Composing, Batman, One More Thing

Good Morning!
I was going to post last night, but was a litte brain dead after composing for most of the day. It's not the composing part as much as the "putting on the computer" part that really gets to me. I am writing a percussion ensemble piece for next week's band camp here at UCA. It is challenging because I always have to keep in mind that about 16 high school students will have less than four hours of rehearsal time before the performance. So, I always have to think about that when I'm writing. It is tricky to find the balance that pushes hard enough to be challenging but not so hard as to be discouraging. I also want to write a piece that the students will like, of course. My working title for the piece is Refuge X. Any thoughts on that?

It's finished at this point, I just need to get it in Sibelius and print out the parts. That's my project for today. I had hopes of going to see It's All Gone Pete Tong this evening, but, alas, that will have to wait.

I did see Batman Begins a couple of days ago. Excellent, but not perfect. The story is well conceived and helps to explain how Batman got all of his equipment without anyone knowing about it (I've always wondered). A couple of things keep it from being a movie that I really have to see again. First, there is comic relief inserted at the most inopportune moments. If the mood is dark and serious, why spoil it? Director's choice? Maybe. Studio execs worried that preview audiences found it "too Dark"? Probably. Usually the jokes aren't even that good. The second problem is the casting of Katie Holmes. She is out of her league, and it shows. Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Christian Bale and a lot of lesser known but still incredible actors populate the cast (Cillian Murphy of 28 Days Later has perfected "Crazy"). It is bothersome because while the other actors pull you in and make you believe, Holmes is a constant reminder that it's just a movie. We can't blame Katie, though. Who could turn down a part in a movie like this. Instead, blame the person who offered the part to her in the first place.

Oh...the soundtrack, in my opinion, is a little weak. Still, the good far outweighs the bad. Go see it. Who knows, I may see it again, too...at the $1.00 Theater.

My last two posts have been about copyright law. I know it's getting old. But, one last thing. Wired has found a legislator who is doing the unexpected and fighting for the public's rights. Click on the link below to go to the interview.
Wired News: Lawmaker Revs Up Fair-Use Crusade

Later,
Blake