I am on vacation this week, so I apologize if some major piece of film music news broke and I did not report it in a timely fashion.
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Highway 395 - Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders - Perseverance
IN THEATERS TODAY
Apples - The Boy
The Black Phone - Mark Korven - Score LP coming from Waxwork/Back Lot
Elvis - Elliott Wheeler
1982 - Nadim Mishlawi
COMING SOON
July 1
Jurassic World: Dominion - Michael Giacchino - Backlot
July 22
Clark - Mikael Akerfeldt - Inside Out
The Northman - Robin Carolan, Sebastian Gainsborough - Sacred Bones
Coming Soon
Mayrig/588 Rue Paradis - Jean-Claude Petit - Music Box
Mort d'un pourri - Philippe Sarde - Music Box
THIS WEEK IN FILM MUSIC HISTORY
June 24 - Jeff Beck born (1944)
June 24 - Patrick Moraz born (1948)
June 24 - Anja Garbarek born (1970)
June 24 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score for The Russia House (1990)
June 24 - Maurice Jarre begins recording his score for The Setting Sun (1991)
June 25 - Carly Simon born (1945)
June 25 - Victor Young begins recording his score for Shane (1952)
June 25 - Pascal Gaigne born (1958)
June 25 - Wolfram de Marco born (1966)
June 25 - Maurice Jarre begins recording his score for The Mackintosh Man (1973)
June 26 - John Greenwood born (1889)
June 26 - Dave Grusin born (1934)
June 26 - George Bassman died (1997)
June 27 - John McCarthy born (1961)
June 27 - Nelson Riddle begins recording his score for Batman (1966)
June 27 - Einar Englund died (1999)
June 28 - Richard Rodgers born (1902)
June 28 - Ken Wannberg born (1930)
June 28 - Nora Orlandi born (1933)
June 28 - Bjorn Isfalt born (1942)
June 28 - Charlie Clouser born (1963)
June 28 - George Duning's score for the Star Trek episode "Metamorphosis" is recorded (1967)
June 28 - Lalo Schifrin records “Underground,” his final episode score for the original Mission: Impossible (1972)
June 28 - Malcolm Lockyer died (1976)
June 28 - Paul Dessau died (1979)
June 28 - John Scott begins recording his score for North Dallas Forty (1979)
June 29 - Joseph Carl Breil born (1870)
June 29 - Bernard Herrmann born (1911)
June 29 - Ulpio Minucci born (1917)
June 29 - Ralph Burns born (1922)
June 29 - Ezra Laderman born (1924)
June 29 - Daniele Amfitheatrof begins recording his score for The Painted Hills (1950)
June 29 - Richard Markowitz’s score for The Wild Wild West episode “The Night of the Infernal Machine” is recorded (1966)
June 29 - Lalo Schifrin records his score for the Mission: Impossible episode “Encore” (1971)
June 29 - Bill Conti begins recording his score for The Big Fix (1978)
June 29 - Mischa Spoliansky died (1985)
June 29 - Bert Shefter died (1999)
June 29 - Johnny Mandel died (2020)
June 30 - Tony Hatch born (1939)
June 30 - Mike Leander born (1941)
June 30 - Stanley Clarke born (1951)
June 30 - Hal Lindes born (1953)
June 30 - Jerry Goldsmith begins recording his score for The Boys from Brazil (1978)
June 30 - Guenther Kauer died (1983)
June 30 - Craig Safan begins recording his score for the Amazing Stories episode "The Wedding Ring" (1986)
June 30 - Basil Poledouris begins recording his score for Flight of the Intruder (1990)
June 30 - Dennis McCarthy records his score for the Star Trek: Voyager episode “The 37’s” (1995)
DID THEY MENTION THE MUSIC?
DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA - John Lunn
"Fans of the television series may not care. The director, Simon Curtis (who is coincidentally married to McGovern) ensures that they get what they want, e.g., enviable tailoring, swirling orchestral music, whooshing drone shots of the Granthams’ honey-colored home, and a comforting, relentlessly nice atmosphere in which every crisis can be sorted out in minutes, and every unattached person has a soulmate waiting for them."
Nicholas Barber, The Wrap
"'Downton Abbey: A New Era' takes us back to those familiar faces, but it’s clear from the first bars of that gorgeous, rousing theme music that things are a little different this time around. The establishing shots of the house and the surrounding estate make the place seem so stately and grand that I actually gasped when I beheld them. The 2019 film was directed by Michael Engler, who has spent more than 25 years helming episodes of TV shows like 'My So-Called Life,' 'Sex and the City,' and, yes, 'Downton Abbey.' Not, I hasten to add, that there’s anything wrong with that. There were some excellent sequences in the first film, especially its dynamic opening scene. But it looked like an episode of television, specifically an extended episode of 'Downton Abbey.'"
June Thomas, Slate Magazine
"Die-hard 'Downton' fans aren’t going to grumble at the chance to spend more time with well-loved characters, and there are plenty of bright spots along the way. Fellowes is clearly having fun with the film set portion of the story, and it’s there that hapless Molesley (bless) gets the hero’s journey he deserves. This new era is beautifully evoked in music and costuming, with composer John Lunn adding some sprightly Jazz Age tuneage to his repertoire and costume designers Maja Meschede and Anna Robbins doing sumptuous work with Posh People at Leisure. On that subject, I'd be chuffed if somebody greenlighted 'Tom and Lucy and Edith and Bertie Play Couples’ Tennis.' I’m thinking six-part series. Just not the multiplex, please."
Kimberley Jones, The Austin Chronicle
"Rejoice, Downtonians! 'Downton Abbey: A New Era' is a worthy entry in Julian Fellowes’ beloved franchise. You were right to be concerned, of course. The acclaimed TV drama’s first foray onto the big screen, 2019’s 'Downton Abbey,' felt like a glorified holiday special; it’s no surprise that 'Parasite,' the far superior take on the same Upstairs, Downstairs premise, completely overshadowed it in terms of cultural significance. And the fact that Focus Features twice postponed 'A New Era,' from December 2021 to March and then to May, wasn’t exactly reassuring. But the sequel manages to rekindle that old feeling right from the opening frames, set to the same John Lunn score that dependably sent chills through Viewers Like You many a Sunday, just the way Alabama 3’s 'Woke Up This Morning' did to fans of 'The Sopranos' -- only this time 'Downton' does so without Laura Linney’s intro."
Martin Tsai, The Onion AV Club
"The music and sweeping aerial photography immediately transport you to a different era. As the movie begins, Tom (Allen Leech) and Lucy (Tuppence Middleton) are getting married, beginning where the movie could have ended. 'I love you in a way I thought I’d never love again,' Tom tells her. Swoon! Viewers have been through a lot with Tom, and to see him so happy is quite satisfying."
Amy Amatangelo, Paste Magazine
"Curtis and editor Adam Recht cross-cut between Yorkshire and France with a galumphing lack of grace, often accompanied by a jaunty burst of John Lunn’s lush orchestral score and someone mid-peal of laughter. Or by somber notes and a character deep in furrowed-brow concern. It’s all a bit mechanical, and soapier than ever, particularly since few problems arise that can’t be swiftly resolved in a script that diligently ties up everything in neat bows."
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
THE FALLOUT - Finneas O'Connell
"The filmmaker’s aesthetic, a compelling blend of strong compositions (Park and cinematographer Kristen Correll show particular skill at overhead shots) and a social media-slick presentation, matches well with the tough material. Mostly, though, it captures the energy of the teenage experience -- not just by way of on-screen texting (a lot of it, and most of it necessary and natural) or through sequences that often feel a touch too close to music video-issued idealism, but through Park’s obvious investment in the emotional life of her characters. Few sequences are as brutally effective as the shooting itself, but 'The Fallout' has plenty of other emotional upheavals to work through over the course of 92 tight minutes. (A score from Finneas O’Connell adds still more young-skewing cred, though Park’s emotional acuity is the real main event here.)"
Kate Erbland, IndieWire
"The helmer, who has directed videos for Billie Eilish, among others, dips into the bag of song-driven music-video maneuvers only once, and though that scene advances the story to a degree, it does stick out in this quiet drama. (The film’s excellent, understated score is by Finneas O’Connell, Eilish’s producer and brother.) Mainly Park lets her actors interact, their humor deadpan, their pain unfathomable, their hormones surging and their flirtations halting."
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
HOLD YOUR FIRE - Jonathan Sanford
"With little preamble, 'Hold Your Fire' drops us into the heat of the robbery, then flicks through the resulting drama. Talking-head interviews with Schlossberg, police officers, and some of the robbers and their hostages are interspersed with archival images and video footage captured by news outlets. The footage -- of the rattling volleys of gunfire, the rumbling arrival of a police armored personnel carrier, and crowds pressing against barricades and cheering for the robbers -- lends a wartime aesthetic of sorts to an urban crime narrative. Through it all, Jonathan Sanford’s squealing jazz-inflected score underlines the chaos of the situation."
Chris Barsanti, Slant Magazine
THE NEXT TEN DAYS IN L.A.
Screenings of older films in Los Angeles-area theaters.
June 24
BLADE RUNNER (Vangelis) [Landmark Westwood]
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME (Philip Glass) [BrainDead Studios]
BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER (Pat Irwin) [Landmark Westwood]
CAT PEOPLE (Giorgio Moroder) [New Beverly]
CATS (Andrew Lloyd Webber) [Alamo Drafthouse]
THE FRENCH (Jean-Pierre Mas) [Los Feliz 3]
HARD EIGHT (Michael Penn, Jon Brion) [aero]
HEART OF GLASS (Popol Vuh) [Los Feliz 3]
KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (Joe Hisaishi) [Nuart]
KILL BILL VOL. 2 (RZA, Robert Rodriguez) [New Beverly]
LOVE JONES (Darryl Jones) [Academy Museum]
NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE (Popol Vuh) [Los Feliz 3]
RUSSIAN ARK (Sergei Yevtushenko) [BrainDead Studios]
WORLD ON A WIRE (Gottfried Hungsberg) [New Beverly]
June 25
AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (Popol Vuh), FITZCARRALDO (Popol Vuh) [Aero]
BASKET CASE (Gus Russo) [New Beverly]
BIGGER THAN LIFE (David Raksin) [Los Feliz 3]
BLADE RUNNER (Vangelis) [Landmark Westwood]
CASINO [BrainDead Studios]
CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (Ernst Reigjeger) [Aero]
THE COLLECTOR (Maurice Jarre) [Los Feliz 3]
DIARY FOR MY CHILDREN (Zsolt Dome), DIARY FOR MY LOVERS (Zsolt Dome) [Academy Museum]
THE FRENCH (Jean-Pierre Mas) [Los Feliz 3]
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (Stephen Trask) [Landmark Westwood]
HUGO (Howard Shore) [Academy Museum]
PITCH PERFECT (Christophe Beck, Mark Kilian) [Alamo Drafthouse]
PONYO (Joe Hisaishi) [Alamo Drafthouse]
RASHOMON (Fumio Hayasaka) [BrainDead Studios]
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Richard O'Brien, Richard Hartley) [Nuart]
SNOOPY COME HOME (Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, Don Ralke) [New Beverly]
STAND BY ME (Jack Nitzsche) [BrainDead Studios]
WORLD ON A WIRE (Gottfried Hungsberg) [New Beverly]
June 26
THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT (Guy Gross) [Alamo Drafthouse]
BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS (Mark Isham) [Los Feliz 3]
THE BUBBLE (Ivri Lider) [Fine Arts]
CATS (Andrew Lloyd Webber) [Alamo Drafthouse]
THE ENIGMA OF KASPAR HAUSER [Los Feliz 3]
FATA MORGANA (Blind Faith, The Third Ear Band) [Los Feliz 3]
INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch) [Aero]
MAD LOVE (Dimitri Tiomkin) [Los Feliz 3]
MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO [Landmark Westwood]
OUR SONG, IN BETWEEN DAYS (Asobi Seksu) [UCLA/Hammer]
PONYO (Joe Hisaishi) [Alamo Drafthouse]
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (John Williams) [Academy Museum]
SNOOPY COME HOME (Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, Don Ralke) [New Beverly]
WORLD ON A WIRE (Gottfried Hungsberg) [New Beverly]
June 27
DEATH DUEL OF KUNG FU (Hsien-Chi Chen), ALONG COMES A TIGER (Fu-Liang Chou) [New Beverly]
THE ENCHANTED COTTAGE (Roy Webb) [UCLA/Hammer]
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (Mark Mothersbaugh) [Alamo Drafthouse]
THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK (Jaime Mendoza-Nava) [Los Feliz 3]
PARIS IS BURNING [Alamo Drafthouse]
VENGEANCE IS MINE [Los Feliz 3]
June 28
ALL THAT JAZZ (Ralph Burns) [Academy Museum]
BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT (Vangelis) [New Beverly]
CATS (Andrew Lloyd Webber) [Alamo Drafthouse]
PIT STOP [Alamo Drafthouse]
June 29
BARRY LYNDON (Leonard Rosenman) [BrainDead Studios]
BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT (Vangelis) [New Beverly]
THE BLING RING [Los Feliz 3]
CATS (Andrew Lloyd Webber) [Alamo Drafthouse]
IMAGES OF THE WORLD AND THE INSCRIPTION OF WAR [Academy Museum]
PIT STOP [Alamo Drafthouse]
TO DIE FOR (Danny Elfman) [Los Feliz 3]
June 30
BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT (Vangelis) [New Beverly]
MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO [Academy Museum]
SUMMERTIME (Alessandro Cicognini) [Los Feliz 3]
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (Air), PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (Bruce Smeaton) [Aero]
July 1
BEFORE SUNRISE (Fred Frith) [Academy Museum]
GANGS OF NEW YORK (Howard Shore) [New Beverly]
THE HANDMAIDEN (Yeong-wook Jo) [Alamo Drafthouse]
THE HATEFUL EIGHT (Ennio Morricone) [New Beverly]
THE MUMMY (Jerry Goldsmith) [New Beverly]
POLICE STORY 2 (Siu-Tin Lai, Siu-Lam Tang) [Los Feliz 3]
TO CATCH A THIEF (Lyn Murray) [Los Feliz 3]
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY [Aero]
VENGEANCE IS MINE [Los Feliz 3]
July 2
BEVERLY HILLS COP (Harold Faltermeyer) [Los Feliz 3]
BLOW OUT (Pino Donaggio) [Los Feliz 3]
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (Gustavo Santaolalla) [Los Feliz 3]
DICK (John Debney) [Alamo Drafthouse]
DIRTY HARRY (Lalo Schifrin) [Los Feliz 3]
GANGS OF NEW YORK (Howard Shore) [New Beverly]
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (John Debney) [New Beverly]
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (John Williams) [New Beverly]
THE PRINCESS BRIDE (Mark Knopfler) [Academy Museum]
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY [Aero]
July 3
BARAKA (Michael Stearns) [Aero]
BATMAN (Danny Elfman) [Academy Museum]
GANGS OF NEW YORK (Howard Shore) [New Beverly]
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (John Williams) [New Beverly]
MY BEST FIEND (Popol Vuh) [Los Feliz 3]
HANA-BI (Joe Hisaishi) [Los Feliz 3]
RUGGLES OF RED GAP [Los Feliz 3]
THE SANDLOT (David Newman) [Los Feliz 3]
THINGS I'VE HEARD, READ, SEEN OR WATCHED LATELY
Heard: The Batman (Giacchino); Batman Forever (Goldenthal); Batman Begins (Zimmer/Howard); Lolita (Morricone); A Pyromaniac's Love Story/Great Moments in Aviation/Smoke/Ethan Frome (Portman); Batman (Elfman); The Remains of the Day (Robbins)
Read: People Who Walk in Darkness, by Stuart M. Kaminsky
Seen: The Age of Innocence [1993]; The Women [1939]; Lightyear; The Spy Who Loved Me
Watched: Archer ("Different Modes of Preparing the Fruit"); Penny Dreadful ("And Hell Itself My Only Foe"); You're the Worst ("Equally Dead Inside")
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