MovieChat Forums > Mirrormask (2006) Discussion > Music is unavoidably BAD!!!

Music is unavoidably BAD!!!

posted 16 years ago by DeadLydiah
73 replies | jump to latest

I'm trying to watch this movie now, and i can stand the bad graphics and the ugly color scheme and the characters not being very complicated or likable, but the music is so terrible, it's impossible to not let it take me out of the movie,every time it starts i forget about whats happening in the movie and think about a hippie, coffee hangout, even if it is aimed more towards"adults" the music should not be this boring, it's a horrible soundtrack, i would say that even if i didn't hate jazz, am i wrong in thinking a movie should have a soundtrack that enhances and pulls you deeper into the movie instead of clashing terribly with it and practically kicking your mind out of the film ?
I can sit through bad movies in fact i actually like some for being so bad they're good in a way, but the music is ruining this for me past the point of no return, i'll try to finish watching it cuz i give movies a chance once i've started, but, seriously, whoever scored this should be punched in the head repeatedly...

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tintinrulz 16 years ago

Original poster, you can't be serious. This movie is great. The music is unique and the imagination of the visuals - fantastic.
The only 'bad graphics' was the consuming darkness taking over everything (it looked too solid), but other than that, a great movie!

[–] Karskoya 16 years ago

Umm, can YOU be serious?
Yes, because its your opinion. Just because you think its a great movie doesn't mean everyone else does.
Personally, I couldn't even sit through the whole thing. I had so much hope for this movie and even that didn't get me through it.
And I agree with the OP, the music was awful. That's one of the first things I said about it too.

The city is burning, the ocean is turning, our only chance is the lighthouse

[–] greenleaf2-1 15 years ago

I agree completely agree, I thought the graphics and the music added to the magic and surreal feel of the movie. It's a breath of fresh air from the pop rock music you're likely to always hear in many American movies.

I thought the music and graphics overall made this a fantastic watch.

YATTA!

[–] Chilly_Flamingo 16 years ago

OP, sorry you thought that the music ruined the movie for you, but in the end, isn't all a matter of taste?

I really enjoyed Mirrormask, not just because I'm a big Gaiman/McKean fan but because it broke away from the conventional mould of what we expect from a kids film. OK, the story isn't overly original but the execution is superb and I found the music added to the confused, dream like quality of the movie.

As for it drowning out the dialogue, the balance isn't quite right on the soundtrack which means that a lot of my favourite lines are barely audible so I agree that sometimes the soundtrack is a little overwhelming. I saw it in the cinema and it really doesn't have the right kind of sound system and the only reason I knew what was being said was because I had read the book. They ran Beowulf the other day and I have no idea what about half the dialogue was.

However, to say that Ian Ballamy deserves to be punched in the head repeatedly for the music is a little unfair. I loved the playful quirkiness of the soundtrack and some of it is always on my Ipod and I would not consider myself a jazz fan. In fact I find some of his music awful and unlistenable but I get round the problem by not listening to it. An easy solution. I suggest you maybe try watching the movie on mute if you really cant stand the music. If you don't like the film as a whole then don't keep watching it and you won't be bothered so much.

[–] DeadLydiah 16 years ago

I finished the movie and had some time to think about it, and i still think the music(the saxophone and whatever played with it) was a bad choice, but i did like the singing robots bit, and there were moments there was music playing that didn't have the hippie stuff with it, but i swear right after the robot part i was thinking maybe the music is just better the second half, then the montage of the evil mom and daughter came up and the hippie music started again(eww)

What i meant about the color scheme is i wish they would've broken it up more, if it wasn't all brown stuff it was all fire colored stuff, and the special effects just feel like they are missing some work, maybe sphinxes and the palace guards and the little porcupine looking thing would've been better as puppets or costumed actors, but i liked how the main character wasn't a total idiot like a lot of fantasy movies would have a young girl be to make the plot work, the rest of the characters were hard to like because there wasn't much to them,and i wish the whole dreamworld were more developed, for all the drawing she did it was really simple
Back to the music, it might have worked if they got rid of the hippie music that just popped up at any time no matter what was going on and traded it in for something that went with the visuals, and now i think the person scoring the movie only deserves maybe one or two punches in the head then a cookie for the singing robots:)

[–] Chilly_Flamingo 16 years ago

I think that you should have a look at some of Dave McKeans art like the Sandman comic series covers because it would help you understand why Mirrormask looks the way it does.

He has also done a lot of cover art for Ian Ballamy's music albums (the guy that you are all about punching in the head) and even composes music himself. If you find out a little about the guys that made the film it might help you to reconcile the music with the visuals.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] DeadLydiah 16 years ago

Okay thanks to you, a-n-roman and chilly flamingo for trying to help me understand more. So I did some googling on the stuff you mentioned and now I'm sure they should have used puppets or stop motion animation or something for the sphinxes and such cuz the cg ones just look weird(not the weird I think they're meant to either, maybe I'm just used to puppets and stuff cuz they were in movies when I was little and I miss them), but I went back and looked at the movie again and in the scene on the bridge with valentine and the one with the giant floating rock things, and in a lot of places actually, it had a lot more detail than I gave it credit for, really beautiful sometimes, so I take that back about how it looked (except the cg, I still hated it), I guess since I started the movie with a bad attitude about he music I was kind of blinded to some things(my fault, that happens, I'm told I'm hard-headed). Seriously though, nothing is gonna sell me on the hippie music but to each his own, again thanks for convincing me to look closer(on mute, of course)

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mark-1491 16 years ago

OK. Will people please stop with the "The CGI looked cheap" and the "colour was really drab in parts and..." blah blah blah. If you have the DVD, look at the Special Features. There are interviews with the writers/director who, at one point, states that he wanted the CGI and sets to look "hand drawn" as these were to reflect the drawings of the lead protagonist. All in all, for an extremely low budget film, I think we brits did a fine damn'd job. At least it wasn't another London/Manchester/Liverpool gangster film.

[–] Fargo_North 16 years ago

Uhh, DeadLydiah...the Sphinxes are SUPPOSED to look WEIRD! After all it is a Fantasy you know, so just keep repeating to yourself "it's not real, it's not real...it is NOT REAL", OKAY? Apparently you also hadn't even noticed that they are actually cats wearing masks, so they all look alike too. Exactly why do you keep referring to the music as "hippie music", what makes it "hippie music" ?

[–] purchaseorrefi 16 years ago

Thank you for not taking back your initial impression of the music. You know what they say about your first instinct...it's usually the correct one. In the case of this movie, you hit the nail right on the head. If this movie ever had any hope of being worthwhile, the ceaseless psychedelic circus music destroyed it.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] x3199 16 years ago

"I think that you should have a look at some of Dave McKeans art like the Sandman comic series covers because it would help you understand why Mirrormask looks the way it does.

He has also done a lot of cover art for Ian Ballamy's music albums (the guy that you are all about punching in the head) and even composes music himself. If you find out a little about the guys that made the film it might help you to reconcile the music with the visuals."

Bingo! CF has hit the nail on the head here. A broad experience of film and music, combined with the recent phenomenon of DVD commentaries, has given me a whole new perspective on films. Many films that I previously might have dismissed as bad or average are now higher on my list because I have become more personally involved with the stories behind how they are made.

I realise that this point of view is not for everyone, but for me it has become part of the whole experience of watching films. I like to hear the personal stories behind their creation too, and I feel a deep appreciation for anybody anywhere who has made a feature film: regardless of how it turns out, it is still a hell of a big undertaking, and you have to admire these people for having the driving force to get out there and live a life rather than just sit on the sofa watching the results (like me!) :)

Actually, I'm not just sitting and watching, because I am now studying to write film music, but that's another story. And that brings me to Iain Ballamy. This was his first film score, and I think he did a good job. The DVD commentary mentions that some of the cues were constantly re-edited, leaving him running about like a headless chicken, desperately trying to make the music fit again and again. This is often the lot of the composer, being one of the last creative people in the chain, when the budget is running out and the deadlines are looming (other people in these shoes include the sound department). It's not an easy job at all - in fact, I think I must be mad to want to do it myself, but there you go...

I can understand the choices Iain made will not be to everyone's taste, but I think they worked well with the visuals. The whole style of the film is quirky, after all, and is supposed to have a dreamlike quality. You don't get many dreams with a flowing, consistent, John Williams score - it might be more fragmented and "carnivalesque" - which is what we have here.

I think that if the music bothers anyone, then either their tastes do not coincide with the choice of style (which I respect), OR they don't think it fits with the film. If it's the latter, then I am genuinely puzzled.

[–] GuyOnTheLeft 9 years ago

I guess maybe I'm one of those you respect, because I just didn't like this musician's sound. However, I think those dismissing it because it is "jazz" or "hippie music" are off base. I like both jazz (not all jazz, of course, but a lot of it) and "hippie music" (certainly the Grateful Dead, anyway), and I didn't think this sounded like either. It was just bleah.

--------
Daily single-tweet movie reviews: https://twitter.com/SlackerInc

[–] xstarsfallingx 16 years ago

The music ruined the first half of the movie for me as well...I think they would have made a better move sticking to the haunting-type compositions that they used toward the end. When you are throwing out two separate emotions, one conveyed via audio and the other visual, it simply rips the story at the seams.

[–] StephEff 16 years ago

I hate to sound like the "it's all in the taste" person, but...it's all about taste, I guess.

I personally loved the music, as well as the "bad graphics and ugly color scheme." It was quite a quirky soundtrack, and I can't wait to order the soundtrack (does anyone know how easy/difficult it is to get ahold of the soundtrack?). I already have "If I Apologize" and "Close to You" and I love both songs. The rest of the music was really interesting and IMO suited the movie's visual style.

I honestly don't know if I could find anything about this movie I disliked. It's not my favorite movie, but it's not one I have any complaints about either.

Much love and BIG KISSES,
Steph

Warning: I SPAM

PERKELE!!!

[–] Chilly_Flamingo 16 years ago

The soundtrack is available on CD from Amazon UK and US, so I guess it must still be fairly easy to get.

[–] rachel-crazy8 16 years ago

omg me too.

Peter Pan may have taught me how to fly but GOD gave me my wings and I love him for that!

[–] VideoKiid 16 years ago

Hippie music? what a retard.
Is he smoking dope and living in the 70's is he that narrow minded and old?
phissh.

[–] fadingsunrise137 16 years ago

Are you kidding? I loved the music! Maybe that's what I get for watching too much Cirque Du Soleil and stuff, it reminds me of that somewhat.

I'm obsessed with the song they play in the credits!_______________________________________Oh Heath, we all miss you terribly.=[ Rest in peace.

[–] ldennisers 16 years ago

Lol @ PotC quality.. that was made by Disney aka A LOT of money :P

Although I see your point.. but I think that the 'quirkyness' about all the visuals and music makes it what it is. I really enjoyed it.

OEL <3

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] trinpletion 16 years ago

Wow, I completely agree about the bad bad music. It could've been a lot better without it, it just ruined scenes and made what might've been creepy and eerie just bad and blah.

Damn, I made the apple too big again.