*** Official "WINDTALKERS" Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Edwin Pereyra]

I know this has been done before because the score from a new film has yet to be completed, but I just have to ask…
I noticed that the music used in the trailer for MGM’s Windtalkers is the same Hans Zimmer score that was used for DreamWorks’ Gladiator. It might not be exactly the same track but it is still a variation of the original to make one notice.
So, I’m just wondering what it takes for music from another film from another studio to be used and licensed to promote another film from a different studio? I just find it odd that an artist or studio would let their work be used in a different film thereby, in my mind, diluting its value. Other than for monetary reasons, why would anyone let this happen?
You associate and remember the score from one film, which stood out and now it is being used elsewhere with permission. I don’t know. If that was my work, I wouldn’t let it be used anywhere else.
~Edwin

 

[Tino]

This reminds me of the time when I saw an early print of Ron Howards Backdraft and as a temp score, they used James Horner's music from Glory. I kept waiting for Matthew Broderick to show up as a fireman.
As for trailers using other films music, I can't tell you how many times I heard Horner's Aliens music used for practically every suspense film where someone was being chased. This is a very common practice so I assume the composer is the one who allows his work to be used..right?
Or how about this strange anomaly..years ago I was flipping channels and came across a Spanish soap opera and they were using John Williams Close Encounters score throughout the entire episode! Very surreal.

 

[John Kilduff]

Or when I heard the orchestral piece from the Warner Brothers 75th Anniversary Video ads (the piece that played before the wonderful short version of "As Time Goes By") being used in advertisements for Slomin Security Systems...

Or when Alan Silvestri's rapturous theme from "Back To The Future" was used in a trailer for one of the crapola Disney "Mighty Ducks" sequels...

You know, I'd love to see a workprint of a movie to be released, just to see what score they use.

Sincerely,

John "A DeLorean could squirt the crap out of a Mighty Duck any day" Kilduff

 

[Scott Weinberg]

I think the music from The Goonies was used in over 25 different trailers. Every time I turned around, there it was.
Cool theme, though!

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

Well, it appears that the composer maintains the rights to his/her material and is free to license it to whoever wants to use it. I always thought it (the score) became the property of the studio (specified film) when its all done. I guess not.

It is similar to how works of music are handled these days.

~Edwin

 

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "Windtalkers". Please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.
All HTF member film reviews of "Windtalkers" should be posted to this thread.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Crawdaddy

 

[clay f]

does anyone know what the action in this movie will be like? is it going to be realistic like saving private ryan, or more like other john woo movies?

 

[Anthony Thorne]

Off topic for one more paragraph, most trailers are farmed by the studios to outside companies, who grab whatever music tracks seem appropriate. Expect John William's percussive JFK suspense theme to continue appearing in trailers for political thrillers, ditto the music from the elevator scene in THE USUAL SUSPECTS. Themes from DRAGON and other uplifting titles also get reused endlessly - just as those same two guys seem to do the narration for every American trailer I've ever heard.

I have a bad feeling about WINDTALKERS, but will be happy to have that feeling proved wrong. I like FACE/OFF a lot but dislike pretty much all of Woo's other American work, whilst thinking the world of THE KILLER, HARDBOILED and BULLET IN THE HEAD (which I still think is his best movie). It's interesting to hear the rumour that Woo's next will also star Nic Cage, along with Chow Yun Fat, and be some sort of historical epic. My fingers are crosses that WINDTALKERS will turn out to be at least halfway okay.

 

[Richard Kim]

I saw a commercial for Windtalkers that used the score from Backdraft. Everytime I hear that music, I always think of Iron Chef.

 

[Matthew Todd]

A quick question:

If I haven't gone wacko, it seems I remember seeing the posters and maybe even trailers for this last summer/fall and I thought the rating was going to be PG-13. Obviously now it is R. Just wondering if anyone knows the story behind that. Was a decision made to go back and shoot more scenes/reinsert cut scenes or what?

Matt

 

[Patrick Sun]

The war action is pretty much "in your face, balls to the wall". The film pulled no punches when it came to the war footage and battle scenes. I was numb after watching the carnage in close proximity wartime battles. I still can't fathom how soldiers can fight in such conditions without the "Flight" reflex kicking in.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Clay,

The action in Windtalkers is of the action movie, not war movie, variety. Almost Rambo-esque--lots of explosions, screaming, and Nic Cage running around with a blazing tommy gun in one hand. Plenty of blood and a bit of gore.

After watching the extreme realism of recent films like BHD and We Were Soldiers, it was a little off-putting, but for what it is, it's OK.

 

[Tino]

The action was ridiculous in Windtalkers, the years WORST film.
I hated this film from beginning to end. The battle scenes were a mess, poorly choreographed to get the most "WOW" factor from every explosion of flying blood, gore and body parts.
This mess was a big cliche from start to finish, filled with embarassing stereotypes, and without one original thought that wasn't stolen from far better films. Terrible acting, music, cinematography, editing etc.. Lazy filmaking on an epic scale.
A horrible insultingly bad film in almost every way, a sentiment a WWII veteran that I spoke to afterwards agreed with.
Sorry, but I really was looking forward to this film and was immensely let down, considering the talent involved.

 

[Sam Graves]

I was also disappointed with Windtalkers . To begin with, the movie was centered on Nicolas Cage, not the actual Codetalkers. What was the point of Frances O'Connor's Navy nurse? There were so many war-film cliches and I felt the movie was completely unoriginal. We have the token racist who is saved by a person whom he demeans, a soldier asks another to send a personal belonging back home if he doesn't make it, and the other soldier discourages it. As soon as that soldier asked that, I knew Mark Ruffalo was going to turn it down. Another glaring problem I had was when stock footage was used for the Naval battleships firing their guns. This film was delayed for awhile; could they not find better footage?
I know my rant is incoherent and jumbled, but I feel it fits this film.

 

[Bill J]

stock footage was used for the Naval battleships firing their guns.

That made me cringe quite a bit.

Did anyone else find the music during the battle scenes totally inappropriate?

 

[Tino]

Damn, practically everything about this movie was inappropriate!
How about every time they showed Nic Cage's face, of course it was the scarred side..every time.
And that stock footage???? Completely cheesy and out of place and removed me from the film, which I wasn't into much anyway.
Frances O'Connor......huh? Love interest? Not that interesting.
And how about that Japanese character development?:rolleyes
And on, and on, and on.....
I rarely use this term, but this movie really sucked!
IMO, of course.

 

[Craig S]

Count me in with the Windtalkers nay-sayers. The battle footage was big on the gore & carnage, but that alone does NOT cut it.
Four recent films have raised the bar on this kind of thing: Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, Black Hawk Down, & We Were Soldiers. The key thing about these films is the way they portrayed the chaos of battle. In Windtalkers, everything feels scripted & choreographed. This is indeed Woo's style, and while it worked in many of his other films it most decidedly does NOT work here. The worst is the final scene where 4 Americans (two of them wounded) hold off wave after wave of Japanese soldiers. It was just unbelieveable.
I never thought I would say this about this actor, but Nicholas Cage has become boring. He sleepwalks through this one. The rest of the cast does their best, but what can they do when EVERY character is a walking cliche??
The more I think about this film, the less I like it. This is probably the biggest disappointment of the year for me.

 

[YANG]

I am dissapointed with WINDTALKERS too,it doesn't taste like JOHN WOO but rather taste like god damn MGM dish!

If you guys remember,WINDTAKERS encountered numbers of production problems when producers of the film interfere with the shooting.Cost issues,script issues...and other sorts of factors contributes to the failure of this film...

Sigh...i guess WINDTALKERS will follow HARTS WAR fate to be non-S.E in coming DVD release.WINDTALKERS

 

[Ben Motley]

I liked it... to hell with y'all! :p)
p.s., Sorry, but I'm too tired to come up with various reasons and detailed examples as to why I liked Windtalkers, just trust me, I didn't find it nearly as wretched as everyone else that is lambasting it did. I've watched Bourne Identity, Windtalkers, and Minority Report all today, and now I'm going to bed! Maybe I'll come back with some reasons, but until then, you'll just have to be content thinking I'm a loon.
g'night.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I was also "into" this film while I was watching. I cared about the fates of the lead characters. To me, the film succeeded on that level, and while others thought it was wretched, everyone has different tastes in film, and different things that entertain them or hook them into a film. No big deal.