Tropic Thunder is a Ben Stiller-starring parody of action movies like Rambo, and Theodore Shapiro, whose previous scores include comedies like Not Another Teen Movie and Blades of Glory, clearly was the right composer to provide its music. Trained at Brown and Juilliard, Shapiro knows his film music, past and present, and he provides a tongue-in-cheek master class in stylistic borrowings and bombast to accompany all the faux action. Using an orchestra of 91 (consisting of the kind of players who also play the music he's making fun of), plus electric rock musicians and programmers, he evokes Hollywood heavyweights of the past such as Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Jerry Goldsmith early on, and in the body of his score demonstrates his familiarity with the current A-list of big-budget writers like Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, and James Horner as well. Appropriately, there's no subtlety here, just pounding rhythms, soaring melodies, and suspenseful string parts, all executed in short bursts. And at the end, in case there's any doubt about who he has in his sights, the last cue is called "Cue Bill Conti." The score to Tropic Thunder is an affectionate and knowing satire of the history of Hollywood action movie music, penned by an insider. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Tropic Thunder (Score)
08/05/2008 | Lakeshore Records
All Music Guide Review
Tropic Thunder (Score) Track Listing
Credits of Tropic Thunder (Score)
- Jimmy Honeyman
- Orchestration
- Alessandro Cortini
- Programming
- Eric McLeod
- Executive Soundtrack Producer
- Paul Cohen
- Cello
- Edward Meares
- Bass
- Victoria Miskolszy
- Viola
- Bruce Morgenthaler
- Bass
- Barbara Northcutt
- Oboe
- Katia Popov
- Violin
- Anatoly Rosinsky
- Violin
- Geri Rotella
- Flute
- Mark Sazer
- Violin
- Steve Schaeffer
- Percussion
- David Shostac
- Flute
- Steve Tavaglione
- EWI
- Phil Teele
- Trombone
- Jim Thatcher
- Horn
- Doug Tornquist
- Tuba
- Cecilia Tsan
- Cello
- Josephina Vergara
- Violin
- Miwako Watanabe
- Violin
- Roger Wilkie
- Violin, Concert Master
- Ken Yerke
- Violin
- Sean Hurley
- Bass
- Marlo Fisher
- Viola
- Matt Funes
- Viola
- Jon Lewis
- Trumpet
- Peter Limonick
- Percussion
- Drew Dembowski
- Bass
- Kenneth E. Munday
- Bassoon
- Brian D. O'Connor
- Horn
- Sandy DeCrescent
- Music Contractor
- Kevin Connolly
- Violin
- Bryan Carrigan
- Programming, Digital Editing
- Chris Fogel
- Mixing, Recording
- Natalie Leggett
- Violin
- Bruce Babcock
- Orchestration
- Joe Chavez
- Layout Design
- Tamara L. Hatwan
- Violin
- Christian Kollgaard
- Bass
- Rafael Rishik
- Violin
- Scott Stambler
- Music Editor
- Pete Anthony
- Conductor, Orchestration
- Lisbeth Scott
- Vocals
- Ben Stiller
- Producer
- Jon Kull
- Orchestration
- Shawn Mann
- Viola
- Darrin McCann
- Viola
- Sara Parkins
- Violin
- Antony Cooke
- Cello
- Phillipe Levy
- Violin
- David Washburn
- Trumpet
- David Parmeter
- Bass
- Keith Greene
- Viola
- Steven Gordon
- Viola
- Irina Voloshina
- Violin
- Eun Mee Ahn
- Violin
- Roberto Cani
- Violin
- Skip Williamson
- Executive Soundtrack Producer
- Michael Valerio
- Bass
- Oscar Hidalgo
- Bass
- Thomas Dienner
- Viola
- Sarah Thornblade
- Violin
- Randy Spendlove
- Music Executive
- Theodore Shapiro
- Producer
- Ralph Williams
- Clarinet
- Lisa M. Sutton
- Violin
- Gregory Goodall
- Percussion
- Phillip Edward Yao
- Horn
- David F. Walther
- Viola
- Marina Manukian
- Violin
- Peter Rotter
- Music Contractor
- Alyssa Park
- Violin
- Jasper Randall
- Vocal Contractor
- Andrew Thomas Malloy
- Trumpet
- Andrew Duckles
- Viola
- Keith Gretlein
- Assistant Engineer
- Brian McNelis
- Executive Soundtrack Producer
- Donald Foster
- Clarinet
- Jennifer Hawks
- Music Executive
- John Ashton Thomas
- Orchestration
- Eric Craig
- A&R
- Malcolm McNab
- Trumpet
- Stephanie Mente
- Art Direction
- George Kim Scholes
- Cello
- James Fogel
- Assistant Engineer
- Serena McKinney
- Violin
- Stuart Cornfeld
- Executive Soundtrack Producer
- Bruce Dukov
- Violin
- Brad Dutz
- Drums
- Phil Ayling
- Oboe
- Steve Becknell
- Horn
- William Booth
- Trombone
- Jacqueline Brand
- Violin
- Darius Campo
- Violin
- Brian Dembow
- Viola
- Greg Dennon
- Assistant Engineer
- George Doering
- Guitar
- George Drakoulias
- Producer
- Stephen Erdody
- Cello
- Christine Ermacoff
- Cello
- Alan Estes
- Percussion
- Pedro Eustache
- Woodwind
- Michael Fisher
- Drums
- Endre Granat
- Violin
- Richard E. Grant
- Auricle Programming
- Paula Hochhalter
- Cello
- Alexander Iles
- Trombone
- Dennis Karmazyn
- Cello
- Roland Kato
- Viola
- Brian Kilgore
- Drums
- Armen Ksadjikian
- Cello
- Dimitrie Leivici
- Violin











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