Mission Impossible 2: Music From The Motion Picture Score (2000 Film) Review

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Mission Impossible 2: Music From The Motion Picture Score (2000 Film) ReviewHans Zimmer in his true element. The Score to M:I-2 is a truly spectacular mixture of Spanish guitar music, classic Zimmer work, Lisa Gerrard's moody singing and heavy distorted guitar action cues. As I have noticed, not everyone seems to like the use of "Heavy Guitars" in film scores. I, on the other hand, love it. It really gets your juices flowing. It's the ultimate badass way to score modern action films. I have to say that this M:I theme is the first one to grab me this way. It really rocks your socks, before I had always thought that the theme melody was nice but never had I imagined it could be this, well, Badass! And when you keep in mind that the film is directed by John Woo, it's all the more suitable. Lisa Gerrard is featured here again (familiar from the Gladiator score) Her voice is quite suitable for setting the mood for the particular scenes in which the tracks play. Very similar "singing" to Gladiator, If you didn't know better, you could almost think that Zmmer used the same recordings. The good old choir is not that present as in "The Rock" or "Crimson Tide". but it's in there, in the back. And there is one FABULOUS choir piece in there, (Track 10, details below) As an avid Zimmer fan, I must say I enjoy this score very much.
And now for a more in-depth look at the score release:
Track 1. Hijack. This track starts with a very interesting sound with a kind of mysterious feel. There is also the familiar choir in the background. A steady bass beat starts to builds up to the climax when the distorted guitars kick in, a very memorable bit. Very cool electric guitar playing.
Track 2. "Iko-Iko". Well, what can you say about this. It is a peculiar "funny song". At first I was very put off by it but after listening to it a few times, it is actually quite amusing. I didn't really like the placement of it in the film, not really suitable for that rock-climbing scene. Why it's on the score cd, I don't know, maybe because the use of the real "Iko-Iko" in "Rainman" (Also scored by Zimmer and starring Cruise). "Souca Na Na" as they sing is a "parody lyric to Iko Iko"
Track 3. "Seville". Rather nice Spanish guitar music, along with traditional Flamenco dancers. A nice theme here too. First I thought it was a bit "too Spanish" but after seeing the movie, I really like it. Lisa Gerrard "sings" a bit in the end of this track
Track 4. "Nyah". A very nice quiet guitar theme. Very relaxing. The theme of the girl in the film.
Track 5. "M:I-2 Theme" The rocking title theme. Full of adrenaline. Cool! I love it. Everybody doesn't.
Track 6. "The Heist" A nice slow "bass and funky guitars" piece.
Track 7. "Ambrose" Classic Zimmer choirs at work. A kind of sad tone, portraying the villain of the film. A real classic.
Track 8. "Bio-Techno" The name says it all. A kind of industrial techno beat. Not exactly my cup of tea but there it is. No melody to speak of.
Track 9. "Injection" Lisa Gerrard at her best. Very moody song. A quite sad tone. After seeing the movie, I like this one even more. The most emotional track in the score. Great.
Track 10. "Bare Island" Amazing action piece. The choir is spectacular. The chanting almost has the same calibre as "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff (As featured in "Excalibur" for those who don't know) After the choir comes the adrenaline filled heavy guitar action sequence with the M:I theme. Very badass.
Track 11. "Chimera" Dark and moody. Strings and Choir. The guitar theme comes up at the end, leading into...
Track 12. "The Bait" The M:I theme resurfaces. Cool.
Track 13. "Mano a Mano" Cool slow sweeping strings with beating Timpanis and percussion, crossfading with Lisa Gerrard's singing. A slight oriental touch on the percussion. Very atmospheric piece.
Track 14. "Mission: Accomplished" The intro guitar theme from "Nyah" juiced up with flutes and general atmosphere. Very nice.
Track 15. "Nyah and Ethan" The main Spanish guitar theme again, extended. Very nice and moody. This track is very relaxing. Great acoustic guitars.Mission Impossible 2: Music From The Motion Picture Score (2000 Film) Overview

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The Holiday Review

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The Holiday ReviewIt's absolutely amazing how people still don't get the concept of a scores soundtrack, then rate it low because "It's just boring background music." If you scroll down to the track listings and you don't see any artists listed, that should be your first clue. With that said...
I think Hans Zimmer did an excellent job on the score for the "Holiday," and it's very obvious that he took his inspiration from the wonderful Ennio Morricone, a legendary composer whose music is actually featured in this movie (when Jack Black's character, Miles, meets Kate Winslet's, Iris, for the first time, you can hear it playing from his car). I'm a sucker for lushly romantic music, and if you are too, you won't be disappointed in this music.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the music is somewhat repetitive. There are three or four main themes that Zimmer has interwoven and enhanced. It also does not include, to my knowledge, the songs that were written for the characters of Iris and Arthur. Here are a few of my favorites:
"Maestro" - This is the opening theme at the very beginning of the movie, played by Miles on the piano. It's absolutely beautiful and one of the more Morricone-esque songs on the score.
"Iris and Jasper" - This song plays throughout the scene at the office, when Iris learns of Jasper's engagement and goes home alone. It's mostly piano and strings, and there is gorgeous guitar at the end.
"Anything Can Happen" - Mostly piano, this has the Santa Ana winds theme when Iris is standing outside her LA house after meeting Miles.
"Kiss Goodbye" - This is a reprise of the Maestro theme and has a little bit of the Santa Ana winds theme as well, but it is much more upbeat than in 'Anything Can Happen' and has some choral voices.
"Cry" - Most everyone who liked the score has been looking for this song -it's the upbeat energetic song playing when Amanda is running over the snowy countryside to Graham near the end of the movie.Please definitely give this soundtrack a try if you're into movie scores. Hans Zimmer really did a wonderful job, and it's a great CD to relax to.
The Holiday Overview

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The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (Expanded) Review

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The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (Expanded) ReviewTimed with the release of the special edition DVD of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," this soundtrack presents an expansion of Ennio Morricone's score with ten previously unavailable tracks and a running time of 55 minutes. The sound has also been excellently remastered, making a huge improvement over the poor quality of the old LP and CD. Any fan of the film or the music of Morricone will want to grab this right away.
A few cautions however: nowhere on the CD packaging or in the enclosed booklet is the listener informed that the new tracks are in MONO, not stereo (stereo masters do not exist for the new tracks). The mono sound quality is clear and well done, but it does clash significantly with the original stereo tracks. I don't think this should prevent anyone from purchasing this CD, but buyers should be aware that the sound varies tremendously between tracks. Also, the enclosed booklet contains no liner notes or information on the music. It does contain three spreads showing close-ups of the eyes of the main characters -- a cool design idea -- but the album producers missed a golden opportunity for presenting background data, restoration notes, and track-by-track commentary. A score of this historical importance certainly deserves this sort of treatment!
With this score, Morricone pushed to its limits his rough, weird style of Western music that he developed in his two previous Westerns for Sergio Leone. The famous "Main Title" sums up Morricone's approach perfectly: bizarre instruments, jagged changes in sound, and a thunderous tempo. This main theme appears throughout the score in many variations, depending on which member of the unholy trinity it is describing. The other tracks found on the old CD outline the other important themes: the slow `war theme' heard in multiple bugle calls in "The Strong"; the ethereal female vocal in "The Carriage of the Sprits"; the sprightly dance tempo of "Marcia," which later becomes a slow, grim lament with a wordless male chorus in "Marcia without Hope"; and the vocal piece "The Story of a Soldier," sung by a chorus of imprisoned confederates, and later made into the most touching piece on the album, "The Death of a Soldier." The score concludes with two incredible musical pieces. "The Ecstasy of Gold" is a swirling, gradually building piece dominated by a soaring female solo voice; it casts an incredible hypnotic spell to match the title -- this is true `ecstasy'. "The Trio" covers the tense showdown, and will make your heart pound out of control as the music crescendos with drums, Spanish trumpet, and guitars hammering away at each other.
Here's what you'll find on the new tracks.
"Sentenza" (the Italian name for the character Angel Eyes, played by Lee Van Cleef), "Fuga a Cavallo" (Escape on Horseback"), and "Inseguimento" ("Pursuit") utilize new different versions of the famous theme. "Sentenza" is eerie and played on electronic guitar and low woodwinds, while the other two versions are action-oriented. "Il Ponte di Corde" ("The Rope Bridge") features some of Morricone's most bizarre and comic orchestration. "La Missione San Antonio" is a rare moment of laid-back beauty in the score, using the theme heard in "The Story of a Soldier" as its base. "Padre Ramirez" is a sad and beautiful Spanish guitar lament, another bit of touching music amidst the musical ferocity (although the main theme explodes at the finale). "Il Treno Militare" ("The Military Train") returns to the "The Story of a Soldier" theme, but played slowly and with a martial drum beat underscoring it.
"Fine di Una Spia" ("End of a Spy") starts with the a soft version of the main theme, then switches over a version of "The Carriage of the Spirits." "Il Bandito Monco" ("The Bandit Monco") and "Due Contro Cinque" ("Two Against Five") are suspense pieces using heavy, punctuated percussion and only hints of any of the film's themes.
I hope that some music label will get around to re-mastering and expanding Morricone's greatest score, "Once Upon a Time in the West," with the same care done here!The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (Expanded) OverviewOne of the all-time great Western scores, restored to its original length-that means an additional 10 tracks! A spaghetti-flavored treat for soundtrack collectors!

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