I wasn't crazy about the soundtrack, to be honest. I know it got a lot of praise, but I thought it called way too much attention to itself, rather than grounding/supporting the film.

Huh. Well that certainly sounds like John Williams' m.o.

Just as a side-discussion, do you object to soundtracks calling attention to themselves in general, or is it a case specific thing?

With me it's definitely case specific, because certain movies I adore (the mid-period works of Dario Argento for instance) that have what could almost be called "foreground" scores.

MST3K did a film called DADDY-O that had Johnny Williams doing the soundtrack. With the "immortal" Dick Contino in the lead.

Man, this movie just keeps popping up. It was just mentioned on the Lost in the Grooves blog, and James Ellroy wrote a novella based around the making of this movie, "Dick Contino's Blues." Ellroy even tracked Contino down and became friends with him.

Flash Gordon would have been nothing without Queen.

Man, this movie just keeps popping up. It was just mentioned on the Lost in the Grooves blog, and James Ellroy wrote a novella based around the making of this movie. (Ellroy even tracked Contino down and became friends with him.)

Interesting. What's the name of the book it's in (the Ellroy story)?

Man, if Ellroy did a story on it, some pretty heavy shit must have gone down during the making of it - he usually doesn't play nice with his characters. Although I was surprised when I read LA Confidential to find out that the resolution of one of the story lines, that had critics complaining it was a cop-out, was pretty much straight from the book.

Flash Gordon would have been nothing without Queen.

So true....

What's the name of the book it's in (the Ellroy story)?

I think I read it in Hollywood Nocturnes, but he's also got a collection titled Dick Contino's Blues and Other Stories.

Brief synopsis: Dick Contino, a 50s accordion player, a star in the making, is destroyed by a draft-dodging scandal. His life is on the skids until he comes up with the idea of resurrecting his career with a fake kidnapping scam. Meanwhile a serial killer is on the loose.

Leo was great in Catch Me If You Can. And honestly, I think he was really good in Titanic, too, but so many people hate that movie, just because of the sheer size of it, and the dominance it had. Which is kind of sad, but oh well.

Meanwhile a serial killer is on the loose.

Aren't they always?

Aren't they always?

Those slippery bastards.

I liked Titanic. I like spectacles. So there.