Brotherhood of Duty: The Music of Brothers in Arms and Call of Duty: World at War

ATTEEEEENTION! At long last...the new feature is up! BROTHERHOOD OF DUTY.

Tracksounds is proud to bring you an exclusive look at the music from the BROTHERS IN ARMS franchise and CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR. Including full reviews of all three BROTHERS IN ARMS game soundtracks and the promo release of CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR. You will also find interviews with composers ED LIMA, DUNCAN WATT, STEPHEN HARWOOD JR. and SEAN MURRAY. Don't miss our streaming player offering you a chance to listen to the musical scores from all four games!

Proceed to the feature here!

Zimmer and Powell Take Home Annie for Kung Fu Panda

For months I have taken shot after shot from the Wall-E faithful, because I preferred KUNG FU PANDA. Well...so does the International Animation Society, as they handed out some 15 Annie Awards to the film last night! Besting the record set by Pixar's RATATOUILLE only last year with its nine awards.

Now, to be clear, I enjoyed WALL-E a great deal...and on many levels. It is a beautiful picture and THOMAS NEWMAN's score functions very well within. And, to be honest, I thought WALL-E would win more than KUNG FU PANDA (please, don't even bring up BOLT). When it comes to the Oscars though...I still expect a different turn out.

As much as I love Pixar films (although Ratatouille seemed to get a bit more praise than I thought it was due), it is great to see another Animation studio get in there and show that they can make a quality feature. Some of Dreamworks other animated features have left A LOT to be desired, so I'm very pleased to see them produce something this good and even more pleased to see them get rewarded for their efforts.

The fifteen awards included the Annie for Music in an Animated Feature film, so congrats to HANS ZIMMER and JOHN POWELL are due. Zimmer and Powell also won another award, along with HENRY JACKMAN for their work on the related short, THE SECRETS OF THE FURIOUS FIVE.

You can see the Panda's total domination here.

Let the Hobbit Hype Begin!

Just as things were getting unbearably boring...EMPIRE magazine comes to the rescue. Aside from the mediocre level of WATCHMAN hype, there really has been very little movie buzz this year. Granted. The year is young, but if you think back to last year, we were in the midst of post-CLOVERFIELD euphoria (aka motion sickness recovery) and well into THE DARK KNIGHT's viral hype machine. Now...finally...here's something to get some anticipatory-juices flowing again.

This months' EMPIRE magazine covers, among other films, Jackson and Del Toro's upcoming film, THE HOBBIT. I haven't gotten a copy yet, but I look forward to diving in to it...with hopes that they will touch on the film's original score by HOWARD SHORE.

For now Empire posts this VERY encouraging tidbit from del Toro:

“Whatever The Hobbit ends up being, it has to ultimately blend seamlessly into the first movie of the trilogy. We have to respect the cosmology and the canon established by the trilogy and follow it.”

Good call, G. Good call.

You can read the rest of Empire's blurb here

Watchmen Soundtrack and Score by Tyler Bates Coming

Now that the legalities are settled and we all know that WATCHMEN will most certainly be hitting screens come 030609, we can dive into the musical possibilities the film will afford us. And to that end, we have WARNER-REPRISE's official press release below. You can go to the official music site and sign up for updates and order a 12" picture disc (whatever that is)...that also has "Desolation Row" by Chemical Romance and also one cut from Tyler Bates' "Prison Fight."


BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Sunset / Reprise Records will release both the soundtrack and original score to the feature film Watchmen on March 3rd — three days before the March 6th release of the highly anticipated feature film.

Music From The Motion Picture Watchmen , the film's official soundtrack, includes My Chemical Romance's powerful reinterpretation of Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row," recorded exclusively for the film. The soundtrack also features a collection of classic songs by such artists as Nat King Cole, Simon & Garfunkel, and Janis Joplin, which, once heard in the context of the film, will never be thought of the same way again.

Watchmen Original Motion Picture Score features music by recording artist, composer, and music producer Tyler Bates, who was asked to score the film by Watchmen director Zack Snyder. Tyler, who also scored the Snyder-directed films 300 and Dawn of the Dead, has also scored the soundtracks to The Day the Earth Stood Still, Showtime's Californication, Slither, Rob Zombie's Halloween, and The Devil's Rejects. He is known for his surprising juxtapositions of music styles and flair for delicate, atmospheric touches, as well as stressing emotional vibrancy over traditional formulas of music compositions. Bates has also been chosen to score the Watchmen's DVD added story, "Tales From The Black Freighter."

Music From The Motion Picture Watchmen and Watchmen Original Motion Picture Score will be released in multiple fan-friendly configurations: The physical CD, and a digital album will be available on March 3rd, and a vinyl edition of the soundtrack will be released on March 17th.

Watchmen Music Collectors Edition 7" Box Set will be released on March 24th. The box set contains 7 double-sided 7" picture discs of each Watchmen character on one side, and images in the likeness of the graphic novel on the other. The Watchmen Music Collectors Edition 7" Box Set will include My Chemical Romance's "Desolation Row," along with 13 tracks by Tyler Bates.

A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" — which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union — is moving closer to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion — a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers — Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity...but who is watching the Watchmen?

Watchmen is directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay by David Hayter and Alex Tse, based on the graphic novel co-created by Dave Gibbons, published by DC Comics. The film is produced by Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, and Deborah Snyder. Herbert W. Gains and Thomas Tull are the executive producers, with Wes Coller serving as co-producer. The film stars Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Patrick Wilson.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures present, in Association with Legendary Pictures, a Lawrence Gordon/Lloyd Levin Production, a Zack Snyder Film, Watchmen. Watchmen will be released nationwide on March 6, 2009. It will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures and internationally by Paramount Pictures.

Music From The Motion Picture Watchmen track-listing is as follows:

1. Desolation Row – My Chemical Romance
2. Unforgettable – Nat King Cole
3. The Times They Are A-Changin' – Bob Dylan
4. The Sound Of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel
5. Me & Bobby McGee – Janis Joplin
6. I'm Your Boogie Man – KC & The Sunshine Band
7. You're My Thrill – Billie Holiday
8. Pruit Igoe & Prophecies – The Philip Glass Ensemble
9. Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen
10. All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix
11. Ride of the Valkyries – Budapest Symphony Orchestra
12. Pirate Jenny – Nina Simone*

* - used in the end credits of the "Tales From The Black Freighter" DVD.

Watchmen Original Motion Picture Score track-listing is as follows

1. Rescue Mission
2. Don't Get Too Misty Eyed
3. Tonight The Comedian Died
4. Silk Spectre
5. We'll Live Longer
6. You Quit!
7. Only Two Names Remain
8. The American Dream
9. Edward Blake – The Comedian
10. The Last Laugh
11. Prison Fight
12. Just Look Around You
13. Dan's Apocalyptic Dream
14. Who Murdered Hollis Mason?
15. What About Janie Slater?
16. I'll Tell You About Rorschach
17. Countdown
18. It Was Me
19. All That Is Good
20. Requiem (Excerpted from Mozart's Requiem)
21. I Love You Mom

www.watchmenmovie.com
www.watchmenmusic.com

Ubisoft Annouces Assassin's Creed 2, Avatar, and more!

Videogamer.com reports that Ubisoft has confirmed the upcoming releases of some major league stuff over a twelve-month period beginning in April of this year. What sort of major league titles and why are you even mentioning this? You say.


Well, to start the titles to be released include:

ASSASSIN'S CREED 2 . More great music from JESPER KYD perhaps?

SPLINTER CELL: CONVICTION (speaking of this title, we interviewed the score composers, KAVEH COHEN and MICHAEL NIELSEN for this game waaaaaay back in 2008.

AVATAR (Tie-in game to James Cameron upcoming film that is supposed to change the world of movie-making). Will it pilfer James Horner's original score from the film or bring in some other composer? Oh...and the game is reportedly going to be in 3-D...shipped with 3-D glasses.


So Ubisoft is clearly doing its part to give us some decent games to look forward to...and some decent game scores.


Check out videogamer.com's brief report here

2009 Oscar Nominations for Best Original Score

"And here....we...go..."

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Alexandre Desplat
Defiance - James Newton Howard
Milk - Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire - A.R. Rahman
WALL-E - Thomas Newman

Ah wait...there must be some mistake. All that hoopla over THE DARK KNIGHT score and no nomination? Ah the Academy. Gotta love em.

So what do you think of the nominees? Fairly predictable, save TDK and Wall-E. I'm happy for Thomas Newman again, but alas, I don't think he will be bringing home the statue again. Slumdog has so much momentum right now.


You can get the rest of the nominees at Oscar.com.

World of Goo Soundtrack by Kyle Gabler Available for Free!

WORLD OF GOO is a quirky little physic-centric, puzzle game that has been catching on since its release in late 2008. Available via WiiWare and also for PC, WORLD OF GOO features an equally quirky little score by co-developer Kyle Gabler. He has just made the soundtrack available for free...and we're not talking about 10 minutes of music here; more like 50 minutes!

While it's not quite Daniel Pemberton's LITTLE BIG PLANET in terms of the level of quirky-coolness, it's certainly in the same genre (perhaps a shade or two darker)...with a little Elfman and Vangelis thrown in too. You'll know it when you hear it.

If you're a little spent on the seriousness of all of the Award-contending-film-scores then get all gooey and check out WORLD OF GOO.

You can download it for free right here

(Thanks again to the fine folk of Kombo.com for the heads up!)

New York Times's Article on Video Game Music

This great article was published by the NEW YORK TIMES back in late December. The article mentions a handful of well-known composers and recent game projects ranging from MIKAEL KARLSSON'S BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY, to GARRY SCHYMANN'S BIOSHOCK, to INON ZUR's PRINCE OF PERSIA. The article focuses on how music for video games has become a very serious undertaking; demanding some of the most talented composers and performers the world has to offer. It goes on to talk about how gamers are taking note of a games' score has on them. It's a great read. Here are a few excerpts:

The increasingly nuanced scores reflect “the growing maturity of the games industry, which is getting better at storytelling” and weaving moral dilemmas into game plots, said Sean Decker, general manager at DICE, the division of Electronic Arts that created Battlefield. The main challenge for composers is switching from a linear to an interactive medium in which the music has to reflect several possible outcomes at each stage of the game. Different music is needed, for example, depending on whether a gamer perishes or emerges victorious from a tussle with a venomous monster.

Jesse Harlin, music supervisor at LucasArts (which uses scores by John Williams, among others, for its Star Wars games) is swamped with demos from composers. He encourages them to write music that reflects what is happening to the gamer in the story and to avoid loop-based scores that can result in listener fatigue.

Some systems, like the Xbox 360, allow gamers to create custom soundtracks using MP3s. But many players (even the youngest) appreciate the attention software companies dedicate to music. In the Virgin Megastore in Union Square in Manhattan, Atticus Wakefield, 10, said, “Music and the sound really give the game more depth and make it much better to play.”


You can read the full article here

OSN Interviews Geoff Zanelli Composer for Outlander

Move over October, it appears January now belongs to monsters.

Last year (almost a year ago to the day), we were pleasantly surprised with J J Abrams monster-movie-revival, CLOVERFIELD. For 2009, we get dragons. While it originally released in Europe in 2008, OUTLANDER is scheduled for release in select US cities in January 23, 2009.

After watching the trailer, of course I asked myself, "Who's writing the music for this crazy sci-fi-viking-thriller?" A quick search turned up GEOFF ZANELLI. The next question was "Wonder what direction he will go." So...I came across this interview with Outlander.Solsector.Net, which gives a more than a few clues. Also included are six soundclips from the score courtesy of Lalaland Records who is reportedly releasing the original soundtrack for OUTLANDER.

Call me crazy...but I see "guilty pleasure" written all over this film. As for the clips...call me crazy, but this just might be the year's first doable sci-fi/action score.


Check out the interview and clips here.

IFMCA 2008 Nominees Announced!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION (IFMCA) ANNOUNCES ITS 2008 NOMINEES FOR SCORING EXCELLENCE

THOMAS NEWMAN’S WALL*E LEADS THE FIELD WITH 4 NOMINATIONS

JANUARY 16, 2009. WALL*E, the Pixar movie about a lone robot left on Earth, garnered the most nominations for the fifth annual International Film Music Critics Association Awards for Excellence. The animated film was nominated for four awards: Film Score of the Year, Best Score for an Animated Film, Best Film Composition (for “Define Dancing”) and Composer of the Year for Thomas Newman (who also scored REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and TOWELHEAD in 2008).

Also nominated for Film Score of the Year are the acclaimed THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON by Alexandre Desplat; the highest grossing movie of the year, THE DARK KNIGHT by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer; the Abu Ghraib prison documentary STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE by Danny Elfman and the first score by veteran film composer John Williams in three years, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL.

Danny Elfman received the most individual nominations this year with seven: Composer of the Year; Film Score of the Year and Best Documentary Score for STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE; Best Drama Score for MILK; Best Action/Adventure Score and Best Individual Cue for WANTED (“Success Montage”); and Best Fantasy/Science Fiction Score for HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY.

In the category of Breakout Composer, the Association took notice of scores by up-and-coming composers Paul Cantelon (THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL and W.), Andrew Lockington (JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH and CITY OF EMBER), Nico Muhly (THE READER), Max Richter (WALTZ WITH BASHIR) and Atli Örvarsson (BABYLON A.D. and VANTAGE POINT).

The nominations by the IMFCA, which has members from around the world, reflect the Association’s global perspective. International score nominees include the latest Hayao Miyazaki animated film GAKE NO UE NO PONYO (PONYO ON THE CLIFF) by Joe Hisaishi, the comedy BIENVENUE CHEZ LES CH’TIS by Philippe Rombi, and the made-for-television movie PANE E LIBERTÀ by Ennio Morricone.

The International Film Music Critics will announce the winners of their 5th Annual Awards on February 18, 2009.

FILM CATEGORIES:

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, music by Alexandre Desplat
• The Dark Knight, music by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, music by John Williams
• Standard Operating Procedure, music by Danny Elfman
• Wall*E, music by Thomas Newman

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
• Alexandre Desplat
• Danny Elfman
• James Newton Howard
• Thomas Newman
• John Powell

BREAKOUT COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
• Paul Cantelon, The Other Boleyn Girl and W.
• Andrew Lockington, Journey to the Center of the Earth and City of Ember
• Nico Muhly, The Reader
• Max Richter, Waltz with Bashir
• Atli Örvarsson, Babylon A.D. and Vantage Point

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, music by James Horner
• Che, music by Alberto Iglesias
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, music by Alexandre Desplat
• Defiance, music by James Newton Howard
• Milk, music by Danny Elfman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
• Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis, music by Philippe Rombi
• Burn After Reading, music by Carter Burwell
• Fool’s Gold, music by George Fenton
• Leatherheads, music by Randy Newman
• Tropic Thunder, music by Theodore Shapiro

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM
• The Dark Knight, music by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer
• Hancock, music by John Powell
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, music by John Williams
• Speed Racer, music by Michael Giacchino
• Wanted, music by Danny Elfman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION FILM
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, music by Harry Gregson-Williams
• City of Ember, music by Andrew Lockington
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army, music by Danny Elfman
• Inkheart, music by Javier Navarrete
• The Spiderwick Chronicles, music by James Horner

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A HORROR/THRILLER FILM
• The Happening, music by James Newton Howard
• Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In), music by Johan Söderqvist
• Mirrors, music by Javier Navarrete
• Twilight, music by Carter Burwell
• Valkyrie, music by John Ottman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE
• Bolt, music by John Powell
• Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff), music by Joe Hisaishi
• Horton Hears a Who!, music by John Powell
• Wall*E, music by Thomas Newman
• Waltz with Bashir, music by Max Richter

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
• The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos, music by The Cinematic Orchestra
• Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about his Father, music by Kurt Kuenne
• Night, music by Cezary Skubiszewski
• Standard Operating Procedure, music by Danny Elfman
• Tabarly, music by Yann Tiersen

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
• Cloverfield: “Roar! Overture,” music by Michael Giacchino
• The Happening: “Be With You,” music by James Newton Howard
• Valkyrie: “They’ll Remember You,” music by John Ottman and Lior Rosner
• Wall*E: “Define Dancing,” music by Thomas Newman and Peter Gabriel
• Wanted: “Success Montage,” music by Danny Elfman


OTHER CATEGORIES:

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION
• Battlestar Galactica (Season 4), music by Bear McCreary
• John Adams, music by Robert Lane and Joseph Vitarelli
• Merlin, music by Robert Lane
• Lost (Season 4), music by Michael Giacchino
• Pane e Libertà, music by Ennio Morricone

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
• Afrika, music by Wataru Hokoyama
• Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, music by Knut Avenstroup Haugen
• Gears of War 2, music by Steve Jablonsky
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, music by Chris Tilton
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, music by Mark Griskey

BEST NEW RELEASE/RE-RELEASE OF AN EXISTING SCORE
• Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, music by Jerry Goldsmith; produced by Douglass Fake (Intrada)
• Body Double, music by Pino Donaggio; produced by Douglass Fake (Intrada)
• The Boys from Brazil, music by Jerry Goldsmith; produced by Douglass Fake (Intrada)
• Heavy Metal, music by Elmer Bernstein; produced by Lukas Kendall (Film Score Monthly)
• The Matrix: The Deluxe Edition, music by Don Davis; produced by Don Davis and Robert Townson (Varèse Sarabande)

BEST RE-RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE
• El Cid, music by Miklós Rózsa; conducted by Nic Raine, produced by James Fitzpatrick (Tadlow)
• The Kentuckian/Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot, music by Bernard Herrmann; conducted William Stromberg; produced by Anna Bonn, John Morgan and William Stromberg (Tribute Film Classics)
• Odna (Alone), music by Dmitri Shostakovich; conducted by Mark Fitzgerald, produced by Hans-Bernhard Bätzing (Naxos)
• She, music by Max Steiner; conducted William Stromberg; produced by Anna Bonn, John Morgan and William Stromberg (Tribute Film Classics)
• An Unfinished Life – Piano Sketches, music by Christopher Young; performed by Dave Guili, produced by Flavio Motalla and Christopher Young (BSX)

BEST COMPILATION ALBUM OR BOX SET
• Gangs of New York/The Journey of Natty Gann/The Scarlet Letter, music by Elmer Bernstein; produced by Robert Townson (Varèse Sarabande)
• Indiana Jones: The Soundtracks Collection, music by John Williams; produced by Laurent Bouzereau (Concord)
• Le Cinéma de Georges Delerue, music by Georges Delerue; produced by Stéphane Lerouge (Universal Music France)
• MGM Soundtrack Treasury, various composers; produced by Lukas Kendall (Film Score Monthly)
• Superman: The Music, various composers; produced by Mike Matessino and Lukas Kendall (Film Score Monthly)

FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
• Film Score Monthly
• Intrada
• La-La Land
• MovieScore Media
• Varèse Sarabande


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 was originally formed in the late 1990s as the now-defunct “Film Music Critics Jury” by editor and journalist Mikael Carlsson, a regular contributor to filmmusicradio.com and filmmusicmag.com, and the owner of the Swedish independent film music label MovieScore Media.

Since its inception, the IFMCA has grown to comprise over 50 members from countries as diverse as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Previous IFMCA Score of the Year Awards have been awarded to Dario Marianelli’s ATONEMENT in 2007, 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, its members and the list of past awards, please visit http://www.filmmusiccritics.org or contact press@filmmusiccritics.org.

Defiance by James Newton Howard - Soundtrack Review

Defining Defiance
Review by Christopher Coleman

Nazi Germany and the Jewish plight during World War II have been, and will likely be for many years to come, the source for powerful movie-making. We need look no further than the end of 2008: THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYGAMAS, VALKYRIE, and DEFIANCE, where three such films were released in very close proximity to one another. There are, obviously and sadly countless stories of persecution and death, but also of heroism and life to be found throughout Europe during World War II. While many of them will go untold, authors, producers, and directors are telling more and more of those that have survived. One of the most conceptually interesting is director Ed Zwick's DEFIANCE. Taken from the book by Nechama Tec, "Defiance: The Bielski Partisans," Zwick brings to the big screen the tale of the three Bielski brothers who lead a growing group of Jewish refugees in hiding from the extermination of the Nazi army. The film is, unsurprisingly, not without its controversies concerning historical accuracies. Those debates aside, Zwick brings his considerable talents, along with those of his musical collaborator from 2006's BLOOD DIAMOND, composer JAMES NEWTON HOWARD, to bear on the project.

Read the full review here

Two Great Villains from Horner-Scored Films Pass

I don't often make posts like this, but I feel an extra compulsion given the status of the two actors who have just left us. Both RICARDO MONTALBAN and PATRICK MCGOOHAN have passed on. Mr. McGoohan on January 13th, and Mr. Montalban today, January 14th.

What struck me is that they both played two very memorable film villains of the last 30 years (Khan from Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan and King Edward Longshanks in Braveheart). The very next thing to strike me was these two great films were both scored by JAMES HORNER...and remain two of his all-time best efforts.

In 2008 we saw just too many all-time greats take their final bows and now 2009 is starting off equally sad. Both actors, who's credits go far beyond the ones mentioned above, will sorely be missed, so in their honor, let's cue up BRAVEHEART and THE WRATH OF KHAN.

Composer Winifred Phillips Scores SimAnimals!

In just a few short days (January 21, 2009) you'll be able to dive into the forest with your woodland animal friends, but today, iTunes released composer WINIFRED PHILLIPS latest video game score for, SIMANIMALS. After the high-energy ride she delivered for the SPEED RACER tie-in game last year, she travels to the softer, greener, side of the Wii (and Nintendo DS). Her music for SIMANIMALS really fits in the Wii-World and is a delightful, little listen. Look for a full review in the not-too-distant-future, too. For now, check out the full press release below, but if you want to claim your copy of this new Sim game, you can do so here: SIMANIMALS (WII) or SIMANIMALS (DS)

Press Release:

The Sims Label Announces Winifred Phillips as the Composer of the Original Score for SimAnimals™

Available January 21, 2009 SimAnimals Allows You to Take the Wild World of Animals into Your Hands

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that award-winning composer Winifred Phillips will score the theme music for the newest IP in The Sims™ family, SimAnimals™. Winner of four Game Audio Network Guild Awards, Phillips has been repeatedly recognized for her contributions to videogames, TV and radio. Most recently she was nominated for a Hollywood Music Award for her work on Speed Racer: The Videogame. Now, her talents will be used to make the forest come alive in SimAnimals!

“Our goal was to give a unique and sophisticated voice to the game,” said Robi Kauker, Audio Director for The Sims Label. “Drawing inspiration from pieces like Prokofiev’s Peter and The Wolf, we found the context of the game gave us plenty of opportunity for the timelessness of the orchestra’s instruments and the rich range of Winifred’s compositions.”

In SimAnimals, you can venture into the wild world of animals like never before. You have the power to reach out and touch, pick up and move everything in the forest from squirrels and foxes to trees and flowers. As you journey deeper and deeper into the forest, you can feed a bear what he craves, pick up a rabbit or a hedgehog and bring him to his friends or water your favorite tree and watch it grow. Throughout your voyage you will make new animal friends and discover what other creatures lurk in the wild. In SimAnimals, you have the ability to engage wild animals, experience life in the forest and run the wild!

Your journey through the forest is comprised of many small musical moments that combine as the soundtrack. Each location starts off with a unique score, from strains of Celtic music for ancient castle ruins to the funky groove of the old junkyard. Small melodies of solo orchestra instruments underscore the big events of the animals’ lives and fully orchestrated moments define the player’s choices in the world. The music is designed to ground the complexities of the animal’s life in the human scale of emotions. As the fortunes of the world reflect the player’s interactions and creative, fun and mischievous choices, the music gives voice to a forest rejoicing or suffering. When the individual animals are in distress due to neglect, the music calls out, and during moments of pure happiness, like the arrival of a new born, the music shares the tender warmth.

“We are very excited about the caliber of music being included in SimAnimals. We needed the music to reflect the status and mood of the game and Winifred has nailed that with her score,” said Sam Player, Executive Producer of SimAnimals. “As you move through the game, you will hear how your choices are affecting the forest through the music, whether that be upbeat and light when the forest is happy or dramatic and dark when the forest is not so happy.“

Phillips is an American music composer for video games and radio as well as a published fantasy author. Working with music producer Winnie Waldron, Phillips has written music for the video games Shrek the Third, The Da Vinci Code, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and God of War. Her work on the God of War video game received an Interactive Achievement Award in the category of “Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition” from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.

“It is extremely inspiring for my music producer Winnie Waldron and I to be involved in a blockbuster project like SimAnimals, where the music sets the tone for the entire user experience,” said Phillips. “Working on a brand new game allows me to have creative control over the sound from the start with nothing to compare it to, which is invigorating and quite an honor.”

For more information about SimAnimals, please go to www.SimAnimals.com. For assets related to this story, please go to www.info.ea.com.

About The Sims

The Sims franchise celebrates an impressive over 100 million units sold since its launch in February 2000. Now translated into 22 different languages in 60 different countries, The Sims has quickly become a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. For the latest information about The Sims and to check out the hottest creations for The Sims 2 made by our community members, please visit www.thesims2.com. To stay up-to-date on The Sims 3 news and information, check out www.thesims3.com.
About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS FreestyleTM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO, The Sims and SimAnimals are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Music Remix from Geometry Wars!

Thanks to the fine folks (what's left of them) at 1UP, you can get yourself a 13 minute remix of the music featured in the insanely popular (and addicting) GEOMETRY WARS games. If you are a fan of any of the games and their respective soundtracks...or if you are looking for a little electronic-house-dance diversion, then check out Chris Chudley's remix. You can get a little more detail and a link to the 18 mb file below. Thanks 1UP for the headsup.

Download the free music here

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Soundtrack) by Alexandre Desplat - Reviewed

The Beautiful Score of Benjamin Button
Review by Christopher Coleman

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON is an epic tale of one man’s life…a life lived backwards of sorts. Born in an old and withered body, but infant in size and in all other regards, Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) begins his double journey of growing older mentally and emotionally, yet younger physically. His unique journey which begins in a convalescent home in Louisiana brings him across a myriad of characters who each have at least one important lesson to teach the young Benjamin. Among them, he meets the true love of his life, Daisy (Cate Blanchette). Though they are immediately separated by the most unique of all age differences, the two destined lovers criss-cross paths throughout their lives. Both Benjamin and Daisy are set on their own journeys which take them a part, around the globe, but time and time again, eventually back to each other.

Matching David Fincher's fairy-tale like film is ALEXANDER DESPLAT's enchanting score. What works so well in many of the movies Desplat tends to write for (THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING, THE PAINTED VEIL) is his minimalist approach. Desplat is masterful at capturing the emotional essence of the film with minimal instrumentation. Although there was an 87 piece orchestra used for this film, it rarely sounds like it. As his music did in the aforementioned films, only moreso, DESPLAT's score for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON offers a magical element to the film. What Fincher accomplishes visually, Desplat does so through his music. They both create a world that is, at once, fanciful yet real. For his part, DESPLAT delivers a handful of well positioned themes, motifs and instrumentation that captures the essence of Benjamin, his circle of friends and family as well as it's locale. The end result is a melodic and introspective musical experience that has its own charm outside the context of the film.

Read the full review here

The Golden Globe Award Winners

Well, another award show is in the books. The 66th Golden Globe Awards has come to a fairly non-surprising close. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE picked up another 4 awards to add to the handful it won at the Critics Choice Awards last Thursday. Among them was composer A.R. Rahman who delivered the score for the film. Having seen Slumdog a couple of times, it is certainly a feel-good hit and it is nice to see such an comparatively obscure film get recognized. It still isn't the best film of the year though. My personal opinion aside, it wasn't much of a surprise to see it pick up as many awards as it did. The film has been steadily picking up momentum over the last couple of months...and will likely have even more now going into the Oscars.

It was great to see Kate Winslet pick up 2 Golden Globes for her performances in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and THE READER (both of whom's score left a lot to be desired). Still, her performances were perfect and most deserving and her sincerity and graciousness on stage is really refreshing. I would not have not been upset to see Meryl Streep win for Best Actress either.

I did hope that Thomas Newman and Peter Gabriel would nab best song for WALL*E, but that went again to Bruce Springsteen for "The Wrestler" as it did at the Critics Choice Awards. Speaking of THE WRESTLER, Mickey Rourke's acceptance speech for Best Actor in a Drama was one of the more surprising moments...with his "dog thanking" and being flipped the bird by director Aronovsky.

Below are the full results from the show, ordered in a soundtrack-friendly way.

ORIGINAL SCORE

Winner! A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire
James Newton Howard - Defiance
Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Hans Zimmer - Frost/Nixon
Clint Eastwood - Changeling


ORIGINAL SONG

Winner! "The Wrestler" by Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler
"Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel / Thomas Newman - Wall-E
"Gran Torino" by Clint Eastwood / Kyle Eastwood - Gran Torino
"I Thought I'd Lost You" by Miley Cyrus - Bolt
"Once in a Lifetime" by Beyoncé Knowles - Cadillac Records


BEST DRAMA

Winner! Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Revolutionary Road
The Reader


DIRECTOR

Winner! Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes - Revolutionary Road


ACTOR (DRAMA)

Winner! Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


ACTRESS (DRAMA)

Winner! Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long


ANIMATED FILM

Winner! Wall-E
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda


BEST MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Winner! Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Mamma Mia!
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges


ACTOR (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)

Winner! Colin Farrell - In Bruges
Javier Bardem - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
James Franco - Pineapple Express
Dustin Hoffman - Last Chance Harvey
Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges


ACTRESS (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)

Winner! Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand - Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep - Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson - Last Chance Harvey
Rebecca Hall - Vicky Cristina Barcelona


FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

Winner! Waltz with Bashir
Gomorrah
I've Loved You So Long
The Baader Meinhof Complex
Everlasting Moments



SUPPORTING ACTOR

Winner! Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Ralph Fiennes - The Duchess


SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Winner! Kate Winslet - The Reader
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler


SCREENPLAY

Winner! Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
David Hare - The Reader
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley - Doubt

Danny Elfman to Score Terminator Salvation

Just in case you've been hiding under a pile of nuclear fallout today, composer DANNY ELFMAN , while attending the Critics Choice Awards, told the MTV Movie blog that he would be writing the score for the upcoming TERMINATOR SALVATION.

He will now join the ranks of composer BRAD FIEDEL, who gave us the original and unforgettable Terminator theme, MARCO BELTRAMI who took the reigns on TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES and BEAR MCCREARY who is currently handling the hit television series: TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES.

While I'm quite sure Elfmanites around the globe are in full rejoice-mode, it will surprise few of you, that I'm not quite there. Hard to envision what direction Elfman will go here. He did tell MTV that it wasn't even for sure that he'd employ Brad Feidel's original theme...and that alone causes me concern.

Well, we'll just have to wait and hear. What do you think about this news? Are you lovin' it or hatin' it?

You can read more at MTV here

Critics Choice Award Winners for 2008

In case you missed the awards show in VH1 last night, below is the complete list of winners...starting with the categories you'll most likely be interested in. Did you watch the show? If so, what did you think? Where would you say this award ranks in terms of "prestige?"

As far as my votes went, I got 6/17 winners. More than I actually thought I'd get. :) In any event, here are the winners:



BEST COMPOSER

Winner: A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire

Nominees:
• Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Clint Eastwood - Changeling
• Danny Elfman - Milk
• Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight
• A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire



BEST SONG

Winner: "The Wrestler" (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen) - The Wrestler

Nominees:
• "Another Way to Die" (performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, written by Jack White) - Quantum of Solace
• "Down to Earth" (performed by Peter Gabriel, written by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman) - Wall-E
• "I Thought I Lost You" (performed Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, written by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele) - Bolt
• "Jaiho" (performed by Sukhwinder Singh, written by A.R. Rahman and Gulzar) - Slumdog Millionaire
• "The Wrestler" (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen) - The Wrestler



BEST PICTURE

Winner: Slumdog Millionaire

Nominees:
• Changeling
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Doubt
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire
• Wall-E
• The Wrestler


BEST ACTOR

Winner: Sean Penn - Milk

Nominees:
• Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino
• Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
• Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
• Sean Penn - Milk
• Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS

Winner: Tie: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married | Meryl Streep - Doubt

Nominees:
• Kate Beckinsale - Nothing But the Truth
• Cate Blanchett - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
• Angelina Jolie - Changeling
• Melissa Leo - Frozen River
• Meryl Streep - Doubt


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Winner: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Nominees:
• Josh Brolin - Milk
• Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
• Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
• Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
• James Franco - Milk

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Winner: Kate Winslet - The Reader

Nominees:
• Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Viola Davis - Doubt
• Vera Farmiga - Nothing But the Truth
• Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
• Kate Winslet - The Reader


BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

Winner: Milk

Nominees:
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Doubt
• Milk
• Rachel Getting Married


BEST DIRECTOR

Winner: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Nominees:
• Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
• David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
• Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
• Gus Van Sant - Milk


BEST WRITER (Original or Adapted Screenplay)

Winner: Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

Nominees:
• Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
• Dustin Lance Black - Milk
• Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
• Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• John Patrick Shanley - Doubt


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Winner: WALL-E

Nominees:
• Bolt
• Kung Fu Panda
• Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
• Wall-E
• Waltz With Bashir


BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS (Under 21)

Winner: Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

Nominees:
• Dakota Fanning - The Secret Life of Bees
• David Kross - The Reader
• Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
• Brandon Walters - Australia


BEST ACTION MOVIE

Winner: The Dark Knight

Nominees:
• The Dark Knight
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• Iron Man
• Quantum of Solace
• Wanted


BEST COMEDY MOVIE

Winner: Tropic Thunder

Nominees:
• Burn After Reading
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall
• Role Models
• Tropic Thunder
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona


BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Winner: John Adams

Nominees:
• John Adams
• Recount
• Coco Chanel


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Winner: Waltz With Bashir

Nominees:
• A Christmas Tale
• Gomorrah
• I’ve Loved You So Long
• Let the Right One In
• Mongol
• Waltz With Bashir


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Winner: Man On Wire

Nominees:
• I.O.U.S.A.
• Man On Wire
• Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
• Standard Operating Procedure
• Young At Heart

Mirror's Edge: Still Alive - Contest Winners!

Here are the 5 winners of our MIRROR'S EDGE: STILL ALIVE contest.


Winners of the Soundtrack CD are:

Dorian Almaguer

Chi Shannon

Adam Dalton

Alex Tunque



The Grand Prize Winner of the Soundtrack +
the Xbox 360 game is:


J Malnati


Thanks to all who entered!

*All winners have been contacted via email with instructions on how to claim their prizes.

Critics Choice Awards Airs Tomorrow Night

The 2008-2009 Award season gets underway tomorrow night with the 14th annual CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS. You can get an early jump on everyone who thinks the Golden Globies is the start of the season, by tuning into VH1 tomorrow night at 9 PM (8 central) to catch another great award show. In case you missed who the nominees are this year, check out my earlier post here.

In the interest of full disclosure of the award show pimpage going on here, last year I was privileged enough to become a part of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (the organization behind the Critics Choice Awards). As a member, I have already cast my final votes for this years nominees. It's quite an honor being a part of this organization and wish I had been able to attend the awards show this year. You better believe I'll be there next year!

So join me in watching via the tube tomorrow night!

You can get more info on the Critics Choice Awards here

Apple Drops DRM from iTunes and Changes Pricing

DRM is sooooo mid-2000s. At long last, Apple has made the right move. It is ditching DRM. In exchange? You get a new pricing structure (ie. higher prices.)....possibly.

Of course it was inevitable. iTunes was long left in the dust created by most of their competitors (AmazonMP3, Yahoo Music, Wal Mart, etc.) who dumped the dreaded DRM some time ago (or never instituted it in Amazon's case). DRM is what caused me to put iTunes to bed years ago. Now, perhaps I may fire iTunes up again and see what they have to offer. Kudos to you, Apple.

Oh now wait. They aren't just removing DRM and saying "Have a nice day." Apple also annouced a signficant change to their pricing structure. Now, based on popularity of any given track, the cost of a track will range from $0.69 to $1.29. Also, they are going to offer a $.30 per song charge to "unlock" the DRM-laden tracks you may have bought from them in the past. How generous. :-/

WHY I LIKE THIS NEW PRICING STRUTURE! From the stand point of us soundtrack collectors...well, I'm going to venture a guess that most of music you and I would want will be in the $.69 range. It all depends on how the pricing curve will work, of course. Will there be a hard price-to-demand-scale applied across all music genres or will it vary? Hopefully it will be the former and that should mean cheaper prices for us.

So what do you think about these changes? Hmmm?

You can read more about this annoucement here at Last100

Variety's Big List of Composers

Not exactly sure why Variety.com just published this long list of composers, but I always enjoy the film music coverage Variety delivers. Perhaps its because of award season?

This is a good sized list and there are a lot of names you'll recognize...and some you probably won't. The list is broken down by management agencies like: Blue Jean Management, Gorfaine/Schwartz and so on. So if you have some spare time and like reading down lists of names with a spatter of credits, then...

Check it out here

NBC to Air Television Show about Soundtracks?

Is it "American Composer?" "Score or No Score?" "Scoring with the Stars?" (Oh...wrong network. )

Sorry. It's none of these things, but Variety reports on a pilot that looks to be in the works written by Jared Bush entitled, SOUNDTRACK. Apparently, the show would be about a dude who loses his job and his ex-girlfriend gets engaged to some other dude (hmmm...sounds like a typical soundtrack-fan to me!) and then some iconic music gets stuck in his head. The song remains there until he figures out why. And then the next piece of music comes to mind.

Man...that's sounds like everyday life to me. ;) It will be interesting to see if this show happens. If it does, will you watch it?

You can read the full article here.

Free Legacy of Ys Soundtrack with Pre-Order

This post is for those of you into the yesteryear game scores! As a special bonus for pre-ordering the classic LEGACY OF YS BOOKS I & II on the Nintento DS, Atlus is offering a special soundtrack comprised of new arrangements of selected pieces from both games.

If that's your bag, then you better get to pre-ordering!

If you'd like to hear a bit of the music, you can check some sample tracks here at the official site.



Below is the official press release (source Kotaku)

ATLUS REVEALS FREE PRE-ORDER BONUS SOUNDTRACK CD FOR LEGACY OF Ys™: BOOKS I & II

Experience the revered music of Ys with this limited edition companion disc

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 30, 2008 - Representatives from Atlus today stood silently before assembled members of the gaming press for an estimated 30 to 40 minutes, headphones in ears, listening to the Legacy of Ys: Books I & II soundtrack. Following the awkward delay, it was then announced that the game's renowned musical score would be offered as a free pre-order bonus at select retailers.

Epic in melody and arrangement, the Ys Books I & II soundtrack has long been considered one of the greatest video same scores ever created. Originally released in an era when many games used music simply to avoid stretches of silence, Ys offered a sweeping emotional score, building on action and tension to provide players with an altogether potent experience. As relevant today as ever, the freshly arranged music CD still manages the same level of excitement and energy, and stand as a testament to true excellence in game music.

For more info and to sample the pre-order bonus disc:
http://www.atlus.com/ys/pre-order.html

For more information about Legacy of Ys: Books I & II, visit the official website:
http://www.atlus.com/ys

Legacy of Ys: Books I & II is scheduled for release for Nintendo DS™ on February 10, 2009, with an MSRP of $34.99.

About Legacy of Ys: Books I & II

Stories tell of a land of yore, now shrouded by centuries of time forgotten, called Ys. Despite its great knowledge, endless wealth, and bountiful prosperity, a sudden and unexpected cataclysm devastated the realm. Soon, its memory had faded completely from the minds of man.

Centuries later, a young adventurer named Adol set sail to explore the world and leave his mark on history. During his travels, he learned of the tragic tale of Esteria, a once prosperous island now inexplicably engulfed by a crippling storm. Adol plotted a course for the besieged isle, curious to unravel the mystery...

Key Features

* Two Legendary RPGs on One Cartridge! - Experience two all time classics that helped shape the action RPG genre... Now on a portable system!
* Upgraded Ys Experience - Behold remastered 3D graphics, a remixed musical score, and new enemies and equipment to discover. Touch control and local wireless multiplayer for up to four people deepen the adventure, while difficulty levels and dual control schemes tailor the experience to the gamer.
* The Definitive Story - Available to North American audiences for the first time, this ultimate translation delivers the most substantial version of the famous Ys story ever made!

Legacy of Ys: Books I & II has been rated "T" for Teen with Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, and Partial Nudity by the ESRB.

Download the Soundtrack from TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD (Free and Legal)

In my quest to do whatever I can to help you soundtrack collectors during this downed economy, I offer you a great opportunity to download the official soundtrack from TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD. The music was composed by TROELS FOLMANN and COLIN O'MALLEY. Once again developer, CRYSTAL DYNAMICS is making a ton of music from the game available for free...just as they have done for the previous games of the franchise.

By the way, if you missed our interview with both composers check out our special edition of The SoundCast on our homepage. This will give you something to listen to while you download the 193 mb zip file. Their server is getting slammed, so be prepared to wait a bit. It's worth it.

Download and enjoy!

Gran Torino by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens (Soundtrack Review)

Whispers through Gran Torino
Review by Christopher Coleman

Seeing the name of GRAN TORINO brings back childhood memories for me. No - not so much of one of the hottest TV cars of all-time in Starsky & Hutch, but of one my folks owned. I have some pretty fond memories of going to drive-in theaters with my family in that Ford staple as little kid. The instant I saw the title, something was hooked in me and as it turns out both the themes of memories and family are two of the main themes of Clint Eastwood's latest project. Seeing the grizzled and hardened stare of Clint Eastwood down the sites of a large firearm also brings back memories of 70s movie icon, Dirty Harry. It’s not much of a stretch to envision Eastwood’s character in GRAN TORINO, as what Dirty Harry would have been like after he retired. Certainly not the biggest stretch for the actor, GRAN TORINO displays Eastwood the way we like to see him most. Even moreso than his last starring (and directing) role in MILLION DOLLAR BABY, Eastwood offers up hard core, no holds barred, intensity, but again finds a way to give his character enough heart to make him embraceable. Now, when it comes to the film's music, as many of you might have come to expect. this Eastwood score reflects much more of the “heart” than it does it’s edgier side. With the director’s chair and starring role on his plate again, Eastwood left the musical duties in the hands of long-time, collaborator, MICHAEL STEVENS and son, KYLE EASTWOOD.

Read the full review here

Nothing But the Truth by Larry Groupe (Soundtrack Review)

Truth Be Told
Review by Christopher Coleman

One of 2008’s better political thrillers is going to go unseen (and unheard) by moviegoers. With Yari Film Group Releasing's filing for Chapter 11 just prior to it's debut, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, will likely see only the most limited of releases. Months down the road though, the general public will be able to treat themselves to another Rob Lurie special – filled with political intrigue and human drama. The ensemble performance of Kate Beckinsale (who’s American accent ever impresses), Vera Farmiga, Alan Alda, and Matt Dillon may also be the best of the year and quietly undergirding the familiar storyline is familiar musical collaborator, LARRY GROUPE.

Director and writer Rob Lurie looks into the recent past for his most recent poli-thriller, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. Pulling from the volumes of twists and intrigue from the Valerie Plame/ C.I.A. Affair from 2003, Lurie crafts a story that mirrors many of the major points from the real-world scandal that rocked the Bush Administration and made "Scooter Libby" a household name. Rob Lurie's tale also centers around the breaking of a newspaper-story that reveals the identity of a C.I.A. operative. As a result, the article's author, Rachel Armstrong (Beckinsale) quickly comes under fire by the government to reveal her source. As we well know now, divulging the identity of such operatives is a Federal offense and the the source of such leaks must be found and punished accordingly. In the case of NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, Rachel Armstrong's refuses to comply by making her source known. She consequently loses everything dear to her, finds herself in jail and eventually even in the highest courts in the land. NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH is small in scale but huge in intrigue and the convincing performances of every key character help to grab and keep attention all the way up to it’s unforeseen conclusion.

Political thrillers usually go in one of two directions these days. In terms of their original scores they are either the dramatic-action-ethnic sort or the contemporary minimalist type. Perhaps Rob Lurie and LARRY GROUPE’S most famous collaboration to date has been, THE CONTENDER, in which we were treated to one of Groupé’s more memorable, patriotic themes. In the case of NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH, the latter technique is employed. Within the film itself, Larry Groupé’s score moves along stealthily until the most dramatic moments of the film. Rather than grand, sweeping symphonic movements, this score is principally composed of guitar, piano, a small string ensemble, and various atmospheric effects.


Read the full review here