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Movie Review: Monty Python Trailer

Ways the ‘modern trailer’ made Monty Python and the Holy Grail look like a serious movie…

1) The opening music. The combination of chorale and open-sounding percussion makes the tone a compelling adventure type sound.

2) The drum interjections. Throughout the course of the trailer, an emphatic beat comes in to emphasize “drama!” Since there are a few scenes in the movie that look dramatic, whoever made this trailer was able to take those, and emphasize the “Hey, this move looks awesome!” factor and make it appear that the entire movie is like that.

3) Other musical interjections. About thirty seconds in, there’s a rumbly-grindy-modern-y sounding noise reminiscent of rocks tumbling. This sound against the backdrop of a castle gives the impression that there will be epic sieges, possibly including tumbling castles.

3) The “subtitles”. “In a Kingdom of Despair…” some hovering text reads… This is remarkably similar to movie trailers like the one for “Master and Commander…” again, a dramatic serious film. Also, when you label something “kingdom of despair” and have dark music playing, people are going to believe that you mean it. Not that there are peasants who are basically Marxists, and provide a marvelous commentary on politics.

4) The out-of-context epicness. “There is a pestilence upon this land! Nothing is sacred!” “What is your name? And what is your quest?” and “I seek the finest and the bravest knights in the land to join me in my court at Camelot” all sound fantastic… outside of the movie. In the movie, those are actually usually followed by a fair bit of laughter from the audience. Similarly with all the sword fights.

All of those things combine to make a marvelous trailer that, while technically true, is so misleading it is hilarious. I highly recommend this trailer.

“The Fox”…

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Your world… I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. WHAT IS UP WITH THE PLANET EARTH?

Uh, wow Fluffy! That’s a little more energetic than usual. What’s the cause of the outburst this time?

The song “The Fox.”

That’s what’s up.

Uh… “The Fox”?

Yes. This.

…That’s sort of catchy. And cute.

And that is what I just don’t get about your world…

What? It’s sort of silly, and very random. And it’s actually sort of charming how the singer pronounces the Duck’s noise more like “Quahk” rather than the traditional “Quack.”

But… it has no content!

Oh, at least it’s better than “Friday.” This song, at least, raises a valid question. What does the fox say? And besides that, much of what it says at the beginning is fairly accurate. You know, at least from our perspective.

It goes through and lists animal noises at the beginning. And then goes on for the rest of the song talking about what the fox might possibly say. Including whether or not foxes would communicate with horses by morse. Seriously. What is going on?

Well, what other language rhymes with “horse”? “Norse?” That’s just plainly idiotic. No fox would speak Norse.

But they might speak morse code? And horses might speak morse as well?

In the songwriters’ defense, they never claim that horses communicate back through morse.

…right. And that makes everything better.

Oh, good! I’m glad I could help.

What? No! I wasn’t serious.

Oh. My bad.

But the fox song apparently does raise a valid point. At least according to Wired.

Fine. I’ll just accept that your world is confusing, and try to let it go at that.

Good plan, that.

Especially since it’s the only one I can come up with. Well, that’s enough for right now. But anyways, Fluffsters, what are your reactions to the song “The Fox”?

Hans Zimmer Soundtracks.

My Favorite Hans Zimmer Soundtracks

1) Muppet Treasure Island. This is true fluff. It’s actually a musical. I don’t know who did the lyrics, but this is some of the most awesome movie music ever composed. Here’s the song about the advantages of becoming a Professional Pirate.

And here’s the movie intro music:

I mean, how epic is that music? Granted, it sounds a whole lot like his Pirates of the Caribbean music in some ways, but oh well. That brings me to:

2) The Pirates of the Caribbean Series. Granted, it sounds a lot like his previous pirate-y soundtrack, Muppet Treasure Island. But it’s still really fun music. It’s fun how in the second movie he uses a special theme for the villain, and plays with it a bit. And pipe organ is a lot of fun! And in the third movie, he introduces another new theme that he plays with a lot. And the fourth movie? It’s got a fantastic soundtrack. Zimmer went way overboard with the melodrama for the new badguy theme. It’s totally epic. I think it’s impossible for it to be more melodramatic!

One of the other things I love about movie four’s soundtrack is that Zimmer makes little references. Heads up, spoiler alert: In the Fountain of Youth scene, when the Spaniards come and start to destroy it, the music totally makes an “old classics” reference. Zimmer pulled in a traditional plainchant theme: The Dies Irae theme. From what I understand, the chant translates to “day of judgement, day of wrath…” and goes on from there. Nice little reference when the Spaniards are judging and being wrathful, don’t you agree?

3) Lone Ranger Soundtrack. From what I understand, in the traditional Lone Ranger genre, the William Tell Overture is “his theme.” Zimmer uses that and incorporates it. He also makes variations on the theme. Sometimes it’s slower. Sometimes it’s a lot darker and more mysterious. But it’s still very recognizable as the William Tell. And as with Pirates, Zimmer uses musical phrase references brilliantly. There is one scene (minor spoiler(ish) alert) where a woman is talking about her days as a ballerina. A portrait of her as a ballerina is shown, and Zimmer pulled in a small, clearly identifiable segment from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake during that shot. It’s very well done.

How about you, Fluffsters? What are your favorite soundtracks?