AMÁLIA – Nuno Malo
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Amália da Piedade Rodrigues was a Portuguese singer and actress whose life and work helped popularize fado – a specific genre of Portuguese folk music – on a worldwide scale. From the 1940s until her death in 1999 Amália was known as Rainha do Fado (the Queen of Fado) and was immensely popular in her native country, selling hundreds of thousands of records. Carlos Coelho da Silva’s film Amália, which stars Sandra Barata Belo in the lead role, is the story of her life. Although the film played in theaters in Portugal in 2008, it is only just now beginning to surface in other countries; to coincide with this wider exposure, Moviescore Media has released the film’s score, by US-based Portuguese composer Nuno Malo. It’s absolutely wonderful. Read more…
LA HERENCIA VALDEMAR/THE VALDEMAR LEGACY – Arnau Bataller
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
La Herencia Valdemar is the first film of a two-part Spanish mystery-horror-thriller series written and directed by José Luis Alemán. Steeped in Lovecraftian imagery and themes, it stars Silvia Abascal as Luisa Lorente, an expert on inheritance tax relating to old buildings, who visits an enormous Gothic mansion called Valdemar to conduct an audit following the death of the owner. When she disappears in mysterious circumstances, her boss hires a private detective named Nicolás Tremel (Oscar Jaenada) to find out what happened to her. However, upon his arrival at Valdemar, Nicolás discovers much more than he bargained for – an-age old horror beyond imagination. The film, which also stars Daniele Liotti, Laia Marull and Rodolfo Sancho, was a popular success in it’s native Spain when it opened there in January 2010, but by far the most impressive aspect of the entire production is the score by 33-year old composer Arnau Bataller. Read more…
CLASH OF THE TITANS – Laurence Rosenthal
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
This film presents a classic Greek myth that tells the tale of the demi-god Perseus (son of Zeus) who secures the mandate of Heaven as he takes on an epic quest to slay the forces of darkness and rescue his love. The renowned master of stop motion animation Ray Harryhausen who was enamored with Greek and Arabic mythology conceived the film. MGM agreed to the project and provided a generous budget based on his previous successes with his three Sinbad films as well as Jason and the Argonauts. The film featured an all-star cast that included Laurence Olivier (Zeus), Maggie Smith (Thetis), Ursula Andress (Aphrodite), Burgess Meredith (Ammon), and the handsome newcomer Harry Hamlin as Perseus. The storytelling was first rate and the stop motion animation superb. While not a critical success, the film was a commercial success, more than covering its production costs of $15 million to make $41 million. Read more…
BAFTA Winners 2010
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) have announced the winners of the 64th British Academy Film Awards, honoring the best in film in 2010.
In the Best Original Score category composer Alexandre Desplat won the award for his score for the critically acclaimed drama The King’s Speech.
The other nominees were Danny Elfman for Alice in Wonderland, John Powell for How to Train Your Dragon, A.R. Rahman for 127 Hours, and Hans Zimmer for Inception.
IFMCA Award Nominations 2010
ALEXANDRE DESPLAT RECEIVES 7 INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS AWARD NOMINATIONS, INCLUDING TWO FOR FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
The International Film Music Critics Association has announced its list of nominations for excellence in musical scoring in 2010, with French composer Alexandre Desplat leading the field with 7 nods including THE KING’S SPEECH (3 nominations) and THE GHOST WRITER (3 nominations) for Film Score of the Year. Also nominated in this category are John Powell’s HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (5 nominations), Daft Punk’s score to TRON: LEGACY (3 nominations) and Hans Zimmer’s INCEPTION (3 nominations).
Desplat, who also wrote the nominated score to HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1, is short-listed for Composer of the Year along with John Powell (HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON); James Newton Howard (SALT, THE LAST AIRBENDER, NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS); Danny Elfman (ALICE IN WONDERLAND); and Hans Zimmer (INCEPTION).
Breakout Composer of the Year nominees include Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, better known as the French electronic/dance duo Daft Punk, for TRON: LEGACY; Spanish composer Oscar Araujo for the video game CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW; Spanish composer Arnau Bataller for the mystery film LA HERENCIA VALDEMAR; German composer Herbert Grönemeyer for the George Clooney drama THE AMERICAN; and Portuguese composer Nuno Malo for AMÁLIA, the film about the life of Portuguese fado singer Amália Rodrigues. Read more…
FLESH + BLOOD – Basil Poledouris
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Flesh + Blood was director’s Paul Verhoeven’s first American film as well as his first collaboration with Basil Poledouris. The tale is set in the darkness that was 16th century Europe during the era of the great plague. It stars Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tom Burlinson. Our ‘hero’ Martin (Rutger Hauer), who was commissioned by the King, leads a band of brutal mercenaries. When the King reneges on his deal, Martin and his band of men strike back by kidnapping Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who is betrothed to Prince Steven (Tom Burlinson). They take control of a castle and prepare for the attack by royal forces under the command of the aggrieved Prince Steven. Fate would have it that Agnes begins to fall in love with Martin which brings her into conflict with Celine (Susan Tyrell) who also loves him. To say that this film excelled in graphic, gratuitous, brutal violence and carnal imagery is an understatement! Verhoven shows everything without restraint or shame, and the film is not for the squeamish. Commercially the film was a bust, with a production cost of $6,500,000 it grossed only $100,000. Read more…
BATMAN RETURNS – Danny Elfman
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Studios execs used a significant salary increase and offer of creative control to induce resistant Tim Burton to reprise his role and direct the next installment in the Batman franchise. Burton rejected a sequel, stating “I wanted to treat this like it was another Batman movie altogether.” So, a new Batman, new villains and a grim and darker Gotham City were introduced. The plot pits Batman against an evil tycoon Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), who seeks to enrich himself by monopolizing the city’s power supply, the pathetic deformed and inwardly mutated Penguin who harbors unresolved anger for being abandoned by his parents, and lastly the schizophrenic and mercurial Catwoman played by Michelle Pfeiffer. The film was not a critical success, however it was a commercial success and so spawned a third installment in the franchise. Read more…
John Barry, 1933-2011
Composer John Barry died on January 30, 2011, at his home in Oyster Bay, New York, after suffering a heart attack. He was 77.
John Barry Prendergast was born in York, England in November 1933, where his father owned a chain of cinemas. He played the organ at York Minster and, after spending some time as a classical pianist, formed a jazz band, The John Barry Seven in 1957. The Seven had a number of popular instrumental hits in the UK, including a cover of “Walk Don’t Run” and the theme from the TV show Juke Box Jury, “Hit and Miss”, before moving into cinema.
Barry made his film music composing debut in 1960 writing music for the Adam Faith film Beat Girl at the age of 27, before establishing himself as a major force in the British film industry when he was brought in to arrange the theme for Dr. No, the first Bond film, in 1962. Though the “James Bond Theme” is credited to Monty Norman, Barry’s unmistakable arrangement—brassy, rhythmic, and insouciantly cool—established the sound of the series. He wrote the entire score for the second James Bond film, From Russia With Love, in 1963, and went on to score ten more, including Thunderball, Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Octopussy, and The Living Daylights. Read more…
Academy Award Nominations 2010
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have announced the nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards, honoring the best in film in 2010.
In the Best Original Score category, the nominees are:
- ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for The King’s Speech
- JOHN POWELL for How to Train Your Dragon
- A. R. RAHMAN for 127 Hours
- TRENT REZNOR and ATTICUS ROSS for The Social Network
- HANS ZIMMER for Inception
These are the first Oscar nominations Powell, Reznor, and Ross, although Reznor and Ross picked up a Golden Globe nomination for The Social Network earlier in the season. This is the 4th Oscar nomination for Desplat, the 2nd Oscar nomination for Rahman, who won the Award in 2009 for Slumdog Millionaire, and the 9th Oscar nomination for Zimmer, who previously won in 1994 for The Lion King.
In the Best Original Song category, the nominees are:
- TOM DOUGLAS, TROY VERGES and HILLARY LINDSEY for “Coming Home” from Country Strong
- ALAN MENKEN and GLENN SLATER for “I See The Light” from Tangled
- RANDY NEWMAN for “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3
- A.R. RAHMAN, DIDO ARMSTRONG and ROLLO ARMSTRONG for “If I Rise” from 127 Hours
The winners of the 83rd Academy Awards will be announced on February 27, 2011.
STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER – Jerry Goldsmith
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Star Trek V is at its heart a mystical quest film concerned with a question that has aroused humanity’s curiosity for millennia. It explores our search for that sacred omphalos from whence we arose – the Garden of Eden. In metaphysics Eden symbolizes primordial perfection, the source of all life and the state of perfect communion between humanity and God. It is from this inner longing, this yearning that the saga which is Star Trek V unfolds. William Shatner lobbied very hard to direct the film and although he managed to win the directorship, he regretfully would not enjoy critical success. Production and financing problems forced a dramatic scaling back of the movie’s climactic scene where he had planned a dramatic display of immense stone gollums and the earth opening up to reveal scenes of Dante’s ten levels of Hell. It suffices to say that the lack of resources served to mortally wound the story’s narrative and resulted in what many believe to be the weakest film in the Star Trek franchise. Read more…
BAFTA Nominations 2010
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the nominations for the 64th British Academy Film Awards, honoring the best in film in 2010.
In the Best Original Music category, which is named in memory of the film director Anthony Asquith, the nominees are:
- ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for The King’s Speech
- DANNY ELFMAN for Alice in Wonderland
- JOHN POWELL for How to Train Your Dragon
- A.R. RAHMAN for 127 Hours
- HANS ZIMMER for Inception
This is the 5th BAFTA nomination for Desplat, the 2nd BAFTA nomination for Elfman, the 3rd BAFTA nomination for Powell, the 2nd BAFTA nomination for Rahman (who won the award in 2008 for Slumdog Millionaire), and the 5th BAFTA film nomination for Zimmer.
The winners of the 64th BAFTA Awards will be announced on February 13, 2011.
Golden Globe Winners 2010
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) have announced the winners of the 68th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2010.
In the Best Original Score category composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won the award for their score for David Fincher-directed Facebook movie The Social Network. In their acceptance speech, Reznor said:
“This is really flattering to be recognized in this field, thank you very much. A year ago I had no idea I’d be having the opportunity to score a film, and the idea of standing up here accepting this award is completely surreal. Thank you. We would like to collectively thank David Fincher, Aaron Sorkin, Scott Rudin, Amy Pascal, Lia Vollack, Ren Klyce, and everyone involved with this picture, as well as our wives and families. Thank you so much.”
The other nominees were Alexandre Desplat for The King’s Speech, Danny Elfman for Alice in Wonderland, A.R. Rahman for 127 Hours, and Hans Zimmer for Inception.
In the Best Original Song category, the winner was Diane Warren won for her song “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” from the Christina Aguilera/Cher screen musical Burlesque. Warren dedicated her award to the late music publicist Ronni Chasen, who had been tragically murdered several weeks previously.
The other nominees were Christina Aguilera, Samuel Dixon and Sia Furler for “Bound to You” from Burlesque; Bob Di Piero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey and Troy Verges for “Coming Home” from Country Strong; Alan Menken and Glenn Slater for “I See the Light” from Tangled; and Carrie Underwood, David Hodges and Hillary Lindsey for “There’s a Place for Us” from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
HOME ALONE – John Williams
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
Writer-producer John Hughes, best known for his 80’s teen movies “16 Candles”, “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” conceived a new twist on the holidays when he took on “Home Alone”. The story opens with the McAllister family preparing for a Christmas vacation in Paris, France. As the family is packing, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) gets into a scuffle with his older brother Buzz and is sent to his room on the third floor. As the out of control family rushes to depart the next morning, Kevin is somehow overlooked and left “Home Alone.” When Kevin awakes and finds himself alone he makes the best of it, as any kid would, by having fun, eating pizza, making a mess and jumping up and down on his parents’ bed. The real fun begins however when Kevin discovers two burglars, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) planning to rob his house on Christmas Eve and devises all sorts of booby traps and outrageous schemes to defend his house at all costs. The film stretched credulity from the start, but through its slap-stick humor, Christmas sentimentality and Culkin’s endearing screen persona, it won the hearts of the public and became a huge commercial success. The film made Culkin an instant star, spawned a sequel and to this day remains an enduring holiday favorite. Read more…
TRUE GRIT – Carter Burwell
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
True Grit is the latest film from Joel and Ethan Coen, the writing-directing-producing brothers who brought us such classic movies as Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou and No Country For Old Men. True Grit is a new version of the well-respected 1968 novel by Charles Portis which chronicles the adventures of grizzled marshal Rooster Cogburn at the end of the Wild West era in the 1920s, who is hired by 14-year-old Mattie Ross to track down the drifter who murdered her father. John Wayne won his first and only Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Cogburn in the original 1969 version of the story. This time around, the cast features Jeff Bridges in the leading role, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin in supporting roles, and an original score from the Coens’ regular composer, Carter Burwell. Read more…
BEN-HUR – Miklós Rózsa
MOVIE MUSIC UK CLASSICS
Original Review by Craig Lysy
This 1959 film version of General Lew Wallace’s best-selling novel achieved Oscar legend as it went on to win 11 Academy Awards including Best Score for Miklós Rózsa. The film tells the tale of Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur, played in exemplary fashion by Charlton Heston, who lives in Judea with his family during the time of Jesus Christ circa 33 C.E. Judah’s childhood Roman friend Messala returns to Judea as an ambitious Tribune intent on achieving fame and his destiny at any cost. When Judah refuses to provide Messala with the names of local Jewish dissidents, an offended Messala contrives a pretext to exact a terrible revenge. Messala orders the arrest of Judah and his family on patently false charges. Judah is then condemned to certain death on the Roman galleys, while his mother and sister are given life imprisonment.
Doomed to die chained to a galley oar, Judah’s hatred and the desire for vengeance fuels his will to live. Soon the hand of fate intervenes and he gains his freedom. Empowered with the help of a Roman General and a wealthy Arab sponsor he returns to Judea and challenges Messala to a chariot race. In an epic struggle Judah emerges triumphant while Messala lays defeated on the track, his body mangled irreparably by horses that trampled him. Meeting for a last time as surgeons wait to amputate Messala’s legs, Judah realizes the hollowness of his victory, of how unquenching it is to drink from the cup of revenge. He leaves Messala to death and rescues his family from a leper colony. Later he sees them cured as the pounding rains born of the crucifixion storm cleanses the sores from their bodies. Read more…
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