Hey, GST fans. Today is a special day in Internet history. I’m proud to share with you that it’s been a full decade since I started this site! For this anniversary/editorial post, I wanted to write more than a catch-all piece recapping highlights from the previous year. Well, there is some of that below, but I hope this look back can also offer a way forward – tips along with lessons learned – for aspiring film journalists or hobbyists like myself. In a way, I’m speaking to me in 2009, and on that note, I can’t help think of Christopher Lloyd’s famous line from Back to the Future, “My God. Has…
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[DIFF Video Interview]…Matt Schrader Screens ‘SCORE: A Film Music Documentary’ at the Dallas International Film Festival
The 2017 Dallas International Film Festival brought many amazing films and documentaries to DFW, but few hit as close to home (musically speaking) as Matt Schrader‘s feature, SCORE: A Film Music Documentary. Schrader’s film profiles various personalities and titans in the industry to chronicle the history of film music, reaffirm its importance in our culture, and attempt to explain why certain scores continue to resonate decades later. I can honestly say I’ve been a music fan longer than I’ve been a film fan, and as such, forgive the pun, this doc was music to my ears. We spoke to Schrader in 2015 while he was in the middle of interviewing the composers for…
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Off the Shelf…Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Cinderella’
When a film is said to be “iconic”, it means that the story itself has become infused with a certain mythos, whereby the idea of said property is ever grander than the actual film. In instances like that, it really takes someone (or a studio) with a certain resolve to attempt to successfully retell a famous yarn. In the case of 2015’s Cinderella, a live-action adaptation offers the chance, an obligation really, to truly flesh out the story and make it memorable, in more ways than one. After all, Cinderella is a tale that has existed in cultures all over the world for, believe it or not, nearly 2000 years. It’s…
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Interview…Composer Patrick Doyle on His New Collection of Solo Piano Themes
Patrick Doyle has scored over 50 international feature films, including Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, BRAVE, Indochine, Carlito’s Way and A Little Princess. His work has led to collaborations with some of the most acclaimed directors in the world, including Brian De Palma, Alfonso Cuarón, Ang Lee, and Robert Altman. On July 24, Varèse Sarabande released The Film Music of Patrick Doyle: Solo Piano. The first of two planned albums features original performances and arrangements by the Oscar-nominated composer, the collection features some of Patrick’s most revered compositions performed on piano by Doyle himself. This exceptional album highlights eighteen tracks which include music…
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Varèse Sarabande Celebrates the Film Music of Patrick Doyle
This Friday, Varèse Sarabande will release THE MUSIC OF PATRICK DOYLE: SOLO PIANO. The first of two planned albums features original performances and arrangements by the Oscar-nominated composer. The collection features some of Patrick’s most revered compositions performed on piano by Doyle himself. Few composers have taken audiences to such whimsical, fun and fantastical landscapes with their music. But stepping back from the energy and grandeur of the cinema screen, Doyle has put together a low-key yet intimate listening experience. His exceptional album highlights eighteen tracks which include music from Sense and Sensibility, Great Expectations, Nanny McPhee, Gosford Park and Cinderella. “I have been recording the piano album over the last…
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Interview…Film Composer Patrick Doyle Weaves Magic for a Whole New Generation with ‘Cinderella’
If you visit the site often, or know me personally, you know that I love film…but I love film scores a whole lot more. Our “Composer Series” has become a large part of the site, and it has been incredibly rewarding being afforded the opportunity to speak with those who have created some of the most iconic and indelible themes of the last half century. Case in point. When we spoke with Patrick Doyle last year, we discussed his and Kenneth Branagh’s efforts to reboot the Jack Ryan franchise. His hybrid approach to the tech-thriller score was an exercise in tension and excitement, and everything you could want in a…
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Sweet Trailer…Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Cinderalla’
Whether the story is Shakespearean, a comic book adaptation or any number of taut thrillers, Kenneth Branagh‘s gift for weaving complex and compelling films knows no bounds. However, his next effort however finds him, somewhat, getting back to his roots. The live-action adaptation inspired by the classic fairy tale, Cinderella brings to life the timeless images from Disney’s 1950 animated masterpiece as fully-realized characters in a visually-dazzling spectacle for a whole new generation. Branagh is a fine director, but he really shines when a project affords him the opportunity to do something with some real theatricality to it. Have a look at the latest trailer below… The story of “Cinderella”…
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Interview…Film Composer Patrick Doyle Talks ‘Jack Ryan’, Love of Country and Having A Laugh At It All
Hailing from Uddingston, Scotland, musical maestro Patrick Doyle always has the hugest smile on his face, which makes him either the happiest guy on the planet, or someone who just really, really loves his job. Perhaps it’s both, but you can’t go a few seconds without hearing him laugh. Even over the phone you can sense the endless joy in his voice when he talks about his career, his passion and his good friend Sir Kenneth Branagh. In fact, the rare (but widely abundant on the web) photo above is one of the few times you won’t see him grinning like a kid with a key to a candy store.…
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FourScore Match-Up #19: “It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got Them Strings”
This week Kenneth Branagh’s Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit hits theaters and marks the 11th time he and that smiling Scottsman composer Patrick Doyle have worked together in the last 25 years. The film features an amazing arrangement of strings with such diversity and complexity it’s easily some of the best pensive spy music since David Arnold’s work scoring the Bond series. And seriously, no matter what country you’re from the stellar track “Ryan, Mr. President” may be the most swellingly patriotic theme you’ll ever hear. Doyle’s works have such dense richness that they give each film an almost mythical atmosphere. One thing is for sure, he just knows how to…
