The latest releases from Buysoundtrax and their related labels are - FALLEN ANGELS VOL. 1, featuring episode cues from the 1990s noir anthology TV series, scored by Peter Bernstein (this volume covers the entire six-episode first season, with episodes helmed by Tom Cruise, Alfonso Cuaron, Tom Hanks, Phil Joanou, Jonathan Kaplan, and Steven Soderbergh); THE GERALD FRIED COLLECTION VOL. 2, featuring the Emmy-winning/Oscar-nominated composer's music for the 1979 film of Sylvia Plath's classic novel The Bell Jar, and the 1976 action thriller Vigilante Force; and Kevin Kiner's score for the 1999 Showtime movie SAFE HOUSE (no relation to the Denzel Washington/Ryan Reynolds vehicle), starring Patrick Stewart.
In a recent column I listed Anthony Willis's score for 2023's SALTBURN as a new CD release. I just received my copy from Amazon, and despite what the Amazon site had implied, the CD is entirely a song album with none of Willis's score. (his score is available on LP, for those who are interested).
Once upon a time, a regular feature of this website was my annual “Top Forty Countdown,” ranking the current crop of feature film composers by their perceived (by me) employability, with U.S. box-office as one of the main criteria.
I haven’t uploaded a new Top Forty in several years – the combination of the COVID-related theater shutdown of 2020 and the increasing demands of my day job made creating a new list impractical. Also, the rise of streaming platforms made determining what is a “theatrical feature” more difficult, especially as many A-list composers are scoring major features that get little or no theatrical release, including Lorne Balfe (Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, The Tomorrow War), Henry Jackman (Extraction, The Gray Man), Thomas Newman (The Highwaymen, Let Them All Talk), John Powell (Thelma the Unicorn) and Alan Silvestri (Pinocchio, The Witches)
At the bottom of this column I have appended some raw data (namely, yearly box-office rankings and major awards) if anyone would like to consider for themselves who may be truly “in demand” these days.
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
The Albert Glasser Collection Vol. 7 - Film Noir Thillers - Albert Glasser - Dragon's Domain
The Best of the Fairytopia Saga - Eric Colvin - Dragon's Domain [CD-R]
Ercole sfida Sansone - Angelo Francesco Lavagnino - Alhambra
Furiosa: A Mad Mad Saga - Tom Holkenborg - Mutant
Legendary Hollywood: Franz Waxman Vol. 3 - Franz Waxman - Citadel
Small Vices - David Shire - Caldera
IN THEATERS TODAY
Celebrating Laughter: The Life and Films of Colin Higgins - David Michael Frank
Coup! - Nathan Halpern
Harold and the Purple Crayon - Batu Sener
The Instigators - Christophe Beck
Kneecap - Michael "Mikey" J Asante
Sebastian - Ilari Heinila
Trap - Herdis Stefansdottir
COMING SOON
August 16
Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen: Vol. 1 - Michael Giacchino - Mutant
October 4
White Bird - Thomas Newman - Lakeshore
Coming Soon
Fallen Angels Vol. 1 - Peter Bernstein - Dragon's Domain
A Fistful of Dollars - Ennio Morricone - Beat
The Gerald Fried Collection Vol. 2 - Gerald Fried - Dragon's Domain
The Golden Age of Science-Fiction Vol. 5 - Raoul Kraushaar, Elisabeth Lutyens - Dragon's Domain
La pistole non discutono (Bullets Don't Argue) - Ennio Morricone - Beat
Music from Classic Western Soundtracks - Chuck Cirino, Jim Cox, Lee Holdridge - Buysoundtrax
Nightmare Castle - Ennio Morricone - Beat
Papillon [reissue] - Jerry Goldsmith - Quartet
Safe House - Kevin Kiner - Dragon's Domain [CD-R]
THIS WEEK IN FILM MUSIC HISTORY
August 2 - Carlo Savina born (1919)
August 2 - Joe Harnell born (1924)
August 2 - Phillip Lambro born (1935)
August 2 - Arthur Kempel born (1945)
August 2 - Dimitri Tiomkin begins recording his score for Gunfight at the OK Corral (1956)
August 2 - Recording sessions begin on Leigh Harline’s score for No Down Payment (1957)
August 2 - Robert Drasnin records his score for The Wild Wild West episode “The Night of the Man-Eating House” (1966)
August 2 - Lalo Schifrin records his score for the Mission: Impossible episode “The Miracle” (1971)
August 2 - Muir Mathieson died (1975)
August 2 - John Williams begins recording his score for Monsignor (1982)
August 2 - Irwin Bazelon died (1995)
August 2 - Daniel Licht died (2017)
August 3 - Louis Gruenberg born (1884)
August 3 - David Buttolph born (1902)
August 3 - Robert Emmett Dolan born (1906)
August 3 - Ira Newborn begins recording his score for The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
August 3 - Alfred Schnittke died (1998)
August 3 - Warren Barker died (2006)
August 4 - Bernardo Segall born (1911)
August 4 - David Raksin born (1912)
August 4 - Egisto Macchi born (1928)
August 4 - Recording sessions begin for The Prisoner of Zenda remake, with Conrad Salinger adapting Alfred Newman's original score (1952)
August 4 - Nathan Johnson born (1976)
August 4 - Michael Small begins recording his score for Firstborn (1984)
August 4 - Egisto Macchi died (1992)
August 4 - Adam Walacinski died (2015)
August 4 - Billy Goldenberg died (2020)
August 5 - Christopher Gunning born (1944)
August 5 - Adolph Deutsch begins recording his score for The Matchmaker (1957)
August 5 - Abigail Mead born as Vivian Kubrick (1960)
August 5 - Cyril Morin born (1962)
August 5 - Alexander Courage's music for the Star Trek episode "The Enterprise Incident" is recorded (1968)
August 5 - Robert Prince records his first Mission: Impossible score, for the episode “Homecoming” (1970)
August 5 - Stuart Hancock born (1975)
August 5 - Michael Small begins recording his score for Comes a Horseman (1978)
August 5 - Fred Karger died (1979)
August 5 - Henry Mancini begins recording his score for Mommie Dearest (1981)
August 5 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his unused score for Gladiator (1991)
August 6 - Oliver Wallace born (1887)
August 6 - Cyril J. Mockridge born (1896)
August 6 - Svend Erik Tarp born (1908)
August 6 - Jack Elliott born (1927)
August 6 - Andre Previn begins recording his score to The Outriders (1949)
August 6 - Alex North begins recording his score to Pony Soldier (1952)
August 6 - Soren Hyldgaard born (1962)
August 6 - Harry Geller records his score for the Land of the Giants episode “Giants and All That Jazz” (1969)
August 6 - Robert Prince records his final Mission: Impossible score, for the episode “Mindbend” (1971)
August 6 - David Newman begins recording his score to The Brave Little Toaster (1986)
August 6 - Larry Adler died (2001)
August 6 - Christopher Dedrick died (2010)
August 6 - Marvin Hamlisch died (2012)
August 7 - Alfred Newman begins recording his adaptations of Jerome Kern songs for Centennial Summer (1945)
August 7 - Recording sessions begin for Bronislau Kaper's score for Her Twelve Men (1953)
August 7 - Gerald Fried records his score for the Mission: Impossible episode “Trek” (1967)
August 7 - Walter Scharf records his score for The Wild Wild West episode “The Night of the Assassin” (1967)
August 7 - Joseph Kosma died (1969)
August 7 - Jerry Fielding begins recording his score to The Mechanic (1972)
August 7 - Bruce Broughton begins recording his score for All I Want for Christmas (1991)
August 7 - Roy Budd died (1993)
August 7 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score for Deep Rising (1997)
August 7 - Jay Chattaway records his score for the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Scorpion, Part II” (1997)
August 8 - Victor Young born (1900)
August 8 - Benny Carter born (1907)
August 8 - Arthur Morton born (1908)
August 8 - Axel Stordahl born (1913)
August 8 - Pete King born (1914)
August 8 - Basil Kirchin born (1927)
August 8 - Nathan Wang born (1956)
August 8 - Stefano Mainetti born (1957)
August 8 - Louis Levy died (1957)
August 8 - Fred Steiner records his score for the Lost in Space episode "The Space Primevals" (1967)
August 8 - Sidney Cutner’s score for The Invaders episode “Condition: Red” is recorded (1967)
August 8 - Patrick Williams records his score for The Streets of San Francisco episode “One Last Shot” (1974)
August 8 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score to Capricorn One (1977)
August 8 - James Horner begins recording his score for The Pagemaster (1994)
August 8 - Dennis McCarthy records his score for the Star Trek: Voyager episode “The Gift” (1997)
DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC?
DESPICABLE ME 4 - Heitor Pereira (score), Pharrell Williams (songs, themes)
"On the music front, Heitor Pereira returns to provide the film’s effective, at times eclectic score. Pharrell Williams’ past 'Despicable' themes are reprised, plus Williams wrote and performs the catchy new original song 'Double Life.' There are also several fun needle drops and a lively, late-breaking use of Tears for Fears’ 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World.'"
Gary Goldstein, The Hollywood Reporter
"Surely, the film’s pure entertainment value should count for something … and it does. Where the other leading computer animation studios strive for an emotional reaction, Illumination satisfies itself with laughter, and there’s lots of it in 'Despicable Me 4.' As Maxime, Ferrell concocts a faux-French accent almost as thick as Gru’s Slavic one. Just wait’ll you hear the two of them sing together (whereas that hurts the ears, the new tunes from franchise tone-setter Pharrell sound fresh, mixing well with energy-boosting needle drops). As Maxime’s big-lipped girlfriend Valentina, Sofía Vergara supplies one of the film’s best voices. Stephen Colbert and Chloe Fineman are also amusing as Gru’s new neighbors."
Peter Debruge, Variety
"'Despicable Me 4' begins with an exciting confrontation (courtesy of slick angles and tense music by composer Heitor Pereira) between Gru and a new villain, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell). The pair’s history goes back to when they were students at Lycee Pas Bon, the premier institution for aspiring bad guys. They meet again at their school reunion, which, no matter the length of your rap sheet, is still fraught with aged tensions, awkward exchanges and not-so-subtle competitive small talk."
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter
THE IMAGINARY - Kenji Tamai, agehasprings
"Despite an unnecessarily drawn-out climax, the film presents all these characters and moves through a lot of plot at a steady clip. A few moments of quiet introspection might have given it more room to breathe, as well as provided more of a showcase for the lyrical score composed by Kenji Tamai and his music collective agehasprings. As it is, though, The Imaginary is an enchanting tale in which reality clashes with imagination in a battle to determine which is more powerful. There are times when it seems like either side will win out, but there’s no doubt about which faction these filmmakers favor."
Cindy White, The Onion AV Club
LUMINA - Gino McKoy, Matthew Sargent
"As far as 'Lumina''s horror goes, well, it really doesn’t go far at all. The movie has some genuinely strong moments of body horror, such as people in massive test tubes pared down to their spines, but the chills pretty much end there, save for one unexplained shot of an old woman in a wheelchair, literally just turning around and laughing while ominous music underscores the moment.Another element of 'Lumina' that will certainly leave you confused is McKoy's choice to use only his own original songs. With out-of-place bops like 'Sensy Girl,' 'Little Mizz Innocent,' and 'Everything to me' blaring out at unexpected moments, it only gives the movie a stronger air of a low-budget vanity project. While it's commendable that the filmmaker crafted his own (admittedly catchy) music, playing the songs multiple times when they didn't match the tone of the film in the first place reeks of self-indulgence."
Shaina Weatherhead, Collider
"That’s in spite of some truly schmaltzy musical cues that work hard to communicate what the actors can’t, but here as elsewhere, 'Lumina' overplays its hand. At the other end of the spectrum is a recurring musical motif that sounds suspiciously similar to the main theme from 'Sicario' -- another instance of the film’s attempts at emotional captivation having the opposite effect."
Michael Nordine, Variety
RODEO - Kelman Duran
"These cracked-open doors for Julia’s sense of belonging and freedom don’t feel particularly safe or assured, however, a mood reflected in the raw, serrated energy of Ledru’s performance, or the crunchy, shock-edited naturalism of Quivoron’s direction. Adding mightily to the swings between abandon and claustrophobic intensity is Raphaël Vandenbussche’s cinematography, like colored gravel, and Kelman Duran’s adrenalized soundscape of a score."
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
"In the chaos of the opening scenes Julia’s bike has been stolen, a matter of dire urgency for her; it’s as though she’s lost a limb. Quivoron is intent on plunging the viewer into Julia’s POV and employs hyperkinetic camerawork by Raphaël Vandenbussche that’s more self-conscious than involving. It’s also unnecessary; Ledru, a biker the director discovered on Instagram, infuses the role with a with a take-no-prisoners intensity that requires no underlining. Elsewhere in the film, Vandenbussche achieves far more with restraint. Some of the film’s wordless sequences achieve ineffable depths of feeling -- grief, joy, suspense -- through a combination of understated lensing and Kelman Duran’s stirring score, an elegant and otherworldly distortion of reggaeton samples."
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
STARVE ACRE - Matthew Herbert
"The film’s 1970s setting, coupled with the muted autumnal tones provided by cinematographer Adam Scarth and the moody score by Matthew Herbert, allows 'Starve Acre' to achieve a certain tonal shorthand with genre fans. Watching it, you’re immediately reminded of films like Nicolas Roeg’s ecstatic meditation on grief, 'Don’t Look Now,' as well as the fabled 'Unholy Trinity' of British folk horror films, 'Witchfinder General' (1968), 'The Blood on Satan’s Claw' (1971), and 'The Wicker Man' (1973), which became foundational texts of the subgenre. It’s more than just homage, though. The 1970s setting offers a certain technological isolation, a slower pace to the life of the characters, and just the right amount of unsettling border between Britain’s buried Pagan past and its modern face. It’s so deliberate as to make the setting a character unto itself, transforming Starve Acre from your standard rural homestead into a kind of time capsule liminal space between what was and what is."
Matthew Jackson, Paste Magazine
"Despite the hare-brained plot, there are still things to enjoy here. Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark are capable performers who make a convincing couple. Smith especially, in speech and manner, communicates both a love of country life and a feeling of not having fully settled into it, both of which accord well with his skepticism –– not to say contempt –– of all things supernatural. Clark, on the other hand, plays Juliette with a much greater sense of ease and contentedness –– of having established herself in the Dales –– that stands in disturbing counterpoint to her later frenzy, neatly connecting the film’s continually changing emotional and physical geographies. Excellent, too, is Matthew Herbert’s oppressive score, Zoe McCaffrey and Joanne Tudda’s considered makeup, and Adam Scarth’s metamorphic cinematography, which can turn soil into blood or a swarm of night birds into a glittering stream. Still, not even the most masterly work can entertain for very long when it is put to preposterous use."
Oliver Weir, The Film Stage
"Taken either way, the film delivers straight-up scares and low, lingering atmospheric dread in muddy spades: This is not predominantly a film of nighttime fears, with Scarth’s lensing finding rather more terror in the flat, muzzy gray light of a Northern afternoon, or the moldering browns of a house’s most ordinary but unloved corners. The volatile, dissonant score by Matthew Herbert (a valuable contributor to last year’s 'The Wonder'), meanwhile, is a continual astonishment, its appropriately chamber-folky instrumentation often swelling and contorting into glassy shrieks — as if on behalf of the more repressed characters on screen. No one person in 'Starve Acre' screams, speaks or behaves quite as people should, which is key to the film’s baleful pull: Kokotajlo, at least, brings a fierce discipline to its disorder."
Guy Lodge, Variety
THEY CLONED TYRONE - Piere Charles, Desmond Murray
"Their interplay complements the score from composers Pierre Charles and Desmond Murray as well as Philippe Pierre and Stephanie Diaz-Matos’ music supervision. The latter pair make savvy use of hits ranging from Alicia Myers’ 'I Want to Thank You' to Diana Ross' 'Love Hangover' and a new mix of Erykah Badu’s 'Tyrone.'"
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter
YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER - CFCF
"Much of the film’s impact comes down to its script, by Slutsky and Watts, which rings true to its characters and mostly avoids cliché regarding the emotional experiences it depicts. Adding to the aura of authenticity is cinematographer Gayle Ye, who gradually moves from muted hues to brighter ones without breaking from the film’s naturalistic palette, and electronic composer CFCF, whose ‘90s-influenced score balances stargazing synth arpeggios with grand, Listszian piano chords for a trance-like atmosphere that amplifies the film’s mood of quiet loss and romantic longing."
Isaac Feldberg, RogerEbert.com
"The film suffers from a similar amateurishness, with a mix of drab cinematography and no distinctive look or feel despite a supposed 1990s setting. Some of that comes down to the cloistered community at the center of the story, but the characters talk and feel like they’re right out of the 2020s. Only toward the end of the film, with a 'Heavenly Creatures' poster up on the wall, did it feel obvious that the action takes place in a shared past. 'You Can Live Forever' is bolstered by an inventive score by Canadian artist CFCF, whose upbeat music saves the film from a maudlin or overly weepy hue."
Fran Hoepfner, The Wrap
THE NEXT TEN DAYS IN L.A.
Screenings of older films in Los Angeles-area theaters.
August 2
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (Carter Burwell) [BrainDead Studios]
BROTHER (Joe Hisaishi) [Academy Museum]
CADDYSHACK (Johnny Mandel) [Vista]
DUNE (Toto) [Alamo Drafthouse]
EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN (Mader) [UCLA/Hammer]
GOODBYE, DRAGON INN [Egyptian]
JENNIFER'S BODY (Theodore Shapiro, Stephen Barton), DRAG ME TO HELL (Christopher Young) [New Beverly]
THE LAWNMOWER MAN (Dan Wyman) [BrainDead Studios]
M*A*S*H (Johnny Mandel) [Aero]
ROBOCOP (Basil Poledouris) [Vidiots]
SCREAM 2 (Marco Beltrami) [New Beverly]
SORCERER (Tangerine Dream) [Vista]
STRANGER THAN PARADISE (John Lurie) [Alamo Drafthouse]
TIME BANDITS (Mike Moran) [Vidiots]
TROLL 2 (Carlo Maria Cordio) [Vidiots]
TRUE ROMANCE (Hans Zimmer) [New Beverly]
August 3
CADDYSHACK (Johnny Mandel) [Vista]
EAST OF EDEN (Leonard Rosenman) [Los Feliz 3]
IL SORPASSO (Riz Ortolani) [Los Feliz 3]
JACKASS: THE MOVIE [BrainDead Studios]
JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK (James L. Venable) [New Beverly]
JENNIFER'S BODY (Theodore Shapiro, Stephen Barton), DRAG ME TO HELL (Christopher Young) [New Beverly]
KELLY'S HEROES (Lalo Schifrin) [Los Feliz 3]
LOVE & BASKETBALL (Terence Blanchard) [Academy Museum]
MALCOLM X (Terence Blanchard) [Aero]
MY GIRL 2 (Cliff Eidelman) [Academy Museum]
NEVER SAY DIE [Vista]
PI (Clint Mansell), TETSUO: THE IRON MAN (Chu Ishikawa) [UCLA/Hammer]
REBELS OF THE NEON GOD (Shu-Jun Huang), THE RIVER [Aero]
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Richard O'Brien, Richard Hartley) [Nuart]
SEVEN SAMURAI (Fumio Hayasaka) [Vidiots]
SORCERER (Tangerine Dream) [Vista]
SPACEBALLS (John Morris) [Vidiots]
STRANGER BY THE LAKE [BrainDead Studios]
STRANGER THAN PARADISE (John Lurie) [Alamo Drafthouse]
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (Alan Silvestri) [New Beverly]
THE WIZARD OF OZ (Harold Arlen, Herbert Stothart) [Alamo Drafthouse]
August 4
AFTER YANG (Aska Matsumiya), MOON (Clint Mansell) [UCLA/Hammer]
BOOGIE NIGHTS (Michael Penn) [Egyptian]
FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Alexandre Desplat) [UCLA/Hammer]
HOLLYWOOD STORY [Academy Museum]
THE HOLE (Grace Chang) [Los Feliz 3]
THE HOWLING (Pino Donaggio) [Los Feliz 3]
INHERENT VICE (Jonny Greenwood) [Egyptian]
JENNIFER'S BODY (Theodore Shapiro, Stephen Barton), DRAG ME TO HELL (Christopher Young) [New Beverly]
LICORICE PIZZA (Jonny Greenwood) [Egyptian]
THE MASTER (Jonny Greenwood) [Egyptian]
NEVER SAY DIE [Vista]
A REAL YOUNG GIRL (Mort Schuman), 36 FILLETTE (Maxime Schmitt) [Aero]
RECORD OF A TENEMENT GENTLEMAN (Ichiro Saito) [Los Feliz 3]
SEVEN SAMURAI (Fumio Hayasaka) [Aero]
THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross) [Academy Museum]
SORCERER (Tangerine Dream) [Vista]
THE WAYWARD CLOUD [Los Feliz 3]
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (Alan Silvestri) [New Beverly]
THE WIZARD OF OZ (Harold Arlen, Herbert Stothart) [Alamo Drafthouse]
August 5
BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA (Jerry Fielding) [Los Feliz 3]
DUNE (Toto) [Alamo Drafthouse]
LUST, CAUTION (Alexandre Desplat) [Vidiots]
PARDON MY SARONG, IN THE NAVY [New Beverly]
PERFECT LOVE [Los Feliz 3]
PETER PAN (James Newton Howard) [Alamo Drafthouse]
SORCERER (Tangerine Dream) [Vista]
THE TALES OF HOFFMANN [Academy Museum]
August 6
ANATOMY OF HELL [Los Feliz 3]
COLD WATER [Egyptian]
CROOKLYN (Terence Blanchard) [Egyptian]
DUNE (Toto) [Alamo Drafthouse]
THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (Christopher Komeda), THE WRECKING CREW (Hugo Montenegro) [New Beverly]
SIGN O' THE TIMES (Prince) [Vidiots]
STRANGER THAN PARADISE (John Lurie) [Alamo Drafthouse]
WHAT TIME IS IT THERE? [Los Feliz 3]
August 7
BRIDESMAIDS (Michael Andrews), SPY (Theodore Shapiro) [Aero]
CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Frankie Chan) [Egyptian]
THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (Christopher Komeda), THE WRECKING CREW (Hugo Montenegro) [New Beverly]
FORREST GUMP (Alan Silvestri) [Egyptian]
HER (William Butler, Owen Pallett) [Academy Museum]
JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA [BrainDead Studios]
SORCERER (Tangerine Dream) [Vista]
STRANGER THAN PARADISE (John Lurie) [Alamo Drafthouse]
August 8
DON'T LOOK NOW (Pino Donaggio) [Vidiots]
KLUTE (Michael Small) [Vidiots]
MOVING (Shigeaki Saegusa) [Los Feliz 3]
ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD [New Beverly]
THE RED SHOES (Brian Easdale) [Academy Museum]
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY [Los Feliz 3]
August 9
ADAPTATION (Carter Burwell) [BrainDead Studios]
BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (Stu Phillips) [Academy Museum]
COONSKIN (Chico Hamilton) [Vista]
THE GODFATHER PART II (Nino Rota, Carmine Coppola) [New Beverly]
GODZILLA (Akira Ifukube) [Egyptian]
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (Denny Zietlin) [Egyptian]
L.A. STORY (Peter Rodgers Melnick) [Vidiots]
ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD [New Beverly]
THE RELIC (John Debney) [Vidiots]
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (Tune-Yards) [UCLA/Hammer]
TRUE ROMANCE (Hans Zimmer) [New Beverly]
THE WICKER MAN (Paul Giovanni) [BrainDead Studios]
THE ZODIAC KILLER [Alamo Drafthouse]
August 10
COONSKIN (Chico Hamilton) [Vista]
THE COTTON CLUB (John Barry) [Alamo Drafthouse]
A DRY WHITE SEASON (Dave Grusin) [Los Feliz 3]
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (John Williams) [New Beverly]
INNERSPACE (Jerry Goldsmith) [Vidiots]
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (Elliot Goldenthal) [Landmark Westwood]
JOURNEY TO ITALY (Renzo Rossellini), STROMBOLI (Renzo Rossellini) [Aero]
MIRACLE MILE (Tangerine Dream) [Academy Museum]
THE MUSIC MAN (Meredith Willson, Ray Heindorf) [Los Feliz 3]
NEIGHBORS (Bill Conti) [Vista]
ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD [New Beverly]
THE RAID: REDEMPTION (Mike Shinoda, Joseph Trapanese) [Vidiots]
RIVER'S EDGE (Jurgen Knieper) [BrainDead Studios]
ROMY AND MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION (Steve Bartek) [New Beverly]
THE SANDLOT (David Newman) [Academy Museum]
THE SAVAGE EYE (Leonard Rosenman) [Academy Museum]
SERPICO (Mikis Theodorakis) [BrainDead Studios]
SLEEPING BEAUTY (George Bruns) [Vidiots]
SPACE TRUCKERS (Colin Towns), VEGAS IN SPACE (Bob Davis) [UCLA/Hammer]
A STAR IS BORN (Ray Heindorf) [Vidiots]
STRAY DOGS [Los Feliz 3]
UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN (Christophe Beck) [Los Feliz 3]
August 11
BANK HOLIDAY [UCLA/Hammer]
BLUEBEARD (Stephane Brunclair) [Los Feliz 3]
ERNEST & CELESTINE (Vincent Courtois) [Vidiots]
THE GENERAL [Egyptian]
IN BRUGES (Carter Burwell) [BrainDead Studios]
INCEPTION (Hans Zimmer) [Fine Arts]
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (John Williams) [Alamo Drafthouse]
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (John Williams) [New Beverly]
KLUTE (Michael Small) [Egyptian]
MONEYBALL (Mychael Danna) [Academy Museum]
MOVING [Los Feliz 3]
NEIGHBORS (Bill Conti) [Vista]
ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD [New Beverly]
THE SMALL BACK ROOM (Brian Easdale) [Academy Museum]
THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (Gabriel Yared) [Los Feliz 3]
THINGS I'VE HEARD, READ, SEEN OR WATCHED LATELY
Heard: Fear Strikes Out/The Tin Star (Bernstein); Donde Estan Los Ladrones? (Shakira); The Mummy (Reizenstein); The Big Country (Moross); The Blue Bird (Newman); All Of Us Strangers (Levienaise-Farrouch); Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (Martelli); Leave Her to Heaven/Take Care of My Little Girl (Newman); Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (Cary); The Awakening (Bolling); The Alamo (Tiomkin); Rounders (Young)
Read: The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Seen: Patton; Road to Zanzibar; Fly Me to the Moon [2024]; I Know Where I'm Going; Deadpool & Wolverine; Didi; Brain Dead [1990]; The Unborn [1991]
Watched: Juggernaut; Legion ("Chapter 7"); Key & Peele ("Biological Dad")
2021
OSCAR WINNER
Hans Zimmer (Dune)
OSCAR NOMINEES
Nicholas Britell (Don’t Look Up)
Germaine Franco (Encanto)
Jonny Greenwood (The Power of the Dog)
Alberto Iglesias (Parallel Mothers)
GRAMMY WINNER
Hans Zimmer (Dune)
EMMY WINNERS
Ludwig Goransson (The Mandalorian)
Blake Neely (The Flight Attendant)
Steven Price (David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet)
Carlos Rafael Rivera (The Queen’s Gambit)
TOP GROSSING FILMS AT U.S. BOXOFFICE
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home – Michael Giacchino
2. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Joel P. West
3. Venom: Let There Be Carnage – Marco Beltrami
4. Black Widow – Lorne Balfe
5. F9: The Fast Saga – Brian Tyler
6. Eternals – Ramin Djawadi
7. Sing 2 – Joby Talbot
8. No Time To Die – Hans Zimmer
9. A Quiet Place Part II – Marco Beltrami
10. Ghostbusters: Afterlife – Rob Simonsen
11. Free Guy – Christophe Beck
12. Jungle Cruise - James Newton Howard
13. Dune – Hans Zimmer
14. Godzilla vs. Kong – Tom Holkenborg
15. Encanto – Germaine Franco
16. Halloween Kills – John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, Daniel Davies
17. Space Jam: A New Legacy – Kris Bowers
18. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It – Joseph Bishara
19. Candyman – Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe
20. The Croods: A New Age – Mark Mothersbaugh
21. The Boss Baby: Family Business - Hans Zimmer
22. The Addams Family 2 – Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna
23. The Suicide Squad – John Murphy
24. Raya and the Last Dragon – James Newton Howard
25. House of Gucci – Harry Gregson-Williams
2022
OSCAR WINNER
Volker Bertelmann (All Quiet on the Western Front)
OSCAR NOMINEES
Carter Burwell (The Banshees of Inisherin)
Ludwig Goransson (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - song)
Justin Hurwitz (Babylon)
Son Lux (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
John Williams (The Fabelmans)
GRAMMY WINNER
Germaine Franco (Encanto)
EMMY WINNERS
David Schwartz (Lucy and Desi)
Theodore Shapiro (Severance)
Cristobal Tapia de Veer (The White Lotus – 2 Emmys)
TOP GROSSING FILMS AT U.S. BOXOFFICE
1. Top Gun: Maverick – Hans Zimmer, Lady Gaga, Harold Faltermeyer
2. Avatar: The Way of Water – Simon Franglen
3. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Ludwig Goransson
4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Danny Elfman
5. Jurassic World: Dominion – Michael Giacchino
6. Minions: The Rise of Gru – Heitor Pereira
7. The Batman – Michael Giacchino
8. Thor: Love and Thunder – Michael Giacchino, Nami Melumad
9. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – Tom Holkenborg
10. Black Adam – Lorne Balfe
11. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – Heitor Pereira
12. Elvis – Elliott Wheeler
13. Uncharted – Ramin Djawadi
14. Nope – Michael Abels
15. Lightyear – Michael Giacchino
16. Smile – Cristobal Tapia de Veer
17. The Lost City – Pinar Toprak
18. Bullet Train – Dominic Lewis
19. The Bad Guys – Daniel Pemberton
20. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – James Newton Howard
21. DC League of Super-Pets – Steve Jablonsky
22. Where the Crawdads Sing – Mychael Danna
23. The Black Phone – Mark Korven
24. Scream – Brian Tyler
25. Everything Everywhere All at Once – Son Lux
2023
OSCAR WINNER
Ludwig Goransson (Oppenheimer)
OSCAR NOMINEES
Jerskin Fendrix (Poor Things)
Laura Karpman (American Fiction)
Robbie Robertson (Killers of the Flower Moon)
John Williams (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny)
GRAMMY WINNER
Ludwig Goransson (Oppenheimer)
EMMY WINNERS
Leo Birenberg & Zach Robinson (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story)
Danny Elfman (Wednesday)
John Powell (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie)
Cristobal Tapia de Veer (The White Lotus)
TOP GROSSING FILMS AT U.S. BOXOFFICE
1. Barbie – Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt
2. The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Brian Tyler
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Daniel Pemberton
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – John Murphy
5. Oppenheimer – Ludwig Goransson
6. The Little Mermaid – Alan Menken
7. Wonka – Joby Talbot
8. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – Christophe Beck
9. John Wick: Chapter 4 – Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard
10. Sound of Freedom – Javier Navarrete
11. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
12. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – John Williams
13. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Lorne Balfe
14. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – James Newton Howard
15. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – Jongnic Bontemps
16. Creed III – Joseph Shirley
17. Elemental – Thomas Newman
18. Fast X – Brian Tyler
19. Five Nights at Freddy’s – The Newton Brothers
20. Migration – John Powell
21. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – Rupert Gregson-Williams
22 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
23. Scream VI – Brian Tyler, Sven Faulconer
24. Trolls Band Together – Theodore Shapiro
25. M3GAN – Anthony Willis
2024
TOP GROSSING FILMS AT U.S. BOXOFFICE (as of 7.28.24)
1. Inside Out 2 – Andrea Datzman
2. Despicable Me 4 – Heitor Pereira
3. Dune: Part Two – Hans Zimmer
4. Deadpool & Wolverine – Rob Simonson
5. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – Tom Holkenborg, Antonio Di Iorio
6. Kung Fu Panda 4 – Hans Zimmer, Steve Mazzaro
7. Bad Boys: Ride or Die – Lorne Balfe
8. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – John Paesano
9. Twisters – Benjamin Wallfisch
10. A Quiet Place: Day One – Alexis Grapsas
11. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – Dario Marianelli
12. IF – Michael Giacchino
13. Bob Marley: One Love – Kris Bowers
14. The Fall Guy – Dominic Lewis
15. The Garfield Movie – John Debney
16. Mean Girls – Jeff Richmond
17. Civil War – Ben Salisbury, Geoff Barrow
18. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Tom Holkenborg
19. The Beekeeper – David Sardy, Jared Michael Fry
20. Longlegs - Zilgi
21. Challengers- Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
22. Argylle – Lorne Balfe
23. Madame Web – Johan Soderqvist
24. The Strangers: Chapter 1 – Justin Caine Burnett
25. Night Swim – Mark Korven
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