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The latest releases from Dragon's Domain are a CD featuring two scores by Man from Snowy River composer Bruce Rowland -- the American release of the 1996 adventure film NORTH STAR (John Scott composed the score for the original European release) and the 1995 Disney TV movie THE GREAT ELEPHANT ESCAPE, from his Snowy River director George Miler; and the score for the 1990 sci-fi comedy SPACED INVADERS, composed by David Russo (Angus, Evil Alien Conquerors)
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK

Et la montagne fleurrira...
 - Cyrille Aufort - MovieScore Media [CD-R]  
Ibiza Blue
 - Mark Timon - MovieScore Media [CD-R] 
97 Minutes
 - Ian Livingstone - MovieScore Media [CD-R] 
Oppenheimer - Ludwig Goransson - Mondo
Wonderwell
 - William Ross, Angelo Badalamenti - MovieScore Media [CD-R]
Y todos arderan
 - Joan Vila - MovieScore Media [CD-R] 
IN THEATERS TODAY

Before, Now and Then - Ricky Lionardi
The Equalizer 3 - Marcelo Zarvos
Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia - Vincent Courtois
Fremont - Mahmood Schricker
Goldfish - Tapas Relia
The Good Mother - Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, Eric Slick 
Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose - Bill Prokopow
Never Give Up - Rob Pottorf
Our Father, the Devil - Gavin Brivik 
COMING SOON

September 8
The Super Mario Bros. Movie - Brian Tyler - iam8bit   
October 6
April Fool's Day: The Deluxe Edition
 - Charles Bernstein - Varese Sarabande CD Club
Blood Simple: The Deluxe Edition
 - Carter Burwell - Varese Sarabande CD Club 
December 1
Scream VI - Brian Tyler, Sven Faulconer - Varese Sarabande
Date Unknown

Blondie - Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt - Waxwork
The Bruce Rowland Collection: Vol. 1
 - Bruce Rowland - Buysoundtrax
The Daniel Licht Collection: Vol. 1 - Daniel Licht - Dragon's Domain
Gli Italiani e l'industria
 - Piero Umiliani - Kronos 
Good Guys Wear Black/Silent Rage
 - Craig Safan, Peter Bernstein, Mark Goldenberg - Dragon's Domain
Killer Bees/Isn't It Shocking/Harpy - David Shire - Caldera 
Lee Holdridge Documentaries Vol. 1
 - Lee Holdridge - Dragon's Domain
North Star/The Great Elephant Escape - Bruce Rowland - Dragon's Domain
The Punisher
 - Dennis Dreith - Notefornote 
Spaced Invaders
- David Russo - Dragon's Domain
THIS WEEK IN FILM MUSIC HISTORY

September 1 - Franz Waxman begins recording his score for Sunset Blvd. (1949)
September 1 - Victor Young begins recording his score for Strategic Air Command (1954)
September 1 - Gil Melle begins recording his score for The Organization (1971)
September 1 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score for Magic (1978)
September 1 - Ludwig Goransson born (1984)
September 1 - Marc Donahue died (2002)
September 1 - Erich Kunzel died (2009)
September 2 - Armando Trovajoli born (1917)
September 2 - Hugo Montenegro born (1925)
September 2 - Emil Richards born (1932)
September 2 - Steve Porcaro born (1957)
September 2 - Alex Heffes born (1971)
September 2 - Tadeusz Baird died (1981)
September 2 - Clifton Parker died (1989)
September 2 - Recording sessions begin for Wojciech Kilar’s score for Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
September 2 - Dennis McCarthy records his score for the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “The Xindi” (2003)
September 3 - Anthony Collins born (1893)
September 3 - Richard Markowitz born (1926)
September 3 - Kevin Kiner born (1958)
September 3 - Alexandre Azaria born (1967)
September 3 - Joseph Mullendore records his score for the Land of the Giants episode “Deadly Pawn” (1969)
September 3 - Brooke Blair born (1977)
September 3 - Bruce Broughton begins recording his score for Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
September 3 - Bruce Broughton begins recording his score for Glory and Honor (1997)
September 3 - Pierre van Dormael died (2008)
September 3 - Marcus Fjellstrom died (2017)
September 4 - Darius Milhaud born (1892)
September 4 - David Raksin records his score for Fallen Angel (1945)
September 4 - Mark Ronson born (1975)
September 4 - Hildur Guonadottir born (1982)
September 4 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score for The Last Castle (2001)
September 5 - Giancarlo Bigazzi born (1940)
September 5 - Don Banks died (1980)
September 5 - Sondre Lerche born (1982)
September 5 - Salil Chowdhury died (1995)
September 6 - Louis Silvers born (1889)
September 6 - William Kraft born (1923)
September 6 - Patrick O'Hearn born (1954)
September 6 - Franz Waxman begins recording his score for My Geisha (1961)
September 6 - Hanns Eisler died (1962)
September 6 - John Williams records his score for the Eleventh Hour episode "The Bronze Locust" (1963)
September 6 - George Duning's scores for the Star Trek episodes "Is There In Truth No Beauty?" and "The Empath" are recorded (1968)
September 6 - Jerry Fielding posthumously wins the Emmy for his TV movie score High Midnight; Patrick Williams wins for the Lou Grant episode “Hollywood” (1980)
September 6 - Wladimir Selinsky died (1984)
September 6 - Jay Chattaway records his score for the Star Trek: Voyager episodes “The Chute” and “Future’s End Parts 1 & 2” (1996)
September 7 - Leonard Rosenman born (1924)
September 7 - Sonny Rollins born (1930)
September 7 - Carlos Camilleri born (1931)
September 7 - Gianni Marchetti born (1933)
September 7 - Waldo de los Rios born (1934)
September 7 - Mark Isham born (1951)
September 7 - Fred Steiner's score for the Star Trek episode "Mudd's Women" is recorded (1966)
September 7 - Herman Stein records his score for the Lost in Space episode "Space Circus" (1966)
September 7 - Miklos Rozsa begins recording his score for The Power (1967)
September 7 - Owen Pallett born (1979)
September 7 - Recording sessions begin for Christopher Young’s score for The Core (2002)

DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC?

AGNES - Nicholas Poss
 
"There's a cold sweatiness that pervades 'Agnes,' set as it is for much of its duration in that sealed bubble of belief. Meanwhile, longtime Reece collaborator Nicholas Poss' score is all grinding gears and scraped strings, cutting across the line delivery to perpetually unsettle. Any quiet time is false hope, as Reece pulls the rug out from under expectations -- not with simple trickery, but through exquisite misdirection. There's radical gear change, heralded at many levels -- a change of time, of perspective, of style, even of protagonist, from Agnes to her only friend, the doubt-wracked Sister Mary (Quinn). The shift could initially seem jarring, but it's vital to Reece's bigger point. He may have been dubbed the Soderbergh of the Sticks, but this places him closer to the sometime scathing introspection of Onur Tukel. However, either comparison misses that Reece is unique, and by harnessing all his idiosyncrasies Agnes is his most assured work yet."
 
Richard Whittaker, The Austin Chronicle

"The first thing most people will probably figure out is that Agnes isn’t the main character of the movie that bears her name. That distinction seems reserved for the disgraced Father Donaghue (Ben Hall), a cynical priest who might seem to be the prototypical leading man of a story about shaken faiths if not for his natural unease -- more weak than weary -- and, um, his vague history of molesting young boys. When the leaders of his diocese assign Donaghue to perform Agnes’ exorcism (a kooky scene full of arch laughter, framed by a massive taxidermied lion, and ribboned with semi-ironic gusts of string on the soundtrack), they couldn’t possibly care less that he 'doesn’t believe in this medieval woo woo.' Donaghue is being swept under the rug. But that won’t stop him from trying to impart some jaded wisdom to his pious chaperone Benjamin ('The Vast of Night' star Jake Horowitz), a twentysomething still a few weeks away from taking his vows."
 
David Ehrlich, IndieWire 

ASKING FOR IT - Lilah Larson
 
"In obviously marked contrast to the accurately vicious misogyny of Vanderhill’s videos, we’re suddenly in the Oklahoman town of Guthrie. A sunnier, orchestral stretch of Lilah Larson’s score plays as Joey (Kiersey Clemons, who also produces along with Miller) cycles to her waitress job at the local diner, smiling and waving at passersby."
 
Jessica Kiang, Variety
 
BIRTH/REBIRTH - Ariel Marx

"A horror movie -- even one as grounded and genre-adjacent as this -- can’t hope to survive if it doesn’t even feel believable on its own fantastical terms. Without that foundation in place, the exasperating final hour of 'birth/rebirth' essentially amounts to watching someone build a tower of clever ideas on a schmear of wet cement (and the strength of Ariel Marx’s excellent, glassy, Fever Ray-esque score)."
 
David Ehrlich, IndieWire

"It's amazing how far 'birth/rebirth' goes into this amoral territory. Lila's regeneration is a 'miracle,' although Rose balks at the term when Celie uses it. This is science, nothing more. The mood established is eerie and mournful, the colors muted and hospital-morgue-green. There are barely any scenes outdoors. Nature doesn't exist in this world. Ariel Marx's score is well-placed, sometimes taking on a light tone, adding to the destabilized atmosphere—the music drones on subliminally in an eerie counterpoint. There are a couple of false notes along the way, where Lila's regeneration seems to be going off the rails, where the supernatural appears to be raising its dead-eyed head. These scenes come from another movie running on 'expected' lines."
 
Sheila O'Malley, RogerEbert.com 
 
"Reyes demonstrates an absolute mastery of her craft. The horror of losing a child is viscerally portrayed. Streaks of sadism emphasize the prevailing humanity, as do the borderline-psychedelic brushstrokes: the intentionally murky nightmarish visuals, Ariel Marx’s nervous score, the bleak set design, the impassivity with which cinematographer Chananun Chotrunngroj’s camera observes the two women’s descent into madness."
 
Alex Saveliev, Film Threat 
 
"A horror film that asks the big questions surrounding life and death with a sly grin while playing out largely within the small confines of a single apartment, the Shudder original 'Birth/Rebirth' is a prime example of why the midnight programming at the Sundance Film Festival can hold some of the best new works. The feature debut from writer-director Laura Moss, 'Birth/Rebirth' takes the classic story of reanimation and gives it a bit of a modern twist while still taking us on a well-executed descent into darkness. More than a bit goofy, it also dives headfirst into the understated yet still unsettling moments of gore to become grim as hell by the time it all ties together. By striking this balance with an eye for the macabre, the experience proves to be both fun & frightful in its exploration of how far we'll go for family. When paired with a killer score and two dynamic leading performances, it cuts deep into the very fabric of its terrifying little tale just as the characters do with the bodies at their disposal."
 
Chase Hutchinson, Collider 
 
LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND - Michael Abels
 
"All is not lost here, to be clear. The score, full of 'Star Trek'-style trills, is genuinely hilarious, and the same can be said of many of the performers. Haddish is asked, too often, to do her familiar schtick when the script fails her, but there’s a shot of her walking down the aisle (don’t ask) that brings the house down. Michael Gandolfini, almost unrecognizable in a big, bushy beard, is very funny and very bitter as Chloe’s brother, and as her father, Josh Hamilton initially works his rumpled, likable 'Eighth Grade' vibe before cleverly subverting it."
 
Jason Bailey, The Playlist 
 
"But just beneath the percolating absurdity (playfully underscored by composer Michael Abels’ liberal use of the otherworldly theremin) there’s a caustic cautionary tale that takes aim at numerous issues facing contemporary society. (Adam’s English lit teacher announces, 'Apparently my microscopic salary is too much of a burden on the school,' his syllabus shifting to Vuvv culture and history.)"
 
Michael Rechtshaffen, Los Angeles Times

"Elsewhere, the film rests on the shoulders of Lyle Vincent’s refined cinematography, Michael Abels’ playful zither score and Blackk’s inquisitive performance as an artist trying to make sense of uncertain times through his art. As the story messily advances, Adam’s paintings provide visual chapter breaks, giving the film a segmented structure that makes one wonder if the material could have been better served by a miniseries. In the form of a standalone film, 'Landscape' lacks sufficient world-building, leaning a bit too heavily on the audience’s imagination, while its 101-level commentary can be summed up as vague warnings against the evils of capitalism."
 
Tomris Laffly, Variety 
 
THE LAST THING MARY SAW - Keegan Dewitt
 
"There’s conviction and a certain period veracity not just to the well-chosen cast’s contributions, but those of the design team. The soft candlelit look of DP David Kruta’s imagery casts a claustrophobic spell abetted by Charles Robinson’s production design and Sofija Mesicek’s costumes. The chamber score by Keegan Dewitt is also just right."
 
Dennis Harvey, Variety 

THREE MONTHS - Roger Neill
 
"As Caleb makes his way through this (final?) summer, other challenges stack up. His best friend Dara (Brianne Tju) has romantic troubles of her own; the candy-colored mini-mart they both work in is a highly depressing atmosphere; his grandmother (Burstyn) has to confront some financial changes; his fraught relationship with his mother (Amy Landecker in a small, unforgiving role) has never been worse; and there’s a cute new boy ('Blinded by the Light' breakout Viveik Kalra) going through his own waiting game. There’s the running joke of Caleb’s tandem bike (so often ridden alone), an inoffensive score from Roger Neill, a bleating old iPhone that seems to be attached to Caleb at all times, and a truly discomfiting number of scenes that see Caleb passed out in bed, surrounded by junk food crumbs."
 
Kate Erbland, IndieWire 

THE NEXT TEN DAYS IN L.A.

Screenings of older films in Los Angeles-area theaters.

September 1
ALIEN (Jerry Goldsmith) [Fine Arts]
BADLANDS (George Aliceson Tipton) [Vidiots]
CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? (Nate Heller) [Los Feliz 3]
CLUE (John Morris) [Vidiots]
CONAN THE BARBARIAN (Basil Poledouris) [New Beverly]
EQUINOX FLOWER (Takanobu Saito) [Academy Museum]
DJANGO UNCHAINED [New Beverly]
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (Don Ellis) [Landmark Westwood]
FULL METAL JACKET (Abigail Mead) [Alamo Drafthouse]
HAPPY TOGETHER [Los Feliz 3]
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (Nicholas Hooper) [Alamo Drafthouse]
KUNG FU PANDA 2 (Hans Zimmer, John Powell) [Alamo Drafthouse] 
LOST IN TRANSLATION (Kevin Shields) [New Beverly]
MAYHEM (Steve Moore) [Nuart]
RINGU (Kenji Kawai) [Vidiots]
SORCERER (Tangerine Dream) [Aero]
TAXI DRIVER (Bernard Herrmann) [Los Feliz 3]

2 OR 3 THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER [Los Feliz 3]
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY [Alamo Drafthouse]
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (Jonny Greenwood) [Fine Arts]

September 2
BLOOD WEDDING (Emilio de Diego) [Los Feliz 3]
CASTLE IN THE SKY (Joe Hisaishi) [Alamo Drafthouse]
CONAN THE BARBARIAN (Basil Poledouris) [New Beverly]
CRUISING (Jack Nitzsche) [Landmark Westwood]
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (Don Ellis) [Vidiots]
GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI (RZA) [New Beverly]
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (James Newton Howard) [Los Feliz 3]
A GOOFY MOVIE (Carter Burwell) [Academy Museum]
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (Nicholas Hooper) [Alamo Drafthouse] 
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (Joe Hisaishi) [New Beverly]
INGRID GOES WEST (Nick Thorburn, Jonathan Sadoff), THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (Gabriel Yared) [Alamo Drafthouse]
JUMANJI (James Horner) [Vidiots]
MATILDA (David Newman), PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE (Danny Elfman), BIG TOP PEE-WEE (Danny Elfman), MYSTERY MEN (Stephen Warbeck, Shirley Walker)[Aero]
PSYCHO (Bernard Herrmann) [Fine Arts]
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Richard O'Brien, Richard Hartley) [Nuart] 
ROSEMARY'S BABY (Christopher Komeda) [Fine Arts]
SCREAM (Marco Beltrami) [Vidiots]
SPEED (Mark Mancina) [Los Feliz 3]
TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (Wang Chung) [Landmark Westwood]
TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (Wang Chung) [Vidiots]
TOKYO POP (Alan Brewer)[Los Feliz 3]

September 3
AMADEUS [Vidiots]
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (Elmer Bernstein) [Fine Arts]
THE BIRDS (Remi Gassman, Oskar Sala, Bernard Herrmann), ROAR (Terrence P. Minogue) [Aero]
CASTLE IN THE SKY (Joe Hisaishi) [Alamo Drafthouse]
CHILD'S PLAY (Joe Renzetti) [Fine Arts]
CLEO FROM 5 TO 7 (Michel Legrand) [Academy Museum]
CLUE (John Morris) [Alamo Drafthouse]
CON AIR (Mark Mancina, Trevor Rabin) [Vidiots]
CONAN THE BARBARIAN (Basil Poledouris) [New Beverly]
THE DON IS DEAD (Jerry Goldsmith) [Los Feliz 3]
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (James Newton Howard) [Los Feliz 3] 
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (Nicholas Hooper) [Alamo Drafthouse]
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE (Joe Hisaishi) [New Beverly]
THE LAND BEFORE TIME (James Horner) [Vidiots]
A PLACE IN THE SUN (Franz Waxman) [Los Feliz 3]
STAND AND DELIVER (Craig Safan) [Academy Museum]
THE THING (Ennio Morricone) [Fine Arts]
TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (Wang Chung) [Landmark Westwood]
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY [Alamo Drafthouse] 

September 4
THE BOSTON STRANGLER (Lionel Newman) [Los Feliz 3]
CASTLE IN THE SKY (Joe Hisaishi) [Alamo Drafthouse]
FEMINA (Zbigniew Gorny) [Los Feliz 3]
FULL METAL JACKET (Abigail Mead) [Alamo Drafthouse]
HAROLD AND MAUDE (Cat Stevens) [Vidiots]
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (Nicholas Hooper) [Alamo Drafthouse]
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY [Alamo Drafthouse]
SORCERER (Tangerine Dream) [Landmark Westwood]

September 5
BADLANDS (George Aliceson Tipton), DEALING: OR THE BERKELEY-TO-BOSTON FORTY-BRICK LOST-BAG BLUES (Michael Small) [New Beverly]
BIG NIGHT (Gary DeMichele) [Vidiots]
THE BIRDS (Remi Gassman, Oskar Sala, Bernard Herrmann) [Los Feliz 3]
CASTLE IN THE SKY (Joe Hisaishi) [Alamo Drafthouse] 
THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES (Tigran Mansuryan) [Vidiots]
FULL METAL JACKET (Abigail Mead) [Alamo Drafthouse]
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (Nicholas Hooper) [Alamo Drafthouse] 
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY [Alamo Drafthouse]

September 6
BADLANDS (George Aliceson Tipton), DEALING: OR THE BERKELEY-TO-BOSTON FORTY-BRICK LOST-BAG BLUES (Michael Small) [New Beverly] 
CASTLE IN THE SKY (Joe Hisaishi) [Alamo Drafthouse]
FULL METAL JACKET (Abigail Mead) [Alamo Drafthouse]  
GHOST (Maurice Jarre) [Academy Museum]
THE PLOT AGAINST HARRY (Frank Lewin) [BrainDead Studios]
SUSPIRIA (Thom Yorke) [Academy Museum]
TANGO (Lalo Schifrin) [Los Feliz 3]
THE TRUMAN SHOW (Burkhard Dallwitz, Philip Glass) [Los Feliz 3]
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY [Alamo Drafthouse]

September 7
BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS (Mark Isham) [New Beverly]
DAYS OF HEAVEN (Ennio Morricone) [BrainDead Studios]
GOOD MORNING (Toshiro Mayuzumi) [Academy Museum]
MEMENTO (David Julyan) [Aero]
THE TRUMAN SHOW (Burkhard Dallwitz, Philip Glass) [Los Feliz 3]
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: NEXT CENTURY (Jerzy Maksyumiuk, Jozef Skrzek) [Los Feliz 3]

September 8
BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS (Mark Isham) [New Beverly]
BEAU TRAVAIL  (Charles Henri de Pierrefeu, Eran Tzur)[Vidiots]
THE CROW (Graeme Revell) [Vidiots]
DESPICABLE ME 2 (Heitor Pereira, Pharell Williams) [Alamo Drafthouse]
DJANGO UNCHAINED [New Beverly]
DRUGSTORE COWBOY (Elliot Goldenthal) [BrainDead Studios]
FLOATING WEEDS (Takanobu Saito) [Academy Museum]
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (Ennio Morricone) [Nuart]
GOOD WILL HUNTING (Danny Elfman) [New Beverly]
HEATHERS (David Newman) [Alamo Drafthouse]
A TALE OF SPRINGTIME [Los Feliz 3]
TOKYO POP (Alan Brewer) [Los Feliz 3]

September 9
BAND OF OUTSIDERS (Michel Legrand) [Academy Museum]
BODY DOUBLE (Pino Donaggio) [Vidiots]
CEDDO (Manu Dibango) [Los Feliz 3]
CHICKEN RUN (John Powell, Harry Gregson-Williams) [New Beverly] 
COMPUTER CHESS [Alamo Drafthouse]
THE FIFTH ELEMENT (Eric Serra) [BrainDead Studios]
GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE [Los Feliz 3]
THE ITALIAN JOB (Quincy Jones) [Los Feliz 3]
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (Dario Marianelli) [Vidiots]
LATE AUTUMN (Takanobu Saito) [Academy Museum]
LEGALLY BLONDE (Rolfe Kent), 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (Richard Gibbs) [New Beverly]
LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (Point Hsu) [Aero]
THE MUPPET MOVIE (Paul Williams, Kenny Ascher) [Academy Museum]
PATHS OF GLORY (Gerald Fried) [Alamo Drafthouse]
PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE (Danny Elfman) [Landmark Westwood]
REAR WINDOW (Franz Waxman) [Vidiots]
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Richard O'Brien, Richard Hartley) [Nuart]  
SOLARIS (Eduard Artemyev) [BrainDead Studios] 
THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE (Gregor Narholz) [New Beverly]
TRUE STORIES (David Byrne) [New Beverly] 
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (Frank DeVol) [Vidiots]

September 10
BLADE RUNNER (Vangelis) [Vidiots]
THE BODYGUARD (Alan Silvestri) [Vidiots]
CHICKEN RUN (John Powell, Harry Gregson-Williams) [New Beverly]
CITY OF GOD (Antonio Pinto, Ed Cortes) [Academy Museum]
THE FIFTH ELEMENT (Eric Serra) [BrainDead Studios]
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (Nicholas Hooper) [Alamo Drafthouse]
HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS (James Horner) [Vidiots]
LE SAMOURAI (Francois de Roubaix) [Academy Museum]
LEGALLY BLONDE (Rolfe Kent), 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (Richard Gibbs) [New Beverly]
NOPE (Michael Abels) [Fine Arts]
OUT OF THE PAST (Roy Webb) [Aero]
PRIDE & PREJUDICE (Dario Marianelli) [Alamo Drafthouse]
ROAD HOUSE (Michael Kamen) [Alamo Drafthouse]
SPARTACUS (Alex North) [Alamo Drafthouse]
A TRIP TO THE MOON, BIG TOP PEE-WEE (Danny Elfman) [BrainDead Studios]
WOMAN IN THE DUNES (Toru Takemitsu) [Aero]

THINGS I'VE HEARD, READ, SEEN OR WATCHED LATELY

Heard:
Elle (Dudley); La Femme Nikita (Serra), Paris, 13th District (Rone); Eiffel (Desplat); Pierrot le fou/Weekend (Duhamel); Femme Fatale (Sakamoto); The Tenant (Sarde); Is Paris Burning? (Jarre); Le Week-end (Sams); Monte Carlo (Giacchino); Cheri (Desplat); The Devil Wears Prada (Shapiro); The Emperor's New Clothes (Portman); Ronin (Cmiral); Jefferson in Paris (Robbins); The Moderns (Isham)

Read: Into the Night, by Cornel Woolrich; completed by Lawrence Block

Seen: Amadeus; Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce; Retribution; Strays; Gran Turismo; Metallica Through the Never; Golda; Winter Kills; Blackmail; Murder!; Oppenheimer

Watched: Danger Man ("Name, Date and Place"); Boxer from Shan Tung; Star Trek: Enterprise ("These Are the Voyages...")
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Comments (3):Log in or register to post your own comments
I’ve been meaning for a while to thank Scott Bettencourt for his "Did they mention the music?" segment. It’s so instructive on the way critics write reviews and on how little they have to say about the music, even in the Internet age, when there is no word limit.

Usually they just throw an adjective or two in front of the noun “score”, a few favourites being “haunting”, “aggressive” and “intrusive”. But sometimes they tell the audience whether it’s an orchestral score or a pop score or a jazz score. Of course, they then fail to say why that’s significant or why the composer or director might have made that choice.

This week, the critics’ comments on the Michael Abels score for Landscape with Invisible Hand (a film and score I am not familiar with) are particularly amusing. I know the music of Star Trek pretty well, but I have no idea what a “Star Trek-style trill” is. Ah, but then the next reviewer tells us that the score uses the “otherworldly theremin”. Maybe that explains it, although I don’t think of the theremin when I think of Star Trek music. Enter the third reviewer: it’s a “zither score”. Was there zither in Star Trek? Was there zither in The Day the Earth Stood Still? Regardless, these writers should compare notes.

And how would you like to be Roger Neill and have your score adjectivized as “inoffensive”? The praise is faint and ... damning. But perhaps being damned by such critics ain’t so bad.

The Landscape score had a definite theremin sound, though I don't know if it was an actual theremin, an ondes martenot, or just a synthesizer patch with that sound (and I suspect the critic who mentioned "zither" may have been thinking of a theremin.)

Considering how most reviews only mention the score to criticize it, "inoffensive" is one of the nicer things that gets said about current scoring.

I don't know that any of them are great scores, but lately I've appreciated The Adults, Golda and Landscape with Invisible Hand because the music actually seemed to be doing something.

Thanks Scott. It's a shame because music can do so much for a scene or a film, including more than just set a mood. But I guess it would take more musically literate critics and audiences to appreciate that.

I'll keep my eye out for those films!

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Today in Film Score History:
December 5
Cliff Eidelman born (1964)
Dave Brubeck died (2012)
Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score to Coma (1977)
Jerry Goldsmith records his score for the Room 222 pilot (1968)
John Altman born (1949)
Johnny Pate born (1923)
Karl-Ernst Sasse born (1923)
Manuel De Sica died (2014)
Masaru Sato died (1999)
Osvaldo Golijov born (1960)
Richard Gibbs born (1955)
Ron Jones records his score for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Outrageous Okona" (1988)
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