2007 Cue Award Nominees Announced!

It's about time soundtracks got a cue!

The day has arrived. The 2007 Cue Award nominees have been announced. Now, we don't want you to just sit there and read through another list of award nominees. Oh no. How boring?

This year we present something new! Sure. You can VISITt www.cueawards.com (yes...that's right...we've got the domain name). Yes. You can VIEW the nominees, but this year YOU CAN PARTICIPATE in the awards.

Right now, you can help determine the winner of each Cue Award! Not only that but and when you do, you are entering a special contest. You couldbe one of TWO winners of our first E-Gift Bag! This year our e-gift bag contains one $10 e-gift-card to iTunes and also one $10 e-gift-card to Amazon.com (just in case low quality, DRM locked music isn't your thing.)

The contest is open now but will close at Midnight, February 23, 2008!

So don't just sit there watching others get there awards this year...give some out yourself...and perhaps get rewarded for it!

VISIT THE 2007 CUE AWARDS

Surf's Up Score by Mychael Danna Released by BSX Records

In the wake of MARCH OF THE PENGUINS and HAPPY FEET, this little 3D animated film got lost...and so did the score. I got a little "happy feet" myself, when I got news that BSX Records will be releasing MYCHAEL DANNA's intriguing score for SURF'S UP! Below is the official press release. Check out the site to listen to 3 soundclips!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SURF’S UP – ORIGINAL OCEAN PICTURE SOUNDTRACK -

FEATURING MUSIC COMPOSED BY MYCHAEL DANNA - TO BE RELEASED ON BSX RECORDS.

Surf’s Up. A Major Ocean Picture.

(January 29th, 2008, Los Angeles, CA)

BUYSOUNDTRAX Records will be releasing SURF’S UP. The soundtrack features music composed by Mychael Danna (THE ICE STORM, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, CAPOTE) for the 2007 CGI animated film written and directed by Ash Brannon (TOY STORY 2) and Chris Buck (Walt Disney’s TARZAN), along with Christopher Jenkins, featuring the voice talents of Shia LeBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder and James Woods.

Shot in a mock documentary style, SURF’S UP tells the story of Cody Maverick (LeBeouf), a penguin with a passion for surfing. Followed by a camera crew, Cody and his friend, Chicken Joe (Heder), hitch a ride to Pen Gu Island so Cody can enter the Big Z Memorial Surf Off. Cody is determined to win the Surf Off for Big Z (Bridges), one of the greatest legends of penguin surfing. Along the way to the Surf Off, Cody makes new friends and discovers that a true winner is not always the one who comes in First.

Mychael Danna studied music composition at the University Of Toronto, winning the Glenn Gould Composition Scholarship in 1985. He is recognized as one of the most versatile and original voices in film music. Danna has worked with such acclaimed directors as Atom Egoyan, Catherine Hardwicke, Scott Hicks, Ang Lee, Gillies MacKinnon, James Mangold, Bennett Miller, Mira Nair, Billy Ray, Joel Schumacher, and Denzel Washington on films such as EXOTICA, THE ICE STORM, THE SWEET HEREAFTER, RIDE WITH THE DEVIL, MONSOON WEDDING, ARARAT, CAPOTE, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, THE NATIVITY STORY and, most recently, FRACTURE and SURF’S UP.

SURF’S UP is a limited edition release of 1000 units.

SURF’S UP is now available at

www.buysoundtrax.com.

I Am Legend (Soundtrack) by James Newton Howard

Seen But Not Heard?
Review by Christopher Coleman

The end of 2007 found the name of JAMES NEWTON HOWARD being seen over and over again in movie credits. Already having released the surprisingly popular MICHAEL CLAYTON score in October of 2007, December would see three more projects from James Newton Howard: THE GREAT DEBATERS, WATER HORSE: LEGEND OF THE DEEP, and perhaps the most highly anticipated of the bunch, I AM LEGEND.

As with so many recent novel adaptations of recent memory, I AM LEGEND came under great scrutiny due to the number of changes made to the original story. The casting of actor Will Smith as the story's central figure, Robert Neville, was met with both cheers and jeers. In the end, I AM LEGEND was, as described very early on, a combination between the original novel and OMEGA MAN (a film with Charleton Heston that scared this little kid quite badly) from 1971; another adaptation of author Richard Matheson's novel.

Hollywood's propensity for reliance on 100% CG-characters is starting to bug audiences and critical and popular reaction to the the film seem to reflect this. The freedom this technology offers directors is certainly to be marveled at, but, as real it can seem at times, its use to portray significant characters, especially humans or humanoids, in a film can call too much attention to itself - taking the audience right out of the movie. Still, even with this being a pretty large negative of the film, there remained plenty to like in I AM LEGEND to make it an enjoyable flick. Will Smith's portrayal of Col. Robert Neville was much more dynamic and well-rounded than one might expect for a sci-fi/action film. Additionally, JAMES NEWTON HOWARD'S score, when present, stealthily provided just the right ambience and emotion...and maybe too well. There were very few moments in the film where I was even aware of the score (and I'm always listening for it). The musical score for I AM LEGEND is a rarity in that, the experience of it within the film versus it as a stand-alone listen, are almost completely divorced. Judging this score by your thoughts, just after you've watched the film, would be a disservice to JAMES NEWTON HOWARD's score as well as to yourself!

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Top Stuff from 2007 #2 - Video Game Scores

Top Stuff from 2007 #2 - Video Game Scores

It's no secret around that video game music is receiving increased coverage here at Tracksounds. I'd have to say that 2007 was one the best years ever for the genre. Releases such as GOD OF WAR II, ASSASSIN'S CREED, CALL OF DUTY 4, CRYSIS, BIOSHOCK and LAIR were just about as highly anticipated as some of the major feature films of 2007. For those who continue to brush this genre of music aside, all I can say is that you won't be able to do that for much longer.

The sort of score that used to be quite common in Hollywood feature films, is now starting to dominate the video game genre. The game developers aren't so much looking for intricate subtlety as much as invigorating substance. Some of the best stuff of all of 2007 came from the world of video games. Garry Schymann's BIOSHOCK and JOHN DEBNEY's LAIR could easily be matched up with the best action film scores of 2007. I have even gone as far as saying that Jamie Christopherson's score for the tie-in game out-classed Alexandre Desplat's work for the film, THE GOLDEN COMPASS and I don't think that will be such a strange thing franchises include both films and games together.

In a year that some consider a "down" year for film music, the genre of video game music has taken another few steps forward and that trend looks as if it will move right through 2008.

Free and Legal! More free music for you!

As if you didn't get enough free music already, I've just updated this feature with FIVE new sites. Some good stuff there. I'm sure you'll find something special to download and enjoy, so...

GET TO DOWNLOADING

Crysis Soundtrack by Inon Zur released by Sumthing Else Records

One of 2007's most popular games (almost single-handedly re-invigorating the PC gaming market), was EA's CRYSIS. Ok...maybe that's a little over the top, but it is the first game that has actually made me miss PC gaming since becoming a console-convert.

The pulsating score for CRYSIS was composed by veteran game composer, INON ZUR. Good news folks, the release is less than a week away. Herewith the official press release...

MEDIA RELEASE
SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS ANNOUNCES
RELEASE OF THE CRYSIS ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

Inon Zur's Original Music Score From Groundbreaking Video Game

Available in Stores on CD and for Digital Download on January 29th

New York – January 24th, 2008 – Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc., through a licensing relationship with Crytek, proudly presents CRYSIS Original Soundtrack. The soundtrack from the next-generation PC first-person shooter is released on January 29th, 2008 to retail outlets worldwide through Nile Rodgers’ Sumthing Else Music Works record label www.sumthing.com, and for digital download at www.sumthingdigital.com and iTunes®.

The CRYSIS Original Soundtrack features over an hour of original orchestral music written and conducted by award-winning film, television and video game composer Inon Zur and performed by the Northwest Sinfonia Orchestra. Renowned for composing emotionally dynamic orchestral music, Inon Zur was commissioned by Crytek to produce a modern cinematic score that heightens the impact of the dramatic storyline, realistic environments and highly-evolved gameplay.

Inon Zur’s compositions feature sweeping themes, immersive setup pieces, intense action music, and “otherworldly” musical soundscapes performed by the orchestra to invoke the alien influences in the game.

Zur’s previous video game credits include Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, Men of Valor, Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest, SOCOM II, Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. For more information on the composer please visit www.inonzur.com.

Sumthing Else Music Works and Sumthing Distribution logos are copyright of their respective companies. All other names of products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

MovieScore Media: 3 New Releases

Moviescore Media has three new releases worth a few moments of your time...

THE KILLING OF JOHN LENNON by Martin Kiszko is a predominantly dark and foreboding score, as one might anticipate, but there are also a handful of lighter musical moments to enjoy as well.

THE KILLING FLOOR by Michael Wandmacher continues our little morbid theme but this score, overall, has a bit more sustenance than the previously mentioned title. In fact, one can feel a bit of a Bourne-vibe in the main titles. Don't be mistaken though, this score gets down and dark with the best of them.

TREASURED ISLAND by Nicholas Dodd (yes THAT Nicholas Dodd) is a pretty rousing score that features big and bold orchestral moments, but also some pretty contemporary licks as well. You might really enjoy the ride here with nods to Williams (or is that Giacchino), and to Goldsmith's theme for the Ba'ku (who is that? See Star Trek: Insurrection). This is certainly one of Moviescore Media's more entertaining recent releases!

Check out the official site for soundclips and much more info...

Heath Ledger - Has Died.

Sorry for the hard-as-concrete title there...but that's how this news hit me. I know its not "soundtrack" related, but I think this is completely appropriate to post as an FYI...a very tragic FYI.

Details are sketchy at this point, but you can read more at YAHOO! Whatever the details turn out to be, its going to be sad, sad, sad.

Expectations for Heath Ledger and his career were climbing high as the anticipation of his performance as the Joker in the upcoming THE DARK KNIGHT has grown .

Now, that performance may be his finale.

Hello...Hello MP3s at TARGET

I just came across this interesting entry at mashable.com. Looks like Target is about to start making downloadable mp3s available . . . and without DRM. Now, Walmart, who just got out of that business is looking to reconsider. Oh brothers and sisters of musicdom rejoice! And let the revolution continue...

You can check the full article right here.

Tyler Bates' Two New Projects Announced!

And the press release parade continues...

As was anticipated TYLER BATES will hook up again with director ZACK SNYDER and write the score for the upcoming WATCHMEN. I think we can anticipate another edgy score for this one.

Now, the remake of the classic THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL is somewhat more of a surprise. From Bernard Herrmann to Tyler Bates?...that's quite a jump for us oldies who remember the original with great fondness. Depending on how they choose to do this iteration of the story, the score could go in many directions. (I've still got Cloverfield on the brain, so my first reaction is...why do you need a score at all? Hey...who said that?)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Tuesday, January 22, 2008

COMPOSER TYLER BATES SIGNS ON FOR WATCHMEN AND
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

(Los Angeles, CA) – Tyler Bates’ latest movie Doomsday (Neil Marshall’s upcoming Rogue Pictures release) may be March 14th, but the future is looking bright with the signing of two major films for 2008: Warner Bros WATCHMEN and Fox’s THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.

Bates, score composer for movies and television including director Zack Snyder’s blockbuster hits 300 and Dawn of the Dead, has signed on with Snyder again for WATCHMEN. Snyder, who praised the score to 300 saying, “It moves the film into mythology cauterizing the images as you view them, making them something they could never be alone” has once again asked Bates to join his creative team. The film based on the graphic novel stars Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Patrick Wilson.

20th Century Fox’s THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL directed by Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose), a remake of the 1951 classic sci-fi film, stars Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates.

With more than forty film and television scores to his credit, Bates’ inventive style has become the visceral cornerstone of projects including Rob Zombie’s box-office number one hit Halloween, The Devil’s Rejects, and the 2008 release of Zombie’s animated feature The Haunted World of El Superbeasto. Following the 1997 Atlantic Records album release of his band Pet, Tyler began focusing primarily on scoring movies, and now with a list of impressive credits and a very distinctive approach to scoring films, he is one of the most sought after composers in Hollywood. In addition to films, Bates composes the score for Showtime’s dark comedy, Californication, which stars David Duchovny. He is also putting the finishing touches to the music for Liquid Entertainment’s 2008 release of Rise of the Argonauts for major video-gaming systems.

Highlander: The Source by George Kallis

Today is certainly "official press release day." Here's one you might have missed. Composer George Kallis' score for HIGHLANDER: THE SOURCE has recently become available. (And I didn't even know there was another HIGHLANDER chapter.) The score is being released by MOTION PICTURE RECORDS the official site has a few sound clips available. Might be worth a second or two of your time to give it quick check. Below is the official press release:


PRESS RELEASE

The CD of "Highlander 'The Source' -The Original Score-" is now available. It's an exciting modern large orchestral film score composed by George Kallis for 'The Source'; the 5th film in the Highlander dynasty which will be released internationally on DVD in January and February.

The CD also included the End Title song 'The Sun is Gonna Shine' performed by John Sloman (ex Uriah Heep) and Tamasin Hardy with lyrics by John, music by George and orchestrated and performed by Chris Cawte of The Gutter Brothers.

For more information and to listen to a selection of soundbites, please go to http://www.motionpicturerecords.com where you will also find a link to the iTunes download page.

Oscar Nominees for Best Original Score

Ok. I'll admit it. I desperately look forward to the yearly nominee announcements from the Globies and the Oscars. Some of you might be asking, "Why? They are so dreadfully wrong year after year."

That's precisely it, my friends...especially when it comes to the BEST ORIGINAL SCORE category. It's like watching NASCAR for the wrecks (I mean why else would anyone watch?). It's like rubber-necking at a traffic accident. We know its going to be bad, but we cannot refrain from looking.

Listen...do you hear the approach of screeching tires........

Nominees for Best Original Score:

Atonement - Dario Marianelli
The Kite Runner - Alberto Iglesias
Michael Clayton - James Newton Howard
Ratatouille - Michael Giacchino
3:10 to Yuma - Marco Beltrami

Let me say this about "this year's wreck." First, "Hah! I told you all who argued with me about THE KITE RUNNER getting a nomination...deserving or not. Don't be at all shocked if it wins." Second, "Michael Clayton? Seriously?" SCRREEEEEEEEECH! Third, mad props to Michael Giacchino and Marco Beltrami on getting nominated. Not Giacchino's best, but perhaps one of Beltrami's. Nice to see some new names in the mix.

OK...my own twisted satisfaction will see THE KITE RUNNER win at the expense of the most deserving from this list of nominees, ATONEMENT. Hopefully there will be a show to actually watch this tragedy. Who wants to just hear the screeching of tires?

Conflict: Denied Ops - Score by Richard Jacques

More video-game musical goodness to look forward to in 2008! You, RICHARD JACQUES fans, rejoice. Below is the official press release.

MEDIA RELEASE
CONFLICT: DENIED OPS TO FEATURE
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK COMPOSED BYRICHARD JACQUES

Veteran Composer Provides Interactive Hollywood Score Treatment for Latest Instalment in Conflict Video Game Series

London, United Kingdom – January 22nd, 2008 – Renowned for his Hollywood caliber orchestral writing, multiple award-winning composer Richard Jacques (Headhunter, Mass Effect) has scored an original music soundtrack for CONFLICT: DENIED OPS, a new two-player co-op first person shooter from Pivotal Games and the fifth game in the best-selling CONFLICT series. CONFLICT: DENIED OPS will be released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in February 2008.

To complement the non-stop action and cinematic moments throughout the game, Jacques composed an energetic military score that employs traditional ethnic instruments and vocals for the settings across Africa, South America and Russia. The music is fully interactive, reacting to the player’s movements, and enhances the immersive experience of the fast-paced gameplay.

“Richard Jacques’ work on Conflict: Denied Ops has been inspirational,” said Stuart Poole, Senior Producer at Pivotal Games. “He rose to the challenge of producing dynamic music for multiple regions and has given Conflict: Denied Ops its own distinct sound whilst giving each region in the game its own unique feel. The music deeply enhances the gaming experience by making the player feel very much part of the action.”

Richard Jacques is classically trained with an extensive repertoire in contemporary music genres and the recipient of numerous industry awards including Best Music from GameSpot and GameSpy. Continually in demand by the world’s leading game studios, he is internationally recognized as one of the A-list composers working in video games and rated as “One of the truly distinctive game music composers in the industry today” (PLAY Magazine, US).

For more information on Richard Jacques please visit: www.richardjacques.com.
For more information on CONFLICT: DENIED OPS, please visit: www.conflict.com.

1-21-08 / Cloverfield 3 Days Later

Ok...I wasn't in CLOVERFIELD, but it sure felt that way...

1-18-08 certainly became a pretty famous date last year. We all knew something was coming...and whatever it was, it was going to be winning.

I was happy to see that I wasn't the only one that 1-18-08 would actually happen on 1-21-08 for. 1-21-08 almost didn't happen for me either, but a fired-up email from Cap was the final straw. I had to make sure I saw CLOVERFIELD tonight one way or another.

And now I have...and...

And, well, I still look like those guys up there. I did pretty good in not getting spoiled so this was, even 3-days-late, still a fresh ride for me. The film wasn't perfect (I got really bored at that party) and the whole "quest" of the film was just a bit beyond my ability to suspend disbelief. But that being said, CLOVERFIELD, just isn't about such details. It is about taking a wild ride for 90 minutes or so. It's about seeing how many times one movie can make you say "Dizzam!" outloud. It's about, for some of us, seeing if a movie without a score, can really be enjoyable.

Suffice it to say that this film is likely to be one the few, if not the only, movie with no score that get's any coverage at this site. But CLOVERFIELD warrants it. Scores help us connect to the emotions of a film or tv-show or game, but a film like this would be hindered by a musical score. So this is the first (and probably only) sans-soundtrack-experience post I'll ever make.

No there's no score to buy for CLOVERFIELD, but it is certainly one ticket you should buy. Watching it on your home theater (no matter how great you think yours might be) won't do it justice.

Once in a while a movie comes out that will clearly shake up Hollywood a little. I can see CLOVERFIELD doing a few things:

1) Launching a barrage of copy-cat-docu-monster-flicks

2) Changing the way studios look at January in terms of releasing big-time movies.

3) Being the first of a new movie franchise (there's plenty of directions to go from the end of this film)

If you haven't seen it yet, it's too late for you to make it "1-21-08." I suggest you make it "1-22-08" and no later.

Laughing Until it Lennertz! Interview with Composer Christopher Lennertz

Composer CHRISTOHER LENNERTZ takes a few minutes away from working on season 3 of SUPERNATURAL to talk with us about his most recent foray into comedy genre, scoring parody films (THE COMEBACKS, MEET THE SPARTANS), his composing-partnership with Timothy Wynn, how the writer's strike is now effecting composers and finally his thoughts on having his work released on iTunes and AmazonMp3.

Also included several tracks from Christopher Lennertz's scores for MEET THE SPARTANS and ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS!

Check out the interview here!

Alexander Courage: A Retrospective hosted by John Williams

Since I brought up the man's name in my last post...I thought it would be timely to post this too...

Now, I'm not sure exactly, what year this was released at the MALIBU CELEBRATION OF FILM, but came across this retrospective on the great ALEXANDER COURAGE's career on YouTube...and its certainly worth the viewing. The four-parts are hosted by JOHN WILLIAMS and gives a much fuller picture of Courage's contribution to film music over the last half-century. You might be surprised at the number of all-time-great films ALEXANDER COURAGE has been a part of.

It's great stuff, so enjoy!

New STAR TREK movie site online...sort of.

First off, before I get all sorts of emails and comments from you true-Trekkies, I fully realize that 12-25-08 isn't in proper stardate-format, but that's the date 99.9% will have some clue about! Thankfully, I don't know what the right format would be! :)

Paramount has just opened up their new site for director J.J. Abrams STAR TREK. As of now the site only offers a short, but "engaging" little flash opening and a chance to sign up for updates. I have to admit, for a teaser site that barely teases, I felt a little shiver when I first visited it. Just seeing the logo gets me whistling Jerry Goldsmith's memorable title theme. Mr. Giacchino, you have quite a job ahead of you!

So do you think Giacchino will incorporate that theme along with Alexander Courage's series-title motif? Or do his own thing?

They also launched a Facebook page, so you can "beam" on over there, if that's your choice for online socialization.

Enjoy the next 11 months of hype!

4th Annual IFMCA AWARD NOMINATIONS Announced!

Despite the cancellation of the Golden Globies and the threat of cancellation of The Oscars, the 2008 award season rolls on. The IFMCA (International Film Music Critics Association), which I am newly a part of, has just released its nominees for its 4th Annual Awards! Below you can see the complete list of categories and nominees. You'll seem some of the expected names and titles and a few surprises and maybe even a "What the?" or two. But that's what make its interesting, eh? While many of the nominating members of the association hold their own awards each year (like us with the Cue Awards), the IFMCA Awards reflect a unique perspective on what might be the top scores and composers from the previous year.

Enjoy the list...and post your comments on what you think about them!

For Immediate Release

NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 4th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS

January 18, 2008. The International Film Music Critics Association announces their 2007 nominees for excellence in scoring for film and other visual media.

Alexandre Desplat leads the nominations with seven, including two for Best Score of 2007: Ang Lee’s romance drama LUST, CAUTION, and the fantasy adventure THE GOLDEN COMPASS. Dario Marianelli, who recently won the Golden Globe for Best Score for ATONEMENT, is nominated for four awards for the Joe Wright-directed World War II drama. Tied with Marianelli with four nominations is Michael Giacchino, who is up for Best Score for the animated film RATATOUILLE, as well as for his nomination in the newly-formed Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media category for his MEDAL OF HONOR: AIRBORNE score.

Other composers with multiple nominations include John Debney (2), David Shire (2), newcomer Fernando Velázquez (2), Christopher Young (2) Aaron Zigman (2) and Hans Zimmer (2).

Since the focus of the group is international, many films that received nominations have yet to be released in the United States, including Philippe Rombi’s score for François Ozon’s English language film ANGEL; legendary composer Ennio Morricone’s score for Simona Izzo’s romantic comedy TUTTE LE DONNE DELLA MIA VITA (ALL THE WOMEN IN MY LIFE); Joe Hisaishi’s score for the Korean television series TAE WANG SA SHIN GI (THE STORY OF THE GREAT KING AND THE FOUR GODS), and Jane Antonia Cornish’s score for Danish director Nikolaj Arcel’s DE FORTABTE SJÆLES Ø (ISLAND OF LOST SOULS), for which she received a Breakthrough Composer nomination.

The winners will be announced on Friday, 15 February 2008.

==================================


INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION

2007 Award Nominations


A - SCORE OF THE YEAR


* ATONEMENT, music by Dario Marianelli

* THE GOLDEN COMPASS, music by Alexandre Desplat

* LUST, CAUTION, music by Alexandre Desplat

* RATATOUILLE, music by Michael Giacchino

* ZODIAC, music by David Shire



B - FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR


* ALEXANDRE DESPLAT

* MICHAEL GIACCHINO

* JAMES NEWTON HOWARD

* MARK ISHAM

* DARIO MARIANELLI



C – BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF 2007


* JANE ANTONIA CORNISH for De Fortabte Sjæles Ø (Island of Lost Souls)

* ILAN ESHKERI for Stardust

* JONNY GREENWOOD for There Will Be Blood

* FERNANDO VELÁZQUEZ for El Orfanato (The Orphanage)

* CHRISTOPHER WONG for Journey to the Fall



D - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM


* ANGEL, music by Philippe Rombi

* ATONEMENT, music by Dario Marianelli

* EASTERN PROMISES, music by Howard Shore

* THE KITE RUNNER, music by Alberto Iglesias

* LUST, CAUTION, music by Alexandre Desplat



E - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM


* ENCHANTED, music by Alan Menken

* EVAN ALMIGHTY, music by John Debney

* HOT FUZZ, music by David Arnold

* REIGN OVER ME, music by Rolfe Kent

* TUTTE LE DONNE DELLA MIA VITA (ALL THE WOMEN IN MY LIFE), music by Ennio
Morricone



F - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM


* THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, music by John Powell

* GHOST RIDER, music by Christopher Young

* LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, music by Marco Beltrami

* PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END, music by Hans Zimmer

* SPIDER-MAN 3, music by Christopher Young



G - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION FILM


* BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, music by Aaron Zigman

* THE GOLDEN COMPASS, music by Alexandre Desplat

* MR. MAGORIUM’S WONDER EMPORIUM, music by Alexandre Desplat and Aaron Zigman

* STARDUST, music by Ilan Eshkeri

* SUNSHINE, music by John Murphy and Underworld



H - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A HORROR/THRILLER FILM


* EL ORFANATO (THE ORPHANAGE), music by Fernando Velázquez

* FLOOD, music by Debbie Wiseman

* I KNOW WHO KILLED ME, music by Joel McNeely

* SLEUTH, music by Patrick Doyle

* ZODIAC, music by David Shire



I - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE


* BEE MOVIE, music by Rupert Gregson-Williams

* BEOWULF, music by Alan Silvestri

* GEDO SENKI (TALES FROM EARTHSEA), music by Tamiya Terajima

* MEET THE ROBINSONS, music by Danny Elfman

* RATATOUILLE, music by Michael Giacchino



J - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE


* DARFUR NOW, music by Graeme Revell

* EARTH, music by George Fenton

* IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON, music by Philip Sheppard

* LA PLANÈTE BLANCHE, music by Bruno Coulais

* LE PREMIER CRI, music by Armand Amar



K - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION


* BATTLESTAR GALACTICA [SEASON 3], music by Bear McCreary

* DOCTOR WHO [SEASON 3], music by Murray Gold

* LOST [SEASON 3], music by Michael Giacchino

* TAE WANG SA SHIN GI (THE STORY OF THE GREAT KING AND THE FOUR GODS), music by
Joe Hisaishi

* TIN MAN, music by Simon Boswell



L - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA


* BIOSHOCK, music by Garry Schyman

* CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE, music by Stephen Barton and Harry Gregson-Williams

* LAIR, music by John Debney

* MEDAL OF HONOR: AIRBORNE, music by Michael Giacchino

* WARHAWK, music by Christopher Lennertz



M - BEST NEW RELEASE/RE-RELEASE/RE-RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE


* ALIEN, music by Jerry Goldsmith - Douglass Fake, Michael Matessino and Nick
Redman (producers)

* GODZILLA, music by David Arnold - Ford A. Thaxton and David Arnold (producers)

* THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, music by Howard Shore - Howard
Shore, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Paul Broucek (producers)

* THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, music by Miklós Rózsa - James Fitzpatrick
(producer)

* THE WIND AND THE LION, music by Jerry Goldsmith - Douglass Fake and Lukas
Kendall (producers)



N - BEST FILM MUSIC COMPILATION ALBUM


* AMAZING STORIES: ANTHOLOGY 3, Douglass Fake (producer)

* THE KARATE KID BOX SET, Robert Townson and Bill Conti (producers)

* MAD, MOD & MACABRE: THE RONALD STEIN COLLECTION, Taylor White (producer)

* MIKLÓS RÓZSA: A CENTENARY CELEBRATION, Robert Townson (producer)

* THE UNFORGIVEN: CLASSIC WESTERN SCORES FROM UNITED ARTISTS, Lukas Kendall
(producer)



O - FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR


* FILM SCORE MONTHLY, Lukas Kendall

* INTRADA, Douglass Fake

* LA-LA LAND RECORDS, M.V. Gerhard and Matt Verboys

* MOVIESCORE MEDIA, Mikael Carlsson

* VARÈSE SARABANDE, Robert Townson



P – FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR


* "Elegy for Dunkirk" from ATONEMENT, music by Dario Marianelli

* "Graysmith Obsessed" from ZODIAC, music by David Shire

* "Last Shift" from LIONS FOR LAMBS, music by Mark Isham

* "Up Is Down" from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END, music by Hans
Zimmer

* "Wong Chia Chi’s Theme" from LUST, CAUTION, music by Alexandre Desplat


==================================

The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing about original film and television music. The IFMCA Awards are the only awards given to composers by film music journalists.

The IFMCA was originally formed in the late 1990s as the Film Music Critics Jury by editor and journalist Mikael Carlsson, a contributor to filmmusicradio.com and filmmusicweekly.com, and the owner of the Swedish film music label MovieScore Media. Since its inception, the IFMCA has grown to comprise 43 members from countries as diverse as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The IFMCA presented its first awards in 2004.

The IFMCA strongly feels that a film score’s strength lies in the combined impact of two important elements: the effectiveness, appropriateness and emotional impact of the score in the context of the film for which it was written; and the technical and intellectual merit of the composition when heard as a standalone listening experience. As such, the membership votes for the best scores of each year with these two criteria in mind, and strives to recognize scores which excel in both these areas. As an international organization, the IFMCA also makes conscious efforts to celebrate the best film music, not just from mainstream Hollywood productions, but world-wide, wherever it may originate.


Previous winners of the IFMCA Score of the Year Award include James Newton Howard’s LADY IN THE WATER in 2006, John Williams’ MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in 2005 and Michael Giacchino’s THE INCREDIBLES in 2004.


For more information about the International Film Music Critics Association, please visit http://www.filmmusiccritics.org or contact press@filmmusiccritics.org.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets + Ghost Rider Winners Announced!

Congratulations to:

John Osment

Richard Nickson

Each has been contacted by email with instructions on how to receive your prizes: posters for NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS + GHOST RIDER from Moviegoods.com!

Don't worry if you didn't win! You can enter to win the CLOVERFIELD poster now!

Top Stuff from 2007 #3 - Radiohead and Online Release of In Rainbows

Top Stuff from 2007 #3 - Radiohead and Online Release of In Rainbows

Radiohead's move to allow their fans/customers decide the value of their latest CD release, IN RAINBOWS, - and pay whatever amount they chose - was one of the most discussed (and still is) marketing/sales moves of 2007. I've posted a few times on this in 2007, believing that it marked a turning point for the industry. The actual sales numbers of their downloadable CD vary depending upon who you ask. Radiohead has claimed 1.2 million download-sales, in its first day, when IN RAINBOWS was made available online in October. In December for the UK, and January, here in the USA, the actual, physical CD went on sale...and both the album and the first singles released have done very well on the charts. In addition, they have released a special edition set with bonus discs, vinyl record versions, and a book.

My initial reaction to this concept was, as you likely read, not too good. The disposal of the compact disc at the hands of the more convenient, digital-download, was and is not something I am looking forward to. However, Radiohead's bold move, with the addtion of releasing the physical CD and then a special collectors package is EXACTLY what I can get behind. And I'm actually pulling for their move to be a success!

Coming from a background of working in the non-profit sector - RADIOHEAD's move isn't innovative at all. Non-profs have done it for decades...offering a product as a "thank you" for someone's donation. Seeing it happen in the cut-throat world of the entertainment business has proven more than a little intriguing to me. Somehow my gut tells me, regardless of who's stats you believe, that Radiohead has tapped into something...something that I think we will see happening more and more over the next few years. As long as we get nice, physical packages along with the early digital versions - it's a win-win scenario.

So that bold move comes in at number #3 in our countdown of 2007's top stuff.

G.A.N.G. Award Finalists Announced

THE GAME AUDIO NETWORK GUILD has recently had their award finalists published over at MUSIC4GAMES.NET. The list is quite interesting...below you'll see the original score category nominees. Many of the noms are to be expected: Bioshock, Crysis, Halo 3, but John Debney's LAIR with only one nomination and NO noms for Michael Giacchino's MEDAL OF HONOR: AIRBOURNE is more than a little head-scratching-incident. I'd call it - next to outrageous. Suffice it to say that this provided my top "WHAT THE?" moment of the week. Nice to see Jamie Christopherson's THE GOLDEN COMPASS get some recognition though. Anyway, here is a portion of the list.

MUSIC OF THE YEAR

Assassin’s Creed
BioShock
God of War II
Halo 3
The Golden Compass

BEST ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTAL

"Welcome To Rapture" – BioShock"
Infiltrating The Eagle’s Nest” – Blazing Angels 2
"Main Menu” – The Golden Compass
"Epilogue” – Lair
"The Citadel" – Mass Effect

BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALBUM

Dead Head Fred
God of War II
Halo 3
Mass Effect
Red Steel

Check out the full list at music4games.net

The winners will be announced at the annual G.A.N.G. Awards on February 21, 2008.

Saving Sarah Cain (Soundtrack) by Mark McKenzie

I received a nice email from composer MARK MCKENZIE today announcing the availability of one of his most recent projects, SAVING SARAH CAIN. Be sure to check out our home page, as he has graciously given me permssion to stream 4 tracks from the soundtrack release! Always good music from Mr. McKenzie!

----------------

Health, Laughter, Peace and Prosperity to you in this new year!!

I'm thrilled to announce the release of my 15th Original Soundtrack. The Word Ent. / Warner-Curb Records release of SAVING SARAH CAIN is available today on itunes, amazon and most anywhere records are sold. The music is very gentle, pastoral, meditative and romantic and also includes 3 great songs by the artists "Point of Grace," "Barlow Girl" and "Building 429."

This beautiful 20th Century Fox / Lifetime Amish movie directed by Michael Landon Jr. stars Academy Award nominated actors Elliot Gould and Tess Harper and introduces the beautiful Lisa Pepper. . .


Best Regards,

Mark McKenzie
http://www.markmckenzie.org/


A note from director Michael Landon Jr.

Once again, I have wisely entrusted the music score of one of my films to Mark McKenzie, a composer with understanding for both story and character. This is my second collaboration with Mark (the first being THE LAST SIN EATER which I encourage you to listen to – it’s nothing short of breathtaking) and unlike many composers of today, he shines in both his melodies and his musical range. I believe that art whether it is in a movie or a painting, or a song, has the ability to express the purest part of the human soul – the part of us that is
closest to our Creator. I believe Mark shares this aspect of himself without apology. Along with his deft orchestration and emotionally nuanced score, this soundtrack features songs from some of today’s finest contemporary Christian artists whose music complement Mark’s score and encourages faith, hope, and love with tremendous beauty and power.



A note from Composer Mark McKenzie

"My hope is that Michael and Brian’s deeply moving film SAVING SARAH CAIN and this music score will bring some peaceful, tender, meditative beauty as you listen. The Amish have an admirably strong faith in God and commitment to live peaceful, simple and loving lives. For that reason, it seemed most effective to compose peaceful, simple, loving, and almost meditative music with gentle melodies, muted strings, sensitively performed woodwinds, piano solos and a faint, ethereal, child soprano voice which serves as a subliminal reminder of
Sarah’s sister, Ivy.

For more music I’d like to invite you to http://www.markmckenzie.org/"



Los Angeles Studio Orchestra
Recording Engineer: Armin Steiner
Supervising Music Editor: Marc S. Perlman, MPSE
Music preparation: Gregg Nestor
Music Technical Advisor: David Russell
Contractor: John Rosenberg
Conductor: Eric Schmidt
Flute: Steve Kujala
Oboe: Tom Boyd
Piano: Mark McKenzie

Who Wants to Win...CLOVERFIELD?

Whatever it is....YOU could win it!

Well, two of you could win it, anyway. Tracksounds and Moviegoods.com bring you the next edition of WHO WANTS TO WIN MEMORABILIA?

Enter now to win 1 of 2 poster prints from the hotly anticipated CLOVERFIELD which starts 1/18/08.

ENTER THE CONTEST HERE

Atonement wins Golden Globe for Best Original Score

In what has to be the most anti-climatic Golden Globe Awards...ever, the half-hour press conference, listed off last year's winners. ATONEMENT was one of the bigger winners including DARIO MARIANELLI's beautiful score. Congrats to all the winners! May you have an actual award show to attend in February!

ORIGINAL SCORE
Into the Wild
Grace is Gone
Kite Runner
Atonement
Eastern Promises

BEST DRAMA

American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood



ACTOR (DRAMA)

George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortenson - Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington - American Gangster



ACTRESS (DRAMA)

Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Jodie Foster - The Brave One
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley - Atonement



MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Across the Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd



ACTOR (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)

Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks - Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Savages
John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story



ACTRESS (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)

Amy Adams - Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Ellen Page - Juno



FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Kite Runner
Lust, Caution
Persepolis



ANIMATED FILM

Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie



SUPPORTING ACTOR

Casey Affleck - Assassination of Jesse James
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta - Hairspray
Tom Wikinson - Michael Clayton



SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Julia Roberts - Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton



DIRECTOR

Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Ridley Scott - American Gangster
Joe Wright - Atonement



SCREENPLAY

Diablo Cody - Juno
Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson's War

ORIGINAL SONG

"Despidida" - Love in the Time of Cholera
"Grace is Gone" - Grace is Gone
"Guaranteed" - Into the Wild
"That's How You Know" - Enchanted
"Walk Hard" - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Top Stuff from 2007 #4 - The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - Complete Recordings

#4 - THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING - COMPLETE RECORDINGS

Now how could you not agree that this one of the top soundtrack releases of 2007? You might even be mildly offended that this doesn't rank higher than #4. (Trust me, my fine Middle-Earth-friend, you'll likely be ok, when we get to numero uno). Now, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING COMPLETE RECORDINGS only slides to #4 because the first release of the "complete recording" series, THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, was the release that redefined our collective expectations on special release CD sets. With this release, we knew what to expect...and we got it. Other franchises have tried to step up to the plate, with the STAR WARS 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTORS EDITION and the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN COLLECTORS set, but neither have come even close to the LORD OF THE RINGS COMPLETE RECORDINGS series. This last installment of the trilogy continued the tradition of high quality packaging, insightful notes, and of course, so much of the music missing off of the original soundtrack release - and then the DVD-AUDIO disc for you audiophiles. This was one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year and Warner/Reprise delivered.

2008 Music Preview - New Special Feature!

For those wondering why the TOP STUFF FROM 2007 countdown has slowed down, well, this is why! I've just posted our latest special feature and it's a doozy - at least in terms of the amount of work!

Tracksounds with Varese Sarabande present this special preview of this year of soundtracks. Go through this month by month breakdown of the major film and game soundtracks (and some not-so-major) and get a glimpse at what you will want to make sure you see, play, and listen to in 2008.

The feature will cover the entire year of 2008 and to get us started we've posted quarters 1 and 2. (That's January - June.) So head on over and get yourself prepared for the rest of 2008!

Check out the 2008 Music Preview now!

We Own the Night (Soundtrack) by Wojciech Kilar

The Yin and the Gang

Review by Christopher Coleman

James Gray doesn't direct a ton of movies, but when he does, he seems partial to having actors Mark Wahlberg and Joacquin Phoenix star in them. James Gray has only directed a handful of films since the mid-90s, and apparently prefers scores that are generally subdued, dark, and brooding. Gray's 2007 project, WE OWN THE NIGHT, reportedly took years to write, but its unlikely much of that time was spent deciding who would play the main roles or what type of score he would have. For his latest project, Gray kept to form. Wahlberg and Phoenix play brothers who live on opposite sides of the law and are at each others throats. As Joseph (Wahlberg) follows in the footsteps of their father as a policeman, Bobby (Phoenix) changes his surname and lives the high-life of the late 1980s running in the circle of the Russian mob of Brooklyn, NY. The tension of WE OWN THE NIGHT is to see who actually owns the night: the police or the mob. The night life of the 1980s dance scene is contrasted with the cold, midnight-blue of New Yorks finest. It's about opposites and what it takes to get the two sides to attempt some sort of synthesis. They can try, but they never really mix. It's the yin and the yang and this contrast is carried right over into the film's soundtrack.

Read the full review

What Early 2008 Score Are You Looking Forward to Most?

So in our last poll, you said that FILM SCORES were better than GAME SCORES in 2007? 63% to 37%. Hmmm. Ok. Let's get into 2008. What score in the first quarter of 08 are you most looking forward to?

First Look and Listen to RAINBOW SIX: VEGAS 2

Get your first peep at the sequel to the hit video game RAINBOW SIX: VEGAS.

The teaser trailer for RAINBOW SIX: VEGAS 2 is pretty short, but from the looks of it, this one is going to carry on the excellence of the first game...complete with the electronic-grunginess of the first game's score.

Not sure who wrote the score for the first Vegas game nor is info. on Vegas 2 readily available. Of course big-time names like AMON TOBIN and BILL BROWN have been long associated with the Tom Clancy: Splinter Cell and Rainbox Six franchise, so perhaps its one of them.

RAINBOW SIX: VEGAS 2 hits shelves in March 11, 2008!

Your can pre-order yours now:

for Xbox360

for Playstation 3

for PC

Golden Globe Winners to come via Press Conference?

Talk about disappointing award shows. This sad announcement was made by the Globie folks.

RECIPIENTS OF “THE 65th ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS” TO BE ANNOUNCED AT BEVERLY HILTON PRESS CONFERENCE ON JAN. 13

HOLLYWOOD, CA, January 7, 2008 –

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association today announced that the recipients of Golden Globe Awards in 25 categories will be revealed during an hour-long HFPA press conference at The Beverly Hilton to be covered live by NBC News beginning at 6:00 pm PST on January 13. “The 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards” NBC telecast and champagne dinner in The Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom is officially cancelled.

“We are all very disappointed that our traditional awards ceremony will not take place this year and that millions of viewers worldwide will be deprived of seeing many of their favorite stars celebrating 2007’s outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television,” said Jorge Camara, President of The Hollywood Foreign Press Association. “We take some comfort, however, in knowing that this year’s Golden Globe Award recipients will be announced on the date originally scheduled.”

----------

In other related news, looks like UNITED ARTISTS have reached their own agreement, but not all the other studios are happy about it. Well, if this keeps up, and the Oscar show bites the dust, then you all will be really thrilled with the CUE AWARDS this year. I have already worked out my own agreement with our writers. They are happy. I'm happy. You'll be happy to know our awards will not just maintain the status quo, but will be better than ever!

Juno Soundtrack Tops Digital Sales

Just got this bit of info on the madly popular JUNO and its soundtrack sales...

JUNO SOUNDTRACK TOPS DIGITAL SALES CHART!

LOS ANGELES -- Rhino's soundtrack to the acclaimed Fox Searchlight Pictures comedy JUNO was released last month exclusively to digital outlets and hasnow reached #1 on SoundScan's Digital Album sales chart. On the heels of the digital success, the JUNO soundtrack CD arrives in stores January 8 --less than a week before the Golden Globe Awards, for which JUNO received three nominations, including Best Picture.

The 19-track collection includes eight songs by Kimya Dawson, both as a solo artist and as a member of the groups The Moldy Peaches and AntsyPants. Two Dawson-penned instrumentals make their debut on the JUNO soundtrack, which also boasts songs from Dawson's 2004 album Knock-KnockWho? and her 2006 release Remember That I Love You. It was the film's young star, Ellen Page, who suggested Dawson's music for the movie, andPage duets with costar Michael Cera on a cover of The Moldy Peaches favorite "Anyone Else But You" (which is heard in its original version aswell). Dawson's other group, Antsy Pants, contributes a pair of tracks to the JUNO soundtrack. The eclectic album also includes music by Buddy Holly,Cat Power, Mott The Hoople, The Kinks, Sonic Youth, Belle & Sebastian and Barry Louis Polisar.

Directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking) and written by Diablo Cody, JUNO stars Ellen Page in the title role as a whip-smart Minnesotateen faced with an unplanned pregnancy from an afternoon with the charmingly unassuming Bleeker (Michael Cera). She and best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) find Juno's unborn baby the perfect set of parents in Markand Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), an affluent suburban couple longing to adopt their first child. Along with the totalsupport of her parents (JK Simmons and Allison Janney) Juno conquers her problems head-on, displaying a youthful exuberance both smart and unexpected.

Want to add to their sales numbers?

Download the Juno Soundtrack

or

Go oldskool and Buy the CD

Top Stuff from 2007 #5 - AmazonMP3 and the Death of DRM

#5 - AMAZONMP3 and the Death of DRM!

DRM has been dying a slow death...but its dying. That alone was worth cheering about in 2007. With Amazon.com's unveiling of AMAZONMP3, the world of online music continued its rotation back to warming rays of light and away from the darkness that is DRM-locked music. EMI and Universal Music Group and Warner have been off the DRM train for a bit and now SONY/BMG has announced that it too will bury the cursed "feature."

Oh yes...this is good stuff. The dominos are falling and soon iTunes will have little choice but to let DRM go. iTunes is said to have something like 80% of the music download market, but if they hold onto their little idol of DRM, that stat won't hold for long. Steve Jobs has said that they will happily embrace a world without DRM...let's see how much he meant it.

Amazon's annoucement followed by Sony/BMG (I know. Sony's annoucement came in Jan. 08), is some of the best news of 2007...and we will see the repercussions long into 2008 and beyond.

Top Stuff from 2007 #6 - Beowulf in 3D

Beowulf in 3D

3-D feature films have been around since the 1950s, but for decades they have been terrible to view. I avoided the recent 3-D releases of SUPERMAN RETURNS and HARRY POTTER like the plague, but something about BEOWULF told me to give it a shot. I finally decided to try the 3-D experience after a 20 year personal haitus and was I shocked by the improvement in quality. It took me several minutes to train my eyes to relax and not try to focus on things, but when I finally did...what a world to behold. In the end, the film experience was served well, not only by Alan Silvestri's aggressive score, but by the 3-D effects which managed to stay away from the realm of the "gimmicky." Judging by the number of trailers for 3-D enhanced feature films coming, it looks like the genre is going to see its resurgence continue. With home theater systems and oversized computer monitors serving up more and more of the public's moviegoing experiences, Hollywood would be smart to further invest in the advantages the big screen affords them. BEOWULF in 3D was simply one of the most memorable theater experiences of 2007 and if future projects match its quality of implementation, I foresee myself and other moviegoers dawning those big, nerdy glasses a lot more often.

Top 5 Stuff from 2007 is around the corner...

The Kite Runner (Soundtrack) by Alberto Iglesias

Catching the Essence of Kites
Review by Christopher Coleman

THE KITE RUNNER was not what I expected. The film, of course was adapted from author Kahled Hosseini's first novel which was first published in 2003. I only had a rough idea of the film's setting and its well-marketed images had me thinking (and hoping) for a somewhat lighthearted tale about two friends who flew kites in Afghanistan. That element does exist, but it is rather short lived while a barrage of other tones and emotions take over the film - ranging from outrage, to disgust, to pity, to heartbreak. THE KITE RUNNER, in the end, is a brutally sad tale, with a hint of hope and measure of redemption by the films end. Helping to traverse this wide range of emotions and exotic setting is ALBERTO IGLESIAS' eclectic score.

Composer ALBERTO IGLESIAS has done most of his work for Spanish cinema but has been a part of a few well-known projects. In 2006, he wrote the score the well-nominated and awarded film VOLVER and was nominated for an Academy Award for his score for THE CONSTANT GARDENER in 2005. This, his major project for 2007, seems to also have him headed for a busy award season. In fact, THE KITE RUNNER has already garnered Iglesias a SATELLITE AWARD for BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK. Nominations and awards aside, his latest score is as different from VOLVER as itself was different from THE CONSTANT GARDENER.

Read the full review here

Top Stuff from 2007 - #7 Nintendo's Wii

The Rise of the Wii

Nintendo's WII stormed in front of the Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 in 2007. While there haven't been any exclusive games for the WII that has caused much of a stir in terms of their scores, the game system itself has gotten young and old off their duffs and swinging controllers wildly through the air. (Actually, I don't know what is so unique about this...my Xbox controllers have been flying through the air with the greatest ease for some time now, but I guess they weren't designed to be).

Anyway, WII managed a reported 350,000 units during the last week of November 2007 (the big Christmas shopping kick-off week). That was some 40k more units sold more than the Xbox360 and we won't even mention the third-place running PS3 numbers (pssst they are between 150k and 200k). Wii's were in big demand for the holidays and many kids (and adults) were saddened at the lump of coals they got instead.

The WII certainly doesn't match either the Xbox360 or Playstation 3 in terms of graphics, but graphics aren't everything. The WII is flat-out a blast to play. and it's not very often that you can combine your Christmas list with your New Years resolution to burn away some excess pounds. Getting and playing the Nintendo Wii can do just that for you and that's good stuff!

More Top Stuff coming soon...

The Golden Compass (Soundtrack) by Alexandre Desplat

Desplat's Materials
Review by Christopher Coleman

Of all the film's of the 2007 holiday season, THE GOLDEN COMPASS has probably had the highest expectation heaped upon it. Called the "anti-Chroncles of Narnia," Phillip Pullman's book series has garnered a large following of devoted fans since its debut in 1996. Then in 2002, New Line Studios announced that it would had obtained the rights to make a film-adaptation. With the success of New Line's LORD OF THE RING TRILOGY, the moderate success of Disney/Walden's THE LION, THE WITCH and THE WARDROBE, and, of course, the HARRY POTTER franchise, it seemed that New Line was betting the farm on the apparent voracious appetite of moviegoers for such films. With a massive production and marketing budget, New Line was also betting that the box office returns would enable them to churn out the two sequels as well.

One of the great things about the fantasy genre is that regardless of the quality of the overall film, there is always great potential for a solid score. Certainly the films listed above feature some of the better film music since the turn of the century and the hope was that THE GOLDEN COMPASS and its potential sequels would be no different. In an interesting move to say the least, one of Hollywood's busiest composers of late, ALEXANDRE DESPLAT, was brought on to score the film. While duly respected for his work for films such as SYRIANA, THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING, and THE PAINTED VEIL, Desplat's minimalist style didn't seem like the most natural choice for this material...but of course, Howard Shore didn't seem like one for THE LORD OF THE RINGS either. That choice worked out pretty well, but how about this one?

READ THE FULL REVIEW

Top Stuff from 2007 # 8 - The Dark Knight Viral Marketing

Viral marketing: THE DARK KNIGHT

The only marketing campaign to outdo CLOVERFIELD was that of the sequel to BATMAN BEGINS, THE DARK KNIGHT. Also delivering tidbit microsites such as http://www.thegothamtimes.com/ and http://www.whysoserious.com/, the marketeers for THE DARK KNIGHT have gone a few steps beyond by launching on online game which evetually end up in recruitment into a "real-world" organization of the Joker. In the game participants are provided addresses to real-world places that, provided you were the first to arrive, secured cell phones and other bits that then lead to further opportunities and tasks to accomplish on behalf of The Joker. Probably the coolest, most interactive, marketing ever for a film...and very cool stuff. As most of us have seen now, the trailer only provides further reason for high expectations for the film itself. Hopefully Batman's nemesis will provide Zimmer and company some great inspiration for the score as well.


Check back for #7 soon . . . (you might have to get up off your couch for this one)

Top Stuff from 2007 # 9 - High Definition Video

First of all - HAPPY NEW YEAR! . . .

HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO

The format war between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray continues...and it pretty much stinks of course, but there's been some good stuff happen in the realm of high definition in 2007 as well. First a number of great movie and TV releases were made: BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT, THE ULTIMATE MATRIX, PLANET EARTH, HEROES (SEASON ONE), and 300 to name a few. Second, Warner put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces with its announcement plans to release TOTALHD discs, a combo disc featuring of HD-DVD on one side and BLU-RAY on the other,...and then they summarily smacked those smiles right back off with their announcement of the project being put on hold. Still...the TOTAL HD idea hasn't been totally scrubbed, so the very possibility is still to be considered good stuff. Third, in late 2007, HD-DVD player prices hit the sub-$100 mark for the first time. Toshiba's HD-A2 was the barrier breaking unit and sales began to skyrocket. Blu-Ray players followed the path the higher sales via lower prices as well dipping into the sub-$400 realm. Yes...the format war does stink, but things are getting cheap enough for one to consider ponying up for both players for the time being. The format war will rage on in 2008, but that heated fight may pay some dividends to us poor little consumers who just want to see all our favorite movies and tv shows in dazzling high definition.

Stay tuned for #8 (...more viral marketing perhaps?)