La-La Land has announced three new releases for the week of September 15 - the soundrack to MUNSTER, GO HOME!, the feature film spinoff of TV's The Munsters, featuring the score by the show's composer Jack Marshall (father of producer-director Frank Marshall and composer Phil Marshall); the first release of John Powell's score for the 1999 romantic comedy FORCES OF NATURE, starring Sandra Bullock, Ben Affleck and Maura Tierney; and the third edition of the label's QUINN MARTIN COLLECTION featuring unreleased music from the shows of the veteran TV producer, this one a two-disc set with Patrick Williams' music for the long-running cop series THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO, pairing Karl Malden and Michael Douglas, and the short-lived spy series A MAN CALLED SLOANE, starring Robert Conrad and Dan O'Herlihy.
The latest release from the Varese Sarabande CD Club is a Deluxe Edition of the score to WILD WILD WEST, director Barry Sonnenfeld's infamous yet lavish 1999 feature film version of the beloved 1960s Western/spy/fantasy TV series. The surprising but inspired choice to score the film was Elmer Bernstein, who wrote some of Hollywood's greatest Western scores. Varese Sarabande released a score CD featuring 30 minutes of the film's music back in 1999; the Deluxe Edition features a whopping 76 minutes of music, including cues composed by or with Elmer's son, Peter Bernstein.
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Airlines - Alexandre Desplat - Warner Bros.
Animal Crackers - Bear McCreary - Sony
Gappa The Triphibian Monsters - Seitaro Omori - Cinema-Kan (import)
Wild Wild West: The Deluxe Edition - Elmer Bernstein, Peter Bernstein - Varese Sarabande CD Club
IN THEATERS TODAY
Tenet (score by Ludwig Goransson) is scheduled to open this week in theaters in those states where theaters can be open (which currently excludes most of California, DC, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Washington). It has already opened outside the U.S. where it did good business considering the global pandemic.
COMING SOON
September 11
Outlander: Season 5 - Bear McCreary - Sony
September 18
Forces of Nature - John Powell - La-La Land
Munster, Go Home! - Jack Marshall - La-La Land
The Quinn Martin Collection Vol. 3: The Streets of San Francisco/A Man Called Sloane - Patrick Williams - La-La Land
September 25
Enola Holmes - Daniel Pemberton - Milan (import)
Hackers - Simon Boswell, songs - Varese Sarabande
Open 24 Hours - Holly Amber Church - Notefornote
Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street - Alexander Taylor - Notefornote
October 2
Fatima - Paolo Buonvino - Decca (import)
Requiem - Dominick Scherrer, Natasha Khan - Svart
October 23
Whitman - Bernard Herrmann - Naxos
Date Unknown
Der Bestatter - Raphael Benjamin Meyer - Alhambra
The Final Countdown [reissue] - John Scott - JOS
One Potato, Two Potato - Gerald Fried - Caldera
Super Godzilla [video game score] - Akira Ifukube - Cinema-Kan (import)
THIS WEEK IN FILM MUSIC HISTORY
September 4 - Darius Milhaud born (1892)
September 4 - David Raksin records his score for Fallen Angel (1945)
September 4 - Mark Ronson born (1975)
September 5 - Giancarlo Bigazzi born (1940)
September 5 - Don Banks died (1980)
September 5 - Sondre Lerche born (1982)
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 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)
September 8 - Peter Maxwell Davies born (1934)
September 8 - Robert Drasnin records his score for The Wild Wild West episode “The Night of the Deadly Bed” (1965)
September 8 - Fred Steiner's score for the Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror" is recorded (1967)
September 8 - Dustin O’Halloran born (1971)
September 8 - Artie Kane records his score for The New Adventures of Wonder Woman episode “Anschluss ‘77” (1977)
September 8 - Leonard Rosenman wins his second Emmy, for Friendly Fire; David Rose wins for the Little House on the Prairie episode “The Craftsman” (1979)
September 8 - John Barry begins recording his unused score for The Golden Child (1986)
September 8 - Alex North died (1991)
September 8 - Dennis McCarthy records his score for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “The Homecoming” (1993)
September 8 - Ernest Troost wins the Emmy for The Canterville Ghost; Hummie Mann wins for the Picture Windows episode “Language of the Heart;” Mike Post wins for his main title theme to Murder One (1996)
September 8 - Dennis McCarthy begins recording his score for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “You Are Cordially Invited” (1997)
September 8 - Jay Chattaway wins his first Emmy for the final Star Trek: Voyager episode, “Endgame;” Arturo Sandoval wins for the For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story score; James Newton Howard wins for the Gideon’s Crossing main title theme (2001)
September 8 - George Fenton wins his second Emmy, for the Planet Earth episode “Pole to Pole;” Jeff Beal wins his second Emmy, for the Nightmares and Dreamscapes segment “Battlefield;” Trevor Morris wins his first Emmy, for The Tudors main title theme (2007)
September 9 - Hoyt Curtin born (1922)
September 9 - Jerrold Immel born (1936)
September 9 - Bernard Herrmann begins recording score cues for Hangover Square (1944)
September 9 - Christopher Palmer born (1946)
September 9 - David A. Stewart born (1952)
September 9 - Bernard Herrmann begins recording his score to Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953)
September 9 - Eric Serra born (1959)
September 9 - Alex North begins recording his score to The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)
September 9 - Richard Markowitz records his score for the Mission: Impossible episode “The Numbers Game” (1969)
September 9 - Harry Geller records his only Mission: Impossible score, for the episode “The Innocent” (1970)
September 9 - Harry Escott born (1976)
September 9 - Hugo Friedhofer's score for Die Sister, Die! is recorded (1976)
September 9 - Joey Newman born (1976)
September 9 - David Shire begins recording his score for The Journey Inside (1993)
September 9 - Jay Chattaway records his score for the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “Anomaly” (2003)
September 9 - Michael Galasso died (2009)
September 9 - Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon win the Emmy for Stranger Things' main title theme; Jeff Beal wins for House of Cards’ “Chapter 63;” Jeff Russo wins for the Fargo episode “Aporia” (2017)
September 10 - Arnold Schwarzwald born (1918)
September 10 - Johnny Keating born (1927)
September 10 - Hugo Riesenfeld died (1939)
September 10 - Roy Ayers born (1940)
September 10 - Les Baxter records his score for the U.S. release of Black Sabbath (1963)
September 10 - Richard Shores records his score for The Wild Wild West episode “The Night of the Sedgewick Curse” (1968)
September 10 - Allan Gray died (1973)
September 10 - Laurence Rosenthal records his score for 21 Hours at Munich (1976)
September 10 - Bruce Broughton records his score for the Amazing Stories episode "Welcome to My Nightmare" (1986)
September 10 - Laurence Rosenthal wins his sixth Emmy, for Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies; Don Davis wins his second Emmy, for the SeaQuest DSV episode “Daggers;” Jerry Goldsmith wins his fifth and final Emmy, for the Star Trek: Voyager theme (1995)
September 10 - Dennis McCarthy records his score for the Enterprise episode “Shockwave, Part 2” (2002)
September 10 - Carter Burwell wins the Emmy for part 5 of Mildred Pierce; Trevor Morris wins his second Emmy, for The Borgias’ main title theme; Garth Neustadter wins for the American Masters episode “John Muir in the New World” (2011)
September 10 - Gert Wilden died (2015)
September 10 - Sean Callery wins his fourth Emmy, for the theme to Marvel’s Jessica Jones; Mac Quayle wins his first Emmy, for the Mr. Robot episode score “eps1.0_ hellofriend.mov;” Danny Elfman wins his second Emmy, for his music direction of Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton; Victor Reyes wins his first Emmy, for The Night Manager episode 2 (2016)
DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC?
BAD BOYS FOR LIFE - Lorne Balfe
"Though Belgian directing duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah mimic Bay’s sweeping camera moves, their action scenes have the scale of television. The franchise’s patented car chases feel locked on rails compared to the utter chaos of 'Bad Boys II.' Same goes for Smith, who can’t seem to flex physicality in multi-level foot chases or squib-popping SWAT infiltrations. A few sequences, where the guys get a boost from a gunslinging Vanessa Hudgens and a few of Miami PD’s finest millennial beefcakes, find more energy and banter as they bounce around perspectives. But for the most part, Lorne Balfe’s high-octane score does more heavy lifting than any of Smith’s muscles."
Matt Patches, Polygon
"The excellent cast -- along with Lorne Balfe’s thunderous score -- help maintain a holistically brash sense of energy during and between the action sequences that move things along. The chaos and collateral damage of it all is pared down from the feverishness of the last installment, but aching joints (and a much lower budget) can have that effect. Most of the set pieces are short and coherent enough to provide just the right jolt of excitement, and Armado is enough of a threat to keep everyone in check. Bay may never have tolerated so much CGI blood, but El Arbi and Fallah make sure to earn their 'R' rating at every opportunity, and it’s only in the climactic shootout that the digital elements distract from the reality of what’s happening."
David Ehrlich, IndieWire
"But such is not the spirit of 'Bad Boys.' As Mike tells Marcus’s daughter (Bianca Bethune) on her wedding day, the mantra he gives to her and husband Reggie (Dennis Greene) is one he’s shared with her dad for a generation now: 'Bad boys for life!' (Every wedding guest says it at once, as if that pledge for buddy cop mayhem has mythologized among everyone they know.) The throughline of the 'Bad Boys' movies is that every one after the first should not exist, but they do anyway, because they must. Marcus can’t retire and Mike can’t stop killing people; the Bad Boy’s path is one of relentlessness, of taking your ghosts with you to the grave, of surviving only because that is the defiant attitude to have in a world consumed by death. Of reverence for the theme song to 'COPS.' At the end of 'Bad Boys for Life,' Mike and Marcus sing the song to Marcus’s grandson, Little Marcus. Mike chastises Marcus for not singing the song correctly. 'This is important,' he scolds. Lorne Balfi’s [sic] stentorian score accompanies a sumptuously digital drone shot of some Miami skyline and we follow our friends once more into the dark, the wailing souls of all the lives they’ve extinguished drowned out by the swell of love for one new, precious life. 'This is important.'"
Dom Sinacola, Paste Magazine
"Early on, Mike is gunned down in a drive-by -- how wild would it be if he just died fifteen minutes in -- prompting the film’s strangest interlude, in which Marcus breaks down in tears in the hospital chapel, attempts to repent for his sins ('I know thou shalt not kill, but they were bad guys! All of ‘em!'), and promises the Lord, 'If you just spare him, I swear to you I’ll put no more violence in this world' as the strings swell. It’s the funniest scene in the movie, albeit unintentionally; who on earth thought a bang-bang yuk-yuk sequel like this could sustain that kind of gravitas?"
Jason Bailey, The Playlist
BEANPOLE - Evgueni Galperine
"Inspired by the oral histories of Soviet war veterans compiled by Nobel Prize-winner Svetlana Alexievich in her 1985 book, 'The Unwomanly Face of War,' Balagov strove to portray the criminally underrepresented experiences of female soldiers grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder. Not only is 'Beanpole' one of the first essential cinematic works released in theaters this year, it is also among the most involving character studies in recent memory, bringing us so deeply into the psyches of its heroines that we find ourselves trembling along with them every time they are shaken to the core. Well before the first shot appears onscreen, we hear a soft, high-pitched tone, the definitive motif of 'Loveless' composer Evgueni Galperine’s score, that is eerily evocative of the music cue signaling the presence of Heath Ledger’s Joker in 'The Dark Knight.' Here, the sound deftly indicates the terrifying loss of control endured by Masha’s friend and fellow comrade, Iya (Viktoria Miroshnichenko, a dead ringer for 'Euphoria' star Hunter Schafer), whose service as an anti-aircraft gunner left her with the disorder known as post-concussion syndrome. She will periodically freeze in place without warning, unable to move or speak until the episode has passed, a potent metaphor for the paralysis felt in numerous ways by veterans when they cannot function as they normally would."
Matt Fagerholm, RogerEbert.com
COLOR OUT OF SPACE - Colin Stetson
"In this case, the film works because it is clear that Stanley is not only working on the same wavelength as Lovecraft was when he wrote the original story, but has managed to transform the author’s decidedly purple prose into cinematic terms. Take the titular color, for example. In the original story, it is never properly described to us other than being of a shade never before seen on the typical color spectrum. That sort of non-description description can work on the page but isn’t especially helpful as a guide for someone who has to bring it to life. Stanley proves himself to be up to the challenge, and hits upon a wild color scheme that honors Lovecraft’s intentions by bathing everything in a genuinely otherworldly tinge. Not content to rest there, he builds upon that weirdness with an equally vivid soundscape, including a creepily effective score by Colin Stetson. Stetson's score shifts levels of reality in aural terms and conjure up the kind of terrors that are even harder to shake than the numerous and undeniably eye-popping physical mutations on display."
Peter Sobczynski, RogerEbert.com
"So far, so Country Life. Then the meteor hits and kaleidoscopic mayhem breaks out. Stanley brings real craft and control to all the gonzo grandeur, aided by a corking score from saxophonist Colin Stetson. There’s even a nod to SFX legend Rob Bottin’s creature work -- a mutated cherry on top for horror fans."
Phil De Semlyen, Time Out London
"'Color Out of Space' distinguishes itself from other films to directly and indirectly tackle Lovecraft’s story with sound mixing that, by collapsing distinct sound effects into a massive field of blended noises, excellently captures the alien’s altering of the DNA of flora and fauna. Late in the film, the hideousness of one show of body horror is hammered home as much through the mixing of moans of pain and incomprehension on the soundtrack as it is through the sight of a mound of melted, bubbling flesh that used to be a human being. And Colin Stetson’s score awesomely accents the horror of the story throughout. Stetson specializes in crafting music out of looping sounds that he complicates and slowly redirects, and the warping loops of his synthesized howls and saxophone drones epitomize 'Color Out of Space''s grasp of introducing small variations that spiral into chaotic new directions."
Jake Cole, Slant Magazine
"Even if he’s not totally lucid about it, Stanley gives adventurous midnight-movie crowds enough to mull over while they’re having their hair blown back by an onslaught of light and sound. Indie music world stalwart Colin Stetson contributes a score of sinister synths that reinforces the hallucinatory atmosphere, perfectly replicating the feeling of noise coming from the inside of your skull. He’s just one more weapon in the stylistic arsenal that Stanley commands, an armory’s worth of tricks and formal manipulations -- the eerie pink gives a blue and red penumbra to everything its light touches, for one example, making some shots look like primitive 3-D seen without the retro glasses. Stanley makes movies as only he can, and if that means defying comprehension every now and then, that’s just the price of admission to his insular hellworld."
Charles Bramesco, The Playlist
"'Color Out Of Space' builds to its mind-bending, reality-warping climax with a combination of CGI and gross, pustule-ridden practical effects, including some truly upsetting puppetry in the film’s second half. The digital effects are smartly applied, switching to a vivid version of Sam Raimi’s famous 'demon cam' when a shot would otherwise be too expensive, and composer Colin Stetson -- who also did the 'Hereditary' score -- gradually raises the tone from vaguely unsettling to full-bore freakout. Stanley also knows how to judiciously parcel out Cage’s signature excess, using his over-the-top temper tantrums as a tool to enhance the film’s steadily building sense of unease rather than showcasing them for their own sake. There are only a couple lines that land on the unintentionally humorous side of a Cage performance -- which, on a wild ride like this one, can be considered a triumph."
Katie Rife, The Onion AV Club
"All tech and design contributions are accomplished, though in suspense terms the movie might actually have been better off applying greater restraint to the use of practical and digital effects. There’s also a sense of overload at times to Colin Stinson’s synth-based score, though that may be partly chalked up to the Imax-house sound system at the Toronto Film Festival press screening attended."
Dennis Harvey, Variety
CORPUS CHRISTI - Evgueni and Sacha Galperine
"Komasa directs with an impressive rigor that fits the subject matter, and the incorporation of subtle ecclesiastical embellishments in the score adds to the imposing solemnity. The smoldering center of it all is Bielenia's remarkable performance. Daniel is an outsider who becomes an unlikely vessel of comfort and perhaps even healing for a town locked in grief. At the same time, his own faith continues to be tested, along with the adherence to Christian doctrine of many in the community. Daniel keeps us guessing about whether religion is a mere escape for him or a true spiritual transformation in a world where forgiveness doesn't come easy."
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
DOLITTLE - Danny Elfman
"The movie’s elaborate -- and, ultimately, repetitive -- Rube Goldberg-inspired action sequences might have been more effective if streamlined, while the absurdist humor to be found in these moments is frequently undercut in favor of garish, pratfall-adjacent shenanigans. Editor Craig Alpert cuts away too quickly from a bit between rebellious fox Tutu (Marion Cotillard) and brave giraffe Betsy (Selena Gomez) about how they’ll cover up Stubbins’ death if he doesn’t make it onto Dolittle’s ship, one of many moments drowned out by Danny Elfman’s overbearing score. Plus, the anachronistic dialogue from polar bear Yoshi (John Cena, who says 'bro' a bunch) and an octopus who spews 'snitches get stitches' clash with the immersive Victorian-era world the filmmakers have crafted."
Courtney Howard, Variety
GRETEL & HANSEL - Rob
"Many of the other elements of the film click in unexpectedly rewarding ways as well. Visually, the film is a constant knockout as Perkins and cinematographer Galo Olivares lend it a hypnotic and stylishly moody look that makes it feel at times like a lost work from Italian horror maestro Mario Bava, a sensation helped by the inspired production design by Jeremy Reed. The synth-heavy score by composer Robin Coudert adds an extra layer of Goblin-like unease to the proceedings that is also enormously effective. The performances by the three lead actors are strong and sure, all the more so because they all commit to their roles and never come across as though they are goofing on the material. (Although there are a couple of dark laughs here and there, the film is refreshingly straight-faced for the most part.) As for the hardcore genre buffs wondering how effectively scary a PG-13 horror film can be will be happy to know that Perkins creates a strong aura of unease that never lets up and only once devolves into anything resembling a cheap 'BOO!' moment."
Peter Sobczynski, RogerEbert.com
"Perkins also populates his feature with little anachronistic touches that are meant to temper the film’s more oblique reference points. One key contributor is the half-electronic score by Robert [sic] Coudert ('Maniac'). Coudert, who goes under the screen name of Rob, helps locate the film at the level of contemporary allegory without ever losing its Gothic roots. Perkins also provides his characters with little dialogue flourishes meant to blend the past and the present. Despite the film’s florid prose, Hansel’s petulance often takes on a modern vibe. Holda’s admonishments to the two children echo these same qualities."
Matthew Monagle, The Austin Chronicle
"Director Oz Perkins’ first two features, 'The Blackcoat’s Daughter' and 'I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House,' are meticulously constructed examples of slow burn horror, favoring ever-building, chilling atmosphere over quick scares. He begins 'Gretel & Hansel' with a traditional fairy tale structure, only to degenerate into an otherworldly, hopeless setting that liberally plays with space and time. Accordingly, production and costume designs borrow from multiple time periods -- slightly resembling medieval Europe -- while characters speak in Shakespearean prose, their body language still distinctly modern. Instead of the usual sea of white faces for such a tale, different races that seem to have equal social standing populate this world. Perkins purposefully juxtaposes Galo Olivares’s classically picturesque cinematography, imbued with the illusion of natural light, against Robin Coudert’s synth-heavy score that resembles Wendy Carlos’s work for Stanley Kubrick. The film thrives within a dream-logic vibe, especially in Olivares’ cinematography, with its heavy emphasis on symmetrical framing, stark contast and lush use of yellows and blues, evoking subliminal terror."
Oktay Ege Kozak, Paste Magazine
"This addition to the story allows 'Gretel And Hansel' to explore richer territory than a straightforward fairy tale adaptation, while also leading it to a conclusion that’s almost as predictable as one. Much of this plodding quality is a result of the voice-over that bookends the film, which isn’t quite 'Blade Runner' bad in terms of over-explaining the plot, but it’s in the same ballpark. It doesn’t entirely break the spell of the film’s carefully constructed atmosphere, but it does threaten to, as does Perkins’ choice to have the actors speak in a variety of accents. These are relatively minor considerations, though, and although 'Gretel And Hansel' never makes it to pulse-pounding terror, it does sustain its eerie tone long and well enough that the cumulative effect is hypnotic. The sound effects are also boldly applied, as is the ambient score from French composer ROB, whose use of a mellotron gives this soundtrack a warmer feel than his score for Coralie Fargeat’s 'Revenge.'"
Katie Rife, The Onion AV Club
"The film certainly looks nice, with a wealth of eye-catching compositions: the camera always finds the most disorienting possible perspective as the two children pass through the forest; cinematographer Galo Olivares imbues Holda’s house with an amber glow that is simultaneously warm and sickly; composer Rob’s score leans heavily on Goblin-style synths; and production designer Jeremy Reed splits the difference between the antique and the modern with effectively unsettling results."
Andrew Barker, Variety
LIKE A BOSS - Christophe Beck
"Miguel Arteta’s 'Like a Boss' opens with a montage of videos and photos of two besties, Mia (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel (Rose Byrne), from throughout their long friendship. It’s a cheerful sequence, backed by an upbeat, generic pop score that sets the film’s slightly treacly tone while emphasizing the supposed strength of the women’s bond. In the present, they run a beauty company called, unsurprisingly, Mia and Mel, and despite the slight tension between the former’s gruff sense of independence and the latter’s meekness, which stifles her ability to push her own business ideas to the fore, their friendship is, by all accounts, solid as a rock. So, when multi-millionaire cosmetics magnate Claire Luna (Salma Hayek) comes a-knocking with an offer not only for a potentially massive expansion of their brand, but to foot the bill for Mia and Mel’s $500K debt, one expects them to be over the moon."
Derek Smith, Slant Magazine
THE LODGE - Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans
"Yorgos Lanthimos’ frequent DP Thimios Bakatakis finds the forbiddingly alien in both the cold white Quebec-shot exteriors and Sylvain Lemaitre’s dark-wood house interiors. Daniel Pensi [sic] and Saunder Jurriaans’ original score provides another source of tasteful ominousness in the thoughtful assembly."
Dennis Harvey, Variety
"All this is very artfully done, with Bakatakis' camera becoming a pernicious eye (what he can suggest with a simple corridor or staircase-landing shot is frightening), and the needling score of Daniel Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans layering unease into every scene. The restraint of Franz and Fiala in refusing to indulge in the usual jump scares and jarring sound effects is admirable in theory, but this is a movie that could have used more aggressive assaults on our nerves as it builds to its gruesome climax, with another cold dispatch to mirror the brutal blow of the opening. While 'The Lodge' is filled with haunting images -- a disoriented Grace waking up in a vast expanse of snow, or gazing out from a misted window at an evenly patterned field of snow-angel imprints, like the wintry version of crop circles -- it becomes a little ponderous and wearing."
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
THE RHYTHM SECTION - Steve Mazzaro
"For all its bite, there’s still a razor-thin edge of black comedy running through the film even in its darkest moments, a risk that pays off while others falter. (Law’s anonymous former MI6 agent pushes an ailing Stephanie to shape up through rigorous training, and Lively’s responses earn the laughs she and Morano easily layer in.) A dissonant soundtrack of cheeky songs is more distracting than anything, and often it’s Steve Mazzaro’s (literally) pulse-pounding score that proves most effective at driving tension and emotion."
Kate Erbland, IndieWire
THE TURNING - Nathan Barr
"'The Turning' announces Sigismondi as a bold and adept genre filmmaker, with an eye for detail and impeccable casting choices. The prolific music video director hasn’t made a narrative feature since 2010’s Kristen Stewart vehicle 'The Runaways,' and with any luck, 'The Turning' will remind studios of her talent. She clearly understands actors, milking the speaking scenes for all they’re worth and letting the performances from her stellar cast shine. In sweeping aerial shots and ever-so-slightly askew close-ups, Sigismondi and cinematographer David Ungaro construct a pristinely compact world where nothing is as beautiful as it looks. Nathan Barr’s bass-heavy score is also supremely hair-raising."
Jude Dry, IndieWire
"Sigismondi, with just her second feature following the 2010 rock biopic 'The Runaways,' establishes Kate’s feeling of isolation early and often, shooting her from a distance on the estate grounds, her bright, red coat providing a striking contrast with the home’s cold, gray facade. It’s a perpetually cloudy place, where a leisurely stroll past the koi pond or a horseback ride in the woods are opportunities for dread rather than joy. Cinematographer David Ungaro works deftly within the many creepy corners of the cavernous estate -- hidden hallways, an abandoned sewing room, a garishly wallpapered bathroom -- all of which hint at a deeply rooted evil that never truly materializes. And the dark strings of composer Nathan Barr’s score are a key factor in putting us on edge."
Christy Lemire, RogerEbert.com
THINGS I'VE HEARD, READ, SEEN OR WATCHED LATELY
Heard: The President's Lady (Newman), Sweeney Todd [2012 cast] (Sondheim), Die Hard (Kamen), Piano Concerto No. 3/Five Preludes (Rachmaninov), Gag (Dreith), Friday the 13th: The Game (Manfredini), The Haunting of Hill House (Newton Brothers), Ozzy (Velazquez), 1900 (Morricone), The Greatest Showman (Pasek/Paul), Airport '77 (Cacavas), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (McCreary), The Concorde - Airport '79 (Schifrin), Star Trek (Giacchino), Saving Private Ryan (Williams), Troy (Horner), Mission: Impossible '88 (Schifrin, Jones), Merrily We Roll Along [2012 cast] (Sondheim), Scheherezade/Capriccio Espagnol (Rismky-Korsakov), Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams (various), The Girl from Monday (Hartley), Paint Your Wagon (Loewe/Previn/Riddle), Marrowbone (Velazquez), Funny Girl (Styne/Scharf), Una Vita Venduta (Morricone), Fletch (Faltermeyer), Take Her, She's Mine (Goldsmith), Hereditary (Stetson), Rabbit and Rogue (Elfman) Star Trek Into Darkness (Giacchino), Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (Shapiro)
Read: Sandra Nichols Found Dead, by George V. Higgins
Seen: While I envy people in those states where theaters have and are re-opening, in some ways I'm relieved that California is still waiting. Cinemas in France have been open since, I think, late June, and so far I've seen no reports linking those openings to further coronavirus spikes, so I'm crossing my fingers that movie theaters prove to be reasonably safe spaces.
Watched: Go West [1925], Archer ("The Rock"), Wolf Creek 2, Monty Python's Flying Circus ("Deja Vu"), I Confess, The Terror ("The C, the C, the Open C"), The Avengers ("Have Guns...Will Haggle"), The Scarecrow [1920]
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