While technically Canadian, Michael J. Fox is one of America’s most beloved actors. Fueled by an inability to be still, he’s been moving since the day he was born. That tenacity propelled him through his childhood and, years later, the difficult and nebulous waters of Hollywood. Rejections would have sent many young hopefuls packing…but not Mike. Perseverance and attitude prevailed and Fox was rewarded with film and TV work that charted an unparalleled course few actors have been able to replicate or even follow. One of the best words that could describe this pint-sized Canuck is “joyful” – his delivery and smile elicits a laugh every single time. Fox may…
-
-
Interview…Composer Nitin Sawhney on ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’
We love it when a film serves as a vehicle to say something deep and meaningful. One such story is the latest from Shekhar Kapur. His direction of the story from writer Jemima Khan – about the modernity to arranged marriages in Indian cultures – give What’s Love Got To Do With It? its tangible emotional core. Adding to the success of that is the score from composer/songwriter Nitin Sawhney (who wrote the original score for the film and three original songs). Shazad Latif and Lily James carry the film, yet it is the subtle worldly vibe the music adds to certain story beats which “marries” well with many pivotal…
-
Interview…Paul Haslinger on Electronic Soundscapes, Subtext, and Scoring Processes
If you were around in the ’80s, few things defined “cool” like music did. And, film fan or not, the top of that list is most likely going to be Tangerine Dream: the German electronic music outfit who dominated airwaves and theaters with their cutting edge electric sound. One key member of that ensemble pushing the electronic side of the band was young Paul Haslinger who joined up with them after their big hits like Sorcerer and Risky Business. Bringing a younger video game sensibility, he helped change the course of their sound for the better and contributed plenty including scores to Near Dark, Miracle Mile and Three O’Clock High.…
-
Interview…Composer Alex Heffes on the Fun, Feverish and Flavorful Score to ‘Mafia Mamma’
Alex Heffes is a Golden Globe, BAFTA and 3 x Ivor Novello nominated composer who has scored over 70 feature films and TV projects. He has worked with many of cinema’s top filmmakers including Kevin Macdonald, Steven Frears, Catherine Hardwicke, Mira Nair, Tim Burton & J J Abrams. His unique ability to collaborate with artists from different cultures has been been a trademark of his style. He collaborated closely with Burton on his screen adaptation of Sweeney Todd and Heffes’ solo album, FACE TO FACE, features collaborations with artists such as the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, Regina Spektor and Yasmin Levy. Notable TV projects include the 2016 award-winning reboot of TV…
-
Interview…Composer Randy Edelman on Songs, Scores and Career Retrospective
Most of the time, a film would be nothing without the musical score. We hold the music in higher regard than the narrative itself, and our heroes have always been film composers. Getting to run this site for almost fifteen years, I can admit to just plain geeking out when speaking to people in the film music community. Case in point. Randy Edelman is a legendary singer, songwriter, orchestrator, conductor, and a seasoned music man who has quite literally scored our childhood. Just looking at the impressive list of titles to his credit (Dragonheart, Beethoven, Troop Beverly Hills, The Mask, My Cousin Vinny, Angels in the Outfield, Shanghai Noon, Daylight)…
-
Interview…Composer James Allen Roberson on Horses, Hoedowns and ‘Heart of a Champion’
James Allen Roberson is a composer and multi-instrumentalist working in film and television. With a diverse background in pop, rock, contemporary, and orchestral music he has carved out a unique niche in the current media landscape. James grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee playing classical violin and electric guitar from an early age. He studied film scoring and composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston where he received a bachelors of music degree. And from there he moved to Los Angeles and began working at Remote Control Productions with renowned composer Rupert Gregson-Williams as well as helping out on projects for Heitor Pereira, Guillaume Roussel, Deborah Lurie, and Hans Zimmer.…
-
Back to the Orchestra: The Sound of VCRs, Analog TV, and Flying Cars
Some things have certain smells that have the capacity to transport to a very specific place. Be it your mother’s cooking or the perfume of the one you shared your first kiss with, you can go to a specific memory and relive it over and over. How about the cinema? Can the smell of stale popcorn, artificial butter flavoring and dirty carpets take you some place? The same thing happens with sounds and music. Film scores have been part of cinema ever since sound was incorporated into the reel. Can you imagine Indiana Jones fighting Nazis without John Williams’ score in the background? Or Marty McFly riding his skateboard without Alan…
-
Interview…Composer Nathan Johnson on Harpsichords, Travelogues and ‘Glass Onion’
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…
-
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…
-
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…
