5 comments about Small Soldiers: Original Motion Picture Score.

1. I brought thid cd used at a used cd store because for some reason the picture on the cover caught my eye. I didn't expect much of any music for a generally action/cartoony-kiddy type movie. I was wrong. Goldsmith's "Assembly Line" is surprisingly powerful while the tracks at the end of this (way too short) cd are strong and inspiring. Just a great cd!



2. Bloody fantasic music by Goldsmith.

   Bloody poo release by 'Varese Sarabande'

   If you watch the film you hear that there is so, oh so much music missed out on the CD. If I were me I would buy it, which I have done, them write to that company displayed above and demand an extended adition.




3. A very good soundtrack, but too short. A great inspiring collaboration (Dante-Goldsmith)! All music of Joe Dante's movies are very good! Track #1 is the best in this CD.



4. The score for Small Soldiers is superb! Tracks 1, 3,4, and 9 are amazing! Bold military marches sets the mood for this also enjoyable film. But on flaw remains. The release for this score was done none other than score stingy Varese Sarabande. There is a good amount of score left out on this CD. Such as company mougle Gil Mars theme, which I rather enjoyed, is missing in the release. Of course Sarabande is known for 30 minute releases. I.E. Air Force One, Deep Blue Sea and Dante's Peak. Which contained huge amounts of good score left out by penny-pinching Varese Sarabande.

   Hopefully in the future, a not-so-stingy record company will release extended versions of this and other scores released by Sarabande.




5. The soundtrack for Small Soldiers was able to perfectly fit with the movie. The themes were simple yet effective and the "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" renditions added a good touch to the action with the Commandos. My only complaint is that it is too short. It's only 30 minutes and length, leaving a great length of music unreleased. The track names were sometimes confusing. Aside from these minor flaws, the soundtrack is still a great buy.

No comments about Comics Come Home VI.

3 comments about Demolition Man (1993 Film).

1. I am very disappointed this title is unavailable. I'm an avid Elliot Goldenthal fan. His music is brilliant. A lot of people don't credit Goldenthal's brilliance. This is very likely due to the fact that most of it isn't easily accessable. It takes a lot of listening and thought to figure out. Demolition Man and Interview With a Vampire represent Goldenthal at his best. His music is violent, seductive, and totally exhilirating. I hope to hear it for many more years. Mhalky Chris.



2. Here is the CD that first got me interested in collecting movie soundtracks, particularly action/adventure movies. The music is just as intense as the movie and you get to hear a lot of extra sounds that you probably wouldn't hear while watching the movie unless you listen very carefully. Only a small number of tracks are slightly more than three minutes long but the composer still manages to make a gigantic bit out of a little bit. The spirit of John Spartan (Stallone) the Demolition Man rings true.

   Some listeners might find the random percussive bumps and crashes during the fight scene tracks annoying; in some spots it sounds as if Goldenthal has this incredible urge to drill it into our minds that this is an action movie with a lot of violence and suspense and that the audience is supposed to be on the edge of their seats. But I recommend this CD especially if you want something completely random to listen to.




3. This score is clearly one of Elliot Goldenthal's earlier compositions. It sometimes is a noisy collection of orchestral eruptions mixed with synthesized rythms, most of the time it is a superb collection of orchestral power with or without synthesized rythms!
   In the score we can already hear Goldenthal's inventions he later used for Interview with the Vampire, Batman Forever and Final Fantasy. It is a MUST for the Goldenthal fan.
   
   It deserves to be said that each track has its own atmosphere. Some are gothically dramatic, others ingeniously but gently tense and again others are slightly comical (as in Batman Forever). Two tracks or so are right out techno-like noise.
   
   A score that is at first hearing crude, but later on it will creep under your skin as one of Goldenthal's finest style works!

3 comments about Operation Dumbo Drop.

1. I loved the Opening Theme. When I listen to it i have the vol. at the max!



2. If you hear this soundtrack before you see the movie, you will enjoy it. But if you hear it after you see the movie, your mind will be filled with images from the movie and your listening experience will be enhanced tenfold. See the movie, then buy the soundtrack. Both are fantastic!



3. If you haven't seen the movie, WHY haven't you? I'm a 35 year-old production assistant and boy are my arms tired... but seriously...
   
   This soundtrack replaced Donna Summer in my mind as the soundtrack to my soul. I highly recommend this, but you already knew that.
   
   Many times my mom has asked me to turn to "TURN THAT NOISE DOWN!" but I can't help myself! As soon as I move out of her basement, I might just listen to this soundtrack 24/7. That's 24 hours a day, seven days a week (for those of you who aren't in the know).

4 comments about Jesus' Son: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1999 Film).

1. The soundtrack to "Jesus' Son" is a superb collection of songs that wonderfully serves the film's grim yet hopeful tale of a junkie's odyssey through despair into redemption. Many of the tracks are period pieces from the era in which the story is based, accurately evoking the awkward transition from the free-thinking 60s into the less-assured 70s.

   Floyd Cramer's piano on "Last Date" opens the disc on a suitably melancholy note, reflecting the heartache present throughout the film. That mood never dissipates. Even an upbeat tune like Tommy Roe's bubblegum classic "Sweet Pea" sounds sad, having heard it within the context of Alison Mclean's film (despite the fact it is used during a pretty hot dance of seduction by Samantha Morton).

   Joe Henry's cover of "Unchain My Heart", and the two songs by Wilco will interest the alternative country fan base, as will Doug Sahm's brilliant "(Is Anybody Going To) San Antone?" - after all, he influenced legions of country and roots-rock acts.

   But for my money, the real bounty here is the inclusion of SSgt. Barry Sadler's "The Ballad of the Green Berets", Barbara Mason's "Yes I'm Ready", Paul Revere and the Raiders' "Indian Reservation", and the aforementioned "Sweet Pea". What a joy to have these great songs close at hand without having to scrounge through the old, scratchy 45 collection. These tunes are too good to be relegated to a K-Tel "Baby Boomer Hits" compilation.




2. In addition to the tunes that found their way onto this CD, this film had some great original music, including the absolutely beautiful title piece written by Joe Henry. I'm usually not much on soundtracks that just collections of other people's songs, but this unusual collection combined with the original music make this a gem.



3. When the two are at that dance and then a slow song comes on and they both start dancing to it... does anyone know that song that they slow dance too??????



4. i'm bothered by the absence of heroin by velvet underground. it doesn't shine in the same quiet way as the movie.

5 comments about Merry F#%$in' Christmas.

1. At the time of this writing, Denis Leary has only made 2 full albums, "No Cure for Cancer" and "Lock N' Load". He's got more material out there though, including certain routines from his very early stand-up performances (rants on rap music, the Morton Downey Jr. show, etc.), stand-up from his Boston shows in recent years, emcee work for some of the stand-up shows he's hosted, his Mtv commercials, comedy roasts, etc. "Merry F#%$in' Christmas" is simply a mix of new, previously released, and previously unreleased material.
   
   I see some reviewers here have overlooked the fact that this is an EP. So naturally, it's going to be half as long as most other albums and at half the price. If you don't know the difference between the terms EP and LP, go look 'em up on Wikipedia! Again, there was a lot more they could have put on here, but an EP's an EP. Now on to what's here.
   
   The title track "Merry F#%$in' Christmas" is, as you can probably guess, a very happy sounding Christmas song with not-so-happy lyrics. And it works, with Leary's own angrily sarcastic-toned singing style. Both a studio and a live version are included. There are also two studio tracks from the "Lock N' Load" album. I love them both, but I'm not sure why "Deaf Mute Cocktail Party" and "Insane Cowboy (In Africa)" were specifically chosen.
   
   This leaves three tracks of live stand-up material and three bizarre studio recordings. The stand-up stuff ("Fat Guy on the Plane", "Jack Goes to School", and "Dogsledding") are all great. The three other studio tracks, "WWWW", "Coffin Rap", and "The Theme from Jesus & The Gang" sound like the bizarre songs you'd hear in between tracks on "Lock 'N Load". Not surprisingly, "WWWW" was taken from the "Lock 'N Load" sessions.
   
   If you love the two Denis Leary albums and can't get enough, I'd say this EP is definitely worth buying. The title track and new stand-up material justifies the measly $6 or $7.



2. After getting the first 2 cds years ago: No cure For Cancer & Lock N Load. I was hooked on Denis Leary.. He was one of if not my favorite comedian.. I was big on Adam Sandler's "They're All Going Laugh at You" but the other ones weren't as good.. Much like The latest from the cigarette smoking, coffee drinking mad man Denis Leary.. Merry F#%%$in' Christmas lacked something... It left me going "that's it?" It's lucky if its 40mins long. It's not really that great either. His previous two were ALOT better. If you're a major fan of his work you can get it.. but don't say I didn't warn you..



3. Perhaps there is no person more of a Denis Leary fan than I am and I give it one star. This cd reminds me of the product put out by record companies after the artist has left their label. They throw together whatever was left on the editing floor and hype it as "new" from the artist. At least I hope that is what this disaster is. I hate to think that someone as talented as Denis Leary could have put much, if any, effort into the project.
   For some reason, I don't know, the video didn't come through for me. At least that would have been fun to watch!



4. This is an EP featuring Denis Leary's Christmas song "Merry F#%$in' Christmas". It is a very funny song, and there are two versions of it, a "regular" version made in a recording studio and a "live" version. The rest of the CD features skits and outtakes from his album Lock 'N Load, plus a few live stand up performances. Most of it is moderately funny, but it doesn't have anything to do with Christmas.



5. If you are a Denis Leary fan this then is an essential purchase, however Denis has slowed down quite a lot as this CD could have had a lot of new material, is there any need to repeat parts of Lock N Load, after this many years. I know he has a busy time with Rescue Me (worth at least 10 stars) however this CD is worth it for the title track which you can practice in your car/truck for Christmas and sing at the family gathering as you plug your IPOD into the HiFi system.

5 comments about Wag the Dog.

1. These songs in "Wag The Dog" were excellent. "Old Brown Shoe", that patriotic song and that tribute to the brave men of the "303" unit. Are any of these on this soundtrack? NO! And that is criminal at best! Unless you are really into Mark Knopler, stay away from this.



2. This mini soundtrack is pure Knopfler and is also very underrated. The theme song is pretty good and it's a shame that director Barry Levinson only allows it to be heard 7 seconds at the end of the film. (!) «We're Going to War» and «Working on It» work well with the respective scenes in the movie but are nice atmospheric pieces by themselves. We also hear another side of Mark Knopfler, especialy in «Just Instinct», which has an italian feel. «Stretching Out» is a great guitar instrumental which wasn't used in the movie (what a shame, Mr. Levinson). This is a great CD for Knopfler fans and guitar fans also.
   I think «Wag the Dog» was badly directed - The characters played by De Niro and Hoffman could have been done by any other actor and there's no chemistry between them. (Levinson did a miracle...) This music, unlike the movie, has a lot of character...
   I only give it four stars because it's a short album: 24 minutes.



3. I bought this so called soundtrack for ONLY one song, Merle Haggard's "Courage Mom". It's not on the CD and neither are Willie Nelson's cuts. Grrrr...there are 24 minutes worth of worthless tracks on this CD. One track with inaudible lyrics and 7 others that sound like elevator music. I would give this ZERO stars, but the default is 1-5. Total rip-off!



4. So what if its short, the music is some of the most uplifting music I have ever heard. I could listen to his stuff for hours.



5. This isn't a soundtrack. If you were expecting to hear the great songs, you won't find them. I wanted to hear the great songs from the film and they just aren't here. Too bad, because the rest of the music would have received much better reviews if the most memorable music was featured.
   Not worth even a borrow from the library.

5 comments about A Bug's Life.

1. If you liked Finding Nemo, you can't go wrong with A Bug's Life. Kevin Spacey is (not surprisingly) brilliant as the villain Hopper, but there's also some great voice work by folks who are no longer with us (Jonathan Harris, Madeline Kahn, Joe Ranft), adding a note of poignancy to the story. A wonderful DVD to own, whether or not you have kids.



2. We loaned out our copy of 'A Bug's Life' to a couple who have no children yet.....and they could not locate it to return it to us...SO....we purchased another copy because we will NOT be without a copy of this in our library for our grandchildren (we don't have any of those yet either). When we purchased this....the couple found our copy and now we have 2 copies!
   This purchased was in excellent condition and arrived at JUST the right time!



3. For many months, we've been allowing our tots to watch this movie (and other CGI-type "classics" like Toy Story I & II, Monsters, Inc., Shrek, etc). Of late, we realized, with horror, that our kids' recent aggression, and usage of snide and obnoxious remarks has been due to these "modern kids classics."---comments and demands like "WHERE'S MY FOOD!!!" (courtesy of "Bugs Life"); "YOU'RE STUPID!"; "YOU IDIOT" (Toy Story); "YOU STINK"; shouting "I'm an ogre!" after belching...and the like. Even the brilliant (for adults, that is) Monsters, Inc. and Shrek movies have the characters castigating, berating, ridiculing each other, and teaching some pretty detestable behavior in some places. Maybe "Finding Nemo" is the least objectionable of the bunch. This movie is the WORST, and is very scary for tots. The antagonist---the evil Hopper---at various times threatens to kill his own brother and the entire ant colony, humiliates and gloats at various protagonists, and displays other utterly obnoxious and disturbing behavior that is otherwise a very poor influence on toddlers and small children.
   In retrospect, all the CLASSIC Disney movies in our collection are safe, tame, and benign by comparison, and far less objectionable if even at all. (e.g., Cinderella, Snow White, etc). I wish we'd stuck to safer products for toddlers, like the afore-mentioned Disney titles, or The Wiggles, Baby Einstein, Bob the Builder, etc. I choose politically correct but safe, over slyly entertaining and wickedly cutting-edge, any day! Those "modern classics" are great for adults, what with their modern spin, dialogue, etc----but why give the kids a head-start on learning objectionable phrases and vocabulary that they're going to learn later from others? No one wants their kid to be the FIRST SOURCE of the poor habits and language being adopted by the other kids in the neighborhood and amongst the extended family.
   The golden rule now in our house: If the adults enjoy it, and it's not tedious and boring, it's probably inappropriate for kids!



4. I LOVED IT! I'd give it 10 stars if I could! My kids mimic the friendly, cute diaglogue, not the bad dialogue like that D. Afton's kids.



5. A little less sophisticated than its 1998 contemporary, Antz, Pixar's A Bug's Life still has charm as it takes us along on one ant's (Flik, voiced by Kids in the Hall Alum Dave Foley) personal quest to fend off strong-arm grasshopper extortionists (think Seven Samurai here) by hiring a private army of circus performers to hold the menacing horde at bay. Got that? There's little violence but the de rigueur implied death of a villain at the end is redeemingly satisfying. Adding to the film's charm are the voice talents of some '90's A-listers, including Kevin Spacey (jeez, has he vanished or what?), David Hyde Pierce, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Denis Leary, as well as stars of more classic cinematic eras, such as Rodney McDowell, Phyllis Diller, and Madeline Khan. If you've grown up some since seeing this movie---and who among us can maintain otherwise---see it again from a new perspective. It works for young and post-young alike.

5 comments about Lock 'n Load.

1. I thoroughly enjoy listening to Dennis Leary rant and rave about life. But, this was a dissapointment. Too many skits (not even funny), this was more of a let down than I had hoped. There are moments where it is funny, but I do not recommend purchasing this



2. The "Coffee" rant is one of the best I've ever heard. The fat f-cks routine was great and his jokes about his kids was excellent. My only complaint was that there some short songs that were lame. Still, there were so many great takes this album is well worth buying.



3. "No Cure for Cancer" is the top selling album that catapulted Leary to success, but here he develops into more of a unique individual. People always bug him about ripping off Bill Hicks: On No Cure for Cancer, he may have crossed the line a few times. But by this point he had headed in a different direction; rather than becoming a spiritualist and misanthrope like the late Hicks, Leary got married, had kids, and became the "crazy guy trying to adjust to mundane, family life and never quite fitting in". A bit commercial? Maybe. But Leary's always been a talented, aggressive performer, and here he's working with a fresh perspective as well.



4. Leary is a darn funny guy. I do not care if he stole each and every joke from some other guy. He is a riot - and he put it out there. I am sick of reading all these little crybaby comments about how he has ripped off Hicks and blah, blah, blah. Go cry about it on some Hicks website, forum, message board, or whatever. Nobody cares about Hicks when trying to read a review of a DENIS LEARY CD. I do not know who this Hicks guy is, and I never want to know who he is, because of all the whining and crying going on here. Hicks apologists shut your cake-holes.



5. Worth every penny and then some. If I only have to buy this CD 5 more times, it'll be worth it.

5 comments about No Cure for Cancer.

1. When I bought this album years ago I would have given it 5 stars, because I laughed my a## off.
   
   Then yesterday I picked up "Relentless" by Bill Hicks, and I am furious. Huge portions of Leary's cd are ripped off almost word-for-word from Bill Hicks' material. I had heard the rumors that there were some similarities, but I liked Dennis Leary, and I didn't want to believe it. Now I wish I'd never bought No Cure for Cancer and contributed money in his direction.
   
   If James Frey can be brow-beaten on national tv for making up elements of his memoir "A Million Little Pieces", Dennis Leary should have gotten similar treatment YEARS ago for being a dirty stinking thief.
   
   Listen to the two comics side-by-side and its undeniable. The only reason Leary got away with it is that Bill Hicks died in 1994 of (how ironic!) CANCER.
   
   Shameless.



2. There are two things that without them, it wouldn't seem like March, first are Shamrock Shakes, the other being Denis Leary's No Cure for Cancer. The ultimate Irishman of my generation released the album during my formative years and me and my friends had the whole thing memorized for years to come. And you just have to play Traditional Irish Folk Song every St. Patrick's Day. In fact the song was the inspiration on my answering machine my freshman year with the lines,
   
   We drink and we sing
   And we drink and we sing
   Hey!
   We drink and we drive
   And we puke and we drink
   Hey!
   We drink and we fight
   And we bleed and we cry
   Hey!
   We puke and we smoke
   And we drink and we die
   Hey!
   
   Then we finished things off with Leary's "Thank you for calling. Thank you for calling" from the stand up portion of the album.
   
   I can also thank Leary for keeping me off drugs. After blaming his bell bottoms and other poor judgments on weed I knew I should stay away from the stuff. As Leary once said "never do a drug named after your own (expletive deleted)." Plus I also learned from him at an early age that the bet drugs are the legal ones. I always look forwards to cold season so I can start taking NyQuil and sing "NyQuil, NyQuil, Nyquil, we love you, you giant (expletive deleted) Q." And I would never have learned about whippits had it not been for Leary. And thanks to his soliloquy on meat, I didn't eat a salad until about three years ago.
   
   Even though he's best known for drugs and smoking, I think the best part of the album was when he went on his musical diatribe:
   
   Explain it to me. Heavy Metal bands on trial because kids commit suicide? What's that about? Judas Priest on trial because "my kid bought the record, and listened to the lyrics ....." Well that's great! That sets a legal precedent. Does that mean I can sue Dan Folgerberg for making me into a (expletive deleted) in the mid-70's. Is that possible, huh? Huh?! "Your honor, between him and James Taylor, I didn't get a (expletive deleted) 'till I was 27 years old. I was in Colorado wearing hiking boots eating granola."
   
   But thanks to the uber-depressing grunge music, I typically change it to Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain while in Seattle wearing flannels shirts and drinking cappuccinos to fit my experience. And whenever election time rolls around and I debate on whether I should vote I think of two things Joe (expletive deleted) Walsh.
   
   So with St. Patrick's Day quickly approaching, stop by McDonalds, pick up a Shamrock Shake and throw on some Leary and sing along to the Traditional Irish Folk Song.



3. I remember seeing 'No Cure For Cancer' on TV in the early 1990s, and being absolutely on the floor laughing. About a week back, after an interval of 14 years and having heard and LOVED Bill Hicks's routines since, I saw it again and barely raised a titter.
   
   Do read 'American Scream' (biography of Bill Hicks)to learn about a comic with REAL integrity who truly 'played from the heart', as he was so found of urging us all to do. Then see if Leary's erzatz imitation does much for you.
   
   And yes, it doesn't look too good that the end of Leary's stand-up career coincided with Hicks's death.
   
   I say this reluctantly because I have only looked into the matter recently, and have actually been a fan of Leary for 14 years, both as stand-up and actor - but once you check out Hicks's work and look into the facts, it's hard to have respect for Leary any more.
   
   The amazing thing is that he got away with it.



4. There were some good laughs on this cd. But his over the top manic delivery was too much for me and the jokes seemed stale these days. I know that this album is a favorite among many, but I am not one of those



5. I saw this special the first time it played on a cable movie channel (I think it was HBO). I laughed so hard, my jaws hurt. Only wish it was a DVD, b/c the looks on his face make the joke sometimes.