fun movie, as it turned out. Molly & Emily bought a huge tub of popcorn & drinks for themselves & Stan. When Carol asked Stan why they did that for him, he replied, "Because they're loving cousins and sisters!""

It's funny how my New Year's resolutions back then were along the lines of "be nice," and they lasted roughly 24 hours.

Beauty and the Beast

The last time Broadway's Beauty and the Beast came to Portland, I was 21 years old, we had the cheapest seats we could find, and somehow it did not occur to me to wear my glasses to the performance. As a result, the stage was a big blur, and while I enjoyed the music, I told myself that the next time BATB was in town, I would have a better seat, darnit!

I was certain the show would be back in four years. It had been there in 1997, and there we were in 2001, and so, I assumed it would return in 2005. But alas, it was not to be.

In the meantime, I wore out the soundtrack. I loved it for its "new" songs, including the poignant, angsty If I Can't Love Her, sung by the Beast. I didn't really mind the differences between the musical's soundtrack and the film's (which I also loved to listen to). Aside from the new songs added to the musical, there were some lyric changes and some dialogue changes (like, in the 2002 DVD release that includes Human Again, Belle and the Beast read Romeo and Juliet; in the stage version they read King Arthur) but nothing story-changing or upsetting.

But there was one weird thing about that particular cast recording: the guy who played the Beast sounded just fine and beastly until... he would suddenly lapse into moments of pure, over-the-top enthusiasm, where he sounded like a raving lunatic.

Belle: Would you like to have dinner with me?
Beast: OHHHHHH, YEEEESSS! 

(That would be enough to make me flee the castle and run into a forest full of wolves, thank you very much.)

Despite those occasional moments, I still enjoyed the Broadway soundtrack. Home, sung by Belle, is another excellent song that shows us not only what Belle was feeling when she was first imprisoned, but her resilience and determination to not let it get the best of her. Me, a song sung by Gaston, is as absurd and hilarious as his proclamation in a later song that he eats five dozen eggs a day and is roughly the size of a barge. And End Duet/Transformation has some powerful lyrics as well. The new songs were a great supplement to the movie's story, and the truth is, sometimes when I watch the Disney film now, I find it a bit too short and condensed... as if something important is missing.

When I heard Beauty and the Beast was, at long last, returning to the stage in Portland this year, I knew I had to go. (Ten years is a long time to wait, as the Enchanted Objects will no doubt tell you.) On the night of the 16th, I had my ticket in hand as I excitedly approached the theater. Inside, there were two kiosks devoted to BATB merchandise. I did glance at the wares, but didn't bother with the exorbitant prices. Being a huge fan of the movie for twenty years, I already have plenty of that stuff. Besides, their plush Beasts looked like lionesque mops. I'm sorry, but there you are.

Granted, that is kind of what he looks like on stage.

Anyway, I had a great seat in the third row, not quite center. Sure, there was a lady's head in front of me (just a head. No body. I know, people nowadays!) but the good part was, I could see most everything and hear everything, too! (This is never a given at Portland's Keller Auditorium. When I went to see Cats I think "meow" was about the only sound that ever made it to the first-row balcony. Then again, what do I know, maybe that's all the Cats ever say?)

The show got off to a loud start, making a few people jump. It soon chilled, and I was delighted with all the singing, dancing, and special effects. A few of the songs I'd listened to many a time on the soundtrack had been axed from the production (No Matter What, a father-daughter song and Maison Des Lunes, in which Gaston and LeFou get their evil groove on, but these were never my favorite tunes anyway.) But a surprise came towards the end, when Belle belts out the moving A Change In Me (a song, I have since discovered, was added in the late 90s and I certainly must've heard it when I went in 2001, but as it was not on the CD, I'd forgotten about it.)

The actor who plays Gaston (Logan Denninghoff) was a big hit. He had some very fun and goofy facial expressions, but the best thing about him was his voice. He sounded very much like Richard White, who played Gaston in the film. At the climax of the show I went to, his microphone went out, and the actor must've noticed because he was projecting with all his might, but I doubt anyone past row ten could hear him. Somehow, though, that handicap made the scene (the battle on the castle tower) even more compelling (although perhaps if the Beast's mic had gone out instead, it would have been even moreso. Can you picture it? Poor, helpless, now-mute Beast vs. loud, raging Gaston?)

Emily Behny, as Belle, had a sweet, engaging smile and personality. Her voice is beautiful. The only problem was she looked so young, about 17, while the Beast/Prince looked much older. Kind of a Phantom of the Opera dynamic, I guess, but still a little bizarre. After he morphed into a human, I was left going: "Belle? You sure about this?"

The standout, for me, was Michael Haller as Lumiere. He was so engaging, he made me want to run up on stage and embrace him. Indeed, Lumiere is well-known as one of the biggest comics in the story (if you prefer wit over, say, conceit-filled buffoonery (Gaston, though I do love him), idiotic bumbling (LeFou), aw-shucks cuteness (Chip), or general wackiness (Maurice.)) Lumiere's accent and charisma are brought to life by Haller, and he got some of the biggest cheers during the curtain call.

Overall, I give the production a 9.5/10, and it is certainly the best I have ever seen (though I may be a little biased, loving the story so darn much.)

What a great night and a fabulous experience.