Hans Zimmer – Matchstick Men (The Deluxe Edition) (CD) + John Debney – The Scorpion King (The Deluxe Edition) (2-CD) Bundle

Matchstick Men Description:
Matchstick Men (2003) was an off-beat project from Ridley Scott after a series of intense, big-budget spectacles (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Hannibal). Based on a novel by Eric Garcia, the script by Ted Griffin and Nicholas Griffin was a character study about con men (played by Nicholas Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman) which, in Scott’s hands, became a comedy with dramatic elements.
Reuniting with Ridley Scott was composer Hans Zimmer, who had scored his previous three films—as well as 1991’s Thelma & Louise—and would go on to score several more. Zimmer, like Scott, sparked to the humor of the story and wrote a delightful, Nino Rota-flavored “Felliniesque” score. This lighthearted approach caused no end of drama behind the scenes, as the studio insisted upon a more serious tone. However, the film was released to critical acclaim, validating the filmmakers’ intentions.
Varèse Sarabande released a 22-track, 56-minute soundtrack of Matchstick Men at the time of the film, including several of the licensed songs that complement Zimmer’s music in the film. This Deluxe Edition is a 30-track, 79-minute program of solely Zimmer’s score (including additional cues by and with Geoff Zanelli, Jim Dooley and Bruce Fowler). The behind-the-scenes conflicts are documented in Kaya Savas’ new liner notes, including a Q-and-A interview with Zimmer that, like his music, never fails to entertain.

Scorpion King Description:
The Scorpion King (2002) was a prequel and spin-off of Universal Pictures’ successful Mummy franchise, launching the superstardom of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in his first lead role. The Rock reprised his character of Mathayus from The Mummy Returns in an origin story depicting the Akkadian mercenary’s rise to power 5,001 years prior to the events of the previous films.
Director Chuck Russell (The Mask, Eraser) chose John Debney to score The Scorpion King based on the strength of his symphonic score for Cutthroat Island (1995). Debney followed in the Mummy footsteps of Jerry Goldsmith and Alan Silvestri with a gargantuan, desert-flavored action score for full orchestra and choir, including non-Western instruments like the ney, duduk and ram’s horn (and Japanese taiko drums and flutes) to evoke exoticism and antiquity. He also, befitting the film’s contemporary swagger and The Rock’s wrestling fanbase, created a “mash-up” of symphonic instruments with shredding electric guitars.
Director and composer intended the score to be a tribute to classic adventure films. As Debney recalls in the new liner notes, “Chuck stressed how he wanted it to hearken back to those great films from yesteryear, where you have a lot of musical scurrying around. I went back to Korngold for its pirate aspect and the music of Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad movies, as well as Jerry and Alan. I love doing these little musical homages to my heroes.”
The Scorpion King was released by Varèse Sarabande as a 40-minute CD at the time of the film. The 2CD Deluxe Edition doubles the score program to nearly 80 minutes, and adds a bonus section of Debney’s demos. Liner notes are by Daniel Schweiger."