Archive
Best Scores of 2015 – Europe
The third installment in my series of articles looking at the best “under the radar” scores from around the world concentrates on music from films from mainland Europe. I know this is a very ‘broad brush’ description, but there are a number of countries this year where there are just one or two standout works which couldn’t justify an entire article to themselves, so I decided to present you with this bumper crop from across the entire continent instead! The scope is quite wide-ranging, and includes everything from French documentaries to Polish serial killer thrillers, Russian adventure movies, and Greek romantic dramas, by written Oscar-winners and exciting newcomers alike. Read more…
MONGOL – Tuomas Kantelinen
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
For a long time now I have been of the opinion that Finnish composer Tuomas Kantelinen is one of film’s music’s greatest undiscovered talents, whose expertise and excellence would enliven a partially stagnant Hollywood film music scene. It’s ironic therefore that his biggest international assignment to date – the epic biographical drama Mongol – features one of his least accessible, but conversely most impressive scores.
Mongol, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2008, and was directed by Sergei Bodrov, recounts the early life of Genghis Khan (Tadanobu Asano), who endured life as a slave on the cold, inhospitable steppes of Central Asia Read more…
MOTHER OF MINE (ÄIDEISTÄ PARHAIN) – Tuomas Kantelinen
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
Finland, a country of 5.3 millions people in the extreme north of Europe, doesn’t have the greatest pedigree when it comes to internationally successful cinema. Their most revered artist, Aki Kaurismäki, is virtually unknown outside of art houses, and their most popular success, Renny Harlin, was famously described by Michael Kamen as “a Finnish motorbike rider – not a director. Nice guy, but not in command of that kind of thing” when talking about their collaboration on Die Hard II. Musically, Finland gave the world composers Jean Sibelius and Einojuhani Rautavaara, and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, but have never managed to combine the two arts and provide a world-renowned film music composer. This could all change for Tuomas Kantelinen, however, if Mother of Mine is successful. Read more…
MINDHUNTERS – Tuomas Kantelinen
Original Review by Peter Simons
After David Julyan was relieved of his scoring duties on Renny Harlin’s psychological thriller Mindhunters, Finnish composer Tuomas Kantelinen was brought in for what appeared to be a last-minute replacement job. Within three weeks he wrote and recorded an 80-minute orchestral score. It’s hardly ever a pretty sight to see a composer’s work getting rejected, especially when it’s a young and promising composer like Julyan. The redeeming factor here is that Kantelinen himself is a marvelous but unknown composer who really deserves his big break. However, Renny Harlin’s career today isn’t what it used to be. The days of Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight have long since passed. Though I personally found his Cutthroat Island to be a superbly entertaining movie, most of the world didn’t care for a female pirate roaming the high seas. The movie bankrupted Carolco and ruined Harlin’s career. Unfortunately for Harlin, his latest thriller doesn’t appear to be the solid pic he’d need for the audience to restore their faith in him. Mindhunters was supposed to be released in the fall of 2003, but currently holds an uncertain release date for September 2004, having been bumped at least three times. With each time the film is delayed, it gets less likely the movie will ever play in theatres at all. This is particularly unfortunate for Kantelinen, whose complex and exciting score for this potential blockbuster could’ve been his ticket out of Finland. Read more…
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