If you walked out of The Muppets feeling like you were on top of the world, Bret McKenzie was a big reason. The actor/singer/songwriter, best known for his HBO series Flight of the Conchords, was hired by director James Bobin to write many of the brand new songs for characters like Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and others to sing in the Muppets triumphant return to the screen. And to that aim, McKenzie was a success. He was rewarded for his work with an Oscar-nomination for Best Original Song for “Man or Muppet,” which features Jason Segel’s character Gary and his brother, Walter the Muppet, signing about their true identities. It’s funny, clever, catchy and has a 50/50 shot at gold since only two songs are nominated.
We sat down to talk to McKenzie about the honor, his process integrating songs in the film, the song not being performed at the Oscars, as well as his upcoming role in a tiny film called The Hobbit and more. Watch the video interview after the jump. Read More »
.
Please Recommend /Film on Facebook
Disney’s John Carter, the adaptation of A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, opens on March 9. The film is by former Pixar director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, Wall-E) and features Taylor Kitsch as a civil war veteran transported to Mars, where he finds himself in the midst of a new conflict.
We’ve seen trailers and images from the movie, and I still don’t know quite what to expect. Or, rather, I’m not sure how much to expect. The story is great, but I can’t tell if the movie is going to be quite the vision of Burroughs’ novel that I’d like it to be. I do expect the score will be good, at least, as it is by the reliable Michael Giacchino. Listen to three tracks below. Read More »
Many many years ago, when he was part of the band Pop Will Eat Itself, Clint Mansell was no stranger to the stage. But in the years since he has become a man who primarily scores films, his live appearances are few and far between.
That changes in 2012 as Mansell, with the Sonus Quartet, will play two LA shows timed to promote the release of the music for Massy Tajedin‘s film Last Night. The performances won’t feature only that score; they’ll also include pieces of his scores for Darren Aronofsky’s films such as Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain, and hopefully from the score for Duncan Jones’ film Moon.
More info is below. Read More »
Derek Cianfrance and Ryan Gosling followed up their 2010 film Blue Valentine by shooting The Place Beyond the Pines, a film in which Gosling plays a motorcycle stunt rider and criminal (a familiar role for him) who tangles with a cop (Bradley Cooper) in the beginning of a conflict that involves their sons, as well. The movie also features Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne, Ben Mendelsohn, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, and Ray Liotta, and is said to be inspired by Jack London.
But the sonic palette of the film might be slightly more modern, as the score is being written by Mike Patton, best known for his work with Faith No More, Mr. Bungle and Fantomas. That’s not a choice I ever would have expected, but it might be pretty awesome. Read More »
As we all patiently wait for July and The Dark Knight Rises, odds are many of us will dust off that Blu-ray of The Dark Knight and give it a spin. Or seven. Christopher Nolan‘s second Batman film is so dense, there are new things to discover on each and every viewing. One example could be the intricacies of the score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Where did they get all that wonderful noise? One /Film reader thinks he found out.
After the jump, watch a video that believes to have found a hidden inspiration for Zimmer and Newton Howard’s score to The Dark Knight. Read More »
In the struggle between franchise and friend, in this instance, the friend was triumphant. You see, though the last several James Bond movies have all had different directors, those directors all employed the musical services of composer David Arnold. In fact, Arnold has been the composer for every Bond movie since 1997′s Tomorrow Never Dies. However, with the now in production Skyfall, Oscar-winner Sam Mendes is at the helm and instead of going with the franchise favorite, he’s hired his frequent collaborator Thomas Newman, who scored American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead and Revolutionary Road for the director. Read more after the jump. Read More »
Odds are if you visited a movie theater recently, you might have been there to see Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol or War Horse. The former has been deservedly sitting atop the box office charts since its release and the latter is the latest, tear-jerker live-action drama from one of our most beloved filmmakers, Steven Spielberg. And while the fact they’re both currently playing in theaters is more or less the only thing the films have in common, both are undoubtedly improved by their sound and score.
John Williams‘ score to War Horse is one of his best in many years. It perfectly compliments the sweeping story of how a single animal can bring out the best in people at the worst of times. With Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, director Brad Bird and his team use not only Michael Giacchino‘s score, but a steady barrage of sound, to amp up the drama surrounding Ethan Hunt and his disavowed IMF agents.
After the jump, watch in-depth videos and interviews regarding the sound and music from both Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Steven Spielberg’s War Horse. Read More »
Of the 265 films eligible for Oscars at the 84th Annual Academy Awards in February, 97 of them have been deemed worthy to be nominated for Best Original Score. Thomas Newman (The Adjustment Bureau, The Debt, The Help, The Iron Lady) and Michael Giacchino (Cars 2, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Monte Carlo, Super 8) lead all eligible composers with four films this year while Alexandre Desplat (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Ides of March), Tyler Bates (Conan the Barbarian, The Darkest Hour, The Way), Mark Isham (The Conspirator, Dolphin Tale, Warrior) and Henry Jackman (Puss in Boots, Winnie the Pooh, X-Men First Class) all have three.
Other familiar names are on the list too such as John Williams (The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse), James Newton Howard (Green Lantern, Water for Elephants) and Danny Elfman (Real Steel, Restless) who along with Alberto Iglesias (The Skin I Live In, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy), Patrick Doyle (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Thor), John Powell (Happy Feet Two, Rio) and Brian Tyler (Battle: Los Angeles, Fast Five) each have two eligible films
Read the full list and some analysis after the jump. Read More »
