“Transform and book a new orchestra.”

Moving away from the ‘ugh!’ era of Transformers movies, the trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts dropped yesterday. Much like the underrated Bumblebee, this one looks quite promising. The big question: who has director Steven Caple, Jr. hired to score the film? Jongnic Bontemps.

Short response: Gesundheit.

Long response: The two of them collaborated on Caple's first movie and Bontemps even provided additional music for Caple's Creed II. As I mentioned long ago, I've taken a Norma Desmond approach to the many unfamiliar names scoring movies today; 'They took the idols and smashed them: the Broughtons, the Eidelmans, the McKenzies, and who we got now? Some nobodies!'. 

Granted, I know (and will no doubt be reminded in the future) that there's no enjoying soundtracks if you aren't willing to take a chance on an unfamiliar talent, every now and then...but then I'm reminded of last year's Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, whose work by Martin Todsharow (collaborator of the film's director Robert Schwentke on his non-Hollywood movies) is one of the most depressingly bad music scores I've heard in over 30 years of admiring film scores. (That this got a 2-disc physical release from La La Land is a rage-inducing bit of nonsense all its own and I'm not looking to stroke out over something like this.)

I want to keep an open mind, but too many composers nowadays are only able to string enough notes together to create a recurring theme. They don’t have the first clue about long-lined melodies or counterpoint or sub-themes or variations or developing their themes based on the turns of the story.

Film music should make people feel good. I’m not getting that from unproven talent.