Wellgo USA Entertainment: "KUNG FU YOGA"...Written & Directed by Stanley Tong and Starring Jackie Chan

International action-comedy icon Jackie Chan (Rush Hour franchise, Railroad Tigers) is an Indiana Jones-style scholar hunting Indian treasure in the adventure-comedy KUNG FU YOGA, available on digital June 20 and on Blu-ray™ and DVD August 8 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Chan reunites with director Stanley Tong (Rumble in the Bronx, Supercop) for this fast-paced escapade that follows a professor on a quest that takes him from a Tibetan ice cave to Dubai to a mountain temple in India in order to locate a lost treasure. KUNG FU YOGA also stars Disha Patani (M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story), Amyra Dastur (Mr. X), Aarif Rahman (Young Bruce Lee) and Sonu Sood (Happy New Year). Bonus material includes bloopers, plus five behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Jack (Jackie Chan), a world-renowned archaeology professor, and his team are on a grand quest to locate a lost ancient Indian treasure when they are ambushed by a team of mercenaries and left for dead. Using his vast knowledge of history and kung fu, Jack leads his team on a race around the world to beat the mercenaries to the treasure and save an ancient culture in this breakneck action-comedy that reunites Chan with acclaimed director Stanley Tong (Rumble in the Bronx, Supercop).

Country of Origin: China / India

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

THE ANIMALS is worth a look!

THE ANIMALS tells a cautionary tale of four friends who succumb to the temptation of easy money through breaking and entering burglary to solve their financial troubles.  This is a straight forward character driven drama about the disastrous results of believing the ends justifies the means.  Director Sam Mason Bell has given us a simple but compelling tale that comes together rather nicely through expert cinematography and down to earth actors who bring a true sense of realism to this indie film.  What is really great is that you can watch the whole thing for free at Streamnowtv.com.  Who doesn't like free?  The characters in this movie certainly do.  But unlike watching the free shows on Streamnowtv.com, their idea of free comes with a price.  Guilt.  Watch it here instead of reading my review.  I think you are going to like this one.  Here is the link.  Go on now because the rest of my review is going to be rather spoilerific.  Click here to read the rest...

Click here to watch THE ANIMALS.

Jason

Katherine Tegen Books: "A BABYSITTER’S GUIDE TO MONSTER HUNTING" by Joe Ballarini

It’s not every day you learn that monsters are real… In A BABYSITTER’S GUIDE TO MONSTER HUNTING (Katherine Tegen Books; ages 8+), the first in a thrilling and hilarious new series by professional screenwriter Joe Ballarini, they are not only real, they are planning to populate the world with monsters from little kids’ nightmares. The Montecito Picture Company and Walden Films are producing the film adaptation, written by Ballarini and starring Keegan Michael Key.

When middle schooler Kelly Ferguson’s Halloween plans switch from party-going to babysitting, she thinks the scariest part of her night will be the death of her social life. She’s not babysitter material—doesn’t like little kids and thinks it’s a job for nerds—but she needs cash if she wants to go to summer camp; and she wants to go to summer camp, bad.  But when her first charge, four-year-old Baby Jacob, gets carried off by monsters—who really do live under his bed!—to the Grand Guignol (also known as the Boogeyman), she learns there’s a whole lot more to fear than temper-tantrums. Like chasing shadow monsters, drop-kicking Toadies, and mastering monster-fighting moves like the Naptime Headlock and Playground Punch.

Now, with the help of an ancient handbook and a secret society of butt-kicking babysitters, Kelly sets out to destroy the Boogeyman before he brings Jacob’s nightmares to life. But when the monsters’ trail leads to her school’s big Halloween bash, Kelly will have to prove she can save the world—without totally embarrassing herself in front of her friends.

Packed with black-and-white illustrations and insider secrets from the world of monster hunting, A BABYSITTER’S GUIDE TO MONSTER HUNTING is full of tricks, treats, and terrifying twists!

A BABYSITTER’S GUIDE TO MONSTER HUNTING by Joe Ballarini
Katherine Tegen Books | An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
On-sale NOW | Hardcover | Pages 352

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

MVD Entertainment Group: RE-ANIMATOR [LIMITED EDITION]

HERBERT WEST HAS A GOOD HEAD ON HIS SHOULDERS... AND ANOTHER ONE ON HIS DESK.

One of the most wildly popular horror movies of all-time, Stuart Gordon's enduring splatter-comedy classic Re-Animator returns to Blu-ray in a stunning restoration packed with special features!

When medical student Dean Cain advertises for a roommate, he soon finds one in the form of Dr. Herbert West. Initially a little eccentric, it some becomes clear that West entertains some seriously outlandish theories - specifically, the possibility of re-animating the dead. It's not long before Dean finds himself under West's influence, and embroiled in a serious of ghoulish experiments which threaten to go wildly out of control...

Based on H.P. Lovecraft's classic terror tale Herbert West - Reanimator and featuring a standout performance from Jeffrey Combs as the deliciously deranged West, Re-Animator remains the ground-zero of '80s splatter mayhem and one of the genre's finest hours.

MVD Entertainment Group: Seijun Suzuki's The Taisho Trilogy (Zigeunerweisen, Kagero-za and Yumeji) (6-Disc Limtied Edition) [Blu-ray + DVD]

After over a decade in the wilderness following his firing from Nikkatsu for Branded to Kill (1967), maverick director Seijun Suzuki returned with a vengeance with his critically-praised tryptic of cryptic supernatural dramas set during the liberal enlightenment of Japan's Taisho Era (1912-26). In the multiple Japanese Academy Award-winning Zigeunerweisen (1980), two intellectuals and former colleagues from military academy involve their wives in a series of dangerous sexual games. In Kageroza (1981), a playwright is drawn like a moth to a flame to a mysterious beauty who might be a ghost, while Yumeji (1991) imagines the real-life painter-poet Takehisa Yumeji's encounter with a beautiful widow with a dark past. Presented together on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Japan, the films in the Taisho Trilogy are considered Suzuki's masterpieces in his homeland. Presenting a dramatic turn from more his familiar tales of cops, gangsters and unruly youth, these surrealistic psychological puzzles drip with a lush exoticism, distinctively capturing the pandemonium of a bygone age of decadence and excess, when Western ideas, fashions, technologies and art fused into everyday aspect of Japanese life.

-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
-Original stereo audio (uncompressed on the Blu-ray)
-Optional English subtitles
-New introductions to each film by critic Tony Rayns
-Making-of featurette
-Vintage interview with Seijun Suzuki
-Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Corey Brickley
-FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Booklet featuring writing on the films by

critic Jasper Sharp and more.

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Lionsgate Home Entertainment: "THE LOVERS" [DVD/BLU-RAY]

Written and directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker Azazel Jacobs, and starring three-time Academy Award® nominee Debra Winger (Best Actress, An Officer and a Gentleman, 1982), The Lovers arrives on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital HD) and DVD August 1 from Lionsgate. Theatrically released by A24, The Lovers is a refreshing, funny look at love, fidelity, and family. The critically acclaimed film features a standout ensemble cast, including Tony Award® winner Tracy Letts (The Big Short, Indignation), Aidan Gillen (Sing Street, “Game of Thrones”), Melora Walters (The Butterfly Effect), Tyler Ross (Zombieland), and Jessica Sula (Split), and is Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh. 

A husband and wife (Tracy Letts and Debra Winger), each embroiled in a secret, extramarital affair, are sent reeling when they suddenly fall for the least likely person imaginable – one another – in this scalpel-sharp, deliciously grown-up comedy.

Featuring all-new bonus content, including audio commentary with writer and director Azazel Jacobs and two behind-the-scenes featurettes, The Lovers will be available on Blu-ray and DVD
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Lionsgate Home Entertainment: "THE CIRCLE" [DVD/BLU-RAY]

Based on the international best-seller by Dave Eggers, The Circle arrives on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD) and DVD August 1 from Lionsgate; with Digital HD on July 18 and On Demand on August 1 from EuropaCorp. Capturing the phenomenon of today’s social media and the consequences of being permanently checked in, the gripping modern thriller is directed and co-written for the screen by James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now) and Dave Eggers (A Hologram for the King), and features an all-star cast, including Emma Watson (Beauty and the Beast), Oscar® winner Tom Hanks (Best Actor, Forrest Gump, 1994), John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy), Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood), Emmy® winner Patton Oswalt (Writing for Variety Special, “Talking for Clapping,” 2016), Glenne Headly (“The Night Of”), and Golden Globe® nominee Bill Paxton (Best Actor, Television – Drama, “Big Love,” 2010) in his final role. 

When Mae (Watson) is hired to work for the world’s largest and most powerful tech and social media company, she sees it as an opportunity of a lifetime. As she rises through the ranks, she is encouraged by the company’s founder, Eamon Bailey (Hanks), to engage in a groundbreaking experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics, and ultimately, her personal freedom. Her participation in the experiment and every decision she makes begin to affect the lives and future of her friends, family, and all of humanity.

The home entertainment release of The Circle features all-new bonus content, including three featurettes chronicling the making of the film, a look at the future of technology, and an interview with Tom Hanks and James Ponsdolt reminiscing about their work with Bill Paxton...
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Kino Lorber and Zeitgeist Films: "EVA HESSE"... DVD

Kino Lorber and Zeitgeist Films are proud to announce the DVD release of EVA HESSE, a film by Marcie Begleiter that explores the career of one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Through the artist's diaries and archival interviews, the film paints an intimate portrait Eva Hesse's life and work. This critically-acclaimed documentary was named a New York Times Critic's Pick.

EVA HESSE will become available on DVD August 15th, with a SRP of $29.95. Special features include a filmmaker introduction, 7 additional scenes, photo gallery, and the trailer. The film will also become available digitally on iTunes on August 15th.

Eva Hesse (1936-1970) is one of America's foremost postwar artists. Her pioneering sculptures, using latex, fiberglass, and plastics, helped establish the post-minimalist movement. Dying of a brain tumor at age 34, she had a mere decade-long career that, despite its brevity, is dense with complex, intriguing works that defy easy categorization.

EVA HESSE, the first feature-length appreciation of her life and work, makes superb use of the artist's voluminous journals, her correspondence with close friend and mentor Sol LeWitt, and contemporary as well as archival interviews with fellow artists (among them, Richard Serra, Robert Mangold, Dan Graham) who recall her passionate, ambitious, tenacious personality.

Art critic Arthur Danto has written that her work is: "full of life, of eros, even of comedy... Each piece vibrates with originality and mischief." The documentary captures these qualities, but also the psychic struggles of an artist who, in the downtown New York art scene of the 1960s, was one of the few women to make work that was taken seriously in a field dominated by male pop artists and minimalists. (Karen Cooper, Director, Film Forum)
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Kino Lorber "Who's Crazy?" (1966)... Blu-ray & DVD

Kino Classics is proud to announce the Blu-ray and DVD release of Thomas White's Who's Crazy?, featuring an original soundtrack by jazz great Ornette Coleman and starring members of The Living Theatre. This wild, free-form burst of '60s experimental filmmaking follows a group of mental patients who hole up in a deserted Belgian farmhouse, where they cook large quantities of eggs and condemn one of their own in an impromptu court. The actors don't have much need for words when they can dance around, light things on fire, and drip hot wax on each other instead.

Who's Crazy? was long thought to be lost until a 35mm print -- struck for the film's 1966 debut at the Cannes Film Festival -- was discovered in the garage of director Thomas White. The restoration was supervised by John Klacsmann, archivist at Anthology Film Archives, and produced by Vanessa McDonnell and Aaron Schimberg of Grand Motel Films. The restored Who's Crazy? was released in limited theatrical engagements by Kino Lorber Repertory earlier this year, opening in March at Film Society of Lincoln Center before moving on to engagements in other key national markets. 

In addition to its status as a lost film and its significance within 1960s avant garde cinema, Who's Crazy? has also long been of interest to jazz scholars, as it features an original score by Ornette Coleman. Coleman and the other members of his trio -- David Izenzon and Charles Moffett -- recorded their score for Who's Crazy? in one go while the film was projected for them, and the result feels like a slapstick silent film with the greatest possible accompaniment. The soundtrack has long been available only as a rare LP, but now, with the recovery and restoration of the film, jazz scholars and aficionados have the opportunity to see the images that Coleman saw as he composed his score. The soundtrack also includes the song "Sadness", sung by Marianne Faithfull.

Director: Thomas White
Produced by Thomas White and Allan Zion
Starring Actors from The Living Theatre Company:
Wimme Andre, Melvin Clay, Tom Edmonston, Carl Einhorn, Peter Glaze, Gene Gordon, Diane Gregory, Leroy House, Nona Howard, Steven Ben Israel, Gene Lipton, Michèle Mareck, Dorothy Shari, William Shari, Barry Shuck, Esther Silber, Marvin Silber, Luke Theodore, Steve Thompson, James Tiroff, Lester Waldman

Original soundtrack composed by Ornette Coleman and performed by The Ornette Coleman Trio with David Izenzon (bass) and Charles Moffett (drums). "Sadness" written by Ornette Coleman, sung by Marianne Faithfull.

Additional singing by Nona Howard. Additional music by Nino Ferrer.
Spanish guitar by Ramon Ybarra.

Jeremy [Six Strings]

WITH GREAT POWER "THE STAN LEE STORY"...

Arguably the most recognized name in comics, the legendary Stan Lee has co-created over 500 iconic pop culture characters including Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and many more and his name appears on more than one billion comics in 75 nations in 25 languages. WITH GREAT POWER: THE STAN LEE STORY, a feature-length documentary exploring the vivid life and imagination of Stan Lee from his depression era upbringing though the Marvel Age of comics and beyond, returns to digital and DVD July 18 from Well Go USA Entertainment. The film uncovers original footage, photographs, documents and stories of Lee’s fascinating journey from his early years at Timely Comics, his service in WWII, the rise of the Marvel bullpen, the comic book industry’s censorship battle of the 1950’s through the dawn and explosion of Lee’s legendary co-creations. 

WITH GREAT POWER: THE STAN LEE STORY explores the vivid life and imagination of Stan Lee, the 91-year-old comic book legend who co-created over 500 legendary pop culture characters including Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Thor and The Hulk. Featuring interviews with both Stan Lee and colleagues including Kevin Smith, Patrick Stewart, Samuel L. Jackson, and Eva Mendes. The film is the tale of one man’s determination to tell incredible stories that have enchanted the world for over 40 years.

-Filmmaker Commentary
-Over 90 minutes of Featurettes
-Extended Interviews
-Galleries of over 500 Characters Stan Lee co-created 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Wellgo USA Entertainment: "THE FINAL MASTER" [Blu-Ray - DVD]

Haofeng Xu (screenwriter of The Grandmaster) writes and directs the action-packed martial arts drama THE FINAL MASTER, available on digital, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD July 25 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Liao Fan (Let the Bullet’s Fly), Jiang Wenli (Farewell My Concubine), Chin Shi-Chieh (The Guillotines), Song Jia (Falling Flowers) and Song Yang (The Sword’s Identity) star in the story of a Wing Chun master who must defeat eight martial arts schools in order to open his own school, but he becomes a chess piece in the local power dynamics. Bonus content includes a featurette on the Director and a look at “The Weapons” used in the film.

THE FINAL MASTER won Best Action Choreography at the 2015 Golden Horse Film Festival and was named a Film of Merit in 2016 from the Shanghai Film Critics Awards. 

In 1930s China, unrest rules the nation. Chen, the last Wing Chun master, arrives in Tianjin to expand his kung fu – but his ambition gets him entangled in a power struggle between Tianjin’s martial arts Grandmaster, a dominant underworld Madam, and the town’s military leaders. Can he protect his family from the dangers of the martial arts world, or will it consume everything he loves?

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Broad Green Pictures: "SONG TO SONG"... Starring Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling and Rooney Mara with Natalie Portman

Academy Award® nominee Michael Fassbender (Best Actor, Steve Jobs, 2016; Best Actor, 12 Years a Slave, 2013), Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling (Best Actor, La La Land, 2017; Best Actor, Half Nelson, 2007), Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara (Best Supporting Actress, Carol, 2016; Best Actress, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 2011) and Oscar® winner Natalie Portman (Best Actress, Black Swan, 2011) star in the visually sumptuous, modern love story SONG TO SONG, available on Digital HD June 27 and on 4K UHD + Blu-ray™ combo pack, Blu-ray, DVD and VOD on July 4.  The special feature included on all formats (except VOD) is “The Music Behind the Movie” featurette.

Written and directed by three-time Academy Award® nominee Terrence Malick (Best Director, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: The Thin Red Line, 1999; Best Director, The Tree of Life, 2011), SONG TO SONG was the opening night feature at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival, and includes appearances by rock stars Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, John Lydon (Sex Pistols), Anthony Keidis & Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Florence Welch (Florence + the Machine), among others.  

 

In this modern love story set against the Austin, Texas music scene, two entangled couples – struggling songwriters Faye (Rooney Mara) and BV (Ryan Gosling), and music mogul Cook (Michael Fassbender) and the waitress whom he ensnares (Natalie Portman) – chase success through a rock ‘n’ roll landscape of seduction and betrayal.

From director Terrence Malick, SONG TO SONG is produced by Sarah Green, Nicolas Gonda, and Ken Kao. Prominent crew includes three-time Oscar winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant, Birdman), two-time Oscar nominated production designer Jack Fisk, and three-time Oscar nominated costume designer Jacqueline West.  

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Midnight Releasing Screams "WTF!" August 1st, 2017

Midnight Releasing drops a bloodsoaked F-bomb August 1st on Cable VOD and Digital HD.  The debut feature from director Peter Herro, WTF! follows the survivor of a mass murder on a relaxing trip with six close friends, when her nightmare threatens to begin again.  WTF! will be available on Amazon Instant, iTunes, Xbox, Vimeo, Steam, Vudu and Google Play.

Herro directed from a script he co-wrote with Christopher Centanni and Adam Buchalter.  Kyle Zingler produced alongside executive producers Steve Parker and Jody Wheeler.  Callie Ott (The Horror), Sarah Agor (Hatchet II, VH1's "Scream Queens"), Andrea Hunt (Awaken the Shadowman), Ben Norris, Johnny James Fiore, Nick Reilly and Adam Foster starred as the unfortunate group of friends.

Three years ago, twenty-two year old girl-next-door Rachel (Ott) barely survived a brutal massacre that left her friends in pieces. Time has passed, Rachel has moved on, but unfortunately history has a way of repeating itself.  Her close friends are spending spring break in a secluded house in the woods, and they have cordially invited her to join. Little does she realize that another bloodbath will be showing up as plus one. Once Rachel and her friends arrive at the cabin, the partying, sex, and terror begins.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Intrada: ONE LITTLE INDIAN (REISSUE) [1973] Music by Jerry Goldsmith

Intrada announces a reissue of an earlier Special Collection release that went out of print virtually overnight -- One Little Indian.  Featuring updated packaging and slight remastering, Intrada offers one of Jerry Goldsmith's more charming scores for this Disney film. It was the first of a handful of projects Goldsmith composed for Walt Disney Studios, writing a full-blooded, energetic western score, including an exciting main title that immediately establishes a bold, exciting sense of adventure. If there’s a Disney touch to the score, it’s in Goldsmith’s sometimes sly, often brash approach to the physical comedy in the film and, in particular, the incongruous presence of the two camels. Goldsmith has sitar play the familiar first five notes of Maurice Jarre’s Lawrence of Arabia theme, and he provides a rambunctious, muted cornet tune for the animals. It all comes together into one of Goldsmith's most adventurous, spirited scores of the 70s and one of his strongest western efforts.

For this reissue, Intrada has done minor remastering, using the 35mm 4-channel session tapes vaulted on 2" tape and mixed by Bruce Botnick to present the complete score in crisp stereo sound.

The film features James Garner as Corporal Clint Keyes, a deserter from the Union Army who’s on the run from the man ordered to hang him. After a short-lived horse chase, Keyes is captured and brought to an army outpost where Keyes’ execution is to take place. While Keyes is being held, a group of Cheyenne prisoners is brought in, including a young boy (Clay O’Brien) dubbed Mark, who is discovered to be a white youth captured in an earlier raid. Mark escapes and Keyes breaks himself out, hooking up with Mark after procuring a couple of camels who are AWOL from the U.S. Camel Corps. While in continual pursuit, Keyes develops a grudging friendship with the two camels, eventually encountering a widow (Vera Miles) and her daughter (Jodie Foster), whom Keyes tries to convince to take Mark into their family.


INTRADA Special Collection - Volume 383
For track listing and sound samples, please visit: CLICK HERE!  

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Hollywood Records: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments... EP

Shadowhunters (also known as Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments) is an American fantasy television series that is loosely based on The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, and developed for television by Ed Decter. It is the second adaptation of the novel series, after the 2013 film The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, which like Shadowhunters was produced by Constantin Film.

Shadowhunters is in its second season now, with the season finale to air 8/14/17.
Season 3 has been picked up and will air in 2018.

1. Ruelle - “This is the Hunt” (Shadowhunters Theme Song)
2. Alberto Rosende - “Royal Blue” sung by character SIMON, airs 7/24/17
3. Alberto Rosende - “Fragile World” sung by character SIMON, aired 6/19/17
4. Birthday - “Blood Rose”
5. Liam O’Donnell - “The Lifeboat”
6. Sierra Deaton - “Murmurs”

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Disney Channel Original Movie "DESCENDANTS 2" Soundrack

The soundtrack from the highly-anticipated Disney Channel Original Movie "Descendants 2," featuring Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Cameron Boyce and Booboo Stewart, is available today from Walt Disney Records. An unprecedented and simultaneous premiere is set for the Disney Channel Original Movie "Descendants 2" across five networks within the Disney|ABC Television Group, today Friday 21 (8:00 p.m. EDT), on Disney Channel, ABC, Disney XD, Freeform and Lifetime.

The high energy pop rock anthem, "Ways to Be Wicked" is performed by Cameron, Carson, Boyce and Stewart. The song is produced by Sam Hollander and Josh Edmondson who wrote the song with Grant Michaels and Charity Daw.

The commanding, feet stomping single "What's My Name," is performed by China Anne McClain as Uma (daughter of Ursula from "The Little Mermaid"), who is Mal's archenemy and leader of a motley crew of pirates. The pop/R&B song establishes Uma as the self-proclaimed queen of the Isle of the Lost. The track is produced by the songwriting/producing team Rock Mafia, Antonina Armato and Tim James, who wrote the lyrics with Tom Sturges and Adam Schmalhol.

The music videos for "What's My Name” and "Ways to Be Wicked" on DisneyMusicVevo have over 93 million combined views to date.

The "Descendants 2" soundtrack features six original songs, two covers of "Kiss the Girl" and "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from Disney's animated classic "The Little Mermaid," and three original songs from the animated short-form series "Descendants: Wicked World" including "Better Together," "Evil" and "Rather Be With You." 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

MILAN RECORDS: "THE GLASS CASTLE"... JOEL P WEST

Milan Records today announced that it will release THE GLASS CASTLE - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally and on CD on August 11th to coincide with the wide release of Lionsgate’s feature film starring Academy Award® winner Brie Larson and Oscar® nominees Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts.

Based on Jeannette Walls’ New York Times bestseller, the film tells a remarkable story of unconditional love that chronicles the adventures of a wildly eccentric but resilient and tight-knit family.  Brie Larson stars as a young woman who is influenced by her deeply dysfunctional father (Woody Harrelson) and eccentric mother (Naomi Watts) but ultimately finds the determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.  It also stars Max Greenfield, Sarah Snook and Robin Bartlett and is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton with a screenplay by Cretton and Andrew Lanham.

The soundtrack features the movie’s original score by composer Joel P West (SHORT TERM 12, GRANDMA, I AM NOT A HIPSTER) and includes the original song “Summer Storm” written and performed by West and inspired by the original writings of Jeannette’s father.  It also includes the cover of “Don’t Fence Me In” based on a song from the memoir.

“Joel was part of The Glass Castle team from day one. He and I were brainstorming about the music while the script was being written and by the time we were in pre-production, he was sending me playlists and early demos that we’d listen to while location-scouting through West Virginia,” said director Destin Daniel Cretton. “Joel was also on set during the shoot, pulling inspiration from the performances and having shared that experience made it much easier to determine what music would work well with any given scene. A good number of the demos he worked on during that time became the building blocks of the final score.”

"The Glass Castle tracks the 30-year journey of Jeannette’s relationship with her father Rex in just two hours so we developed recurring music themes that serve as anchors throughout the story and evolved in size and tone,” said West. “The music starts out glossy and grandiose to echo her childhood adoration for her Rex and then it peels down layer by layer to more modest sounds as she develops fear and resentment throughout her volatile years in West Virginia. Eventually, the larger-than-life themes from her childhood reconstruct in a more honest and understated way as she accepts her true self and forgives Rex.”
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Back Lot Music: GIRLS TRIP

Producer Will Packer (Ride Along and Think Like a Man franchises, Almost Christmas) presents Girls Trip, a new comedy from director/producer Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man franchise, Barbershop: The Next Cut).

When four lifelong friends—Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah—travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush. James Lopez, head of motion pictures for Will Packer Productions, and Preston Holmes, executive produce. www.girlstripmovie.com

Treat ‘Em Right (Chubb Rock)    
Good Times Roll (GRiZ & Big Gigantic)    
Lovely Day (The Soul Rebels)    
Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder) (Maxwell)    
Because of You (Girls Trip Remix) (Ne-Yo)    
If It Isn't Love (New Edition)    
Bling Bling (B.G.)    
Feel So Good (Mase)    
She's a Bitch (Missy Elliott)    
Ain't No Way (Aretha Franklin)
Do Watcha Wanna (Part 2) (Rebirth Brass Band)
Ryan's Theme (David Newman)

Sure, why not... has some great songs, without hesitation.

Jeremy [Six Strings]

LAKESHORE RECORDS, IN CONJUNCTION WITH INVADA RECORDS, PRESENTS "WIND RIVER"... Original Score by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

Lakeshore Records and Invada Records are proud to announce the labels will be releasing the WIND RIVER – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally on August 4, 2017. The soundtrack will be released on vinyl and on CD later this year. The album features the original score by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis (HELL OR HIGH WATER, WAR MACHINE).

Recently screened at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals, the film was described as, “a quiet, meditative crime drama, and a wonderfully effective one, aided by haunting music by Warren Ellis and Nick Cave” by The Wrap.  Screen Daily said, “Music, from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, seems to underline the isolation and alienation of the reservation, to speak of the sadness of a people set apart.”

“The soundtrack to the beautiful Wind River was first and foremost the incessant wind or the grieving silence of the snow,” said the composers, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis.  “Amid those elemental forces we made a kind of ghost score where voices whisper and choirs rise up and die away and electronics throb and pulse.”

WIND RIVER is a chilling thriller that follows a rookie FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) who teams up with a local game tracker with deep community ties and a haunted past (Jeremy Renner) to investigate the murder of a local girl on a remote Native American Reservation in the hopes of solving her mysterious death. Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, WIND RIVER also stars Gil Birmingham, Jon Bernthal, Julia Jones, Kelsey Asbille, and James Jordan.

They added, “It was a huge pleasure to work with Taylor Sheridan as he seemed to have a unique understanding of the power of music, that it could become the second-voice in the film.”

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Kino Lorber Studio Classics Celebrates Three-Year Anniversary With Launch of New Website

Kino Lorber Studio Classics celebrates its third year of releasing with the launch of a new dedicated consumer website for the label, KLStudioClassics.com.

The new site, which launches Friday July 21st as a showcase for Kino Lorber Studio Classics, will include special promotions, irresistible sales, mobile compatibility, social media engagement, super easy and fast checkouts (including PayPal), early pre-orders, and other advantages for consumers. Upcoming features will include more trailers, movie clips, previews of bonus features, stills, and other media from the Kino Lorber Studio Classics collection.

Also beginning on Friday July 21st, Kino Lorber Studio Classics will run a special anniversary sale, with 400 titles all over 50% off, through Sunday August 6, 2017.

Launched in 2014 to showcase the best in Hollywood cinema, Kino Lorber Studio Classics has grown to comprise over 400 choice titles (650 different products) drawn from the libraries of MGM, Fox, Paramount, Disney, CBS, and other major studios. Key releases from the label include the Best Picture Oscar®-winner MARTY, a 4K restoration of the Ray Harryhausen sci-fi cult classic ONE MILLION YEARS B.C., the highly-acclaimed Coen Brothers film BARTON FINK, and the 50th anniversary edition of THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY, as well as films by such celebrated auteurs as Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, William Friedkin, Robert Altman, Hal Ashby, Sidney Lumet, and many others.

The label is curated by Kino Lorber's master cinephile, Frank Tarzi, who began his career as head buyer for the legendary video boutique Kim's Video, and has been with Kino International and Kino Lorber for over 15 years.

"I grew up watching and loving most of these studio classics," Tarzi said, "and I'm proud to now be able to release many of these gems for the first time on Blu-ray and some for the first time on DVD."

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Sony Music: "WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES" Music by Michael Giacchino.

War for the Planet of the Apes is the third chapter to the 2011 & 2014 movies Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. From acclaimed writer-director Matt Reeves and screenwriter Mark Bomback, War for the Planet of the Apes features Caesar and his apes being forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

Writer-Director Matt Reeves says about the music: “Michael's music for the Apes films is beautiful, inventive, epic, and above all, profoundly emotional. I know I am biased, but I think his score for War ranks among his absolute best. He is a simply master musical storyteller”.

Composer Michael Giacchino says about the score: Planet of the Apes was one of my first childhood obsessions. As a kid, I used to draw the Apes from the film non-stop, including creating little flip-books about them.  In fact, the MEGO Planet of the Apes toys that I played with as a child have a special place on the shelves in the office that I write in today. So if having the opportunity to write the score for the latest installment of one of my favorite film franchises from my childhood isn’t enough, I have had the added pleasure of working on it with the equally Apes-obsessed director Matt Reeves.  We both approach our work on these new films with the very same enthusiasm that we had as children, and that makes us one very happy team. Film-making is demanding and filled with days of intense work, but it is still FUN for us.  I hope you can sense some of that joy and reverence for what came before in this new work for War for the Planet of the Apes.”
  

Jeremy [Six Strings]

MILAN RECORDS: "GENIUS SEASON 1"... National Geographic Series, Executive Produced By Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Features Original Music by Lorne Balfe

Milan Records will release a full soundtrack for the National Geographic series, GENIUS, executive produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, with original music by composer Lorne Balfe (THE LEGO® BATMAN MOVIE, TERMINATOR: GENISYS, CHURCHILL).  The soundtrack will be released digitally on June 23 and on CD July 28, 2017.  The label previously released an EP of score from the series.

“I’m incredibly honored to be writing music for many geniuses – Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Flynn as Albert Einstein, and for an amazing team led by executive producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, and showrunner Ken Biller,” said Balfe.  “I’m very excited that Milan will be releasing the full score from the first season of this incredible show.”

GENIUS, National Geographic’s first-ever scripted series, premiered in April to critical raves. Called “joyful to watch” by the Los Angeles Times and “compelling” by The New York Times, GENIUS explores how Albert became Einstein, including his rise from humble origins as an imaginative, rebellious thinker, through his struggles to be recognized by the establishment, to his global celebrity status as the man who unlocked the mysteries of the cosmos with his theory of relativity. Based on Walter Isaacson’s best-selling book Einstein: His Life and Universe the series stars Geoffrey Rush as Professor Einstein, Johnny Flynn as Albert in his youth, and Emily Watson as the scientist’s second wife – and first cousin – Elsa Einstein. The series hails from Fox 21 Television Studios, Imagine Television—whose chairman Ron Howard directed the series’ first episode— Oddlot Entertainment and EUE/Sokolow. The special two-part finale of GENIUS airs Tuesday, June 20 at 9/8c.

“Music was very important to Einstein,” said Balfe.  “It was part of his thought process; he used music to distance himself from the problematic equations that he was trying to solve. The distance would then lead to the solutions.”

Balfe was influenced by Einstein’s own musical talents with his approach to the score.  He explained, “Einstein was a fantastic violin player from all accounts, so that was an interesting color to bring into the score.” 

Milan Records will release the GENIUS Season One soundtrack, featuring original music by Lorne Balfe digitally on June 23 and on CD July 28, 2017.    

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Milan Records working with composer Brian Reitzell on American Gods...

The score to American Gods was composed by Brian Reitzell (Lost in Translation, Hannibal). As eclectic and mercurial as the beloved subject matter of the series, the music is a perfect companion to the visuals on screen yet stands tall in its own right.

The soundtrack also features original songs composed for the series as well as classic covers sung by Mark Lanegan, and Debbie Harry of Blondie. Each week Milan Records is releasing a digital single in conjunction with the airing of new episodes. Similar to Big Little Lies, Game Of Thrones and Stranger Things, American Gods features music front and center as an essential element of the show.

American Gods is an American television series developed by Bryan Fuller and Michael Green for Starz based on the novel of the same name by author Neil Gaiman. The series focuses on Shadow Moon, a man serving three years in prison with only days remaining on his sentence. Shadow is given an unexpected early release after a personal tragedy and finds himself next to a man -- or, a deity -- named Wednesday. He offers Shadow a job to make his way across America to collect all of the existing old gods in order to confront the New Gods, including Media and Technology.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

MovieScore Media: "Sanctuary" Music by Joseph Conlan

Coinciding with the film’s general release on July 7, MovieScore Media’s latest release is Joseph Conlan’s score for the Irish romantic comedy Sanctuary. Directed by Len Collin, the film features a cast of actors with intellectual disabilities, telling a heartfelt tale of love against the odds. Care worker Tom (Robert Doherty) is tasked with taking a group to the cinema, but his charges disappear and to explore freedoms that most of us take for granted, such as shopping on one's own, or going for a drink in a bar. In the main storyline, Larry (Kieran Coppinger), who has Down's Syndrome and Sophie (Charlene Kelly) who has epilepsy, try to spend some romantic hours together, but laughter and tears make strange bedfellows. Premiering at the Galway Film Fleadh last year, Sanctuary sees a general release on July 7.

Composer Joseph Conlan explains how a good story can be the most helpful feature when writing music: "If the film is good, a film composer can be inspired by it. This film was extremely inspiring for me, due to the writing and the performances as directed by Len Collin, and by the subject of the film; people with Intellectual Disabilities falling in love with each other. Utilizing the plucky sounds a lot of guitar-like instruments, mallet instruments and invented colors out of left field, this romantic comedy gave me the chance to write a score that was light and fun and quirky, but then poignant and even dark at times. My favorite score in recent years."

Among the notable film directors with whom Conlan has collaborated are Tobe Hooper (Toolbox Murders), John Badham (Obsessed), Gregg Champion (The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn) and Thomas Bezucha (Big Eden). His most significant television series are NCIS, Simon & Simon, Tour of Duty and The Equalizer while his work on television films includes titles like the Emmy-nominated scores for Miracle Run (Mary-Louise Parker, Zac Efron) and Mortal Sins (Christopher Reeve). The composer’s awards include Best Score for No Justice at the Underground Film Festival and Best Song for Finding Home at the Rome International Film Festival. His scores for Spiders 3D and The Callback Queen were released by MovieScore Media.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

MovieScore Media: "Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket" Music by David James Nielsen

 

MovieScore Media once again teams up with composer David James Nielsen (Tales from Beyond, Haunting Villisca, Tall Ships: The Privateer Lynx) in releasing an uplifting, thematically rich score for the family mystery adventure Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket. Co-written and directed by Paul Serafini, the film stars Bailee Madison as the titular teenage mystery writer who faces a real life haunting on a vacation. While spending some time on the historic Nantucket Island, Annabelle and her friends must outwit two scheming thieves to solve the secret behind a legendary ghost story.

Born in Calgary, Canada, David James Nielsen earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from the University of Calgary, and a Graduate Certificate in Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television from the University of Southern California. Following a stint at as Composer-In-Residence for Pleiades Theatre / Vertigo Mystery Theatre, David has scored many feature, documentary, and short films, as well as television and web series’. In 2008, he won the Gold Medal of Artistic Excellence Award for his score to the film Man Vs. Woman, and the Bronze Medal for Excellence Award for his score to Tales from Beyond at the Park City Film Music Festival. Previous releases with MovieScore Media include the gothic horror anthology Tales from Beyond, the based on a true ghost story Haunting Villisca and The Sailing Channel documentary Tall Ships: The Privateer Lynx.

“The score was a joy to compose, as the film has a story that calls for music that is adventurous, scary, mysterious, haunting, mystical, joyous, fun, hopeful, sad, romantic, suspenseful, epic, and magical.  There are themes for the journal that Annabelle refers to throughout the film, as well as themes for the characters Tweed and Argyle, Silas Grimm, Arthur, the ghost Lillian, comedic music for Jake, a clue theme, a love theme for Annabelle and Billy, and of course the main theme for the film.  Some of the music cues called for large orchestration, while other subtle cues incorporated solos from instruments such as piano, flute, oboe, clarinet, cello and harp.“ INFO: http://moviescoremedia.com/

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

SILVA SCREEN RECORDS: "PUPPET ON A CHAIN" Music by Piero Piccioni

Espionage excess, 70s kitsch and pulp noir.

 

Italian soundtrack maestro Piero Piccioni’s blistering Hammond-heavy score anticipates the blaxploitaiton era with funky and angular action scenes, symphonic clashes and big band sound.

A masterpiece of suspense, Puppet on a Chain was adapted from Alistair Maclean’s 1969 novel and released in 1971. Directed by Geoffrey Reeve and starring a granite-jawed Sven-Bertil Taube, the film’s signature boat chase (lasting eight minutes!) along the canals of Amsterdam was rumoured to be the inspiration for the similar sequence in Bond’s Live and Let Die.

Drenched in grubby early 70s aesthetic, Puppet On A Chain features leather-gloved fists with silenced pistols, trench coats, rooftop chases, nefarious women, brutal fisticuffs and unusual deaths. The film portrays a decadent 1970's Amsterdam overrun with drugs and organized crime all set to Piccioni’s brilliant gonzo soundtrack.

One of the great talents of Italian cinema, Piero Piccioni’s legacy includes around 300 soundtracks over four decades. Piccioni was most prolific during the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, when he was sought out by directors including Francesco Rosi, Mario Monicelli, Alberto Lattuada, Luchino Visconti, Bernardo Bertolucci, Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica and Lina Wertmuller. Deeply influenced in his use of jazz by 20th century classical composers and American cinematography, Piccione was a talented self-taught musician.

“…a rare talent… Jazz was his passion. He managed to isolate some very poignant characteristics of this musical language, and apply them to contrasting cinematographic approaches in a very distinctive, coherent, recognizable and personal way.”
- Ennio Morricone
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

LAKESHORE RECORDS AND FREDERATOR STUDIOS PRESENT: "CASTLEVANIA" NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES... Score by Trevor Morris

Lakeshore Records in conjunction with Frederator Studios will release the CASTLEVANIA—NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES SOUNDTRACK digitally on July 7th.  Featuring an original score composed by Trevor Morris (The Tudors, Immortals) and produced by Morris and Trey Toy, the music is inspired by the classic video game series Castlevania --a dark medieval fantasy following the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Vlad Dracula Tepes himself. The animated series is from Frederator Studios, a division of Frederator Networks, Inc., a Wow! Unlimited Media company, written by best-selling author and comic book icon Warren Ellis and executive produced by Warren Ellis, Kevin Kolde, Fred Seibert and Adi Shankar.  Castlevania debuts globally on Netflix July 7th. 

Trevor Morris is a Canada-born Los Angeles-based two-time Emmy® Award-winning composer.  He’s collaborated with Jerry Bruckheimer, Neil Jordan and Tony and Ridley Scott and has over fifteen feature film credits including Immortals & London Has Fallen, and has been involved in twenty five Prime Time television series including The Tudors, The Borgias. Morris has also worked as a composer on a number of video games including SimCity Societies, Army of Two, Need for Speed: Carbon and most recently the epic third installment of Dragon Age: Inquisition video.

Says Morris: “Being asked to contribute to Castlevania was such a great call to get.  As a composer it’s just a cool, colorful and interesting world to get into, and provides endless inspiration for music.  It was just such a fun and cool project to work on, I could score Castlevania for years and years"

Says Warren Ellis: "Trevor is a master of his art: hugely innovative, yet with a deep understanding of early music, combined with a love of electronics, creating something weirdly primal but completely contemporary."

Castlevania is Executive Produced by Warren Ellis, Kevin Kolde, Adi Shankar, Fred Seibert, and Ted Biaselli and Larry Tanz for Netflix. Production services are provided by Austin, Texas based Powerhouse Animation with Brad Graeber Supervising Producer, Jason Williams as Producer, and Sam Deats as Director.

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Lakeshore Records: "CITY OF GHOSTS"... Score by Composers Jackson Greenberg and H. Scott Salinas

A real life international thriller, City of Ghosts exposes a new type of warfare: a battle over ideas, a fight for hearts and minds, a conflict over clicks and views. Captivating in its immediacy, it follows the journey of “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”—a handful of anonymous activists who banded together after their homeland was taken over by ISIS in 2014. With astonishing, deeply personal access, this is the story of a brave group of citizen journalists as they face the realities of life undercover, on the run, and in exile, risking their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world today. Directed, produced, and filmed by Academy Award–nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land, 2015 Sundance Film Festival Directing Award), City of Ghosts is a singularly powerful cinematic experience that is sure to shake audiences to their core as it elevates the canon of one of the most talented and exciting documentary filmmakers working today."

JACKSON GREENBERG... Originally from Philadelphia and since moving to Los Angeles, Jackson Greenberg has worked with legendary artist Randy Newman, written songs for numerous others and can be seen performing his own work at venues around town. He has scored multiple festival award winning short films and composed music for national television commercials. He received his undergraduate degree in music from Princeton University, his graduate degree in composition from The Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California and studied with composer Kenneth Hesketh at the Royal College of Music in London. His String Quarter No. 1 (A Metropolitan Man) was premiered at Princeton University by the Juilliard String Quartet in 2012

H. SCOTT SALINAS... Award-winning composer, H. Scott Salinas has contributed towards an impressive variety of notable projects including the Academy Award nominated documentary film The Square, HBO and Aaron Sorkin's smash hit The Newsroom, TNT's dark thriller Murder in the First, and Academy Award nominated documentary film, Cartel Land. In 2002, Scott became the youngest Grand Prize recipient of the Turner Classic Movies Young Film Composers Competition and along with accolades such as the prestigious Cannes Lion, Clio, and BMI awards, Scott's accomplishments have earned him esteem and recognition as a highly versatile yet specialized talent. From composing the brooding hybrid orchestral score to the Darren Aronofsky produced Zipper, to his original song Jamie Smiles written for the cult comedy classic Just Friends to acting as the instrumental mouthpiece behind the Old Spice whistle, Scott's ability to create a meaningful impact for a wide spectrum is showcased through his work.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

LAKESHORE RECORDS: "WISH UPON" - ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK AND ORIGINAL SCORE ALBUMS

Soundtrack Features The Original Song “Be Careful What You Wish For” By Wayfarers and Songs From Hey Violet, Kil The Giant, Tuli, and Leo Soul (feat. Lili Ray) with Music Supervision by Alexandra Patsavas and Original Score by Composers tomandandy
 

Lakeshore Records will release both the original soundtrack and an original score album for the film Wish Upon digitally on July 14, 2017.   The Wish Upon – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, with music supervision by three-time Grammy® nominee Alexandra Patsavas, features the original song “Be Careful What You Wished For” by Wayfarers, along with tracks by Hey Violet, Grace Mitchell, Kil The Giant, Lili Ray, and Leo Soul (feat. Lili Ray).  It will be released on CD later this summer.  The Wish Upon – Original Score album features music by tomandandy (The Monster, The Rules of Attraction, Killing Zoe).

In Wish Upon, the new horror thriller from the director of Annabelle, 17-year-old Clare Shannon (Joey King) is barely surviving the hell that is high school, along with her friends, Meredith (Sydney Park) and June (Shannon Purser). So, when her dad (Ryan Phillippe) gifts her an old music box with an inscription that promises to grant the owner’s wishes, she thinks there is nothing to lose. Clare makes her first wish and, to her surprise, it comes true. Before long, she finally has it all: money, popularity and her dream boy. Everything seems perfect—until the people closest to her begin dying in gruesome and twisted ways. Now, with blood on her hands, Clare has to get rid of the box, before it costs her and everyone she loves the ultimate price. 

Be careful what you wish for...

“John [Leonetti, director] and I worked closely together to come up with songs that embody the Wish Upon sonic universe - catchy, modern, classic and sometimes a little tense and off-kilter.” Said Music Supervisor/Producer Alexandra Patsavas.  Alexandra Patsavas has been responsible for identifying and exposing a remarkable string of original music to mainstream audiences. 

A champion of independent artists, music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas turned to the band Wayfarers who contributed the original song “Be Careful What You Wish For”.   “It is rare to come across a song that feels as right for a film as ‘Be Careful What You Wish For’. Wayfarers captured the spirit of Wish Upon in one finely crafted track.  John knew as soon as he heard an early demo that this was to be the signature song for the film.”

An integral part of the “spell” of the box lies in the tune it plays as the wish is granted. Filmmakers were keen to have its musical aspect be as special as the box itself, and so they turned to the film’s composers, tomandandy (the duo of Thomas Hadju and Andy Milburn), to create the haunting sound. 

When composing for the film Andy Milburn of tomandandy found it, “Helpful that the melody has a least a couple of tiny ‘mini- melodies’ within it that can be broken out and used separately. In Wish Upon, this took the form of a counter melody that’s really just a little accompanying figure, able to stand on its own and evoke the box—without requiring a complete re-statement of the theme.”  

Jeremy [Six Strings]

KRONOS RECORDS: "UN REIETTO DELLE ISOLE", "LA MORTE VESTITA DI DOLLARI" and "NIKOLA TESLA"

"NIKOLA TESLA" Music by ALFI KABILJO

Kronos Records is immensely proud to present a world exclusive: the soundtrack CD of  Eduard Galic's NIKOLA TESLA, a Croatian television series (from RTZ – Zagreb Radio and Television at the time) about the world reknown Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist. The series is from 1977.  The soundtrack was previously released only as a Composer-promo and not available to the general public.  We are very happy to work again with our friend, the very talented composer Alfi Kabiljo. After the medieval epic THE FALCON (still available from us) we proudly present you with NIKOLA TESLA, definitely one of the most exciting and beautiful scores we ever released!

In his search for the best way to put into music the life and work of this famous scientist, Kabiljo relied on his usual composing technique: a combination of 20th century music which admits everything that "sounds" but rejects tonality, and elements of film music standards (and pop music standards) with clear harmonies and tonal functions. Given the fact that the TV serial is built in the form of a flashback, at the beginning Tesla is actually at his end. At the end of his life path he is able to look back, to consider it all from another perspective, maybe more objectively, not regretting anything but taking active part in it emotionally. His lyrical  childhood has been composed almost like an idyll ("Childhood", "Flight", "Wings") and the mother's theme is also lyrical although it abandons the level of carelessness and brings into the score a kind of calm seriousness. The mother character opens the possibility for the composer to turn to folklore elements ("Mother's Death"), which describe his childhood place as well ("Old Country").

"LA MORTE VESTITA DI DOLLARI (DOG EAT DOG)" Music by CARLO SAVINA

Kronos Records is very proud to present the soundtrack to the 1967 film, LA MORTE VESTITA DI DOLLAR (DOG EAT DOG aka WHEN STRANGERS MEET), starring Cameron Mitchell and Jayne Mansfield. The eclectic score was penned by none less than one of Italy's most active composers of the era and one of Kronos Records' top champions Maestro Carlo Savina.

The score includes several musical styles, all of which are rich in melody and filled with drama and vitality. The score is a vibrant and energetic one, the composer combining the big band jazz sound with that of a more luxurious and stylish aura that is linked with many movies that were produced during the 1960, s. For much of its duration the soundtrack leans towards a more traditional jazz style, which is in keeping with the films storyline and the period in which it is set. He composer utilizing to great effect piano, woodwind and at times lush string interludes that are quite grandiose and opulent sounding. The Maestro also employs a style and sound that is very much akin to the composing style of fellow Italian composers such as Piero Umiliani, Armando Trovaioli and Gianni Ferrio to identify a few. Savina makes effective use of organ solos and introduces and integrates these performances at key points within the work, the sound and style lending much support and atmosphere to the score as well as enhancement to the scenarios unfolding on screen. The use of organ was commonplace in so many Italian soundtracks, the instrumentation adding touches of drama, melancholy and fleeting hints of the sinister, when employed. The opening cue sets the scene perfectly for what we are about to hear, it is a fast-paced swing composition for percussion and brass and although short lived makes an impact immediately. 

"UN REIETTO DELLE ISOLE" (AN OUTCAST OF THE ISLANDS) Music by MARIO NASCIMBENE

Kronos Records is proud to release  the soundtrack of Italian 1979 TV adaptation of Joseph Conrad's An Outcast Of The Islands, UN REIETTO DELLE ISOLE starring Sergio Fantoni in the role of Willems, Massimo Girotti as Captain Lingard,  Graziano Giusti as Almayer , Maria Carta as Joanna and Indian actress Rani in the rle of Aissa.  The 3 part miniserial was directed by Giorgo Moser and presented at the 1979 edition of the Sorrento Film Festival.

The music for UN REIETTO DELLE ISOLE was composed by none less than Maestro MARIO NASCIMBENE (well known for his epic scores THE VIKINGS, SALOMON AND SHEBA, BARABBAS, and other dramtic scores as LA GARCONNIERE and ULTIMA VIOLENZA).  The music for UN REIETTO DELLE ISOLE is one of Nascimbene's most intimate scores, written for solo Eastern instruments, mainly the sitar and the santur creating a dreamy soundscape that blends spiritualism with the mundane world and the drame of the story.

This is a world first time release in any format of this unique score by one of the greatest composers Italy and the World ever had. 

Keeping the scores coming, great releases! For complete information: http://www.kronosrecords.com/

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Intrada: GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM / OPERATION DUMBO DROP... Making Some Music with Composers... ALEX NORTH and DAVID NEWMAN!

"GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM" Original Score by ALEX NORTH and "OPERATION DUMBO DROP" Music By DAVID NEWMAN

 

Intrada's latest release features two scores from the Disney catalog, both from films set in Vietnam. Good Morning, Vietnam was inspired by the story of wartime radio deejay Adrian Cronauer. Though the film heavily dramatized his tempestuous relationship with military brass, Cronauer (played by Robin Williams) was an iconoclastic broadcaster whose lively presence was summed up in his famous sign-on: “Good mooooorning, Vietnam!” For the film, Alex North composed a sparse score, with the first half of the film playing virtually without underscore, relying on popular music from Army radio broadcasts.  North’s music explores Cronauer’s dawning awareness of the reality of life in a war zone, beginning with the slow march of despair that follows a bombing. Throughout the score, harpsichord suggests the vestiges of an older, more refined world being displaced by violence. The dissonance becomes more pronounced during a near-fatal jungle encounter with the Viet Cong, and stygian contrabassoon vividly colors the jungle pursuit towards the end of the film. Warmer and more melodic passages underscore Cronauer’s deepening emotional attachments, but even these are notable for their harmonic complexity. Fans of North will no doubt recognize the abundance of North trademarks in this brief score.

For 1991's Operation Dumbo Drop, composer David Newman composed one of his finest works.  Originally released on Hollywood Records with 25 minutes of score plus vocals, Intrada's release contains some 48 minutes of score.  Newman’s main theme is a formidable presence, with powerful orchestra that showcases the brass section. While a lush symphonic sound dominates, the score features a varied mix of styles and tones. Synthesizers add color and verve, and rock-and-roll elements occasionally surge to the fore. Rollicking passages of action and adventure characterize many of the cues, but for those moments involving a young boy's special bond with the signature elephant, Newman uses ethereal textures to create an atmosphere of mysticism. The film, like Vietnam,  is based on a true story, in this case focusing on a single elephant that is needed to replace one killed by the North Vietnamese Army— parachuting to its final destination. The film stars Danny Glover as outgoing Capt. Sam Cahill and Ray Liotta as his replacement, Capt. T.C. Doyle.

Both scores are released with the cooperation of Disney Enterprises and Universal Music Group.  While Good Morning, Vietnam is complete, Operation Dumbo Drop posed a unique challenge in locating and assembling the complete score. As a result, this greatly expanded release contains all of the key set pieces and important moments in the score, but is not the complete soundtrack.  Nonetheless, this duo from two master composers provides nearly 70 minutes of a thrilling listen.


INTRADA Special Collection 384
SHIPPING NOW
For track listing and sound samples, please visit: [CLICK HERE]

There is something different, but so much the same... it's going to be a grand release from the INTRADA label...

Jeremy [Six Strings]