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TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON – Steve Jablonsky
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
I didn’t want to write this review. I really didn’t. I saw the first Transformers movie and thought it was a decent enough summer popcorn flick, but then I endured Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and with the terrible acting and the execrable screenplay and the awful direction and the interchangeable fighting robots and the mind-numbing score, I vowed never to suffer through another Transformers-related experience, cinematically or musically. Transformers: Dark of the Moon, however, is one of the biggest box office successes of 2011, and contains one of the best-selling scores of the year, and as such it’s difficult to ignore it completely.
The complicated story concerns a secret crashed spaceship on the moon, the US military searching for the evil Decepticon transformer that still remain in the world, and a plot by those Decepticons to use ancient technology found within the spaceship to enslave humanity. Naturally, the heroic Autobots and their human friend Sam Witwicky team up with the military to save the day – cue massive scenes of chaos, enormous fighting robots, and general death and destruction. Read more…
SUPER 8 – Michael Giacchino
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Super 8 is director J.J. Abrams’ sentimental homage to Steven Spielberg. One part monster movie, one part children’s fantasy, it takes inspiration from films such as E.T. and The Goonies in that it looks at a terrible event from an adult perspective, but filters it through children’s eyes, so that the simple and uncomplicated central truths of that event shine through, especially the ones which the adults cannot see. It’s also a loving tribute to a childhood obsessed with movies, sitting in darkened theaters, munching popcorn, dreaming of making movies one day yourself. Abrams did this, Spielberg did this, and Michael Giacchino did this too.
The film stars Joel Courtney as Joe, a young boy in 1970s small-town America who passed the time making Super 8 films with his friends during their summer vacation. Joe is emotionally distant from his father Jackson (Kyle Chandler), the chief of police in the town, following the death of his mother, but has a crush on Alice (Elle Fanning), the daughter of the man whose heavy drinking indirectly caused his mother’s death. Read more…
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER – Alan Silvestri
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Growing up as I did in the UK, the comic book adventures of Captain America didn’t mean very much to me. I was aware of the character, of course, and vaguely remember seeing the 1990 film starring Matt Salinger, but beyond that my knowledge of the comics, and the hoopla surrounding him was nonexistent. It turns out that he’s actually something of an icon; since his first appearance in print in 1941 – when he was depicted landing a right slug on Hitler’s jaw – he has grown to become a true all-American hero beloved by millions, with a large fan base that endures to this day.
This new version of the Captain America story – the last of the series of Avengers prequels that also includes Thor, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk – stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, an ambitious and brave wannabe soldier in 1940s America who is continually turned down for military service due to his scrawny build. After impressing scientist Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) with his determination, Rogers is selected to take part in a top-secret science experiment that intends to breed a genetically enhanced battalion of super soldiers that will help turn the fortunes of World War II in the favor of the Allies. Read more…
LE BON PLAISIR – Georges Delerue
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
This suspense film directed by Francis Girod is based on Françoise Giroud’s novel, which explores the tale of a the French president (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who is informed after several years of the existence of a illegitimate son born from an extramarital affair with his former mistress Claire (Catherine Deneuve). To conceal the damaging news he conspires to use the secret service to cover up any kind of proof likely to tarnish his reputation.
What is most interesting is how this movie parallels actual historical events. When the film was released, Francois Mitterrand was the newly elected President of France. Unknown to the public at the time was that he had sired an illegitimate child whose existence was kept hidden up to around the time of his death. Many journalists knew of this “state secret” and it is reasonable to consider that perhaps so did the makers of this film. In the final analysis this film may be no more than pure coincidence, but we must admit that the parallels are striking. Read more…
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART II – Alexandre Desplat
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Fifteen years after J.K. Rowling first introduced the world to Harry Potter, the saga has finally ended. The interim has seen the publication of seven books and the release of eight films about the life and adventures of the eponymous boy wizard, culminating in this film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the second installment of the series’ epic finale. It’s been a long journey for both Rowling and her teenage protagonist – the books have become some of the most successful literary works of the last 100 years, the films have grossed a combined $2.3 billion at the US box office alone – but at the end of it all, Harry Potter will likely remain one of the most beloved series of novels and films for many generations to come. Read more…
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COMMENT LES SÉDUIRE – François de Roubaix
Original Review by Craig Lysy
This CD is a compilation of music from three films directed by Jean-Claude Roy and scored by François de Roubaix. Roy and de Roubaix became good friends during the French-Algerian War circa 1958 and worked together several times during their careers prior to the composer’s untimely death in a diving accident off the island of Tenerife in 1975, when the composer was just 36 years old. The films covered here are Les Strip-Teaseuses (or, to give it it’s full title, Strip-Teaseuses Ou Ces Femmes Que L’on Croit Faciles) from 1964, Les Combinards from 1966 and Comment les Séduire from 1968. Read more…