Flatliners - Falling Down (Bootleg)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Double score bootlegs aren't the easy find but definitely the important catch. So too is James Newton Howard's double score release and why is easy to state in the following sentence. We all simply want what makes the movie important and grand. For the first at least it can be called enjoyable in a thriller kind of way but the second is gloomy and dark, not really something to enjoy on listen. First things first. Whenever James Newton Howard scores a movie, you can bet that on 1/4 of the occasions Julia Roberts will have a lead or a performance, America's Sweethearts, Runaway Bride, My Best Friends Wedding, Dying Young, Pretty Woman, Flatliners. This last I personally find an intriguing thriller and especially got me hooked because of James Newton Howard's effective score. Whoever said that Howard couldn't score effective atmospheric thriller scores with a sense of wonder, anxiety and fear will just do right to listen to this double bootleg release to find out that he was wrong. And especially Flatliners offers us one amazing highlight, a personal highlight probably of Howard's career. Everyone knows that Howard loves to insert women vocal's or choral accompaniment into his scores and no wonder I adore him for that, because Flatliners delivers the listener one of his best moments, 'Redemption' is solely the highlight of the complete disc.

Overall the mood shifts from track to track, this isn't disturbing but effective for making the mood downright intriguing, Howard uses some electronics to create this traveling experience, along with the vocals it sets the mood just right and will work in context of the movie and on disc for giving the listener an extra set of fear. The tracks that do this are 'Flying / First Expedition', 'Back Alleys', 'Flashback / Third Expedition' and 'Forgiveness'. This makes Flatliners no smooth listen but effective, intriguing and with the usual scare, it becomes a thriller soundtrack belonging with the better efforts on disc. The only downfall perhaps of Flatliners and its other brother Falling Down is the time of the scores, 30 minutes and especially Flatliners offers us short tracks at the end of the score. Flatliners isn't for everyone while on the other hand any fan of film music should hear the second track in full bravura. For a bootleg the sound is decent and doesn't interrupt, the only small complaint is as said the short track times but on the other hand it doesn't detract also very much. Flatliners at least gives you the opportunity of several excellent highlights from the first period of Howard's career. At this point I still find it difficult to grade the score, though it offers me an intriguing, several minutes of brilliance and some scary tones it is overall the mood that makes me wonder if this is right. See it as the mellow quotation that can range either way in direction.

If you look at Falling Down it is a different score then Flatliners, no real highlights here but the exact same mood and the functioning personality of a man loosing every patience he has left. This of course means that the score overall sounds rather dark, kind of hopeless portraying a man that doesn't know what to do anymore and a disturbing atmosphere with several moments of loud electric guitar music. There are on the other hand some moments of lighter quality, there is a childlike innocence found in several tracks, the innocence portraying the daughter of Michael Douglas in the movie, heard for instance in 'Santa Monica' and 'Venice' but it doesn't last long. Sometimes the tones of The Fugitive rise to give the mood a sharper edge and making the hunt energetic and dangerous, also the trumpet solo reflecting the character of Douglas gives you a wink towards The Fugitive. The suburban mood however doesn't stay completely out of the shadow and makes the heat or the mood even disturbing and especially quite effective. Howard isn't bad at these sort of things, though I don't approve it for a listening hour, it all works, it all puts the mood right there in the movie and especially on disc. Of course this can start to ware out in several latter efforts but here we find a bit more interest in tone and theme. Also the string work isn't far away from the likes of The Sixth Sense. The end track is perhaps even the darkest and gives you a disappointing ending if so to speak of such a score. Falling Down definitely isn't right for a half hour of fun, but will always do the movie justice. For a bootleg, the sound quality of both is very respectable, the material overall isn't superb but effective. So, I don't think Howard fans would give a damn, it gives them just a nice overall release of two scores of Howard's career that were quite in demand. Fans of any composer wouldn't want it any other way.

Flatliners: ***
Falling Down: **1/2

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Tracks

Single Disc

Flatliners

1. A Good Day To Die (1.54)

2. Redemption (4.28) Excellent Track

3. Diary Of A Surgeon (2.27)

4. Nelson's Challenge (3.15)

5. Flying / First Expedition (1.38)

6. Reflections In The Evening (3.22)

7. Tunnel Of Light / Second Expedition (0.46)

8. Back Alleys (1.03)

9. Voices (1.34)

10. Flashback / Third Expedition (0.36)

11. Sins Of The Past (3.00)

12. Memories / Fourth Expedition (1.06)

13. Atonement (1.18)

14. Forgiveness (1.50)

15. To Fly Alone / Final Expedition (0.59)

Total Length: 29.17

Falling Down

16. 110 Freeway (2.01)

17. South Central (2.37)

18. Miracle Mile (1.24)

19. Hollywood (2.41)

20. West L.A. (0.58)

21. Santa Monica (2.39)

22. Venice (3.50)

23. Pier (3.46)

24. Pacific Ocean (2.07)

25. Closing Theme From Falling Down (4.33)

Total Length: 26.37

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: James Newton Howard ===