Every Friday Scott Bettencourt of Film Score Monthly does a media round up of movie reviews which talk about the music. Last week it was on Elizabeth TGA. It's most unfortunate that this movie has taken a lot of flak in the media. Every thing below pans the music :( http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/articles/2007/21_Oct---Film_Score_Friday.asp
DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC? ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE - Craig Armstrong, A.R. Rahman "The score by Craig Armstrong and A.R. Rahman is so heavy-handed as to suggest a Mel Brooks parody. When Raleigh rhapsodizes about the joy of sighting land at the end of a sea voyage, he's accompanied by a soaring musical theme. A courtier interrupts his speech to announce a visitor, and the music abruptly stops -- but as Raleigh picks up where he left off, so does the inspirational crescendo." Dana Stevens, Slate.com "Despite the ongoing mess, director Shekhar Kapur elevates the camera and the tone whenever possible, even if the music is often more portentous than the actual dramas that follow." Michael Barnes, Austin-American Statesman "With a lot of ground to cover, the film chooses to rush from point to point, propelled by an obnoxious score by Craig Armstrong and A.R. Rahman, two composers who forget the meaning of the word 'decrescendo.' Instead of history and drama, we get images, many of them striking but none of them memorable, and noise that deafens until no sense can escape." Keith Phipps, The Onion "Clearly, the filmmakers, including screenwriters William Nicholson and Michael Hirst (the latter penned the first film), assume we commoners will forget our need for emotional involvement amid the folds, pleats and billows of period pageantry. And as if to compensate for this emptiness, Kapur floods every possible moment with orchestral music. This mood marshaling has the unintentional effect of suggesting England contracted with Bose to outfit every corner of the realm with giant music speakers while 16th-century undead roam the Earth." Desson Thompson, Washington Post "It is no small compliment to note the unshakable confidence of Blanchett's performance. From its extravagant costumes to its pompous score, 'The Golden Age' is packed with distractions. But the biggest of all is the story itself, which works so mightily to tarnish the queen at its core." Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News "Blanchett rules. But Shekhar Kapur's sequel to the heady brew of his 'Elizabeth' is pretty weak tea served to a bombastic musical score." Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer "'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' is a follow-up less golden than its 1998 predecessor. Without the pleasure of watching Cate Blanchett continue the role that launched her to stardom, there would be little to recommend this latest of many cinematic and television accounts of the celebrated monarch's life, which is melodramatic, narrowly concerned with portraying her human vulnerabilities, and, thanks to a constantly pounding musical score, bombastic. Production values most excel in the costume, makeup and hair departments, and least excel in the musical score, which almost never takes a break and bludgeons the ears in the worst modern manner." Todd McCarthy, Variety "A musical score by Craig Armstrong and A.R. Rahman is virtually a character itself, huffing and puffing through nearly every scene." Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
