Stagnating Soundtracks
1.1.09 by Cypy + 99 comments!Note: this article was copied from an email I sent out to a few people in November
Sometimes the more someone knows about a certain subject, the more critical they are of it. I have recently been watching many movie trailers, for upcoming films. Some of them are creative and make me want to see more, some are simply dozens of small “action” clips from the film, slapped together in no particular order, and others are halfway between the two, not particularly impressive, but not nauseatingly horrendous. I would like to direct your attention to two of these:
Have you watched those trailers? Now I would like to direct your attention to these:
- Koyaanisqatsi (1982) Director: Godfrey Regio, Music: Philip Glass
- The Shining (1980) Director: Stanley Kubrick
If you couldn’t tell, the Watchmen trailer used the music from Koyaanisqatsi and the 2012 trailer used the soundtrack from The Shining trailer. I think the music used in The Shining and Koyaanisqatsi is exceptionally good, but when it is used in new trailers and cut short and modified, it only makes me think of how bad the new movies look in comparison to the classics.
Extended analogy:
My dog, Rusty, dies, so my parents buy me a new puppy. I like the puppy, until my parents start comparing it to my old dog and insisting that the puppy is just as good (”look, he even has the same soundtrack, isn’t that cute?”). The puppy might be pretty nice, but I miss ol’ Rusty.
-Cypress
P.S. No dogs were harmed in the making of this article.
P.P.S. I recommend watching all of Koyaanisqatsi when you have an hour or so to spare. It is wonderful.