This month, April Mullen‘s thriller Wander hits on Demand and Digital. The film sports an all-star cast including Aaron Eckhart (Midway, Thank You for Smoking), Katheryn Winnick (“Vikings,” The Dark Tower), Heather Graham (The Hangover, Boogie Nights), and Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones (The Homesman, No Country for Old Men). As a mixed Anishinaabe Algonquin (Indigenous) director, from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Mullen’s latest directorial effort is created in honor of all Indigenous, Black and People of Color who are targeted and have been displaced through border control on stolen land. It’s a vibrant yet sly neo-noir set in the Southwest, and it’s clear from the noteworthy opening that something is rotten in Denmark, I mean Wander. Whether it’s an unreliable…
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Interview…Composer David Fleming on Ron Howard, Hans Zimmer and ‘Hillbilly Elegy’
This year has taken a toll on all of us, and yet one constant has surfaced: family can get us through almost anything. Or maybe it’s that we’re more likely to survive Covid than our families? Either way, even though every family has its problems, we’re certainly better together than we are apart. As such, Hillbilly Elegy is about family and a whole lot more. The film adaptation of the best-selling book is directed by Ron Howard and, like all his films, there’s a real emotion weight because the story highlights the struggles and triumphs of characters who are broken or about to break. Helping give this tale its heart…
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Interview…Nick Urata on DeVotchKa, Unique Instruments and ‘The True Adventures of Wolfboy’
Formed in Denver by multi-instrumentalists Nick Urata (vocals, guitar, trumpet), Tom Hagerman (violin, accordion), Jeanie Schroder (sousaphone, bass), and percussionist Shawn King, DeVotchKa is a four-piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble. Originally a backing group for local burlesque shows, they take their name from the Russian word meaning “girl” and recorded their debut album, SuperMelodrama, in 2000. The band finds their groove as a cross-pollination of numerous influences, and styles of gypsy punk, dark cabaret, indie folk, and indie rock. We spoke to Urata about his amazing career which has been just as varied and unique as his musical tastes. Nick comes from a musical family and his love of music…
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Interview…Composer Jeremy Turner on Saying Yes to Everything and ‘Marvel’s 616’ Docuseries
Composer, conductor, and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Turner is known for creating innovative and diverse music for the moving image and the stage. He is a two time EMMY nominee, has won the Music + Sound Award, the International Documentary Association Award, the AICP Award, and has been named in NPR Music’s Favorite Songs of the Year. Jeremy recently completed scores for shows on Disney+, HBO, and Netflix. Jeremy began his musical studies on the piano at the age of 5 and started playing the cello when he was 8 years old. After growing up in Michigan, he attended The Juilliard School as a pupil of Harvey Shapiro and studied chamber music with…
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Interview…John Debney on Holiday Magic and the Spirit of Adventure
John Debney is a composer we’ve admired for years, and were lucky enough to speak with him in 2013 about his work on Bonnie & Clyde. This year, he’s got two projects that give him a fanciful canvas to weave his magic. In Come Away, the fantasy drama directed by Brenda Chapman blends key elements from Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. In this emotional ‘what if?’ story, Debney employs lush strings, tender piano, playful cellos, angelic choral work, even a full Irish band. All of those pieces blend and dance while underscoring the children’s active imaginations or, conversely, can pretty near break your heart…even in the same cue. Yes,…
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Interview…Remy van Kesteren on the Alternative Album to ‘The Red Turtle’
On October 30th, Snowstar Records will release a very special album by Remy van Kesteren. The renowned harpist composed and produced an alternative soundtrack to The Red Turtle – the 2016 movie from Studio Ghibli – made by Dutch animator, director and illustrator Michael Dudok de Wit. This album is the first solo harp album by Remy van Kesteren as well, and De Wit even made the artwork for the album and wrote liner notes specific to this release. Earlier this month, we spoke to Remy to get info and insight on his passion project. The album is a serene and hypnotic showcase of his talents which transport the listener…
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Interview…J.C. Chamboredon On the Legacy and Future of Milan Records
Founded over 40 years ago by Emmanuel Chamboredon, Milan Records has released the soundtracks to renowned and critically acclaimed classics such as Ghost and Backdraft. Scan your shelves – it’s a good bet that a sizeable chunk of titles bear the fanciful logo of the winged man with a heart-shaped head. Fitting image as that’s how I feel whenever I listen to a soundtrack. Since 2004, Jean-Christophe Chamboredon continues the legacy for his father who started Milan in 1978. In this week’s podcast, we got to speak with Chamboredon about the iconic company which was recently acquired by Sony Music Masterworks. This business venture offers even more opportunities to put…
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Interview…Matt Schrader on Immersive Audio and Pioneering Podcasts with ‘Blockbuster’
From director Matt Schrader and producer Kenny Holmes comes Blockbuster, a six-part, 2.5-hour immersive audio series that traces the young friendship of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas — before Jaws and Star Wars — and before anyone knew their names. It’s a story that took place a half century ago — authentically recreated in striking detail by leading voice actors, award-winning sound designers, and with a sweeping original score. Also, this series features the most advanced sound design ever created for a podcast. Over the course of six months, the Epicleff team utilized prominent, award-winning voice actors from the animation and video game industries, captivating three-dimensional sound design from Motion Picture Sound Editors-nominated designer Peter…
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Sweet Podcast…The MILFcast: Episode 33
Happy (late) Thanksgiving everyone!! Hope you and yours are enjoying the time together this year. For those of you needing a few idea for something fun to do over the next couple of days I offer 3 suggestions: You can either check out Arthur Christmas, The Muppets or listen to yours truly wax idiotic about all sorts of cinematic topics with and Kai & Heather of Man I Love Films in the latest installment of the MILFcast (which is the Man I Love Films podcast). Have a listen to it below or, more preferably, head over to Man I Love Films so you can check out more of their interesting and off…
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Sweet Podcast…The Matineecast: Episode 41
Last time I chatted at length with my old cineblogging friend Hatter, we waxed poetic and raved about the stellar indie kidnapping flick The Disappearance of Alice Creed. Needless to say it has been too long since we picked up that sweet science. So after getting some well deserved rest from his extensive coverage of this year’s TIFF, we both stepped to the plate for my second trip to The Matineecast. This time around we looked at a host of fun and quasi-intellectual movie related tidbits before digging in taking a good look at the new Brad Pitt film Moneyball. So have a listen to Episode 41 of The Matineecast and enjoy. If you like…
