Archive
JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH – Alexandre Desplat
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
It’s amazing to think that it has now been more than 30 years since the first Jurassic Park movie, and that we are now on our seventh film in the franchise that originated from Michael Crichton’s classic sci-fi adventure novel. The latest film, Jurassic World: Rebirth, takes place five years after the events of the last film, Jurassic World: Dominion, and is set in a near-future time where the descendants of the original cloned dinosaurs continue to co-exist with humans. However, due to a warming planet, the dinosaurs have been forced to reside in areas around the equator, and are beginning to dwindle in number. The plot involves a pharmaceutical company who sends a team into one of these equatorial areas to obtain bio-samples from three different dinosaur specimens, which may hold the key to creating a groundbreaking new heart disease treatment. Of course, things go wrong as they always do, when the team encounters a previously unknown and incredibly violent dinosaur clone mutation. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, and Rupert Friend, is written by David Koepp (who wrote the original Jurassic Park and its first sequel The Lost World), and is directed by Gareth Edwards. Read more…
MILDRED PIERCE – Max Steiner
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
After eighteen years as a marquee actress for MGM, Joan Crawford departed the studio in search of better roles, signing a three-year contract with Warner Brothers. The studio had purchased the film rights to the popular novel “Mildred Pierce” by James M. Cain and Crawford campaigned hard for the role. Director Michael Curtiz did not believe she was right for the role, but relented when she acquiesced to the indignity of a screen test, which changed his mind. Jerry Wald was placed in charge of production with a $1.4 million budget, Curtiz would direct, and Ranald MacDougall was hired to write the screenplay. Joining Crawford would be Jack Carson as Wally Fray, Zachary Scott as Monte Beragon, Eve Arden as Ida Corwin, Ann Blyth as Veda Pierce Forrester, and Bruce Bennett as Bert Pierce. Read more…
SPECIES – Christopher Young
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Species is a science fiction horror film that blends alien-invasion tropes with creature-feature thrills. Directed by Roger Donaldson from a screenplay by Dennis Feldman, the story begins with a top-secret government project called SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), which receives a transmission from outer space containing DNA instructions for creating a hybrid organism – part human, part alien. Scientists follow the instructions and create a girl named Sil, who appears human but matures at an astonishing rate and soon exhibits alarming, inhuman traits. When the SETI lead scientist Xavier Fitch (Ben Kingsley) deems her too dangerous, they attempt to terminate her, but she escapes from the lab; now fully grown and played by Natasha Henstridge, Sil goes on the run in Los Angeles, driven by a primal urge to reproduce. Her alien DNA pushes her to find a mate, but any man she deems genetically unfit meets a gruesome end. A team is assembled to track her down, including an empath (Forest Whitaker), a molecular biologist (Alfred Molina), an anthropologist (Marg Helgenberger), and a government assassin (Michael Madsen), and as Sil leaves a trail of bodies behind her, the team races against time to prevent her from mating and giving birth to a potentially unstoppable alien species. Read more…
F1: THE MOVIE – Hans Zimmer
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
It’s lights out and away we go!
Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I have been a massive fan of Formula 1 motor racing for many, many years. My grandfather, who was also a big fan, introduced me to it in the late 1980s – the first race I actively remember watching was the 1987 British Grand Prix, when I was 11, which was won by Nigel Mansell in extraordinarily emotional circumstances – and since then I have watched virtually every race of every subsequent season, cheering on a succession of great British drivers, from Mansell to Martin Brundle, Damon Hill and Johnny Herbert, Jenson Button, and now Lando Norris and George Russell. I love everything about the sport; the incredible skill and strength of the drivers, the chess-like tactics and strategies of the teams, the world-class engineering. You become invested in the lives of everyone involved, their triumphs and tragedies, and you watch it unfold across the world every two weeks at speeds approaching 200mph. There’s nothing like it. Read more…
BEAU GESTE – Alfred Newman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Paramount Pictures executives decided that they wanted to remake their 1926 silent film “Beau Geste”, which starred Ronald Coleman. William Wellman was assigned production, he would also direct, and Robert Carson was tasked with writing the screenplay. The 1926 film was based on the novel “Beau Geste” (1924) by P. C. Wren and the creative team ultimately decided to adopt the screenplay of the 1926 film almost verbatim. For the cast, Gary Cooper would star in the titular role, joined by Ray Milland as John Geste, Robert Preston as Digby Geste, J. Carrol Naish as Rasinoff, Susan Hayward as Isobel Rivers, and Brian Donlevy as Sergeant Markoff. Read more…
JUDGE DREDD – Alan Silvestri
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The character Judge Dredd was well-known to British comic book fans for almost 20 years prior to him debuting on film. Created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra, he first appeared in the second issue of the British science fiction comic magazine 2000 AD in 1977, and quickly became the most iconic character of the anthology, known for his authoritarian demeanor, brutal sense of justice, and unwavering loyalty to the law. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the Dredd stories have strong satirical and political overtones, exploring themes ranging from fascism to state surveillance, corporate corruption, and dystopia. Dredd himself is not the protagonist in a traditional sense – instead, he is a symbol of rigid, authoritarian justice, who has no personal ambition, rarely shows emotion, and sees mercy as weakness. Attempts to adapt Judge Dredd for the big screen began in the 1980s but the screenplay was stuck in development hell for years; the film eventually moved forward in 1994 with director Danny Cannon, a self-proclaimed fan of the comic, who was given the green light by the studio on the strength of his directorial debut The Young Americans in 1993. Unfortunately, subsequent interference and script re-writes heavily altered his intended vision, resulting in a film which disappointed long-time fans of the series. Read more…
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – John Powell
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
In 2010 Dreamworks Pictures released an animated adventure film based on Cressida Cowell’s popular children’s novel How to Train Your Dragon. Set on the mythical Viking island of Berk, the film follows Hiccup, a skinny and awkward teenager, who is also the son of the village chief, Stoick the Vast. In Berk, dragon attacks are a regular hazard, and slaying them is a mark of honor; Hiccup desperately wants to prove himself to his father and the village but lacks the brute strength of the other Viking youths. Fearing that he will never earn his father’s respect, Hiccup resigns himself to the fact that he will never become a dragon slayer – until the day that Hiccup accidentally shoots down a rare and mysterious dragon known as a Night Fury, and in doing so upends everything he thinks he knows about dragons. Read more…
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE – Max Steiner
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Renowned producer and director Frank Capra saw opportunity with the popular success of the Broadway play “Arsenic and Old Lace”, which was adapted from Joseph Kesserling’s novel of the same name. He purchased the film rights, however the contract stipulated that the film could not be released until the Broadway run had ended. Due to the enduring success of the play, the film debut was delayed by almost two years. Capra would manage production with a budget of $1.2 million, and also direct, with Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein writing the screenplay based on Joseph Kesselring’s novel. A fine cast was hired, with Cary Grant starring as Mortimer Brewster, Priscilla Lane as Elaine Brewster, Raymond Massey as Jonathan Brewster, Jack Carson as Officer Patrick O’Hara, and Peter Lorre as Dr, Herman Einstein. Read more…
POCAHONTAS – Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The idea to make a movie about the life of Pocahontas was first pitched to Walt Disney studios in 1990, shortly after the success of The Little Mermaid, and as Beauty and the Beast was in production. The studio was looking to diversify its slate with more mature, emotionally grounded stories, and chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg was eager to pursue more prestigious, award-caliber projects. He saw Pocahontas as a chance for Disney to do a “serious” animated film with Oscar potential, aimed at adults as much as children, and described the film as potentially Disney’s equivalent of West Side Story or Dances with Wolves – emotionally resonant, message-driven, and grounded in real-world conflict. Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg were hired as directors, and during development Pocahontas was considered the “prestige” project compared to another film in development simultaneously – The Lion King. Many animators reportedly lobbied to work on Pocahontas, which was expected to win awards, while The Lion King was seen as the “B project,” although ironically it was The Lion King that would become a much bigger global phenomenon, both critically and commercially. Read more…
THE LIFE OF CHUCK – The Newton Brothers
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The Life of Chuck is an unusual, but ultimately warm-hearted and life-affirming story that touches on subjects no less important than the meaning of life itself, which it explores in a way that combines art, dance, poetry, music, mathematics, philosophy, existentialism, and a little bit of supernatural magic. It is based on a novella by Stephen King that was published in the 2020 anthology book ‘If It Bleeds’; similar to things like The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me, it is not a horror story, and instead is more of a rumination on the nature of reality. Told in reverse chronological order, it traces the life of a man named Charles “Chuck” Krantz, played by Tom Hiddleston as an adult. To reveal more of the plot would do it a disservice, so I’ll leave it at that, but at its core the story is a meditation on mortality, memory, and the idea that a single life contains a universe, as Walt Whitman once proposed. Rather than horror, it delivers awe – both for how fragile the world is, and how astonishingly rich a single human life can be if we take the time to make it so. Read more…
SON OF FURY – Alfred Newman
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
In 1941 20th Century Fox Studio Director Darryl F. Zanuck was seeking a new film to showcase his star, Tyrone Power. He came across the 1941 novel Benjamin Blake by Edison Marshall and purchased the film rights for $50,000 one month prior to its publication. Zanuck would manage production with a $2 million budget, John Cromwell would direct, and Philip Dunne was tasked with writing the screenplay. Tyrone Power would star in the titular role, joined by Gene Tierney as Eve, George Sanders a Sir Arthur Blake, Kay Johnson as Lady Helena Blake, Dudley Diggs as Pratt, Frances Farmer as Isabel, and Roddy McDowell as Benjamin as a boy. Read more…
IL POSTINO – Luis Enríquez Bacalov
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
One of the most surprising global hits of the 1990s was Il Postino, The Postman, an Italian romantic drama film based on the novel Ardiente Paciencia by Antonio Skármeta, and directed by English filmmaker Michael Radford. The film is set in the early 1950s on a small, picturesque island off the coast of Italy and centers on Mario Ruoppolo, a shy and uneducated local man who takes a job as a postman. His only task is to deliver mail to Pablo Neruda, the famous Chilean poet, who has taken refuge on the island after fleeing Augusto Pinochet’s government and going into political exile. As Mario and Neruda begin to interact, Mario becomes fascinated by the poet’s charisma, politics, and especially his romantic use of language; eventually, Mario seeks Neruda’s guidance in learning how to express himself, particularly because he has fallen in love with Beatrice Russo, a beautiful but reserved woman who works at a local café. Read more…
PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS – Benjamin Wallfisch
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
It’s been fascinating to watch the development of the Predator franchise over the years. Following their first appearance in the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie in 1987, the Predators have gone on to feature in numerous sequels and prequels, crossovers with the Alien franchise, comic books, video games, and more, developing a whole back story and cultural history in the process, fleshing out what were initially presented as bloodthirsty killers into something much deeper. We now know the name of the species – they are the yautja – and we know that theirs is a warrior culture that has been sending their young adults to Earth for millennia, requiring them to trophy-hunt human warriors as a rite of passage. Previous films in the series have depicted them interacting with humans across time, helping ancient Egyptians build the pyramids in Alien vs. Predator, and hunting 16th century Comanche warriors in Prey. This new film, Predator: Killer of Killers, expands on this legacy even more. Read more…
SERGEANT YORK – Max Steiner
GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Alvin C. York was an iconic American WWI Medal of Honor hero celebrated in the 1928 biography “Sergeant York: His Own Life Story and War Diary” by Tom Skeyhill and York himself. Producer Jesse L. Lasky approached York several times to allow a movie to be made of his life, but was repeatedly refused, declaring; “this uniform ain’t for sale.” Lasky eventually convinced York that, with war threatening in Europe, it was his patriotic duty to allow the film to proceed. York finally agreed, but only on three conditions. First, his share of the profits would be contributed to a Bible school he wanted to be built. Second, no cigarette-smoking actress could be chosen to play his wife. Third, only Gary Cooper could recreate his life on screen. Cooper at first turned down the role, but when Lasky sent him a letter with a personal plea that included York’s forged signature, Cooper agreed to do the picture. Lasky, Howard Hawks and Hal B. Wallis were placed in charge of production with a $1.7 million budget, Hawks would also direct, and the team of Harry Chandlee, Abem Finkel, John Huston and Howard Koch would adapt York’s biography. Gary Cooper would play the titular role supported by Walter Brennan as Pastor Rosier Pile, and Joan Leslie as Gracie Williams. Read more…
FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES – Tim Wynn
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
The inexplicable longevity of the Final Destination horror movie franchise is such that the latest instalment, subtitled Bloodlines, is the sixth in the series that began some 25 years ago, in the year 2000. I remember seeing the first film in the theater, and my notes tell me that I saw at least some of the third film, Final Destination 3, from 2006, but beyond that my knowledge of them is limited to what I have read over years. Broadly, the core idea of the films is that you can’t cheat death. Each film follows a similar structure; someone has a vision of a deadly disaster – maybe a plane crash, or a highway pile – prevents it, and then the survivors start dying in the exact order they would have originally. The deaths are not caused by a villain per se, but by “death” itself as an unseen force, correcting the disruption to its plan. Read more…
Shop at the Movie Music UK Store
Member of the
MOVIE MUSIC UK 