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Article search results for the term: Cinemusic: The Film Music of Chuck Cirino
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by Randall Larson (Sun 01-28-2007)
This limited edition (1,000 copies) promotional release was produced by BSX Records on behalf of Chuck Cirino, a composer specializing in low-budget horror and science fiction films who, by the sound of it, really ought to be destined for far greater f... Chuck Cirino’s elusive horror music comes to disc in limited release from Buysoundtrax
by Randall Larson (Tue 12-05-2006)
BuySoundtrax Records has released Cinemusic—The Film Music of Chuck Cirino. This collection features music from three films scored by Chuck Cirino this past year: A.I. Assault aka Shockwave, Komodo vs. Cobra, and Solar Attack.
Cirino did... Barry Gray's Unique Approach to Film Music
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 08-12-2004)
Remembering David RaksinDavid Raksin, composer of the classic film noir mystery/romance LAURA, THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, and dozens of other notable film scores including such low-budget horror/sci fi films as THE UNDYING MONSTER and DR. RENAULT'S SECRE... 
Polanski Passionata
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 10-06-2005)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS Krzysztof Komeda (his name was Americanized by Christopher Komeda for his American LP releases) had a short but profound career in film music, beginning in his native Poland but sweeping into America due to his association with... Monstrous Movie Music is back
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 02-02-2006)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS After a pair of thunderously powerful retrospective recordings of classic horror film music released in 1996, and an in-depth collection of jungle horror film music like THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and THE ALLIGATOR PEOP... Film Music Magazine announces the launch of Film Music Weekly
by Randall Larson (Wed 02-07-2007)
Film Music Magazine announces the launch today of Film Music Weekly (http://www.filmmusicweekly.com), a new weekly electronic magazine about the world of music for film, television and video games. Film Music Weekly will be published each Monday... Film Music Cubed
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 06-24-2004)
Canadian-based Norman Orenstein's film music has meandered through the action film genre for the last fifteen years or so, after more then twenty years effort in performing rock and blues bands. Noted primarily for his potent ambient scores for ROBOCOP: P... Voice of Gojira: Remembering Akira Ifukube
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 02-16-2006)
THE FILM MUSIC OF AKIRA IFUKUBE Akira Ifukube has maintained a notably symphonic style in his prolific array of film scores, utilizing traditional Japanese styles and voicings for many of his adventure and dramatic films, while embodying his music for sci... Amazing Music
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 06-22-2006)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATION In the first of an intended three-volume series, Intrada's two-CD collection of music from the 19805-86 TV anthology series, AMAZING STORIES is an absorbing compilation of music from some of film scoring's top talents. The... The Expansive Game Music of Kevin Manthei
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 09-30-2004)
Kevin Manthei's music has been heard in cinemas, through television speakers, and out of computers since 1995. He has made his most notable strides as a composer of highly cinematic, rhythmically layered scores for computer games, but recently has had the... Universal's Monster MusicStein
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 07-13-2006)
In the 1950s, film music was a far different game than it is now. The studio system was still in effect and film composers were, for the most part, contracted to one studio or another. Universal Studios was one of Hollywood's most productive movie facto... The Wicker Music
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 09-21-2006)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS Angelo Badalamenti has always had a remarkable flair for melodic fluidity, even in the midst of very diverse and unusual scores. Moments of melodic beauty contrast with harsh expressivity in BLUE VELVET; surrealistic musical el... Annual Recap: Best Film Score Licks of 2006
by Randall Larson (Thu 01-04-2007)
2006 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK RECAP
By far the best soundtrack release of 2007 was certainly the majestic, 3-CD release of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: The Complete Recording – but that’s a revived archival score, and we&... Goddess of Music
by Randall Larson (Thu 04-07-2005)
Winifred Phillips is an award-winning composer, producer and vocalist who writes and produces epic choral and orchestral music for cinematic productions. As the composer for Radio Tales, the acclaimed music drama series broadcast via National Public Radio... New Film Music Book covers practical aspects of working in a film composing career
by Randall Larson (Fri 03-09-2007)
Emmy-winning composer Richard Bellis (Stephen King's It) has written a new book entitled The Emerging Film Composer, An Introduction to the People, Problems, and Psychology of the Film Music Business, a unique user’s guide to the craft and busin... The Music is Flux
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 12-08-2005)
Award-winning film and television composer Graeme Revell has scored AEON FLUX, Karyn Kusama's sci-fi actioner starring Charlize Theron that opened last Friday, with a uniquely textured pattern of electronica/techno fused with sinewy melodies, painful intr... Elfman Meets Lecter in a Tasteful Horror Score
by Randall D. Larson (Wed 10-02-2002)
This Week's RecommendationDanny Elfman's first foray into the dark world of Hannibal Lecter in RED DRAGON, released this week by Decca (289 473 248-2), is a mesmerizingly dark journey into malevolency and dementia.In RED DRAGON, Elfman follows the work of... Music in the Key of Snow
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 12-22-2005)
Even before he began his prolific run as the composer for THE X-FILES, Mark Snow had racked up an impressive array of television and feature film scores since emerging into Hollywood television music in 1976. With more than 200 features, TV-movies, minise... Music At World’s End
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 05-17-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Hans Zimmer’s music for the third Pirates of the Caribbean film, At World’s End, released on CD next Tuesday by Disney Records, is a terrific rhythmic hybrid action composition that generates as much ... ELEKTRA-fying Film Music
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 01-20-2005)
Christophe Beck's unusually textured score for ELEKTRA is being heard in theaters this week, with a soundtrack album recently released on Varese Sarabande. The score opens with a heartfelt theme that achieves a notable emotive power not unlike the opening... I Was A Composer for A Teenage Werewolf
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 09-07-2006)
Paul Dunlap 1983
© David Kraft
Paul Dunlap provided extremely effective musical scores for a fistful of low-budget horror and science fiction pictures of the '50s and '60s including a fruitful association with producer Herman Cohen, for whom... Free Film Music Panel at Newport Beach Film Fest features Young, Danna, Frizzell, Rabin, Lennertz and Kraft
by Randall Larson (Tue 04-17-2007)
If you’ll be in Southern California next week, you may be interested in attending a free film music seminar to be held as part of the 8th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival on April 21, 2007 at 11:30am. Moderated by K-Mozart's Gary Hollis, the p... Fractured Soundtrack
by Randall Larson (Thu 04-26-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Brothers and award-winning film composers Jeff and Mychael Danna reunite to invest Gregory Hoblit’s thriller, Fracture, with a sheen of dark, reflective melody and atmosphere. The soundtrack was rel... Manfredini Chokes With Latest Film Score
by Randall Larson (Thu 08-25-2005)
Harry Manfredini first came into prominence with his fertile and compelling score for the first FRIDAY THE 13TH movie in 1980. His inventive musical approach, which
Harry Manfredini
© Harry Manfredini
included a haunting ostinato of voices ec... Action Music
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 01-15-2004)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSFrom France comes the first ever original soundtrack release of the full score from 1976's ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (Record Makers 7243 593241 2 8). The movie was John Carpenter's sophomore directorial effort, a kind of RIO BRAVO ... Danny Elfman Meets The Robinsons
by Randall Larson (Thu 03-15-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Disney’s latest computer-animated feature, Meet The Robinsons, opens on March 30th and comes complete with a stirring score by Danny Elfman. The soundtrack album comes out on March 27th from Walt Disney R... Music of the Apocalypse
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 09-16-2004)
Jeff Danna's career as a guitar player was sidetracked by a hand injury suffered when he was 21 years old. Turning to composition, Jeff began finding work scoring small, independent films in Canada. In 1992, he moved to Los Angeles to assume a career in H... EuroSpy Music
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 02-10-2005)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSOpening with a wonderfully raucous vocal by the unmistakable Italian singer Christy (TEPEPA, RUN MAN RUN), the score for Albert De Martino's 1967 spy spoof, OK CONNERY (aka OPERATION KID BROTHER in the USA and Japan) is a terrif... Unsaid Music
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 12-16-2004)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSPrometheus Records of Belgium has released Don Davis' sublime and poetic score for Tom McLoughlin's psychological thriller, THE UNSAID (PCD 156). Davis, best known these days for his MATRIX scores, provided a warm orchestral sco... Music To Be Abducted By
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 01-29-2004)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSTAKEN, a Steven Spielberg-produced Emmy Award-winning TV miniseries, traces four generations of a single American family that has been beset with alien abductions. The show was broadcast in ten segments on the Sci-Fi channel in ... A Howl of Good Music
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 02-19-2004)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSJoe Hisaishi's sumptuous score for Hiyao Miyazaki latest anime treasure, HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, has been released in Japan on the Takuma label (TKCA-72620). Like the acclaimed director's previous Oscar-winning film, SPIRITED AWAY... Music to Sooth the Frightening Screams that Hate the Living Part Two
by Randall D. Larson (Wed 03-05-2003)
Last week we began to take a look at the horror film music of newcomer Jared Depasquale, whose inventive scores have enhanced low-budget, direct-to-video releases like WITCHHOUSE, THE DEAD HATE THE LIVING, WITCHHOUSE 2, THE FRIGHTENING, and ANCIENT EVIL: ... NEMESIS: Good Music, Mediocre Journey; TWO TOWERS: Two for Two
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 12-19-2002)
This Week's RecommendationSIt's a [IMG3R]shame that Trevor Jones' fine score to the original 2-hour miniseries of DINOTOPIA hasn't been released on a major commercial label, but at least it has been released, on Contemporary Media Recordings (CMR-2002-2) ... Colliding Reactions
by Randall D. Larson (Interview transcription by Kelsey J. Larson) (Thu 01-05-2006)
Juno Reactor is described as a "goa trance music" group (a style of electronic music defined by a recurring and repetitive beat), often known for their tribal influences. The
"Labyrinth" by Juno Reactor (2004)
© Metropolis Records
group was i... Music To Destroy All Humans By – Too
by Randall Larson (Thu 11-09-2006)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Composer Garry Schyman’s score for the 2005 THQ alien invasion videogame Destroy All Humans! was a frenzied, lovingly retro science fiction horror score written in the style of 1950’s sci-fi movies ... International Film Music Critics Association Nominees
by Randall Larson (Mon 02-05-2007)
The members of the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) have announced their nominees for the 3rd IFMCA Awards, honoring achievements in film and television music in 2006.
The nominees are: A - FILM SCORE OF THE YE... Despite Oscar's disrespect, Film Music Critics Vote John Williams "Composer of the Year"
by Randall Larson (Mon 03-13-2006)
While the uproar over last week's shameful awarding of the Oscar for best Musical Score (ignoring two fantastically progressive John Williams scores, MUNICH and MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in favor of Gustavo Santaolalla's simplistic guitar interludes for BROKEBA... New film music CD series for beginners
by Randall Larson (Wed 05-17-2006)
Silva Screen Records in the UK have launched a new series of film music compilations entitled Film Music Masterworks. The first two albums will focus on the music by John Barry and Ennio Morricone, with subsequent releases presenting the music of James Ho... The SUPERNATURAL Music of Christopher Lennertz
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 07-27-2006)
Film and television composer Christopher Lennertz received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Dramatic Underscore)" for scoring the pilot episode of the WB series SUPERNATURAL, which just completed its first season last Ma... Van Tongeren: The London Assignment
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 10-21-2004)
John Van Tongeren's music for the animated short, VAN HELSING: THE LONDON ASSIGNMENT, is as full-blooded and musically direct as that of Alan Silvestri in the feature film the animated short prefaces. The short has to do with Van Helsing's first encounter... Marc Shaiman receives the Henry Mancini Award for Career Achievement at the 22nd Annual ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
by Randall Larson (Tue 04-24-2007)
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) presented its Henry Mancini Award to Marc Shaiman at the 22nd Annual ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards held last Tuesday night (April 17) at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, Califo... David Newman Elected President of The Film Music Society
by Randall Larson (Thu 03-01-2007)
Composer David Newman has been elected President of The Film Music Society, a nonprofit organization formed by entertainment industry professionals to preserve and restore motion picture and television music. Newman replaces Christopher Young, who rec... Kong is koming
by Patrick Sauriol (Thu 09-02-2004)
Universal Pictures has announced a definitive start to filming for Peter Jackson's remake of KING KONG. The film will start shooting this month in New Zealand for a worldwide theatrical release on December 14, 2005.The movie studio issued a press release ... Music to Sooth the Frightening Screams that Hate the Living Part One
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 02-27-2003)
With the spate of independent and direct-to-video horror and science fiction films that are proliferating on the shelves of your local Blockbuster, Hollywood, or Big Fred's Boffo Video stores, the boom in creatively low-budget genre filmmaking has never b... Five-by-Five for 2005
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 01-12-2006)
The year 2005 was a good one for bombastic soundtracks, just as it was a pretty good year for bombastic action films, but there were also a number of profoundly affecting introspective dramatic scores as well. Here's my recap of my Top Twenty favorite new... Suby's Effective Butterfly Score
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 01-22-2004)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSMichael Suby is a recent graduate of the Berklee College of Music, achieving a degree in film scoring in May of 2000. He wrote the music to an independent science fiction epic called ABLE EDWARDS and composed the main title them... Remembering Jerry
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 07-29-2004)
The death of Jerry Goldsmith last week on July 21st continues to have significant repercussions throughout the film and film music community; evidence of just how important Jerry was to the art and technique of music for motion pictures and just what an ... Remembering Shirley Walker
by Randall Larson (Thu 12-07-2006)
In a second sad blow to film musicdom, Composer Shirley Walker passed away last week, barely a week and the identical age as Basil Poledouris who died on November 8th. Walker died after suffering a brain aneurism from which she did not regain c... Hong Kong Superhero
by Randall Larson (Thu 04-21-2005)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS Available as a Region-3 DVD from Hong Kong, Jingle Ma's 2004 superhero spectacular, SILVER HAWK (FEI YING), stars Michele Yeoh as a crime fighting martial arts heroine hiding from a painful past and hoping the attentions of a w... Backward MASKing
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 02-03-2005)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS In SON OF THE MASK, composed Randy Edelman reprises his vibrantly quirky heroic theme from 1994's THE MASK, but only three tracks of score are included on the soundtrack album, released this week by Silva Screen (SILCD 1179). H... Our Musical Pal
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 04-01-2004)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSFrom La-La Land Records comes The Fantasy Film Music of George Pal (LLLCD 1016), a new limited edition collection of more than an hour's worth of music from the famed sci-fi producer's last seven films, much of which has never b... [Film] Music by Gabriel Yared – a DVD Documentary
by Randall Larson (Wed 04-25-2007)
Awarded an Oscar for his score on The English Patient, Gabriel Yared has composed music for feature films, such as The Talented Mr Ripley, Sylvia, Betty Blue, City of Angels, and the notoriously rejected original score for Troy, as well as documentari... Trevor Jones Live Symphonic Film Music Concert Soon Out on CD
by Randall D. Larson (Tue 08-15-2006)
Trevor Jones performed a symphonic concert of his film music with the RTVE Symphony Orchestra and Choir at Madrid's "Teatro Monumental" on July 1st, 2006 as part of the inaugural SONCINEMAD Festival of Film Music in Spain. The concert was conducted by Tre... Landmark Archival Release from FSM Celebrates Elmer Bernstein's Film Music Collection
by Karl Schneider (Mon 06-26-2006)
Between 1974 and 1979 Elmer Bernstein took it upon himself to re-record a selection of classic Hollywood film scores. Funding the project himself, Bernstein recorded in England, mainly with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and released the recordings thr... Fish Heads, Fish Heads
by Randall Larson (Thu 04-12-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Sweden’s new film label, Fin de Siècle Media, has released a real treasure of late 70’s Eurohorror film music – Luciano Michelini’s provocative score for L’Isola Degli Uomini... James Newton Howard's Lady In The Water Receives 2006 Best Score Honors From The International Film Critics Association
by Randall Larson (Tue 02-27-2007)
The members of the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) have announced the winners of the 3rd Annual IFMCA Awards, honoring achievements in film and television music in 2006.
Leading the pack with the most wins is James Newton ... The Best of 2003 Part 2
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 01-08-2004)
Part 2: Restorations & ReissuesApart from new soundtrack releases, archival restorations have played an important part in perpetuating a lot of film music (especially in the fantasy, science fiction, and horror genres) that would otherwise have been lost ... Italian film music Maestro Francesco de Masi 1930-2005
by Randall Larson (Mon 11-21-2005)
On November 6th, the Italian Master Francesco de Masi died of cancer in his home at the age of 75 years. De Masi was an extremely prolific composer and arranger during the 1960s, nearly rivaling the output of his countryman Ennio Morricone. De Masi scored... Herrmann Noir
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 12-18-2003)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSFSM's Golden Age Classics' release for December (the label's 81st CD release in five years!) is the landmark Bernard Herrmann score for Nicholas Ray's 1952 film noir thriller, ON DANGEROUS GROUND (FSM Vol 6 No 18). The film was ... The Music of JASON X Part One
by Randall D. Larson (Tue 04-09-2002)
The FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise takes a big leap into the future with JASON X, completed last year but just now opening on April 26th. Returning along with the hockey-masked slasher is composer Harry Manfredini, whose music has been as much a staple of the ... First of the Summer Blockbusters
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 07-07-2005)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS John Williams' music for Spielberg's retake on WAR OF THE WORLDS is a tremendous score, and viciously aggressive. Released on Decca (B0004568-02), the album retains the opening and closing narration, spoken by Morgan Freeman, r... Grab A Bold Dose of Bollywood Film Music with new Anthology CD
by Randall Larson (Tue 11-08-2005)
Music has always been the heart and soul of India's "Bollywood" films, the songs in the movies remaining pivotal in drawing mass audiences to cinema houses. Songs from Indian cinema are unique and infectious virtually every Bollywood film is a musical no... William Ross: Crafting the Music for Harry Potter
by Ford A. Thaxton and Randall D. Larson (Thu 11-28-2002)
The magical, adventurous world of Harry Potter was well defined by composer John Williams in HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE. With his characteristic flair for melody, effervescent action scoring, and musical depictions of fantasy and suspense, John... The Spaghetti Epic 2: A Merging of Prog Rock and Spaghetti Western Film Music – Redux
by Randall Larson (Thu 04-12-2007)
A unique adaptation of Italian Western film music performed by progressive rock bands, The Spaghetti Epic - Six Modern Prog Bands For Six Seventies Prog Suites was released by French record label Musea in collaboration with Colossus, a Finnish prog ro... Arrival of the Sith
by Randall Larson (Thu 05-05-2005)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS It's here! Sony Classical has released John Williams' soundtrack to the highly-anticipated final STAR WARS film, EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH (SK94220) in a sparkling 2-disc package that includes 70+ minutes of score on CD ... Tyler's Tremendous Tunes
by Randall Larson (Thu 06-23-2005)
Before too much longer, Brian Tyler is going to find himself at the upper echelon of Hollywood film composers. His efforts over the last dozen years have demonstrated a remarkable proclivity toward orchestral melody and stylistic invention that has result... Apocalypto Now
by Randall Larson (Thu 12-14-2006)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
James Horner’s music for the new Mel Gibson film, Apocalypto, an adventure drama about the decline of the Mayan Empire, is compellingly environmental and atmospheric, avoiding the kind of large, bombastic... The Music of JASON X Part Two
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 04-11-2002)
With the FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise heading into the future with the latest installment, JASON X, opening later this month, it has fallen to the series' original composer, Harry Manfredini, to score the new tale of "Jason in Space." Today, we continue our ... CHUCKY and SAUCERMEN CDs, Warner Bros. cartoon music, and a singing ENTERPRISE
by Randall D. Larson (Fri 09-07-2001)
A fistful of blasts from the past can be found on your CD turntables this week, from a couple of the coolest 1950's sci-fi scores to a lavishly enhanced release of the A.I. soundtrack on advanced resolution DVD sound, as well as the unusual assortment of ... Rosenthal to receive 'Life in Music Award'
by Randall Larson (Thu 03-09-2006)
Laurence Rosenthal will be honored with the ASCAP Foundation's Life in Music Award, to be presented to the 79-year old composer during the annual ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards on April 11 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Marilyn Bergma... British Film Academy Awards Nominations for Music Announced
by Randall Larson (Mon 01-15-2007)
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced their 2006 award nominations last weekend. The nominees for the Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music are Gustavo Santaolalla for Babel, David Arnold for Casino Royale, He... Best Soundtracks of 2002 Part Three
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 02-13-2003)
Compilations#7: The James Bond CollectionPrimetime TVPMCD
HAMMER: THE STUDIO THAT DRIPPED BLOOD
© 2002 Silva Screen
808Primetime's updated amalgamation of Silva Screen rerecordings of James Bond movie music comes in a nicely packaged 4-CD sma... Monster Music Strikes Back!
by Randall Larson (Mon 01-09-2006)
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (And Other Ray Harryhausen Animation Classics) is the long-awaited new spectacular release from Monstrous Movie Music. Following on the heels of MMM's first three acclaimed classic horror music CDs, this one features the first recordings ... The Return of the King
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 12-04-2003)
IM MEMORY: MICHAEL SMALLFilm composer Michael Small, 64, passed away on November 24, 2003. Small wrote musical scores for over 50 feature films and TV programs, as well as hundreds of TV and radio commercials. His many credits as include the music for Ala... The Nashville Film Festival: Not Just Cowboy Hats and Twanging Guitars
by Stephen Lackey (Tue 04-24-2007)
Starting last Thursday and running to this Thursday, I am participating in the Nashville Film Festival. I have a film that was selected for screening called A Cheaper Way to Go, a short documentary about a wholesale casket salesman. Over t... Remembering Herman Stein
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 03-29-2007)
REMEMBERING HERMAN STEIN Composer Herman Stein died on March 15th in Los Angeles, at the age of 91. Best known for the music he composed as a member of the Universal Studios music department in the 1950s – including working on the scores of The Crea... Comicscape - May 31, 2006
by KURT AMACKER (Wed 05-31-2006)
My Thoughts on X-Men: The Last Stand After a year of fan anticipation rife with both trepidation and outright, venom, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND opened in theaters last Friday to the second-highest single day box office gross ever, following REVENGE OF THE SIT... Remembering Basil
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 11-16-2006)
The untimely death of film composer Basil Poledouris last week, at the age of 61, has deprived the film music community of one of its finest contemporary practitioners. With more than seven dozen film scores to his credit since the early 1970s, Basil Pole... Official Comic Con Schedule
by Jarrod Sarafin, News Editor (Mon 07-09-2007)
Comic Con 2007 in San Diego has listed their full lineup. I'll be posting the movie and television sections of the COMIC CON event.. This will include lots of information for you to judge on what to see if you happen to go to it.
Another thing, if ... Music for Chasing Ghosts – latest online soundtrack from MovieScore Media
by Randall Larson (Wed 11-15-2006)
With his intense orchestral score for the Michael Madsen action thriller Chasing Ghosts, Scott Glasgow has emerged as one of the most exciting new composers scoring films in Los Angeles. MovieScore Media presents this score as an online album featurin... Music for George (SUPERMAN) Reeves Film
by Randall Larson (Wed 02-01-2006)
The composer who came in the spotlight in 2004 with a beautifully melancholic, subtle, but wholly melodic string-led score for THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR now returns with an ambitious project about the mysterious death of George Reeves, TV's Superman. Its titl... Ghostbusting with Elmer Bernstein
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 09-15-2005)
Elmer Bernstein's work in cinema during the 1980s included quite a few youth-oriented comedies such as ANIMAL HOUSE, STRIPES, TRADING PLACES and others, many of which have been produced by Ivan Reitman and directed by John Landis, filmmakers with whom Ber... Film Composer Tree Adams Provides Music For Stunt Awards
by Randall Larson (Fri 10-07-2005)
For the third consecutive year, award-winning film composer Tree Adams will compose and conduct for the 5th Taurus World Stunt Awards airing on E! Thursday, October 13th at 8:00 PM. The annual awards show honoring the best in the stunt business will be ho... A New Tribute Film Classics Record Label Announced
by Randall Larson (Fri 01-26-2007)
John Morgan, known for his many reconstructions of classic Golden Age film scores, including King Kong, The Ghost of Frankenstein, Curse of the Werewolf and many others for the Marco Polo/Naxos label, has joined with conductor William Stromberg and his... A Musical Premonition
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 05-03-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
I had a strange feeling that Klaus Badelt’s new score was going to be a good one. For Premonition, the third effort from actor-producer-director-random hyphenate Mennan Yapo, the composer noted for Cat... Dutch Radio Presents Game Music Concert
by Alex Van Zelfden (Wed 12-20-2006)
Putting together an orchestral concert is always an enormous undertaking. Getting a small army of musicians through rehearsals, picking a suitable concert hall, getting enough publicity to actually fill said concert hall – all of these tak... Towers, Two
by Randall Larson (Thu 11-23-2006)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Reinvest your appreciation of the second component of the finest film score of the last quarter century in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – The Complete Recordings, released this week by Reprise R... John Ottman Joins the Fantastic Four
by Randall Larson (Thu 07-14-2005)
John Ottman has risen to an impressive prominence over the last several years, while also avoiding that traditional Hollywood pitfall typecasting. He's managed to score a continual variety of films from scary horror films like URBAN LEGENDS: FINAL CUT a... Of Sentinels and Fast Food
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 04-20-2006)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS Coinciding with this week's release of Clark Johnson's THE SENTINEL on DVD comes the soundtrack album on Varese Sarabande 302 066 729 1. The score, by Christophe (BUFFY, ELEKTRA, PINK PANTHER) Beck is a moody and textural one, ... Toaster, Brave
by Randall Larson (Thu 02-17-2005)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS 1986 was the perfect time for David Newman, eldest sibling of the Newman composing clan (brother to Thomas Newman, son of Alfred Newman, nephew to Emil and Lionel, and cousin to older composer Randy Newman to youngster Joel New... Gabriel’s Trumpet
by Randall Larson (Thu 03-01-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Perseverance Records have released a very pleasing pair of soundtracks comprising David Williams’ scores for The Prophecy (1995) and its sequel, The Prophecy II (1995). Like the similar Warlock seri... Playing Games
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 07-21-2005)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS Sumthing Else (SE-2017-2) has released Jack Wall's rich score to the xbox video game, Jade Empire, on CD. The score, an impressive intermingling of orchestral samples and acoustic Chinese instruments, layers a pleasing pattern ... A STRANGER CALLS Film Composer James Dooley
by Randall Larson (Wed 01-25-2006)
Composer James Dooley will score WHEN A STRANGER CALLS for Screen Gems and director Simon West (LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER, CON AIR). Starring Camilla Belle, Katie Cassidy and Tommy Flanagan, the film opens February 3. WHEN A STRANGER CALLS is a retelling of... A New Take on GALACTICA
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 03-18-2004)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSStu Phillips' bombastic, rousing music to Glen A. Larson's (no relation) original 1978 TV series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA was one of the best things about that derivative space opera, a fully realized, authoritative, and wonderfully... Giant Soundtrack Poll Selects Graduate As Best And Ignores Film Scoring with the Rest
by Randall Larson (Mon 01-16-2006)
Simon and Garfunkel's "notorious score" for hit 60s film THE GRADUATE is still considered the best soundtrack in film history, according to a new poll taken by Giant magazine. The magazine's study, 50 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, found the duo's soun... Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. The Creeper
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 10-02-2003)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSGraeme Revell (PITCH BLACK, TOMB RAIDER, MISSION TO MARS) inherits the musical mantle inaugurated by Harry Manfredini in 1980 with the first FRIDAY THE 13TH movie. Whereas NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET had no real musical signature, w... Best Soundtracks of 2004 Part 2
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 01-13-2005)
Just as more and more original film scores are captured on disc despite the ongoing proliferation of song collections masquerading as "film music" the increasing market for classic and forgotten film scores being fully restored either through archival r... Mania talks with "Terra" director Aristomenis Tsirbas
by Pat Ferarra (Fri 03-30-2007)
In the wake of so many lucrative CG films it’s easy to see that early blockbusters like Toy Story (1995) and Shrek (2002) were the frontrunners for traditional animation’s demise. Now 12 years after the first theatrical release of a CGI fea... Trolling
by Randall Larson (Thu 01-11-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATION
Richard’s Band’s 1986 score for Troll remains one of the best and most ambitious of his career. Released only on LP from Restless Records and quickly evaporated into oblivion, the score h... Paranoia Passionata
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 05-24-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Brian Tyler’s score for William Friedkin’s psychological horror film Bug, released Tuesday as an online download from iTunes and elsewhere, is a very disturbing and dissonant score, unlike anything Ty... Coiled Fusion
by Randall Larson (Thu 03-22-2007)
The scores to Snakes on a Plane, Zodiac, and Shooter at first glance seem to bear little resemblance to one another, although each in fact embodies a type of musical fusion to develop and enhance its effectiveness as a score and as a soundtrack CD.&nb... Film Composer dies in drowning accident
by Randall Larson (Mon 11-20-2006)
According to Soundtrack.net, film composer Nigel Holton, who wrote scores for films such as Carnosaur, Chloe’s Prayer, and Indigo Hearts, has died at the age of 54 in a drowning accident while visiting friends in New Zealand.
Nigel Holto... British Ivor Novello Music Nominees for 2007
by Randall Larson (Wed 05-02-2007)
The music of Film and Television features in a couple of categories at the Ivor Novello Awards, the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters’ annual celebration of British music talent. This year is the 50th such ceremony and, as usual, it takes... Cinescore Software "Generates Fully Composed Music"
by RANDALL LARSON (Tue 06-20-2006)
It was bound to happen, from somebody, some day. Sony has announced the release of its new Cinescore automated soundtrack creation software, described by the company as "a breakthrough in professional soundtrack creation, automatically generating fully c... Schwarzenegger Governs Predatorial Aliens
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 08-28-2003)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONBig news for film music fans is the first ever, legitimate release of the oft-requested soundtrack to PREDATOR (VCL 0803 1022), John McTiernan's 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger Rambo-Meets-Alien monster thriller. The music never ... The Mythic Eloquence of 300
by Randall Larson (Thu 02-08-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Tyler Bates’ music for 300, Zach Snyder’s spectacular adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel about the epic Battle of Thermopylae that pitted 300 Greeks against the massive Persian Army in... Saturn Thrice
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 09-28-2006)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATION Latest effort in Intrada's limited Special Collection series is the world premiere release of Elmer Bernstein's avant-garde opus, SATURN 3. The score is one of a handful of true sci-fi films scored by Bernstein, who began his ca... Around the World in Seventy Minutes
by Randall Larson (Thu 02-01-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
When it premiered in 1956, producer Mike Todd’s flamboyant cinematic incarnation of the Jules Verne novel, Around the World in 80 Days, was the world’s most expensive and elaborate film, directed by... The Adventure of the Preserved Score
by Randall Larson (Thu 04-05-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATION
England’s Tadlow Music has released a splendid new recording – and world premiere of the complete score – of Miklós Rózsa’s elegant music to Billy Wilder’s ... TRIFFIDS Music Online
by Randall Larson (Thu 10-20-2005)
While you're waiting for the long-delayed next volume in Monstrous Movie Music's series of newly recorded classic horror film music to finally appear, surf on over to their web site and taste a few tidbits from their recording of Ron Goodwin's superb scor... Lost In Evisceration
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 10-12-2006)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS Steve Jablonsky reprises his dark ambiances from the 2003 remake of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE with an equally brooding and disconsolate score for THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman (DA... More Original Godzilla Music On The Way
by Randall Larson (Wed 09-27-2006)
Toho Records will release on October 20th the 4th Box Set in their "50th Anniversary Godzilla Soundtrack Perfect Collection," a monstrous series of multiple box sets gathering the complete soundtracks to each and every Japanese Godzilla film.Box 4 will co... Music in Review
by Jeff Bond (Mon 12-03-2001)
It's hardly surprising that 2001 hasn't produced a wealth of great film music given that the actual output of movies themselves has been so incredibly disappointing. We've become accustomed to the idea that "important" movies don't get released until some... Nose to the Grindhouse
by Randall Larson (Thu 04-19-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Grindhouse, the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez pastiche of 1970s era exploitation flix, features a soundtrack that similarly draws on the many influences that have driven the film’s conceptualiz... Doctor Who Strikes Gold
by Randall Larson (Thu 03-08-2007)
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONS
Nicely coinciding with the release of the second season DVD from the revived Doctor Who TV series is this soundtrack CD from Silva Screen, featuring Murray Gold’s wonderful music from the first two season... Fearless Farscape
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 08-24-2006)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS Scheduled for release on September 5th from Lakeshore Records, the soundtrack to JET LI'S FEARLESS is a massive action/adventure score from the composer of HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and Kar Wai Wong luxurious drama, 2046, Shigeru... Heroes of Heaven, Earth, and Raccoon City
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 10-07-2004)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSZhang Yimou's film, HERO, released in Asia in 2002 but debuting in America this summer, is a spectacular visual experience. The film is richly textured in both its color pallet and its sound design. Using spectacular aerobic swo... Klaatu Barada Nikto Redux
by Randall D. Larson (Wed 02-19-2003)
This Week's RecommendationComposer Michelle DiBucci
Michelle DiBucci's ambient New Age-ish score for Larry Fessenden's horror film, WENDIGO
© 2003 Pacific Time Records
has emphasized the Native American aspects of Larry Fessenden's eerie horr... Narnia Music
by Randall Larson (Fri 09-16-2005)
Walden Media has updated their Narnia Educator's website with a new "Musical Explorations" section that features an interview with composer Harry Gregson-Williams, who is composing the score for the inaugural feature film, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LI... Finale
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 05-31-2007)
This is Mania’s last Soundtrax column, our soundtrack coverage and daily Music News ending with this week’s posts. I’d like to thank all of the interested readers for your comments and your readership – and for the opportunity... Italy’s Premiere “Film Score Metal” band debuts a new visage as “Rhapsody of Fire”
by Randall Larson (Thu 11-02-2006)
Released this week by Steamhammer is Triumph or Agony, the new album by the Italian progressive metal band known for its self-designated “Film Score Metal” style of music, featuring sweeping choruses, cinematically developing atmospheres, ... Scharf Remembered, METROPOLIS Restored, and New Scores Abound
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 03-13-2003)
IN memoriamWalter Scharf, who composed, arranged or conducted the music for about 250 movies and television programs, including episodes of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E, died Monday, February 24, 2003, at his home in Brentwood, Californi... Hulking, Tubular, and Matrixed
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 06-26-2003)
This Week's RecommendationThe rhythmic structure of Danny Elfman's score for THE HULK, released this week on Decca (B0000633-02), is roughly similar to that of SPIDERMAN. In many moments, the two Elfman scores share a parallel pattern in their rhythmic de... Fantasy Films Sweep Oscar Music Nominations
by Randall D. Larson (Wed 02-27-2002)
This Week's RecommendationThe evocative
John Ottman's EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS soundtrack CD
© 2002 Warner Bros.
and blood-drenched, richly dynamic scores of England's Hammer Film Studios come together in a new compilation of some of the century's... STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE ULTIMATE EDITION on Compact Disc
by Randall D. Larson (Sat 11-18-2000)
By fleshing out their initial single-disc soundtrack for STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE into two discs, Sony Classical provides virtually every note of John Williams' score, including one cue dropped from the final release print. With 68 cues, th... From Azkaban to Shady Rest
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 06-03-2004)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSLast week came the latest musical installment in the Harry Potter cinema series -- John Williams' score to HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (Warner Bros 83711-2). Unlike the second film, CHAMBER OF SECRETS, where other c... DeCoding Zimmer
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 05-04-2006)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS Hans Zimmer's score to Ron Howard's THE DA VINCI CODE is a somber, affecting, and sobering composition. Set for release by Decca on May 9th, the music is beautifully arcane and tragically sumptuous. It's an attractive and very ... Rota Does Poe
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 02-12-2004)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSNino Rota's music for Federico Fellini is among the brightest and most interesting Italian film music of the '60s and early '70s. Scores such as LA DOLCE VITA, LA STRADA, JULIET OF THE SPIRITS are among the composer's most profo... Yared makes his horror music debut
by Randall Larson (Fri 12-08-2006)
French composer Gabriel Yared has been hired by Swedish director Mikael Håfström to score his new film 1408, based on the Stephen King short story that appeared in his collection, Everything’s Eventual. The film is produced by Dimensi... DRACULA Re-Scored!
by Angela Starita (Wed 10-27-1999)
You`d be hard pressed to separate Bernard Herrmann`s score for PSYCHO from the movie itself, but because the scores of silent films are not etched in people`s memories--few original scores exist and fewer are performed--musicians have a relatively open fi... Reloading The Musical Matrix Part One
by Randall D. Larson (Thu 05-15-2003)
This Week's RecommendationThe soundtrack CD preceded the theatrical release of THE MATRIX RELOADED by a week, giving Matrixheads an advance listen to the musical amalgamation that would synergize their cinematic experience starting today. In RELOADED (War...