For those of you needing a classically clever whodunnit to add to your cinematic plate this holiday session, look no further than Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion. The next installment in Benoit Blanc mystery series is whip smart, hilarious, exquisite and layered…you know, like an onion. Herein, Johnson and company outdo everything in their last detective yarn. Bigger stakes, bigger laughs, bigger onions – it’s an exceptional outing! Every element just sings, and again Rian enlists his cousin Nathan Johnson to write a fitting score to accompany the masterful story. While subsequent yarns in the series are meant to be stand-alone events, the further adventures of the Kentucky-fried character required Johnson…
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Interview…Composer Theodore Shaprio on ‘The School for Good and Evil’, ‘The Pirates! Band of Misfits’ and Cracking Musical Puzzles
For more than two decades, Shapiro has been solving cinematic puzzles both light and dark. He scored some of Hollywood’s classic comedies—including Idiocracy, Old School, Tropic Thunder, and Dodgeball—with regular collaborators such as Paul Feig, Todd Phillips, and Jay Roach. He’s also cracked the code of political dramas (the Emmy-nominated Game Change, Trumbo), adventures both animated (Spies in Disguise), and unconventional (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), as well as sexy, stylish mysteries (A Simple Favor). Shapiro is like a character actor, putting on different musical costumes and adopting accents to disappear into roles much like Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which he scored with rays of…
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Interview…Composer John Debney on the Wicked and the Whimsical Worlds of ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ and ‘Luck’
One of our very favorite composers out there is John Debney. A great friend of the site, we’ve spoken to Mr. Debney over the years (including an awesome hour-long discussion about his unparalleled 40+ year career) and just love chatting about film, music and more. John has a true knack for scoring and because of his talents, time, and energy he has helped transform the soundscape of modern film music. Whether it’s a tent pole blockbuster or something more quaint and intimate, John digs deep, gives his all and the feature is so much better for his contributions. He’s also a chameleon; there isn’t one composer we can think of…
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Interview…Barry Burns on Mogwai, Signature Sounds, and Never Reading the Manuals
When it comes to one-of-a-kind sounds, look no further than the Scotland-based, post-rock band, Mogwai. They hit your ear drums with a one-two punch of style and experimentation, and always take you on a true musical journey. We first stumbled on them while I was visiting Japan in 2006. Maybe it was the reference to Gremlins that caught our eye, but once we heard “Auto Rock” we were hooked. Over the years, they have lent their skill and sonic textures to film, shows, documentaries and rocked out plenty of stadiums. In 2016 however, they really outdid themselves with the score to Kin by our friends Jonathan & Josh Baker. Not content…
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Music Review…’The Batman’ Is A Ballet of Brooding, Brains and Brawn
There’s a lot to love in the music of Michael Giacchino. He’s been to space, he’s been lost on an island, he’s been to the moon, far from home, he’s been up and inside out, and when it comes to modern composers, he’s the right one to let in if you want to get to the heart of the story. On that note, this film marks his fourth time collaborating with Matt Reeves, and what a team they have made over the years. The Batman finds him exploring new ground, well, for Reeves that is; Giacchino is all kinds of familiar with a superhero sound. But the world of dark…
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Interview…David Buckley on ‘The Sandman’ and ‘The Nice Guys’
Emmy nominated composer David Buckley is known for his versatility and prolific output. Having worked with some of the very best in the business, Buckley has been able to score a multitude of genres and projects including Universal’s Nobody starring Bob Odenkirk, Greenland starring Gerard Butler, Jason Bourne directed by Paul Greengrass and The Nice Guys for Shane Black and Joel Silver. Previous scores include the Joel Schumacher-directed thriller Blood Creek, Taylor Hackford’s action feature Parker and Rob Minkoff’s fantasy adventure The Forbidden Kingdom. For television, the hit Scott Free/CBS drama series The Good Wife and continues to score the spin-off, now in its sixth season, The Good Fight (for…
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Interview…Composer Dominic Lewis on the Multiple Soundscapes of ‘Bullet Train’
2022 has been a thrilling year for cinematic experiences, and one of the most exciting times we’ve had was with David Leitch’s Bullet Train. Federico and I were excited about it when we discussed our most anticipated films, but man did it deliver! Films these days tend to pander and not stray too far from sequel/prequel territory and it’s so good to get an original IP like this (and I bet the book is even better!). It’s just a fun time in the theater. What was thrilling enough to watch on screen only marginally outshines the auditory journey on this white-knuckle actioner starring Brad Pitt. Composer Dominic Lewis has a…
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Interview…Elliott Wheeler on Baz Luhrmann, Austin Butler and the Music of ‘Elvis’
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis hit theaters last month and as far as biopics go, it was one for the ages. In fact, you can’t have a film about “The King” without going over-the-top theatrically, stylistically or musically. It’s one of the best films we’ve seen in a while. Moreover, it should continue to prove that going back to the theater is anything but mundane – it is an event! The film finds Luhrmann reuniting with long time-collaborator, Elliot Wheeler, to help bring Elvis Aaron Presley’s music to the modern masses. After developing a shorthand with Luhrmann on The Great Gatsby and The Get Down, Wheeler returns with a unique dual role as both composer and executive…
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Interview…Joseph Trapanese on Chamber Music, Cellos, and Choir in ‘Spiderhead’
One of the busiest film musicians out there has to be Joseph Trapanese. Let’s call him “Joe.” Joe is a composer. These days, Joe is happy. In fact, he’s very, very happy. And why wouldn’t he be? He’s one of the most sought-after magic makers and has a brilliant track record working on huge films with megastar directors. In Netflix’s Spiderhead, Joe reunites with director Joseph Kosinski (with whom he previously worked on TRON: Legacy, Oblivion, and Only The Brave). Aside from working closely with his good friend Joe K – we’ll call him “other Joe” – Mr. Trapanese had the unique opportunity to get away from the music that…
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Interview…Jasha Klebe on the Freedom and Found Sounds of ‘Queer As Folk’
Jasha Klebe is a composer known for emotive melodies and impactful scores. Most notably, Jasha co-scored the BAFTA and Emmy nominated music of BBC’s Planet Earth II, alongside Hans Zimmer and Jacob Shea. He additionally provided music to the follow up series, Blue Planet II, as well as wrote the Emmy nominated music of National Geographic’s Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes. Jasha also composed the score to Netflix’s 2015 Oscar-nominated documentary, Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom and National Geographic’s, Diana: In Her Own Words. Jasha began his musical career at the age of 5, singing at his Grandparents’ opera house, Cinnabar Theater, in Petaluma, CA. He studied classical piano…
