Cosmic Symphonies: Elfman in Space (Video 2002) Poster

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Interesting subject, interesting man - not great but good enough for a short
bob the moo22 April 2003
A look behind the scenes at composer Danny Elfman at work on the score an incidental music for his latest film MIIB. With Interviews with Elfman himself we are taken through the process to the completed film.

This was one of many documentary shorts on the MIIB DVD and was one of the two most interesting. The reason for this is that it is a look at the process and the man rather than yet another look at MIIB from a slightly different angle. Here the focus on the interviews with Elfman are what makes it work. The film in the background could really be any film.

He doesn't shed too much light on the technical side but he is refreshingly honest about the process - there is only a few sentences of praise for him from Sonnenfeld, the majority is good honest examination and talk.

While a longer documentary would have needed a lot more to get by, this short holds the interest simply because it looks at an interesting man doing an interesting job. It isn't the most insightful thing in the world but it is actually quite interesting and, happily, isn't another cheap promo for the main feature.
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2/10
too long and boring
movieman_kev23 August 2005
This 12 minute featurette on the composing of the soundtrack for "Men in Black 2" can be found on the second disc of the 2-DVD special edition of the aforementioned movie. 12 minutes is a tad on the long side and if it was half that long maybe I would have enjoyed it more, but then again I'm more into the special effects, the visual effects, the make-up effects, hell even the Foley work, than I care about scoring especially in a live-action movie that not many people can remember the score to offhand. Something like "Back to the Future", "Indiana Jones", "Jaws", and "Star Trek". Yea, bring on the composer extras, I'll eat it up. But for "Men In Black 2"?? Get outta here.. Oh yea i LOVE the score to "Die Hard" too.

My Grade: D+
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8/10
I've announced my retirement a dozen times
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews19 September 2019
This consists of interviews with the cast and crew, all of whom have something compelling to add within their area of expertise(and there is a very clear love of what they're working on), clips from the movie, behind-the-scenes footage, and incomplete effects shots.

It's 13 minutes long. This is found on the double disc DVD of Men in Black II.

They(primarily Elfman himself) talk about Danny's score and his influences(chief among them Bernard Hermann). His process. Working with the orchestra. The difference between composer and orchestrator, which is clearly very important to him. Why Pete Anthony makes such a great conductor. How similar getting the timing right on the action scenes of the flick is to that of classic Looney Tunes. Leaving a hole(silence) for a joke, instead of playing to it. How hard the work is.

I recommend this to any fan of the property. 8/10
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