Varese Sarabande has announced four new releases in their limited edition CD Club series, expected to begin shipping this week -- an expanded Deluxe Edition of one of John Williams' greatest early works, his rousing, Copland-esque score for the 1972 Western THE COWBOYS (the "alternate main title" included on the earlier Varese release has turned out to be Harry Sukman's unused main theme for the short-lived TV spinoff and is not included in this edition); an expanded Deluxe Edition of Jerry Goldsmith's lively score for director Joe Dante's 1998 sci-fi comedy adventure SMALL SOLDIERS; THE COMPLETE LONDON SESSIONS, a two-disc set featuring the Georges Delerue music re-recorded for Varese's out-of-print series of London Sessions discs (but not the original score cues which were also included on those discs); and an "Encore Edition" straight re-release of David Newman's score for the cult classic dark comedy HEATHERS.
Rob Simonson's score for the Jason Reitman/Diablo Cody comedy-drama TULLY will be released on vinyl in late July. A pleasant musical surprises in the film was a montage scored with a folksy new vocal version of the John Barry/Don Black classic "You Only Live Twice" performed by "Beulahbelle," who are actually actress Kaitlyn Dever (Justified, Short Term 12) and her sister Mady. The LP will feature two different versions of their "You Only Live Twice."
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
The Basil Poledouris Collection vol. 3: Tintorera/Dolphin - Dragon's Domain
The Bobo - Francis Lai - Quartet
The Cowboys: The Deluxe Edition - John Williams - Varese Sarabande CD Club
Georges Delerue: The Complete London Sessions - Georges Delerue - Varese Sarabande CD Club
Gungala - Angelo Francesco Lavagnino - Quartet
Heathers [re-release] - David Newman - Varese Sarabande CD Club
Last Dance - Michael Allen - Dragon's Domain
Small Soldiers: The Deluxe Edition - Jerry Goldsmith - Varese Sarabande CD Club
The Sun Also Rises - Hugo Friedhofer - Quartet
Torpedo Bay - Carlo Rustichelli - Quartet
IN THEATERS TODAY
Boundaries - Michael Penn
The Catcher Was a Spy - Howard Shore
Damsel - The Octopus Project
Distorted - Todd Bryanton
Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town - Andrew Brassell
COMING SOON
June 29
Annihiliation - Ben Salisbury, Geoff Barrow - Lakeshore
Fahrenheit 451 - Matteo Zingales, Antony Partos - Milan
Incredibles 2 - Michael Giacchino - Disney
The Man with One Red Shoe - Thomas Newman - La-La Land
Sicario: Day of the Soldado - Hildur Gudnadottir - Varese Sarabande
July 6
Gotti - Pitbull, Jorge Gomez - Sony (import)
Hotel Transylvania: Score for the Motion Pictures - Mark Mothersbaugh - Sony (import)
Humans: Seasons 2 & 3 - Susan Warner - Silva
July 13
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot - Danny Elfman - Sony
Shock and Awe - Jeff Beal - Varese Sarabande
July 20
1922 - Mike Patton - Ipecac (import)
Teacup Travels - Rasmus Borowski, Alexius Tschallener - Tadlow
July 27
Mosaic - David Holmes - Touch Sensitive (import)
August 3
Skyscraper - Steve Jablonsky - Milan
Date Unknown
Advise and Consent - Jerry Fielding - Kritzerland
Edie - Debbie Wiseman - Silva
Les B.O. Introuvables - Jacques Dutronc, Christian Dorisse, Alain Goraguer, Lino Leonardi, Raymond Lefevre, Francois Rauber - Music Box
Mission: Impossible - Fallout - Lorne Balfe - La-La Land
THIS WEEK IN FILM MUSIC HISTORY
June 22 - Todd Rundgren born (1948)
June 22 - Darius Milhaud died (1974)
June 22 - Rene Garriguenc died (1998)
June 22 - James Horner died (2015)
June 22 - Harry Rabinowitz died (2016)
June 23 - Peter Knight born (1917)
June 23 - Rolf Wilhelm born (1927)
June 23 - Francis Shaw born (1942)
June 23 - Yann Tiersen born (1970)
June 23 - Howard Shore begins recording his score to The Fly (1986)
June 23 - Carlo Savina died (2002)
June 23 - Allyn Ferguson died (2010)
June 23 - Fred Steiner died (2011)
June 24 - Jeff Beck born (1944)
June 24 - Patrick Moraz born (1948)
June 24 - Anja Garbarek born (1970)
June 24 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score for The Russia House (1990)
June 24 - Maurice Jarre begins recording his score for The Setting Sun (1991)
June 25 - Carly Simon born (1945)
June 25 - Victor Young begins recording his score for Shane (1952)
June 25 - Pascal Gaigne born (1958)
June 25 - Wolfram de Marco born (1966)
June 25 - Maurice Jarre begins recording his score for The Mackintosh Man (1973)
June 26 - John Greenwood born (1889)
June 26 - Dave Grusin born (1934)
June 26 - George Bassman died (1997)
June 27 - John McCarthy born (1961)
June 27 - Nelson Riddle begins recording his score for Batman (1966)
June 28 - Richard Rodgers born (1902)
June 28 - Ken Wannberg born (1930)
June 28 - Nora Orlandi born (1933)
June 28 - Bjorn Isfalt born (1942)
June 28 - Charlie Clouser born (1963)
June 28 - George Duning's score for the Star Trek episode "Metamorphosis" is recorded (1967)
June 28 - Lalo Schifrin records “Underground,” his final episode score for the original Mission: Impossible (1972)
June 28 - Malcolm Lockyer died (1976)
June 28 - Paul Dessau died (1979)
DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC?
CEZANNE AND I - Eric Neveux
"Starring Guillaume Gallienne ('Me, Myself and Mum') as Cezanne and Guillaume Canet ('Tell No One') as Zola-- both Guillaumes decked out in constantly evolving facial hair that merits its own above-the-line credit -- this easily digestible though very kitschy tale of creation and destitution, prosperity and rivalry gets points for taking such liberties with two 19th century masters, who come to life here in some surprising ways. But Thompson’s heavy-handed storytelling, along with a nonstop score of pure mush, brings this closer to telenovela territory than to the Louvre, making for a fanciful period piece that could run up modest numbers both at home and abroad. Much of this can come across as maudlin, with Canet and Gallienne shifting between quiet moments of contemplation -- though the quietness is ruined by Eric Neveux’s overbearing music -- and dramatic screaming matches that are almost embarrassing to watch. The underlying artistic argument, pitting Zola’s socially charged writing against Cezanne’s coldly formalistic painting, is not an uninteresting one, especially when the hindsight of history shows how the latter’s work paved the way for modernism, while the former’s naturalism remained more or less stuck in the 1800s. But those aesthetic bouts are too often buried under Thompson’s eye-rolling dialogue and obvious direction, not to mention the piles of dirty laundry getting aired out at all times. (Cezanne, especially, seems obsessed with sex and his inability to get it up.)"
Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter
THE CONJURING 2 - Joseph Bishara
"Wan regular Joseph Bishara helps the proceedings immensely with a restless and occasionally appropriately jarring score that, on the whole, is more ominous than anything else in the film. While 'The Conjuring 2' is clearly on a slow burn, the final 10 minutes ramp things up to an unholy – and wholly unbelievable and contrived -- degree, effectively canceling out the less histrionic and thus more effective sense of chilly unease of all that came before. Fie. Next up for Wan is the DC Comics' 'Justice League' lead-up, 'Aquaman.' One can only hope there’ll be no creaky phantasms 20,000 leagues under the sea."
Marc Savlov, The Austin Chronicle
"Every once in a while 'The Conjuring 2' slips into Insidious territory, particularly because of the similar tones in Joseph Bishara’s score and because the scenes during which Lorraine communicates with spirits look a lot like a journey into The Further, but otherwise, 'The Conjuring 2' is an excellent example of what more sequels should aspire to be, unique but respectful of the tone and style established in the original movie."
Perri Nemiroff, Collider
"The non-horror elements of the film are uneven in general: The score, so effective in the fright scenes, suddenly evokes eye rolls when things start to get sentimental, and there’s one scene of unintentional comedy where the film’s retro ’70s setting -- another element downplayed in the first film but foregrounded here -- collides with its demonic imagery in an honestly pretty silly way. ('The Conjuring 2' shares its predecessor’s eye for period details, some of which seem out-and-out ridiculous until they’re juxtaposed with photos of their real-life counterparts in the end credits. The on-the-nose pop music gets no such redemption.) That being said, there are also some truly funny moments, like a shot of the Hodgson family running from their haunted house after a particularly intense bout of psychokinetic activity that riffs on smartasses’ favorite retort, 'Why don’t they just move?' (And, for the record, they don’t move because it’s public housing, and the local council, which is naturally quite skeptical of the whole 'ghost' thing, has to approve the relocation.)"
Katie Rife, The Onion AV Club
"The house is an extraordinary creation by production designer Julie Berghoff, one of several key creative collaborators who have worked with Wan on both movies; the others are costume designer Kristin M. Burke, editor Kirk Morri and composer Joseph Bishara, and their contributions are essential to the film’s dark power. In this 'Conjuring,' the haunted-house tropes play second fiddle to something less graspable, even though there’s no question that a game of fright is in full, masterful swing. Cinematographer Don Burgess’ camera prowls and swoops, Bishara’s choral score sends shivers up the spine and Wan uses prolonged silence as well as sounds -- creaking floorboards, a screeching backyard swing -- to maximum unsettling effect. The director knows how to turn objects, from an antique zoetrope to a ringing telephone, into icons of free-floating evil or, in the case of a crucifix, into tools of redemption."
Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter
MINE - Andrea Bonini
"All that unfolds in a taut, suspenseful opening 25 minutes, with Sergi Vilanova Claudin's camera capturing the harsh setting in sweeping widescreen vistas, while elemental sound and Andrea Bonini's score are used with sharp economy to heighten the atmosphere."
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
SALT AND FIRE - Ernst Reijseger
"This mealy-mouthed mini-chamber piece is mercifully short-lived; hazy near-dream logic dictates a segue into spartan survival drama, with Somerfeld stranded in El Diablo Blanco with two winsome Bolivian boys for company. Only in this baffling but beautiful interlude does 'Salt and Fire' achieve a kind of grace, thanks largely to cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger’s understandable love affair with the sweeping, swan-white, naturally tessellated expanses of the salt flats; Ferre’s performance, hitherto stiff and flustered, gains an earthier physicality in line with her bleakly rapturous surroundings. (Even Ernst Reijseger’s quivering score, parts of which sound like they’ve been played on a single squeaky floorboard, relaxes in the salty, sunny glow.)"
Guy Lodge, Variety
THE SHALLOWS - Marco Beltrami
"Lively's character, a medical school dropout named Nancy, encounters the shark while visiting a beach in Mexico that used to be a favorite of her mother, who recently died of cancer. There's backstory conveyed through iPhone photos and expository dialogue, and it's as necessary to our appreciation of Nancy's predicament as Dennis Weaver's internal monologues were in Steven Spielberg's breakthrough, pre-'Jaws' TV movie 'Duel.' I.e., it's not. This is a lean, brutal movie about endurance and problem solving. It revolves around questions that are spelled out so clearly by the filmmaking -- much of it wordless, driven by images, sound effects and Marco Beltrami's breathless score -- that when Nancy mutters 'forty meters' or 'I've got you figured out' or somesuch, it's as if the film has momentarily lost faith in its power to excite and upset us."
Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
"Jaswinski gives us just enough backstory on Nancy -- she quit med school, will she quit trying to survive the shark? -- and the script and direction balance the moments of relative calm with attacks and danger. Editor Joel Negron ('The Nice Guys') will keep you clenched, and even composer Marco Beltrami, whose work usually gets in the way of the action, nicely underscores Nancy’s plight."
Alonso Duralde, The Wrap
"There’s something slightly off about the editing in the first act, signaling early on that Collet-Serra hasn’t spent nearly enough time studying Steven Spielberg. What a difference a John Williams score makes, especially when compared to the relatively suspense-less, all-digital stylings of composer Marco Beltrami, whose background music sounds like broken sonar equipment. As for Collet-Serra, not only does he fail to master the creepy shark’s-eye view, but he even botches that other Spielberg signature: the lingering, wide-eyed reaction shot. When Nancy first arrives on the beach, her mouth falls open, and instead of holding on her face, and then dramatically revealing what she sees, editor Joel Negron cuts to a fly-over helicopter view of the entire cove."
Peter Debruge, Variety
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.
June 22
CLOAK & DAGGER (Brian May) [Nuart]
FROM BEYOND (Richard Band), IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (John Carpenter, Jim Lang), THE MIST (Mark Isham) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
HALLELUJAH! RON ATHEY: A STORY OF DELIVERANCE [UCLA]
THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO (Mark Suozzo) [Cinematheque: Aero]
June 23
AMADEUS [Cinematheque: Aero]
FANNY AND ALEXANDER (Daniel Bell) [UCLA]
GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (Lionel Newman) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
THE ROOM (Mladen Milicevic) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
June 24
MAN ON THE MOON (R.E.M.) [Cinematheque: Aero]
PLANET OF THE APES (Jerry Goldsmith) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
June 26
THE FIREMEN'S BALL (Karel Mares) [Laemmle Royal]
THE GREAT DICTATOR (Charles Chaplin, Meredith Willson) [LACMA]
June 28
FIVE DEADLY VENOMS (Chen Yung Yu), THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN (Chen Yung Yu) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
FROM DUSK TILL DAWN (Graeme Revell) [Laemmle NoHo]
LOVES OF A BLONDE (Evzen Illin), BLACK PETER (Jiri Slitr) [Cinematheque: Aero]
June 29
BARBARELLA (Charles Fox, Bob Crewe) [Nuart]
BLACK MAGIC 2 (Chen Yung Yu), HUMAN LANTERNS (Chin Yung Shing, Chen-Hou Su), THE BOXER'S OMEN (Chin Yung Shing, Chen-Hou Su) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
NOW, VOYAGER (Max Steiner), OLD ACQUAINTANCE (Franz Waxman) [UCLA]
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (Jack Nitzsche) [Cinematheque: Aero]
June 30
CRIPPLED AVENGERS (Chen Yung Yu), MASKED AVENGERS (Chu-Jen Wang) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT (Thomas Newman) [Cinematheque: Aero]
July 1
HAIR (Galt MacDermott, Thomas Pierson), TAKING OFF [Cinematheque: Aero]
JAWS (John Williams) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
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