The latest release from Intrada is a greatly expanded version of Joel McNeely's orchestral score for the period adventure IRON WILL, starring Mackenzie Astin, Kevin Spacey and Brian Cox. The score was previously released by Varese Sarabande on a CD featuring 31 minutes of score; the Intrada release features 69 minutes of McNeely score, followed by source cues arranged by the composer.
La-La Land has announced the track list for their brand new two-disc set THE QUINN MARTIN COLLECTION - VOL. 1: COP AND DETECTIVE SERIES. Disc One features two episode scores for Barnaby Jones, composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Bruce Broughton, respectively, and two episode scores for the Burt Reynolds cop series Dan August, both composed by Dave Grusin. Disc Two features a Most Wanted episode score by Lalo Schifrin; the pilot movie score and one episode score for Cannon, both composed by John Parker; and themes for additional Quinn Martin series -- Bert D'Angelo/Superstar (Patrick Williams), Caribe (Nelson Riddle), The Manhunter (Duane Tatro) and Tales of the Unexpected (David Shire).
One of the best unreleased (on physical media) scores of 2018 will be released on vinyl as a two-disc set courtesy of Mondo. As "the first release in our MCU soundtrack series," Mondo will release Christophe Beck's score for ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, which will feature 14 additional cues not included on the download version. One hopes this new series may include vinyl releases of Pinar Toprak's Captain Marvel and Alan Silvestri's Avengers: Endgame, neither of which has yet been announced as a CD release (Hollywood Records has just announced a score CD for Avengers: Endgame, due May 24)
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
The Book of Henry - Michael Giacchino - Quartet
A Dog's Purpose - Rachel Portman - Quartet
Gorath - Kan Ishii - Cinema-Kan (import)
Hunter Killer - Trevor Morris - Rambling (import)
Iron Will - Joel McNeely - Intrada Special Collection
Knife + Heart - M83 - Mute
The Last Days of Planet Earth - Isao Tomita - Cinema-Kan (import)
Lean on Pete - James Edward Barker - Rambling (import)
The Nightmare - Jonathan Snipes - Deathbomb
The Quinn Martin Collection - Vol. 1: Cop and Detective Series - Bruce Broughton, Jerry Goldsmith, Dave Grusin, John Parker, Nelson Riddle, Lalo Schifrin, David Shire, Duane Tatro, Patrick Williams - La-La Land
Red Snow - Yas-Kaz - Rambling (import)
70 Binladens - Fernando Velazquez - Quartet
A Simple Favor - Theodore Shapiro - Rambling (import)
IN THEATERS TODAY
Avengers: Endgame - Alan Silvestri
Body at Brighton Rock - The Gifted
Instant Dreams: The Lost Chemistry of Dr Land - Mark Lizier
JT Leroy - Tim Kvanosky
Know Your Enemy - John Van Tongeren
Marilyn - Laurent Apffel
Sauvage/Wild - Romain Trouillet
The White Crow - Ilan Eshkeri
COMING SOON
May 3
Pokemon Detective Pikachu - Henry Jackman - Sony
Tolkien - Thomas Newman - Sony
May 10
Being Rose - Brian Ralson - Notefornote
Black Mirror: Hang the DJ - Alex Somers, Sigur Ros - Invada
Bomber - Guido & Maurizio DeAngelis - Beat
First to the Moon: The Journey of Apollo 8 - Alexander Bornstein - Notefornote
L'Ossessa - Marcello Giombini - Digitmovies
Ruba Al Prossimo Turo - Ennio Morricone - Digitmovies
Shazam! - Benjamin Wallfisch - WaterTower
May 17
Bumblebee - Dario Marianelli - La-La Land
The Sentinel - Gil Melle - La-La Land
The Son - Nathan Barr - Varese Sarabande
May 24
Hakkodasan - Yasushi Akutagawa - Cinema-Kan (import)
May 31
Fletch Lives - Harold Faltermeyer - La-La Land
Outlander: Season 4 - Bear McCreary - Madison Gate
June 7
John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum - Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard - Varese Sarabande
June 14
Dragged Across Concrete - Jeff Herriott, S. Craig Zahler - Lakeshore
Missing Link - Carter Burwell - Lakeshore
Date Unknown
The Dennis McCarthy Collection vol. 1: The Television Movies - Dennis McCarthy - Dragon's Domain
The History of Eternity - Zbigniew Preisner - Caldera
Jaguar Lives! - Robert O. Ragland - Dragon's Domain
Laurette/Rashomon/Death of a Salesman - Elmer Bernstein, Laurence Rosenthal, Alex North - Kritzerland
Malevolence 3: Killer - Stevan Mena - Howlin' Wolf
THIS WEEK IN FILM MUSIC HISTORY
April 26 - Francis Lai born (1932)
April 26 - Giorgio Moroder born (1940)
April 26 - Miklos Rozsa begins recording his score for Green Fire (1954)
April 26 - Reinhardt Wagner born (1956)
April 26 - Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter record their score for Kronos (1957)
April 26 - John M. Keane born (1965)
April 26 - Jerry Fielding begins recording his score for Gray Lady Down (1977)
April 26 - Bronislau Kaper died (1983)
April 26 - Alan Parker begins recording his score for Jaws 3D (1983)
April 26 - Barry Gray died (1984)
April 26 - Maurice Jarre begins recording his score for Distant Thunder (1988)
April 26 - Carmine Coppola died (1991)
April 26 - Dave Grusin begins recording his score for The Firm (1993)
April 26 - David Bell records his score for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Tracking Into the Wind” (1999)
April 27 - Christopher Komeda born (1937)
April 27 - Miklos Rozsa begins recording his score for The Lost Weekend (1945)
April 27 - Christopher Young born (1954)
April 27 - Federico Jusid born (1973)
April 27 - Scott Bradley died (1977)
April 27 - Ron Jones records his score for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Q Who" (1989)
April 27 - Dennis McCarthy records his score for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Explorers” (1995)
April 27 - Henry Brant died (2008)
April 28 - Lyn Murray records his score for the Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode “Who Needs an Enemy?” (1964)
April 28 - Blake Neely born (1969)
April 28 - Billy Goldenberg records his score for High Risk (1976)
April 28 - Christopher Young records orchestral passages for his Invaders from Mars score (1986)
April 28 - Alan Silvestri begins recording his score for Judge Dredd (1995)
April 28 - Paul Baillargeon records his score for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Children of Time” (1997)
April 29 - Duke Ellington born (1889)
April 29 - Toots Thielemans born (1922)
April 29 - Waldemar Kazanecki born (1929)
April 29 - Rod McKuen born (1933)
April 29 - Herbert Stothart begins recording his score to Random Harvest (1942)
April 29 - Jan A.P. Kaczmarek born (1953)
April 29 - Chris Boardman born (1954)
April 29 - Lawrence Shragge born (1954)
April 29 - Craig Armstrong born (1959)
April 29 - James Horner begins recording his score for The Rocketeer (1991)
April 29 - Dennis McCarthy and Kevin Kiner record their score for the final Star Trek: Enterprise episode, “These Are the Voyages…” (2005)
April 29 - Joel Goldsmith died (2012)
April 30 - Jay Chattaway records his score for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Host” (1991)
April 30 - Velton Ray Bunch records his score for the Enterprise episode “Desert Crossing” (2002)
May 1 - Heinz Roemheld born (1901)
May 1 - Bill Byers born (1927)
May 1 - Gordon Jenkins died (1984)
May 1 - Bill Byers died (1996)
May 2 - Alan Rawsthorne born (1905)
May 2 - Van Alexander born (1915)
May 2 - Satyajit Ray born (1921)
May 2 - Paul Ferris born (1941)
May 2 - Ondrej Soukup born (1951)
May 2 - Elliot Goldenthal born (1954)
May 2 - Justin Caine Burnett born (1973)
May 2 - Aram Khachaturian died (1978)
May 2 - Recording sessions begin for Danny Elfman's score for Batman Returns (1992)
May 2 - Recording sessions begin for James Newton Howard’s score for Wyatt Earp (1994)
May 2 - Jay Chattaway records his score for the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Scorpion, Part I” (1997)
May 2 - Recording sessions begin for John Ottman's score for Orphan (2009)
DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC?
ALL SQUARE - Steve Dueck, Max Knouse, Michael Krasner, Robin Vining
"Scored in a jazzy, snazzy style by four credited composers and shot in sunny widescreen by Yaron Levy in palpably lived-in locations, 'All Square' has the air of an unashamedly old-fashioned picture which will, sleeper-style, accumulate a devoted band of fans and admirers as the years go by. It's just the kind of movie 'they don't make anymore,' apart from when they do."
Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter
THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE - Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans
"Essentially a chamber piece for Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch (and Olwen Kelly, who plays the lifeless Jane Doe), the film benefits from the actors’ skills and their believable father/son rapport. Lurking in the background of the story is the death of their depressed wife and mother two years earlier, a death her husband Tommy regrets being unable to forestall, and a sin he now fears is being visited upon his son. This English-language debut by André Øverdal, the Norwegian director of the cult film Trollhunter, is a taut and economical horror film, making the most of the story’s cavernous negative space and prosthetic guts. The film’s sound design by Christian Conrad mixes original music by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans with diegetic sound effects to create a creepily textured track that enhances what’s seen onscreen. The story by Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing is a bit wanting in terms of plausibility and hard answers. But as Austin exclaims midway through 'The Autopsy of Jane Doe,' 'We are way past possible.' Take note before slicing in."
Marjorie Baumgarten, The Austin Chronicle
"In its last lap, tense action is replaced somewhat by speculative explication, and the resolution isn’t quite as big a payoff as might be hoped. But to that point, the thrill ride that is 'Autopsy of Jane Doe' is so much fun that one can forgive the climax for failing to top the buildup. Assembly is first-rate in all departments, with sharp contributions from Roman Osin’s widescreen lensing, Patrick Larsgaard’s precise editing, and an alarm-heightening score by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans."
Dennis Harvey, Variety
THE BYE BYE MAN - The Newton Brothers
"Sasha and John have hallucinatory zone-outs, too, but they’re not particularly shiver-worthy, and Title is all too content to punch it all up with the bane of modern fright films: loud jolts of sound and volume-driven music."
Rober Abele, The Wrap
THE CHURCH - Miles Bergsma
"In an era where improved, inexpensive technology has made a good-looking result possible for even the most modestly budgeted endeavor, 'The Church' is notable for looking like a shot-on-video VHS flick from a quarter century ago or more. Miles Bergsma’s original score is uninspired, yet probably the most professional element of this particular package."
Dennis Harvey, Variety
FOUR HANDS - Heiko Maile
"The film’s mood of somber contrasts is established right from its arresting beginning. An imposing 19th-century house stands isolated on a hill, backdropped against the brutalist lines of an industrial plant, belching smoke from chimney stacks. Inside the house, two little girls play a hesitant duet on a piano, with the innocent plinking of their tune uneasily sitting over a wash of clanking and grinding from the factory (throughout the film, Marcus Glunz’ clever sound design and Heiko Maile’s evocative but unobtrusive score work well in concert)."
Jessica Kiang, Variety
KIN - Mogwai
"An effective score from Mogwai helps to keep things semi-presentable, but finishing on an abrupt 'to be continued' will tax the patience of most casual viewers. Trusted performers like Franco and Quaid have little to do; executive producer Michael B Jordan, already the star of the 'Creed' and 'Black Panther' franchises, seems to be trying too hard to create another returnable property here; ultimately his schoolboy ray-gun adventure blows up in his face."
Eddie Harrison, The List
"This mash-up of family drama and science fiction is a pleasant but unconvincing adventure with strong adolescent appeal and music by Mogwai. 'Kin' presents the story of an adopted child who finds a powerful ray gun in an abandoned factory and then goes on the lam with his scoundrel brother, who is trying to escape even worse scoundrels who want to collect the money he owes them. Along their journey, the brothers pick up a female love interest, and engage in a couple of spectacular ray-gun shoot-outs. And before the film closes, sequel possibilities are floated. Kin appears as though it aims to spawn."
Marjorie Baumgarten, The Austin Chronicle
"Primarily shot in Ontario, the film nonetheless has a convincing heartland U.S. feel thanks to strong location choices and design contributions. Music supervisor Chris Mollere adds some intriguing soundtrack flavors (the weirdest detail being nutcase Taylor’s love of Joni Mitchell’s sole Top 10 hit 'Help Me'), though it must be said that the theoretically inspired decision to entrust veteran Scottish rock band Mogwai with the original score doesn’t result in anything as special as one might have hoped."
Dennis Harvey, Variety
"Sometimes it’s hard to separate the genre nods from cliches -- the strip-club dive, the unhinged crime boss, the goon brutality. But in its early scenes especially, 'Kin' exerts a mesmerizing pull, delving into the haunted decay of a crumbling, seemingly postapocalyptic Detroit along with 14-year-old Eli (Truitt) as he scavenges for scrap metal in the city’s abandoned buildings. (The score by Scottish band Mogwai heightens the tangled feelings of dread and mystery.) In one of those buildings Eli discovers the carnage of an otherworldly war, and alongside the fallen soldiers an automatic weapon, about the size and shape of a Casio keyboard, with a souped-up holographic sight and the promise of superhuman destructive clout."
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
LAND OF MINE - Sune Martin
"Sune Martin’s spare but evocative score adds to the compelling, emotional experience that is 'Land of Mine.' While it is painful to watch the young soldiers face potential doom, the gradual redemption of their superior offers a palpable sense of hope."
Claudia Puig, The Wrap
MONSTERS AND MEN - Kris Bowers
"Moments of Kris Bowers’ idyllic score accompany a man torn between a dangerous act of justice and his family life. Most distinctly he remains traumatized and scared, a running sentiment throughout this tale where fear of other leads in part to tragedy. In one of the movie’s many subtle yet powerful moments, he decides to do it. Manny’s story soon ends in a way that might be unexpected and abrupt, but 'Monsters and Men' then reveals its invigorating structure as a triptych, worthy of a similarly-structured predecessor, Derek Cianfrance’s 'The Place Beyond the Pines.'"
Nick Allen, RogerEbert.com
"The story builds to a powerfully muted climax that's open-ended and provocative rather than predictably tragic, molded every step of the way by the smooth cutting of editors Scott Cummings and Justin Chan, and measured use of a quiet, pensive score by Kris Bowers. The shooting style of cinematographer Pat Scola also works effectively, notably in tracking sequences that observe the characters from behind or from a sidelong distance, making the audience complicit in the way they are viewed by law enforcement."
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
SPLIT - West Dylan Thordson
"West Dylan Thordson’s score and an expertly creepy sound design help make 'Split' an unsettling experience from the very start. But the movie staggers a bit toward the end with some contrivances and coincidences, and it goes in directions that feel a bit exploitative -- as if it’s wringing childhood abuse for cheap thrills. I’m still wrestling with how I feel about it, but I know I walked out with a slightly icky sense, even as I found the film engrossing both technically and dramatically."
Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com
WHERE HANDS TOUCH - Anne Chmelewsky
"But any sense of vitality or vibrancy is sadly short-lived as Asante struggles to infuse an increasingly hackneyed tale with life. There’s a frustrating inertness to her direction, drowning the film in a cheap TV movie sheen that feels bloated on the big screen. Like January’s 'Red Sparrow,' a film about Russians without any Russian actors, Asante has filled the main roles with Brits, Aussies and Americans, adding to the distractingly constructed feel. The music is overemphatic, the cinematography is plain, the performances are flat and the script is stuck in the same, familiar gear (yes, Cornish’s character does get to scream: 'You will not go near that boy again!')."
Benjamin Lee, The Guardian
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, Arena Cinelounge, LACMA, Laemmle, New Beverly, Nuart and UCLA.
April 26
THE HATEFUL EIGHT (Ennio Morricone) [New Beverly]
MAJOR DUNDEE (Christopher Caliendo) [New Beverly]
THE SEARCHERS (Max Steiner), THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (Masaru Sato) [Cinematheque: Aero]
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS, ONLY YESTERDAY [UCLA]
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (Nacio Herb Brown, Lennie Hayton) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
THE THING (Ennio Morricone) [Nuart]
April 27
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (Mark Mothersbaugh) [New Beverly]
DOCTOR DETROIT (Lalo Schifrin) [New Beverly]
MAJOR DUNDEE (Christopher Caliendo - in person!) [New Beverly]
SEVEN SAMURAI (Fumio Hayasaka), THE WILD BUNCH (Jerry Fielding) [Cinematheque: Aero]
WAR AND PEACE (Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
April 28
AFTER THE FOX (Burt Bacharach), THE HEARTBREAK KID (Garry Sherman) [New Beverly]
ANNIE (Charles Strouse, Ralph Burns) [Cinematheque: Aero]
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (Mark Mothersbaugh) [New Beverly]
MARY POPPINS (Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sheman, Irwin Kostal) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
UNFORGIVEN (Lennie Niehaus), HARAKIRI (Toru Takemitsu) [Cinematheque: Egyptian]
April 29
AFTER THE FOX (Burt Bacharach), THE HEARTBREAK KID (Garry Sherman) [New Beverly]
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (John Carpenter, Alan Howarth) [Arclight Culver City]
FIGHT CLUB (Dust Brothers) [New Beverly]
OFFICE SPACE (John Frizzell) [Arclight Sherman Oaks]
April 30
CLUELESS (David Kitay) [Arclight Santa Monica]
DON'T PLAY WITH FIRE (Siu-Lam Tang, Leun Yu), SCHOOL ON FIRE (Lowell Lo) [New Beverly]
PINK FLAMINGOS [LACMA]
SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT (Marc Shaiman) [Arclight Hollywood]
May 1
GIGI (Frederick Loewe, Andre Previn) [New Beverly]
May 2
IRMA VEP (Philippe Richard), SUMMER HOURS [Cinematheque: Aero]
LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR (Artie Kane) [Laemmle NoHo]
May 3
COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE (Yoko Kanno) [Nuart]
GRINDHOUSE: DEATH PROOF [New Beverly]
NEAR DARK (Tangerine Dream), JENNIFER'S BODY (Theodore Shapiro, Stephen Barton) [New Beverly]
May 4
LITTLE WOMEN (Thomas Newman) [New Beverly]
NEAR DARK (Tangerine Dream), JENNIFER'S BODY (Theodore Shapiro, Stephen Barton) [New Beverly]
May 5
THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN (Angelo Badalamenti), DELICATESSEN (Carlos D'Alessio) [Cinematheque: Aero]
LITTLE WOMEN (Thomas Newman) [New Beverly]
MEREDITH WILLSON'S THE MUSIC MAN (Meredith Willson, Ray Heindorf) [UCLA]
TRUE GRIT (Elmer Bernstein) [Laemmle Ahyra Fine Arts]
THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET (Denis Sanacore) [Cinematheque: Aero]
THINGS I'VE HEARD, READ, SEEN OR WATCHED LATELY
Heard: Duma (Debney, Acogny), Proxy (The Newton Brothers), Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet (Yared)
Read: Breakout and Nobody Runs Forever, by Richard Stark; Wonderful Years, Wonderful Years, by George V. Higgins; The Fourth Dimension Is Death, by Samuel Holt (both Richard Stark and Samuel Holt are actually Donald E. Westlake; George V. Higgins is George V. Higgins)
Seen: Family Plot, Black Sunday [1977]
Watched: Mystery Science Theater 3000: Yongary & Wizards of the Lost Kingdom
I saw a fascinating and very little-seen film at the New Beverly recently -- The Victors. It was the only feature directed by Carl Foreman, best known for such screenplays as High Noon and The Guns of Navarone (which he also produced). The Victors, released in 1963, is a very strange version of the kind of all-star WWII epic which became common in the 1960s (such as The Longest Day, The Battle of the Bulge, Is Paris Burning?, The Dirty Dozen and Navarone itself).
The source novel for The Victors, The Human Kind by Alexander Baron, is reportedly an interconnected collection of short stories, and the film version takes a similarly episodic approach, with stand-alone vignettes separated by newsreel sequences. Its approach to the subject matter largely avoids "Greatest Generation"-style sentiment about the era -- one especially upsetting scene has a small group of "coon hunting" soldiers barge into a bar to beat up two African-American soldiers as dozens of their fellow GIs do absolutely nothing to help the victims.
The film underwent major cuts after its original roadshow release, which the disjointed nature of film's structure helped hide, and reportedly Albert Finney originally had more screen time in his small role as a Russian soldier in the film's final segment. One subplot that was entirely removed from the shorter version had the GIs befriending a young French boy whom they discover had an extremely inappropriate relationship with the Nazi invaders -- a subplot which it's hard to imagine appearing even in an American WWII film from 2019, much less one from 1963. A visually stunning segment (the film was shot in black-and-white and scope by the underrated Christopher Challis, who also did excellent work on Arabesque and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes) presents a fictional representation of the notorious execution of Private Eddie Slovik (the only American soldier to be executed for desertion since the Civil War), with the soldier witnesses lined up on a snowy landscape as Sinatra sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" on the soundtrack.
One of the most memorable moments comes late in the film, as one of our heroes goes to visit a hospitalized comrade. We get only a brief view of the injured man, but the glimpse of his extreme disfigurement is one of the most disturbing shots I have ever seen from films of that era, ranking with the melting face from Hammer's X - The Unknown.
The cast is impressively electic. The women who figure in the GIs' lives are a remarkable cross-section of European actresses from the era -- Jeanne Moreau, Melina Mercouri, Romy Schneider, Rosanna Schiaffino, Senta Berger and Elke Sommer -- and the American principals are interestingly cast against type, with Eli Wallach serving as the de facto lead for the first half of the film, while the prototypical "lounge lizard" George Hamilton plays a sensitive soldier (Mysterious Island's Michael Callan gets the more Hamilton-esque role, as a sleazy black marketeer/pimp).
The other principal male role goes to George Peppard, who has been a favorite of mine ever since I watched Banacek on NBC back in the '70s, and he is as charming as ever in The Victors (I tend to forget that even with Breakfast at Tiffany's on his resume, he's probably best known these days for The A-Team). Watching the film in the theater made me wish that I could see the longer roadshow version (which apparently screened in New York earlier in the decade), and that Foreman had had the chance to direct another film.
| 
