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Six Strings with... Bianca Barnett


It has been a year since we talked with Bianca so I thought might be interesting to see where she is today and thank her for checking in with us. She is a sweet and beautiful lady and here at the Howlin' Wolf wish her all the best... followed by much success!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]


- What has been happening in your life, since we last talked [a year ago]?
Quite a bit! I have several films coming out soon, including My Sucky Teen Romance (September 4, 2012 on Blu-Ray and DVD) and Dead Inside (available as Evil Inside in the UK). You can also check out a mock horror trailer I am in called The Ticket Scalper (http://youtu.be/sR5BpZtsitM).

Most notably, I have a horror podcast called Watch These Films with Bianca Barnett which consists of me reviewing rare slasher flicks from the 1970s through the 1980s! There are new shows every other Saturday at The Horror Palace (http://www.horrorpalace.com).


I have three films in production at the moment, including an action flick called Vengeance Wears a Skirt and a very interesting horror film called Experiments in Killing. (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/365644076/experiments-in-killing-a-horror-feature-film)

- Have you kept up with more modeling or acting and what has been some of your favorite work?
I have been doing a lot of acting and a bit of modeling; most notably I have posed for an issue of Playzom coming out this fall! (https://www.facebook.com/PLAYZOM)

- I understand you are hosting a Podcast, please tell us more about that and how that all came about?
I did an interview with Billchete at Horror Palace and I mentioned that I love ‘80s slasher films and had been thinking about doing reviews of them. He asked if I wanted to be a part of the network and I answered with a resounding, “Yes!”

- What are some of the upcoming subjects that you have been working on and how did you choose those topics?
I would like to start doing themed episodes of W.T.F. with Bianca Barnett and try to review at least two films with a common theme per episode. It all depends on how much free time I have, though!


- Your future is looking so bright, without jinxing it... where do you see yourself in six months and a year?
Vengeance Wears a Skirt is going to be a huge project for me. If all goes smoothly, I’ll be in Los Angeles immersed in training to physically prepare for the role. Then we begin filming and promotion. I also have a horror film I am working on next summer, but I cannot announce it just yet.

- What is the last great film you watched and why?
Not a film, but I just finished every episode of Metalocalypse, and I have to say it is my favorite show at the moment!

To find out more about Bianca:

The Words [2012] - Marcelo Zarvos

The Words [2012]
Available: Digital September 4, 2012 Cd on September 18th
Released By: Lakeshore Records
Composer: Marcelo Zarvos

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

A layered romantic drama, The Words stars Bradley Cooper, Oscar®-winner Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde and Zoë Saldana. After years of struggling, ambitious writer Rory Jansen (Cooper) finally achieves literary prominence when his first published novel becomes a smashing critical and commercial success. There's only one catch — he didn't write it. As his star continues to rise, Rory is suddenly confronted by the novel's true author who is about to teach Jansen that there are consequences for stealing another man's words.

5/5 I am a huge fan of Marcelo Zarvos, so my review is weighted in his favor... I know nothing about this film, the trailer indicates a different telling of the film D.O.A [1988].  So as I was saying this score is rich and layered in wonderful tones... a underlying theme that is strikingly beautiful.
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

PARANORMAN: DEAD BODIES IN A CHILDRENS MOVIE!?!

Don't worry, folks. The dead bodies talk so that makes it okay.

*SPOILERS* BEWARE! BEWARE!

PARANORMAN brings a slightly darker edge to children's mainstream animation. In no way is it as dark as kid's movies back in the eighties. Remember those? Remember the NEVERENDING STORY when that large werewolf would run around with it's huge teeth and damnable nightmarish yellow eyes? The horrible thing talked too. Or what about THE DARK CRYSTAL with the giant black crabs that broke through walls from everywhere dispelling any notion that you were going to get a decent night sleep. SECRET OF NIMH, anyone? Back in my day kids movies gave you nightmares and that's they way we liked them. They were a little more adult filled with imagination that wasn't afraid to get a little dark from time to time. Nowadays we get some good animated films (Usually from PIXAR) but they are all free of any imagery that would freak out the wussiest of brats. PARANORMAN comes close to bringing back some of those kinds of disturbing moments but not quite. It is a good movie but not great. Why do they always have to put some boring moral lesson into these movies? Why do they always have to go the "smart" story route. Why can't this be a simple story about a boy who fights zombies and becomes a hero because of his extreme knowledge of horror movies and his macabre ability to communicate with the dead? Oh, well at least it is not a musical.

PARANORMAN starts off great with our protagonist Norman watching a zombie movie on t.v. We see that he is totally obsessed with zombies having posters of them all over his wall with a zombie alarm clock and a zombie tooth brush and such. His family thinks he is weird because he still talks to grandma who has been dead for a few months or so. As he goes to school he talks to all the ghosts that he sees along the way. The town folk see him as weird too. At school he is bullied and treated like an outcast but he befriends the fat kid and blah-blah-blah zombie stuff happens. We know all this stuff already. What about the zombies? Well for one they are risen from the dead by a witches curse. We find out that they were (sigh) Puritans. There were seven of them that stood witness at the witch's trial. Now right there we already know that they unjustifiably sentenced some poor girl to death for witchcraft because that is what the Puritans did back in the old days. At least according to the History Channel they did. How uncreative is that? Puritans and witches curses? How about a leaky barrel of toxic waste rolling through a cemetery and some Butt-Rock Hair Metal music to get our zombie carnage started? I miss you, the eighties. *Sob*


Click here for more unawesomeness....

Dave Sills "Sea Of Strangers" Cd.. WINNERS!

Dave Sills "Sea Of Strangers" Cd.. WINNERS!

There were two cd's to giveaway and I wanted to share the winners with you... I wanted to thank everyone who entered, David is a great talent. Ladies please get in touch with me or I will to my best too do the same, it will be a race to the email box. Thank you for your kind words and nice thoughts about David Sills, I will be sure to let him know. Please stop over to his site and say "HELLO"... "http://www.davesills.com/".


Thanks again to everyone for being part of the giveaway, there will be more coming soon!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

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SAMURAI AVENGER: THE BLIND WOLF

I do believe if you took the top row of my DVD collection and smashed them together to form one ultimate movie the result would be SAMURAI AVENGER. Prominently displayed on my top shelf are all my Samurai, Kung-fu, and Italian Westerns DVDs. These films are all very violent, very colorful and very fun. They appeal to my more adolescent side wanting nothing more to see than bloody revenge carried out on wave after wave of well deserving bad guys. Though they come from different countries with different visual styles these films all tap into the same themes. Most of the time they are stories of a stranger showing up somewhere who is highly proficient when it comes to killing. They usually have the fastest draw with the gun or the sword and always have the right thing to say at any given situation. These are the heroes. Usually they are drifters out to to seek revenge. Like KILL BILL, SAMURAI AVENGER is a celebration of these films blending swords and guns together perfectly but with a much lower budget. The film makers call it a "Sushi Western".

SAMURAI AVENGER pretends to be a lost exploitation grindhouse film from the seventies that has been restored with scratches left in the film that were unavoidable. At the beginning of the film an up tight narrator explains that this is a directors cut and when possible the excessively violent scenes have been restored using the best source material available and that we should excuse the poor quality of certain shots in the film. If you ever watched DJANGO on DVD they have a similar notification at the beginning of the movie minus the narrator. So what we have here is a GRINDHOUSE clone but with Samurai/Italian Westerns instead of horror movies. At least they don't do that whole "missing reel" thing that so many wannbe directors do.  Dear young film makers of today, please stop making GRINDHOUSE inspired rip-offs. We get it. We all love Tarantino. You don't need to make movies that do nothing more than copy his style to show your love. Thank you. SAMURAI AVENGER is an exception.



Bored?  Then click here to read more if you dare.....

Winner of the Bereavement CD

Bereavement [Sealed/Signed]* Score
Composer: Stevan Mena

Click on cover for more details about 
this release from Howlin' Wolf Records
 
I am truly sorry for pushing this back, it is a great CD of Music from Steven Mena... the winner is "Bob from It Came From The Man Cave!". Thank you all for being part of the first giveaway here on this site, I do encourage you all to stop over and congratulate the winner. Also remember that you can click the cover and order your own copy of this soundtrack or get this prequel to the film "MALEVOLENCE". More great stuff is coming, I just learned that there might be a grab-bag coming of many great products from Howlin' Wolf Records... you will be the first to know.

Congrats to the winner and thank you all again for adding your site with all the kind words.
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

Act Of Valor [2012] - Nathan Furst

Act Of Valor [Score]
Available: Now
Released By: Relativity Music Group
Composer: Nathan Furst

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

On the heels of a #1 box office hit, ACT OF VALOR composer Nathan Furst is quickly gaining recognition as one of Hollywood’s elite young composers. Nathan began writing music at a young age, teaching himself piano and other random instruments.  After attending Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), Nathan left College to accept offers to score films and television episodic projects.

An early assignment was composing the epic orchestral score of the BIONICLE trilogy for Miramax Pictures.  However, It would be the 2005 feature film DUST TO GLORY that would begin a prolific relationship with the Bandito Brothers and ACT OF VALOR co-director, Scott Waugh. Nathan has composed over 40 Film and Television projects, many for Bandito Brothers.
Released in early 2012, ACT OF VALOR debuted at #1 in the box office, and has earned over $80 million worldwide to-date, contributing to the highest grossing February B.O. of all time (2012).
Nathan has developed a reputation for seamlessly blending world instruments and soundscapes with memorable and compelling themes surrounded by the strength and elegance of a symphony orchestra.  This signature style has garnered Nathan with three nominations for his outstanding original film and television compositions.

5/5 It has it's subtle moments and then kicks into a triumph piece of score music... down right an epic release!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

North By Northwest [2012] - Bernard Herrmann

North By Northwest [1959-2012]
Available: Now
Released By: Intrada
Composer: Bernard Herrmann

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

At long last! Oft-recorded Bernard Herrmann masterpiece finally gets complete release in dynamic stereo from new masters! Previous release on Rhino label was spectacular album, albeit several major set pieces (including main title & climactic Mount Rushmore sequence) were transferred from damaged elements, all that was then available. Thanks to Warner Bros., new stereo mixes have been made available for first time ever, revealing spectacular sonics (for 1959) and illuminating new details of magnificent score never before captured. While score has also been digitally re-recorded twice under different conductors, neither version can match crisp, exciting performance of MGM Studio musicians under baton of Herrmann himself. Hear harp arpeggios, castenets, wood blocks, snare drums like never before. Get entire climax with punch of bass trombone, thrilling trumpets amidst swirling variety of tempos that keep tension, excitement of Hitchcock's incredible action set-piece moving at fierce pace. Alfred Hitchcock's brilliant film stars Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, young Martin Landau and is regarded as one of director's greatest achievements. Crop-dusting scene, Mount Rushmore climax are movie icons. Romance between Grant, Saint is heartfelt, all the more so with Herrmann's tender love theme for strings. Composer is also major part of excitement, suspense of wild tale. Under loving guidance of Neil Bulk & Lukas Kendall, Herrmann's score comes home at last not only with best sound possible but also with first-ever reproduction of original MGM artwork campaign, color stills, informative notes by Frank De Wald, complete cue assembly details plus musician's list. The final word on North By Northwest! Bernard Herrmann conducts. Intrada Special Collection release available while quantities and interest remains.

5/5 I am not telling you anything other than, if you love this film... you will love this score. Finally a worthy release to a masterpiece, not that the other releases were not good, just not great!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

High Ground [2012] - Chris Bacon

High Ground
Available: Now
Released By: Varese Sarabande
Composer: Chris Bacon

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

Eleven veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan join an expedition to climb the 20,000 foot Himalayan giant, Mount Lobuche. With blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer and a team of Everest summiters as their guides, they set out on an emotional and gripping climb to reach the top in an attempt to heal the emotional and physical wounds of the longest war in U.S. history.

Representing nearly every branch of the military, the veterans, and the Gold Star Mom who joins their trek, bring humor and deep emotion to this hero’s journey, all captured with breathtaking, vertigo-inducing cinematography by three-time Emmy® winner, director Michael Brown.

The inspiring score is by Chris Bacon, who burst onto the film-scoring scene with his full throttled score for Duncan Jones's hit thriller Source Code.  Having cut his teeth as a protégé — orchestrating, co-composing, and writing additional music — of James Newton Howard (on films like Gnomeo And Juliet and King Kong), Bacon made his solo debut with the score for Angels Fall and hasn't looked back.

5/5 Okay... the music alone for this is awesome, the film looks awesome... Chris Bacon captures the essence of the film perfectly. That's why I am sure they picked him... Great Job Chris!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

The Bourne Legacy [2012] - James Newton Howard

The Bourne Legacy
Available: Now
Released By: Varese Sarabande
Composer: James Newton Howard

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

The narrative architect behind the Bourne film series, Tony Gilroy, takes the helm in the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise that has earned almost $1 billion at the global box office: The Bourne Legacy. The writer/director expands the Bourne universe created by Robert Ludlum with an original story that introduces us to a new hero (Jeremy Renner) whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films.

For The Bourne Legacy, Renner joins fellow series newcomers Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac, while franchise veterans Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn reprise their roles.

Composer James Newton Howard follows in John Powell’s footsteps, taking on the Bourne franchise for this next film chapter evolution of Ludlum’s blockbuster saga.

4/5 I like it, I just feel the movie might effect the success of the score, James Newton Howard always produces the great pieces. I have not seen the film, but I am just stuck that it is another direction I don't choose to follow. So what I guess I am saying is I am a fan of the score, not the film... not yet at least.
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

SPOOKIES! Remember this one?

"Hey, look at that giant mansion in the middle of nowhere that somebody may or may not be living in that has a cemetery for a front yard. Let's go inside through the front doors and party." If you are riding around pointlessly through the countryside and one of your friends says that, be sure you punch him (or her) in the head because it is exactly that kind of logic that gets a group of twenty somethings (more like thirty somethings by the look of them) dead in the movie SPOOKIES.

I am not sure if there really is a plot to SPOOKIES. What I understand is that there is this old man wizard (played by Mr. Burns?) that has a line down the middle of his forehead that pulses up and down when he does magic type stuff. He probably does it sometimes just to be gross too but that is none of my buisness. The wizard's name is Kreon (pronounced crayon?) and he has a dead wife that he wants to resurrect from the dead. The only way he can do that is by capturing peoples' souls who die in his mansion. Along comes some "friends" that decide to stay in the seemingly abandoned house where they end up getting trapped inside. Surrounded by zombies from the outside our twenty somethings decide to split up and roam the house pointlessly allowing themselves to be killed off one by one by the mansion's strange assortment of creatures. Apparently the wizard wants them killed off in a creative fashion for his amusement. The wife however wakes up early for some reason and doesn't like being brought back so she herself tries to escape her evil wizard husband. At least that is what I think is going on in this mid-to-late eighties creature feature.

Click here to read more if you are really bored and all....

EXPENDABLES 2 IS THE BEST MOVIE OF 2012!!!.....Prob-Probably

I realize that I had some pretty low expectations for EXPENDABLES 2 so maybe this movie isn't as great as I think it is. Maybe after a few more hundred viewings I will see the flaws and missed opportunities that usually come with an expensive high dollar action movie boasting such a wonderful cast. Just to be safe I lowered the amount of exclamation points at the end of my title to this blog entry to just three instead of ten. This movie does have a strange small controversy surrounding the original rating for the film. Stallone himself did say that this was going to be a PG-13 style film but that Van Damme's performance was so awesome that no one would care. That statement was later denied completely and pretended by Stallone himself to have never been said reassuring us that this was going to be an uncompromising violent film pushing the R rating. I took that as they filmed for a PG-13 but panicked after nerd backlash (myself included) and pushed for R. Thank goodness you can C.G.I. blood easily onto digitally filmed movies. With all that said I can say that EXPENDABLES 2 was blast-tastic. It was a bloody good time. It was an action movie fans dream come true. I really thought the whole movie was really really neat.


EXPENDABLES 2 is about Stallone's crew on the hunt for Van Damme and his personal military force known as the Sang. What was originally a short mission retrieving plans from a crashed plane quickly turns personal when one of their own dies at the hands (or should I say feet, ha-ha?) of Van Damme. After watching the trailers I was pretty sure I knew how this film story wise would play out. I knew who would die and why there was a woman now a part of the crew. Well thankfully EXPENDABLES 2 threw me a curve ball. I was wrong. Way wrong which in this case was a good thing. The movie is a little unpredictable slightly in that respect. Most of the time you can call it before it happens. But that's no big deal. They try to give you a little surprise at the beginning but you can see it coming a mile away. But maybe that is just me. Maybe I watch way too many movies gaining way too much knowledge on how films play on audiences expectations. Maybe I should stop writing this nonsensical review and go outside and live life to it's fullest..........But there are spiders outside so on I go with this way too positive review.


Click here to read more......

Samsara [2012] - Michael Stearns, Lisa Gerrard and Marcello De Francisci

Samsara [2012]
Available: August 21, 2012
Released By: Varese Sarabande
Composer: Michael Stearns, Lisa Gerrard and Marcello De Francisci

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

SAMSARA reunites director Ron Fricke and producer Mark Magidson, whose award winning films BARAKA and CHRONOS were acclaimed for combining visual and musical artistry.  SAMSARA is a Sanskrit word that means “the ever turning wheel of life” and is the point of departure for the filmmakers as they search for the elusive current of interconnection that runs through our lives.  Filmed over a period of almost five years and in 25 countries, SAMSARA transports the viewer to sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites, and natural wonders.  By dispensing with dialogue and descriptive text, SAMSARA subverts our expectations of a traditional documentary, instead encouraging our own inner interpretations inspired by images and music that infuses the ancient with the modern.

Michael Stearns is a highly accomplished composer, musician, and sound engineer who combines a diverse range of skills to create music with a deeply resonant and spacious quality very conducive to work with film. He has created music used for James Cameron’s The Abyss, Titanic and Avatar, Disney Films, HBO, ABC, PBS, BBC, Discovery Channel, and the non-verbal films Chronos, Sacred Site and Baraka.

Lisa Gerrard has established herself as one of Australia’s most groundbreaking and in-demand artists. Over a career that takes in almost two decades with the group Dead Can Dance, as well as a number of award-winning movie soundtracks, including the Golden Globe Award-winning score for Gladiator, with Hans Zimmer, and a series of acclaimed solo and collaborative albums.
Dead Can Dance are currently recording a new album and will embark on an extensive world tour starring in August.

Marcello De Francisci is a composer who has provided award-winning music for various films, television shows, and video games since the late 90s. Lisa Gerrard and Marcello De Francisci have collaborated on six consecutive films and an album titled Departum.  

5/5 Well mix of styles brought together in one place, talented joining if you will. I am pleased with this score each composer brings their own and that is a treat for our ears.
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

Beasts Of The Southern Wild [2012]

Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Available: Now
Released By: Cinereach Music
Composers: Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin

For More Details: [CLICK HERE] 

In Beasts, six-year-old Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) exists on the brink of orphanhood, in a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee. Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural order is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality. Desperate to repair the structure of her world in order to save her ailing father, Wink (Dwight Henry), and sinking home, this tiny hero must learn to survive unstoppable catastrophes of epic proportions.

Beasts of the Southern Wild, now playing in theaters across the country, earned the Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic) at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and earned director/co-composer Benh Zeitlin the Caméra D’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The soundtrack, featuring original music by Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin is currently available via iTunes and other outlets, with a CD release planned for later this year.

5/5 This is a truly wonderful score... I cannot express it enough!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

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GIVEAWAYS/PRIZES!!!

Our first GIVEAWAY is on it's way...
[click the green letters, here or on top of the main page]
This the first of many giveaways we are going to have from Cds, films, t-shirts, books etc. I have been collecting many cool things and thought it was time for me to share them with you. As you can imagine we have had a huge success with our launch of this site from the changes to the friends we have gathered. We look forward to being your score/film/art place that you will stop by every day to see what we have to offer.

Thanks for the support!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

DOLPH LUNDGREN'S THE PUNISHER is highly underrated because I say so.

THE PUNISHER starring Dolph Lundgren is the second best Punisher film out of the three. Much maligned by critics and the nerdos out there this action packed comic book movie maybe far from the source material but I say take a closer look. Is it really? Is it really as bad as the nerdos on the Internet say it is? I say this Punisher film is a better made and smarter movie than most action movies in general.......And by "smarter" I mean this movie does what it is suppose to do better than most action movies.


The story simply put is about the Punisher getting mixed up in a gang war between the mafia and the Japanese Yakuza. The Yakuza are as cutthroat as they come killing any and all that get in their way including Peter Bear who apparently "really cares". After five years of killing mobsters the major crime families unite to stop themselves from killing each other. Unfortunately for them the Yakuza see their weakness and move in on the mobs territory. Unfortunately for the Yakuza however that territory happens to be the hunting grounds of the Punisher. Whoops.


Read more by clicking here please....

Wolfen [Unused Score] [2012] - Craig Safan

Wolfen [Unused Score] [2012]
Available: Now
Released By: Intrada
Composer: Craig Safan

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]
 
Before young James Horner scored classic 1981 Michael Wadleigh horror movie with Albert Finney, filmmakers engaged also-young Craig Safan to tackle the music. He responded with incredibly intense, complex orchestral score. Tiny three-note germ anchors work, expands into variety of complicated musical ideas - but always stays within reach. Neat, sophisticated musical architecture! Highlights are many but deserving special attention is massive build-up to final confrontation on Wall Street ("Wall Street And Wolfen Finale".) Safan engages all of his advanced harmonic vernacular, follows path already forged, then instead climaxes in closing moments with series of powerhouse fortissimo major chords, lending brief heroic feel to hour-long work. A goosebump moment! Safan composes a major work with such strong shape that it plays like a massive concert piece for large orchestra. All film music should be so lucky! Another asset: extremely well-performed, crisply recorded sessions are presented in dynamic stereo from original three-channel stereo masters courtesy Warner Bros. If you're a fan of Horner's exciting score (also released on Intrada), enjoy its "big brother", born first from the pen of Craig Safan. Craig Safan conducts. Intrada Special Collection release available while quantities and interest remains! 

5/5 It might take some time, but it finally gets it's moment in the sun...
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

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The Shadow [2Cd] [2012] - Jerry Goldsmith

The Shadow [2Cd]
Available: Now
Released By: Intrada
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

World premiere 2-CD release of complete Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack to Russall Mulcahy film with Alec Baldwin as famed and flawed crime fighter, co-starring John Lone, Penelope Ann Miller, Ian McKellen, Peter Boyle. Dark, edged action plus stunning period design inspire Goldsmith to create one of his most involved, exciting (and longest) scores of his later career. Powerful French horn main theme imposes but is mere stepping stone to ferocious action music, mysterious ideas, tender love theme. Latter melody is especially pretty on piano, amongst composer's most beautiful - and barely heard from on original 1994 album. Action cues get spotlight, particularly Throughout second half of score. Perhaps standing tallest is powerhouse fight music amidst "The Mirrors". Terrific sequence was scored twice with two different approaches to violent confrontation. Neither cue was on original album! Unused version plays first, has never been heard since actual sessions. Picture version follows in roaring fashion. Many other action cues make world premiere release. Highlights here include "The Clouded Mind", "Nice Tie", "Fight Like A Man". In 1994, Arista label released mere 30 minutes of score plus admittedly dynamic song "Original Sin" sung by Taylor Dayne and other Shadow souvenirs. All 1994 album contents appear on Intrada 2-CD set as well, following complete 85-minute score presentation. Entire score mastered from original 48-track digital session elements as mixed by Bruce Botnick, stored in beautiful condition in Universal vaults. Through courtesy of Sony, virtually every note recorded at sessions appears in dynamic stereo audio as well asafore-mentioned Arista tracks. Authoritative notes by Jeff Bond and rich graphics offering both original album artwork plus all-new design prepared by Joe Sikoryak complete dramatic package. Jerry Goldsmith conducts. Intrada Special Collection release available while quantities and interest remain! 

5/5 - Okay this is one of those films that I loved growing up that got so-so media attention I believe... I just love Goldsmith's style on this and now it's been remastered and more complete!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

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La-La Land Records: Star Trek - Original Series

COMING SOON FROM LA-LA LAND RECORDS
STAR TREK®: THE ORIGINAL SERIES SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION
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Sign the Mailing List:

Information: La-La Land Records proudly announces its forthcoming release of STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION, a limited edition 15-CD box set, showcasing all episode scores as heard in all three original seasons of the landmark sci-fi television series STAR TREK (1966-1969). This special collection of ground-breaking, iconic music, from one of television’s most acclaimed and beloved series, has been newly remastered from studio elements and features hours of stellar material previously unreleased in any format.

Original series composers Alexander Courage, George Duning, Jerry Fielding, Gerald Fried, Sol Kaplan, Samuel Matlovsky, Joseph Mullendore and Fred Steiner are all represented in this deluxe collection, their historic work meticulously assembled, restored and remastered to ensure the finest presentation and sound quality possible. A 100-Page CD Booklet, featuring exclusive, in-depth liner notes from film music writer and Star Trek historian Jeff Bond, complements this attractive set, which is housed in a hardcover slipcase.

The collection is expected to be released in late fall 2012. It will be a limited pressing, but the total number of units to be manufactured has yet to be determined. You can help the label decide how many units will ultimately be pressed by visiting www.lalalandrecords.com now and signing up for the STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION MAILING LIST.


OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME... YES PLEASE!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

Screaming in High Heels: The Rise & Fall of the Scream Queen Era

Screaming in High Heels: The Rise & Fall of the Scream Queen Era
Available: 8/28/2012
Documentary | Horror
Breaking Glass Pictures

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

Summary: Three girls living in Los Angeles, CA, in the 1980s found cult fame when they "accidentally" transitioned from models to B-movie actresses, coinciding with the major direct-to-video horror film boom of the era. Known as "The Terrifying Trio," Linnea Quigley (The Return of the Living Dead), Brinke Stevens (The Slumber Party Massacre) and Michelle Bauer (The Tomb), headlined upwards of ten films per year, fending off men in rubber monster suits, pubescent teenage boys, and deadly showers. They joined together in campy cult films like Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988) and Nightmare Sisters (1987). They traveled all over the world, met President Reagan, and built mini-empires of trading cards, comic books, and model kits. Then it all came crashing down. This documentary remembers these actresses - and their most common collaborators - on how smart they were to play stupid.
 

5/5 - Great memories are brought to life when I was watching this Documentry, I always had a special place in my heart for horror films and that goes for these three ladies. You can see all the dedication and respect these women had for their craft... making it great for us, the fans. I in my life time got to meet two of these ladies at some say "was the height of their respective careers", I believe that they are still welcome for my generation and the next.


Each telling us their side of what happened with the help of several names in the industry who changed the way we looked a films, giving it the appropriately known as the "B" Film. It's a look back at these films and we get to look into the lives of these women as they share memories, clips and personal stories that makes them who they are. They still are the original "Scream Queens" that will bring you to laugh, cringe and smile...

Show them your respect, they have earned mine!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

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Lawrence Of Arabia [2012] - 50th Anniversary

Lawrence Of Arabia - 50th Anniversary
Available: August 14th, 2012
Released By: Silva Screen Music
Composer: Nic Raine

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

A Special 50th Anniversary Release of the Complete Newly - recorded Oscar-winning score from the DAVID LEAN classic with music by MAURICE JARRE

Widely considered one of the most influential films in film history this album features, for the first time, the complete 77-Minute Score performed by the acclaimed and award-winning City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nic Raine. The album was recorded from the original 1962 orchestrations by Gerard Schurmann.  

5/5 Well done... well done version, fan of this film... you will be a fan of this score!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

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Six Strings with... Dave Sills

  
 I wanted to thank Dave for doing this, I had the complete pleasure of meeting him on the set of his music video "Life Without Love" not too long ago. I was a production assistant on the shoot that my friend Kevin Otterness was directing, it was just a very cool experience.
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

***ATTENTION: Two Lucky readers will have the pleasure of receiving a signed copy of "Dave Sills: Sea Of Strangers" Cd [CLICK HERE] for details.

- How did you come to know that you wanted to make music a career?
Dave Sills: I can make it a career? Now you tell me! Seriously though, while I fell deeply in love with playing guitar from the start (at age 10), it probably wasn't until high school where I realized that I didn't want to do anything else. Music is the only thing Iʼve ever felt like I was any good at. I feel more like myself while Iʼm making music, be it on stage, in the studio, or just sitting with a guitar or at a piano.


Who are some of your musical influences [why] and thoughts on modern music is it strong or weak to your influences?
Dave Sills: Peter Himmelman, Neil Finn (Crowded House), Justin Currie (Del Amitri), Pete Townshend, Lennon/ McCartney/Harrison, Jagger/Richards, Lloyd Cole, David Gray, Gomez, U2, Bob Dylan, Jeff Tweedy, Tom Waits, Michael Penn, Aimee Mann, Joe Henry... I could go on and on. Give me a lyric that doesn't insult my intelligence. Give me a melody that sticks in my head for days. Sometimes itʼs just the way a record sounds that speaks to me. I donʼt treat music as wallpaper or background noise. I prefer to immerse myself in it, and if Iʼm doing that, I need something thatʼs deep enough. It has to make me think or feel something.

I tend to be drawn towards the melancholy when it comes to lyrics. Happy songs usually ring hollow to me. Theyʼre fine when youʼre happy, but if youʼre not, itʼs often hard to remember when you were, so you think, “I wish that idiot would shut up about how happy he is!” But a sad song can work all the time. If youʼre sad, it makes you feel better because you realize that someone else feels that way too. If youʼre happy, it can remind you of a time when things weren't so great and you can feel better about being in a better place at the moment.

Thatʼs not say that I only listen to or write dirges! One of Smokey Robinsonʼs great songwriting “tricks” was to pair up a happy sounding melody with a sad lyric, like on “Tears Of A Clown.” Thereʼs a line in a Peter Himmelman song that I think expresses the balance pretty well, “If I make you smile, wonʼt you leave just a trace of sadness in your eyes?”

A lot of the new music that I hear on radio or see on TV doesn't interest me at all. Much of it seems very gimmicky or affected - aimed at the lowest common denominator. Too much attention is put on the visual presentation at the expense of the music. The music I like tends to come from the same people Iʼve been listening to for years. Maybe that makes me sound like an old man who doesn't get what the “kids” are into these days, but Iʼm fine with that.

What are you working on now and what are some of your highlighted releases?
Dave Sills: Currently Iʼm finishing up a batch of new songs with an eye towards getting a new record started late this summer. And Iʼve been gigging as much as I can, letting the new songs evolve a bit before recording them.


I feel that every record has shown growth in my songwriting and also the quality of the production. My last album, SEA OF STRANGERS, was a Local Anesthetic Best of 2010 pick on WXRT, so for live work, much of what I play still comes from that album. Iʼm proud of the two previous records (WAITING ROOM and SOMETIMES NOTHING) as well though, and both have songs that still find their way into the set list. Even some songs from my first album, TRUE FICTION, still get pulled out every now and then even though I feel that I was still trying to find my own voice as a songwriter on that record.

When on stage what do you see in a room full of fans and do you find yourself in moments of stage fright?
Dave Sills: No, I donʼt get stage fright. Waiting to go on makes me very anxious, but once we start I always feel really confident. Most of the time there are lights shining in my face, so I canʼt really see anything but silhouettes. I feel better up there on stage than I do talking to people after a show.


What band/group would you recommend that you were recently introduced to and your reactions? 
Dave Sills: Itʼs not really recent and Iʼve known about her for a while but itʼs been occupying a constant spot in my listening since it came out, so I highly recommend Lisa Hanniganʼs PASSENGER. Lisa used to sing with Damien Rice, but now sheʼs got a solo career. This is her second solo album and itʼs a gem. One song in particular, “Little Bird” is so haunting and beautiful it chokes me up every time. I have no idea what itʼs really about, but the way she sings it... whew, it just breaks my heart. If it doesn't move you, you might be dead inside.

I'd say if someone is reading this and isn't familiar with some of the people I listed as my influences, then they ought to check them out. Even if you donʼt like my music, you may end up liking some of them!

Past, Present and Future: Tell us what life is like five years ago, now and where you see yourself in five years?
Dave Sills: Five years ago was much the same as now - writing songs and trying to book more gigs! In five years, I hope to have made a few more records and be touring around the country (or world).

Bonus: You can ask me a question or tell us something you would like us to know about you or anything you want?
Was there ever a film score that you felt kind of detracted from (or ruined) the movie for you? Something that just took you out of the film completely? 

RZ's Response: I am sure that I know a few scores that saved the movie from being bad, but we all have films like that. I trying to think... I do lately feel the score has been to loud where you cannot even hear the dialogue of the characters, I do know that bugs me. Okay the only film and score that I knew killed it was the awful film by John Carpenter "Ghost of Mars" in 2001... nothing against Carpenter it was like a cat in a blender hurling towards the sun. Now in my defense it was a really bad time in my life, so I was extra sensitive.

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Dave Sills "Sea Of Strangers" Cd Giveaway

Dave Sills was kind enough to give us a TWO signed Cd copies of his last album "Sea Of Strangers", which I thank him for and I wanted to share them with you. So two lucky readers can get one Cd by leaving a comment here, or on the interview post. I will let this run for a few days... that is it, not going to make it complicated. Oh yes, please leave some kind of contact information, I will randomly pick the names out of my official "Howlin' Wolf Records Hat"... okay there is no hat... someday... someday.

-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

Dave Sills: Home Page
 Listen to Samples [Click Here]

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Cheezy Flicks: She Freak [1967]

She Freak [1967]
Circuses, freaks, bad acting. This sad story is a great way to kill an evening!

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

Claire Brennen stars as a discontent waitress working in a small-town greasy diner, and looking for something more. When the circus comes to town, she finds herself attracted to its excitement - and secures a job with the traveling show as a food service worker. As the circus moves on, and she with it, life seems to be going well - new friends, steady work, a romance or two, and eventually a new husband - but she discovers that she despises the freaks and human oddities of the side shows, and uses her marriage to the Circus' owner to take control of the carnival. Now she must strike a balance between profit and patience, as the carnies and side show freaks set out to exact revenge on her for her Gestapo-like management techniques -- FREAK STYLE!

Careful what you wish for, because when there are freaks around... you just might get what it is you are selling. This is a hippie-ish delight of a film, I can tell you it's girl meets boy... girl meets friends... girl kicks the little guy... and well the rest is history.

4/5
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

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STEPHEN KING: FULL DARK, NO STARS

STEPHEN KING: FULL DARK, NO STARS
New York: Pocket Books, c2010, $9.99. ISBN 9781439192603

ATTENDING THE OLD SCHOOL WITH STEPHEN KING: FULL DARK, NO STARS SETS A HORROR STANDARD
by KC Redding-Gonzalez

For those who wrote Stephen King off in the 1980’s after one too many made for TV movies, it’s time to come home to Horror.  I confess I drifted away, feeling as though the genre was not keeping up with the depth of life as many were experiencing it. But this work – now on many remainder shelves and so at a discounted price – is worth every penny of the original price.  
Consisting of four novellas (“1922,”“Big Driver,” “Fair Extension,” and “A Good Marriage”), King is helping to bridge the gap between the current trend in short fiction works in the genre and the 1970’s genre boom in novels. For writers, this is a worthwhile read if only to see how novellas should be done and to understand that sometimes nebulous territory between short fiction and the first novel. For readers, this is vintage King, but more in the vein of his works such as Rose Madder and Dolores Claiborne – because in these works he explores the prickly horrors within our own natures. Each novella in its turns asks the question “What would it take to make an otherwise ‘normal’ person commit murder?”
The first story is a view to what happens when an otherwise lackluster marriage is challenged by potential financial gain in the selling of the family farm – against the desires of one of the partners. The second story tackles what happens when an otherwise nondescript knitting expert survives a near-fatal rape that she discovers was no accident. In the third, the protagonist weighs his moral options when struck with terminal cancer; in the fourth a housewife discovers her husband’s porn collection and more – the circumstantial evidence that he’s also a serial rapist…
King’s exploration of the human psyche is unsettling, his descriptions as disturbing in their unvarnished language as seen in other of his works. He even apologizes calling the stories “harsh” to read as well as write in the Afterword to the book. But regardless as to where you prefer to fall on the Willies Scale, this one is a page-turner…a definite cousin to contemporary thrillers and true crime, but brutally honest the way only Horror writers conceptualize it.

Five tentacles are waving in the air for this one. Do not miss it.

Wish List: When a Stranger Calls [1979]

When a Stranger Calls [1979]
Available: Now
Released By: Kritzerland
Composer: Dana Kaproff

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

When a Stranger Calls is sometimes called one of the first slasher films – only it’s not a slasher film at all and there were certainly many that came before – in fact, if you want to talk slashing, Psycho would probably be at the top of the list. When a Stranger Calls has no slashing – what it has is pure suspense – there is literally no gore, just some blood in a flashback, but you never see any violence committed. Gore is easy – suspense, pure suspense, is hard. 

One of those movies that makes you wonder what is happening upstairs... are the children okay, when is the last time you looked? “HAVE YOU CHECKED THE CHILDREN?”
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

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Wish List: Green Lantern: The Animated Series

Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Available: Now
Released By: La-La Land Records
Composer: Frederik Wiedmann

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

La-La Land Records and WB Animation presents the original soundtrack to the hit DC Animated Television Series, GREEN LANTERN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, currently airing on Cartoon Network. Composer Frederick Wiedmann fashions an action-packed score that propels the Green Lantern to new heights and perfectly enhances all the acclaimed show's superheroic thrills! Packed with more than 70 minutes of original music from some of the show's greatest first season moments, this is a must have for animation fans everywhere! Produced by Frederik Widemann and MV Gerhard and mastered by James Nelson, this thrilling compilation CD includes liner notes featuring comments from the composer and the show's producer, Giancarlo Volpe.

So good friend to the Howlin' Wolf is composer Frederik Wiedmann who never seems to stop amazing us with his talent and his ability to switch musical gears from horror, drama and now animated. From the samples I have heard, this is definitely one I want to get and I think autographed copies are still available.
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

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Great Stuff Coming from Howlin' Wolf Records!

TALES OF AN ANCIENT EMPIRE by Tony Riparetti in August
A WARRIOR'S ODYSSEY by Penka Kouneva in September
THE DEAD by Imran Ahmad in October
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

The Quiller Memorandum - John Barry

The Quiller Memorandum
Intrada Special Collection Volume 201
Available: Now
Released By: Intrada
Composer: John Barry 

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

Cool, classic John Barry soundtrack for superb Michael Anderson spy thriller starring George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max Von Sydow, Senta Berger. Music first appears on LP from Columbia label in 1966. Inspired by fresh script from Harold Pinter, drawn from Adam Hall best seller, Barry avoids James Bond style of spy music, nods instead towards atmospheric West Germany locale, bleak theme of rising neo-Nazi movement. For the record, composer produces perfect album offering majority of his score in vivid stereo sound. Haunting main waltz-theme "Wednesday's Child" anchors, suspenseful cues play in contrast. Album also features Matt Monro in vocal version of theme. Intrada CD features album program in stereo from Columbia master tapes, courtesy Sony. For album fans, original artwork features on one side of booklet, all new artwork features on other side. Take your pick! John Barry conducts. Intrada Special Collection release available while quantities and interest remain! 

5/5 Intrada is releasing some really great scores, from some really great composers!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

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War Of The Worlds [2012] and MORE!

War Of The Worlds [2012]
Intrada Special Collection Volume 202
Available: Now
Date: 1953/1951/1954/1955
Tracks: 65
Time = 141:24

For More Details:  [CLICK HERE]

World premiere 2-CD release of original soundtracks to four sci-fi/fantasy movies from legendary producer George Pal. Leith Stevens music from WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953) anchors, offering imposing main title, several evocatice sequences. All surviving cues presented in crisp mono from original elements stored in Paramount vaults. Also getting attention is complete 41-minute Leith Stevens score for WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (1951), presented from Paramount mono masters with choral overlays intact. Colorful sci-fi expedition music abounds! Taking center stage next is exciting, frightening 40-minute Daniele Amfitheatrof soundtrack for THE NAKED JUNGLE (1954), mastered from dynamic three-channel stereo scoring session elements, amongst first ever made at Paramount! Score offers both richly expressive love theme, exciting action material with advanced harmonic vernacular. Getting spotlight is ferocious presto motif for massive army of ants marching inexorably towards Charlton Heston's South America plantation. Terrific descending idea for brass, woodwinds is chilling, even by today's standards! Rounding out impressive collection is 35-minute Nathan Van Cleave score for CONQUEST OF SPACE (1955). Music here is both exciting, stirring, presented in mono from from original Paramount master elements. Four scores represent some of the most evocative sci-fi & fantasy works of the fifties! Full color artwork and stills plus authoritative notes from Jeff Bond round out generous set. Intrada Special Collection release available while quantities and interest remains!

5/5 Classic... You know you will love and want it!
-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

Bereavement [2012] [500 Units] - Stevan Mena

Bereavement [2012] [500 Units]
Available: Now
Released By: Howlin' Wolf Records
Composer: Stevan Mena

For More Details: [CLICK HERE]

Malevolence: Bereavement is the first chapter in the horrific ten year odyssey of Martin Bristol, a 6 year old child, abducted from his backyard swing, and forced to witness the brutal crimes of a deranged madman. If a child is taught only to hate, can their violent actions be considered evil?

What you might not be aware of this our 10th Score release here at Howlin' Wolf Records and this is the prequel/sequel to the first release, which too was composed by Stevan Mena. The first film "Malevolence" got such a huge following it demanded more... we got more. Stevan Mena serves as writer/director/composer to both of these releases and I am sure there are more hats he has worn during the making and production of both.  You shall be afraid... down to your core!.. Strong film, strong cast... and now the score.

-Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]

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