Get the latest score from Howlin' Wolf Records “DON'T GO IN THE HOUSE”, “HOLIDAY HELL” and “GOOD TID

I Have an "ETSY STORE" Come On Over, Take a Look!


I've opened an "ETSY" shop sharing things, I have always loved... art in film. Please go take a look, I am building a separate blog site that will feature my art/design... my plan is too make all the "items" available from Etsy and or Paypal accounts. Still setting up the pieces, but for now please check this out and find something you love.


THANK YOU!
Jeremy [Six Strings]

As Promised "SIX STRINGS" Magazine [Collection] is all Available on Facebook!


Well, good day... I wanted to share the whole collection of "SIX STRINGS" magazine on Facebook.... It ran for a two years and featured Movie, Music and More inside of 14 issues. Many of you may not have know I designed every page from cover to end and had some great contributing writers.

Our monthly magazine readership was only a couple hundred, but our site was still in the thousands... which is why we stopped publishing when the site numbers dropped drastically. We lost a couple of our supporters, which I hope to get back... as their concerns our attention dropped even though they received more coverage within the pages of "SIX STRINGS"... it was a great adventure, we interviewed some great people, covered some great stuff and as I said "great contributing writers"...

So if you could take the time to have a look, maybe share this post and know we thank you...
I will be tagging people within those pages where possible and well here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Six-Strings-Magazine-876527699149660/photos/?tab=albums
Jeremy [Six Strings]

The Best Movie Scores of 2018


The Best Movie Scores of 2018
by Jeremy Hawkins

MOST LISTENED 10 SCORES:

01. Lost In Space [2018] (Lakeshore Records) Music by Christopher Lennertz
02. The Avengers: Infinity War [2018] (Hollywood Records) Music by Alan Silvestri
03. Marvel's Black Panther [2018] (Hollywood Records) Music by Ludwig Göransson
04. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom [2018] (BackLot) Music by Michael Giacchino
05. The Meg [2018] (WaterTower) Music by Harry Gregson-Williams
06. The Nutcracker and The Four Realms [2018] (Disney) Music by James Newton Howard
07. Mission Impossible: Fallout [2018] (La-La Land Records) Music by Lorne Balfe
08. Solo: A Star Wars Story [2018] (Disney) Music by John Powell
09. BBC: Dynasties [2018] (Silva Records) Music by Benji Merrison & Will Slater
10. Equus: Story of the Horse [2018] (Milan Records) Music by Darren Fung

TOP 10 SCORES:

01. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald [2018] (WaterTower) Music by James Newton Howard
02. Halloween [2018] (Sacred Bones) Music by John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, Daniel Davies
03. Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves [1991-2018] (Intrada) Music by Michael Kamen
04. The Mummy Returns [2001-2018] (Intrada) Music by Alan Silvestri
05. Hellbound: Hellraiser II [1988-2018] (Lakeshore Records) Music by Christopher Young
06. One Strange Rock [2018] (Lakeshore Records) Music by Daniel Pemberton
07. Into the Badlands {S2} [2018] (Varese Sarabande) Music by Trevor Yuile
08. The Toybox [2018] (ScreamWorks) Music by Holly Amber Church
09. Doctor Who {S9} [2018] (Silva Records) Music by Murray Gold
10. Mary Shelley [2018] (Decca Records) Music by Amelia Warner

GREAT/LOVED 10 SCORES:

01. Not Afraid, Not Afraid [2018] (Caldera Records) Music by Gabriel Yared
02. Ghost Stories [2018] (Varese Sarabande) Music by Frank Ilfman
03. Dead Men [2018] (MovieScore Media) Music by Gerrit Wunder
04. A Simple Favor [2018] (Lakeshore Records) Music by Theodore Shapiro
05. Hunter Killer [2018] (Lakeshore Records) Music by Trevor Morris
06. Le Visionnaire [2018] (MovieScore Media) Music by Andrew Pearce
07. Rocket Gibraltar [1988-2018] (Intrada) Music by Andrew Powell
08. God of War [2018] (Sony) Music by Bear McCreary
09. The Lost Children of Planet X [2018] (Caldera Records) Music by Christopher Young

and Bob Badway
 10. Molly's Game [2018] (Sony) Music by Daniel Pemberton

COOLEST 10 RELEASES:

01. Killer Klowns From Outer Space [Re-imagined] (1988-2018) (Varese Sarabande) Music by John Massari and Friends
02. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988-2018) [Intrada] Music by Alan Silvestri
03. Dracula [1979-2018] (Varese Sarabande) Music by John Williams
04. *Batteries Not Included [1987-2018] (Intrada) Music by James Horner
05. Jim Henson's The Storyteller [2018] (Varese Sarabande) Music by Rachel Portman
06. No Way Out [1987-2018] (NoteForNote Records) Music by Maurice Jarre
07. Q: The Winged Serpent [1982-2018] [Kronos Records] Music by Robert O. Ragland
08. Dave Grusin: The Premiere Collection (And Justice For All, Absence Of Malice and Murder By Death & The Pursuit Of Happiness) [2018] (Varese Sarabande) Music by Dave Grusin
09. The Mummy [1999-2018] (Intrada) Music by Jerry Goldsmith
10. Horror Re-Imagined [2018] (Promo) Music by D for Disgruntled

IMPRESSED BY 10 SCORES:

01. AXL [2018] (Lakeshore Records) Music by Ian Hultquist
02. Cobra Kai [2018] (La-La Land Records) Music by Zach Robinson and Leo Birenberg
03. Clash of Futures [2018] (MovieScore Media) Music by Laurent Eyquem
04. The Incredibles 2 [2018] (Disney) Music by Michael Giacchino
05. Duck Duck Goose [2018] (Lakeshore Records) Music by Mark Isham
06. House of Cards (Symphony) [2018] (BIS Records) Music by Jeff Beal
07. The House with a Clock in Its Walls [2018] (Back Lot) Music by Nathan Barr
08. Howards End [Milan Records] (2018) Music by Nico Muhly
09. The Last Kingdom [2018] (Sony) Music by John Lunn and Eivør
10. Queen of the South [2018] (Lakeshore Records) Music by Giorgio Moroder and Raney Shockne

WISH-LIST:

Harry Potter I, II and III [7Cd] Collection [2018] (La-La Land Records) Music by John Williams
Bram Stoker's Dracula (3Cd-Set) [1992-2018] (La-La Land Records) Music by Wojciech Kilar

There are so many scores/soundtracks every year and I love all of them, these of course are just the ones I feel I listened to most over the year 2018.  Once again... I really do love all the music, music friends and the composer friends I have made over the years. THANK YOU TO ALL THE LABELS, COMPOSERS, READERS and FRIENDS.

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Screamworks Records: "You Might Be the Killer" by Andrew Morgan Smith


ScreamWorks Records reteams with composer Andrew Morgan Smith to present his score for You Might Be the Killer, starring genre veterans Fran Kranz (The Cabin in the Woods) and Alyson Hannigan (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer). When Sam (Kranz), the camp counselor suffering from blackouts finds himself surrounded by murder victims, he gets an uneasy feeling about the murders. When he turns to his horror movie enthusiast friend Chuck (Hannigan) for advice, the two of them figure out the only logical solution - what if Sam is  the killer and he might strike again? Who will stop him - and does he need stopping at all?

“You Might Be the Killer was a tremendously fun movie to work on,” says Andrew Morgan Smith about the project. “When I first met with the director, Brett, he was very interested in classic 80s orchestral scores. This was really exciting for me. Since the whole movie is a send up of classic slasher/horror movies, we needed a score that would do the same thing. With this in mind, I delved into that style and wrote a horror score that paid homage to these old movies and help it really nail that time period/genre. It's not often you get to play in the Jerry Goldsmith, Alan Silvestri, and Christopher Young sandbox, but You Might Be the Killer allowed me to do that.“ With its cheeky references to the decade of slashers, this might be a camp classic - pun fully intended.

Composer Andrew Morgan Smith studied composition and music media at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. As a media composer, he started his career writing for SyFy movies and has now branched out into Indie film and other TV content. His credits include such hit films for the channel as A Sort of Homecoming, Zombie Shark, and A Deadly Affair. Andrew is no stranger to the world of horror scoring - his music for Jeepers Creepers 3 is also available from ScreamWorks Records and Quartet Records.

The soundtrack has a digital release date of  December 14, 2018.On the link below, you can view a video, featuring a suite from the score: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJn_nhg5YKM]
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

MovieScore Media: "Le Visionnaire" by Andrew Pearce


MovieScore Media is not only dedicated to preserving film and television music, but media music in any format. Andrew Pearce’s Le Visionnaire comes from the Maison Yves Rocher, a museum dedicated to the founder of the famed cosmetics company. With an exhibition arranged into four rooms, the museum chronicles the incredible journey of Yves Rocher: the early years, his success, the organic process, creating a worldwide brand and his vision for sustainability across the planet.

“The composing process began in March 2017 when I was asked to score four short documentary films for a museum in La Gacilly, Brittany,” recalls composer Andrew Pearce about the project. “The story begins with an elegant piano lullaby suggesting the seed of an idea and the birth of Yves Rocher. The beauty and triumph of nature is underscored through dramatic harmonic shifts on a variation of the main theme (‘Le Visionnaire’) while girl chorus echoes the brand’s femininity throughout. The score is an eclectic mix of styles and textures; sometimes small and intimate as in ‘The Genius Suite’ but also epic and wondrous as heard in Far & Beyond and Success at Last.“ The album also features a chamber suite arranged from the score for violin and piano, performed by Miriam Kramer and Ben Dawson.

British composer Andrew Pearce has been busy on both sides of the Channel with several British and French productions in his resumé. His first commission was the 'Cine Dimanche' jingle for TF1 France and he continues to produce tracks for their library. As a composer, his list of credits include Dark Corners and the French drama series Petits secrets entre voisins. MovieScore Media has previously worked together with the composer on his ambitious Cinema Symphony which was performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra

The soundtrack has a digital release date of  December 14, 2018 with a physical CD to be released by Quartet Records.  On the link below, you can view a video, featuring a suite from the score: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TNvFpGV0zA]
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Rooster Teeth and Cinedigm: "RED VS. BLUE: THE SHISNO PARADOX" [Blu-ray/DVD]


Rooster Teeth and Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) today announced that the newest story in the Red Vs. Blue universe will arrive on digital platforms on November 6, 2018 and Blu-Ray® + DVD Combo Pack on January 1, 2019. Red Vs. Blue follows two groups of soldiers in the distant future who are battling for control of the least desirable piece of real estate in the known universe: a box canyon in the middle of nowhere.

"The Shisno Paradox has already amassed quite a buzz among fans with 470,00 views on YouTube for just the introduction to the show! The fan base for this series is so dedicated, which is showcased by the fact that Red Vs. Blue is internet’s longest running web series, and we look forward to being offer our fan base the chance to own the latest in chapter in the RVB universe," said Joe Nicolosi, Director of Red Vs. Blue.


In Red Vs. Blue: The Shisno Paradox, a simple trip out for pizza ends with the Reds and Blues scattered and lost in time. Their ridiculous adventures in history inadvertently make them pawns in a war between Gods and Titans, which has been raging since before the dawn of time.

The Red Vs. Blue franchise, which is based on the best-selling Xbox video game Halo, has had over one billion total views online with over one million DVDs sold. The Blu-Ray® + DVD Combo Pack and digital release will be jam-packed with bonus features including behind-the-scenes, director/writer commentary and crew photos.
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Wellgo USA Entertainment: "THE GREAT BATTLE" BLU-RAY/DVD]


Director Kim Kwang-Sik (My Dear Desperado) brings to life the first Korean action blockbuster to depict the Goguryeo dynasty in the epic story THE GREAT BATTLE, ready for combat on digital, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD January 8 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Set during the Tang dynasty, the action-packed film is based on the historic 80-day battle between the Goguryeo and Tang forces known as The Siege of Ansi, that took place while the two groups were at war between 645-668 AD. Kwang-Sik uses cutting-edge cinematic technologies to create spectacular action sequences in THE GREAT BATTLE which stars Zo In-Sung (The King), Nam Joo-Hyuk (“Bride of the Water God”) and Park Sung-Woong (The Swindlers). The discs also come with a behind-the-scenes featurette with commentary from the director and cast.


With epic scale and breathtaking action, THE GREAT BATTLE tells the story of the Siege of Ansi, where Goguryeo forces held their fortress against 200,000 invading Tang soldiers in a battle that raged for 88 days.
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Q and A with Composer Bobby Johnston about new score “FALLEN STAR: FINDING HOME” released on Milan Records


Jeremy [Six Strings]: How did you find the musical direction for this documentary, was it your choice or the director/producers?

Bobby Johnston: The musical direction of the score was sparked by conversations with the directors; Valerie Stadler and Vera-Brunner Sung. They were interested in a string based score, with a modern sort of sensibility. The score needed to reflect Do Ho Suh’s inspiration for creating the Fallen Star installation, as well as it’s planning and execution. The music also had to convey the skewed perspectives and off-kilter sensation that comes from experiencing the installation. The documentary was beautifully shot and directed, so there was plenty of visual inspiration for the score. 



Jeremy [Six Strings]: What were some of the cool things, while being involved with this project... maybe share a story?

Bobby Johnston: One of the fun things on this score was searching for the right elements to accent the string parts. I used a bit of prepared piano on a couple tracks, which I find interesting to blend with strings. I also had fun with the double-bass, in both bowing techniques and using the body of the bass as a percussive instrument.

I was lucky to have cellist John Krovoza living nearby and he’d played on a number of my scores before Fallen Star, so having both his talent and accessibility for this score was a big advantage. We clocked in dozens of sessions and he was able to pop over for quick takes when I was still deep in the scoring process (he played viola on the score too).  

I was also fortunate to work with Billy Malpede (William V. Malpede) on this project. Billy did additional orchestrations and co-writing with me on the score, as well as performing keyboards. We’ve worked together on a few of my scores since Fallen Star and it’s always wonderful because we have such complementary skill sets. Billy really understands my writing and instrumental shenanigans, so it’s been great to help stretch my sound.


Jeremy [Six Strings]: What's next, can you share any updates on upcoming projects?

Bobby Johnston: I recently finished scoring the HBO documentary “Bleed Out”, which was directed by Steve Burrows and premieres December 17th on HBO. The soundtrack will also be released by Milan Records.

About: Bobby Johnston 
Composer/multi-instrumentalist Bobby Johnston’s credits include scores for directors Charlie Kaufman, Larry Clark and Stuart Gordon. His approach to composing utilizes organic and acoustic instruments, which he plays himself, often complemented by featured soloists.

Johnston has composed original scores for several films, including Wristcutters: A Love Story, Edmond, Stuck, Mother’s Day, Marfa Girl, City of Gold and Bleed Out (HBO). His music has been heard extensively on the radio program This American Life and has been included on two of the show’s greatest hits CDs.  

Bobby Johnston - film composer
www.bobbyjohnston.com

Tor Fantasy: The Magic of Recluce, The Towers of the Sunset and The Magic Engineer... Saga of Recluce 1-3


Tor Fantasy: "The Magic of Recluce: Saga of Recluce (Volume 1)" L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s The Magic of Recluce begins his bestselling fantasy series the Saga of Recluce, which is one of the most popular in contemporary epic fantasy.  Young Lerris yearns to find a place in the world better suited to his skills and temperament. In Recluce this means taking one of two options: permanent exile from Recluce or the dangergeld, a complex, rule-laden wanderjahr in the lands beyond. Many do not survive.  Lerris chooses dangergeld.  Lerris will need magic in the lands beyond, where the power of the Chaos Wizards reigns unchecked, and he must learn to use his powers in an orderly way before his wanderjahr, or fall prey to Chaos. 


Tor Fantasy: "The Towers of the Sunset: Saga of Recluce (Volume 2)" L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s The Towers of the Sunset continues his bestselling fantasy series the Saga of Recluce, which is one the most popular in contemporary epic fantasy.  Rather than accepting a marriage arranged by his mother, the powerful military matriarch of Westwind, Creslin chooses exile, setting out to find his own identity and developing his magical talents through conflict with the enigmatic white wizards of Candar. What Creslin doesn't know he stands in the way of their plot to subjugate the world.


Tor Fantasy: "The Magic Engineer: Saga of Recluce (Volume 3)" L.E. Modesitt, Jr. In L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s The Magic Engineer, Dorrin, a young scion of Order magicians, is interested in forbidden knowledge—the working of machines. He is the Leonardo da Vinci of his age, but his insights violate the rules of the Order magic of Recluce, and in order to pursue his invention he must go into exile—in the lands of Chaos. Tortured by the knowledge that to preserve Order he must create new devices for war, Dorrin stands between Recluce and the forces of the Chaos that seek to destroy it.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr., is the bestselling author of the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce, Corean Chronicles, and the Imager Portfolio. His science fiction includes Adiamante, the Ecolitan novels, the Forever Hero Trilogy, and Archform: Beauty. Besides a writer, Modesitt has been a U.S. Navy pilot, a director of research for a political campaign, legislative assistant and staff director for a U.S. Congressman, Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues, and a college lecturer. He lives in Cedar City, Utah.

 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

MovieScore Media: "Operation Ragnarok" by Hans Lundgren


MovieScore Media feels the chill of winter with a release of Hans Lundgren’s score for the Swedish action thriller Operation Ragnarok. Written and directed by Fredrik Hiller, whose 2010 horror film Psalm 21 had its score by Christer Christensson released by MovieScore Media’s Screamworks label, Operation Ragnarok chronicles the life of a small town in the southern part of Sweden where tensions grow between the locals and immigrants. When a submarine carrying a strange plague enters the town, the local police officers get infected by a strange virus. Now that the town gets isolated by the Swedish army, it’s up to the survivors, both local natives and  immigrants, to join forces against the infected.

"This has been a project many years in the making," recalls Hans Lundgren. “ I started composing themes and ideas to this film after reading the script way back in 2012. When I first met director Fredrik Hiller, he made it clear that even though monsters and horror are represented in the film, he needed the score to feel more action than horror. So my ambition then was to create a dynamic and action packed score, with moments of love, horror, and mystery, both epic and intimate in scale. I also wanted to mix orchestra, choir, and synths. At the heart of the story, between monsters, gun fire, and explosions, we have a theme about xenophobia, the fear and distrust of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange. I can only hope that the music is there to help tell that story.”

Swedish composer Hans Lundgren has already proven himself in a wide variety of genres. Following a prolific career in the field of short films, his more recent feature credits include the internationally co-produced romantic drama Night Falls in India (2014), the youth horror Room 213 (2017) and the popular Swedish series Portkod 1321 (2012) as well as its sequel Portkod 1525 (2014).

The soundtrack has a digital release date of  December 7, 2018.  On the link below, you can view a video, featuring a suite from the score: {https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOEq7IkaLPA}
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

MovieScore Media: "Megan Leavey" by Mark Isham


MovieScore Media returns with another emotional musical offering - this time, based on a true story. Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the creator of the SeaWorld-exposing documentary Blackfish, Megan Leavey doesn’t venture far from the filmmaker’s strength of telling true stories about the complicated relationship between humans and animals. The film takes its viewers behind the frontlines of the Iraq war in a fascinating true story of the titular Marine corporal and her military combat dog Rex as they save several lives during their deployments to Fallujah and Ramadi. The film stars Kate Mara (House of Cards, Fant4stic Four) as Megan Leavey, who proves that the bond between two-legged and four-legged creatures can be as strong as any camaraderie between soldiers.

Megan Leavey is a heartwarming story that has many layers of drama and emotion,” says composer Mark Isham about his contributions to the film. “It needed a score that could move quickly from warm humor to dramatic battle scenes, dark tragedy to heroic triumph. I chose a vocabulary that is basically 'Americana' in style and sound. Guitar based, indie rock at the center, with chamber symphony and ethnic percussion added to fill out the story and images. Several themes evolve and intermingle over the course of the score. It is eclectic but structurally sound.”

Jazz trumpeter and composer Mark Isham has been active in the world of feature film scoring since the 1980s - his selected credits include cult films like The Hitcher and Point Break, action classics like Blade as well as collaborations with filmmakers like Robert Redford (Quiz Show) Brian De Palma (The Black Dahlia) and Paul Haggis (Crash).  In 1992, Isham was nominated for an Academy Award for his score for Robert Redford’s A River Runs Through It. More recently Isham has been busy in the world of television with seven seasons of the hit ABC series Once Upon a Time and Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger as well as selected episodes of anthology shows like Black Mirror and Electric Dreams.

The soundtrack has a digital release date of  December 7, 2018. A physical release is to be released by Quartet Records. On the link below, you can view a video, featuring a suite from the score: {https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty7Z1F7OvjM}
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

RLJ Entertainment: "MONSTER PARTY" [DVD]


RLJE Films will release the horror/thriller film MONSTER PARTY on DVD and Blu-ray on December 18, 2018.  Written and directed by Chris von Hoffmann, MONSTER PARTY stars Julian McMahon ("Nip/Tuck"), Robin Tunney (The Craft, “The Mentalist”), Sam Strike (Leatherface), Erin Moriarty (Blood Father), Lance Reddick (John Wick), Brandon Micheal Hall (“Search Party”), Virginia Gardner (Halloween) and Diego Boneta (“Scream Queens”). RLJE Films will release MONSTER PARTY on DVD and Blu-ray. 


In MONSTER PARTY, three thieves who plan a daring heist posing as waiters at a fancy Malibu mansion dinner party in hopes of paying off an urgent debt.  When their plan goes horribly wrong, the trio realizes the dinner guests are not as innocent as they seem and their simple cash grab becomes a violent and desperate battle to get out of the house alive. 
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

MVD Entertainment Group: "Waterworld" (1995) [Limited Edition]


The most expensive film ever made at the time of its release, Waterworld has thrilled audiences through the years with its awe-inspiring action scenes, gargantuan maritime sets and ground-breaking special effects. A definitive post-apocalypse blockbuster, Waterworld stars Kevin Costner (The Untouchables) as The Mariner - a mutant trader, adrift in a dystopian future where Earth is submerged under water and humankind struggles to survive on boats and in ramshackle floating cities. The Mariner becomes embroiled with the Smokers, a gang of pirates who, led by villainous leader Deacon (Dennis Hopper, Blue Velvet), are seeking Enola (Tina Majorino, Napoleon Dynamite), a girl with a map to the mythical realm of "Dryland" tattooed on her back. Famous for both its epic scale and the controversy that swirled around its production, Waterworld is a key cult film of the 1990s, and an essential entry into the subgenre of ecologically-minded blockbusters. Presented here in an exclusive new restoration, in three different cuts, and with a wealth of extra material, this high-water mark of high-concept Hollywood can now be enjoyed as never before.

-New restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative by Arrow Films, presenting the film in three cuts
-Original 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 stereo audio options
-Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
-Six collector’s postcards
-Double-sided fold-out poster
-Limited edition 60-page perfect-bound book featuring new writing on the film by David J. Moore and Daniel Griffith, archival articles and original reviews
-Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the original theatrical cut
-Maelstrom: The Odyssey of Waterworld, an all-new, feature-length making-of documentary including extensive cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes footage
-Original archival featurette capturing the film's production
-Global Warnings, film critic Glenn Kenny explores the subgenre of ecologically aware Hollywood blockbusters
-Production and promotional stills gallery
-Visual effects stills gallery
-Original trailers and TV spots
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the extended US TV cut, which runs over 40 minutes longer than the theatrical cut
-High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the extended European “Ulysses” cut, which includes censored shots and dialogue

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Sexy PREDATOR...Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment


From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home. The universe's most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and an evolutionary biologist can prevent the end of the human race. 


Did I get your attention... pretty fun movie, fun ride... lot's of F'n swearing!
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Milan Records: "Fallen Star: Finding Home" Music by Bobby Johnston


Perched atop the seventh floor of the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, Do Ho Suh's "Fallen Star" has become a beloved landmark. Its planning, however, required years of effort and innovations in architecture, construction, and engineering. Why did so many people get behind such an improbable idea, and work so hard to make it a reality? A story of collaboration and the ways that art can surprise you, Fallen Star: Finding Home takes us behind the scenes during the creation of the 18th public artwork in the Stuart Collection.

Johnston is known for an unusual approach to film composition, using only acoustic instruments and usually performing every instrument himself. On occasion, he will bring in an instrumental soloist. Most notable are his scores to Edmond, which featured trumpet player Asdru Sierra from Ozomatli and Crazy Eyes, featuring Big Sir vocalist Lisa Papineau. He also worked with percussionist Greg Ellis on the scores to A New York Heartbeat, Mother's Day and The Barrens.

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Caldera Records: "VALLEY OF SHADOWS" Music by Zbigniew Preisner


Caldera Records is proud to present the score for the motion picture “Valley of Shadows” from 2017, directed by Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen, featuring music by Zbigniew Preisner.

The story of “Valley of Shadows” was inspired by a wide variety of sources, mostly going back to the director’s childhood: “I am interested in fables and allegories, in mythology and children’s tales, these stories that we often believe are regional but are actually extremely universal, sometime with a moral and often with joyful gravitas. One example is Draumkvedet (The Dream Poem), a Norwegian ballad from the Middle Ages. I read a lot when I was a child – traditional stories of course – but especially Swedish literature for children. As a child, I thought a lot and was hungry to learn. Reading Bruno Bettelheim was also something that I draw greatly from.” [http://caldera-records.com/]
 
From the first note, I knew that I was going to be impressed by composer Zbigniew Preisner and this composer is not one to disappoint. It stares darkness in the face, with moving low tones and begins to sweep with a haunting choir. Followed up in the end with a track called "WAKE UP", that brings this whole release full circle with a solo singer's beautiful voice.
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Walt Disney Records: "MARY POPPINS RETURNS" Music by MARC SHAIMAN and Songs from LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, EMILY BLUNT, MERYL STREEP, DICK VAN DYKE AND ANGELA LANSBURY


The "Mary Poppins Returns" original motion picture soundtrack is available today from Walt Disney Records.  The album features all-new original songs by Tony Award® and GRAMMY® winning composer Marc Shaiman ("Hairspray," "South Park") and Tony winner and three-time Emmy® nominee co-lyricist Scott Wittman ("Hairspray," "Smash").

The Sherman brothers had a profound impact on Shaiman's career as both a composer and songwriter. "The movie and the soundtrack were everything to me as a child and taught me everything I know about film scoring," he says. "The songs from 'Mary Poppins' are, in a word, perfect. The music and the lyrics are perfectly joined and have such a wonderful, sparkling yet emotional, feeling to them, so it's quite a bar to even aspire to come close to."

Because the script is an integral part of any musical, the duo was brought on board to write the music and lyrics when the script was being written, allowing the score to function dramatically from its inception.  Shaiman and Wittman crafted nine original songs, each one with a soulful quality that helps advance the plot and enhance the characters. "We didn't stray too far from the sounds of the first movie," adds Shaiman. "We wanted it to feel like we were picking up where the last film ended."

The new songs include: the film's central ballad, "The Place Where Lost Things Go," a lullaby performed by Mary Poppins; the boisterous dance hall number with Mary Poppins and Jack, "A Cover is Not the Book"; "Underneath the Lovely London Sky," the opening musical number performed by Jack at some of the city's most iconic landmarks; "Turning Turtle," a spirited number performed by cousin Topsy and the Banks children; "The Conversation," a bittersweet song performed by Michael in which he tries to come to terms with his grief; and the buoyant "Nowhere to Go But Up."
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Sony Music: "SPIDER-MAN™: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE" Music by Daniel Pemberton


Sony Music proudly announces the release of SPIDER-MAN™: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) featuring original music by multiple Golden Globe nominee Daniel Pemberton. The soundtrack will be released digitally and on CD on December 17, 2018. Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations’ Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse will debut in U.S. theaters on December 14.

“Daniel’s innovative score combines a multi-verse of techniques, including intricate DJ scratching, powerful electronic synths and soaring orchestral arrangements,” said Spring Aspers, Head of Music, Creative Affairs Worldwide for Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group. “It’s a perfect blend of influences that captures Miles Morales’s Brooklyn world and the film’s inclusive, optimistic message of heroism: that when it’s time to step up, anyone can wear the mask.”

Daniel Pemberton says about the soundtrack: “It has been such a pleasure to enter the Spider-Verse with such an amazing array of collaborators and truly ground-breaking directors. I absolutely love this film, I love the risks taken, the story, the astonishing art style, everything. I feel so lucky to have been a part of it and to have the opportunity to create a whole new musical universe for one of the world's most beloved superheroes - Spider-Man.”

ABOUT DANIEL PEMBERTON

Daniel Pemberton is a multi-Golden Globe, Emmy and Bafta Award-nominated composer who has been regularly cited as one of the most exciting and original new voices working in modern film scoring today. Constantly working with some of the most renowned names in the industry Pemberton has already scored projects for the likes of Danny Boyle (Steve Jobs), Ridley Scott (All The Money In The World, The Counsellor), Aaron Sorkin (Molly’s Game), Darren Aronofsky (One Strange Rock) and Guy Ritchie (The Man From UNCLE).

His bold writing and unusual and innovative arrangements on scores for movies has seen the soundtracks constantly singled out for critical acclaim whether they are studio films such as such as “Oceans 8” and “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” or smaller independent features such as the Cannes Palm D’Or nominee “Mal De Pierres” (starring Marion Cotillard). He has received Golden Globe nominations for his mix of opera and electronics in the score to Danny Boyle's “Steve Jobs” (starring Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet) as well as one for Best Original Song – performed and co-written by Iggy Pop - for the Stephen Gaghan film ‘Gold’ (Starring Matthew McConaughey). He was recently nominated for an Emmy for his work on the groundbreaking ‘USS Callister’ episode of Black Mirror for Netflix. He was previously honoured as Discovery of The Year at the World Soundtrack Awards in 2014 and nominated as Composer of the Year in 2016. Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse marks his first foray into feature length animation.
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

WaterTower Music: "AQUAMAN" Music by RUPERT GREGSON-WILLIAMS and Songs by SKYLAR GREY AND PITBULL FEAT. RHEA


WaterTower Music is excited to announce today’s release of the soundtrack to Aquaman, the action-packed adventure film from director James Wan that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas. The soundtrack is now available, and the film is in theaters on December 21. Aquaman features an original score by multi-award-winning composer Rupert Gregson-Williams (Wonder Woman, Hotel Rwanda, Hacksaw Ridge), includes a track by composer Joseph Bishara (The Conjuring, Annabelle) and debuts the new songs “Ocean To Ocean” by Pitbull Feat. Rhea, and the end title song “Everything I Need” by Skylar Grey.

To bring the film’s themes to life musically, Aquaman director James Wan turned to composer Rupert Gregson-Williams, who says, “Writing the themes for the different characters was awesome. Arthur Curry has such a strong character—he’s a real rock star—so I felt he deserved a big melody. He gets to rock out for certain intense moments too. Orm is Atlantean, and the score I wrote for Atlantis is in big contrast to the score for the surface world, epic and glorious. Black Manta inspired a more industrial, electronic feel. And, of course, there’s romance—two in fact. Atlantis and the entire world James created is truly amazing, giving me such a rich opportunity.”

“James Wan has given me such a rare opportunity and I am so unbelievably grateful,” explains Skylar Grey. “James, score composer Rupert Gregson-Williams, as well as every person behind the scenes on this project has been a dream to work with...a team of extremely respectful and professional people who I’m now honored to call friends. ‘Everything I Need,’ written by myself and my fiancé, Elliott Taylor, was inspired by the forbidden love story that is threaded throughout the movie, and we are very passionate about this song.”

“The ocean, the sea and any body of water, to me, is true freedom,” said Armando Christian Perez (Pitbull), who was inspired by the film’s settings and themes, and especially by Aquaman’s struggle between his two worlds—the surface and the sea. “The ocean has always been the border from where my parents came from Cuba and the United States, which gives us freedom.  That’s why I respect water.  Bottom line: water gives us freedom.”
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Back Lot Music: "MORTAL ENGINES" Music by Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL)


Hundreds of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, a mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), emerges as the only one who can stop London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — from devouring everything in its path. Feral, and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), an outcast from London, along with Anna Fang (Jihae), a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.

Tom Holkenborg, aka Junkie XL, is a Grammy nominated and multi platinum producer, musician, and composer whose versatility puts him on the cutting edge of contemporary music, as well at the vanguard of exciting new film composers. His film scoring credits include Mad Max Fury Road, Deadpool, Black Mass, Divergent, Brimstone, The Dark Tower and the Tomb Raider reboot.

With a solid command of the craftsmanship of film scoring, the understanding of the history, but always with an eye on the future. The future for Junkie XL in Hollywood looks bright.

 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Varese Sarabande: "THE DEVIL WE KNOW" Music by Brian Tyler


Varèse Sarabande Records announces the digital release of THE DEVIL WE KNOW – Original Documentary Score on December 7th. The score features music from Composer Brian Tyler (CRAZY RICH ASIANS, YELLOWSTONE).

 “Composing the score for THE DEVIL WE KNOW was a truly personal experience for me,” composer Brian Tyler shares.

THE DEVIL WE KNOW tells about one of the largest lawsuits in environmental history, staring a gym teacher and cattle farmer who led the citizens of a small West Virginia city to battle the multinational chemical megaliths, Dupont and 3M.

In tribute to this heroic struggle, Composer Brian Tyler creates a rich audio panorama for the tale of one of the biggest environmental scandals of the modern day. “I wrote the score thematically and used multiple pianos, electronics, guitars, cellos, rhodes electric piano, and my own voice to make the music.” Tyler said.

As he continued he was honest about his desires for the music, “ My hope that it will take the listener on an auditory journey that echoes the true story of this film and the remarkable people that stand up to powerful foes with truth and bravery.” Directors Stephanie Soechtig (UNDER THE GUN, FED UP) and Jeremy Seifert (GMO OMG, DIVE!) present an unusually engrossing human-interest documentary amongst the complexities of industrial pollution, corporate secrecy, and governmental lobbying.

Brian adds, “While the music reflects the mysterious layers of the worldwide ecological scandal as the clues are uncovered, I wanted to concentrate on highlighting the film's emotional underpinnings. There is so much humanity that imbues the documentary - personal stories, family, love”.

THE DEVIL WE KNOW is currently available on DVD and VOD services, like iTunes, Google Play and Amazon. Screenings by universities, governmental agencies and various other public interest groups continue to bring this critical document to theaters nationwide. Find a local screening and learn more about the film at: https://thedevilweknow.com.

Varèse Sarabande Records proudly announces the digital release of THE DEVIL WE KNOW original motion picture soundtrack on December 7. This and other soundtrack masterpieces are available at Varèse Sarabande. [www.varesesarabande.com]
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Sony Music/Masterworks: "ROMA"


Sony Music, Netflix, Participant Media, and Esperanto Filmoj present the Motion Picture Soundtrack of ROMA, which is available through all digital platforms, on the same day that the film premieres on Netflix.

Curated by the director Alfonso Cuarón and the soundtrack producers Lynn Fainchtein and Randall Poster, the soundtrack of ROMA brings us back to the sonic Mexico of the 1970s, when the famous XEW, a reference of Mexican radio, transmitted English pop and rock, while gradually introducing the new Mexican pop, through performers like José José, Juan Gabriel, and Rigo Tovar, musical icons that in the present, have remained as references of Mexican and Latin American music.

The music of ROMA portrays the musical diversity of those years, from rock as the nascent symbol of the counterculture, to a few months of the Avándaro Festival, to the tropical rhythms and pop that marked the decade.

This emotional musical compilation narrates in itself many stories of the Mexico of those years, immersed in sociopolitical and cultural transitions that seem to oscillate between the impetus of change and resistance to it. That is why ROMA is the portrait of the great mosaic of sounds that face and complement each other in a clash between the past and the possibility of a future; between the world and Mexico and among the many Mexicos that the film shows us.

ROMA, is the most recent production by Alfonso Cuarón and the first Mexican film to win the "Golden Lion" as best film at the Venice International Film Festival; considered by critics around the world as one of the best movies of 2018 and of recent years.
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Intrada and Universal Pictures: "WELCOME TO MARWEN" Music by ALAN SILVESTRI


Intrada and Universal Pictures present the soundtrack release to one of this season's most anticipated films—Welcome to Marwen, from Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis (Flight, Castaway, Forrest Gump, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Back to the Future) and starring Steve Carell. When a devastating attack shatters Mark Hogancamp (Carell) and wipes away all his memories, no one expected recovery. Putting together pieces from his old and new life, Hogancamp meticulously creates a wondrous town where he can heal and be heroic. As he builds an astonishing art installation—a testament to the most powerful women he knows—through his fantasy world, he draws strength to triumph in the real one.

For scoring duties, Zemeckis relied on his 30+ year relationship with composer Alan Silvestri, who has had a busy year, previously scoring the summer blockbusters Ready Player One and Avengers: Infinity War. As always, Silvestri provided Zemeckis with the perfect score, embodying the music with the sense of adventure, wonder, and tenderness of his beloved score for Back to the Future. The colors of solo clarinet, flute and piano permeate throughout in the score's more sensitive moments, while the women of Marwen are scored with a military and heroic bent, underscoring their strength at protecting Hogancamp as part of his fantastical art installation, the town of Marwen. The result is a warm symphonic fantasy—classic Alan Silvestri!

Intrada will release Alan Silvestri's score to Welcome to Marwen on CD and Universal's Back Lot Music will release the score digitally on December 21.

INTRADA INT 7151
For track listing and sound samples, please visit the Welcome to Marwen soundtrack page.
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Tor Books: "Blood of Ten Kings: Guardians of Aandor (Volume 3)" by Edward Lazellari


Blood of Ten Kings is the action-packed finale of Edward Lazellari's epic fantasy Aandor trilogy.  The Guardians return to their reality, ill-equipped to fend off Farrenheil's invading soldiers, which have saturated the kingdom. Daniel and Seth must vanquish ancient ghosts to claim the powers of their birthrights even as Cat MacDonnell fights to retain her husband against a kingdom that would rather see Callum wed to Chryslantha Godwynn.  Their fellowship broken, Seth, Catherine, Callum, and Daniel must deftly navigate the dangers of Aandor or face oblivion at the hands of their enemies.

EDWARD LAZELLARI was born in New York while the Beatles were still a band, and began writing fiction when he was a staff artist at Marvel Comics. After a decade as a writer/illustrator, he enrolled at Rutgers University to earn his BA in English literature, with a concentration in creative writing, and soon after began working as an editor in Manhattan. Edward's first prose story, "The Date," was published in Playboy Magazine. He is a budding poker player, a devoted father, a die-hard Yankee fan, and the author of The Guardians of Aandor trilogy.
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Tor Books: "King of the Road" by R. S. Belcher


Now a missing-person case leads to a string of roadside murders and mutilations that stretches back decades—and to a cult of murderous clowns who are far more than mere urban legends. Greasepaint and lunatic grins are the last things their victims ever see. And as if that’s not trouble enough, trucker Jimmy Aussapile and his allies must also cope with a violent civil war within an outlaw biker gang long associated with the Brotherhood, as well as run-ins with a rival gang led by a fierce werewolf biker chick who fights tooth and claw to protect her pack.  From Depression-era hobo camps to a modern-day trailer park hiding unearthly secrets, fear lurks just beyond the headlights for the Kings of the Road.

R.S. Belcher won the Grand Prize in the Strange New Worlds SF-writing contest. He runs Cosmic Castle, a comic book shop in Roanoke, Virginia, and is the author of The Six-Gun Tarot.
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment: "PEPPERMINT" on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital!


Young mother Riley North (Garner) awakens from a coma after her husband and daughter are killed in a brutal attack on the family. When the system frustratingly shields the murderers from justice, Riley sets out to transform herself from citizen to urban guerilla. Channeling her frustration into personal motivation, she spends years in hiding honing her mind, body and spirit to become an unstoppable force – eluding the underworld, the LAPD and the FBI – as she methodically delivers her personal brand of justice. 



From the director of Taken, this film is being hailed by critics as "a total adrenaline rush from start to finish!" (Dave Morales, Fox TV Houston).
 
Well, I wanting to watch this... sounds good!
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Artsploitation Goes Grim This Winter with "SNOWFLAKE" Kolmerer Takes Viewers on a Fast-Paced Series of Humorously Violent Misadventures Available Nationwide on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD


Following an acclaimed run on the international film festival circuit, Artsploitation has announced the U.S. release of Adolfo Kolmerer's Snowflake.  Snowflake world premiered at the Lund International Fantastic Film Festival, where Kolmerer took home the Méliès d'Argent Award for Best Film.  The film continued to screen around the globe, picking up Best Director and Best Film awards at Negative Fest and Horrible Imaginings, as well as Best Achievement in Directing and an Audience Award at Cinepocalypse.  Cryptic Rock hailed Kolmerer's debut feature as "an extraordinary genre mix", comparing the surreal crime action film to Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs.


Hunting down the murderer of their families in an anarchic near-future Berlin, two outlaws find themselves trapped in the wicked fairy tale of a mysterious screenplay that entangles them in a vicious circle of revenge - apparently all written by a clueless dentist.  In their quest for vengeance, they must contend with a myriad of wicked fairy tale assassins, madmen, a blood-covered angel, and an electric-powered superhero.
 
Go check out the trailer for this one... this is nuts [CLICK HERE]!
Jeremy [Six Strings]

MVD Entertainment Group: "DE PALMA & DE NIRO: THE EARLY FILMS" [Limited Edition Blu-ray]


In 1963, Robert De Niro stepped in front of a movie camera for the first time. The resulting film, a low-budget black and white comedy called The Wedding Party, would take three years to complete, and another three years to be released, but it would also establish a hugely important working relationship for the aspiring actor. One of the filmmakers, long before he became synonymous with suspense thanks to Carrie, Dressed to Kill and other classics, was Brian De Palma. He and De Niro would team up again in the next few years for two more comedies, both with a counter-cultural bent. Greetings, the first to receive an X certificate in the United States, is a freewheeling satire focusing on a trio of twenty-something friends - a conspiracy theorist, a filmmaker, and a voyeur played by De Niro - as they try to avoid the Vietnam War draft. Hi, Mom!, originally named Son of Greetings, returns to De Niro's voyeur, now an aspiring maker of adult films, for another humorous glimpse at late-sixties society, this time turning its attentions to experimental theater, cinéma vérité, the African American experience, and the white middle classes. Brought together for the first time - and each newly restored by Arrow Films especially for this release - these three films offer a fascinating insight into the early careers of two American cinema's major talents.
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

MVD Entertainment Group: "BLOODY BIRTHDAY" (1981) [Blu-ray]


The Bad Seed meets Halloween in this deliciously twisted early '80s slasher offering directed by Ed Hunt (The Brain) and starring the always lovable Lori Lethin (Return to Horror High, The Prey). Debbie, Curtis and Steven may seem cute as buttons. But their angelic facade conceals the wicked, murderous streak given to them having all been born under the same solar eclipse. With the grown-ups around them blissfully unaware of their little darlings' homicidal tendencies, the evil brats begin to bump off the adults one-by-one. By gun. By arrow. By cake. Bye-bye! Mixing the killer-kid sub-genre with elements of the then-booming slice-and-dice movie, 1981's Bloody Birthday shocks and appalls with its scenes of young children shooting, strangling and bludgeoning their way through the local population. They sure don't (and can't!) make 'em like this anymore.
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

MVD Entertainment Group: ""CRIMSON PEAK" (2015) [Limited Edition Blu-ray]


From the imagination of Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) comes Crimson Peak, a lavish, stunningly realised journey into the dark heart of Gothic romance... Beginning in Buffalo, New York, during the 1880s, Crimson Peak stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Stoker) as Edith Cushing, an aspiring writer who is haunted by the death of her mother. Edith's falls in love with seductive stranger Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston, Avengers Assemble), who whisks her off to Allerdale Hall, his baronial, yet dilapidated English mansion built upon a mountain of blood-red clay. Here Edith meets Lucille (Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty), Thomas's sister who at times seems hostile and jealous. As Edith struggles to feel at home in the imposing residence, she gradually uncovers a horrendous family secret and encounters supernatural forces that will help her discover the terrible truth behind Crimson Peak. Boasting incredibly intricate and ornate production design and a rich visual style, del Toro's film is a grandiose, boldly baroque triumph of Gothic decadence, which expertly combines and contrasts the sublimely beautiful with the shockingly grotesque. Crimson Peak is presented here in sumptuous special packaging, with a wealth of extra features, affording unprecedented insight in to the making of this modern Gothic classic.
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

MVD Entertainment Group: "The Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion" [1970] (BLU-RAY)


Before the influence of Dario Argento's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage permeated every corner of the giallo genre, another strain of these distinctive Italian thrillers enjoyed considerable success. These "melodrama gialli", heavily inspired by Clouzot's Les diaboliques, relied less on graphic violence and high body counts and more on psychological tension. Minou (Dagmar Lassander, Lucio Fulci's The Black Cat) leads a pampered but dull life with her frequently absent husband, Peter (Pier Paolo Capponi, The Cat O' Nine Tails). One night, while out walking on the beachfront, Minou is accosted by a mysterious blackmailer (Simón Andreu, Death Carries a Cane) who informs her that Peter is a murderer. Driven by misplaced loyalty to her husband, Minou gives in to the blackmailer's every perverted whim in exchange for his silence. But as the blackmailer ups the ante, demanding that she submit to his increasingly obscene demands, can Minou hold on to what little remains of her sanity? Written by the prolific Ernesto Gastaldi (Torso), infused with a seductive score by the great Ennio Morricone (The Cat O' Nine Tails) and featuring a memorable turn by Nieves Navarro a.k.a. Susan Scott (Death Walks at Midnight) in the role of Minou's best friend, The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion is a trippy giallo delight that brings together the talents of many of the genre's leading lights on both sides of the camera.
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

MVD Entertainment Group: "Willie Dynamite" [1974] (BLU-RAY)


HE'S TIGHT, TOGETHER, AND MEAN. "The hands-down winner of the all-out best blaxploitation movie of the seventies," declares author and artist Darius James in That's Blaxploitation! Willie Dynamite may not be as well-known as John Shaft, Sweet Sweetback or Super Fly's Youngblood Priest, but he certainly deserves to be. Who is Willie Dynamite? He's the flashiest pimp in New York - he drives a personalised purple-and-gold Cadillac and wears some of the most eye-catching outfits ever seen on a cinema screen. He wants to be number one, but with the police, the D.A., fellow pimps and a tough-talking social worker on his tail, can a man as arrogant and amoral as Willie D avoid a downfall? Willie Dynamite competes with the best of blaxploitation on all levels. Roscoe Orman dominates with his central performance - a star turn that's the equal of Richard Roundtree in Shaft or Pam Grier in Coffy. Multi-award-winning director Gilbert Moses balances action and social commentary as deftly as Gordon Parks, Jr. did with Super Fly. And the score by J.J. Johnson featuring Motown legend Martha Reeves is as catchy as anything composed by Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield or James Brown.
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment: "AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN" [Blu-ray and for DVD]


Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Content Group brings you AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN. Directed by Jim Hosking (The Greasy Strangler) and co-written by Hosking and David Wike (Hitch) the offbeat romantic comedy stars indie-darling Aubrey Plaza (Ingrid Goes West, “Parks and Recreation”), Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild, The Girl Next Door), Jemaine Clement (What We Do In Shadows, Flight of the Conchords), Matt Berry (Christopher Robin, “Disenchantment”), and Craig Robinson (Hot Tub Time Machine, “The Office”). AN EVENING WITH BEVERLY LUFF LINN will be available on DVD and Blu-ray in the United States and Canada for Blu-ray and  for DVD respectively on January 8, 2019. 


For more information, please visit: https://www.beverlylufflinnmovie.com/
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Intrada: "THE REINCARNATION OF PETER PROUD" music by Jerry Goldsmith


Intrada announces the premiere release of Jerry Goldsmith's score for the 1975 thriller The Reincarnation of Peter Proud, one of the last and most sought after Goldsmith scores never previously released. The quest to find the music elements for this release was fraught with frustration and challenge, but ultimately netted discoveries that facilitated this release. The score itself revolves around a moody, elegiac, long-line melody, first played by chamber-sized orchestra and piano, with solo flute over the film’s opening flashback scene of Jeff Curtis swimming in a lake at night only to encounter—and be killed by—his, wife, Marcia.   Goldsmith combined his symphonic palette with a substantial array of electronics, laying the groundwork for his style in the following year's for Logan's Run. As Jeff Bond writes in his notes, "It’s a score that...seems to bubble up out of the subconscious like a half-remembered dream, gradually sharpening its focus from echoplexed flutes and synthesizers to hard-edged, acoustic orchestral writing as the movie moves from Peter’s world of memories and dreams into an ugly, inevitable reality."

The first half of the score (through “Home at Last”) is mastered from a DAT copy of the original ½“ 3-channel stereo session mixes made by Armin Steiner and copied down to ¼“ tape at some point. The second half of the score was also taken from a DAT, this time transferred from mono tape sources at about the same time as the stereo mixes. To reduce the contrast between the stereo and mono tracks, Intrada mastered the latter with a judicious amount of state-of-the-art Altiverb to add a tiny amount of stereo “ambience.”

In the film, sports-coat-wearing professor Peter Proud (Michael Sarrazin) leaves behind his increasingly frustrated girlfriend (Cornelia Sharpe) while tracing his reincarnation dream imagery to Massachusetts, eventually tracking down widowed Marcia Curtis (Margot Kidder) and her attractive daughter, Ann (Jennifer O’Neill). As Peter ingratiates himself with and then seduces Ann Curtis, Marcia—who killed her philandering husband Jeff (Tony Stephano) in 1946—is overcome with the suspicion that Peter is somehow connected to Jeff Curtis, and finds the combination of bitter hatred, jealousy and lust that drove her to kill her husband boiling up again.

For track listing and sound samples, please visit: [CLICK HERE!!!]
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Intrada: "HIDER IN THE HOUSE" music by Christopher Young


Intrada presents a new edition from a composer renowned for his work in thrillers and horror – Christopher Young's 1989 Hider in the House. The film revolves around the unbalanced antagonist Tom Sykes (Gary Busey). Driven to experience the idyllic home life he was denied as a child, Sykes ensconces himself in a hidden room in the attic of a new house. At first, his activities are relatively benign: he spies, listens in on private conversations, and, when the family is out, uses the house as if it were his own. But the threat of exposure leads him to acts of increasing violence, culminating in murder.   Young’s juxtaposition of alienation and empathy in the score for Hider manages to humanize Busey’s mentally disintegrating stalker without minimizing the growing terror of his presence.

As John Takis writes in his notes:
"The tension is encapsulated in the lengthy suite—essentially a character study—that Young created to open his album program: “The Hider” begins with the film’s main title, a subdued, wordless treble chorus that evokes a distinctly religious feel. Slowly, orchestral dissonance intrudes and overwhelms the chorus—the strangling of innocence given musical shape. The mood grows dreamlike, awash with spectral, cavernous textures and eerie vocalize. Eventually, the score’s most prominent motif appears: three rising, crystalline notes that repeat and repeat with the quality of an aborted lullaby. Lost innocence is compounded with arrested development and obsession. Incrementally, the music becomes more tonal. Sorrowing strings drift into a kind of processional, suggesting a broken soul, wandering and without purpose. As the suite continues, the music wafts between melancholy atmosphere and passages of horrific tension and suspense; an indication that sadness and tragedy have birthed something violent and altogether disturbing."

For this reissue, Intrada has remastered the original CD program released in 1990 and commissioned new notes from John Takis.  While the score garnered little attention back in its day and the film seems long forgotten, the score remains a testament to Christopher Young's artistry. Intrada presents this reissue to showcase Young's brilliant work especially in a genre so suited to freeing him to reach the full power of his creativity. 

For track listing and sound samples, please visit: [CLICK HERE!!]
 
Jeremy [Six Strings]