Best Original Score Oscar Winner is... Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for The Social Network

Last night, the 83rd Annual Oscar Award show aired on ABC, but only after more Red Carpet coverage than even the Super Bowl garners. As for the show itself, it was the typical night of laughs, cringes, nods of approval and head-shakes of disappointment.

If you are reading this post, then the most relevant award was the BEST SCORE category, which went to TRENT REZNOR AND ATTICUS ROSS for their a-typical score for THE SOCIAL NETWORK. The response to this win has been, as most years go,...divided; however, it was not a surprise. The BEST SONG award was somewhat of a surprise; going to RANDY NEWMAN for "We Belong Together" from TOY STORY 3. Newman's speech was certainly one of the best of the night.

The big winners turned out to be INCEPTION (4) (for almost all of the tech awards) and THE KING'S SPEECH (4) (for many of the big, non-tech awards.)  But here are all 25 winners to get you caught up quickly:

1. Best Picture: "The King's Speech."
2. Actor: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech."
3. Actress: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan."
4. Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, "The Fighter."
5. Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, "The Fighter."
6. Directing: Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech."
7. Foreign Language Film: "In a Better World," Denmark.
8. Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network."
9. Original Screenplay: David Seidler, "The King's Speech."
10. Animated Feature Film: "Toy Story 3."
11. Art Direction: "Alice in Wonderland."
12. Cinematography: "Inception."
13. Sound Mixing: "Inception."
14. Sound Editing: "Inception."
15. Original Score: "The Social Network," Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
16. Original Song: "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3," Randy Newman.
17. Costume Design: "Alice in Wonderland."
18. Documentary Feature: "Inside Job."
19. Documentary (short subject): "Strangers No More."
20. Film Editing: "The Social Network."
21. Makeup: "The Wolfman."
22. Animated Short Film: "The Lost Thing."
23. Live Action Short Film: "God of Love."
24. Visual Effects: "Inception."

Like every year, we say "Congrats to all of the winners.  But, Academy, let's do better next year."

So what did you think of THE SOCIAL NETWORK winning Best Score?

The Eagle (Soundtrack) by Atli Övarsson - Review

Has The Eagle Landed?
by Richard Buxton

Even after over a decade it is impossible to judge films remotely resembling ‘Swords and Sandals’ genre without comparing it to the epic that is GLADIATOR. Credited with reviving a whole genre by itself, it is the benchmark that all others measure themselves by and provides an instant uphill struggle to achieve any recognition beyond that of a “Gladiator wannabe”.

The general consensus is that THE EAGLE fails in any attempt to live up to the memory of such a fondly remembered milestone. Yet, under continued guidance from HANS ZIMMER, Icelandic composer ATLI ÖRVARSSON surely has a chance to emulate any success ZIMMER’S Academy Award winning score? While the similarities are certainly there, THE EAGLE doesn’t quite manage to provide the same depth of quality found in ZIMMER’S score. Nonetheless, ÖRVARSSON manages to take inspiration from his mentor and admirably provides his own spin and innovation on the project.

Read the full review

Inon Zur, Florence + The Machine Provide Riveting Dragon Age II Soundtrack

BIOWARE COLLABORATES WITH FLORENCE + THE MACHINE AND INON ZUR FOR RIVETING DRAGON AGE II SOUNDTRACK

The Best in Rock, Music Composition and Gaming Collaborate to Deliver an Emotionally Powerful Soundtrack to one of the Most Anticipated Games of the Year

Lower the lights, turn up the volume and prepare for an incomparable audio sensation when you drop in Dragon Age™ II, hailed by Yahoo!, Game Informer, IGN, GameSpot and Seth Schiesel from the New York Times as one of the year's most anticipated video games. BioWare™ has teamed up with the Grammy Awards' Best New Artist nominee Florence + The Machine for an exclusive re-imagining of "I'm not calling you a liar" that you can only hear in-game in Dragon Age II. Produced by award-winning composer Inon Zur and Steve Schnur, and mixed by Jack Joseph Puig - known for his work with U2, The Rolling Stones, No Doubt and Green Day, the song appears in-game as "I'm Not Calling You A Liar (Dragon Age II: Varric's Theme)". Additionally, Zur returns to bring a wide range of dynamic music styles to Dragon Age II. From ethereal and mystical to bombastic and lyrical, his original score befits the game's dramatic story and visuals and helps drive the heart-pounding action.

"With the band's full blessings and enthusiasm, we isolated Florence's original vocals from one of their most unique songs and completely 'Dragon-Aged' it," said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing for EA as well as the track's co-producer. "What was originally a powerfully stark, acoustic-based song has been reborn with all-new instrumentation and full orchestration. The results are an epic anthem for the next stage of the Dragon Age legend."

Part one of the Dragon Age II soundtrack* will be available for purchase on March 8, 2011 at all digital music service providers worldwide for $3.99.

The following tracks will be included:

· Dragon Age II Main Theme
· Hawke Family Theme
· Qunari On The Rise
· Templars
· Love Scene
· Arishok
· Tavern Music
· Viscount
· Mages
· Fenris Theme
· Kirkwall Nights
· Rogue Heart

To hear a small sampling of the soundrack, "Hawke Family Theme" and "Qunari on the Rise," please visit http://soundcloud.com/nettwerkmusicgroup/sets/inon-zur-dragon-age-2/.

In addition to being nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award, Florence + the Machine's debut album "Lungs" spent 65 consecutive weeks on the top 40 chart in the United Kingdom and won the 2010 BRIT Mastercard British Album Award. Inon Zur's score for Dragon Age: Origins also won Best Original Video Game Score at the Movie Music UK Awards and Best Original Song at the Hollywood Music In Media Awards.

Additional tracks from the Dragon Age II soundtrack will be available for purchase on April 12 and May 10. Dragon Age II will be in stores in North America on March 8, 2011 on the Xbox 360™ computer and videogame system, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, PC and Mac®. Gamers who want to get a small taste of the game and exclusive new music can download the Dragon Age II demo available now on Xbox LIVE®, PlayStation® Network and PC. For more information on Dragon Age II, please visit http://dragonage.bioware.com/, "like" us at http://www.facebook.com/dragonageorigins or follow us at http://twitter.com/dragonage.

*Those who pre-ordered the Dragon Age II BioWare Signature Edition will receive the full soundtrack at no additional cost.

International Film Music Critics (IFMCA) 2010 Winners

JOHN POWELL’S HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON IS NAMED
INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS’ 2010 FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

FEBRUARY 24, 2011 - The International Film Music Critics Association announces the winners of its seventh annual awards for excellence in musical scoring in 2010 with John Powell’s score for the animated film HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON topping the list, winning both Film Score of the Year and Best Score for an Animated Film. Alexandre Desplat receives three awards: Best Score for a Drama Film (THE KING’S SPEECH), Best Score for an Action/Adventure/Thriller Film (THE GHOST WRITER) and Composer of the Year.

Continuing their tradition to highlight lesser known but vital world talents, the Association awards the Breakout Composer of the Year to Portuguese composer Nuno Malo for AMÁLIA. Turkish composer Pinar Toprak wins Best Score for a Comedy Film for her score to the THE LIGHTKEEPERS. Rounding out the film categories are Best Score to a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror Film which goes to TRON: LEGACY by the French duo Daft Punk, Best Score for a Documentary Film winner is French composer Bruno Coulais for OCÉANS and American Danny Elfman’s “Alice Theme” from ALICE IN WONDERLAND wins Best Individual Composition.

In the non-film category, Bear McCreary wins his second award in a row in the Best Score for a Television Series, this year for Fox’s drama HUMAN TARGET (McCreary won last year for BATTLESTAR: GALACTICA). Kojima Productions’ CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW, with music by Óscar Araujo, wins Best Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media.

The Best Archival Release goes to the six-disc box set release of Alex North’s score to Stanley Kubrick’s SPARTACUS, which was Varèse Sarabande’s executive producer Robert Townson’s 1000th release for the label. Best Record Label of the Year goes to La-La Land Records, their first win in this category, for such notable 2010 expanded release soundtracks as BATMAN RETURNS, DRAGONSLAYER, PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO and HOME ALONE.


2010 Film Categories


FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, music by John Powell

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
• ALEXANDRE DESPLAT

BREAKOUT COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
• NUNO MALO

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
• THE KING'S SPEECH, music by Alexandre Desplat

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
• THE LIGHTKEEPERS, music by Pinar Toprak

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM
• THE GHOST WRITER, music by Alexandre Desplat

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM
• TRON: LEGACY, music by Daft Punk

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE
• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, music by John Powell

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
• OCÉANS, music by Bruno Coulais

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
• ALICE IN WONDERLAND – “Alice’s Theme” (Danny Elfman)

2010 Non-Film Categories

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION
• HUMAN TARGET, music by Bear McCreary

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
• CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW, music by Óscar Araujo

BEST ARCHIVAL RELEASE OF AN EXISTING SCORE
• SPARTACUS, music by Alex North (Varèse Sarabande) – Album Producer: Robert Townson; Liner Notes: Robert Townson; Album Art Direction: Robert Townson, Matthew Joseph Peak, Bill Pitzonka

FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
• LA-LA LAND RECORDS


***


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.

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.

Homefront Game Soundtrack by Mathew Harwood to be released by Sumthing Else Music Works

SUMTHING ELSE MUSIC WORKS ANNOUNCES
RELEASE OF HOMEFRONT™ ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK


Original Music Score Composed by Matthew Harwood,
Recorded with A-List Musicians in New York

New York - February 22nd, 2011 - Sumthing Else Music Works, Inc. proudly presents Homefront™ Original Soundtrack featuring the original music score from the highly anticipated first-person-shooter video game Homefront™ developed by Kaos Studios, a division of THQ Inc. Composed by Matthew Harwood whose previous scores include Frontlines: Fuel of War, the Homefront Original Soundtrack is scheduled for release on March 8th, 2011 to retail outlets through Sumthing Else Music Works www.sumthing.com, and for digital download at www.sumthingdigital.com, Amazon MP3, iTunes® and other digital music sites.

Set in the year 2027, Homefront is an immersive first person shooter that delivers a gut-wrenching cinematic experience. Written by John Milius (Red Dawn, Apocalypse Now), parts of the American homeland are occupied by a savage far-east alliance driven by a nuclear-armed North Korean Army. In the aftermath of a crippling global energy crisis and a decade of economic and political turmoil, America has fallen. Its infrastructure shattered and military in disarray, the USA is powerless to resist the ever-expanding occupation. A once free people are now prisoners or collaborators or revolutionaries. The plot focuses on the story of a small resistance group amidst a larger set of events.

"Homefront is so rich and compelling that creating the score to support it was both rewarding and challenging," says composer Matthew Harwood. "I would ask myself, how would I feel if this were to actually happen, how would I live, what would I do to protect my family, would I stand by and watch, or would I fight? The world of Homefront posed these questions to me in a way I was not initially expecting. Those questions were the cornerstone that I used to form an emotional compass for the compositions."

Describing the music for Homefront, Harwood explains, "Stylistically, the orchestra, which was fused with electronic elements that were supported by Asian percussion, was the brick and mortar. I also wanted to use guitars (both acoustic and electric) to help sell the locale. Asian instrumentation such as the erhu and pipa are heard to help mold the sonic quality. When we recorded the orchestra we did so in New York and it was a thrill to hear the score brought to life by the caliber musicians here in the city. To me, Homefront represents something rare in gaming, where the story and what it has to say are integral in the experience. Composing music for Homefront was a pleasure. I hope you enjoy listening!"

Homefront is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC on March 15th, 2011. For more information on Homefront, visit www.DefendYourHomefront.com.

For more information on Sumthing Else Music Works and its complete catalog of video game soundtracks, visit www.sumthing.com and www.sumthingdigital.com.

Jane Eyre Soundtrack Dario Marianelli with Jack Liebeck

SONY CLASSICAL RELEASES SOUNDTRACK TO JANE EYRE
Score by Dario Marianelli
Performed by violinist Jack Liebeck
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Available March 8, 2011

Focus Features Opens Film March 11 –
JANE EYRE Stars Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender

Sony Classical is delighted to announce the release of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Focus Features’ new film Jane Eyre, available March 8, 2011. Academy Award-winning composer Dario Marianelli (Atonement) has created a romantic and moving score, performed by violinist Jack Liebeck, as the perfect complement to the new movie version of the celebrated story. Jane Eyre opens in New York and Los Angeles on March 11, and expands to additional cities throughout March.

Dario Marianelli’s Jane Eyre score heavily features a solo violin, recorded for the film by the 2010 Classical Brit Award-winning violinist Jack Liebeck. Marianelli is known for the gift of capturing the emotional and poignant elements of a story in his music. His score for Atonement earned him Golden Globe and Academy Awards, and his work on Pride & Prejudice was also Oscar-nominated. His other film credits as composer include Eat Pray Love, Agora, The Brave One, The Soloist, Everybody’s Fine, and V for Vendetta.

In the bold new feature version of Jane Eyre, director Cary Joji Fukunaga (Focus’ Sin Nombre) and screenwriter Moira Buffini (Tamara Drewe) infuse a contemporary immediacy into Charlotte Brontë’s timeless, classic story. Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland), Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) star in the iconic lead roles of the romantic drama, the heroine of which continues to inspire new generations of devoted readers and viewers.

In the 19th Century-set story, Jane Eyre (played by Ms. Wasikowska) suddenly flees Thornfield Hall, the vast and isolated estate where she works as a governess for Adèle Varens, a child under the custody of Thornfield’s brooding master, Edward Rochester (Mr. Fassbender). The imposing residence – and Rochester’s own imposing nature – have sorely tested her resilience. With nowhere else to go, she is extended a helping hand by clergyman St. John Rivers (Jamie Bell of Focus’ The Eagle) and his family. As she recuperates in the Rivers’ Moor House and looks back upon the tumultuous events that led to her escape, Jane wonders if the past is ever truly past…

For more information on the film, please visit www.JaneEyreTheMovie.com.

Pre-Order the JANE EYRE soundtrack at Amazon.

La Herencia Valdemar II: La Sombra Prohibida by Arnau Bataller (Soundtrack) - Review

Out of the Shadows
Review by Richard Buxton

It will take the average listener approximately 30 thirty seconds to decide whether ARNAU BATALLER’s score for LA SOMBRA PROHIBIDA is worth their time, and anyone with the slightest affection for grandiose and fantastical orchestral music will answer that with a resounding yes.

Following the less than critically acclaimed LA HERENCIA VALDEMAR, director and writer JOSÉ LUIS ALEMÁN reprises his role for the sequel LA SOMBRA PROHIBIDA, a Spanish tale of mystery set within the lore of H.P. Lovecraft. As a result, fellow Spaniard, ARNAU BATALLER returns having provided the highlight of their first collaboration, and arguably does so once more.

Read the full review

St. George Shoots the Dragon (Soundtrack) by Aleksandar Randjelovic - Review

Dragojevic's Dragon
Review by Richard Buxton

One of the great fears of score collectors is the prospect of a beloved score never receiving a full release. While for the majority of Hollywood blockbusters this is not a problem, films that experience a more limited release combined with a language other than English face significant hurdles to see their scores released. So it comes with refreshing relief that KEEP MOVING RECORDS has taken the admirable step of releasing such scores to audiences, in this case the Serbian film ST. GEORGE SHOOTS THE DRAGON, directed by SRDAN DRAGOJEVIC. Rather than telling the mythical tale of the saint’s duel with the fire-breathing beast, ST. GEORGE SHOOTS THE DRAGON narrates the story of a small village amidst constant warfare between the years of the Balkan War and World War I.

What is most striking about Randjelovic’s score is the distinct lack of diversity heard throughout. This is exemplified right off the bat in “Opening Titles”, an entirely string based piece that introduces the mournful descending theme of the film. The desired effect of a largely somber tone is achieved, but this can’t hide the fact that this tone fails to evolve or change in any way for the entire duration of the score, even in the final track “Battle”, a score that has disturbingly little “battle” music to back up the title. If you find yourself skipping the first track, it is likely you will little that will hold your attention as you venture further into the soundtrack.

Read the full review

Strings (Soundtrack) by Jørgen Lauritsen - Review

A Puzzle of Strings
Review by Richard Buxton

The ancient tale of vengeance is one frequently visited by films the world over, among these tales the avenging of one’s father is among the most told. Never has such a story been told quite like it is in STRINGS however, as Danish director Anders RØNNOW KLARLUND, with the help of expert puppeteer BERND OGRODNIK set out to create a rich adventure in a universe populated by actual marionettes. One’s immediate reaction is likely to swing instantly between the “love it or hate it” camp on hearing the premise, but is undeniably an original and fascinating one.

As our protagonist Hal, voiced by James McAvoy in the English dub, sets out on his quest to the death of his father, he is accompanied the lush sweeping harmonies of RØNNOW KLARLUND, a newcomer at the time of the release of STRINGS having only score one (TV) movie beforehand.

Read the full review

SoundCast Episode 21: Invasion of the Score Snatchers

Episode #21 - Invasion of the Score Snatchers

Recorded February 17, 2011
Published February 18, 2011

Chris, Marius and Tom talk about the current Hollywood trend of new composers coming from other music genres and score A-List films.

Episode Highlights

00:40 — Intros
03:15 — What we've been listening to (Killzone 3, Sanctum, Secret of Kells, Summer Wars)
18:10 — Tide of the Super Heroe Movies
24:11 — Invasion of the Score Snatchers!
15:07 — The string quartet vs. orchestra in Dead Space 2
18:43 — Dead Space 2's themes
21:20 — Portraying the Church of Unitology
24:29 — Differing instrumentation between Dead Space and Dead Space 2
26:04 — The recording sessions
28:25 — Preparing the abstract musical material
30:53 — How creatively fulfilling were the Dead Space scores?
33:17 — Upcoming projects
34:50 — Fear of typecasting?
37:57 — Conclusion

Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

00:00 — Invasion of the Body Snatchers Trailer clip 1
03:30 — "Main Menu - And Ever We Fight On" (Killzone 3) by Joris de Man
05:00 — "Espiritu Esa Ala" (Sanctum) by David Hirschfelder
08:35 — "Kasou Toshi Oz" (Summer Wars) Akihiko Matsumoto
10:00 — "The Chi'Rho Page" (Secret of Kells) by Bruno Coulais
11:03 — "Potus 111" (Eagle Eye) by Brian Tyler
21:31 — "Spider-Man Theme" (Spider-Man TV 1967) by
23:53 — Invasion of the Body Snatchers Trailer Clip 2
30:07 — "Intriguing Possibilities" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
37:47 — "End of Line" (Tron Legacy) Daft Punk
48:56 — Invasion of the Body Snatchers Trailer Clip 3

Download the episode here

Subscribe and more info here

Jeremy Zuckerman & Benjamin Wynn Release DC Showcase Soundtrack

JEREMY ZUCKERMAN & BENJAMIN WYNN RELEASE DC SHOWCASE SOUNDTRACK

LOS ANGELES (Feb. 15, 2011) - Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn, a.k.a. The Track Team, announced the release of their DC Showcase animated short scores to “The Spectre,” “Green Arrow,” “Jonah Hex” and “Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam” today as a limited edition release of 1000 units. This is the first soundtrack release for The Track Team.

“We’re so happy to be able to make this music available to fans of the DC Showcase series. The stylistic breadth of this project is very wide… I think there'll be something for nearly everyone here," said Zuckerman.

In addition to the DC Showcase series, Zuckerman and Wynn are the force behind the music and sound for all three seasons of Nickelodeon's Peabody Award winning TV show “Avatar: the Last Airbender.” The Track Team coined the show's signature sound by composing for the “Avatar: the Last Airbender” television series, for which they were nominated for a Golden Reel .

The duo has long been advocating for their music’s release, and to that end they have a fan-made petition to release their score to Nickelodeon’s “Avatar the Last Airbender” that has collected over 13,000 signatures.

“Our first soundtrack release is a career milestone for both of us, and we couldn’t be happier,” said Wynn, “I hope that it is the beginning of many album releases from The Track Team.”

About The Track Team

The Track Team is a music and sound design production company in Los Angeles, California, co-founded by Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn. Since 2004, the Track Team has been a purveyor of artistically and technologically innovative audio for television, film, commercials and video games. The duo has been nominated for two Golden Reel Awards for their work on the TV series “Avatar: the Last Airbender,” (2008), and “Jonah Hex” (2011).

www.thetrackteam.com
www.twitter.com/thetrackteam.

Who Should Score The Amazing Spider-Man?

If you missed the coverage of the next iteration of SPIDER-MAN on the big screen, don't worry there is going to plenty of coverage over the next 12 to 18 months.  Today, however, Sony made it's first press release regarding the upcoming reboot.  The film will be entitled THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and will star the likes of: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field. The film is being directed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer).  Now that's not too shabby at all.

Well, of course, you have noticed that there is no announcement of the composer for the original score just yet...and likely won't be for some months, but that just gives us time to specula...err dream a little.

With a full reboot after only a decade, I have to wonder just how far they will move away from what Raimi, Elfman, et al did for the last Spidey-trilogy.  As one of the seemingly few, who didn't enjoy the last three films all that much, I see it as a great opportunity to do something special with the film...and it's score. 

I would say that I'm disappointed in the fact that the film is going to be shot "entirely in 3D" but that is just the way of things for big-budget-movies and with a Spider-Man movie there are just too many "ooooo aaaaah" 3D opportunities to pass up.  That being said, my second greatest hope is that they lay off the second-rate CGI this time, which, ironically, went a long way in making the last films feel fairly flat and uninteresting to me - a faux pas that Iron Man 2 also fell into.  If it must be done, then I hope mark Webb and company have a look at the last HULK, first IRON MAN film, or even X-MEN 2 as a template. (ie.  make sure you have a good screenplay and use CGI only when you absolutely have to.)

Notice I said "second greatest hope" above?  Of course, you did.  My greatest hope is that the director and producers do something truly daring...and that is to resurrect that classic theme originally written by Bob Harris.  You'll probably remember Harris' catchy, jazz, melody was given its true addictiveness by Paul Francis Webster's lyrics, "Spider-man, Spider-man.  Does whatever a spider can..."  Instead of delivering another mostly-adequate-underscore, I'm hoping they do something much more risky, something much more memorable to help set this super-hero film apart from the deluge of such films that will pound through our local multiplexes over the next two years.

Now it wouldn't be even remotely practical to think that they could score the entire film with Harris', and later Ray Ellis', edgy jazz style, but taking that original theme and letting it drive the score (contemporary adaptations and all) would prove memorable and just a whole bunch of fun.  (These movies are still supposed to be fun.  Aren't they?)

Lastly, I'd like to put forward at least one name that could pull off this sort of score coup.   The composer who immediately comes to mind is MICHAEL GIACCHINO, who certainly handled the 60s style jazz genre with spectacular results in THE INCREDIBLES and has successfully taken on franchises with iconic musical themes:  STAR TREK and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE.

So here's a chance for one super-hero franchise to do something truly amazing...at least in the realm of the original score.  Leave us a comment telling us what you think about the upcoming Spider-Man movie, what sort of score it deserves, and who should score it.

Favorite Romantic Movie Themes

For this Valentines Day - we bring twenty-one of our favorite romantic movie themes - guaranteed to get you all happy and sappy, if aren't there already.  This list is certainly not exhaustive but touches on great love themes from several eras of movie music.  Below you can listen to each track individually, while reading through some notes on each and finally at the bottom there is a link so you can go to Grooveshark and stream all of these tracks as one, big, romantic playlist.


Storybook Love (The Princess Bride) by Mark Knopfler

It's been named many times as the score that first captured the attention of future film music composers.  The film, The Princess Bride, is nothing less than a classic and that is at least in part to Mark Knopfler's simple but memorable love theme.




Partition (Partition) by Brian Tyler

Not a name you might associate with a lush, romantic theme, but in this much-overlooked film, Brian Tyler shows he can handle forbidden romance as much as he can fast-paced action.




For the Love of a Princess (Braveheart) - James Horner

In 1995, James Horner was at the top of his game.  Amidst some of his most memorable cues of all time comes this wonderful love theme; a theme that remains as romantically full as when we first heard it.




Love Theme (Romeo and Juliet) by Nino Rota

What list would be complete without Nino Rota's unforgettable love theme to Romeo and Juliet?  It's the first theme on this list that falls into a special group; themes that have become so well known and, at times, over-used, that we forget how magically romantic they truly are.




Across the Stars (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones) - John Williams

One of the very few positive things to come out of Episode Two of the Star Wars saga was John Williams  classically-styled-love theme; one the was both full of love but also tragedy (not unlike the preceding track from Rota).  Williams' theme is overflowing with the most romantic of all midichlorians - enough to make even the most hardened spice pirates cry, or fall in love, or something.




Lara's Theme (Doctor Zhivago) - Maurice Jarre

Fast approaching 50 years since it's debut, Maurice Jarre's memorable theme from the epic David Lean film continues to pack a special, unmatched charm.  While it doesn't get plays on the airwaves as it did in the late 1960's, it remains one of the most identifiable and beloved movie love themes of all time.




Beautiful (King Kong) by James Newton Howard

Of course the irony of a beast understanding and appreciating beauty was not lost on composer James Newton Howard and the talented composer delivers a delicate piece of music that goes under-appreciated in light of the overwhelming "bigness" of the score.  In his own masterful way, Newton Howard underlines the obvious beauty of the track with sense of wonder, but also impending tragedy.  Sounds like love to me.




Love Theme (Dances With Wolves) by John Barry

The theme representing the love between Dances With Wolves and Stands With A Fist carries that classic, lush John Barry sound.  It is a shame that film composers don't get many opportunities to write such music any longer, but at least we have Barry's romantically abundant library to return to.




That Next Place (Meet Joe Black) by Thomas Newman

While the film didn't do very well at all - despite it starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, and oh let us not forget the enchanting Claire Forlani - Thomas Newman's score did receive some due attention.  Here, he takes his simple love theme and transforms into an amazing climactic piece.




Theme from Sabrina (Sabrina) by John Williams

I wasn't a huge fan of this remake, but John Williams held up his end of the deal by delivering a thoughtful piano-led theme for Sabrina.




Love Theme (Ben Hur) by Miklos Rozsa

Of course Ben Hur is known for its epic tale and epic scale, but Rozsa's lush and languishing love theme between Judah Ben Hur and Esther remains a beautiful high point every time it appears in the film.




The Wedding (Legends of the Fall) by James Horner

Why this film is considered a guilty pleasure is beyond me.  John Toll's beautiful photography is duly matched by James Horner's emotional score.  I, for one, have no guilt in watching this film or playing it's score repeatedly...and on Valentines Day, it should be mandatory.




Love Theme (The Saint) by Graeme Revell

Now here is a theme that you may have forgotten about.  Revell's love theme for The Saint might be his single best piece.  While the finale of the film has a slightly more energized version of this sumptuous theme, the piece we have here is just simple - simply rapturous.




Love Theme (Spartacus) by Alex North

Another classic.  Alex North's love theme remains one of his most beloved.  Perfectly embodying the love between Spartacus and Varinia, North's theme carries the film to it's emotionally potent conclusion like few love themes have done since.  With all due respect to those who have written music for later incarnations of the Spartacus story...no one comes close to this.




Emma (The Time Machine) by Klaus Badelt

Here's one you may have never heard...or just forgotten about.  Going way back into the career of Klaus Badelt we have The Time Machine and for the character, Emma, Badelt showed us that he could carry the romantic as well as he could the rambunctious.




Rose (Titanic) by James Horner

Admittedly, this 1997 theme from James Horner has gotten its fair share of plays.  Perhaps, to its own detriment, it received more than its share.  As a result, Rose's theme may not pack the same punch that it did back then, but, if we are going to be honest, many of us were pretty enthralled with it for a few months.  So being some 15 years away from Cameron's big tale, it might just be ok to start playing and enjoying this one again.




Rowena's Theme (Mr. Holland's Opus) by Michael Kamen

From the first moment I heard this piece from Michael Kamen, I was enchanted.  As romance does at times, there is bit of melancholy in Kamen's work here.  This version from the compilation album, Michael Kamen's Opus, has not lost an ounce of its potency.




Confluence (Memoirs of a Geisha) by John Williams

Concluding the beautifully shot film of Memoirs of a Geisha, John Williams piece brings all of the disparate pieces of Sayuri's life together in this track; filled with longing and disciplined beauty which has been tinged with sadness.




All Love Can Be (A Beautiful Mind) by James Horner

Charlotte Church's voice brings a certain solidity to James Horner's ever present theme in A Beautiful Mind.  While there are a number of familiar Horner elements which comprise this music, Church's voice makes it something special...something that captures the essence of innocent commitment and the selflessness of love.




Love Theme (Superman) - John Williams

As we wind down this list we return to the rapturous style of love theme that was certainly acceptable in the late Seventies.  Williams' theme for Superman and Lois Lane sees a number of renditions, including a pop-vocal, which I'm still trying to forget over 30 years later.  Still, the theme is ripe with all that made John Williams a wielder of true musical magic back then.  This piece, as do so many of his best from that era, repeats and builds to new heights until those with the slightest issues with vertigo will have a hard time taking it all in.  For Superman, we have the most triumphant of love themes - as well we should.




Estella's Theme (Great Expectations) by Patrick Doyle

We close this list out with a piece from Patrick Doyle that will ever be one of his finest.  In this modern retelling of Great Expectations, Doyle's guitar-led theme for Estella is at once innocently charming yet with the potential of being mercilessly seductive - a trait he later exploits in the track "Kissing in the Rain."





There you have it; some of my favorite romantic movie themes.  I can garauntee that one pass through these tracks and you will have your romantic target in full swoon mode.   Of course, I may have missed one or two themes, so feel free to post your faves!

You can also listen to these tracks in uninterrupted beauty here

Dead Space 2 (Game Soundtrack) by Jason Graves - Review

The Art of Darkness
Review by Marius Masalar

Depending on your preferences for horror, EA and Visceral Games’ 2008 sci-fi title DEAD SPACE will have struck you as either ideally terrifying or blatantly gruesome. I don’t think the developers would mind either interpretation. The game’s critical acclaim was easy encouragement for a sequel, so it’s little surprise that 4 years later we’re ready to jump back into the creepy world of protagonist Isaac’s nightmarish career.

Where the first DEAD SPACE made use of its surprise factor to bludgeon its audience with frequent “boo” moments and a constant state of high tension, the sequel plucks some pages from the Amnesia and BioShock books of fear and delivers a far more sophisticated and evenly paced experience that ends up being more rewarding as a result. The music reflects this paradigm shift, and if you’re a fan of JASON GRAVES’ innovative and evil approach to scoring the first title, you’ll be in for some more surprises with his sequel score.

Read the full review 

2010 IFMCA Nominees for Scoring Excellence Announced

IFMCA announces its 2010 nominees for scoring excellence
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALEXANDRE DESPLAT RECEIVES 7 INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS’ 2010 AWARD NOMINATIONS, INCLUDING TWO FOR FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

FEBRUARY 11, 2011 – The International Film Music Critics Association announces its list of nominations for excellence in musical scoring in 2010, with French composer Alexandre Desplat leading the field with 7 nods including THE KING’S SPEECH (3 nominations) and THE GHOST WRITER (4 nominations) for Film Score of the Year. Also nominated in this category are John Powell’s HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (5 nominations), Daft Punk’s score to TRON: LEGACY (3 nominations) and Hans Zimmer’s INCEPTION (3 nominations).

Desplat, who also wrote the nominated score to HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1, is short-listed for Composer of the Year along with John Powell (HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON); James Newton Howard (SALT, THE LAST AIRBENDER, NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS); Danny Elfman (ALICE IN WONDERLAND) and Hans Zimmer (INCEPTION).

Breakout Composer of the Year nominees include Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, better known as the French electronic/dance duo Daft Punk, for TRON: LEGACY; Spanish composer Oscar Araujo for the video game CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW; Spanish composer Arnau Bataller for the mystery film LA HERENCIA VALDEMAR; German composer Herbert Grönemeyer for the George Clooney drama THE AMERICAN; and Portuguese composer Nuno Malo for AMÁLIA, about Portuguese fado singer Amália Rodrigues.

New this year is Best Archival Release category, which combines previous categories that celebrated the current renaissance of older movie scores being released either for the first time, as a re-release or as a re-recording. With so many worthy choices, the new category has been expanded to 10 nominees, which this year includes the 6-disc, premiere release of Alex North’s score to Stanley Kubrick’s SPARTACUS, two never-released John Williams scores (BLACK SUNDAY and FAMILY PLOT) and re-recordings of scores as diverse as Dimitri Tiomkin’s THE ALAMO and Basil Poledouris’ CONAN THE BARBARIAN among other impressive releases.

The International Film Music Critics will announce the winners of its Seventh Annual Awards on February 25, 2011.

2010 Film Categories

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR

• THE GHOST WRITER, music by Alexandre Desplat
• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, music by John Powell
• INCEPTION, music by Hans Zimmer
• THE KING’S SPEECH, music by Alexandre Desplat
• TRON: LEGACY, music by Daft Punk

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

• Alexandre Desplat
• Danny Elfman
• James Newton Howard
• John Powell
• Hans Zimmer

BREAKOUT COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

• Óscar Araujo
• Arnau Bataller
• Daft Punk
• Herbert Grönemeyer
• Nuno Malo

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM

• AMÁLIA, music by Nuno Malo
• BLACK SWAN, music by Clint Mansell
• THE KARATE KID, music by James Horner
• THE KING’S SPEECH, music by Alexandre Desplat
• TRUE GRIT, music by Carter Burwell

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM

• THE LIGHTKEEPERS, music by Pinar Toprak
• LO, music by Scott Glasgow
• NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS, music by James Newton Howard
• POTICHE, music by Philippe Rombi
• VAMPIRES SUCK, music by Christopher Lennertz

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM

• BURIED, music by Víctor Reyes
• THE GHOST WRITER, music by Alexandre Desplat
• INCEPTION, music by Hans Zimmer
• ROBIN HOOD, music by Marc Streitenfeld
• SALT, music by James Newton Howard

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM

• ALICE IN WONDERLAND, music by Danny Elfman
• DAYBREAKERS, music by Christopher Gordon
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART I, music by Alexandre Desplat
• THE LAST AIRBENDER, music by James Newton Howard
• TRON: LEGACY, music by Daft Punk

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE

• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, music by John Powell
• L’ILLUSIONNISTE [THE ILLUSIONIST], music by Sylvain Chomet
• LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE, music by David Hirschfelder
• TANGLED, music by Alan Menken
• TOY STORY 3, music by Randy Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN, music by Miguel d’Oliveira
• BÉBÉS [BABIES], music by Bruno Coulais
• OCÉANS, music by Bruno Coulais
• WAITING FOR ‘SUPERMAN,’ music by Christophe Beck
• THE WILDEST DREAM: CONQUEST OF EVEREST, music by Joel Douek

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR

• ALICE IN WONDERLAND – “Alice’s Theme” (Danny Elfman)
• THE GHOST WRITER – “The Truth About Ruth” (Alexandre Desplat)
• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – “Forbidden Friendship” (John Powell)
• HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON – “Test Drive” (John Powell)
• THE LAST AIRBENDER – “Flow Like Water” (James Newton Howard)

Other 2010 Categories

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A TELEVISION SERIES

• CZAS HONORU [TIME OF HONOR], music by Bartosz Chajdecki
• DOCTOR WHO, music by Murray Gold
• HUMAN TARGET, music by Bear McCreary
• LOST, music by Michael Giacchino
• ULL PER ULL [AN EYE FOR AN EYE], music by Marc Vaíllo

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA

• CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW, music by Óscar Araujo
• DARK VOID, music by Bear McCreary
• JAMES BOND 007: BLOOD STONE, music by Richard Jacques
• LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA’HOOLE, music by Winifred Phillips
• LEGO UNIVERSE, music by Brian Tyler

BEST ARCHIVAL RELEASE OF AN EXISTING SCORE

• THE ALAMO, music by Dimitri Tiomkin (Tadlow/Prometheus) – Conductor: Nic Raine; Album Producers: James Fitzpatrick, Luc Van de Ven; Liner Notes: Frank K. DeWald; Album Art Direction: GINKO DIGI
• BATMAN RETURNS, music by Danny Elfman (La-La Land) – Album Producers: Neil S. Bulk, Dan Goldwasser, MV Gerhard, Matt Verboys; Liner Notes: John Takis; Album Art Direction: David C. Fein
• BLACK SUNDAY, music by John Williams (Film Score Monthly) – Album Producers: Lukas Kendall, Mike Matessino; Liner Notes: Scott Bettencourt, Mike Matessino, Jeff Eldridge, Al Kaplan; Album Art Direction: Joe Sikoryak
• CONAN THE BARBARIAN, music by Basil Poledouris (Tadlow/Prometheus) – Conductor: Nic Raine; Album Producer: James Fitzpatrick; Liner Notes: Frank K. DeWald; Album Art Direction: GINKO DIGI
• FAMILY PLOT, music by John Williams (Varèse Sarabande) – Album Producers: Robert Townson, Mike Matessino; Liner Notes: Mike Matessino
• THE GOONIES, music by Dave Grusin (Varèse Sarabande) – Album Producers: Robert Townson, Mike Matessino; Liner Notes: Mike Matessino; Album Art Direction: John Alvin, Drew Struzan
• INDEPENDENCE DAY, music by David Arnold ( La-La Land ) – Album Producers: Nick Redman, Mike Matessino, Didier C. Deutsch, MV Gerhard, Matt Verboys; Liner Notes: Dan Goldwasser; Album Art Direction: Mark Banning
• LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, music by Maurice Jarre (Tadlow) – Conductor: Nic Raine; Album Producer: James Fitzpatrick; Liner Notes: Frank K. DeWald
• MIKLÓS RÓZSA TREASURY, music by Miklós Rózsa (Film Score Monthly) – Album Producer: Lukas Kendall; Liner Notes: Lukas Kendall, Al Kaplan, Frank K. DeWald, John Fitzpatrick; Album Art Direction: Joe Sikoryak
• SPARTACUS, music by Alex North (Varèse Sarabande) – Album Producer: Robert Townson; Liner Notes: Robert Townson; Album Art Direction: Robert Townson, Matthew Joseph Peak, Bill Pitzonka

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 former contributor to filmmusicradio.com and filmmusicmag.com, and currently 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 Michael Giacchino’s UP in 2009, Alexandre Desplat’s THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON in 2008, 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.

SoundCast Interview with Jason Graves (Dead Space 2)

Interview: Jason Graves (Dead Space 2)

Recorded January 25, 2011

Published February 11, 2011

Marius talks with composer Jason Graves about his compelling work on the highly anticipated game, DEAD SPACE 2.

Episode Highlights

00:00 — Introduction

01:40 — Celebrating the Release of the game, the London premiere

03:40 — How the Lacrimosa concert piece ended up in the game

06:25 — How Jason got involved with the Dead Space franchise

10:15 — Music implementation in Dead Space

12:10 — Preparing for the sequel

14:24 — Things to improve

15:07 — The string quartet vs. orchestra in Dead Space 2

18:43 — Dead Space 2's themes

21:20 — Portraying the Church of Unitology

24:29 — Differing instrumentation between Dead Space and Dead Space 2

26:04 — The recording sessions

28:25 — Preparing the abstract musical material

30:53 — How creatively fulfilling were the Dead Space scores?

33:17 — Upcoming projects

34:50 — Fear of typecasting?

37:57 — Conclusion

Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

00:00 — "Welcome to the Sprawl" (Dead Space 2)

09:34 — "Much Ado About Necromorphs" (Dead Space 2)

11:48 — "Welcome to the Sprawl" (Dead Space 2)

18:10 — "Lacrimosa" (Dead Space 2)

22:40 — "It Had To Be Unitology" (Dead Space 2)

39:00 — "Much Ado About Necromorphs" (Dead Space 2)

Download the episode here

Subscribe and more info here

X-Men: First Class Trailer with Music (by Henry Jackman?)

In case you were like me and missed the debut of the full trailer of the upcoming X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, well...there it is.  Admittedly, it looks and sounds promising.  It's been widely reported for some months that composer HENRY JACKMAN (Monsters Versus Aliens, Kick Ass, Henri 4) would be providing the score.

While it was a little disappointing to know that John Powell was not remaining with the franchise (it's not like he isn't staying busy), I look forward to Jackman bringing something fresh to the table.  If this trailer is any indication (given how deceptive trailers can be), then this prequel looks like it could really help redeem the franchise from the sins of X-Men: The Last Stand.

Additionally, it is being reported that the music heard in this trailer is by Henry Jackman - a track entitled "Empathy."  While we look to get this confirmed, go ahead and enjoy the trailer and the appropriateness of the music included...and dream a little longer that First Class could turn out to be just that.

SoundCast Vault: Tom Hajdu of TomandAndy - Resident Evil: Afterlife

Back in September of 2010, Marius Masalar talked with Tom Hajdu of Tomandandy regarding their work for Resident Evil: Afterlife.  

Thanks to SoundCloud's new beta podcasting program, you can listen to this interview excerpt:

1) By following this blog

2) Following us at our official SoundCloud page 

3) Subscribing to our dedicated RSS Feed

(Of course you can still follow our original SoundCast podcasts here.)

The SoundCast Vault - Tomandandy (Resident Evil: Afterlife) by tracksounds

The full transcribed interview can be read here

Ten Most Popular Soundtrack Reviews of January 2011 - Tracksounds Trends

Tracksounds Trends #1 (for January 2011)

Here's a look at some of our most popular content at Tracksounds for January 2011.  Clearly the NFL playoffs has had an affect on the music being searched for and found at Tracksounds.  Interestingly only one score from a relatively recent release makes this top ten list.

Ten Most Popular Soundtrack Reviews

10 - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (Soundtrack) by Christopher Gordon
09 - Band of Brothers (Soundtrack) by Michael Kamen
08 - Autumn Thunder by Sam Spence, Tom Hedden, and David Robidoux
07 - Gladiator (Soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer
06 - Gran Torino (Soundtrack) by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens
05 - Call of Duty: World at War (Game Soundtrack) by Sean Murray
04 - L'Arnacoeur (Soundtrack) by Klaus Badelt
03 - Black Swan (Soundtrack) by Clint Mansell
02 - Braveheart (Soundtrack) by James Horner
01 - NFL Films Original Music (Promo) by David Robidoux

Five Most listened to Episodes of the SoundCast

05 - Episode 13 - Anticipating the Film Scores of 2010

04 - Episode 10 - Avatar Expectations/ Hans Zimmer's Modern Warfare 2

03 - Interview: Ramin Djawadi (Medal of Honor Video Game)

02 - Interview with Doug Adams - The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films
01 - Interview with Richard Jacques Interview: 007 Bloodstone

Five Most Popular Composer Interviews (pages)

05 - Interview: Trevor Rabin
04 - Interview: Greg Edmonson
03 - Interview: David Robidoux
02 - Interview: Ramin Djawadi
01 - Interview: Howard Shore

No Strings Attached (Soundtrack) by John Debney - Review

No Attachment
Review by Richard Buxton

JOHN DEBNEY is certainly no stranger to the romantic comedy, having previously scored numerous examples of the genre with relative success. Such experience comes at a cost however as DEBNEY’S score for NO STRINGS ATTACHED is a pleasant but altogether predictable and formulaic offering from the composer. This, perhaps, is not the fault of DEBNEY, but is due to the romantic comedy genre itself, which rarely proves to be a musically demanding one, and subsequently rarely lets the composer explore their musical talents to the full.

The story of NO STRINGS ATTACHED is little more than what can be expected of a typical Hollywood romance, and this shows clearly through the music. The themes heard on various instruments veer through all of the expected emotions of love, sorrow, and all the others in between, with ease, but never captivate the audience in a way that might perhaps keep them entranced after they leave the theatre.

Read the full review here

SoundCast Episode 20: John Barry and Oscar Predictions

Ep. #20 - John Barry and Oscar Predictions


Recorded February 3, 2011
Published February 4, 2011

Marius, Helen and Chris pay homage to composer John Barry and make their predictions for the  Oscar for Best Original Score.

Episode Highlights

00:45 - Introduction
02:45 - Reaction to Episode #19
04:45 - What is The SoundCast Vault?
12:30 - Remembering John Barry
25:42 - Golden Globe Reactions
32:40 - Reviewing our Oscar Predictions for 2010
35:19 - Disqualified Scores
44:00 - Oscar 2011 Predictions

Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

00:00 - "The Buffalo Hunt" (Dances with Wolves) by John Barry
11:45 - "Somewhere in Time" (Somewhere in Time) by John Barry
15:28 - "Main Title (I Had A Farm In Africa)" (Out of Africa) by John Barry
19:00 - "Farewell And End Title" (Dances with Wolves) by John Barry
25:19 - "Into Miami-Alpine Drive" (Goldfinger) by John Barry
26:50 - "Hand Covers Bruise" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
28:29 - "On We March" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
30:47 - "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
34:30 - "Married Life" (Up) by Michael Giacchino
36:19 - "Your Headstrong Ways" (True Grit) by Carter Burwell
36:45 - "The New Season" (Black Swan) by Clint Mansell
44:15 - "In Motion" (The Social Network) by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
44:27 - "Liberation" (127 Hours) by A.R. Rahman
44:35 - "Opening Title Pt1" (The Kings Speech) by Alexandre Desplat
44:47 - "Dream is Collapsing" (Inception) by Hans Zimmer
45:11 - "Test Drive" (How to Train Your Dragon) by John Powell
57:55 - "If I Rise" (127 Hours) by A.R. Rahman

Download the episode here

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Hanna Trailer - Are you intrigued?

Those of you wondering about the film, HANNA, which came up in episode #19 of The SoundCast, you can check out the trailer above.  As you will see at the end of the trailer, the composers attached to this film are already a big deal.

It definitely looks like a depature for director Joe Wright, but I have to admit to being moderately intrigued by this trailer.

What do you think of it...and what do you think about who will be composing the score?

The SoundCast Vault is Open

Many of the Tracksounds interviews conducted with composers and other industry professionals have only been available as written transcriptions and others have never been published before!  So for the first time that vault is being opened up and made accessible to your curious ears.

The SoundCast Vault will feature interviews with composers such as:

Howard Shore

BT

Hans Zimmer

Conrad Pope

Christopher Lennertz

and many others!

Our very first edition is with composer ALAN MENKEN, who shares about receiving his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and his most recent feature film project TANGLED.

Thanks to SoundCloud's new beta podcasting program, you have several means to follow these exclusive interviews:

1) By following this blog

2) Following us at our official SoundCloud page 

3) Subscribing to our dedicated RSS Feed

(Of course you can still follow our original SoundCast podcasts here.)

You can listen to our inaugural SoundCast Vault interview with Alan Menken here:

The SoundCast Vault with Alan Menken by tracksounds

Do take a minute to let us know what you think!

Blue Valentine (Soundtrack) by Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Plays the Blues

Review by Richard Buxton

In recent years a number of major releases have been scored by artists who have established their talents in drastically different musical forums to that of the motion picture, and often these experiments have resulted in successes. DAFT PUNK’S TRON LEGACY is a recent and very successful example of this. Yet despite the likes of DAFT PUNK and JONNY GREENWOOD (of THERE WILL BE BLOOD fame), the choice to employ an artist that resides in other genres of music is still one that is often frowned upon by film score enthusiasts. Perhaps it is a lack of trust in their scoring ability or a feeling that other genres of music are encroaching upon their preferred genre, or perhaps, and in the case of BLUE VALENTINE it is merely foresight.

The decision to employ the talents of the band GRIZZLY BEAR can surely be attributed to the nature of BLUE VALENTINE itself. Rather than take the traditional romantic comedy route, BLUE VALENTINE is a romantic drama that attempts to portray a more realistic vision of a real life relationship and the moments that fill its lifespan. This choice is an admirable one and would suggest a break from the clichéd music heard in the majority of romantic films in modern times. Unfortunately though, no matter what emotions the film may convey, the score is an altogether different and often difficult listening experience.

Read the full review