The latest release from Film Score Monthly (!!!!) is a Blu-Ray of the 16-minute short film SKY FIGHTER, written and directed by FSM founder Lukas Kendall, paired with a CD of the film's score by by Bobby Villareal.
The latest CD from Intrada presents the music from THE CALL OF THE WILD, the most recent and largely faithful adaptation (albeit with some revenge-killings of Native Americans removed) of the classic Jack London adventure novel. The film, directed by Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods), was one of the last major films released in 2020 before the pandemic shut down most U.S. movie theaters, and stars Harrison Ford in the principal human role, opposite a computer-generated dog as "Buck." The film's orchestral score was composed by John Powell.
La-La Land has announced four new releases for July 13th -- Harry Gregson-Williams' score for the just-released (on streaming) sci-fi thriller INFINITE, starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Antoine Fuqua; the first-release of the score to the 1990 police thriller INTERNAL AFFAIRS, scored by director Mike Figgis with Anthony Marinelli and Brian Banks; the score for the recent period drama WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS, starring Mark Rylance, Robert Pattison and Johnny Depp and composed by Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders; and an expanded version of one of John Barry's most popular scores, for SOMEWHERE IN TIME.
Quartet has anounced two new releases in the last two weeks -- a remastered edition of David Shire's classic THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE, and a two-disc edition edition of Angelo Francesco Lavagnino's score for Orson Welles' acclaimed Shakespeare adaptation FALSTAFF, aka Chimes at Midnight.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the latest updated rules for the 94th Academy Awards, which will be held on March 27, 2022, including the following changes to the Music category rules:
In the Music (Original Score) category, for a score to be eligible, it must comprise a minimum of 35% of the total music in the film, lowered from 60%.
In the Music (Original Song) category, no more than five songs from any one film may be submitted.
Otherwise, the biggest news is probably that the Best Picture category will now be set at ten nominees, and that the Sound category will have its own shortlist and "bake-off" event just as Visual Effects and Makeup and Hairstyling do.
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
The Call of the Wild - John Powell - Intrada
Forgotten We'll Be - Zbigniew Preisner - Caldera
Sky Fighter (CD & BluRay) - Bobby Villareal - Film Score Monthly
IN THEATERS TODAY
The Boss Baby: Family Business - Hans Zimmer, Steve Mazzaro
First Date - Noah Lowdermilk, Kevin Kentera, Manuel Crosby
The Forever Purge - The Newton Brothers
Long Story Short - Chiara Costanza
Lourdes - Pierre Aviat
The Neutral Ground - Sultana Isham
No Sudden Move - David Holmes
Till Death - Walter Mair
Zola - Mica Levi
COMING SOON
July 16
Infinite - Harry Gregson-Williams - La-La Land
Internal Affairs - Mike Figgis, Anthony Marinelli, Brian Banks - La-La Land
Somewhere in Time - John Barry - La-La Land
Waiting for the Barbarians - Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders - La-La Land
July 23
Formula 1 Nell'inferno del Grand Prix - Alessandro Alessandroni - Beat
September 17
Without Remorse - Jonsi - Krunk
Date Unknown
Belli e brutti ridono tutti - Giacomo Dell'Orso - Beat
Falstaff (Chimes at Midnight) - Angelo Francesco Lavagnino - Quartet
Fuga Dal Bronx - Francesco De Masi - Beat
Il Giro Del Mondo Degli Innamorati Di Peynet - Alessandro Alessandroni - Beat
Io So Che Tu Saiche Io So - Piero Piccioni - Beat
Red Yellow Pink - Szymon Szewczyk - Kronos
Space: 1999 - Barry Gray, Derek Wadsworth - Silva
Speer Goes to Hollywood - Frank Ilfman - Kronos
Straziami Ma Di Baci Sazliami - Armando Trovaioli - Beat
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three - David Shire - Quartet
Tatort: Es Lebe Der Konig! - Christoph Blaser - Kronos
Zdarski Memento - Alfi Kabiljo - Kronos
THIS WEEK IN FILM MUSIC HISTORY
July 2 - Jeff Alexander born (1910)
July 2 - Fabio Frizzi born (1951)
July 2 - Frederic Talgorn born (1961)
July 2 - Kristian Eidnes Andersen born (1966)
July 2 - Nathan Van Cleave died (1970)
July 2 - John Paesano born (1977)
July 2 - Richard Band begins recording his score for From Beyond (1986)
July 3 - George Bruns born (1914)
July 3 - Jean Prodromides born (1927)
July 3 - Robert O. Ragland born (1931)
July 3 - David Shire born (1937)
July 3 - Peer Raben born (1940)
July 3 - Michel Polnareff born (1944)
July 3 - Pim Jacobs died (1996)
July 3 - Delia Derbyshire died (2001)
July 4 - Fred Wesley born (1943)
July 4 - Larry Herbstritt born (1950)
July 4 - Nathan Furst born (1978)
July 4 - Astor Piazzolla died (1992)
July 4 - Benedetto Ghiglia died (2012)
July 5 - Paul Ben Haim born (1897)
July 5 - Robbie Robertson born (1943)
July 5 - Robert J. Kral born (1967)
July 5 - Jerry Fielding's score for the Star Trek episode "Spectre of the Gun" is recorded (1968)
July 5 - RZA born as Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (1969)
July 5 - Vaclan Trojan died (1983)
July 5 - David Ferguson died (2009)
July 5 - David Fanshawe died (2010)
July 5 - Fonce Mizell died (2011)
July 6 - Hanns Eisler born (1898)
July 6 - Bernardo Bonezzi born (1964)
July 6 - John Ottman born (1964)
July 6 - Ron Goodwin begins recording his score to Force 10 from Navarone (1978)
July 6 - John Williams begins recording his score for Superman (1978)
July 6 - Frank Cordell died (1980)
July 6 - Bruce Broughton begins recording his score for Stay Tuned (1992)
July 6 - Ennio Morricone died (2020)
July 7 - Anton Karas born (1906)
July 7 - Ron Jones born (1954)
July 7 - Recording sessions begin for Frederick Hollander’s score for We’re No Angels (1954)
July 7 - Johnny Mandel begins recording his score for Point Blank (1967)
July 7 - Gerald Fried's score for the Star Trek episode "Friday's Child" is recorded (1967)
July 7 - Atli Orvarsson born (1970)
July 7 - Richard Hazard records his final Mission: Impossible score, for the episode “The Bride” (1971)
July 7 - Sylvester Levay records his additional music for Howard the Duck (1986)
July 7 - Recording sessions begin on James Newton Howard's score for The Fugitive (1993)
July 7 - Recording sessions begin for Christopher Young’s score to Virtuosity (1995)
July 8 - Bob Alcivar born (1938)
July 8 - Jay Chattaway born (1946)
July 8 - Lyn Murray begins recording his score for The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
July 8 - John Addison records his score for the Amazing Stories episode "The Pumpkin Competition" (1986)
DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC?
CRUELLA - Nicholas Britell
"Giving Cruella an adversary was the most intelligent curveball, because it reconstructs the timeless villain as a twisted antihero. There are silly nods to the original material, but in 'Cruella' you won’t be worried about dogs getting slaughtered on screen for fur coats. Instead, get ready for an epic-length punk-and-fashion-laced battle between two wicked women scored by the incredible Nicholas Britell, whose guitar-forward edgy score progresses the film in a kinetic, electric way. 'Cruella' is not as perfect as the seams Estella stitches, but there’s something ever so charming about its strut."
Jenny Nulf, The Austin Chronicle
"So much about 'Cruella' feels desperate: Nicholas Britell, a Barry Jenkins collaborator and cinema’s most preeminent composer, scores the events. Yet at every turn, there’s a needle drop. For a movie trying to commodify proto-punk looks to capitalistic ends, the soundtrack is decidedly not punk: Rather ELO, The Ohio Players, and Rose Royce fills out the sonic 1970s landscape (as does the worst use of a Nina Simone song, maybe ever?). As with his previous film 'I, Tonya' Gillespie wants these tracks to pump up the audience when the onscreen action cannot. He fails."
Robert Daniels, The Playlist
JALLIKATTU - Prashant Pillai
"None of it would work at all, of course, were it not for the sheer chutzpah of the filmmaking. Pellissery plows through the 91-minute runtime with a confidence not quite earned by the unnecessary flashbacks, caveman digressions and flimsy characterizations. But the compensations are many: DP Girish Gangadharan’s orgiastic imagery frequently happens on alarmingly rich tableaux, with torch-bearing pursuers stippling the nighttime jungle with points of light and crowding round the lip of a well so that, shot from below, the flames form a ring of fire that looks like the malevolent, glowing iris of an evil eye. And Prashant Pillai’s impressively weird, deliberately intrusive score -- imagine if Hieronymous Bosch had been born a musician rather than a painter -- plays as though trapped in a love-hate relationship with Renganaath Ravee’s baroque sound design. The sophistication of the craft, coupled to the sometimes creaky storytelling and performance style, creates a pungent strangeness all its own."
Jessica Kiang, Variety
THE PERFECT CANDIDATE - Volker Bertelmann
"The score by Volker Bertelmann ('Hotel Mumbai') laces together Middle Eastern and Western influences, and set decorator Marie-Catherine Theiler creates Maryam’s world with efficacy, from the gaudily decorated wedding-party spaces to the mud-flecked hospital to the TV studio where Maryam undergoes a condescending morning-show interview."
Alonso Duralde, The Wrap
"The weak spot is the film’s plain, non-descript look marked by utterly basic shooting and lighting that often could pass as hurriedly made TV. Only the music, which plays such an important role in the narrative, lifts the spirits and Volker Bertelmann’s score blends cunningly with lilting, traditional love songs sung by a variety of excellent performers."
Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter
PORT AUTHORITY - Matthew Herbert
"So maybe 'Port Authority' isn’t the most elegant queer romance audiences will see this year, but it’s propelled by a pair of terrific performances, and Lessowitz captures the spirit and energy of the vibrant ball world in a totally fresh way. (Matthew Herbert’s resonant score gives it a musical signature to match.) Nothing compares to 'Paris Is Burning' -- which is the O.G. of kiki-culture movies -- or Madonna’s 'Vogue' video, although the queer-theory thought police have criticized how such classics brought an outsider’s eye to this subculture. Lessowitz is largely sensitive to these concerns, appreciating rather than appropriating this unique form of self-expression, resulting in a scrappy film that ultimately feels authentic to the community it depicts. How’s that for realness?"
Peter Debruge, Variety
"Cinematographer Jomo Fray gets in close amongst the characters, adding intensity to the personal scenes even if more visual breadth might have been welcome when the Kiki contestants are demonstrating their fabulousness. Ultimately, however, there’s a disarming gentleness to 'Port Authority,' echoed in composer Matthew Herbert’s subtle score, that makes this story of love, family and self-discovery quite satisfying."
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
SUMMER OF '85 - Jean-Benoît Dunckel
"It’s Ozon in less subversive mode (although a plan to see David’s dead body involves a cross-dressing gag), throwing back to the ’80s in obvious (Kate dresses like that era’s Madonna) and less obvious (how many times does Lloyd Cole And The Commotions’ ‘Forest Fire’ appear on a soundtrack) ways -- shot on Super 16mm, it sometimes feels like it is from rather than about the ’80s. Yet it never feels like a 'Wedding Singer' nostalgia fest. The score by Jean-Benoît Dunckel, one half of French pop duo Air, feels fresh and different, and Lefebvre and Voisin, a real force, make it feel heartfelt and real."
Ian Freer, Empire
"For the score, instead of regular composer Philippe Rombi, the director has chosen Jean-Benoit Dunckel, half of the French electronica duo Air, whose unobtrusive contribution accompanies the action well without overdosing on nostalgia. Hichame Alaouie’s camerawork, on luscious, saturated Super 16 stock, simultaneously evokes the period and suggests a teenager’s heightened emotions and sense of observation. But best in show in the tech department is without a doubt Pascaline Chavanne. Her costumes grab your attention, but only because that’s what 1980s clothes do to our 2020 eyes, and, more specifically, that’s exactly what youngsters who want to express themselves are after. And boy, do the boys of 'Summer of 85' succeed in grabbing our attention."
Boyd van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW - Danny Elfman
"What’s a woman to do, when nobody believes her? In Anna’s case, she wanders through her shadowy house in a state of constant torment, as Danny Elfman’s neurotic score and Bruno Delbonnel’s off-kilter camerawork amp every moment up to perpetual peril and confusion."
Elizabeth Weitzman, The Wrap
"If nothing else, the friction between Anna and her shrink sets the tone for all the off-the-charts anger and unpleasantness soon to arise like a toxic cloud from other figures in her orbit. It’s an off-kilter orbit, to be sure, as signaled in the movie’s opening seconds: Anna wakes in a panic, and the agitated strings of Danny Elfman’s score flutter into motion. Her tenant, David (Wyatt Russell), can’t seem to utter a word that doesn’t sound menacing. The Russells, the new neighbors in the house directly across the street, and the subject of much through-the-curtains interest from Anna’s modern-day Mrs. Kravitz, demonstrate a spectrum of personality disorders."
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
THE NEXT TEN DAYS IN L.A.
Screenings of older films in Los Angeles-area theaters.
July 2
KILL BILL: VOL. 1 (RZA) [New Beverly]
PHANTOM THREAD (Jonny Greenwood) [American Cinematheque: Aero]
PLAYTIME (Francis Lemarque) [Fairfax Cinema]
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (John Williams) [Alamo Drafthouse]
TWO-LANE BLACKTOP, COCKFIGHTER (Michael Franks) [New Beverly]
ZABRISKIE POINT [Nuart]
July 3
BIRDS OF PREY AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN (Daniel Pemberton) [Alamo Drafthouse]
THE DOORS [Laemmle Monica] [Laemmle NoHo] [Laemmle Playhouse]
JAWS (John Williams) [American Cinematheque: Aero]
POINT BLANK (Johnny Mandel) [Nuart]
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (John Williams) [Alamo Drafthouse]
RESERVOIR DOGS [New Beverly]
TOP GUN (Harold Faltermeyer) [Hollywood Legion]
TWO-LANE BLACKTOP, COCKFIGHTER (Michael Franks) [New Beverly]
WALKABOUT (John Barry) [Fairfax Cinema]
July 4
AIR FORCE ONE (Jerry Goldsmith) [Alamo Drafthouse]
GHOST DOG: WAY OF THE SAMURAI (RZA) [Fairfax Cinema]
JAWS (John Williams) [American Cinematheque: Aero] [IPIC Westwood]
MULHOLLAND DRIVE (Angelo Badalamenti) [Nuart]
NASHVILLE [Fairfax Cinema]
RED DAWN (Basil Poledouris), ROCKY IV (Vince DiCola) [New Beverly]
THE SHINING (Wendy Carlos, Rachel Elkind) [American Cinematheque: Aero]
July 5
AIR FORCE ONE (Jerry Goldsmith) [Alamo Drafthouse]
AN AMERICAN TAIL (James Horner) [Alamo Drafthouse]
THE BIG BOSS PART II (Hsi-chien Chen), FIST OF FURY PART II (Fu Liang-Chou) [New Beverly]
HEAT (Elliot Goldenthal) [Nuart]
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (John Williams) [Alamo Drafthouse]
July 6
GIRLFRIENDS (Michael Small), IT'S MY TURN (Patrick Williams) [New Beverly]
JFK (John Williams) [Alamo Drafthouse]
TRUE ROMANCE (Hans Zimmer) [Nuart]
July 7
EXCALIBUR (Trevor Jones), SWORD OF LANCELOT (Ron Goodwin) [New Beverly]
IN A LONELY PLACE (George Antheil) [Nuart]
JAWS (John Williams) [IPIC Westwood]
SUMMER WITH MONIKA (Eric Nordgren) [Fairfax Cinema]
July 8
ANTICHRIST (Kristian Eidnes Anderson) [Fairfax Cinema]
EXCALIBUR (Trevor Jones), SWORD OF LANCELOT (Ron Goodwin) [New Beverly]
PLAYTIME (Francis Lemarque) [American Cinematheque: Aero]
WATTSTAX [Nuart]
July 9
DRACULA, BLACK SUNDAY (Les Baxter) [New Beverly]
KILL BILL: VOL. 1 (RZA) [New Beverly]
NIGHTMARE ALLEY (Cyril J. Mockridge), THE BIG CLOCK (Victor Young) [Hollywood Legion]
THE PRODUCERS (John Morris), BAMBOOZLED (Terence Blanchard) [American Cinematheque: Aero]
VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS (Lubos Fiser, Jan Klusak) [Fairfax Cinema]
July 10
DRACULA, BLACK SUNDAY (Les Baxter) [New Beverly]
THE JERK (Jack Elliott), THE GREAT McGINTY (Frederick Hollander) [American Cinematheque: Aero]
KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (Akira Ifukube) [New Beverly]
MICROCOSMOS (Bruno Coulais) [Fairfax Cinema]
MILDRED PIERCE (Max Steiner), THIEVES HIGHWAY (Alfred Newman) [Hollywood Legion]
July 11
DRACULA, BLACK SUNDAY (Les Baxter) [New Beverly]
LOOPHOLE (Paul Dunlap), CRY DANGER (Emil Newman, Paul Dunlap) [Hollywood Legion]
MODERN TIMES (Charles Chaplin) [American Cinematheque: Aero]
THE NARROW MARGIN [Hollywood Legion]
POLICE STORY (Siu-Tin Lai) [American Cinematheque: Aero]
STRANGER THAN PARADISE (John Lurie) [Fairfax Cinema]
TABU: A STORY OF THE SOUTH SEAS [Fairfax Cinema]
THINGS I'VE HEARD, READ, SEEN OR WATCHED LATELY
Heard: Dedicato al mare Egeo (Morricone), The Twilight Zone (Herrmann), Cinema Paradiso (Morricone), The Midnight Sky (Desplat), When Night Is Falling (Barber), Agatha Christie's Marple (Scherrer), Applause (Strouse), A Price Above Rubies (Barber), Taxi Blues (Chekassine), Mansfield Park (Barber), Symphony No. 7/Coriolan Overture/Egmont Overture (Beethoven), Manchester by the Sea (Barber), Lady Day (Billie Holiday), Musique pour les films de Agnes Varda (Bruzdowicz)
Read: The Destroyer #47: Dying Space, by Warren Murphy; Cogan's Trade, by George V. Higgins
Seen: Summer of '85
Watched: The Night Manager ("Episode 2"); For Your Eyes Only; 99 and 44/100% Dead; Better Call Saul ("Mijo"); The Prisoner ("The General")
| 
