The latest release from Intrada is a three-disc set spotlighting what is arguably Alan Silvestri's greatest score -- director Robert Zemeckis' dazzling 1988 hybrid of live-action and animation, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT. The Intrada Roger Rabbit is a whopping three-disc set -- Disc One features 70 minutes of the film's original score; Disc Two features the remaining 28 minutes of score, 8 minutes of alternates and additional cues, and the scores to three Roger Rabbit shorts -- Rollercoaster Rabbit (Bruce Broughton), Trail Mix-Up (Broughton) and Tummy Trouble (James Horner); Disc Three features the cues from the original 1988 soundtrack release, including the song "Why Don't You Do Right?" performed by Amy Irving, the singing voice of Jessica Rabbit.
For those who didn't happen to notice the column directly below this one, here again are this year's Oscar nominees in the music categories:
ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
DUNKIRK - Hans Zimmer
PHANTOM THREAD - Jonny Greenwood
THE SHAPE OF WATER - Alexandre Desplat
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI - John Williams
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI - Carter Burwell
ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PITURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
"MIGHTY RIVER" - Mudbound - Music and Lyric by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson
"MYSTERY OF LOVE" - Call Me By Your Name - Music and Lyric by Sufjan Stevens
"REMEMBER ME" - Coco - Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
"STAND UP FOR SOMETHING" - Marshall - Music by Diane Warren, Lyric by Lonnie R. Lynn and Diane Warren
"THIS IS ME" - The Greatest Showman - Music and Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Babylon Berlin - Johnny Klimek, TomTykwer - BMG (import)
Get Shorty [TV] - Antonio Sanchez - Sony [CD-R]
Hangman - Frederik Wiedmann - Varese Sarabande
L'Art d'Aimer/Le Jeune Marie/Un Amour Interdit - Luis Bacalov - Music Box
Le Grand Meaulnes - Jean-Pierre Bourtayre - Disques CineMusique
Lisa - Gabriel Yared - Caldera
Mia Moglie E' Una Bestia - Bruno Zambrini - Beat
Sheherazade - Andre Hossein - Disques CineMusique
Un Ciel Radieux - Rob - Music Box
Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Alan Silvestri, Bruce Broughton, James Horner - Intrada Special Collection
IN THEATERS TODAY
American Folk - Ben Lovett
The Campus - Darryl Blood
The Clapper - David Wittman, Jimmy Haun
The Competition - Scott Szabo
Desolation - Marcus Bagala
Kickboxer: Retaliation - Adam Dorn
Like Me - Giona Ostinelli
Lover for a Day - Jean-Louis Aubert
Maze Runner: The Death Cure - John Paesano - Score CD due Feb. 9 on Sony
The Neighbor - James Curd
Padman - Amit Trivedi
Please Stand By - Heitor Pereira
COMING SOON
February 2
In the Fade - Joshua Homme - Milan
The Mercy - Johann Johannsson - Deutsche Grammophon
Saw Anthology vol. 1 - Charlie Clouser - Lakeshore
Saw Anthology vol. 2 - Charlie Clouser - Lakeshore
Star Trek: Discovery - Jeff Russo - Lakeshore
February 9
Beauty and the Beast: Disney Legacy Edition - Alan Menken - Disney
Churchill - Lorne Balfe - Filmtrax
A Fantastic Woman - Matthew Herbert - Milan
Hostiles - Max Richter - Deutsche Grammophon
Mark Felt - The Man Who Brought Down the White House - Daniel Pemberton - Filmtrax
Maze Runner: The Death Cure - John Paesano - Sony
Phantom Thread - Jonny Greenwood - Nonesuch
February 16
The Commuter - Roque Banos - Varese Sarabande
Fifty Shades Freed - Danny Elfman - Backlot
March 9
The Exorcist - Tyler Bates - Milan
Date Unknown
Deep - Fernando Velazquez - Quartet
Ivan the Terrible - Sergei Prokofiev - Capriccio
La Peste - Julio De La Rosa - Quartet
Que Baje Dios, Y Lo Vea - Fernando Velazquez - Quartet
Salvatore - Questa e La Vita - Paolo Vivaldi - Kronos
Thi Mai Rumbo a Vietnam - Fernando Velazquez - Quartet
THIS WEEK IN FILM MUSIC HISTORY
January 26 - Hugo Riesenfeld born (1879)
January 26 - Stephane Grappelli born (1908)
January 26 - Ken Thorne born (1924)
January 26 - Christopher L. Stone born (1952)
January 26 - Miklos Rozsa begins recording his score for All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953)
January 26 - Elmer Bernstein begins recording his score for The Miracle (1959)
January 26 - George Bassman records his score for Ride the High Country (1962)
January 26 - Wendy Melvoin born (1964)
January 26 - Victoria Kelly born (1973)
January 26 - Gustavo Dudamel born (1981)
January 26 - Dennis McCarthy records his score for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Far Beyond the Stars” (1998)
January 27 - Jerome Kern born (1885)
January 27 - Alaric Jans born (1949)
January 27 - Mike Patton born (1968)
January 27 - David Shire begins recording his score for All the President's Men (1976)
January 27 - Leonard Rosenman begins recording his score for The Car (1977)
January 27 - Craig Safan records his scores for the Twilight Zone episodes “To See the Invisible Man” and “Tooth and Consequences” (1986)
January 27 - Arthur Kempel records his score for the Twilight Zone episode “The Elevator” (1986)
January 28 - Karl Hajos born (1889)
January 28 - Paul Misraki born (1908)
January 28 - John Tavener born (1944)
January 28 - Burkhard Dallwitz born (1959)
January 28 - Lalo Schifrin records his score for Once a Thief (1965)
January 28 - Lalo Schifrin records his score for the Mission: Impossible pilot (1966)
January 28 - Giancarlo Bigazzi died (2012)
January 28 - John Cacavas died (2014)
January 29 - Leslie Bricusse born (1931)
January 29 - Leith Stevens begins recording his score for The Atomic City (1952)
January 29 - David Robbins born (1955)
January 29 - Joseph Mullendore records his score for the Lost in Space episode "Space Beauty" (1968)
January 29 - Georges Van Parys died (1971)
January 29 - Henry Mancini begins recording his score for Condorman (1981)
January 29 - Panu Aaltio born (1982)
January 29 - Rogier Van Otterloo died (1988)
January 29 - Don Davis records his score for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Face of the Enemy” (1993)
January 29 - Berto Pisano died (2002)
January 29 - Rod McKuen died (2015)
January 30 - Morton Stevens born (1929)
January 30 - Recording sessions begin for Frederick Hollander’s score for The Affairs of Susan (1945)
January 30 - Phil Collins born (1951)
January 30 - Steve Bartek born (1952)
January 30 - George Duning begins recording his score for the pilot movie for Then Came Bronson (1969)
January 30 - Robert Folk begins recording his score for Police Academy (1984)
January 30 - Jean Constantin died (1997)
January 30 - Manuel Balboa died (2004)
January 30 - John Barry died (2011)
January 30 - William Motzing died (2014)
January 31 - Benjamin Frankel born (1906)
January 31 - Hans Posegga born (1917)
January 31 - Nicholas Carras born (1922)
January 31 - Al De Lory born (1930)
January 31 - Philip Glass born (1937)
January 31 - Andrew Lockington born (1974)
January 31 - Andy Garfield born (1974)
January 31 - Yasushi Akutagawa died (1989)
February 1 - Rick Wilkins born (1937)
February 1 - Herbert Stothart died (1949)
February 1 - Karl Hajos died (1950)
February 1 - Miklos Rozsa records his score for The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
February 1 - Alexander Courage records his score for the Lost in Space episode "The Cave of the Wizards" (1967)
February 1 - Barry Gray begins recording his score for Thunderbird 60 (1968)
February 1 - Alan Silvestri begins recording his score for The Perez Family (1995)
February 1 - Howard Shore begins recording his score for The Score (2001)
DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC?
I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER - Adrian Johnston
"Director Billy O'Brien and co-writer Christopher Hyde have fashioned the first book in a series by Dan Wells into a darkly funny and off-the-wall coming-of-ager that's part gruesome crime thriller and part supernatural mystery. These elements perfectly align thanks to the great talent behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Shot on 16mm by Robbie Ryan ('American Honey'), the film possesses the grainy texture of a 1970s 'midnight movie' featuring billowing steam, slippery innards and chilling organ music that recalls the theme to Don Coscarelli's cult classic 'Phantasm.'"
Katherine McLaughlin, The List
THE INTERVENTION - Sara Quin
"While the intervention is obviously coming, it takes the women leading the charge, Jessie and Annie, seemingly forever to pull off. Missed opportunities make the film drag a bit in the beginning. The booze-fueled friends hang around the house, as a score Pitchfork would approve of punctuates each scene progression."
Amy Rowe, New York Daily News
"Basically limited to one location’s interior and grounds, 'The Intervention' is smoothly crafted in all tech/design departments, though disinclined toward any bold stylistic contributions -- the closest to that being a soundtrack of pleasant, somewhat interchangeable female-driven various-artist cuts and an original score by Sara Quin of Canadian duo Tegan & Sara."
Dennis Harvey, Variety
SING STREET - John Carney, Gary Clark
"Even if your own youth had nothing in common with the specifics of Cosmo’s, you’re likely to find plenty to chime with the experiences of growing up. 'Sing Street' is, quite possibly, the best film about the coming-of-age experience since Rob Reiner’s 'Stand By Me.' The 80s soundtrack is great, albeit (knowingly) dated, and the original songs (particularly 'Drive It Like You Stole It') are superb."
Tom Charles, The Skinny
"It’s all too sweet and easy, and the band’s music -- which is composed by John Carney, the movie’s writer and director, and Gary Clark -- is bland and overproduced. The songs sound like the work of prematurely old teen-agers."
Richard Brody, The New Yorker
"Wittily, the songs Conor writes for his band all echo hits of the era that we’ve seen him discover: 'In Between Days,' 'Maneater,' even 'Axel F.' 'Sing Street' tracks Conor and his somewhat underdeveloped mates over a school year, and the film’s richest pleasure, even more than its excellent new pop songs, is watching the young men grown into themselves -- even if, in getting there, they have to imitate. Carney is smart about how much creative kids draw on the cultural material around them as they will themselves into being. 'I’m a futurist -- no nostalgia!' declares Conor, not realizing how much the past informs his Soft Cell present and also gently lampooning the film’s soundtrack of Gen X oldies."
Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice
"And so the story unfolds, as the band cycles through its The Cure phase and its Spandau Ballet phase, hair gel waxing or waning as appropriate. The soundtrack also includes entrants from The Jam, Joe Jackson, and, if you listen closely, a gentle, piano-only version of A-Ha’s 'Take On Me.' But it’s the original songs, written by Carney himself, that are the true draw here: the teen anthem 'Drive It Like You Stole It,' the plaintive 'To Find You,' and the intolerably infectious 'Up' -- which might have served as an apt title for the movie had it not already been well spoken for."
Christopher Orr, The Atlantic
"The fun of 'Sing Street,' set during a big boom period for U.K. rock, is that it allows Carney’s fond, romanticized memories of his glory days to double as a musical history lesson: Conrad, true to his rapidly evolving sensibilities, keeps passing from one phase to another, his band transforming from a Duran Duran clone to a Hall & Oates tribute to a wannabe The Cure. The music, by hitmaker and Danny Wilson frontman Gary Clark, manages the impressive feat of infectiously evoking those giants of the MTV age without sounding too accomplished. As it eventually becomes clear, we’re seeing a very familiar creative genesis, as Conrad skillfully apes his influences, like most young artists do, until a distinct style begins to emerge. (Never mind that the less plagiaristic songs, unveiled during the inevitable big-show climax, sound like they belong more in the 'Songs Of Innocence' era than the heyday of 'Boy'.)"
A.A. Dowd, The Onion AV Club
"You know the problem with most fictional rock bands? They don’t write good bridges. Whenever a motley group of kids in a movie or TV show come together to make music (and to woo the opposite sex), whoever’s in charge of the original soundtrack usually cooks up decent hooks, yet has a harder time coming up with strong verses or memorable mid-song changes. Pretend pop stars mostly play jingles -- they don’t knock out realistic chart hits. The band in John Carney’s 'Sing Street' is an exception. Even the first song they write, a fairly goofy novelty number called 'Riddle of the Model,' has an unusually complex structure for something that a bunch of working-class Irish teens would have worked up in an afternoon in 1985. As the story plays out, every couple of days the group’s frontman Conor (played by newcomer Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) pops by the flat of his guitarist Eamon (Mark McKenna), and the two of them write another fully realized pop-rock composition inspired by the Cure, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran or one of the other post-punk groups that appeared routinely in the U.K. in the 1980s. The music in 'Sing Street' is so terrific that it strains credulity -- it’s only a problem if moviegoers would rather watch 105 minutes of sophomoric garage-rock, rather than the marvelously catchy tunes by Carney and veteran folk-pop musician Gary Clark."
Noel Murray, IndieWire
"Set in 1985, 'Sing Street' offers a cheeky tour through the New Wave sounds made popular by U.K. bands like Duran Duran, The Cure, and Squeeze. Naming their band Sing Street, Conor and his pals are under the sway of these fashionable, often fashion-conscious groups, and much of the film’s initial fun comes from hearing these lads ape their heroes both sonically and sartorially. The band’s songs are written by Carney and Gary Clark, a songwriter and producer who’s worked with everyone from Liz Phair to Demi Lovato, and the tunes are both incredibly catchy and note-perfect homages to 'Sing Street''s musical influences. (If that wasn’t enough of a nostalgia blast, the group’s primitive music videos are their own kind of wayback-machine wonderful.)"
Tim Grierson, The New Republic
"Like Carney’s other films, 'Sing Street' gets a lot of its power from immaculately crafted performance scenes, where Conor’s songs (co-written by Carney and pop maestro Gary Clark) develop from scrawled lines of banal poetry into earworm-worthy, suspiciously polished tunes. But while 'Sing Street' wouldn’t entirely work if original compositions like 'The Riddle Of The Model' and 'Drive It Like You Stole It' couldn’t stand alongside the '80s pop hits that fill out the soundtrack, Carney’s emphasis is more on performance than craftsmanship. His camera lovingly covers the actual act of bringing music to life, and he makes being in the middle of a band look like the most revitalizing and rewarding place on Earth. The increasingly lengthy musical sequences devour the movie’s third act, to the point where they overstretch into a series of videos that substitute music for momentum. But given the film’s recklessly romantic final destination, the long musical sequences fit in naturally. This is a heady wish-fulfillment fantasy that gets more outsized and outlandish with every scene, and once the music starts, it feels natural enough that no one wants to turn back to the colorless reality of 1985 Dublin."
Tasha Robinson, The Verge
"Conor's stoner older brother, Brendan (an outstanding Jack Reynor), gives Conor an example of how to get started by showing him Duran Duran's music video, 'Rio,' and declaring it the perfect mix of sound and image. 'What tyranny could stand up to that?' he asks Conor. Indeed. The original songs that Carney wrote with Gary Clark, former frontman of the Scottish band Danny Wilson, potently capture the spirit of the time, especially 'Drive It Like You Stole It,"' which should find its way into the Oscar winner's circle. The popularity of videos at the time gives Carney and director of photography Yaron Orbach a chance to turn the depressive gray of Dublin into the colorful swirl of Conor's fantasies. When Conor gives Raphina a tape of the band's first song, 'The Riddle of the Model,' she offers to appear in the video and even do the makeup. And they're off. So is the movie. Watching Conor grow in confidence as he tries on guyliner and identities that alternately suggest Robert Smith, Tony Hadley and Nick Rhodes, is a treat. There's an knockout sequence in which Conor imagines his life as 'Back to the Future'-inspired 1950's American prom."
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Not only does Carney recapture the authenticity that made 'Once' such an emotional juggernaut, he sustains it in the face of the giddy fantastical elements that galvanize the film like the chorus of a great pop song. Among the best running jokes is that 'Sing Street,' as the boys name their band, is almost as good as the groups that inspire them. Borrowing from the sounds and styles of period-appropriate acts like Roxy Music and The Cure, these preternaturally talented ruffians manage to generate an LP’s worth of infectious original tunes (written by Carney and ex-Danny Wilson member Gary Clark). If a ragtag group of schoolboys actually wrote something like the Duran Duran-inspired 'Riddle of the Model,' Conor would be the Bono of the 9th grade (with Eamon as his The Edge). As the band pushes closer towards finding a sound of their own, their lyrics increasingly come to reflect Conor’s hopes for the future. The endlessly hummable 'Drive It Like You Stole It' gives full-throated voice to how he and Raphina are moved to take control of their own lives. 'Maybe you’re living in my world,' Conor eventually works up the courage to tell his bully. 'You’re just material for my songs.' You can’t change where you grow up, where you go from there is up to you. 'Sing Street' belts Carney’s usual refrain, but it’s never been so catchy before."
David Ehrlich, IndieWire
"Their songs, written by Carney with pop veteran Gary Clark (one-time frontman of late-'80s Scottish band Danny Wilson, which spawned the massive hit 'Mary's Prayer') are clever pastiches of tracks by the big acts of the time: Duran Duran, A-ha, Spandau Ballet, etc. The group's first effort, 'The Riddle of the Model,' is just flattering and catchy enough to persuade Raphina to star in their hilariously scrappy video, as well as do makeup."
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
THE NEXT TEN DAYS IN L.A.
Screenings of older films, at the following L.A. movie theaters: AMPAS, American Cinematheque: Aero, American Cinematheque: Egyptian, Arclight, LACMA, Laemmle, New Beverly, Nuart and UCLA.
January 26
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (Maurice Jarre) [Cinematheque: Aero]
DON'T LOOK NOW (Pino Donaggio) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
PHANTASM (Fred Myrow, Malcolm Seagrave) [Nuart]
January 27
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (Maurice Jarre) [Cinematheque: Aero]
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (Elmer Bernstein) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
January 28
THE GREAT ESCAPE (Elmer Bernstein) [Laemmle Ahyra Fine Arts]
NINE TO FIVE (Charles Fox), THELMA & LOUISE (Hans Zimmer) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
RYAN'S DAUGHTER (Maurice Jarre) [Cinematheque: Aero]
THE WOMEN (Edward Ward, David Snell) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
January 29
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (John Carpenter, Alan Howarth) [Arclight Hollywood]
JAWS (John Williams) [Arclight Santa Monica]
January 30
DANCE, GIRL, DANCE (Edward Ward) [LACMA]
THE SHINING (Wendy Carlos, Rachel Elkind) [Arclight Sherman Oaks]
February 1
WAYNE'S WORLD (J. Peter Robinson) [Laemmle NoHo]
February 2
GROUNDHOG DAY (George Fenton) [Cinematheque: Aero]
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (Joe Hisaishi) [Nuart]
WORKING GIRL (Carly Simon) [UCLA]
February 3
THE FITS (Danny Bensi, Saunder Juriaans) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (Allan Grey), AGE OF CONSENT (Peter Sculthorpe) [Cinematheque: Aero]
A TEACHER (Brian McOmber) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
12 O'CLOCK BOYS (Joe Williams) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
20,000 YEARS IN SING SING (Bernhard Kaun), THE MAD GENIUS (Leo F. Forbstein) [UCLA]
WENDY AND LUCY, MEEK'S CUTOFF (Jeff Grace) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
February 4
BUGSY MALONE (Paul Williams) [UCLA]
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