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Aisle Seat 10-29: Halloween Wrap, Part 2!
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Posted By
Andy Dursin
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10/28/2024 - 10:00 PM |
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Writer Eric Red and director Robert Harmon’s THE HITCHER (97 mins., 1986, R; HBO/Warner) has long been a cult favorite: a vividly shot, superbly acted, tense suspense-thriller about an enigmatic serial killer (Rutger Hauer) who picks a naive young man (C. Thomas Howell) for his latest prey along the dusty desert highways of the American Southwest. Yet does Hauer’s “John Ryder” want to merely toy with Howell’s Jim Halsey out on the open road, or does he have some other purpose involved in his psychotic behavior? Those are the questions raised, but mostly unanswered, in Eric Red’s script, which is light on explanations but heavy on mood, atmosphere and tension, all of it beautifully captured by Harmon and cinematographer John Seale. |
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Aisle Seat 10-22: Halloween Edition Part 1
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Posted By
Andy Dursin
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10/21/2024 - 10:00 PM |
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Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser” franchise kicked off its existence with a pair of modestly budgeted horror outings produced by New World Pictures in the midst of its post-Roger Corman mid ‘80s heyday, back when they and other upstarts like The Cannon Group tried to throw their hat into the ring with major Hollywood studios. The first two “Hellraisers” weren’t big box-office hits but nevertheless became instant cult classics and are collected on 4K UHD for the first time along with the intriguing, if hugely uneven, third and fourth series entries in Arrow’s dynamite HELLRAISER: QUARTET OF TORMENT 4K UHD box-set – one that was released to widespread acclaim and big sales in the UK in 2023, and now comes to the USA in an identically packaged release. |
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Aisle Seat 10-15: TEXAS CHAINSAW at 50
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Posted By
Andy Dursin
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10/14/2024 - 10:00 PM |
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It might be hard for some viewers, especially younger horror fans, to understand just how fresh and influential Tobe Hooper’s TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (83 mins., 1974, R; Dark Sky Selects) was at the time of its release – but the hardcore horror fan who does will want to head over to Dark Sky’s website for one of the most lavish limited edition physical media offerings in recent memory. A Dark Sky site exclusive, this spectacular 50th ANNIVERSARY CHAINSAW EDITION is adorned with a mini-chainsaw replica, a VHS copy of the film and more extras than any Leatherface fan could shake his cleaver at. |
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Film Score Friday 10/11/24
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Posted By
Scott Bettencourt
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10/10/2024 - 10:00 PM |
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The latest release from Intrada pairs two early scores by Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Laurence Rosenthal -- A RAISIN IN THE SUN, starring Sidney Poitier, and REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT, starring Anthony Quinn. Intrada had paired these two scores once before, but this new release features previously unreleased music from Requiem.
The latest soundtracks from Quartet present the first CD releases of scores for three films produced by American International Pictures: the music from the biopic DE SADE, starring Keir Dullea and scripted by Richard Matheson, with a score by veteran songwriter and session musician Billy Strange, the Quartet release featuring both the full score from the film as well as the re-arranged LP cues; and a disc pairing two ecologically themed 1970s sci-fi horror movies - THE FOOD OF THE GODS, director Bert I. Gordon's second loose adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel (his first was Village of the Giants), music by Elliot Kaplan, and FROGS, starring Ray Milland and Sam Elliott, with an electronic score by A.I.P. veteran Les Baxter.
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Bernard Hoetger - Carsten Rocker - Alhambra
The Brian May Collection Vol. 1 - Brian May - Dragon's Domain
Desperate Voyage - Bruce Broughton - Dragon's Domain
Goldfinger - John Barry - La-La Land
Haunted Heart - Zbigniew Preisner - Caldera
Le choice des armes/Garcon!/La garce - Philippe Sarde - Music Box
A Raisin in the Sun/Requiem for a Heavyweight - Laurence Rosenthal - Intrada Special Collection
Silence of the North - Alan McMillan, Jerrold Immel - Dragon's Domain
Star Trek: The Original Series - The 1701 Collection - Alexander Courage, Gerald Fried, Sol Kaplan - La-La Land |
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Aisle Seat 10-8: An “A+” For PROJECT A; OCN New Releases
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Posted By
Andy Dursin
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10/7/2024 - 10:00 PM |
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Regarded as one of Jackie Chan’s most important vehicles, “Project A” was released at a time when Chan was trying to branch out from typical Hong Kong movie fare; having just appeared in “The Cannonball Run,” the superstar was trying to parlay his success into movies that could have worldwide appeal. While not a fully realized piece, the first “Project A” was still a solid hit for Chan and found Jackie directing and starring in a 19th century adventure movie as a young HK Marine Police officer taking on pirates. He’s joined by Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in the 1983 original, while Chan reprised his role in a bigger, more technically polished 1987 sequel – both movies newly remastered in 88 Films’ THE PROJECT A COLLECTION, a 4K UHD/Blu-Ray box-set that ranks with the most exciting disc releases of the year. |
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Film Score Friday 10/4/24
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Posted By
Scott Bettencourt
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10/3/2024 - 10:00 PM |
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La-La Land has announced two new releases for this month: a 60th anniversary edition of what is arguably John Barry's most popular 007 score, GOLDFINGER, remastered and re-sequenced in film order; and the seventh volume of their STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES - THE 1701 COLLECTION series, this edition featuring some of the series' most memorable scores - Alexander Courage's music for the two pilots, "The Cage" and "Where No Man Has Gone Before," Sol Kaplan's "The Doomsday Machine," and Gerald Fried's "Amok Time," which introduced both Spock's theme and the fight music that is probably the most widely recognized incidental music from the original series.
The latest release from Caldera features the score from the 2024 thriller IN THE LAND OF SAINTS AND SINNERS, starring Oscar nominees Liam Neeson, Kerry Condon and Ciaran Hinds, with music by Diego Baldenweg with Nora Baldenweg and Lionel Baldenweg. (It's become alarming how rare it is to have a score from the current year show up on CD; ostensibly Lakeshore is releasing Thomas Newman's White Bird today, but I won't truly believe it until I have a copy literally in my hands.) (And I just checked Amazon, and it no longer lists CD as an option for the White Bird score)
CDS AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
The Other - Jerry Goldsmith - Varese Sarabande CD Club
Sudden Death: The Deluxe Edition - John Debney - Varese Sarabande CD Club
IN THEATERS TODAY
Blink - Tamar-kali
Daaaaaali! - Thomas Bangalter
Joker: Folie a Deux - Hildur Guonadottir - Song CD on Warner/Interscope
Lovely Jackson - Jacques Brautbar
Monster Summer - Frederik Wiedmann
The Outrun - John Gurtler, Jan Miserre - Score CD due Jan. 10 from Decca
The Problem with People - Steven Argila
Sam and Colby: The Legends of the Paranormal - Nate Hardy
Scarygirl - Ack Kinmoth
Things Will Be Different - Jimmy LaValle, Michael J. Muller
White Bird - Thomas Newman |
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Today in Film Score History: November 1 |
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David Foster born (1949) |
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Jack Nitzsche begins recording the orchestral passages for his Jewel of the Nile score (1985) |
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Jerry Fielding records his first Mission: Impossible score, for the episode “The Council” (1967) |
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John Scott born (1930) |
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Leighton Lucas died (1982) |
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Lolita Ritmanis born (1962) |
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Louis Barron died (1989) |
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Roger Kellaway born (1939) |
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