4 Digital Media : "THE VILLAGE IN THE WOODS" [DVD]

Every village, every person, has a secret...none more so than the inhabitants of this isolated, murky village whose fate relies on the luring of two unsuspecting pawns to satisfy their appetite and determine their being.

Deep in the forgotten woods, lies a village, at the center of which stands the old Harbour Inn. This rotten pub is the target of an inheritance fraud by young couple Jason and Nicky. Tempted by promises of easy money, Nicky pretends to be the Inn’s sole heiress. On arrival, they find the villagers welcoming and friendly… perhaps a little too much so. Always there. Always smiling. Always watching. The couple do their best to continue the scam but things start to go very wrong. Their paranoia slowly builds to terror as unsettling and grim events unfold. The Village in the Woods is not all it seems.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/3U9S6yWyEQU

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

MVD Entertainment Group: "Mean Man: The Story Of Chris Holmes"

The story of an iconic guitar player who has lived a life of extreme highs and lows. After losing the publishing rights of his own songs and combating dangerous addictions, the legendary W.A.S.P. guitarist is shown starting over from scratch while living at his mother-in-law's in Cannes, France. He is now ready to take on Europe with his new band. 

 

As we follow him along, he meets many fans and proves that he still is the showman he was as a young and famous rock-star. This musical journey draws parallel stories of the rise, fall and rebirth of Chris Holmes with archives, live performances, interviews and behind-the-scene footage.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/dMafkO3VVbo

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: "THE CLIMB" [DVD]

THE CLIMB is a hilarious - and oftentimes awkward - examination of the toxic lifelong friendship of Mike and Kyle. While Kyle is kind, and a bit of a pushover, Mike is a train wreck, who despite his affection for Kyle, seems to sabotage all of Kyle’s relationships. Told through a series of vignettes, Kyle struggles to deal with the fact that his best friend might just be the worst person for him.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/Mr4MKhV5QVw

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment: "COME PLAY" [BLU-RAY/DVD]

A young boy who struggles to connect with others turns to his cell phone and tablet for companionship, befriending a strange and sinister non-human creature in the spine-chilling paranormal thriller, COME PLAY, available to own for the very first time on Digital January 12, 2021 and on Blu-ray™️, DVD and On Demand January 26, 2021 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
 
Starring Gillian Jacobs (“Community”), John Gallagher Jr. (“Westworld”), Azhy Roberston (Marriage Story), and Winslow Fegley (Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made), the “wonderfully twisted” (Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times) film is based on writer and director Jacob Chase’s own original short film, “Larry,” and explores the connection between technology and isolation through exciting, innovative and thrilling storytelling, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats from start to finish. COME PLAY was produced by The Picture Company for Amblin Partners.
 
Desperate for a friend, Oliver (Robertson), a lonely boy who feels different from everyone else, seeks solace and refuge in his ever-present cell phone and tablet. When a mysterious creature uses Oliver’s devices against him to break into our world, Oliver’s parents (Jacobs and Gallagher Jr.) must fight to save their son from the monster beyond the screen.

 

Bringing the terrifying vision of horror to life, the film’s mystical creature was created by none other than Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, known for its legendary Muppets and some of the most iconic puppetry in the world. Audiences everywhere can now witness the haunting story unfold as one family must overcome their differences to save themselves from a threatening supernatural force and the dangers that lurk in the shadows.
 
With the purchase of COME PLAY on disc or digital, fans are eligible to earn points towards special rewards via the Universal All-Access Rewards program. Members can redeem their points for digital movies, signed collectables, box sets, win exclusive prizes and more! For FREE registration and details please visit www.MyUniversalRewards.com.

COME PLAY will be available on Blu-ray™️, DVD and Digital. 

 

Trailer: https://youtu.be/smbVumDEXys

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Milan Records: "DICKINSON: SEASON TWO" music by Drum & Lace and Ian Hultquist

Milan Records today releases DICKINSON: SEASON TWO (APPLE TV+ ORIGINAL SERIES SOUNDTRACK) with music by Drum & Lace and Ian Hultquist.  Available everywhere now, the album features score music written by Drum & Lace and Hultquist for the second season of the Apple Original series starring Hailee Steinfeld as poet Emily Dickinson.  Also included on the album is vocal track “Split the Lark” performed by “Dickinson” actress Ella Hunt.

The second season of “Dickinson” is now streaming globally on Apple TV+ and new episodes premiere weekly, every Friday.

Of the soundtrack, composers DRUM & LACE and IAN HULTQUIST say, “In Season 2 of Dickinson, we find all of our characters having grown up a bit, for better or for worse, and we wanted our music to reflect that shift as well. The mood of our music is deeper, more mature and evolved to go with the narrative of the new season: ‘What is the cost of Fame?’ This question is asked both internally by Emily, and by those around her. While we definitely kept some of the signature sounds from season one such as (Sofia’s) voice, analog synths & drum machines, we were also able to explore new themes and sonic territories to cover the new narratives at hand. Without spoiling anything, we also had a great chance to work with the cast on some original songs which we’re hoping the viewers will resonate with.”  

“Dickinson” is a half-hour comedy series starring Oscar® nominee Hailee Steinfeld. “Dickinson” audaciously explores the constraints of society, gender, and family from the perspective of rebellious young poet Emily Dickinson.  Created, written and executive produced by Alena Smith and starring Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-nominee Hailee Steinfeld, who executive produces, the second season of “Dickinson” is available to stream exclusively on Apple TV+.  It debuted with three episodes on January 8 and new episodes continue to roll out weekly.

In the second season, Emily Dickinson (Steinfeld) is pulled out of her private literary life and thrust into the public eye, while struggling with the sense that the pursuit of fame might be a dangerous game for her to play.

Season two of “Dickinson” reunites Steinfeld with returning ensemble cast members Jane Krakowski, Anna Baryshnikov, Ella Hunt, Toby Huss and Adrian Blake Enscoe, as well as world renowned rapper, singer, and songwriter, Wiz Khalifa, who will return as the character of ‘Death.’ The second season also introduces brand new guest stars including Nick Kroll as ‘Edgar Allan Poe,’ Timothy Simons as ‘Frederick Law Olmstead,’ Ayo Edebiri as ‘Hattie' and Will Pullen as ‘Nobody.’  As previously announced, recurring guest stars for season two include Finn Jones as ‘Sam Bowles’ and Pico Alexander as ‘Ship.’

“Dickinson” is executive produced by Alena Smith; Michael Sugar and Ashley Zalta for Sugar23 Productions; Alex Goldstone for Anonymous Content; Paul Lee and Josh Stern for wiip; and Hailee Steinfeld. Alena Smith also serves as writer and showrunner. The series is produced by wiip, Anonymous Content and Sugar23. The series earned a Peabody Award and GLAAD Media Award nomination following its first season.

ABOUT DRUM & LACE

Drum & Lace, aka Sofia degli Alessandri-Hultquist, is an Italian composer and performer that creates music for film and media. Raised in Florence, Italy she received her Undergraduate Degree from Berklee College of Music (Film Scoring & Composition) and a Masters Degree (Music Technology & Composition) from New York University.

Inspired by interesting sounds and cinematic elements, Drum & Lace melds together sampled field recordings and lush layers of synths to create densely textural and beat-heavy music, greatly drawing from film music, music concrete and modern electronica. Her ambient and chamber work also gathers great inspiration from nature and natural sound, as well as the juxtaposition of unlikely sounds with one another.

Her composition work includes writing for various mediums, amongst them film, tv, dance, theater, fashion and advertising.

Her feature-length film scoring credits include HBO documentary "At The Heart of Gold- Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal" (dir. Erin Lee Carr) and upcoming films ‘Cobweb’ (dir Samuel Bodin, Lionsgate) and noir-thriller “Deadly Illusions” (dir. Anna Elizabeth James). Television credits include AppleTV+ Original Series "Dickinson" (created by Alena Smith) and NBC “Good Girls” (created by Jenna Bans & Bill Krebs).

Her work in advertising can be heard in campaigns by NARS, Always, Netflix, Girls Who Code, Squarespace and ongoing collaborations in dance and theater include work with theatre production company Saudade Theatre and dance company Heidi Duckler.

Often including elements of spatial audio and sound installation, some of Drum & Lace’s more notable performances include The Echo Society VI: Family (Los Angeles, CA), Digital Discovery Festival for National Sawdust (New York, NY), a quadraphonic interactive performance at Los Angeles Central Library's Taper Auditorium with Suzanne Ciani (Los Angeles, CA), and Moogfest 2019 (Durham, NC).

Drum & Lace’s most recent release, “Further” EP (2020), was composed for contemporary dance and features strings performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO).

ABOUT IAN HULTQUIST

Ian Hultquist is an American composer & producer based in Los Angeles, CA. Over the past few years he has made a name for himself composing eclectic scores for numerous films, documentaries and tv shows.

Ian started his career in music as a founding member of the band Passion Pit, which started in Boston, MA where he was studying Film Scoring at Berklee College of Music. After many years touring around the world & honing in his productions skills he, along with his wife & fellow composer Sofia Hultquist (aka Drum & Lace), relocated to Los Angeles in order to fully dedicate himself to working in music for film. Ian has built a lasting working relationship with renowned directors in the film & documentary world such as Andrew Rossi (After Truth: Disinformation and the Cost of Fake News), Erin Lee Carr (At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal) & Alistair Legrand (Clinical). Most recently he has also branched out into the rich world of Television, co-scoring on the critically-acclaimed shows Dickinson (Apple TV+), Good Girls (NBC) & How to Fix a Drug Scandal (Netflix).
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Milan Records: "BLISS" music by Will Bates

Milan Records today announces the February 5 release of Bliss (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with music by composer, multi-instrumentalist, and Fall On Your Sword founder Will Bates.  Available to pre-order now, the album features music written by Bates for the romantic sci-fi thriller by writer and director Mike Cahill, marking the third collaboration between Bates and Cahill.  Included within the 24-track album and out today alongside pre-order is a new original song entitled “You And I,” which features vocals from Skye Edwards of Morcheeba – listen here.  Bliss makes its debut on Prime Video and in select theaters on Friday, February 5 from Amazon Studios.
 
Of the soundtrack, Will Bates says, “Collaborating with Mike Cahill continues to be one of my greatest joys. He is a visionary, and he’s always pushing the boundaries of what is possible. There’s so much mutual trust when we work together. He has the ability of putting everyone he works with in this safe, magical environment that really encourages experimentation. I find myself being challenged in new ways and, despite having worked on so many projects together, it seems as if I’m always trying something new with him… The key was to find the tonal balance that the story has; this mind-bending almost absurdist reality against Greg’s heartbreaking journey. The scale of the movie let me really stretch the palette. Along with all sorts of mangled analogue synths, this was my first experience with a full orchestra, and also one that allowed me to dip into my background as a jazz saxophonist.”
 
Available everywhere now, the soundtrack’s lead single “You and I” unfolds as a crucial sonic suite in the film.  The track features an entrancing and ethereal vocal performance by Morcheeba’s Skye Edwards, whose voice sails over a rich backdrop of warm strings towards a hypnotic crescendo.  “You and I” arrives today alongside an official music video for the track featuring footage from the film as well as performance footage of Skye Edwards performing her entrancing vocals – watch here.  The full soundtrack album boasts both the original version of “You and I” as well as a Fall On Your Sword Remix from composer Will Bates’ production company.
 
Of “You and I,” Bates adds, “As we were nearing the end of the process, we had the idea of there being a song that melodically incorporated the love theme. I’ve known Skye Edwards for years, since my London days (my old band once opened for Morcheeba.)  Mike and I agreed it just had to be her voice, so I wrote the song for her to sing. It was going to be just in the end credits, but when Mike heard it, he recut one of the other scenes in the movie and used it there too.”
 
Bliss is a mind-bending love story following Greg (Owen Wilson) who, after recently being divorced and then fired, meets the mysterious Isabel (Salma Hayek), a woman living on the streets and convinced that the polluted, broken world around them is just a computer simulation. Doubtful at first, Greg eventually discovers there may be some truth to Isabel’s wild conspiracy.
 
ABOUT WILL BATES
Will Bates is an award-winning composer, multi-instrumentalist and founder of music production company Fall On Your Sword. He has composed original scores for a myriad of filmmakers including acclaimed directors Mike Cahill (Another Earth, I Origins), Alex Gibney (We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Zero Days), Ry Russo-Young (You Won’t Miss Me, Nobody Walks) and Fisher Stevens (Mission Blue, Bright Lights).
 
Bates has scored a number of television series: Golden Globe & Emmy-nominated Netflix series Unbelievable, SyFy’s hit The Magicians, Hulu’s The Path, Chance and The Looming Tower, Away for Netflix, as well as NBC’s Rise. Other projects include Sweetbitter on Starz, the George R.R. Martin series Nightflyers on Netflix, and the Hulu biographical documentary Hillary. Will’s recent features include Michael Tyburski’s The Sound of Silence, the HBO documentary The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, and the horror-thriller Depraved. Upcoming features include Michael Haussman’s Rajah set in 19th century Borneo and Mike Cahill’s Bliss.
 
As a solo artist and multi-instrumentalist, Bates has recorded and toured around the globe under the name of his own post-punk band The Rinse and has collaborated with Electric Six front-man Dick Valentine as The Evil Cowards. As a saxophonist, Bates has collaborated with legendary artists ranging from 60's icon Lulu to techno legend Marshall Jefferson. As a producer and composer, he has worked with a similarly diverse bunch including Mike Rutherford, Roy Ayers, Pussy Riot and Morcheeba's Skye Edwards. In 2007, Bates created the first of a series of videos under the name Fall On Your Sword. His videos quickly went viral on YouTube, racking up hits in the millions and an explosive FOYS live act soon followed. In 2009, Fall On Your Sword evolved into a music production company. Bates currently resides in Los Angeles, which is also the home of Fall On Your Sword’s west coast studio.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Milan Records: "ARCHENEMY" music by UMBERTO

Milan Records today releases ARCHENEMY (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by UMBERTO.  Available everywhere now, the album includes music written by UMBERTO for the superhero mystery-thriller starring Joe Manganiello.  The album is the latest addition to the award-winning catalogue of scores from SpectreVision films, joining critically-acclaimed scores like Colin Stetson’s Color Out Of Space and Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Mandy.  In addition to the digital release, the album will also be available in vinyl format from Waxwork Records.  Directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer and produced by Elijah Wood, Archenemy is available digitally and on VOD now and will be released on DVD/Blu-ray February 12 from RLJE Films.

Of the soundtrack, composer UMBERTO says, "I had been a big fan of the films from SpectreVision and Adam so it was very exciting to have the chance to score this latest one. Working with them was enjoyable because they cared very deeply about the music and had a lot of really great ideas. I felt like I had lots of creative freedom too so it was a very pleasant experience and I’m very happy with the way it all turned out. Part of the film takes place on Earth and the other part takes place in another dimension on a planet called Chromium.  For that world, I used a lot of metallic electronic sounds as well as multiple layers of arrhythmic banging on metal objects with loads of effects. I used atonal and microtonal harmonies to give it a more alien sound. Adam wanted a krautrock influence on the overall vibe of the film. I incorporated elements of that throughout the film in both dimensions."

“We’ve been looking for a project with Umberto for a while and Archenemy was the perfect fit for his dynamic, otherworldly sound,” adds Archenemy producer ELIJAH WOOD, continuing, “He pushed himself and his sound with this score, and we’re in love with the result.”

Max Fist (Joe Manganiello) claims to be a hero from another dimension who fell through time and space to Earth, where he has no powers. No one believes his stories except for a local teen named Hamster. Together, they take to the streets to wipe out the local drug syndicate and its vicious crime boss known as The Manager.
 

ABOUT UMBERTO

Umberto is the moniker of composer Matt Hill.  Based in Los Angeles, he began his music career in Kansas City, MO, around 2006, recording minimal/drone music with acoustic guitar and theremin as well as playing bass guitar and synth in the psych-drone band Expo ‘70. In 2008, he started a project under the name Umberto as a homage to ‘70s/’80s horror films. Since then, he has released several albums and performed throughout the US and Europe. His shows have included bills with the same film composers he was influenced by such as Fabio Frizzi, Goblin, and Alan Howarth. He’s also performed live re-scores to some of his favorite movies at several film festivals. Currently, Matt still releases music under Umberto as well as composing for films, advertisements, and production music for television.

ABOUT SPECTREVISION

SpectreVision was founded in 2010 as a home for creator-driven projects that test the boundaries of the genre space. Films such as A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Cooties, Mandy and Color Out of Space have earned them spots at the most prestigious festivals in the world, as well as numerous awards and nominations. SpectreVision recently signed a two-year, exclusive first look deal with Legendary Television Studios. In the interactive space, they partnered with Ubisoft for the VR game Transference, which garnered 14 awards and nominations, including DICE, Raindance and IGN. In 2017, under their newfound Company X banner, they premiered the film Bitch at Sundance, followed the next year with Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss at the Tribeca Film Festival. They recently launched their marketing arm, Company X Marketing.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

WALT DISNEY RECORDS: "STAR WARS™: BATTLEFRONT AND STAR WARS™: BATTLEFRONT II" ORIGINAL GAME SOUNDTRACKS

Five years since the rebooted Star Wars™: Battlefront series debuted, Walt Disney Records will release Star Wars™: Battlefront and Star Wars™: Battlefront II Original Video Game Soundtracks, featuring award-winning scores from composer Gordy Haab. The albums will be released sequentially on January 29 and February 5 and are the audio companion pieces to the critically-acclaimed action shooter games from Electronic Arts Inc.

Star Wars™: Battlefront, from Electronic Arts Inc., DICE, Criterion Software, and Lucasfilm, is an immersive first-person and third-person shooter game that challenges players to fight for either the Rebellion or the Empire. The sequel Star Wars™: Battlefront II, from Electronic Arts Inc., DICE, Motive Studios, Criterion Software, and Lucasfilm, features players from every era and partake in epic space battles both online and offline.

Both scores were performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and The London Voices Choir at Abbey Road Studios. They have garnered award wins for Haab including Music of the Year and Best Interactive Score from the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards for Star Wars™: Battlefront and Video Game Score of the Year from Film and Television Music Awards for Star Wars™: Battlefront II.

"I consider composing the original score for EA's Star Wars™: Battlefront series one of my greatest accomplishments," stated Haab. "Creating new music for a game with such high expectations was a colossal task, only made more daunting by my own passion and desire to pay honor to my favorite franchise. And for this reason, I poured a lifetime of love into every note. As did the orchestra who performed it - and every person who helped bring the music to life!"

Steve Schnur, Electronic Arts' President of Music said, "Gordy Haab brought his own aesthetic to Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Battlefront II while at the same time honoring the most iconic film music in history. Watching him bring these scores to life in the same studio and with the same orchestra that was used to record the original Star Wars has resulted in remarkable music that fans are finding just as timeless. These soundtrack albums are the proof."

Gordy Haab is a multi-award-winning film, video game and television composer who has written music for many well-known titles, including: "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" Microsoft's "Halo Wars 2", and EA's "Star Wars: Battlefront" I and II. In 2020, for the second time in three years, Haab won ASCAP's Composers Choice award for Video Game Composer of the Year.
                                                          
Haab's score for "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order", which he co-wrote with composer Stephen Barton, won Music of the Year at the 18th annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards. For "Star Wars: Battlefront", Haab won Music of the Year, Best Interactive Score, and Best Instrumental Score at the 14th annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards, and was nominated for a BAFTA for Excellence in Audio Achievement. Haab also scored Activision/AMC's 'The Walking Dead', based on the #1 hit TV series and Microsoft's 'Kinect: Star Wars', which won Best Music at the Hollywood Music In Media Awards. He continues to compose the music for EA and Bioware's 'Star Wars: The Old Republic', for which he was awarded Best Original Soundtrack and Best Instrumental Music at the 10th Annual GDC G.A.N.G. Awards.
                                                       
Haab is known for his unsurpassed understanding of the orchestra as well as his unique ability to blend contemporary and traditional sounds into one - often times conceiving and creating brand new musical instruments to feature in his scores. He has recorded and conducted his music with orchestras from all around the world, including The London Symphony Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony, The Nashville Symphony and the Hollywood Studio Orchestra.   
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

"Walt Disney Records: "WANDAVISION" EPISODE 3 FEATURE SCORE BY COMPOSER CHRISTOPHE BECK

Walt Disney Records releases today WandaVision: Episode 3 Original Soundtrack.   Debuting Jan. 15 exclusively on Disney+, Marvel Studios' "WandaVision" has already won high praise from both critics and fans. The fourth episode debuts today.

The digital soundtracks feature score by composer Christophe Beck ("Frozen 2," "Ant-Man and the Wasp") and the original theme songs are by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez ("Frozen"). The Oscar®-winning songwriters penned unique songs for several episodes in the series, spanning from the 1950s to the early 2000s.

Beck composed and produced all score tracks on each WandaVision album.  In addition to writing the theme and songs, Anderson-Lopez and Lopez also produced each song.

The WandaVision Original Soundtrack album producers are Kevin Feige, Matt Shakman and Dave Jordan. The album for Episode 3 will be followed by WandaVision: Episode 4 Original Soundtrack available on February 5, with subsequent albums to follow one week after each episode of the series airs.

WandaVision Original Soundtrack release dates follow:

Episode 3 soundtrack release date: 1/29
Episode 4 soundtrack release date: 2/5
Episode 5 soundtrack release date: 2/12
Episode 6 soundtrack release date: 2/19
Episode 7 soundtrack release date: 2/26
Episode 8 soundtrack release date: 3/5
Episode 9 soundtrack release date: 3/12

Marvel Studios' "WandaVision" is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision-two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives-begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. "WandaVision," the first Marvel Studios series created exclusively for Disney+, stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Paul Bettany as Vision, Kathryn Hahn as Agnes, and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, who was introduced to audiences in "Captain Marvel." Kat Dennings will reprise her role as Darcy from "Thor" and "Thor: The Dark World," and Randall Park will reprise his role as Jimmy Woo from "Ant-Man and The Wasp." The series is directed by Matt Shakman with Jac Schaeffer as head writer. Featuring nine episodes, "WandaVision" is now streaming on Disney+.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Wellgo USA Entertainment: "SYNCHRONIC" [BLU-RAY/DVD]

SYNCHRONIC, the next great sci-fi thriller from the directing duo of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (The Endless), debuts early on Digital January 12 before hitting Blu-ray™ and DVD January 26 from Well Go USA Entertainment.  According to the Cincinnati City Beat, “SYNCHRONIC is a brilliant twist on time travel, an epic mindf**k of surreal imagery, and a beautiful meditation on mortality and friendship,” as well as a “a drug-fueled masterpiece.”  The film stars Anthony Mackie (“Altered Carbon,” Falcon in the Avengers franchise), Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy), Katie Aselton (Bombshell) and Ally Ioannides (“Into the Badlands”) in the story of two paramedics whose lives are ripped apart after they encounter a series of horrific deaths linked to a designer drug with bizarre, otherworldly effects.

When New Orleans paramedics and longtime best friends Steve (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan) are called to a series of bizarre, gruesome accidents, they chalk it up to the mysterious new party drug found at the scene. But after Dennis’s oldest daughter suddenly disappears, Steve stumbles upon a terrifying truth about the supposed psychedelic that will challenge everything he knows about reality—and the flow of time itself.

 

Check out the TRAILER: https://youtu.be/fl_kzTQvPVw

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

MOVIESCORE MEDIA, HAS A NEW LOOK AND STILL A GREAT AMOUNT OF WONDERFUL SCORES!

Soundtrack record label MovieScore Media was founded by former journalist Mikael Carlsson in November, 2005. It has released nearly 500 score albums, received one Grammy Award nomination and multiple nominations for the ‘Soundtrack Label of the Year’ award by the International Film Music Critics Association.

MovieScore Media has always focused on up and coming talent, and was the first label to recognize the quality, ambition and unique voice in composers who are now firmly established in Hollywood working on major blockbuster movies, for example Benjamin Wallfisch (Shazam!, Blade Runner 2049, It), Daniel Pemberton (Steve Jobs, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Pinar Toprak (Captain Marvel, Skyfire, Stargirl). While always on the look for new composers, the label also released music by well-known composers such as Michael Kamen (Back to Gaya), Marco Beltrami (1864, Mathilde), Patrick Doyle (Man to Man), George Fenton (Red Joan), Angelo Badalamenti (Stalingrad) and Basil Poledouris (The Legend of Butch and Sundance). 

 

[https://moviescoremedia.com/newsite/]

 

Silver Skates
Words for an End of the World
The Claus Family
Unseen
Palabras para un fin del mundo
Agatha Christie's Marple
Secret Life of a Celebrity Surrogate
The Artist's Wife
San Mao: The Desert Bride
Black Beach
Effigy: Poison and the City
The Man in the Hat
The Pale Horse
The Racer
Ron Hopper's Misfortune
AK-47
G-Loc
Quien Eres
Pirates Down the Street
The Ascent
The Fight for Greenland
Unbekannte Helden: Widerstand im Sudwesten
Enemy Lines
Speer Goes to Hollywood
Lev Yashin: The Dream Goalkeeper
Shine Your Eyes
The Royal Bride
On the President's Orders
Heartbound
Nightshift
 

Spotify can also listen to all of their releases in 2020 here: [CLICK HERE]

WORTH EVERY NOTE!

Jeremy [Six Strings]

"The Saint I Ain't: Stories from Sycamore Street" by Bobby Johnston

Sinners, saints and saviors collide in Bobby Johnston's stories, which chronicle the savagery and poetry of oppressive Catholic upbringing in 1970s Rust-Belt America. Johnston weaves landscapes of transgression and absolution, humor and resilience into his sharp-eyed tapestry of recall. [CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION]

Bobby Johnston's book is much more than a coming-of-age memoir: It's an intimate portrait of a group of Rust Belt misfits and the community they've built, with all its wonders and secrets, its transcendent moments, and its horrors. Johnston plays so many different emotional notes in this collection: his stories are funny and haunting; tender and violent; realistic and psychedelic. The Saint I Ain't is a moving and finely-crafted work of literary art.

Bobby Johnston is a Los Angeles based film composer and multi-instrumentalist. The Saint I Ain't: Stories from Sycamore Street is his first book.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Hemlock & Cedar Films: “DARK WHISPERS: VOLUME ONE”

When Clara discovers her deceased mother’s revered ‘Book of Dark Whispers’, she can ’t stop reading the strange stories within its mystical pages. Each weir d tale reveals a new facet of the twisted human psyche... or the not-so-human, as the case ma y be. From the horror of grief to sharehouse living disaster, from existential dread to right-swiping vampires, there’s something for all tastes; as long as those tastes are twisted! Starring Andrea Demetriades, Asher Keddie, Anthony Lapaglia and Bree Desborough, the Dark Whispers horror anthology is brought to you by eleven female directors from across Australia.

Hemlock & Cedar Films is a Sydney based production company that focuses on female-led, genre projects for international audiences.

Established by award winning writer, director and producer Megan Riakos, Hemlock & Cedar Films is behind Australia’s first women’s horror anthology Dark Whispers - Volume 1, comprised of 11 horror segments by 11 women from across the country. Described as “…A shining example of horror anthology film done right…” (Killer Horror Critic) and “…bursting with ideas and energetic visual approaches...” (ScreenHub) the film was selected by Cinefest Oz, Monsterfest, Seattle International and Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival amongst others.

Hemlock & Cedar Films has several projects in development including the psychological thriller People Might Hear You based on a book by award winning Australian author Robin Klein, mystery period film The Last Reprieve which was awarded the Grand Prize in the Greater Philadelphia Screenplay competition and survival thriller Hidden Valley. The company also offers development, screen workshops and consulting services.

Hemlock & Cedar Films takes its name from Hemlock, the state tree of Pennsylvania and the Lebanese Cedar, the national tree of Lebanon, reflecting the roots of Megan’s family heritage while also embodying the stories that resonate with the company – ones that explore at its root, what it means to be human.

Australia’s first women’s horror anthology feature film Dark Whispers – Volume 1.  The film launches in Australia and the UK on Monday 25 January on all major digital platforms with pre-orders on iTunes now available. [TRAILER: CLICK HERE]

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Caldera Records: "Stanley Kubrick’s films “Fear and Desire” and “Day of the Fight” music by Gerald Fried

Caldera Records is proud to present Gerald Fried’s music for Stanley Kubrick’s films “Fear and Desire” and “Day of the Fight”.

Gerald Fried and Stanley Kubrick became friends as teenagers. The musician enabled the latter to join a baseball team while the future director served as the conduit for Fried to join intellectual circles. They would first collaborate professionally in 1951, when Kubrick needed music for his short film, “Day of the Fight.” A year previously, the photographer had portrayed boxer Walter Cartier for Look magazine, and henceforth decided to make him the subject of a moving picture. “Day of the Fight” follows Cartier during the hours preceding a seminal fight, with the tightly focused 12-minute documentary including trivia from the boxer’s life, as narrated by Douglas Edwards.

Then in 1952 Kubrick started to develop his first feature film, a drama he saw as a poetic allegory about a man lost in a hostile world. “Fear and Desire” – describing the two dominant human passions – is not to be taken literally, as it depicts the struggle of four soldiers who find themselves behind enemy lines. As opposed to opening the film with a boisterous main title fanfare (as he had done in “Day of the Fight”), he used only a solo bassoon to introduce the theme, reminiscent of Stravinsky’s famous opening of “Le Sacre du Printemps.” Kubrick loved this approach and showered his friend with compliments during the recording. Fried set out to write a profound, meaningful, touching, despairing and yet triumphant score – which he duly achieved and with which he paid tribute to the film’s qualities.

Incidentally, and although he had ended their working-relationship in 1957, Kubrick was very much inspired by a film Fried worked on in 1964: “To the Moon and Beyond” was produced for the World Fair in 1964/65 in New York. The short film, narrated by “Twilight Zone” creator Rod Serling, depicted a voyage “to the moon and beyond,” showing the earth continually shrinking while the camera zooms further and further out. Because of its Kubrick connection, we included the score for “To the Moon and Beyond” here.

The 41st CD-release of Caldera Records – a world premiere – features a detailed booklet-text by Stephan Eicke and elegant artwork by Luis Miguel Rojas. The CD was mastered by Richard Moore and produced by Stephan Eicke and John Elborg. [http://caldera-records.com/]
 

What can I say other than this is score is years in the making and composer Gerald Fried shows the skills in one of his earliest works. This score is preserving history not only for the future Kubrick and Fried's projects, but making themselves known in their respected fields. As for the score itself, we are thrown back into the 50's with the top down on our Chevrolet Bel Air cruises the strip. Okay I wasn't there in that time, the score is the tops and you should head over to CALDERA RECORDS!

Jeremy [Six Strings]

KRONOS RECORDS REACHES NEW HEIGHTS HEADING INTO 2021!

"GAZA MON AMOUR" Music by ANDRE MATTHIAS

Composer Andre Matthias (THE LIGHT THIEF, FOUR ASSASSINS, WISH YOU WERE HERE) once again delivers a stunning, I dare say magical score that crawls under your skin and takes you to Gaza in the blink of an eye, there in Issa's room, and in his head, in his heart and his movements.  Matthias has a very special talent to underscore emotions and in this one he beats even himself.  You want the two to be together like you have known them all your life.

The CD is limited to 300 copies.  Additionally the the first 100 people to purchase this CD along 2 full priced CDs directly from our website will also receive the CD of Andre Matthias' score for Kenneth Bi's CONTROL motion picture from 2013.  If you do not have Andre Matthias' 3 previous scores on Kronos Records  (THE LIGHT THIEF, FOUR ASSASSINS and WISH YOU WERE HERE)  now is the time to order all of them together and get CONTROL for free as a bonus.

"THE SHEPHERD" Music by ARTHUR VALENTIN GRÓSZ

The music for THE SHEPHERD was composed by Hungarian young composer Arthur Valentin Grósz, who created a score that reflects the many emotions of the film's story-line, it underlines only too well the sense of desperation, hopelessness and devastation felt by some of the characters and also supports and enhances the narrative of the film. The music is poignant and thematic in places with subtle and affecting musical interludes that become mesmerizing and haunting. The composer employs solo piano, cymbal-om and a small string ensemble to fashion the score, he also utilises woodwind solos and violin to create an atmospheric and effective sound that works well with the images on screen and is just as appealing when listened to as just stand alone music, it has a folk sound about it, with interesting orchestration that makes it even more attractive. Giving a greater depth and adding a tense but hopeful persona to the proceedings.

The CD is limited to 300 Copies. Not to be missed!

"VIKING WOMEN AND THE SEA SERPENT" Music by ALBERT GLASSER

The music was written by prolific composer ALBERT GLASSER (THE MONSTER MAKER, THE CISKO KID RETURNS, THE GAY AMIGO, GRAN CANYON among others) who composed a big score fitting a class A Hollywood film of the Golden Age.  The CD contains all the surviving music for the film, which is most of it, restored and presented on CD, or any other format for the matterm for the first time ever 63 years after being recorded!

The CD is strictly limited to 500 copies. A Must for all classic sword and sandal and Albert Glasser Fans!

"L'UOMO EUROPEO" Music by FRANCESCO De MASI

De Masi's music was of quintessential importance to Quilici's films, no wonder the director worked with De Masi on a staggering almost 200 Documentaries and various feature films, including Dagli Appennini alle Ande (1959) and  Ti Koyo e il Suo Pescecane (1962). The disc was recorded at Edipan Studios, the studio of Maestro Bruno Nicolai who also performed the piano parts in a sublime way. A limited edition run LP was also released in 1980 also on Maestro NICOLAI's Edipan  label. 40 years later this beautiful gem comes back to life on KRONOS RECORDS and once again it is a limited run.

The CD is a limited edition of 300 copies and is not going to last long. A True Gem!

"CIVILTÀ DEL MEDITERRANEO" Music by BRUNO NICOLAI

The score for the Italian television docu-series CIVILTÀ DEL MEDITERRANEO is a delicate and melodic one, with composer Bruno Nicolai employing sensitive strings and light floating woods that are accompanied by harpsichord and subtle percussion. The combination of this instrumentation creates a pleasing and haunting work, that must be among the higher-ranking scores by this much under applauded composer.

The CD is a limited edition of 300 copies and is not going to last very long. A True Gem!

http://kronosrecords.com/index.html

 

JUST YES!

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Hollywood Records: "THE ORVILLE: SEASON 2" music by John Debney, Joel McNeely, and Andrew Cottee

Hollywood Records and 20th Television present The Orville - Original Television Soundtrack: Season 2, featuring music by John Debney, Joel McNeely, and Andrew Cottee, is available today.

The digital album contains the orchestral score highlights from the second season of the acclaimed hit television series, "The Orville," starring Seth McFarlane, Adrianne Palicki and Penny Johnson Jerald. Teeming with adventure, action, suspense and wonder, and matched every step of the way with human drama and heart, these episode scores buoy "The Orville's" missions, as the ship's crew faces exciting challenges both outward and inward.

The soundtrack is produced by Dan Goldwasser, John Debney, Joel McNeely and Andrew Cottee.  The executive album producer is Seth McFarlane.

The 2-CD soundtrack, available from La-La Land Records, is mastered by Dave Collins with art designed by Goldwasser. [https://lalalandrecords.com/]

About "The Orville"
"The Orville" is a live-action, one-hour space adventure series set 400 years in the future that follows The U.S.S. Orville, a mid-level exploratory spaceship. Its crew, both human and alien, face the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the problems of everyday life.

"The Orville" is produced by 20th Century Television and Fuzzy Door Productions. The series was created and written by Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane, Brannon Braga, David A. Goodman, Jason Clark and Jon Cassar serve as executive producer on the series. Jon Favreau directed the series premiere episode.

The third season of "The Orville" will join Hulu's lineup of premium Original genre programming later this year.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Walt Disney Records: "WANDAVISION" EPISODE 1 and 2... ALBUMS FEATURE SCORE BY COMPOSER CHRISTOPHE BECK AND ORIGINAL THEME AND SONGS BY KRISTEN ANDERSON-LOPEZ AND ROBERT LOPEZ

Walt Disney Records releases today WandaVision: Episode 1 Original Soundtrack and WandaVision: Episode 2 Original Soundtrack. Debuting Jan. 15 exclusively on Disney+, Marvel Studios' "WandaVision" has already won high praise from both critics and fans. The third episode debuts today.

The digital soundtracks feature score by composer Christophe Beck ("Frozen 2," "Ant-Man and the Wasp") and the original theme songs are by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez ("Frozen"). The Oscar®-winning songwriters penned unique songs for several episodes in the series, spanning from the 1950s to the early 2000s.

Beck composed and produced all score tracks on each WandaVision album. On composing unique scores for all nine episodes, Beck said "For each era, the music is a loving homage to the sitcom scores typical of the time period. This involved not only the instrumentation, but also the composition style."

According to Beck, the score features instruments that were typical of the era being represented in a given episode. Early episodes feature small orchestral ensembles, while later episodes embrace a rock-pop style. Beck also utilized period-specific recording and mixing techniques to achieve the authenticity filmmakers wanted.

In addition to writing the theme and songs, Anderson-Lopez and Lopez also produced each song. The theme for the first episode, said Anderson-Lopez, was written to evoke the dawn of television. "We wanted to have an optimistic group of voices singing jazzily (though not too jazzily!) about the love between these two - and the main question of the first episode, whether two Avengers in love can pass for normal in a typical American suburb," she said. 

Lopez described the second episode's theme as "sexier" and "flirtier." "We decided to put lots of raunchy trombones commenting," he said, "and in one part we also used my favorite '60s keyboard sound, the RMI Rock-si-chord-a sort of electric organ harpsichord sound."

The WandaVision Original Soundtrack album producers are Kevin Feige, Matt Shakman and Dave Jordan. The albums for Episodes 1 and 2 will be followed by WandaVision: Episode 3 Original Soundtrack available on January 29, with subsequent albums to follow one week after each episode of the series airs.

WandaVision Original Soundtrack release dates follow:

Episode 1 soundtrack release date: 1/22
Episode 2 soundtrack release date: 1/22
Episode 3 soundtrack release date: 1/29
Episode 4 soundtrack release date: 2/5
Episode 5 soundtrack release date: 2/12
Episode 6 soundtrack release date: 2/19
Episode 7 soundtrack release date: 2/26
Episode 8 soundtrack release date: 3/5
Episode 9 soundtrack release date: 3/12

About "WandaVision"
Marvel Studios' "WandaVision" is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision-two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives-begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. "WandaVision," the first Marvel Studios series created exclusively for Disney+, stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Paul Bettany as Vision, Kathryn Hahn as Agnes, and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, who was introduced to audiences in "Captain Marvel." Kat Dennings will reprise her role as Darcy from "Thor" and "Thor: The Dark World," and Randall Park will reprise his role as Jimmy Woo from "Ant-Man and The Wasp." The series is directed by Matt Shakman with Jac Schaeffer as head writer. Featuring nine episodes, "WandaVision" is now streaming on Disney+.

About Disney+
Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more. As part of Disney's Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment, Disney+ is available on most internet-connected devices and offers commercial-free programming with a variety of original feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. Alongside unprecedented access to Disney's incredible library of film and television entertainment, the service is also the exclusive streaming home for the latest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as part of a bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu (ad-supported), and ESPN+. Visit DisneyPlus.com to subscribe and/or learn more about the service.

About Disney Music Group
Disney Music Group is home to Walt Disney Records, Hollywood Records, Disney Music Publishing, Buena Vista Records, and Disney Concerts. In addition to the labels' genre-spanning rosters and its rich catalog of classic and enduring music, DMG also releases film and television soundtracks such as the chart-topping "Frozen 2" and "Bohemian Rhapsody,"the Emmy®-winning "The Mandalorian," Oscar®-winning "Coco" and "Moana" soundtracks, and the Oscar and Grammy®-winning "Frozen" soundtrack. Recently released titles include "The Mandalorian" Season 2 and "Soul." Upcoming soundtracks include "Raya and the Last Dragon," "Black Widow" and "Free Guy." To stream classic Disney hits, please visit: http://disneymusic.co/DisneyHits
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

MVD Entertainment Group: "SOUTHLAND TALES" [Blu-ray]

In 2001, writer/director Richard Kelly achieved cult status with Donnie Darko, an assured debut feature exploring deep existential questions through the lens of 80s nostalgia. Five years later, he followed up with a more ambitious and even more beguiling sophomore effort, in which forces of totalitarianism and anarchism collide against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic, near-future world - the beguiling and baffling Southland Tales. Los Angeles, 2008. As the city stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental chaos, the fates of an eclectic set of characters - including an amnesia-stricken action star (Dwayne Johnson, the Fast & Furious series), an adult film star developing her own reality TV project (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Cruel Intentions) and a police officer whose identity has split in two (Seann William Scott, TV's Lethal Weapon) - intertwine with each other and with the whole of humanity. A darkly comic futuristic epic that speaks as presciently to our turbulent times as it did to the American socio-political climate in 2006, Southland Tales receives a fresh - and timely - lease of life with this new, director-approved restoration.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

MVD Entertainment Group: "JSA: JOINT SECURITY AREA" [Blu-ray]

Before Oldboy, before The Handmaiden, visionary filmmaker Park Chan-wook helmed this gripping tale of deceit, misunderstanding and the senselessness of war. Gunfire breaks out in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, leaving two North Korean soldiers dead while a wounded South Korean soldier (Lee Byung-hun, The Good, the Bad, the Weird) flees to safety. With the tenuous peace between the two warring nations on a knife-edge, a neutral team of investigators, headed by Swiss Army Major Sophie Jean (Lee Young-ae, Lady Vengeance), is dispatched to question both sides to determine what really happened under cover of darkness out in no-man's land. The recipient of multiple accolades, including Best Film at South Korea's 2001 Grand Bell Awards, JSA - Joint Security Area showcases Park's iconic style in an embryonic form, and demonstrates that humanity and common purpose can be found in the most unlikely places.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

RLJE Films: "THE CLEANSING HOUR" [Available On VOD, Digital HD & DVD]

RLJE Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has picked up select rights to THE CLEANSING HOUR, from Shudder, AMC Networks’ streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural. THE CLEANSING HOUR will be released on VOD, Digital HD and DVD on January 19, 2021. The horror film stars Ryan Guzman (The Boy Nextdoor, “9-1-1”), Kyle Gallner (American Sniper, Dear White People) and Alix Angelis (The Magnificent Seven, Love’s Last Resort). THE CLEANSING HOUR was directed by Damien LeVeck (Dark, Deadly & Dreadful) who co-wrote the film alongside Aaron Horwitz, making his feature screenwriting debut. RLJE Films will release THE CLEANSING HOUR on DVD.

In THE CLEANSING HOUR, Max and Drew run a popular webcast that streams “live exorcisms” watched by millions across the globe. In reality, the exorcisms are just elaborately staged hoaxes performed by paid actors. But their fortunes take a turn when one of the actors becomes possessed by an actual demon and takes the crew hostage. In front of a rapidly growing audience, the demon subjects the crew to a series of violent challenges, threatening to expose the dark secrets they’ve been hiding from each other unless they come clean and reveal they’re impostors before the show is over.

Check out the trailer: [CLICK HERE]

RLJE Films’ recent features include Color Out of Space, based on the classic H.P. Lovecraft story, starring Nicolas Cage and Joely Richardson and written and directed by Richard Stanley; David Ayer’s The Tax Collector starring Bobby Soto and Shia LaBeouf; and The Owners from director Julian Berg and starring Maisie Williams from “Game of Thrones”. Upcoming releases include the critically acclaimed horror film The Dark And The Wicked from Director Bryan Bertino; and Adam Egypt Mortimer’s Archenemy starring Joe Manganiello. us.rljentertainment.com.

AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. To experience Shudder commitment-free for 7 days, visit www.shudder.com.

Known for its groundbreaking and celebrated original content, AMC Networks (NASDAQ:AMCX) is the company behind the award-winning brands AMC, BBC AMERICA, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv, and IFC Films. Its diverse line-up of popular and critically-acclaimed series and independent films include Killing Eve, Better Call Saul and The Walking Dead, which has been the #1 show on basic cable television for ten consecutive years, as well as Documentary Now!, Brockmire, Love After Lockup, and the films Boyhood, Death of Stalin, and many more. Its original series Mad Men and Breaking Bad are widely recognized as being among the most influential and acclaimed shows in the history of TV. The Company also operates AMC Studios, its production business; AMC Networks International, its international programming business; the subscription streaming services Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now; and UMC (Urban Movie Channel); RLJE Films; and Levity Entertainment Group, the Company’s production services and comedy venues business. For more information, visit http://www.amcnetworks.com. 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Artsploitation Films: "HAPPY TIMES" on BLU-RAY/DVD

Artsploitation Films will be releasing the decidedly raucous Happy Times directed by Michael Mayer on DVD, Blu-ray and streaming platforms this February 9th. An Israeli American co-production, the film marks a stylistic departure for director and co-writer Michael Mayer who directed the 2012 gay romance Out in the Dark.

An Israeli American couple invite friends and family over to their Hollywood mansion for a Shabbat dinner party. But a deadly mix of alcohol, inflated egos, inappropriate lust and raging jealousy turns the sedate affair into a cauldron of murderous mayhem.

 

Filmed with a mix of English and Hebrew, this Jews Behaving Badly story stars Israeli actor Michael Aloni (Out in the Dark, Netflix’s Shtisel), Shani Atias (Ten Days in the Valley, Shameless, MacGyver) Guy Adler (The Angel, Big Bad Wolves) and Israeli TV star Liraz Chamami (Manayek, Unchained, Asylum City, Malkot).

Happy Times Trailer: https://vimeo.com/444270238

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Milan Records: "MINARI" music by Emile Mosseri

Milan Records today announces the February 12 release of MINARI (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by award-winning composer EMILE MOSSERI (The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Kajillionaire).  Available for preorder now, the album features score music written by Mosseri for director Lee Isaac Chung’s family drama.  The resulting 16-track collection is an emotionally evocative body of music that enhances the film’s intimate storytelling.  Minari originally made its debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize as well as the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award.  A24 will release Minari nationwide starting February 12, 2021.

Of the soundtrack, composer EMILE MOSSERI says, “Working with Lee Isaac Chung on Minari was the purest collaboration.  Isaac made a gorgeous film about his childhood, and it was an exciting challenge to try and musically personify something as visceral and emotionally-loaded as childhood memory.  He invited me into his filmmaking process at the script stage which was a first for me and a dream.   I’m grateful that my music found a home in his profoundly honest, vulnerable and deeply poetic film.”

“In July of 2019, five days before production began on Minari, Emile sent me musical sketches for the score,” adds Minari director LEE ISAAC CHUNG.  “He wrote, ‘I like the idea of the score having a warm beating heart but also some dissonance and struggle, dipping between those two worlds seamlessly.’  As I listened to the pieces, I was in awe of how he had captured this poetic intent perfectly. From the start, his music contained all the things I hoped for in the film: warmth, heart, dissonance, and struggle. I listened to the songs so often during production that the world of the film contains the songs, and the world of the songs contains the film. As you listen to his brilliant score, you will, in his words, be dipping between those two worlds seamlessly.”

Making its debut today alongside album preorder is the soundtrack’s lead single “Rain Song,” a hauntingly beautiful and moving piece featuring vocals from actress Yeri Han, who stars in the film as Monica – listen here.  Performed by Yeri Han as a lullaby, “Rain Song” came together as a collaborative effort between Mosseri and Korean translator and lyricist Stefanie Hong, who worked with Mosseri to adapt his original English lyrics into the Korean language (lyrics with English translation can be found here).

Of the track, vocalist and Minari actress YERI HAN says, “When I first heard the music for ‘Rain Song,’ I pictured heaps of soft snow in a quiet winter landscape. The lyrics warmed my heart like a mother's lullaby, and I began to think of Monica's childhood. I thank Emile for creating such a wonderful piece and I'm grateful for the opportunity to sing it."

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.

Emile Mosseri is an award-winning composer, pianist, singer and producer who has quickly made a name for himself in the world of film music with his song-based approach to crafting emotionally-stirring compositions.

Mosseri made his feature film score debut with Sundance standout The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019), garnering extensive critical acclaim from LA Times, Pitchfork, Entertainment Weekly and more, with NPR lauding, “Mosseri’s score gives the film an extra layer of poetry and transcendence.”  A breakout moment for the young composer, the sweepingly romantic score cemented Mosseri as a sought-after collaborator, next joining director Miranda July for her comedic crime drama Kajillionaire (2020).  Described by Billboard as “an integral part of the film and a delight on its own,” Mosseri’s score also featured a collaboration with acclaimed singer-songwriter Angel Olsen, the duo pairing up for a cover of Bobby Vinton classic “Mr. Lonely.”

Meanwhile, Mosseri’s television credits include Terence Nance’s HBO series Random Acts of Flyness as well as season 2 of Amazon Original Series Homecoming starring Janelle Monáe.  Vulture hailed Mosseri’s score as “the secret weapon” of Homecoming, while Monáe herself admitted, “Honestly, I'm like, I wish that was my album! That's how good that music is.”

Mosseri’s latest project is director Lee Isaac Chung’s family drama Minari, which made its award-winning debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.  The score has once again been lauded by critics, with The Los Angeles Times calling the music “sublime” and The Guardian writing, “it reinforces and deepens the story.”     

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Intrada: "PSYCHO III" (2CD) music by Carter Burwell

Intrada's first release of 2021 features the complete score to the 1986 Universal feature Psycho III with music by Carter Burwell. Norman Bates star himself, Anthony Perkins, took over directing duties and wanted a music approach that diverged from the previous Psycho films. Having been impressed with Burwell's score to Blood Simple, Perkins thought Burwell could provide the different sound for which he was looking. Burwell wrote a score performed primarily on the Synclavier, with additional live percussion, piano, saxophone and both women's and boy's choirs, taking heed of Perkins' guidance to avoid a strict traditional approach. Following in the footsteps of Herrmann and Goldsmith was no small task, but Burwell delivered a distinctive approach all his own and a perfect fit for the story in this next chapter of Norman Bates' life. The studio asked for a pop single as well, and the composer partnered with Stanton Miranda and Steve Bray to develop a song called "Scream of Love."

Released on MCA Records at the time of the film's theatrical run, the album featured dialog, excerpts from the score and source music. For this two CD-set, Intrada presents all the music Burwell recorded for Psycho III, in chronological sequence on the first disc. The second disc features the original MCA program, as well as all the different versions of "Scream of Love" recorded before finalizing the version he wanted to move into production. All this sourced from the 1/2" and 1/4" elements stored at Universal Studios.

The film begins mere weeks after the events of Psycho II, with a dark screen and an anguished woman’s voice crying out, “There is no God!” The voice belongs to Maureen Coyle, a novice nun plagued by doubts about her vocation, whose suicide attempt goes tragically awry for one of her fellow sisters. Fleeing the convent, Maureen finds herself at the Bates Motel, where another failed suicide attempt leads to an unexpected bond with Norman, who is haunted by Maureen’s resemblance to Marion Crane, the woman he killed decades earlier. Two newcomers jeopardize their relationship—Duane Duke, a sleazy would-be musician whom Norman hires as a desk clerk, and Tracy Venable, a journalist unconvinced that Norman has put his murderous ways behind him. Norman’s conflicted feelings toward Maureen lead to more murders, and at the end he willingly allows himself to be returned to the madhouse. But Mother still has her grip on him.

For track listing and sound samples, please visit the Psycho III soundtrack page.

Whoooaaaaa!
Jeremy [Six Strings]

Milan Records: "SYNCHRONIC" music by The Album Leaf

Milan Records today announces the January 15 release of SYNCHRONIC (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by The Album Leaf.  Available for pre-order now, the album features music from the critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller by filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, which is streaming on all platforms from XYZ Films. The 26-track record etches an immersive soundscape underpinned by synth transmissions, organic strings, artful experimentation, and moments of cathartic energy. It runs the gamut of everything from sonic euphoria to mania as turbulent as the action on-screen. It also builds on an ironclad creative partnership between The Album Leaf and the directors as their third collaboration. Making its debut alongside album preorder is the soundtrack’s lead single – listen to “Where’s The Victim?” here.  The soundtrack will also be made available in vinyl format, arriving as a 2-LP gate-fold set from Eastern Glow Recordings.

Of the soundtrack, The Album Leaf says, “Synchronic is my third score collaboration with filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, and with each film, I try to find something special to center the score around.  With Synchronic, I created a custom synth patch to replicate what the drug may sound like and where it could send you in time.  I was then able to find my way within the film, accompanying its many twists and turns while keeping the score cohesive.  This time I was also able to collaborate with vocalists Angela Liu and Lola Blanc, multi-instrumentalist James McAlister, cellist Clarice Jensen, violinist Jake Falby, percussionist Joe Wong and cellist and double bassist Gabe Noel – I’m grateful to each performer’s improvisation and performance.  I think the score supports the film well and am excited to share it!”

When New Orleans paramedics and longtime best friends Steve (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan) are called to a series of bizarre, gruesome accidents, they chalk it up to the mysterious new party drug found at the scene. But after Dennis’s oldest daughter suddenly disappears, Steve stumbles upon a terrifying truth about the supposed psychedelic that will challenge everything he knows about reality—and the flow of time itself.
 

Jimmy LaValle is a musician and composer who uses synthesizers and effects to create a nuanced palette of textures and dense, evocative atmospheres. His music defies easy categorization, with a style that creates soothing melodies, highlighted by jolts of unexpected dissonance. While drawing inspiration from minimalist composers and sound manipulating, LaValle has developed his own unique method of decorating sonic space. In 1999, Jimmy LaValle founded The Album Leaf, a solo studio project turned full-fledged live band. The Album Leaf has been making its mark as a soft-spoken innovator steadily and surely since 1999. The diversity of The Album Leaf’s music is second only to the diversity of the music that has inspired LaValle through the years — the artist has named everything from German Ambient/Psych bands like Can, Cluster and Harmonia to traditional mariachi music, electronic music and Brian Eno as some of his primary influences — and it’s clear that The Album Leaf is unafraid of thinking outside the box, both as an individual artist & within the larger scope of modern music.

The project’s first releases, An Orchestrated Rise To Fall (1999) and One Day I’ll Be On Time (2001), intertwined field recordings, Rhodes piano, and a nuanced treatment of texture with mature songwriting and dense, evocative atmospheres. Following these records, which put The Album Leaf on the map for critics and fans worldwide, Icelandic band Sigur Rós discovered LaValle and took The Album Leaf on tour with them in the US, garnering the band wide exposure and recognition.

Following a European and a second US tour with Sigur Rós, LaValle soon produced the highly acclaimed releases Seal Beach (2003, Acuarela discos) and In A Safe Place (2004, Sub Pop / City Slang). Since then, The Album Leaf's influence has continued to grow.  LaValle has released other records ranging from soundtracks to collaborations with artists such as Bright Eyes & Mark Kozelek, further establishing The Album Leaf as a household name in the world of modern rock music and beyond. The Album Leaf has toured extensively across the globe, and many of the band's songs have appeared on TV shows including HBO’s Lovecraft Country, ABC’s Scandal and more. LaValle’s original soundtrack work includes Joanna Sokolowski and Kate Trumbull-LaValle’s Ovarian Pyscos, John Suits sci-fi thriller 3022, Adam Mason’s They Come Knocking and The Endless and Spring, two narrative features directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. These award-winning films have played successfully at top-tier festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, Tribeca, SXSW, Hot Docs, and are streaming on Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video. In 2015, LaValle scored an episode of the CW network television series Valor. In 2016, the band partnered with renowned label Relapse Records for the release of the group’s sixth studio album and first since 2010s A Chorus Of Storytellers (Sub Pop).

Over twenty years into a career that has seen LaValle exercising his creativity across the realms of film scoring, sound collage and rock music via instrumental and vocal-driven compositions alike, LaValle delivered yet another sonic triumph with 2016s Between Waves, his 6th full-length release with The Album Leaf. The album was born out of a thorough reinvention of LaValle's creative process and approach: Between Waves is The Album Leaf's first full-length record to be recorded with the band's current lineup, and was written with greater emphasis on the group dynamic (the album was also entirely recorded and produced by LaValle and the band). The album's eight tracks were winnowed down from thirty, and it shows: each song is memorable and unique, all speaking in The Album Leaf's singular voice while expressing themselves through a wide variety of different sounds and emotions. The band's thorough, unified approach is evident on nearly every aspect of Between Waves: the album displays multifaceted, meticulous sound design, a keen ear for balancing disparate influences, and the strongest senses of dynamics, rhythm, and composition The Album Leaf has displayed to date. From the moody evolution of "Glimmering Lights" to the wistful hip- hop stylings of "A New Soul" and beyond, Between Waves is The Album Leaf at its most inventive, most confident, and most impressive.
 

Jeremy [Six Strings]

Varese Sarabande: "Babe" (The Deluxe Edition) music by Nigel Westlake

Babe was a massive surprise hit in 1995. A children’s film starring a talking pig seemed to be the last thing anybody expected from visionary filmmaker George Miller (Mad Max). Writer-producer Miller adapted the 1983 book with director and co-writer Chris Noonan, and created a universally praised, moving film about a farm pig (a combination of animatronics and computer graphics) who longs to be a sheepdog. With a memorable lead performance by James Cromwell as Babe’s farmer-owner, Babe received glowing reviews and seven OSCAR® nominations, winning for Best Visual Effects.
 
A major part of Babe’s exquisite, perfectly pitched storybook tone is the charming, resonant symphonic score by Australian composer Nigel Westlake. Westlake interpolated a tapestry of classical works, most notably the maestoso section of Saint-Saëns’ third (Organ) symphony, to perfectly capture the human emotions of the film’s animal characters, while ironically treating the humans with an animal-like comedy and whimsy. (The Saint-Saëns melody had been adapted into the British reggae pop hit “If I Had Words” by Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley; a sped-up version is used in Babe’s end credits.)
 
Babe was released as a music-and-dialogue album at the time of the film. This CD Club edition features the expanded score as music only, packaged with a new essay by Tim Greiving featuring insights from Miller, Noonan, Cromwell and Westlake.

Music Composed and Produced by Nigel Westlake
Performed by the Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra

 

For more information: VareseSarabande.com

 

Jeremy [Six Strings]