Win a copy of the BEOWULF Soundtrack!

Enter this month’s caption contest for a chance to win a copy of Alan Silvestri’s score to "BEOWULF."

Check out the contest rules HERE. Enter the contest HERE.

LAURA KARPMAN TO CONDUCT "GAMES IN CONCERT 2"

A little game-music news for you today.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LAURA KARPMAN TO CONDUCT "GAMES IN CONCERT 2"

EMMY AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER CONDUCTS VIDEO GAME MUSIC CONCERTFEATURING MUSIC FROM EVERQUEST II AND UNTOLD LEGENDS: DARK KINGDOM

Los Angeles, CA – November 26th, 2007 – Emmy award-winning composer Laura Karpman (Steven Spielberg’s TAKEN), will conduct the second “Games In Concert” (http://www.gamesinconcert.nl/) event in Holland featuring live symphony orchestral performances of popular video game music scores. The concert will be performed by the Metropole Orchestra and PA’dam Choir (http://www.metropoleorkest.nl/) at the Music Centre Vredenburg Utrecht (http://www.vredenburg.nl/) in The Netherlands on 8th December, 2007.

Some of the orchestral arrangements scheduled to be performed during “Games In Concert 2” include: Final Fantasy, Grandia II, Halo, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Kingdom Hearts, Legend of Zelda, Max Payne, Shadow of the Colossus, Soul Calibur 2, Super Mario Bros., Star Fox, StarCraft, Tetris and Unreal Tournament, as well as Laura Karpman’s epic orchestral/choral scores for Sony Online Entertainment’s EverQuest II and Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom.

“It's so inspiring to be a part of this performance. I believe that games are a terrific way for audiences to hear and experience serious music,” said Laura Karpman. “The sheer number of hours alone that people are listening and engaging with orchestral music is hugely exciting and encouraging about the future of the art form.”

Karpman’s fantasy score for Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom won PLAY Magazine’s (US) 2006 Best Original Soundtrack of the Year Award. The score was originally recorded in Prague with the FILMharmonic Orchestra and Choir, with Karpman conducting. The lyrics sung by the choir were adapted by Karpman from portions of the medieval poetry text “William Wallace” in Middle Scots - the literary source for the legend of “Braveheart” - and woven into the score to complement the game’s intriguing narrative and dramatic storyline.

In 2005 Karpman received a Game Audio Network (G.A.N.G.) award for her EverQuest II video game music, which has been performed by orchestras internationally including the “GC” Symphonic Game Music Concert in Germany, “Joystiq” in Sweden and “Video Games Live” at the Hollywood Bowl in North America. Karpman most recently contributed additional music to Clive Barker's Jericho and the bonus material for Halo 3. For more information visit: http://www.laurakarpman.com/.

Free and Legal! The Best Film, TV and Game Music Online

Christmas approaches. You can't afford to spend a dime on yourself. You've been listening to the 300, Braveheart and Last of the Mohicans soundtracks long enough!

Tracksounds brings you some relief in our new feature: FREE AND LEGAL! Here we list some of the webs best sites for free and legal music. Download full tracks! Download clips! Stream until you can't stream no more!

Here's a bit of an introduction:

Downloading music on the internet is almost as common as breathing these days. If you have a computer that has a broadband connection to the internet, then you've likely downloaded, at the very least, a sound clip or two. More likely, you've downloaded full tracks or entire albums already. Services such as eMusic, iTunes, Yahoo Music, and more recently Amazon.com, have all made it easy to get the music you want and at more affordable prices. As we know, downloading music has cast the industry into a new era where the lines of ownership, fair-use, and profitability have been put into question...

Here you will find a list of sites that offer music in a variety of ways: sound clips to streaming tracks to fully downloadable and free tracks! You will likely find some great music out there that you could not buy, even if you wanted to. You may discover a new talent that might lead you to buying other music from the composer. You will inevitably find some new treasure to bring hours of entertainment to your ears. . . and all for free!

CHECK OUT THE NEW FEATURE!

4 Tracks from THE GOLDEN COMPASS: GAME by JAMIE CHRISTOPHERSON

A few days late, but HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

As you may or may not be aware, veteran game-score composer JAMIE CHRISTOPHERSON provides the musical score the the game-tie-in for the upcoming THE GOLDEN COMPASS film. Of course, this isn't the first time he has written music for a game tie-in from a New Line film. He also provided some wonder music for THE LORD OF THE RINGS: BATTLE FOR MIDDLE EARTH 2, which matched Howard Shore's established sound to a J-R-R-T.

Now you can get a glimpse into the musical textures of the game which likely are tied to ALEXANDRE DESPLAT's work for the actual film (I haven't yet confirmed this yet). There are four complete tracks available for your listening pleasure.

CHECK THE TRACKS OUT HERE

Beowulf (Soundtrack) by Alan Silvestri Reviewed with 3 Soundclips

I Have Come to Score Your Movie!
review by Christopher Coleman

"They say...you have a movie here...
They say... your movie is cursed...
I am Silvestri ... I will score your movie."

Being anonymously written somewhere around the 8th century, the poetic tale of the hero, BEOWULF, has long been a part of western thought and consciousness. It has been analyzed and written about by countless scholars and made into a handful of films. The latest effort to transport the beloved poem into the present is director Robert Zemeckis' fully, computer-generated version. The choice to go "CG" has been met with varying degrees of acceptance, some saying that the use of computer graphics has cursed the film. In the light of successful marriages between traditional photography and photorealistic CG work in recent years, it is viable to question the directors choice. What might the cost be, if any, for succumbing to the seduction of CG?

Regardless of where you might land on this issue, one Zemeckis choice that has gone unquestioned was calling upon his long time collaborator, ALAN SILVESTRI. The two have had successful and memorable collaborations on projects such as: the BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy, FORREST GUMP, CONTACT, and most recently THE POLAR EXPRESS (Zemeckis' first all CG film). Once gain Silvestri has arrived to score Zemeckis' movie.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Mass Effect Soundtrack is Sumthing Else

On November 20, 2007, SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS will be releasing the original soundtrack to the highly anticipated game MASS EFFECT. The score is composed by veteran game composer Jack Wall, Sam Hulic, Richard Jacques and David Kates. You can pre-order the MASS EFFECT soundtrack today.


Below is the official press release:

MEDIA RELEASE
SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF THE MASS EFFECT ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK FROM THE BLOCKBUSTER XBOX 360® VIDEO GAME

THE EPIC SOUNDTRACK TO THIS YEAR’S HOTTEST ROLE-PLAYING GAME
New York - November 16th, 2007 - Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through its licensing relationship with BioWare and Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Mass Effect Original Soundtrack. Featuring over an hour of original music from the game, the soundtrack CD will be released on November 20 to US retail outlets through Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works label http://www.sumthing.com/. Sumthing Else Music Works is the industry leader in licensing and distributing video game soundtracks.Inspired by classic sci-fi movies such as ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Dune,’ the Mass Effect soundtrack was composed by Jack Wall and Sam Hulick with additional music by Richard Jacques and David Kates. The score blends 80’s electronic music with modern orchestral scoring to enhance the dramatic storyline and beautiful visuals set in an epic futuristic universe.

"From the earliest stages of its conception, Mass Effect was meant to be an original artwork about the future, inspired by the great science fiction experiences of the past," said Casey Hudson, Project Director for Mass Effect. "This synthesis of originality and familiarity called for a truly unique soundtrack, with ambitious goals and unprecedented challenges."
From the creators of the critically-acclaimed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire comes an epic space saga exclusively for the Xbox 360 that spans the entire galaxy. Combining a rich and engaging narrative with intense sci-fi tactical combat, Mass Effect features an immersive and cinematic gameplay experience rarely seen before in video games. For more information on Mass Effect, visit http://www.masseffect.com/.

About BioWare

BioWare Corp. is an electronic entertainment company which develops computer, console, handheld and online video games focused on rich stories and memorable characters. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world's best-selling titles including the award-winning Baldur's Gate™ and Neverwinter Nights™ series, as well as the 2003 Game of the Year, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™. Original BioWare-created IPs include the 2005 RPG of the Year, Jade Empire™, with next-generation titles Mass Effect™ and Dragon Age™ currently in development. Mass Effect will ship to retailers globally in November, 2007. The game has received more than 50 awards, including the 2007 Game Critics Awards for “Best Console Game” and “Best RPG” at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. With studios in Edmonton, Canada, and Austin, Texas, BioWare is also hard at work on a new title for the Nintendo DS™ based on Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as several unannounced projects including a massively multiplayer online game. For more information on BioWare, visit http://www.bioware.com/.

Airwolf Soundtrack Returns!

For those of you who have been pining away for the music from that good ol' series from the 80's, AIRWOLF (and who hasn't?), your day has come!

Just received this press release regarding a re-release of what has been one highly collectible soundtrack. First it will be available for digital download and later on CD. Check the release below for all the details or

Visit the website here

Embargo: for immediate release
15th November, 2007

AIRWOLF THEMES TAKES TO THE AIR AGAIN

GER Soundtracks are pleased to announce the highly anticipated re-release of the critically-acclaimed soundtrack for the mid-80s action/adventure TV series, ŒAirwolf¹, via new, digitally re-mastered & re-mixed release from both Apple iTunes Store and Pinnacle-Digital with a launch date of 3rd December, 2007.

Containing 25 tracks based on the episodic score for the original TV series about a high-tech, covert helicopter and its reclusive pilot, the ŒAirwolf Themes¹ soundtrack captures the diversity of the music on the show, from the majestic character-driven orchestral themes to the melodic synth-based themes for its exciting, aerial action sequences.

HIGH-VALUE COLLECTIBLE

The ŒAirwolf Themes¹ soundtrack has also become hugely collectible amongst television fans and the soundtrack community, in general selling for upwards of $981 (a world record for a television soundtrack) on eBay in recent years, with the majority of original 2CD sets now selling for between $300 - $600.

An interesting fact with this release is that the majority of the tracks were arranged by ear by its Northern Ireland-based creator (and Airwolf ŒSuperFan¹) Mark J. Cairns. The original release¹ Special Bonus CD No.2 was created by original primary composer, Sylvester Levay who revisited his orchestral pieces from the show via new recordings using the 80-piece Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. Sound engineering was produced with Bernie Grundman Studios in Los Angeles (who produced Michael Jackson¹s ŒThriller¹ and ŒBad¹ recordings in the 1980s).

A sequel ŒAirwolf Themes¹ soundtrack is currently in production and will be released in late 2008.

AIRWOLF: THE SERIES

Unlike other action/adventure shows of its day, Airwolf was unique in that the original composers, Sylvester Levay and Udi Harpaz chose to take a memorable Œtune-of-the-week¹ approach to their scoring - unlike many other shows that took a monotonous background score direction ­ the climax of each episode being a rendition of Levay¹s memorable main theme for the star helicopter's aerial battle sequences, adding greatly to its blackbird of
death amalgam of Lone Ranger, Mighty Mouse and God¹ ethos.

RELEASE DATA

Digital Downloads Release Date: 3rd December, 2007
Territory: Worldwide distribution release
Catalogue No: GERCD3
Licensed from: NBC-Universal
30-sec MP3 teasers at: www.airwolfthemes.com


MISCELLANEOUS DATA

- 25 tracks (22 by Mark J.Cairns, 3 by Sylvester Levay)
- Original 2CD Special Limited Edition Release date: 1999
- Original 2CD Special Limited Edition cost: $60
- Sold to 42 countries originally
- Highly collectible soundtrack selling for up to $981 on eBay.
- Airwolf series starred Jan-Michael Vincent and veteran actor, Ernest
Borgnine and aired from 1984-1986

Beowulf: The Movie and The Music: First Impressions

NO SPOILERS!

I don't normally post about movie-going experiences, but having just returned from an early showing of Robert Zemeckis' latest 3-D, animated venture, BEOWULF, I feel its a special occasion. What put this occasion over the top was the fact that this presentation of the film was in digital 3-D. Now, the last time I saw a film in 3-D was when the glasses were made of paper, one lense blue and one red. I was in for a treat with the strides that have been made in the realm of 3-D projection.

It took a few minutes for my eyes and head to adjust to not trying to watch the film in a 2-D fashion. Finally getting my eyes to relax and just watch was actually something I had train myself to do. After 15 minutes, I was fully acclimated to this new environment.

Let me just say this about the film. If you have the opportunity to see it in 3-D...DO SO! About half way through I thought just how much the 3-D aspect added to the film. Hard to fathom it without it now. Still, if you don't see it in 3-D, I'm guessing you'll still enjoy the flick. BEOWULF is some kinda ride!

What is deceptive is the fact that it is animated. Don't be fooled! Zemeckis has made an adult film here. On more than one occasion, I found myself reacting, "I can't believe Zemeckis went there." This ain't no POLAR EXPRESS. There is on Disney-sanitization going on in these pixels.

Now, having heard the ALAN SILVESTRI's score just prior to seeing the movie, I have to admit...I was slightly (only slightly now) underwhelmed. As you might expect, having seen the film, my appreciation level has risen. Silvestri's score works very well in the film and will undoubtedly be enjoyed to a greater degree by those who watch it.

It's early days yet, but the 46 minutes of score on the soundtrack seem to capture the key moments...certainly the key themes, but further listens may change my thoughts there. The track order has definitely been arranged to provide the best listening experience as opposed to chronological order.

BEOWULF, the 3-D film, is the most fun I have had at the movies in quite some time. A visual feast, matched by a decent screenplay, good voice acting, and lifted by Silvestri's score. One last thing is that I have a permanent keepsake of the whole experience - one that I will dawn to work and see what sort of fashion statement it makes.

Look for my full review in the upcoming days...In the meantime, go see BEOWULF.

New Contest! Win BEOWULF AND 300 POSTERS!

Well, who doesn't want to win great movie stuff? Tracksounds and Moviegoods.com is proud to bring you the WHO WANTS TO WIN MEMORABILIA poster contest! You could be ONE of FIVE WINNERS of the poster print from the film BEOWULF!

If you are among the FIVE WINNERs, in addition to the BEOWULF poster you will receive the 300 poster print as a bonus prize!

This CG-Blood-Spectacular contest is now open! Enter here!

Movie Geeks United Interviews Mark Isham TONIGHT

Better late notice, than no notice, but MOVIE GEEKS UNITED will be interviewing composer MARK ISHAM tonight at 10:00 PM (that's got to be Eastern Time...or I'll have to miss this one.)

You can check it out LIVE here. If you miss it, don't fret. I'm certain you'll find it archived for listening at your convenience. It's been quite a busy year for the composer so the interview should prove interesting!

You can even call in with your own questions @ 718-508-9477.

New Releases from Moviescore Media

Moviescore Media has recently released a few new scores worth checking out. Last week, THE DREAMLESS by Nathaniel Levisay was released and teleasing today is GEORGE AND THE DRAGON by GAST WALTZING.

You can check out soundclips and order downloadable (320 kbps) versions of each score at the Moviescore Media site. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON is also available from Screen Archives Entertainment as a Limited Edition CD.

First impressions of GEORGE AND THE DRAGON are quite positive as it features strong melodies and quite a bit of variety in style ranging from the classic orchestral to contemporary electronic, rhythmic stuff. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON seems deserving of being the second of Moviescore Media's "Discovery Collection."

Halo 3 Original Soundtrack Site Launches

You know the game is a big deal when the game's soundtrack get's its own official site! Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori's score for the mega-hit game HALO 3 recently received its own piece of web-relastate with the site http://www.halo3ost.com/. There you will find info about the composers, artwork, tracklisting and more. Don't miss the downloadable sheet music and video documentary, "Behind the Audio" and a streaming version of the score.

The Halo 3 soundtrack is scheduled for release on November 20, 2007.

Cool stuff.

Check it out here!

Maurice Jarre: A Tribute to David Lean Reviewed

Do You Think This is Just Any DVD?
by Christopher Coleman

One of the most celebrated directors of the last 50 years has been David Lean - and most deservingly so. The visionary director will long be remembered and honored for his epic works: THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, and A PASSAGE TO INDIA. His films have stood the test of time and remain awe-inspiring to this day. The name, "Maurice Jarre" became inexorably connected to the David Lean with their first collaborative effort of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA back in 1961. Beyond co-workers, Lean and Jarre became great friends. Only a few weeks after the after the world lost the great director in 1991, Maurice Jarre conducted the ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA in a concert-tribute to his friend. Now, some fifteen years after this live concert was recorded, MILAN RECORDS, releases a two-disc special edition DVD + compact disc set entitled, MAURICE JARRE: A TRIBUTE TO DAVID LEAN.

My review here covers the release as a whole, both the DVD featuring the live concert and the CD which features an audio- only recording of the same concert. Before covering the concert itself, there are a few additional features included on the DVD that deserve mentioning. Now, what I personally dove into before anything else was the interview with MAURICE JARRE. The brief interview is conducted in French (which makes it feel much longer than its 35 minute run time), but it does offer English subtitles. In it, Jarre shares about his beginnings with Lean all the way to his final conversation with director only 3 days before Lean's death. He goes on to talk about some of his unique choices in instrumentation and ground-breaking employment of synthesizers and how Lean influenced him in that regard. The interview does end a little abruptly...which left me wanting more, so I quickly navigated to the concert recording with Maurice Jarre's audio commentary turned on.

On the DVD and CD, each performed selection was specifically arranged by Jarre for this concert. He uniquely edits highlights, which average about 10 minutes each, from four seminal collaborations between himself and the director. On the DVD, as each suite is performed we get to view Jarre's selected images from the films, intercut with shots of Jarre himself, the orchestra, and occasional wideshots of the audience. The edited footage from the films was a nice visual tribute to David Lean, yet Jarre's evocative music is really all that is needed to recall the vivid images they were originally set to.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Lust, Caution by Alexander Desplat

Fleeting Pleasure
By Cap Stewart

As of late, director Ang Lee seems to be getting a kick out of being controversial. The subject matter of his previous film, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, stirred a considerable amount of controversy itself. In fact, so did Gustavo Santaolalla’s score for the film—especially after his mediocre effort garnered him an Oscar win, edging out two John Williams compositions (among other nominees). Alexandre Desplat’s efforts for LUST, CAUTION aren’t nearly as controversial (although it is interesting to note that the score fails to employ instrumentation native to the film’s locale).

My first exposure to the music for LUST, CAUTION involved hearing a few tantalizing thirty-second clips. The restrained beauty of the main theme quickly captured my attention and left me wanting more. I haven’t been a huge fan of Alexandre Desplat (although I did like his work on THE QUEEN), but this score sounded like it could change my view of him.

Read the full review here

Beowulf: The Game Soundtrack by Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan

Between, ASSASSIN'S CREED, CALL OF DUTY 4, HALO 3, CRYSIS, and LOONEY TUNES: ACME ARSENAL (ok...that last one is a pure guilty pleasure of mine) ...between all of these recent and upcoming releases, will people have time and money for any more gaming?

I'm not sure, but if Robert Zemecki's upcoming animated, feature film, BEOWULF is half as good as its various trailers, then, BEOWULF: THE GAME should have a good chance of making a dent in this season already jam-packed with excellent games.

Regardless of how good the game is, one thing is for sure, the stops were pulled out again for the game's score. Composers CRIS VELASCO and SASCHA DIKICIYAN wrote a powerful orchestral score, contracted some of the San Francisco Bay Area's best musicians and recorded at the famed Skywalker Sound studios!

Don't miss the 3 SAMPLE TRACKS from the score HERE!

Below is the official press release.

SAN FRANCISCO - November 8, 2007

Today, Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that top video game composers Sascha Dikiciyan and Cris Velasco have created an original orchestral music score for Beowulf™, the new action combat video game based on Paramount Pictures' and Shangri-La Entertainment's upcoming feature film Beowulf™. The Beowulf™ video game is scheduled for worldwide release in conjunction with the movie's opening in November 2007.


Created by the industry’s most in-demand composer team in Dikiciyan and Velasco, the Beowulf™ video game score is an epic musical journey featuring anthemic choral/orchestral compositions and bombastic action cues driven by heavy brass and thunderous percussion. The grand orchestral score was recorded with many of San Francisco’s best symphony musicians at the world famous Skywalker Sound studios.

"The biggest challenge we had for Beowulf’s soundtrack was that the music not only had to support and enhance the game’s actions, but it also had to follow the evolution of Beowulf universe; starting as a very heavy middle age Barbarian music and ending as a modern and powerful Hollywood score,” stated Manu Bachet, Music Supervisor at Ubisoft. “Within a very aggressive schedule, Cris Velasco and Sascha Dikiciyan managed to compose the most refined barbarian soundtrack ever heard on this side of the Danes kingdom."

"Working with Ubisoft on Beowulf reminds me of why I love being a game composer; it was an amazing experience from start to finish,” said Cris Velasco. “We began by meeting with all the creative teams from around the world to review the incredible visuals and game play that we would use as inspiration for the music. The score was recorded using top players and singers from the San Francisco area, and over the course of two days we had a great time both working in the studio and hanging out at the Skywalker Ranch."

The Beowulf™ video game takes players deep into Academy Award®-winning director Robert Zemeckis’ vision of the classic saga, Beowulf. Gamers live the life of Beowulf, the legendary Norse warrior with the strength of 30 men who is torn between the nobility and brutality within him. Arrogant, self-serving, and lustful for gold and glory, Beowulf will journey to Denmark to destroy a bloodthirsty beast wreaking havoc on a frigid land. But evil persists, and Beowulf succumbs to its lure of even greater fame, quietly maneuvering to claim the Danish throne. As King, Beowulf must face the consequences of ambition, even as war descends on the realm. As Beowulf, players lead their men, called Thanes, into battle, slay the Titans of a dying age, and crush the enemies that threaten to annihilate both their kingdom and people. Only then, when Beowulf looks Destiny in the eye, will he know what kind of hero he has truly become.

For more information on the Beowulf™ video game, please visit http://www.beowulfgame.com/

For more information on the movie, visit the official site at
http://www.beowulfmovie.com/.

The Water Horse Official Site with Original Score?

The official Sony site for the upcoming family film THE WATER HORSE: LEGEND OF THE DEEP is live and sounds as though it offers a few tidbits from JAMES NEWTON HOWARD's score. A story about a Scottish family and a mythic creature should give Mr. Howard some great musical opportunities. Be sure to check out the director's blog for a few more music clips. In case you can't wait, you can already pre-order this baby at Amazon.com.

Check out the official site here

New track from ASSASSIN'S CREED by JESPER KYD

The launch day for ASSASSIN'S CREED is just about one week away! To commemorate the 7-day mark, Greg O'Connor-Read over at Topdollar PR, Jesper Kyd and Ubisoft have made yet another full track available from the soundtrack!

Below you can listen to the new track "JERUSALEM HORSE RIDE" in addition to the original track released "City of Jerusalem." Great mix of Middle Eastern instrumentation, vocals and electronica! Unfortunately, no further word on an official soundtrack release.

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Complete Recordings by Howard Shore Review

Before the rest of this Sunday is committed to a full menu of fabulous football games, I wanted to post regarding the review of the LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING - COMPLETE RECORDINGS (one of the longest titles for a soundtrack ever.) If you decide to check it out after the "super bowl" today...I'll completely understand.

Here's a bit...

Hard to believe that it's been four years since Peter Jackson's climactic, part 3 of his LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy hit movie screens. With subsequent release of the extended edition DVDs and then the Complete Recording releases of THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING and then THE TWO TOWERS, there has been plenty to keep fans of the film and its score well occupied.

Although there are plans for more LORD OF THE RINGS/ HOWARD SHORE musical-goodness to come in the not-too-distant-future, THE RETURN OF THE KING: COMPLETE RECORDINGS, does wrap up the epic set of music from the trilogy. The third film, being the longest, also featured the most music. Factor in that the extended edition of the film added almost an hour of additional footage - much of it requiring additional score, and there has been a mumakil's worth of score that has gone unreleased until now - including some of the music from the film's top moments. Now, just as the two previous Complete Recording releases did, RETURN OF THE KING delivers just about every second of music one could hope for from the film and does so in impressive fashion.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Wanted Trailer and Site Up

The new trailer and movie site for the upcoming film WANTED has recently gone live. I have to admit the trailer has done its job well. I'm intrigued. Good cast and hopefully the film goes beyond a Matrixie/Shoot 'Em Uppie sort of mish-mash. My mind has already layered Neo over James McAvoy, Trinity of Angelina Jolie, and Morpheus over Morgan Freeman, but perhaps unfairly.

Once again - I don't immediately recognize the music in the trailer, although it has a E.S. Posthumus or Globus vibe to it. The IMDB does NOT list any composer...and that worries me (compilation soundtrack time?) It's early yet...so perhaps a composer has yet to be hired.

Who do you think would make a good fit to score this film?

Check out the trailer and the new site here

Win Howard Shore’s RETURN OF THE KING (The Complete Recordings) Soundtrack!

You don’t want to miss this month’s caption contest! The winner will receive a copy of the "LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING" boxed set, featuring all the music from the film on four discs, as well as a DVD of the entire score with superior sound—composed, orchestrated, and conducted by Howard Shore.

Check out the contest rules HERE. Enter the contest HERE.