Michel Gondry has pretty good taste in music, as evinced by the myriad of music videos he’s directed (Radiohead, Bjork, etc.) and the always interesting musical choices he’s had in his films — Jon Brion, Beck (‘Eternal Sunshine’), an odd cover of the Velvet Undergound (“Science of Sleep”), composer Étienne Charry (“Interior Design”), the R&B and soul of “Block Party”, the jazz and Fats Waller from “Be Kind Rewind,” etc.
And yes, it’s an action adventure movie ostensibly and therefore likely requires something a little different from what’s listed above, but we’re rather disappointed to learn that Gondry is going with the fairly conventional choice of Danny Elfman for “The Green Hornet.”
One of the first superstar composers, as it were, or one of the few composers pleebs can generally name if asked, Elfman’s been grandfathered in by geeks as having godhead composer status, but he actually hasn’t made a score we’ve cared for in almost two decades. Yes, his work for “Pee Wee Herman’s Big Adventure” and the first few Tim Burton films was fun, but the clowny vibe, haunts his every work.
Suffice to say, it’s probably not an overstatement to say he’s perhaps the most overrated composer working today. Or maybe it’s just that geek film sites do backflips and hoorays every time his name is mentioned in conjunction with any movie. Either way, yes, you need something upbeat, dramatic and not off-the-beaten path for super-hero film like, “The Green Hornet,” but didn’t Seth Rogen and his writing partner Evan Goldberg promise something different and much more of a buddy film?
We still have faith in Gondry, but we’re not very jazzed to hear about this announcement, which makes the film sound rather orthodox and by-the-numbers action. It’s probably why we didn’t put it in our Most Anticipated Films of 2010 feature and instead, cautiously placed it in the Most Anticipated 2010 Popcorn Films; we’re not quite convinced it’s not just going to be “Gondry doing tentpole,” which yes, will be above average interesting, but…
The picture also stars Tom Wilkinson, Cameron Diaz, Edward James Olmos and the great Christoph Waltz of “Inglourious Basterds,” playing the villain that Nicolas Cage turned down (a scary thought). The film arrives in theaters December 22, 2010, let’s hope Diaz and Elfman don’t ruin it.
