Archive
THE GHOST WRITER – Alexandre Desplat
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
It’s impossible to talk about The Ghost Writer without talking about Roman Polanski. The director of The Ghost Writer and other such excellent films as Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, The Ninth Gate and The Pianist was arrested in Switzerland on 25-year old sexual abuse charges during post-production on this film, and has since become a divisive figure. Whether the scandal and scuttlebutt surrounding Polanski will affect The Ghost Writer’s reception remains to be seen, but the Pole has always been an excellent cinematic mind, and his films continue to impress. As a result of his incarceration, many of the film’s ‘finishing touches’ had to be made without him, including the recording of Alexandre Desplat’s original score for the film; thankfully, despite however you may feel about Polanski and his transgressions, Desplat’s score is yet another strong one. Read more…
THE WOLFMAN – Danny Elfman
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The story of the creation of the score for The Wolfman is a long and arduous one. Danny Elfman was attached to the project pretty much from its inception, and wrote a fully orchestral, Gothic horror score at the request of the film’s director, Joe Johnston. Originally scheduled to be released in November 2008, the film suffered numerous problems in post production, and was pushed back and back in the calendar; eventually, so much re-editing was done that Elfman’s score no longer fit the timings of the movie, meaning that much of it had to be re-written. However, a scheduling conflict with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland meant that Elfman could not undertake any re-writes, and with time running out the original score was rejected. Austrian composer Paul Haslinger was brought in to replace Elfman, but following its recording his primarily electronic score was deemed ‘wrong’ for the picture, and Elfman’s original score was restored. However, Elfman himself was still unable to re-work his music to fit the new film, so several other composers and orchestrators – including Conrad Pope and Edward Shearmur – were brought in to re-track the music, write additional cues, and basically finish off the project before its February 2010 release. It’s a mess of quite horrific proportions, and one can only hope that debacles like these are avoided in the future. Read more…
PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF – Christophe Beck
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Greek mythology has proven to be a fertile breeding ground for Hollywood films for decades. From the gods of Mount Olympus – Zeus and Poseidon, Aphrodite and Apollo – to human figures such as Jason, Odysseus, Achilles and Perseus in stories such as The Iliad and The Odyssey, these names are engrained into western culture and civilization, and provide classical inspiration for storytellers across the world. When you take these myths and combine them with a very modern variation on the Harry Potter world you end up with Percy Jackson & the Olympians, a series of novels by author Rick Riordan, whose first effort, “The Lightning Thief”, has now been turned into a major motion picture. Read more…
LO – Scott Glasgow
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
“One of the band jestingly summoned him to join them, and lo, he appeared, as if by a descent from heaven”.
This quote from E.M. Butler’s “The Myth of the Magus” highlights the clever wordplay evident in the title of Travis Betz’s film Lo, a very unusual comedy-horror about the lengths to which people will go for love. The film stars Ward Roberts as Justin, a young man in love with a beautiful girl called April (Sarah Lassaez), who has had the misfortune to have been abducted by demons. Intent on rescuing his paramour, Justin finds an ancient book left behind by April, and uses it to summon a demon named Lo (Jeremiah Birkett), who is bound to obey whoever calls him. Lo, however, is a tricky little bugger, and intends to make Justin his dinner. So begins a battle of wits between the two, one intent on saving the soul of his love, the other just looking for his next meal… Read more…
CREATION – Christopher Young
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The English naturalist and scientist Charles Darwin was a controversial figure even before he published his seminal work, “On the Origin of the Species”, in 1859. Darwin’s theories on human evolution and natural selection turned him into a divisive figure, especially in religious circles, to the point that the theological validity of his work remains controversial and strongly debated to this day. Creation, the latest film from director Jon Amiel, is a fairly straightforward biographical telling of Darwin’s life, with Paul Bettany in the title role, Jennifer Connelly as Darwin’s wife Emma, and supporting performances from the likes of Jeremy Northam, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jim Carter.
The music for Creation is by Christopher Young, who previously worked with Jon Amiel on films such as Copycat, Entrapment and The Core. 2009 was an especially good year for Young, with horror scores such as Drag Me to Hell and The Univited sitting comfortably alongside the jazzy Read more…
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS – Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Unfortunately for director Terry Gilliam, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is destined to be remembered as ‘the film Heath Ledger was making when he died’ rather than for any artistic merit the film may have itself, which is a shame because by the looks of things the film has all the magic one has come to expect from the former Python. The film is a fantastical tale about the owner of a travelling circus who, having made a deal with the Devil, takes his audience members through a magical mirror to explore their imaginations. However, Parnassus harbors a dark secret; in exchange for immortality, he pledged the life of his daughter to the devil, and is now using the unsuspecting customers of his ‘imaginarium’ to trick the devil out of his prize. Following Ledger’s death, his part was taken over by three actors – Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law – all of whom apparently worked for free, alongside a quirky cast that also includes Tom Waits, Lily Cole, Verne Troyer, and Christopher Plummer as Parnassus himself. Read more…
SHERLOCK HOLMES – Hans Zimmer
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
This version of Sherlock Holmes is apparently the 223rd occasion the ubiquitous detective has been portrayed on either the big or small screen, but as far as I’m aware this is the first time Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary character has been a traditional Hollywood action hero. A succession of actors – from Basil Rathbone to Peter Cushing and Jeremy Brett – have portrayed Holmes as a thoughtful, cultured, albeit rather eccentric English gentleman, and although Doyle’s novels have often spoken of his prowess as a bare knuckle fighter and swordsman, as well as his drug use, Holmes was never an ‘action man’ in the traditional sense. It seems the filmmakers have made a rather unfortunate misjudgment of character on this film, making this Holmes a young, bare-chested hunk rather than an analytical mind. Read more…
THE YOUNG VICTORIA – Ilan Eshkeri
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
A British costume drama directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, The Young Victoria tells the story of the early life of the soon-to-be Queen Victoria, who ruled Britain for 63 years from 1837 until 1901, and enjoyed a great life-long love with her consort, Prince Albert. Emily Blunt plays Victoria as a young romantic, deeply in love with Albert (Rupert Friend), both before and after her accession to the throne. The film, which was co-produced by Martin Scorsese and Sarah Ferguson (formerly the Duchess of York), features a plethora of British senior actors in supporting roles, including Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, Paul Bettany, Mark Strong and Julian Glover, has rich and opulent production design and costumes, and has a strong score by British composer Ilan Eshkeri. Read more…
AVATAR – James Horner
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
James Cameron makes a habit of being groundbreaking. Whether he is creating a planet full of ferocious xenomorphs in Aliens, experimenting with liquid metal robots in Terminator II, or making a realistic recreation of a sinking boat in Titanic, the Canadian director has always been at the forefront of cutting edge cinematic technology, pushing the envelope of what is creatively and technologically possible on the screen. His latest film, Avatar, continues that trend; with an estimated budget of $320 million, it’s the most expensive film ever made, and looks set to become one of the biggest grossing films of all time too. Read more…
INVICTUS – Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
A true life drama directed by Clint Eastwood, Invictus tells the story of the country of South Africa, and its emergence from of social, political and sporting exile imposed on it during the Apartheid years, which was lifted following the release from jail of Nelson Mandela in 1990. Specifically, it tells the parallel stories of Mandela’s first years as president of the newly-democratic South Africa, and the South African rugby union team’s victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was seen as turning point in the modern history of the nation. The film stars Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as South African team captain François Pienaar, and is scored by Eastwood’s son Kyle Eastwood and his regular musical partner Michael Stevens. Read more…
THE LOVELY BONES – Brian Eno
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
A supernatural drama based on the massively popular novel by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones tells the story of a teenage girl named Susie in 1970s suburban America who, after being brutally raped and murdered, watches from heaven as her family and friends go on with their lives, and tries to help her family solve her murder, while she herself comes to terms with her own death. The film is directed by Peter Jackson, and stars Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz as Susie’s parents, Susan Sarandon as Susie’s grandmother, Stanley Tucci as murderous pedophile George Harvey, and Saoirse Ronan as Susie herself. Read more…
A SINGLE MAN – Abel Korzeniowski, Shigeru Umebayashi
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
A Single Man is based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood, and marks the directorial debut of writer/director and former fashion designer Tom Ford. Set in Los Angeles in 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis, it tells the story of a British college professor George (Colin Firth) who, following the death of his long-time homosexual partner, struggles to find meaning in his life. The film is already a critical success, with Colin Firth tipped to receive his first Academy Award nomination for his performance, and has also seen recognition for the score by 37-year-old Polish composer Abel Korzeniowski, who received a Golden Globe nomination for his work. Read more…
ARMORED – John Murphy
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
An action thriller directed by Nimród Antal and starring Matt Dillon, Jean Reno and Laurence Fishburne, Armored is a story about a guard for an armored truck company who is coerced by his veteran co-workers to steal a truck containing $42 million, with deadly consequences. The score for the film is by British composer John Murphy, whose stock in Hollywood continues to rise off the back of successful films such as Guess Who, 28 Days Later and this year’s Last House on the Left.
Murphy’s music is a workmanlike modern urban thriller score, filled with electronic grooves and synth pulses, atop a standard string orchestra to humanize the sound. The opening “Morning” is actually quite good, with a recurring three-note string motif overlaid by sexy electronic tones Read more…
BROTHERS – Thomas Newman
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Brothers is the latest film from acclaimed director Jim Sheridan, whose previous efforts include My Left Foot and In the Name of the Father. A remake of film director Susanne Bier’s 2004 Danish film Brødre, it stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire as brothers Sam and Tommy Cahill; Tommy is in jail for robbery, Sam is a United States marine serving in Afghanistan. When Sam’s helicopter is shot down in action, everyone presumes him to be dead, and Sam’s wife Grace (Natalie Portman) turns to the recently-released Tommy for comfort in grief. Gradually, Tommy and Grace form a new relationship… only for their lives to be shattered when a very-much alive Sam returns home, having survived the helicopter crash and spent months in the hands of Afghan militants. Read more…
CRACKS – Javier Navarrete
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
A British drama based on the novel by Sheila Kohler and directed by Jordan Scott, Cracks is a coming-of-age tale about a group of girls attending an elite boarding school in England in the 1930s; an established clique of girls idolize their enigmatic swimming instructor, Miss G (Eva Green), but the long-established order is upset following the arrival at school of a beautiful Spanish girl named Fiamma (Maria Valverde), who piques Miss G’s interest, and arouses tensions and feelings of jealousy in the other girls.
The score for Cracks is by Spanish composer Javier Navarrete, who received a great deal of critical acclaim and an Oscar-nomination for his score for Pan’s Labyrinth in 2006. Navarrete’s music for Cracks is very classical, almost to the point of being old-fashioned. Written almost entirely for a string orchestra, woodwinds and piano Read more…
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