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I am marveled by the accomplishments of all the crafts artists who elevate our films, but this is particularly the case with respect to music composers. Composing equals genius as far as I am concerned.These musicians join the film at the end, when usually only the director, editor and perhaps the sound mixers are still [...]
TECH SUPPORT: Best Original Score — Volume I
Posted by Gerard Kennedy · 4:31 pm · August 19th, 2010
Filed in: Tech Support
On the sound of ‘Salt’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:04 pm · July 26th, 2010
The most recent predictions update substituted “The Last Airbender” (which failed miserably with critics) with “Salt” in the sound categories, and it wasn’t blind speculation. After all, the sound crew consists of such multi-lauded talents as Scott Millan and Greg P. Russell. Russell, as you know, has racked up some 13 nominations without a win. [...]
Filed in: Daily
Howard’s ‘Airbender’ score hits iTunes
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:07 am · June 5th, 2010
When I took my initial stab at the 2010 Oscar forecast a few weeks back, I went out on a limb in a few places for M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender,” which I’ve frequently said could be a disaster or something really special. One of those limbs was Best Original Score, as James Newton [...]
Filed in: Daily
Keeping score
Posted by Guy Lodge · 5:09 pm · March 15th, 2009
By now, “Watchmen” has been assessed and widely shat on from a large array of angles, but one voice I didn’t necessarily expect to pipe in was that of classical music critic Tom Service. Writing for the Guardian, Service praises the film’s “carefully conceived” use of existing music, particularly the heavily intertextual use of Wagner, [...]
Filed in: Daily
TECH SUPPORT: Final predictions
Posted by Gerard Kennedy · 5:27 pm · February 18th, 2009
After six months of Tech Support previews and interviews, the films have arrived, the nominations have been announced and the guilds, the critics and BAFTA have all announced their preferences. Today we take a final look at the races before the envelopes are opened on Sunday. BEST ART DIRECTION After guild and BAFTA wins, I [...]
Filed in: Daily
THE LISTS: Top 10 pet peeves of the 2008-2009 Oscar season
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:41 am · February 17th, 2009
The season is winding down this week. The slow President’s Day holiday yesterday seemed to be more of a harbinger than a lull in the excitement. This time next week, we’ll probably be over the fallout of the circuit and on to debating the contenders we’re likely to see a year from now. It’s a [...]
Filed in: Daily
Oh, one more reason the Academy missed the boat this year…
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:52 am · February 9th, 2009
The Grammys saw fit to give Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard the award for best score soundtrack last night. The HFPA, as you know, gave The Boss a Golden Globe earlier this year. Did the Academy distinguish itself by snubbing these two works or just further prove that music branch to be off its [...]
Filed in: Daily
1/8 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:45 am · January 8th, 2009
• Patrick Goldstein waxes on about why he thinks “WALL-E,” “The Reader” and “The Wrestler” will be Oscar losers (for Best Pic). [The Big Picture] • Peter Bart observes Oscar campaign “combat fatigue” at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. [Peter Bart] • Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard talk to KCRW’s Jason Bentley. [KCRW] [...]
Filed in: Daily
‘Dark Knight’: “The Sound of Anarchy”
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:55 am · January 2nd, 2009
If you’ve picked up the DVD of “The Dark Knight,” then you’ve probably already seen the great featurette on Hans Zimmer’s musical vision of the Joker in the film. The studio has made the six-minute feature available at the film’s FYC website, but I tracked it down on YouTube below. I love watching this creative [...]
Filed in: Daily
Zimmer speaks out on the ‘Dark Knight’ score controversy
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:45 pm · December 9th, 2008
The diligence Los Angeles Times columnist Patrick Goldstein has been doing on this back-and-forth on the eligibility of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s score for “The Dark Knight” is, I think, exceptional. Goldstein got Zimmer on the phone last night to discuss how the reversal of the decision came to pass. It seems Zimmer [...]
Filed in: Daily
Getting around to the BFCAs
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:26 am · December 9th, 2008
A late night premiere and after party kept me in bed most of the morning. It happens. So I’m just now coming around to today’s BFCA announcement. First, some reactions (full disclosure, I am a member of the organization). First and foremost, the group subtracted one category (Best Family Film) and added another (Best Action [...]
Yes, it’s true — Zimmer and Howard are back in the mix
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:54 am · December 9th, 2008
Patrick Goldstein’s sources are apparently right on. I was told by a representative party at tonight’s premiere of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” that, indeed, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer’s wonderful score for “The Dark Knight” is officially back in the running for an Oscar. I was actually told this was coming two [...]
Filed in: Daily
Take that, Oscar: Grammy nominates ‘Dark Knight’ duo
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:24 am · December 4th, 2008
The Academy’s petty disqualification of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s score for “The Dark Knight” from Oscar contention has already caused much gnashing of teeth on these pages, so here’s something to compound the embarrassment. It seems the Grammy voters are rather less fussy. Zimmer and Howard’s work was nominated yesterday in the category [...]
Filed in: Daily
WB scores available at awards site
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:58 am · November 21st, 2008
In the wake of the James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer’s disqualification no less. But fuck it, it’s a fantastic piece of work and you can listen to the whole damn thing at the Warner Bros. awards site, so rise up and feel the righteousness. The ‘Gran Torino’ score has been tossed up as well, [...]
Filed in: Daily
‘Dark Knight’ score officially DQ’d by Academy
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:01 pm · November 12th, 2008
UPDATE (8:14 p.m.): Now comes this story from Jon Burlingame at Variety (always well-informed on this stuff), spelling out the particulars: Sources inside the committee said that the big issue was the fact that five names were listed as composers on the music cue sheet, the official studio document that specifies every piece of music [...]
‘Defiance’ strikes out with the trades
Posted by Guy Lodge · 6:27 pm · November 11th, 2008
Ed Zwick may just be one of those directors who will never be in critics’ good graces: a fine technical craftsman and a no-nonsense storyteller, even his best films remain as resolutely unfashionable in execution as they are noble in intention. Nothing wrong with that, of course — I’m no real fan, but films like [...]
Filed in: Daily
No time for a proper review, but…
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 6:44 pm · November 9th, 2008
…I really liked “Defiance.” To my mind it might be Ed Zwick’s finest film since “Legends of the Fall,” largely because he’s busied himself with more-trite-than-usual material for the last few years. It isn’t a grand slam more so than a steadily guided ship and for the most part, it works. I’m heading out the [...]
Filed in: Daily
New ‘Torino’ poster, original song and other WB FYC updates
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 5:17 pm · November 8th, 2008
I was just perusing the Warner Bros. awards site and was greeted with an array of updates I wasn’t aware of. First and foremost, there is the new “Gran Torino” poster image to the left here (click for a slightly larger image). I dig it as much as the first poster, maybe even a little [...]
