The latest release from Caldera presents the music from ANGELICA, the 2015 supernatural drama starring Jena Malone and Janet McTeer, from actor-turned-filmmaker Mitchell Lichtenstein (Teeth, Happy Tears), the son of Pop Art painter Roy Lichtenstein. The score was composed by Zbigniew Preisner, best known for his collaborations with the late director Krzysztof Kieslowski, which resulted in such internationally acclaimed films as The Decalogue, The Double Life of Veronique, and the Three Colors trilogy.
La-La Land has announced its current slate of releases for this month. Next week, they plan to release an expanded version of Bill Conti's score for THE KARATE KID PART II, Harry Manfredini and Fred Mollin's music for FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD (that's the one where Jason battles a girl with telekinetic powers), and the first release of the score for the 1990 Stephen King adaptation GRAVEYARD SHIFT (it's the one with rats), with music by Anthony Marinelli and Brian Banks (Young Guns). Three weeks later, they plan to release two separate CDs of Christopher Lennertz' music for Amazon's revisionist superhero series THE BOYS, one for each season.
Silva has two upcoming film music releases planned for October 30: Colin Towns' score for the 1986 Clive Barker adaptation RAWHEAD REX; and WORLD SOUNDTRACK AWARDS TRIBUTE TO THE FILM COMPOSER, with Dirk Brosse conducting the Brussels Philharmonic in re-recordings of music by such top composers as Angelo Badalamenti, Nicholas Britell, Mychael Danna, Alexandre Desplat, Patrick Doyle, Michael Giacchino, Elliot Goldenthal, James Newton Howard, Alberto Iglesias and John Williams, as well as the first commercial release of music from Gabriel Yared's unused score for Troy.
Next week Intrada plans to release a new edition of the score for a blockbuster hit from cinema's most popular composing/directing team. If you want more information, go to this Message Board thread.
Varese Sarabande is expected to announce two new limited edition CD Club releases today.
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Fatima - Paolo Buonvino - Decca (import)
The Film Music of Franco Bixio - Franco Bixio - Quartet
The Film Music of Mario Nascimbene - Mario Nascimbene - Quartet
The Great Silence/Il Bellissimo Novembre - Ennio Morricone - Beat
Italia a mano armata - Franco Micalizzi - Beat
Requiem - Dominick Scherrer, Natasha Khan - Svart
IN THEATERS TODAY
It looks like there are no major releases opening today (and definitely nothing opening in Los Angeles County)
COMING SOON
October 9
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood - Harry Manfredini, Fred Mollin - La-La Land
Graveyard Shift - Anthony Marinelli, Brian Banks - La-La Land
The Karate Kid Part II - Bill Conti - La-La Land
Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street - Alexander Taylor - Notefornote
October 23
Whitman - Bernard Herrmann - Naxos
October 30
The Boys: Season One - Christopher Lennertz - La-La Land
The Boys: Season Two - Christopher Lennertz - La-La Land
Devs - Geoff Barrow, Ben Salibury - Invada (import)
Rawhead Rex - Colin Towns - Silva
World Soundtrack Awards Tribute to the Film Composer - various - Silva
November 6
Open 24 Hours - Holly Amber Church - Notefornote
Tenet - Ludwig Goransson - WaterTower
November 13
Interstellar: Expanded Edition - Hans Zimmer - WaterTower
No Time to Die - Hans Zimmer - Decca
January 22
Film Music 1976-2020 - Brian Eno - Astralwerks
Date Unknown
Angelica - Zbigniew Preisner - Caldera
The Chosen - Ennio Morricone - Beat
The Don Davis Collection, Vol. 1 - Don Davis - Dragon's Domain
Howard Blake: Ghost Stories - Howard Blake - Dragon's Domain
Lloyd - Conrad Pope - Dragon's Domain
THIS WEEK IN FILM MUSIC HISTORY
October 2 - Leroy Shield born (1893)
October 2 - Bruce Montgomery born (1921)
October 2 - Eric Demarsan born (1938)
October 2 - Bernard Herrmann marries his first wife, writer Lucille Fletcher (1939)
October 2 - Damon Gough born (1969)
October 2 - Dennis McCarthy records his score for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “The Visitor” (1995)
October 2 - Recording sessions begin for Richard Rodney Bennett’s score for Gormenghast (1999)
October 2 - Recording sessions begin on Nathan Barr's score to Hostel (2005)
October 2 - Tom Petty died (2017)
October 3 - Roy Webb born (1888)
October 3 - Nick Glennie-Smith born (1951)
October 3 - Arnold Bax died (1953)
October 3 - Jeff Alexander begins recording his unused score to Saddle the Wind (1957)
October 3 - Bernard Herrmann begins recording his score for Tender Is the Night (1961)
October 3 - Robert Drasnin records his score for the Lost in Space episode "The Thief from Outer Space" (1966)
October 3 - Gerald Fried records his score for the Lost in Space episode "Collision of Planets" (1967)
October 3 - Johnny Mandel begins recording his unused score to The Seven-Ups (1973)
October 3 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score for The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1974)
October 3 - Harry Sukman begins recording his score for Salem’s Lot (1979)
October 3 - Stu Phillips begins recording his score for the two-part Buck Rogers in the 25th Century episode “The Plot to Kill a City” (1979)
October 3 - Shirley Walker begins recording her score for Turbulence (1996)
October 3 - Dennis McCarthy begins recording his score for Star Trek: Generations (1994)
October 3 - Richard Bellis records his score for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “The House of Quark” (1994)
October 4 - Bernard Herrmann records his score for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode "You'll Be the Death of Me" (1963)
October 4 - John Williams begins recording his score to Penelope (1966)
October 4 - Shawn Clement born (1968)
October 4 - BT born Brian Transeau (1970)
October 4 - George Romanis records his only Mission: Impossible score, for the episode “The Visitors” (1971)
October 4 - Henry Mancini begins recording his score for Sunset (1987)
October 5 - Malcolm Lockyer born (1923)
October 5 - Alfred Newman begins recording his score for Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
October 5 - Harold Faltermeyer born (1952)
October 5 - Alex Wurman born (1966)
October 5 - Jerry Fielding's score for the Star Trek episode "The Trouble With Tribbles" is recorded (1967)
October 5 - David G. Russell born (1968)
October 5 - Dennis McCarthy records his score for the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Timeless” (1998)
October 6 - Stanley Myers born (1933)
October 6 - David Raksin records his score for Daisy Kenyon (1947)
October 6 - Tommy Stinson born (1966)
October 6 - Giuseppe Becce died (1973)
October 6 - James Horner begins recording his score for 48 HRS. (1982)
October 6 - William Butler born (1982)
October 6 - Nelson Riddle died (1985)
October 6 - Ron Jones records his score for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Who Watches the Watchers" (1989)
October 6 - James Horner begins recording his score for Jack the Bear (1992)
October 6 - Jay Chattaway records his score for the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Scientific Method” (1997)
October 7 - Franz Waxman begins recording his score for A Christmas Carol (1938)
October 7 - Gabriel Yared born (1949)
October 7 - Richard Markowitz records his score for The Wild Wild West episode “The Night of a Thousand Eyes” (1965)
October 7 - Marco Beltrami born (1966)
October 7 - Thom Yorke born (1968)
October 7 - Robert Drasnin records his score for the Mission: Impossible episode “The Play” (1968)
October 7 - Hans Zimmer begins recording his score for The Thin Red Line (1998)
October 8 - Walter Schumann born (1913)
October 8 - Toru Takemitsu born (1930)
October 8 - Gavin Friday born (1959)
October 8 - Bernard Herrmann records his score for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode “Consider Her Ways” (1964)
October 8 - Frank Skinner died (1968)
October 8 - Richard Markowitz records his score for the Mission: Impossible episode “Robot” (1969)
October 8 - Dennis McCarthy records his score for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Last Outpost” (1987)
October 8 - David Bell records his score for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” (1998)
DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC?
ALL DAY AND A NIGHT - Michael Abels
"The Netflix feature from powerhouse producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson is a polished assembly, with slick visuals and an understated score by Michael Abels threaded with hip-hop and rap tracks. But the storytelling, while attempting to marry gritty realism with poetic introspection, is unsatisfying from the start due to writer-director Cole's problematic access to the father and son at the narrative's center."
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
ARKANSAS - Devendra Banhart, Noah Georgeson
"That’s a tricky pitch to sustain onscreen, complicated further by the segmented, a-chronological storytelling. Duke largely manages to pull it off, however, his smooth craftsmanship taking just the right degree of undercutting irony from an original score by freak folker Devendra Banhart and frequent producer-collaborator Noah Georgeson. There’s also soundtrack room for several barroom classics by the likes of Hank Williams Jr., Larry Gatlin and Robbie Robertson, as re-interpreted by indie rock darlings the Flaming Lips, who duly appear to play incognito in a bar scene."
Dennis Harvey, Variety
BULL - William Ryan Fritch
"Still, most of Silverstein's moves are smart ones, including her exceedingly sparing use of William Ryan Fritch's unobtrusive but effective score. It's a choice that feels appropriate for a film whose guiding principle is powerful restraint, right up to the shattering simplicity of the final shot."
Jon Frosch, The Hollywood Reporter
DEERSKIN - Janko Nilovic
"Following the stylish mountain man as he reverts to his base, feral nature, the movie itself feels sparse, almost minimalistic. It’s stripped down to its barest essentials, just a crazed individual under the influence of the illusion of masculine power. The hotel where Georges stays is made of wood and white walls, with only the faintest of decorations or features. For its size, the town feels half-occupied, all the easier for Georges to do away with his crimes when things really get messy. And Janko Nilovic’s eerie score mixes a brass and piano concoction that can bring chills at the end of the most benign scenes."
Monica Castillo, The Wrap
HAVE A GOOD TRIP: ADVENTURES IN PSYCHEDELICS - Yo La Tengo
"Cary’s slick, starry and breezy pet project only reaches the 75-minute point before amply-padded final credits commence. It’s dedicated to Fisher and Bourdain, who both passed away since filming their cheerful appearances here. Indie rock legends Yo La Tengo contributed the original score, though their signature sound isn’t much in evidence until a closing song."
Dennis Harvey, Variety
SPACESHIP EARTH - Owen Pallett
"At times, the film feels like an attempt to reclaim the experiment as an act of ambitious environmentalism, not the ill-fated folly the press made it out to be. 'Spaceship Earth' doesn’t ignore the mistakes and setbacks and stranger aspects of the group’s dynamics, exactly. But by communicating them almost entirely through snippets of news reports, it does make reasonable objections to the process seem like naysaying. Meanwhile, a constant swell of inspirational music works overtime to present the venture in terms its participants might prefer. Years after the first mission, Biosphere 2’s billionaire backer, Ed Bass, allowed the giant ecological system to fall into the hands of those who wanted only to make a profit from it -- including none other than Steve Bannon, offering the film an eleventh-hour villain. But one can lament this development as a blow against further research while still wondering if we’re getting the whole story about how the experiment went down. One detractor, when asked what Biosphere 2 was if not 'real' science, describes it as 'trendy ecological entertainment.' That’s not so far off from what 'Spaceship Earth' offers."
A.A. Dowd, The Onion AV Club
TO THE STARS - Heather McIntosh
"'To the Stars' possesses some moments of pure lyrical beauty and some of the shots conceived by Stephens clearly make a case for her talents behind the camera, aided by Andrew Reed‘s sumptuous black and white photography.* The decision to shoot this film sans color is tremendously evocative, giving it a timeless quality and in fact, masks some of the movie’s aforementioned flaws because it’s such a visual pleasure to watch. Additionally, Heather McIntosh’s score, which has a unique orchestral whimsy, adds a peculiar, but effectively complimentary, atmosphere to Reed’s use of lenses."
Jordan Ruimy, The Playlist
"'To the Stars' begins and ends with attractive lyrical bits in which our protagonists enjoy a rare moment of freedom floating in a pond under the twinkling night sky. Heather McIntosh’s score, too, reaches for a spectral, slightly whimsical air, while Andrew Reed’s photography proves again that shooting in black-and-white nearly always adds more than it takes away.* But these are the only elements that successfully touch the lightly ironical, hyperreal tenor this movie desperately needs to soften the ham-fistedness of its empowerment messaging and unconvincing period atmosphere."
Dennis Harvey, Variety
"What drives the tale is a life-changing friendship between a local pariah, played affectingly by 'Moonrise Kingdom''s Kara Hayward, and a brash newcomer (an especially captivating Liana Liberato). The screenplay by Shannon Bradley-Colleary veers between the incisive and the overwritten, and Stephens' direction can lapse into self-consciousness. But the helmer's fourth feature (her last, the Iceland-set 'Land Ho!,' was co-directed with Aaron Katz and also premiered at Sundance) has an undeniable emotional pull, fusing a pulpy, overcooked sensibility with the lyrical yearning of DP Andrew Reed's black-and-white images,* Heather McIntosh's rich score and a refreshing selection of obscure period songs."
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
*While To the Stars was screened at Sundance in black-and-white, it was released this spring on streaming platforms in color.
TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG - Jed Kurzel
"Adapted by screenwriter Shaun Grant from the novel by Peter Carey, and directed by Justin Kurzel, 'True History' is a dream, or nightmare, about Ned, his family, Australia, manhood, womanhood, and how hard it is for poor people to escape the class they were born into. The movie is broken into three sections: childhood, adulthood, and the gang's violent end. It's scored with a mix of ambient scoring that often (deliberately) evokes a horror movie, and anachronistic country and punk songs. A couple of them are performed by singer-songwriter Marlon Williams in character as George King, a visiting American cowboy who falls in love with Ned's mother and seems destined to become his stepdad, even though they're practically the same age. Ned narrates the story in the form of a long letter he's writing to his daughter from prison to set the record straight -- i.e., tell her his own version, to counteract media demonization. And it should go without saying that if you're looking for a historically rigorous account of Ned Kelly's life and times, you should look elsewhere. Aside from a few key moments, the filmmakers are no more faithful to the particulars of history than John Ford was to the story of Wyatt Earp in 'My Darling Clementine,' or Shakespeare to Julius Caesar. Still, this is a wild swing that connects. It's myth-making, splattered in blood, scored with an electric guitar, and enacted with such brazen bigness that you wouldn't be surprised if the cast assembled for a curtain call at the end."
Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
"Those assets, along with the bold visual flourishes, the invigorating use of an unconventional score by the director's brother Jed Kurzel and the thriller's enveloping, almost other-worldly sense of timelessness should supply enough impact internationally to erase the memory of the filmmaker's stumble with 'Assassin's Creed.' Kurzel reteams here with Shaun Grant, the screenwriter who helped establish him with his 2011 debut 'The Snowtown Murders' -- a real-life killing spree that was hard to watch in its unflinching brutality but announced a commanding stylistic talent. The result is his best film to date."
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
THE WRETCHED - Devin Burrows
"Tweak the hairstyles, adjust the fashions, and swap out the digital video for good ol’ fashioned celluloid, and 'The Wretched' could pass for something you might have gone to see on a warm Saturday night in the ’80s or rented a decade later from Blockbuster. There’s nothing self-consciously retro about this modest, starless creature feature, which pits a teenage boy against the feral witch stalking his quiet neighborhood. (The score, in other words, isn’t some throwback symphony of synthesizer.) It’s more that the movie’s no-frills thrills recall the spirit of horror movies past: The Wretched would fit in nicely on a double bill with, say, 'Fright Night' or 'The Gate,' the rather wholesome teenage characters giving the whole thing a PG-13 vibe, even as the gnarly practical effects keep it firmly in the R range. At the onset of this stolen summer, it offers some consolatory summer fun -- especially for those within driving distance of one of the drive-ins showing it this weekend."
A.A. Dowd, The Onion AV Club
"Yet even as it has a grand time with the practical effects, 'The Wretched' manages to maintain its serious tone, grounding the story in a dramatic scenario that has more to do with Ben’s angsty relationship to his father than the scenario building up around him. That places it a long way from 'Deadheads,' the directors’ prior effort, a hokey zombie movie that had a slippery grasp of tone. 'The Wretched' fares much better, at least until Ben turns into an incredulous valiant hero in the final third and the jump scares pile up, as an unmemorable score shrieks and shouts through the messy climactic showdown."
Eric Kohn, IndieWire
"Shot in resort communities on the northeast side of Lake Michigan, 'The Wretched' (a not-particularly-relevant title that appears to have replaced 'Hag') is handsome and sufficiently atmospheric in Conor Murphy’s widescreen lensing. (He also shot another excellent small-town tale this year, the SXSW-premiered 'Mickey and the Bear.') A solid design and tech package is capped by Devin Burrows’ strong score."
Dennis Harvey, Variety
"It's clear we're in extremely capable hands as the Pierces (who made the zombie comedy 'Deadheads') display an assured grasp of character, pacing and mood. There's more suspense than major scares, but this is a thoroughly engrossing dark fairy tale, shot by Conor Murphy in unsettling low angles and insidious compositions, and graced by a Devin Burrows score that escalates from ominous dread into nerve-jangling haute terror. The absence of marquee names might present a marketing challenge, but sharp casting of a bunch of fresh faces provides plenty of appeal."
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
Z - Brittany Allen
"At first, 'Z' appears to be a by-the-numbers example of the subgenre. It’s set in an anonymous, upper-middle-class suburb, lensed in the generic gunmetal gray that will one day appear as dated as the fuzzy outlines of ’80s direct-to-video horror movies. The story begins when 8-year-old Joshua, already a troubled child with behavior issues at school, starts insisting that his parents make space at the dinner table for his new imaginary friend, Z. Joshua’s dad, Kevin (Sean Rogerson), thinks it’s a harmless phase, as willfully clueless horror dads are prone to do. But stay-at-home mom Elizabeth quickly intuits that something much darker is going on. With his presence marked by shots of children’s toys overlaid with ominous music, 'Z' is more of a creeper than a reaper -- until a shocking, sudden moment midway through the film."
Katie Rife, The Onion AV Club
"Brandon Christensen’s 'Z,' premiering May 7th on Shudder, is a vicious little movie that recalls 'Poltergeist' and 'The Babadook' with its story of a possessive force that destroys a family. It’s a little rough around the edges in terms of an obviously thin effects budget and even simple things like its overcooked score but there’s a lot to like here in terms of storytelling within the risky screenplay by Christensen and Colin Minahan ('What Keeps You Alive'). It’s one of those films that may be overly reliant on jump scares when you tally them all up, but I’d by lying if I didn’t admit that a few of them legitimately made me jump. There’s one in particular that made me gasp in a way I don’t think I will with any other horror movie this year -- it’s the moment you know this movie, unlike its title character, isn’t playing around."
Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
THINGS I'VE HEARD, READ, SEEN OR WATCHED LATELY
Heard: Scott of the Antarctic (Vaughan Wiliams), Stato interessante (Morricone), Hotel Transylvania (Mothersbaugh), Drumline (Powell), The Hate U Give (O'Halloran), Hannibal: Season Two, Volume 2 (Reitzell), Lou (Beck), The Basil Poledouris Collection vol. 4: The Blue Lagoon Piano Sketches (Poledouris), The New World (Horner), War Paint (Frankel), Early Works (Corigliano), Chamber & Solo Works (Tower), Mystery Sonatas (Lang), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Alex Wurman (Wurman), 70 Binladens (Velazquez), Suspiria (Yorke), Exorcist II: The Heretic (Morricone), Red Sparrow (Howard), The Italian Job (Jones), Love, Simon (Simonsen), Hannibal: Season Three, Volume 1 (Reitzell), Widows (Zimmer), The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Rozsa), With a Song in My Heart/Pal Joey [1952 cast] (Newman; Rodgers), Forbidden Broadway: 2001 A Spoof Odyssey (Alessandrini, various), Alita: Battle Angel (Holkenborg), The Film Scores and Original Orchestral Music of George Martin (Martin), The Flute Concertos (Vivaldi), Isle of Dogs (Desplat), The Grudge 2 (Young), The Predator (Jackman), Super Lopez (Velazquez), Orca (Morricone), Maze Runner: The Death Cure (Paesano), Destroyer (Shapiro), Minority Report (Williams), Bushwick (Aesop Rock)
Read: VALIS, by Philip K. Dick
Seen: Not surprisingly, a few more high-profile films have had their release dates moved to 2021, including Black Widow, Eternals and Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story. Major films still currently scheduled for U.S. theatrical release include No Time to Die (November 20), Free Guy (December 11) and Coming 2 America and Death on the Nile (both December 18).
Watched: Get Shorty ("The Pitch"); The Witches [1966]; Perry Mason ("The Case of the Vagabond Vixen"); Dragonwyck; Party Down ("Cole Landry's Draft Day Party"); Sherlock, Jr. [1924]; The Good Place ("Everything Is Fine/Flying"); Wild, Wild Planet
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