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Welcome to the new look Movie Music UK
After many years of a rather stagnant and out of date site design, plus various technological and security-related issues over the past six months, I have decided to bite the bullet and launch a site upgrade, with a new look, and new features intended to make the site more interactive and modern.
The review content and composer biography archive will remain the same (as, hopefully, will the quality of writing!), but in addition to these classic elements the site now has an RSS feed, is set up to allow instant feedback from readers through direct comment areas on each review, and is plugged in to Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Digg, and various other social media outlets to allow easy link sharing.
Over the coming months I will be working on new reviews and content while moving over and converting all the existing reviews and composer biographies to the new style. Currently the majority of the historical reviews and composer bios are unavailable, but this will gradually change over time. I expect all the content to be back live within 10-12 weeks.
I hope you like the all-new MMUK. Comments and questions are always welcome, of course!
IFMCA Award Winners 2009
INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES WINNERS FOR 2009; MICHAEL GIACCHINO’S UP WINS BEST SCORE
Michael Giacchino wins the 2009 Score of the Year award from the International Film Music Critics Association for his inventive and nostalgic score for the Disney Pixar film, UP, which also wins Best Original Score for an Animated Feature. Giacchino receives a total of four awards, including Composer of the Year, in part for also writing the Best Original Score to a Fantasy/Science Fiction Feature winner for the JJ Abrams STAR TREK reboot. Giacchino won the Association’s first Score of the Year award in 2004 for another Pixar film, THE INCREDIBLES.
Christopher Young wins two awards for DRAG ME TO HELL: Original Score for a Horror/Thriller Film and Film Music Compostion of the Year for “Concerto to Hell.” Also receiving two awards is James Peterson for Breakout Composer of the Year and Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure Feature for the mixed martial arts prison movie THE RED CANVAS.
Veteran composer Marvin Hamlisch wins Best Original Score for a Comedy Film for Steven Soderbergh’s THE INFORMANT!, while Polish composer Abel Korzeniowski wins Best Original Score for a Drama Film for director Tom Ford’s debut film, A SINGLE MAN. Rounding out the feature film winners is Armand Amar’s Best Original Score for a Documentary Feature for the French nature documentary HOME. Read more…
Academy Award Nominations 2009
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2009.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- MARCO BELTRAMI and BUCK SANDERS for The Hurt Locker
- ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for Fantastic Mr. Fox
- MICHAEL GIACCHINO for Up
- JAMES HORNER for Avatar
- HANS ZIMMER for Sherlock Holmes
This is the first Oscar nomination for Sanders. It is the second nomination for Beltrami, the 3rd nomination for Desplat, the 2nd nomination for Giacchino, the 8th nomination for Horner, and the 7th nomination for Zimmer. Horner previously won for Titanic in 1997. Zimmer previously won for The Lion King in 1994.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- RYAN BINGHAM and T-BONE BURNETT for “The Weary Kind” from Crazy Heart
- RANDY NEWMAN for “Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog
- RANDY NEWMAN for “Down in New Orleans” from The Princess and the Frog
- REINHARDT WAGNER and FRANK THOMAS for “Loin de Paname” from Paris 36
- MAURY YESTON for “Take It All” from Nine
The winners of the 82nd Academy Awards will be announced on March 7, 2010.
IFMCA Award Nominations 2009
INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES ITS 2009 NOMINEES FOR SCORING EXCELLENCE; MICHAEL GIACCHINO RECEIVES A RECORD NINE NOMINATIONS
The International Film Music Critics Association announces its list of excellence in musical scoring for 2009 with composer Michael Giacchino receiving nine individual nominations, the most for any composer in a given year since the Association began issuing awards in 2004. Along with multiple mentions for his score to the Disney Pixar movie UP and JJ Abrams’ reinvented STAR TREK, Giacchino receives nominations for his scores to the TV series LOST as well as the documentary EARTH DAYS. Giacchino is also nominated for Composer of the Year along with Alexandre Desplat, James Horner, Christopher Young and Brian Tyler.
Both UP and STAR TREK are nominated for Score of the Year, along with James Horner’s score to the worldwide blockbuster AVATAR and Christopher Young’s score to Sam Raimi’s DRAG ME TO HELL. These film scores are tied with the most nominations this year at four noms each. Alexandre Desplat’s score to THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON rounds out the category. Read more…
BAFTA Nominations 2009
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the nominations for the 63rd British Academy Film Awards, honoring the best in film in 2009.
In the Best Original Music category, which is named in memory of the film director Anthony Asquith, the nominees are:
- T-BONE BURNETT and STEPHEN BRUTON for Crazy Heart
- ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for Fantastic Mr. Fox
- MICHAEL GIACCHINO for Up
- JAMES HORNER for Avatar
- CHAZ JANKEL for Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
These are the first nominations Bruton, Giacchino, and Jankel. It is the third nomination for Desplat, the fourth nomination for Burnett, and the fourth nomination for Horner. Burnett previously won for Cold Mountain in 2003.
The winners of the 63rd BAFTA Awards will be announced on February 21, 2010.
Golden Globe Nominations 2009
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominations for the 67th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2009.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- CARTER BURWELL and KAREN ORZOLEK (KAREN O) for Where the Wild Things Are
- MICHAEL GIACCHINO for Up
- MARVIN HAMLISCH for The Informant!
- JAMES HORNER for Avatar
- ABEL KORZENIOWSKI for A Single Man
These are the first nominations for Burwell, Giacchino, Korzeniowski, and Orzolek. It is the third nomination for Hamlisch, and the sixth nomination for Horner. Horner previously won for Titanic in 1997.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- RYAN BINGHAM and T-BONE BURNETT for “The Weary Kind” from Crazy Heart
- PAUL HEWSON (BONO), DAVID EVANS (THE EDGE), ADAM CLAYTON, and LARRY MULLEN JR. for “Winter” from Brothers
- JAMES HORNER and THADDIS ‘KUK’ HARRELL for “I See You” from Avatar
- PAUL MCCARTNEY for “(I Want to) Come Home” from Everybody’s Fine
- MAURY YESTON for “Cinema Italiano” from Nine
The winners of the 67th Golden Globe Awards will be announced on January 17, 2010.
Maurice Jarre, 1924-2009
Composer Maurice Jarre died on March 29, 2009, at his home in Malibu, California, after a battle with cancer. He was 84.
Maurice Alexis Jarre was born in Lyon, France, in September 1924, and originally studied engineering at the Sorbonne before turning to music at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied composition, percussion, and conducting. His early career included work in French theatre, notably as musical director for Jean-Louis Barrault’s Théâtre National Populaire.
Jarre’s began scoring films in France in the 1950s, notably for acclaimed director Georges Franju, and came to international prominence in 1962 for his epic, percussive, sweeping masterpiece score for director David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. The film’s stirring main theme, performed by a full orchestra and augmented with Middle Eastern instruments, became one of the most recognizable in cinema and won Jarre his first Oscar. He capitalized on the success again in 1965 with another David Lean film, Doctor Zhivago, where his romantic and melancholic “Lara’s Theme” became a popular standard. Read more…
Academy Award Nominations 2008
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the nominations for the 81st Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2008.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- DANNY ELFMAN for Milk
- JAMES NEWTON HOWARD for Defiance
- THOMAS NEWMAN for Wall*E
- A. R. RAHMAN for Slumdog Millionaire
This is the first Oscar nomination for Rahman. It is the 2nd nomination for Desplat, the 4th nomination for Elfman, the 6th nomination for Howard, and the 10th nomination for Newman. None of the nominees have ever won an Academy Award before
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- THOMAS NEWMAN and PETER GABRIEL for “Down to Earth” from Wall*E
- A. R. RAHMAN and SAMPOORAN SINGH KALRA (GULZAR) for “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire
- A. R. RAHMAN and MATHANGI ARULPRAGASAM (M.I.A.) for “O Saya” from Slumdog Millionaire
The winners of the 81st Academy Awards will be announced on February 22, 2009.
Golden Globe Nominations 2008
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominations for the 66th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2008.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- CLINT EASTWOOD for Changeling
- JAMES NEWTON HOWARD for Defiance
- A. R. RAHMAN for Slumdog Millionaire
- HANS ZIMMER for Frost/Nixon
This is the first nomination Rahman, the second nomination for Howard, the third nomination for Eastwoood, the fourth nomination for Desplat, and the eighth nomination for Zimmer. Eastwood has also been nominated three times previously as a director, winning for Bird in 1988 and Unforgiven in 1992. Desplat previously won for The Painted Veil in 2006. Zimmer previously won for The Lion King in 1994 and Gladiator in 2000.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- JAMIE CULLUM, CLINT EASTWOOD, KYLE EASTWOOD, and MICHAEL STEVENS for “Gran Torino” from Gran Torino
- MILEY CYRUS and JEFFREY STEELE for “I Thought I Lost You” from Bolt
- PETER GABRIEL and THOMAS NEWMAN for” Down to Earth” from Wall*E
- BEYONCÉ KNOWLES, HENRY KRIEGER, SCOTT CUTLER, and ANNE PREVEN for “Once in a Lifetime” from Cadillac Records
- BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN for “The Wrestler” from The Wrestler
The winners of the 66th Golden Globe Awards will be announced on January 11, 2009.
Leonard Rosenman, 1924-2008
Composer Leonard Rosenman died on March 4, 2008, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. He had been suffering with dementia for many years, and died of a heart attack. He was 83.
Leonard Rosenman was born in September 1924, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrants from Poland. After service in the Pacific with the United States Army Air Forces in World War II he studied piano and composition at Brooklyn College, and later at the University of California, Berkeley. Among his most influential teachers were Arnold Schoenberg and Roger Sessions – figures whose serialist and atonal techniques deeply informed Rosenman’s own compositional voice.
Rosenman’s entranc into the film world came through his friendship with actor James Dean; the two had met at a party for the cast of a Broadway play, and two weeks later Dean appeared at Rosenman’s doorstep wanting to take piano lessons. Dean later personally recommended him to director Elia Kazan for East of Eden in 1955, which proved to be a major breakthrough for the composer. Rosenman followed it later that year with Rebel Without a Cause, further establishing his reputation as a composer capable of capturing psychological intensity through unconventional harmonic language. These early scores were groundbreaking in their integration of dissonance and modernist techniques into mainstream Hollywood cinema. Read more…
Academy Award Nominations 2007
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the nominations for the 80th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2007.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- MARCO BELTRAMI for 3:10 to Yuma
- MICHAEL GIACCHINO for Ratatouille
- JAMES NEWTON HOWARD for Michael Clayton
- ALBERTO IGLESIAS for The Kite Runner
- DARIO MARIANELLI for Atonement
These are the first Oscar nominations for Beltrami and Giacchino. It is the 5th nomination for Howard, the 2nd nomination for Iglesias, and the 2nd nomination for Marianelli. None of the nominees have ever won an Academy Award before
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- GLEN HANSARD and MARKÉTA IRGLOVÁ for “Falling Slowly” from Once
- JAMAL JOSEPH, CHARLES MACK, and TEVIN THOMAS for “Raise It Up” from August Rush
- ALAN MENKEN and STEPHEN SCHWARTZ for “Happy Working Song” from Enchanted
- ALAN MENKEN and STEPHEN SCHWARTZ for “So Close” from Enchanted
- ALAN MENKEN and STEPHEN SCHWARTZ for “That’s How You Know” from Enchanted
The winners of the 80th Academy Awards will be announced on February 24, 2008.
BAFTA Nominations 2007
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the nominations for the 61st British Academy Film Awards, honoring the best in film in 2007.
In the Best Original Music category, which is named in memory of the film director Anthony Asquith, the nominees are:
- JONNY GREENWOOD for There Will Be Blood
- CHRISTOPHER GUNNING for La Môme/La Vie En Rose
- ALBERTO IGLESIAS for The Kite Runner
- DARIO MARIANELLI for Atonement
- MARC STREITENFELD for American Gangster
These are the first nominations Greenwood, Gunning, Marianelli, and Streitenfeld. It is the second nomination for Iglesias.
The winners of the 61st BAFTA Awards will be announced on February 10, 2008.
Golden Globe Nominations 2007
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominations for the 65th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2007.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- CLINT EASTWOOD for Grace Is Gone
- ALBERTO IGLESIAS for The Kite Runner
- MICHAEL BROOK, KAKI KING, and EDDIE VEDDER for Into the Wild
- DARIO MARIANELLI for Atonement
- HOWARD SHORE for Eastern Promises
These are the first nominations for Brook, Iglesias, King, Marianelli, and Vedder. It is the second nomination for Eastwoood, and the fourth nomination for Shore. Eastwood has also been nominated three times previously as a director, winning for Bird in 1988 and Unforgiven in 1992. Shore previously won for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003 and The Aviator in 2004.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- MARSHALL CRENSHAW, JUDD APATOW, JAKE KASDAN, and JOHN C. REILLY for “Walk Hard” from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
- CLINT EASTWOOD and CAROLE BAYER SAGER for “Grace Is Gone” from Grace Is Gone
- ALAN MENKEN and STEPHEN SCHWARTZ for “That’s How You Know” from Enchanted
- SHAKIRA RIPOLL and ANTONIO PINTO for “Despedida” from Love in the Time of Cholera
- EDDIE VEDDER for “Guaranteed” from Into the Wild
The winners of the 65th Golden Globe Awards will be announced on January 13, 2008.
Remembering Brian May, 1934-1997
Composer Brian May died ten years ago today, on April 25, 1997, in his home in Melbourne, Australia, after a short respiratory illness. He was 62.
May was born in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1934. A classically trained musician and conductor, May studied at the Adelaide Elder Conservatorium and later joined the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), where he served as conductor of the ABC Showband. He made his transition to film scoring in the early 1970s and quickly became a key figure in the Australian New Wave cinema movement, alongside fellow composers such as Peter Best and Bruce Smeaton, through scores like The True Story of Eskimo Nell (1975) and Patrick (1978).
May’s most famous contributions to film came at the end of that decade, with his scores for George Miller’s Mad Max (1979) and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981). May’s propulsive, percussive orchestral style that matched those films’ raw, dystopian vision, and when they earned global acclaim and popularity, May became one of the first Australian film composers to enjoy a major international career.
Known for his dramatic orchestration and effective use of tension and rhythm, May was equally adept in the horror, action, and suspense genres. His film credits post-Mad Max include Roadgames (1981), Gallipoli (1981), The Survivor (1981), Turkey Shoot (1982), Cloak & Dagger (1984), Sky Pirates (1986), and Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), among many others. Read more…
Academy Award Nominations 2006
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the nominations for the 79th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2006.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for The Queen
- PHILIP GLASS for Notes on a Scandal
- JAVIER NAVARRETE for Pan’s Labyrinth
- THOMAS NEWMAN for The Good German
- GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA for Babel
These are the first Oscar nominations for Desplat and Navarrete, it is the 3rd nomination for Glass, the 9th nomination for Newman, and the 2nd nomination for Santaolalla. Santaolalla previously won for Brokeback Mountain, last year, in 2005.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- MELISSA ETHERIDGE for “I Need to Wake Up” from An Inconvenient Truth
- HENRY KRIEGER, SCOTT CUTLER, and ANNE PREVEN for “Listen” from Dreamgirls
- HENRY KRIEGER and SIEDAH GARRETT for “Love You I Do” from Dreamgirls
- HENRY KRIEGER and WILLIE REALE for “Patience” from Dreamgirls
- RANDY NEWMAN for “Our Town” from Cars
The winners of the 79th Academy Awards will be announced on February 25, 2007.
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