Spectre Composer Is Thomas Newman

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  • Posts: 11,425
    bondjames wrote: »
    Nothing to worry about here folks.

    Newman was nominated for an Oscar for Skyfall. He has been given the privelege of returning to one of the most storied franchises (music wise) of all time. He is only the 3rd composer, after Barry and Arnold, to be asked back.

    He will 'up' his game. I have no doubt he has the talent. If he paid the franchise lip service in SF, he won't do it this time.

    The score will be epic. He will use the title theme in it too. I'm certain of it. SF was such a success that everyone has to step it up a notch, especially the composer, given the importance of music to the movie.

    Ho ho ho.

    Always fun reading back over old predictions!
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Getafix wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    Nothing to worry about here folks.

    Newman was nominated for an Oscar for Skyfall. He has been given the privelege of returning to one of the most storied franchises (music wise) of all time. He is only the 3rd composer, after Barry and Arnold, to be asked back.

    He will 'up' his game. I have no doubt he has the talent. If he paid the franchise lip service in SF, he won't do it this time.

    The score will be epic. He will use the title theme in it too. I'm certain of it. SF was such a success that everyone has to step it up a notch, especially the composer, given the importance of music to the movie.

    Ho ho ho.

    Always fun reading back over old predictions!
    Indeed. I blew it on this one. I'll be the first to admit it. I was overly positive.

    I'm concerned the same may apply to B25, where I'm currently suffering from similarly giddy expectations, after my disappointment with SP.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,395
    bondjames wrote: »
    Getafix wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    Nothing to worry about here folks.

    Newman was nominated for an Oscar for Skyfall. He has been given the privelege of returning to one of the most storied franchises (music wise) of all time. He is only the 3rd composer, after Barry and Arnold, to be asked back.

    He will 'up' his game. I have no doubt he has the talent. If he paid the franchise lip service in SF, he won't do it this time.

    The score will be epic. He will use the title theme in it too. I'm certain of it. SF was such a success that everyone has to step it up a notch, especially the composer, given the importance of music to the movie.

    Ho ho ho.

    Always fun reading back over old predictions!
    Indeed. I blew it on this one. I'll be the first to admit it. I was overly positive.

    I'm concerned the same may apply to B25, where I'm currently suffering from similarly giddy expectations, after my disappointment with SP.

    I think EON have felt the air leaving the room after SP. General movie fans are still discussing Mad Max Fury Road, Mission Impossible 5 and Jurassic World, all of which were released the same year, and yet SPECTRE has been completely forgotten. That's not to say people weren't generally entertained with the experience, but it simply had zero lasting impact when compared with Skyfall. They've been pushed onto the back foot again, and EON can probably feel the competition tightening around them with the revival of popular franchises into roaring form. They know they need to deliver next time, and resting on their laurels is not an option this time.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    bondjames wrote: »
    Getafix wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    Nothing to worry about here folks.

    Newman was nominated for an Oscar for Skyfall. He has been given the privelege of returning to one of the most storied franchises (music wise) of all time. He is only the 3rd composer, after Barry and Arnold, to be asked back.

    He will 'up' his game. I have no doubt he has the talent. If he paid the franchise lip service in SF, he won't do it this time.

    The score will be epic. He will use the title theme in it too. I'm certain of it. SF was such a success that everyone has to step it up a notch, especially the composer, given the importance of music to the movie.

    Ho ho ho.

    Always fun reading back over old predictions!
    Indeed. I blew it on this one. I'll be the first to admit it. I was overly positive.

    You're not tge only one. I read tonnes of excuses as to why SF's musical score was lacklustre and with news of SP having a bigger budget and Newman having a full orchestra to work with etc I for one felt positive we were going to get Newman knocking out of the park. I was wrong.


  • Posts: 2,160
    doubleoego wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    Getafix wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    Nothing to worry about here folks.

    Newman was nominated for an Oscar for Skyfall. He has been given the privelege of returning to one of the most storied franchises (music wise) of all time. He is only the 3rd composer, after Barry and Arnold, to be asked back.

    He will 'up' his game. I have no doubt he has the talent. If he paid the franchise lip service in SF, he won't do it this time.

    The score will be epic. He will use the title theme in it too. I'm certain of it. SF was such a success that everyone has to step it up a notch, especially the composer, given the importance of music to the movie.

    Ho ho ho.

    Always fun reading back over old predictions!
    Indeed. I blew it on this one. I'll be the first to admit it. I was overly positive.

    You're not tge only one. I read tonnes of excuses as to why SF's musical score was lacklustre and with news of SP having a bigger budget and Newman having a full orchestra to work with etc I for one felt positive we were going to get Newman knocking out of the park. I was wrong.


    Lee Smith (Editor) on the music...

    In the case of “Spectre” I got a music editor on very early on and we took apart the existing score from “Skyfall” and strung that out and rebuilt cues to suit the new film, just to give us the temp score. We needed it to be in Bond’s world. I saw no reason to pull temp score from other films. We did use other existing score in moments where we clearly couldn’t build it from Skyfall, but it was great because we were doing a really polished version of a score underneath the editor’s cut and it worked and whenever we played it for producers or Sam I think there was only once or twice where he said we missed the point with the music, but for 90% of the time we were on the money and I think when we started working with Thomas Newman and he was re-writing it, he knew mode and placement or the temp score was pushing all the right emotional buttons. I know that would have been hard for him, because it’s already his score and I know how tough that is, but I kept saying to him, “But it’s so good!” I can’t put other composers scores on this movie! (laughs) He was great and incredibly collaborative.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Talk about F***ing lazy. ugh.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Murdock wrote: »
    Talk about F***ing lazy. ugh.

    Newman reused his score once. You reuse your arguments 100 times.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Murdock wrote: »
    Talk about F***ing lazy. ugh.

    Newman reused his score once. You reuse your arguments 100 times.

    And I'll keep reusing it because it's true. I demand better from Bond music. And until we get something better I'll keep harping on the guy as I please.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Of course. I didn t say you weren t allowed.
  • Posts: 5,767
    One could argue that a hundred minutes of Newman´s score are more tormenting than a hundred repetitions of @Murdock´s arguments.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    Thanks @boldfinger. I have to get the frustrations out somewhere. :))
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,789
    Since I'm not a big fan of SF and have not seen it in its entirety more than once, Newman's score for SP is less awful for me...
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    Murdock wrote: »
    Talk about F***ing lazy. ugh.
    thomas-newman.jpg
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    John+Barry+-+RIP.jpg
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,583
    ...and yet Newman continues to rack up the awards and the jobs from A-list directors. The guy obviously sucks.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    He sucks at writing Bond music.
  • TripAces wrote: »
    ...and yet Newman continues to rack up the awards and the jobs from A-list directors. The guy obviously sucks.

    No. Just at Bond. I'll concede Skyfall had its moments (regardless of whether they reached the heights of Barry, Arnold, etc.), but Spectre was inexcusable.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    He received an Oscar nomination for Skyfall. Not that it is proof of quality.
  • Posts: 5,767
    The case proves it isn´t.
  • Posts: 11,425
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Since I'm not a big fan of SF and have not seen it in its entirety more than once, Newman's score for SP is less awful for me...

    Funny. Same here. Having been totally underwhelmed by SF, my expectations for SP were set low. Newman delivered.
  • Posts: 1,162
    TripAces wrote: »
    ...and yet Newman continues to rack up the awards and the jobs from A-list directors. The guy obviously sucks.

    Absolutely. The question is what?
  • Posts: 19,339
    Time to bring back Arnold....SP was a lazy film in parts ,including the score and the brotherly love.
  • MrBondMrBond Station S
    Posts: 2,044
    TripAces wrote: »
    ...and yet Newman continues to rack up the awards and the jobs from A-list directors. The guy obviously sucks.

    Great attitude you got there. Did you read the interview with Lee Smith?
    Mendes and the producers wanted the same feel SP as from SF. Hence they wanted to emulate the success in all departments, including the music. Newman did what he was told to do, nothing more. If he didn't he would've probably been sacked and someone else would've completed it to EONs wishes.
    You guys are entitled to your opinions on the score, but Newman does not suck.
  • edited June 2017 Posts: 11,425
    Newman sucks. massively overrated.

    He's done a couple of okay scores, but generally speaking his work is weak.

    He's a spoilt rich kid who inherited the family firm.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited June 2017 Posts: 23,883
    Newman doesn't 'suck'. He is an exceptional composer and has done some superior scores for several films, including most recently Passengers. When I viewed that film in the theatre late last year, the score stood out and I immediately came back to find out who had done it. Road to Chicago from Road to Perdition is truly sublime, among others.

    I personally thought he did a very good job with SF for a first timer. That film's score fitted the film like a glove and although not brassy, was a refreshing change from Arnold (Those who harp on in this forum about 'Arnold this' and 'Arnold that' need to have higher expectations from their Bond composers. We can and must do much better than him, despite his improvements during the Craig years. That man is no Barry. Not by a long shot. He hasn't got the same flair for melody or contextual mood scoring, and his action scoring pales in comparision. A blunt instrument without the compositional finesse of the late master).

    I'm not surprised to read that 'the powers that be' had ideas to recreate the sound from SF for SP. Newman's score is hardly creative for this film, but that's par for the course for this tired effort. The ambient mood scoring that permeates the film appears deliberate however, and is there to create a sense of foreboding. It's perhaps not very 'Bond' in the traditional sense, but then again with Mendes at the helm they were probably going for something artsy.
  • Posts: 2,160
    @BondJames The soundtrack for Passengers is far better than the film deserves.
  • edited June 2017 Posts: 11,425
    With the exception of American Beauty I've never 'noticed' a Newman score. I guess that's what some consider good film scoring, but it was utterly unsurprising to me that his Bond scores are immediately forgettable.

    I guess one thing I will concede is that Newman's scores aren't as bad as the GE score, but that would take a real effort and a chutzpah Newman lacks.

    Newman's in a middling category for me. He's a 'safe' pair of hands who is never going to go overboard and create something really awful like GE, but equally doesn't have the talent to reach the heights of the better composers.

    He's your man if you want bland background noise and dreary melodies nobody is ever going to remember. A perfect fit for Bond then...
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Mallory wrote: »
    @BondJames The soundtrack for Passengers is far better than the film deserves.
    I enjoyed the film @Mallory, but agree that it could have been so much more. They tried to have their cake and eat it too, attempting to appeal to the popcorn crowd when perhaps they should have delved more into some of the disturbing themes that they broached. Still, it's such a beautiful film aesthetically and I found it refreshing to see a spaceship depicted in such a sanitary way again (these days they are all so dark and dreary inside).

    That opening track from the film roped me right into the proceedings. Haunting, creepy, mysterious and loneliness all captured as the spaceship hurtles through darkness.
  • Posts: 2,160
    @bondjames Yes, the score and production design are top notch (even if they both err a bit too much towards Wall-E) but the film has some serious narrative problems.

    Spoiler for Passengers -
    I was completely unhappy with the resolution of the Chris Pratt / Jennifer Lawrence relationship. Like seriously pissed.
  • edited June 2017 Posts: 11,425
    I agree Arnold is no Barry. And I've been saying for years EON need to aim higher.

    However, Arnold is an infinitely better fit for Bond than Newman ever will be. Arnold's scores for CR (where he also deserves credit for the title song) and QoS are very good, and wipe the floor with SF and SP.
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