Composer for Thor - The Dark World Revealed in Teaser Poster!

Marvel Studios began their press campaign with the release of the first teaser poster for THOR - THE DARK WORLD, the sequel to 2011's THOR.

While a host of details for the film were released along with the image (see below), one detail can only be found in closely examining the beautiful poster itself... and that is that none other than composer CARTER BURWELL will be composing the original score!

As you'll recall, Patrick Doyle ably composed the score for the first film, directed by Kenneth Branagh, and so with the change in the director's chair, many wondered if Doyle would return.  It has been known for some time that veteran, television-director, Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men, Law & Order, The Sopranos) will be Asgard's true master this time out, but we are now treated to this a-typically, early release of information regarding the original score's composer.

For some, is not likely that the superhero genre is what first comes to mind when thinking "Carter Burwell."  No doubt, Taylor has an impressive cable-television directorial resume; one that can lead to fans having high expectations in terms of the level of drama and character development, but what does his choice in composers say about the score?  Will it be the subtle, yet deep variety commonly coming from Burwell's pen or will he open it up and give us something as adventurous as ROB ROY?

The main themes that Doyle crafted do see like those that Burwell could naturally absorb and refit to his liking.  Take this sample for instance...

Do you think this was a good choice?  What does this do to your level of expectation for the film and its score?  Tell us in the comments below!

MORE ON THOR: THE DARK WORLD

Marvel’s "Thor: The Dark World" continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself.  In the aftermath of Marvel’s "Thor" and "Marvel’s The Avengers," Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness.  Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” is directed by Alan Taylor, produced by Kevin Feige, from a story by Don Payne and screenplay by Christopher Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery “ #83 in August, 1962.

“Thor: The Dark World” is presented by Marvel Studios. The executive producers are Alan Fine, Nigel Gostelow, Stan Lee, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Craig Kyle.

The film releases November 8, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Like Thor on Facebook: Facebook.com/Thor
Follow Thor on Twitter: Twitter.com/ThorMovies

Music from the Twilight Saga - Review

Breaking: Twilight Dawn’s New Moon Eclipse
Review by Helen San

Once in a while, Hollywood finds a product so compelling it overwhelmingly crushes all competition—sequel after sequel after sequel. The TWILIGHT juggernaut is the new gift that keeps on giving. It’s already made over $2 billion so far (yes, that’s billion with a B), so it is no wonder that TWILIGHT products keep coming out every time you turn your head. Shortly on the heels of the last TWILIGHT compilation (MUSIC FROM THE TWILIGHT SAGA FOR CHAMBER ORCHESTRA) comes this one: MUSIC FROM THE TWILIGHT SAGA. With music from all four existing films, this one is released by Silva Screen Records, the king of compilation albums. As usual for Silva, the recordings were made with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. If you’re familiar with work by both Silva and the City of Prague Philharmonic, you’ll know the quality is solid. Yes, there are probably better orchestras in the world, but I’ve never felt the need to complain about Prague.

The four film scores in the TWILIGHT SAGA are:

1. TWILIGHT by CARTER BURWELL
2. NEW MOON by ALEXANDRE DESPLAT
3. ECLIPSE by HOWARD SHORE
4. BREAKING DAWN I by CARTER BURWELL

It is widely known that I gush over CARTER BURWELL scores, so having two melancholic, romantic BURWELL scores in the same compilation is going to get me all tingly. Throw in DESPLAT’s incredible NEW MOON theme, and almost anything written by HOWARD SHORE, and I’m doing a happy dance even before I hear it. There, bias disclosed.

READ THE FULL REVIEW

Music from the Twilight Saga for Chamber Orchestra - Review

Team Compilation or Team Original?
Review by Helen San

MUSIC FROM THE TWILIGHT SAGA FOR CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (MTSCO) is a new compilation produced by the label BSX Records (owned by Buy Soundtrax, a retail outlet catering to hardcore soundtrack fans). Right away, you know this album is made for die-hard fans. But in this case, it is geared more toward die-hard fans of the Twilight Saga, known as “twihards”. Yes, you heard right. They’re called twihards.

In case you’ve been living on a deserted island, the Twilight Saga is a series of films based on four books (TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, ECLIPSE, and BREAKING DAWN) about a young woman named Bella and her love triangle between a vampire named Edward and a werewolf named Jason. The triangle is crux of the legend, with Twilight fandom splitting into two factions: Team Edward and Team Jason. There have been four movies so far, with one more to go. There is one movie per book except for the fourth book. BREAKING DAWN is split into two films (a la HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS), with PART 1 released in November 2011, and PART 2 to be released in November 2012.

The scores for the four released movies are as follows:

1) TWILIGHT by CARTER BURWELL
2) NEW MOON by ALEXANDRE DESPLAT
3) ECLIPSE by HOWARD SHORE
4) BREAKING DAWN, PART 1 by CARTER BURWELL.
(BREAKING DAWN PART 2 will also be by CARTER BURWELL.)

The story is filled with adolescent angst, lovelorn torment, and bittersweet pining. It is a perfect recipe for the kind of beleaguered, romantic melancholy CARTER BURWELL likes to compose. Indeed, twilighters apparently agreed and petitioned for CARTER BURWELL to return to the franchise after the project went to DESPLAT and SHORE for the second and third films respectively. I have to agree that while DESPLAT’s and parts of SHORE’s music were more melodious and easier to listen to, BURWELL’s pain-filled score resonated much better with the emotional core of the saga. It works better in the film. It works better on album to evoke the memories and essence of the Saga.

Book and movie-wise, I am nowhere near being a twihard, or even a regular twilighter. However, as a film music enthusiast, I have found the music compelling enough to spend good money on all four of the original Saga scores. The new titles of the compilation match the originals, track for track. So I was well able to compare this album to the previous works.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

SoundCast 36 - The 70s: Two Steps Above a Lunchbox

Episode 36 - The 70s: Two Steps Above a Lunchbox


Christopher, Marius, and Helen discuss their favorites scores from the decade of the 70s.  We read your tweeted faves and sidetrack on Carter Burwell on his return to the Twilight franchise and finally, react to The Hunger Games trailer and the fact that T Bone Burnett will be collaborating with Danny Elfman for its score.


Episode Highlights

00:00 — 70s Montage
00:31 — Intros and Welcome
03:20 — WHYBLT? (What Have You Been Listening To?): Hugo and Muppets
07:00 — WHYBLT? - The Skin I live In and Puss in Boots
08:10 — WHYBLT? - Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Uncharted 3, Dracula
11:30 — SideTracks: Twilight and Carter Burwell
29:30 — SideTracks: The Hunger Games trailer, T Bone, Elfman
35:52 — Main Discussion: The Best of the 70s
65:33 — Conclusion


Select Music

03:27 — "Winding It Up" (Hugo) by Howard Shore
05:44 — "Me Party" (The Muppets) Original Soundtrack
07:03 — "El Cigarral" (The Skin I Live In) by Alberto Iglesias
07:41 — "Chasing Tail" (Puss In Boots) by Henry Jackman
09:32 — "Icarus" (Deus Ex: Human Revolution) by Michael McCann
14:36 — "Bella's Lullaby" (Twilight) by Carter Burwell
35:20 — "Main Title & Mountian Visions" (Close Encounters) by John Williams
40:41 — "Tales of a Jedi Knight-Learn About the Force" (Star Wars) by John Williams
45:14 — "The Godfather Waltz" (The GodFather) by Nino Rota
45:55 — "Alien" (Alien) by Jerry Goldsmith
46:57 — "Main Title And First Victim" (Jaws) by John Williams
48:36 — "Philadelphia Morning" (Rocky) Bill Conti
50:09 — "The Enterprise" (Star Trek: TMP) by Jerry Goldsmith
54:52 — "Stately Purcell" (A Clockwork Orange) by Wendy Carlos
58:41 — "Dirty Harry's Creed" (Dirty Harry) by Lalo Schifrin
60:52 — "Speak Softly Love" (The Godfather) by Nino Rota
62:31 — "Out To Sea"(Jaws) by John Williams
66:23 — "The Conversation" (Close Encounters) by John Williams
69:45 — "Hotel Nacionale" (Voyage Of The Damned) by Lalo Schifrin

Download the episode here

Subscribe and more info here

Howl (Soundtrack) by Carter Burwell - Review

"Howl's Victim"
Review by Richard Buxton


The story of a poet and his work is perhaps one that is not often told; rather it is the poet who tells the stories. Therefore an insight into their personal world is not one that is often sought after. However, those with any knowledge of “Howl’s” protagonist and his political struggles throughout his life’s work will seek the production out.

Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman employed a number of techniques in their imagining of the life of American poet Allen Ginsberg. Centred on the simultaneously lauded and loathed poem "Howl", Epstein and Friedman employed a variety of styles to portray the key moments in the life of the controversial poet. Ranging from black and white to full blown animation, the story of this highly political artist is particularly vivid. The experience of listening to CARTER BURWELL’s efforts in HOWL however is often a testing one, one that rarely rewards the listener. The music though does undeniably mirror the film it accompanies in its style and technique.



Read the full review

A Serious Man (Soundtrack) by Carter Burwell - Review

A Seriously Reticent Score

Review by Helen San

A Harvard graduate who majored in computer animation, CARTER BURWELL stumbled into film composition by chance.  The sound editor of BLOOD SIMPLE liked his piano playing in a club and asked him to write a few sketches for the Coen brothers’ first movie.   Since then, BURWELL has loyally scored all Coen brothers features to date (except for O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? ), as well as countless other movies.  The history of film music sometimes finds a few powerhouse director / composer partnerships that stand out:  Alfred Hitchcock and BERNARD HERMANN, Steven Spielberg and JOHN WILLIAMS, and James Cameron and JAMES HORNER, for example.   But it is rare for directors to find a lifelong partnership, a shared creative vision so seamless they always turn to the same composer.

A SERIOUS MAN is BURWELL’s latest Coen project, right on the heels of last year’s BURN AFTER READING.  The serious man in question is Larry Gopnick, a Midwestern Jewish professor in the 60’s whose life unravels  around him.  To depict Gopnick’s helplessness and loss of control, BURWELL composed a darker and more dissonant score than usual:  a gently cacophonous ambience with cowbells, harps, and strings, at times juxtaposed against electric bass and guitar.  Now this is not the first time BURWELL has used unusual combinations of instruments. But unlike his other efforts, there is almost no melody in this one, so most of what you get is somber unease.  This quiet sadness actually complements the folk-guitar 60’s style of the rock band Jefferson Airplane, which played a prominent role in the movie.  Since I am not fond of Jefferson Airplane, the style is not particularly interesting to me.

Read the full review here