SOUNDTRACKS.``THE PRODUCERS'' (Sony) - Three and one half stars Mel Brooks' music for ``The Producers'' is pure shtick shtick also schtick or shtik n. Slang 1. A characteristic attribute, talent, or trait that is helpful in securing recognition or attention: - but lovable, funny shtick. This is not Sondheim. The tunes sound like they come from the era in which the film is set - the 1950s - and Nathan Lane Nathan Lane (born February 3, 1956) is a Tony Award- and Emmy Award-winning actor of the stage and screen. Biography Early life Lane was born Joseph Lane in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of Irish American Catholic parents. as Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as Leo Leo, in astronomy Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Bloom make the most of these tributes and parodies written by Brooks. Remember, ``The Producers'' began as a '68 film comedy (with the original version of ``Springtime for Hitler''), then became a Broadway musical with more songs and now is a film musical with another new song - the Golden Globe-nominated ``There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway'' (performed by Lane and Broderick). The Broadway version's opening number, ``The King of Broadway,'' was cut from the film, along with a couple of other tunes, but appears as a bonus track on the CD. The performances of Will Ferrell John William "Will" Ferrell (born July 16, 1967[1]) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated American comedian, impressionist, writer and actor who first established himself as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, as Nazi writer Franz Liebkind on ``The Hop-Clop Goes On'' and Uma Thurman as the blond bombshell Ulla on ``When You Got It, Flaunt flaunt v. flaunt·ed, flaunt·ing, flaunts v.tr. 1. To exhibit ostentatiously or shamelessly: flaunts his knowledge. See Synonyms at show. 2. It'' fit right in with the show's loony spirit. But the best number, hands down, is Lane's ``Betrayed,'' filled with recriminations, regrets and laughs. - Rob Lowman ``JARHEAD'' (Decca) - Three stars Prized movie composer Thomas Newman fashions a diverse set of atmospheric mood pieces for the Sam Mendes war flick, augmented by familiar tracks from T.Rex, Naughty By Nature Naughty by Nature is a Grammy Award Winning American Hip hop group that at the time of its formation in 1991 consisted of Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ Kay Gee. The group formed in East Orange, New Jersey (colloquially referred to as "Illtown" in the 1980s). , Public Enemy and Bobby McFerrin Robert "Bobby" McFerrin Jr. (born Madeley, United Kingdom, on March 11, 1950) is a jazz-influenced a cappella vocal performer and conductor. Life and work Born in the UK but raised in New York, he is the son of well-known operatic baritone Robert McFerrin. . Utilizing a cunning, unconventional instrumental palette, Newman pulls together dulcimer dulcimer (dŭl`sĭmər), stringed musical instrument. It is a wooden box with strings stretched over it that are struck with small mallets. The number of strings may vary. The dulcimer is related to the psaltery and modern zither. , synthesized flutes, bowed ukulele ukulele (y  kəlā`lē), Hawaiian musical instrument developed from the Portuguese guitar. It has a fretted fingerboard and four strings that are plucked or strummed. , assorted percussion and garage-sale noisemakers for an intriguing score that acknowledges the film's setting in the Middle East desert. Not all ``Jarhead's'' music turns up here (the film also featured tracks from the Doors, Kanye West, Nirvana and Richard Wagner), but this hourlong disc will evoke plenty of wickedly sardonic celluloid memories. - Fred Shuster ``MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA'' (Sony) - Three stars John Williams' inventive Golden Globe-nominated score for the story of a Japanese girl sold into servitude servitude In property law, a right by which property owned by one person is subject to a specified use or enjoyment by another. Servitudes allow people to create stable long-term arrangements for a wide variety of purposes, including shared land uses; maintaining the contains stark, effective melodies that perfectly mirror the film's somber state of mind. Percussion and Japanese flutes flutter in many of the most sensitive, near-ambient moments here, with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Itzhak Perlman outlining strong character themes. Playful elements surface occasionally, but the hauntingly beautiful ``Sayuri's Theme'' and ominous ``The Fire Scene and the Coming of War'' reflect the dominant melancholy mood. - F.S. ``RENT: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK'' (Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .) - Three stars Regardless of whether you saw the late playwright Jonathan Larson's update on Puccini's opera ``La Boheme,'' his brilliant score will win you over. The two-CD, 28-song soundtrack to the movie-musical version is a potent mixture of show-tune pop, rock, funk, even tango. And while songs such as ``Seasons of Love'' and ``La Vie Boheme'' are the clear standouts, the gospel-strengthened ``Love Heals,'' which wasn't a part of the original Broadway production, is nice too. - Sandra Barrera ``THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK'' (Walt Disney) - Three stars Composer Harry Gregson-Williams' Golden Globe-nominated score for the live-action adaptation of author C.S. Lewis' children's fantasy is an adventure-filled odyssey, characterized by urgent horns, sweeping strings, ethereal vocals and a low-lying dark ambience. From the heart- pounding opener ``The Blitz, 1940,'' the score unfolds beautifully. Along with the sweeping instrumentals, the soundtrack features original songs by Imogen Heap, Alanis Morissette, Tim Finn and Lisbeth Scott, although Morissette's Golden Globe-nominated track, ``Wunderkind wun·der·kind n. pl. wun·der·kin·der 1. A child prodigy. 2. A person of remarkable talent or ability who achieves great success or acclaim at an early age. ,'' is clearly the best of the four. - S.B. ``KING KONG'' (Decca) - Three stars James Newton Howard's Golden Globe-nominated score for Peter Jackson's ``King Kong'' succeeds better on the screen than on CD. But the fact that it succeeds at all is a tribute to Howard, who was a last-minute replacement for Howard Shore, who had artistic differences with Jackson. Add to that the challenge of writing music for a three-hour film and the inevitable comparisons to scores in 1933 by Max Steiner and 1976 by John Barry. While the music in the big actions scenes is what you expect - big, loud and dramatic, but thankfully not bombastic, Newton's quieter moments, evoking the ``love'' between Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and her big ape, are best, particularly the lyrical scene where Kong and Ann slide around on the ice in Central Park. - R.L. CAPTION(S): 7 photos Photo: (1) Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock (2 -- 7) no caption (CD covers) |
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