While discrimination in the workforce is improving for women and people of color, there’s still lots of work to be done. Take for example the world of film composers, a field that’s been dominated by men for years, with a few notable exceptions like Rachel Portman, Anne Dudley, Jocelyn Pook, and Lesley Barber. It’s only been in recent years that names like Hildur Guðnadóttir—the first woman to win an Academy Award for a film score since 1997—and Pinar Toprak—the first woman to score a Marvel movie in 2019, after 21 previous films scored by men—are becoming more established.
Continue reading ‘Loki’s Natalie Holt Will Score The ‘Kenobi’ Series, But John Williams Is Returning To Write Obi-Wan’s Theme at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Loki’s Natalie Holt Will Score The ‘Kenobi’ Series, But John Williams Is Returning To Write Obi-Wan’s Theme at The Playlist.
- 4/22/2022
- by Andrea Thompson
- The Playlist
Exclusive: A new stage play adaption of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is being developed with an eye toward the West End and Broadway. The Tony- and Olivier Award-winning Rob Ashford is set to direct.
The announcement was made today by producer Antonio Marion. Current plans are for the play to be developed in London prior to West End and Broadway stagings.
Written by British writing team Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel, the new Sherlock Holmes play is described as an original tale offering a “deeply theatrical exploration of the mind of the famous detective,” while remaining faithful to the world created by Conan Doyle. Akram Khan will serve as choreographer/movement director.
Staged as “a mystery within a mystery,” the new play is described by producers as involving a case presented to Holmes that forces him to confront his own murky past: “But is the unravelling of...
The announcement was made today by producer Antonio Marion. Current plans are for the play to be developed in London prior to West End and Broadway stagings.
Written by British writing team Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel, the new Sherlock Holmes play is described as an original tale offering a “deeply theatrical exploration of the mind of the famous detective,” while remaining faithful to the world created by Conan Doyle. Akram Khan will serve as choreographer/movement director.
Staged as “a mystery within a mystery,” the new play is described by producers as involving a case presented to Holmes that forces him to confront his own murky past: “But is the unravelling of...
- 4/12/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
While the Golden Globes logs in another year without a female directing nominee, it did break a brought in another male-dominated category. “Joker” composer Hildur Guðnadóttir received a nomination for Best Original Score, becoming the first woman in 10 years to be shortlisted in the category. Should she win, she’d be the category’s first solo female winner ever.
Guðnadóttir is only the eighth female nominee and just the third to be nominated by herself after Jocelyn Pook (1999’s “Eyes Wide Shut”) and Rachel Portman (2000’s “Chocolat”). All the others had co-composers, including Lisa Gerrard, the only woman to have multiple bids and the only female winner so far, having shared her “Gladiator” (2000) victory with Hans Zimmer.
Though Best Original Score was added at the 5th Golden Globe Awards in 1948, the category didn’t see its first female nominee until Marilyn Bergman was nominated with her partner and husband Alan...
Guðnadóttir is only the eighth female nominee and just the third to be nominated by herself after Jocelyn Pook (1999’s “Eyes Wide Shut”) and Rachel Portman (2000’s “Chocolat”). All the others had co-composers, including Lisa Gerrard, the only woman to have multiple bids and the only female winner so far, having shared her “Gladiator” (2000) victory with Hans Zimmer.
Though Best Original Score was added at the 5th Golden Globe Awards in 1948, the category didn’t see its first female nominee until Marilyn Bergman was nominated with her partner and husband Alan...
- 12/16/2019
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
The “Eyes Wide Shut” orgy scene is the gift that keeps on giving this week thanks to Vulture’s oral history of the iconic sequence. On the heels of the revelation that Cate Blanchett had a secret cameo during the orgy scene comes a new reveal that the scene created a surprise connection between two masters of cinema: Kubrick and Martin Scorsese. English composer Jocelyn Pook was hired by Kubrick to handle the “Eyes Wide Shut” original music score and the composition she originally wrote for the orgy got cut and found itself being used by Scorsese for “Gangs of New York” four years later.
“For the orgy scene, Stanley was a bit vaguer musically, because it was going to be less stylized,” Pook told Vulture. “He said, ‘Yeah, I really don’t know what the music should be here, but try something — sexy music.’ That was my brief! I...
“For the orgy scene, Stanley was a bit vaguer musically, because it was going to be less stylized,” Pook told Vulture. “He said, ‘Yeah, I really don’t know what the music should be here, but try something — sexy music.’ That was my brief! I...
- 6/30/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
“Eyes Wide Shut” is one of Stanley Kubrick’s most divisive movies, but it does contain one of his most iconic sequences: The orgy scene. Vulture critic and writer Bilge Ebiri has published an oral history on the sequence in which assistant director Brian Cook, choreographer Yolande Snaith, composer Jocelyn Pook, and more weigh in on its months-long making. One of the biggest revelations in the oral history comes from Leon Vitali, Kubrick’s assistant who gained fame in front of the camera as Lord Bullingdon in “Barry Lyndon.” According to Vitali, Cate Blanchett had a never-revealed cameo in the famous orgy scene as the voice of the mysterious masked woman, played on set by Abigail Good.
“It was Cate Blanchett!” Vitali said of the voice. “We wanted something warm and sensual but that at the same time could be a part of a ritual. Stanley had talked about finding...
“It was Cate Blanchett!” Vitali said of the voice. “We wanted something warm and sensual but that at the same time could be a part of a ritual. Stanley had talked about finding...
- 6/27/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Over a single opening weekend, composer Pinar Toprak smashed all previous box-office records for women composers in film. She scored “Captain Marvel,” which made $153 million domestically.
Until now, the top-grossing films by women composers were Rachel Portman’s “The Vow,” which made $125 million domestic in 2012, and Deborah Lurie’s “Dear John,” $80 million back in 2010 — and those sums were for the theatrical lifetime of the films, not just a weekend.
The lack of work for female composers has been a frequent topic of conversation in film-music circles since the 2014 formation of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, which now boasts more than 400 members.
According to the latest “Celluloid Ceiling” statistics from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, just 6 percent of the 250 top-grossing films of 2018 had scores by women — but that number was double the 3 percent found in the list of 2017 films.
Last year’s 15-film Oscar...
Until now, the top-grossing films by women composers were Rachel Portman’s “The Vow,” which made $125 million domestic in 2012, and Deborah Lurie’s “Dear John,” $80 million back in 2010 — and those sums were for the theatrical lifetime of the films, not just a weekend.
The lack of work for female composers has been a frequent topic of conversation in film-music circles since the 2014 formation of the Alliance for Women Film Composers, which now boasts more than 400 members.
According to the latest “Celluloid Ceiling” statistics from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, just 6 percent of the 250 top-grossing films of 2018 had scores by women — but that number was double the 3 percent found in the list of 2017 films.
Last year’s 15-film Oscar...
- 3/11/2019
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Tuesday’s Oscar music nominations produced some of the day’s biggest surprises, inevitabilities and near-inevitabilities that still produced a sigh of relief. Some notes on the shocks and happy affirmations in the Best Original Song and Score fields:
1. No “First Man.” That was the biggest shocker of Tuesday’s announcement. Justin Hurwitz, who won song and score Oscars for 2016’s “La La Land,” was widely expected to be among the final five for his music for Damien Chazelle’s moon-landing saga. After all, he already won the Golden Globe and Broadcast Film Critics awards. Clearly the film had lost momentum in the marquee categories, but it was well seen and highly regarded enough to place in four of the Oscars’ technical divisions, leaving Hurwitz’s Mia status all the more mysterious.
2. Terence Blanchard’s first nomination. Sound the trumpets! Blanchard was singled out for his music for Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,...
1. No “First Man.” That was the biggest shocker of Tuesday’s announcement. Justin Hurwitz, who won song and score Oscars for 2016’s “La La Land,” was widely expected to be among the final five for his music for Damien Chazelle’s moon-landing saga. After all, he already won the Golden Globe and Broadcast Film Critics awards. Clearly the film had lost momentum in the marquee categories, but it was well seen and highly regarded enough to place in four of the Oscars’ technical divisions, leaving Hurwitz’s Mia status all the more mysterious.
2. Terence Blanchard’s first nomination. Sound the trumpets! Blanchard was singled out for his music for Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,...
- 1/22/2019
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
For many years, Oscar “shortlists” narrowed down the choices in a preliminary round that would eventually lead to the five nominees for original song and score. Academy executives discontinued that practice after the 1979 awards, but have brought it back for the 2018 honors.
It was problematic then and it remains so now. Not everyone agrees that the shortlist concept is a good idea, primarily because it forces music-branch members to see and evaluate dozens of films before the first round of voting in early December. Previously, they had until early January to wade through all those “for your consideration” screeners and CDs.
In May, Academy executives insisted that the shortlist “gives smaller or lesser-known films a better chance to be nominated.” Speculation at the time focused on music from films released in the first half of the year, which have often been ignored in favor of end-of-year releases, generally deemed more “important.
It was problematic then and it remains so now. Not everyone agrees that the shortlist concept is a good idea, primarily because it forces music-branch members to see and evaluate dozens of films before the first round of voting in early December. Previously, they had until early January to wade through all those “for your consideration” screeners and CDs.
In May, Academy executives insisted that the shortlist “gives smaller or lesser-known films a better chance to be nominated.” Speculation at the time focused on music from films released in the first half of the year, which have often been ignored in favor of end-of-year releases, generally deemed more “important.
- 1/5/2019
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
“The Wife.” “Eighth Grade.” “Rbg.” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado.” “Mary Shelley.”
Those are just a few of the 2018 films scored by women, but when the shortlist for best original score was announced last month, all of the 15 scores whittled down by music branch members for the first round of Oscar consideration were composed by men.
“It shows that women are not getting the top films,” says Laura Karpman, a composer (“Paris Can Wait”) and governor of the music branch. “And that there is a continued invisibility.”
Karpman pushed hard for the shortlist — this is the first year since 1979 that the music branch has had one, joining a third of the other branches in the practice — explicitly in the hope that it would widen the field. She feels that if there had been a shortlist last year, Michael Abels (“Get Out”) and Tamar-kali (“Mudbound”) would certainly have been on it.
Those are just a few of the 2018 films scored by women, but when the shortlist for best original score was announced last month, all of the 15 scores whittled down by music branch members for the first round of Oscar consideration were composed by men.
“It shows that women are not getting the top films,” says Laura Karpman, a composer (“Paris Can Wait”) and governor of the music branch. “And that there is a continued invisibility.”
Karpman pushed hard for the shortlist — this is the first year since 1979 that the music branch has had one, joining a third of the other branches in the practice — explicitly in the hope that it would widen the field. She feels that if there had been a shortlist last year, Michael Abels (“Get Out”) and Tamar-kali (“Mudbound”) would certainly have been on it.
- 1/4/2019
- by Tim Greiving
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy music branch returned to the “shortlist” concept for the first time in nearly 40 years, and for the most part, it seems to have worked. The 15 scores and 15 songs chosen by the composers, songwriters and music editors — from which the final five in each category will be selected — in large part align with the choices of most observers and pundits.
The preliminary songs list allows for an eclectic assortment of singer-songwriters from the pop, rock, country, R&B and hip-hop worlds, including Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Dolly Parton and Troye Sivan — all of whom were already nominated for a Golden Globe this month — along with Thom Yorke, Sade, Gillian Welch and the Coup.
In the score category, all five Golden Globe nominees were cited among the top 15: Ludwig Goransson for “Black Panther,” Marco Beltrami for “A Quiet Place,” two-time Oscar winner Alexandre Desplat for “Isle of Dogs,” Marc Shaiman...
The preliminary songs list allows for an eclectic assortment of singer-songwriters from the pop, rock, country, R&B and hip-hop worlds, including Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Dolly Parton and Troye Sivan — all of whom were already nominated for a Golden Globe this month — along with Thom Yorke, Sade, Gillian Welch and the Coup.
In the score category, all five Golden Globe nominees were cited among the top 15: Ludwig Goransson for “Black Panther,” Marco Beltrami for “A Quiet Place,” two-time Oscar winner Alexandre Desplat for “Isle of Dogs,” Marc Shaiman...
- 12/18/2018
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
So far, 2018 has not particularly released a whole lot of contenders in the acting categories. This week, a possibility emerges when The Wife hits theaters. A showcase for Glenn Close, the film actually has designs on finally winning her an Academy Award. Obviously, for Close to take Best Actress at the Oscars, she’ll have to become the one to beat during the precursor season. More on that later, but this movie does at least suggest that she’ll be in play this year. If the product on the whole is only good, Close on her own is rather great. She’s rarely been better. The film is a drama, one rooted in literature. The simple IMDb synopsis is as follows: “A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.” The wife in question...
- 8/15/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
The BAFTA TV Craft Awards honor skills in 19 different categories. Nine of these are devoted to fictional programming, another four to factual, and six are in combined fields. Winners were revealed during a ceremony on Sunday, April 22 hosted by “Episodes” star Stephen Mangan. Nominations for the BAFTA TV Awards were announced on Wednesday, April 4 with that ceremony taking place on Sunday, May 13.
Fiction
Costume Design
“The Crown”
X – “Game of Thrones”
“Peaky Blinders”
“Taboo”
Director (Fiction)
Jane Campion, “Top of the Lake: China Girl”
Mackenizie Crook, “Detectorists”
Paul Whittington, “Little Boy Blue”
X – Phillipa Lowthorpe, “Three Girls”
Editing (Fiction)
“The Crown”
“Line of Duty”
“Peaky Blinders”
X – “Three Girls”
Makeup And Hair Design
“Gunpowder”
“The Miniaturist – The Forge”
“Peaky Blinders”
X – “Taboo”
Photography And Lighting (Fiction)
“Against the Law”
“Black Mirror”
X – “The Crown”
“Taboo”
Production Design
“Black Mirror”
“The Crown”
X – “Game of Thrones”
“The State”
Sound (Fiction)
“Black Mirror...
Fiction
Costume Design
“The Crown”
X – “Game of Thrones”
“Peaky Blinders”
“Taboo”
Director (Fiction)
Jane Campion, “Top of the Lake: China Girl”
Mackenizie Crook, “Detectorists”
Paul Whittington, “Little Boy Blue”
X – Phillipa Lowthorpe, “Three Girls”
Editing (Fiction)
“The Crown”
“Line of Duty”
“Peaky Blinders”
X – “Three Girls”
Makeup And Hair Design
“Gunpowder”
“The Miniaturist – The Forge”
“Peaky Blinders”
X – “Taboo”
Photography And Lighting (Fiction)
“Against the Law”
“Black Mirror”
X – “The Crown”
“Taboo”
Production Design
“Black Mirror”
“The Crown”
X – “Game of Thrones”
“The State”
Sound (Fiction)
“Black Mirror...
- 4/22/2018
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
The BAFTA TV Craft Awards honor skills in 19 different categories. Nine of these are devoted to fictional programming, another four to factual, and six are in combined fields. Winners will be revealed during a ceremony on Sunday, April 22 to be hosted by “Episodes” star Stephen Mangan. Nominations for the BAFTA TV Awards will be announced on Wednesday, April 4 with that ceremony taking place on Sunday, May 13.
Fiction
Costume Design
“The Crown”
“Game of Thrones”
“Peaky Blinders”
“Taboo”
Director (Fiction)
Jane Campion, “Top of the Lake: China Girl”
Mackenizie Crook, “Detectorists”
Paul Whittington, “Little Boy Blue”
Phillipa Lowthorpe, “Three Girls”
Editing (Fiction)
“The Crown”
“Line of Duty”
“Peaky Blinders”
“Three Girls”
Makeup And Hair Design
“Gunpowder”
“The Miniaturist – The Forge”
“Peaky Blinders”
“Taboo”
Photography And Lighting (Fiction)
“Against the Law”
“Black Mirror”
“The Crown”
“Taboo”
Production Design
“Black Mirror”
“The Crown”
“Game of Thrones”
“The State”
Sound (Fiction)
“Black Mirror”
“The Crown...
Fiction
Costume Design
“The Crown”
“Game of Thrones”
“Peaky Blinders”
“Taboo”
Director (Fiction)
Jane Campion, “Top of the Lake: China Girl”
Mackenizie Crook, “Detectorists”
Paul Whittington, “Little Boy Blue”
Phillipa Lowthorpe, “Three Girls”
Editing (Fiction)
“The Crown”
“Line of Duty”
“Peaky Blinders”
“Three Girls”
Makeup And Hair Design
“Gunpowder”
“The Miniaturist – The Forge”
“Peaky Blinders”
“Taboo”
Photography And Lighting (Fiction)
“Against the Law”
“Black Mirror”
“The Crown”
“Taboo”
Production Design
“Black Mirror”
“The Crown”
“Game of Thrones”
“The State”
Sound (Fiction)
“Black Mirror”
“The Crown...
- 3/22/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Over 100 well-known names – including writers, actors, directors and musicians – have signed a pledge supporting Lorde's decision not to perform in Israel.
The statement was published in The Guardian following backlash over the Kiwi singer’s cancellation of her concert in Tel Aviv. It is a direct response to a full page ad published in the Washington Post on January 1 which called Lorde a bigot and also attacked her homeland of New Zealand.
“We deplore the bullying tactics being used to defend injustice against Palestinians and to suppress an artist’s freedom of conscience. We support Lorde’s right to take a stand,” reads the letter in The Guardian. "Shmuley Boteach, the author and promoter of the advert, supports Israel’s illegal settlements and wrote last month on Breitbart to thank Donald Trump for “electrifying the world” with his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in defiance of international law.
The statement was published in The Guardian following backlash over the Kiwi singer’s cancellation of her concert in Tel Aviv. It is a direct response to a full page ad published in the Washington Post on January 1 which called Lorde a bigot and also attacked her homeland of New Zealand.
“We deplore the bullying tactics being used to defend injustice against Palestinians and to suppress an artist’s freedom of conscience. We support Lorde’s right to take a stand,” reads the letter in The Guardian. "Shmuley Boteach, the author and promoter of the advert, supports Israel’s illegal settlements and wrote last month on Breitbart to thank Donald Trump for “electrifying the world” with his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in defiance of international law.
- 1/8/2018
- Look to the Stars
A celebration of film and television music was once again at the heart of Krakow’s Film and Music Festival, now in its eighth year.
Running from May 27-31, the event brought together more than 58 international composers - including Stephen Warbeck (Shakespeare in Love, Mon Roi), Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones), Jeff Beal (House of Cards), John Lunn (Downton Abbey) and Trevor Morris (The Borgias, The Tudors) – for a culmination of performances, panels and master classes.
“Composers are not often given the attention they deserve,” said Artistic Director Robert Piaskowski. “So we wanted to create a space that presents film music as art, and where audiences can come and appreciate a score’s symphonic sounds.”
Piaskowski is not alone in his interests. The festival now aligns itself as the start of the season, with similar musical events taking place in Tenerife and Cordoba in July and Vienna and Gent (that also hosts the World Soundtrack Awards) in October...
Running from May 27-31, the event brought together more than 58 international composers - including Stephen Warbeck (Shakespeare in Love, Mon Roi), Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones), Jeff Beal (House of Cards), John Lunn (Downton Abbey) and Trevor Morris (The Borgias, The Tudors) – for a culmination of performances, panels and master classes.
“Composers are not often given the attention they deserve,” said Artistic Director Robert Piaskowski. “So we wanted to create a space that presents film music as art, and where audiences can come and appreciate a score’s symphonic sounds.”
Piaskowski is not alone in his interests. The festival now aligns itself as the start of the season, with similar musical events taking place in Tenerife and Cordoba in July and Vienna and Gent (that also hosts the World Soundtrack Awards) in October...
- 6/3/2015
- ScreenDaily
The Observer's critics pick the season's highlights, from the Misanthrope to Johnny Marr, Lulu to Lichtenstein, H7steria to Hitchcock. What are you most looking forward to? Add your comments below and download a pdf of the calendar here
December | January | FebruaryDecember
1 Film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (3D)
Well, not so very unexpected. Every move has been tracked by fanboys, from the casting of Martin Freeman as Bilbo and Benedict Cumberbatch as the dragon Smaug to the return of the king, Peter Jackson, to take over directing from Guillermo del Toro. But Middle-earth (or, as it's sometimes known, New Zealand) is back for the next three Christmases.
3 Pop Scott Walker
The avant-garde Walker Brother returns with his first album since 2006's The Drift. Not for the faint-hearted, Bish Bosch finds the former romantic hero deep in dystopian territory, at once sonorous and rigorous.
3 Classical H7steria
World premiere of...
December | January | FebruaryDecember
1 Film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (3D)
Well, not so very unexpected. Every move has been tracked by fanboys, from the casting of Martin Freeman as Bilbo and Benedict Cumberbatch as the dragon Smaug to the return of the king, Peter Jackson, to take over directing from Guillermo del Toro. But Middle-earth (or, as it's sometimes known, New Zealand) is back for the next three Christmases.
3 Pop Scott Walker
The avant-garde Walker Brother returns with his first album since 2006's The Drift. Not for the faint-hearted, Bish Bosch finds the former romantic hero deep in dystopian territory, at once sonorous and rigorous.
3 Classical H7steria
World premiere of...
- 12/2/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
For my soundtrack to The Awakening I used an orchestra and choir – but the creepiest sound we created was with a slide whistle. Here are some other simple but effective soundtracks …
I've just done the music to the feature film The Awakening. Had a massive orchestra, huge choir and a bunch of other things. Sounds fantastic. Cost me a flipping fortune – these things do. Nicholas Dodd – who does the orchestrations for David Arnold's James Bond scores – recently likened the rate you spend money recording a film score to "standing next to a bin with a wad of £20 notes and trying to throw them in one by one as fast as you can". That is a pretty accurate assessment. But despite having some of the best musicians in London and Abbey Road's finest at my disposal, the spookiest sound we created was the one I made in my flat with...
I've just done the music to the feature film The Awakening. Had a massive orchestra, huge choir and a bunch of other things. Sounds fantastic. Cost me a flipping fortune – these things do. Nicholas Dodd – who does the orchestrations for David Arnold's James Bond scores – recently likened the rate you spend money recording a film score to "standing next to a bin with a wad of £20 notes and trying to throw them in one by one as fast as you can". That is a pretty accurate assessment. But despite having some of the best musicians in London and Abbey Road's finest at my disposal, the spookiest sound we created was the one I made in my flat with...
- 11/15/2011
- by Daniel Pemberton
- The Guardian - Film News
Henry David, Sasson Gabai, Sarah Adler in Yossi Madmoni's Restoration Judi Dench, John Turturro, Goran Bregovic: Karlovy Vary 2011 Honorees Grand Prix – Crystal Globe Restoration / Boker Tov, Adon Fidelman Directed by: Yossi Madmoni Israel, 2010 Special Jury Prize Gypsy / Cigán Director: Martin Šulík Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2011 Best Director Award Pascal Rabaté for the film Holidays by the Sea France, 2011 Best Actress Award Stine Fischer Christensen for her role in the film Cracks in the Shell / Die Unsichtbare Directed by: Christian Schwochow Germany, 2011 Best Actor Award David Morse for his role in the film Collaborator Directed by: Martin Donovan Canada, USA, 2010 Special Mention Ján Mizigár for his role in the film Gypsy / Cigán Directed by: Martin Šulík Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2011 Jocelyn Pook for the music of the film Room 304 / Værelse 304 Directed by: Birgitte Stærmose Denmark, Croatia, 2011 East Of The West – Films In Competition East of the West Award...
- 7/12/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
The War of Gods has found its oracle priestess in Slumdog Millionaire's Freida Pinto. Tarsem Singh will be directing the "Caravaggio meets Fight Club" action film with a mythological spin, which also stars Henry Cavill as the Greek warrior Theseus, who leads a battle against the long-imprisoned Titans. While Tarsem starts production on Gods this April, another Greek inspired tale will be unleashed in theaters at the same time, Clash of the Titans. Tarsem's narrative story skills are not always well received, but his unique vision and dramatic visuals are absolutely stunning and undeniably brilliant.
Before we caught light of his visual prowess in films like The Cell, Tarsem was directing music videos for bands like Deep Forest and R.E.M., as well as some of the most memorable and elaborate commercials that have ever graced my adoring peepers. After the jump you can check out several...
Before we caught light of his visual prowess in films like The Cell, Tarsem was directing music videos for bands like Deep Forest and R.E.M., as well as some of the most memorable and elaborate commercials that have ever graced my adoring peepers. After the jump you can check out several...
- 2/24/2010
- by Alison Nastasi
- Cinematical
London -- Paul McCartney was named songwriter of the year at the 29th annual Ascap Awards in London on Wednesday night, with Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" winning song of the year and Universal Music collecting the publisher of the year prize.
Scottish recording artist Calvin Harris received the Vanguard Award for his gold-selling debut album "I Created Disco" and indie pop duo the Ting Tings picked up the College Award for their multiplatinum first album, "We Started Nothing."
Film awards went to Craig Armstrong for "The Incredible Hulk," Patrick Doyle for "Igor" and "Nim's Island," Joby Talbot for "Penelope" and "Son of Rambow," Adrian Johnston for "Brideshead Revisited," Jocelyn Pook for "Brick Lane" and Paul Englishby for "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day."
TV theme awards went to "American Idol," written by Cathy Dennis, Julian Gingell and Barry Stone and published by Emi Music and Imagem London, and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,...
Scottish recording artist Calvin Harris received the Vanguard Award for his gold-selling debut album "I Created Disco" and indie pop duo the Ting Tings picked up the College Award for their multiplatinum first album, "We Started Nothing."
Film awards went to Craig Armstrong for "The Incredible Hulk," Patrick Doyle for "Igor" and "Nim's Island," Joby Talbot for "Penelope" and "Son of Rambow," Adrian Johnston for "Brideshead Revisited," Jocelyn Pook for "Brick Lane" and Paul Englishby for "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day."
TV theme awards went to "American Idol," written by Cathy Dennis, Julian Gingell and Barry Stone and published by Emi Music and Imagem London, and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,...
- 10/14/2009
- by By Ray Bennett
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For those who saw "Human Resources", the splendid 1999 debut by French filmmaker Laurent Cantet, "Time Out" is another home run. Indeed, in only two films, Cantet has gained many admirers among critics, and both projects have won awards, in-cluding "Time Out" taking a top prize at the 2001 Venice International Film Festival. It opened Friday in New York, with Los Angeles to follow April 12.
Based on a tragic true story of a man who pretended to have an important job for almost 20 years, the English-subtitled "Time Out" is a deliberately paced, very believable tale of a modern French businessman who tries to reinvent himself after being fired but doesn't succeed. Destined to achieve reasonable success in limited theatrical engagements, the ThinkFilm release certainly will win lead Aurelien Recoing new fans.
A veteran stage actor in his first leading role onscreen, Recoing conveys in most scenes a great deal using little more than his eyes and face in playing Vincent, a work-dispossessed family man who is perpetually off-balance but centered enough by nature to maintain control. At first, after seeing that he sleeps in his car and that he appears to be a con man of sorts, one is inclined to be suspicious and judgmental of Vincent.
In Hollywood movies, even challenging ones like "Falling Down", there are many predictable ways for a tale like this to unfold. But Cantet and co-writer Robin Campillo deftly reveal, piece by piece, the elaborate charade Vincent constructs, including the creation of a fake job and a bogus investment scheme that he deviously uses to raise cash. On a structural level, "Time Out" winningly shifts between Vincent's more or less normal home life and his unusual activities on the road while steadily increasing one's interest and sympathy in his fate.
Telling his suspicious but loving wife, Muriel (Karin Viard), that he has gotten a new job in nearby Geneva, Vincent borrows a large sum of money from his father (Jean-Pierre Mangeot) to get an apartment there. Meanwhile, crossing paths with old friends and colleagues, Vincent passes himself off as a man with a sure-bet investment, and it's mildly shocking how easily people are persuaded to give him significant sums of money with no guarantees.
Barely able at times to keep the deception going, he invites Muriel to visit him in Geneva and manages to get past the nonexistent apartment issue by taking her to the mountain farmhouse he stays in.
There are several knockout sequences. With echoes of Michelangelo Antonioni, one shows Vincent as he wanders through a Geneva office building, as if he's looking for a vacant office to occupy and trying to blend into the architecture. He eventually ends up in the lobby with his briefcase and appears legit, until a security guard asks him to leave. In another, Vincent and Muriel walk in the snow and get separated by dense fog, with the tension incredibly high over her unspoken suspicions.
Vincent is essentially decent and desperate and unconventionally flourishing as a man out of sync with the world. Eventually, he's approached by a career hustler (Serge Livrozet) and does get a job selling knockoffs made in Poland to pay back those he has borrowed from. Muriel talks to a former workmate of Vincent's and learns a little about the truth. The climax is unexpected, and the conclusion is not the upbeat denouement it appears to be on the surface.
From spiritual rebirth to bruising defeat, Vincent's odyssey resonates in a profound way, comparable to the classic films of Jean Renoir.
"Time Out" is also technically inspiring and immeasurably en-hanced by composer Jocelyn Pook's somber score. n
TIME OUT
ThinkFilm
A Haut et Court production
Director Laurent Cantet
Screenwriters Robin Campillo, Laurent Cantet
Producer Caroline Benjo
Executive producer Barbara Letellier
Director of photography Pierre Milon
Art director Romain Denis
Editor Robin Campillo
Costume designer Elizabeth Mehu
Music Jocelyn Pook
Color/stereo
Cast:
Vincent Aurelien Recoing
Muriel Karin Viard
Jean-Michael Serge Livrozet
Father Jean-Pierre Mangeot
Mother Monique Mangeot
Running time -- 134 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Based on a tragic true story of a man who pretended to have an important job for almost 20 years, the English-subtitled "Time Out" is a deliberately paced, very believable tale of a modern French businessman who tries to reinvent himself after being fired but doesn't succeed. Destined to achieve reasonable success in limited theatrical engagements, the ThinkFilm release certainly will win lead Aurelien Recoing new fans.
A veteran stage actor in his first leading role onscreen, Recoing conveys in most scenes a great deal using little more than his eyes and face in playing Vincent, a work-dispossessed family man who is perpetually off-balance but centered enough by nature to maintain control. At first, after seeing that he sleeps in his car and that he appears to be a con man of sorts, one is inclined to be suspicious and judgmental of Vincent.
In Hollywood movies, even challenging ones like "Falling Down", there are many predictable ways for a tale like this to unfold. But Cantet and co-writer Robin Campillo deftly reveal, piece by piece, the elaborate charade Vincent constructs, including the creation of a fake job and a bogus investment scheme that he deviously uses to raise cash. On a structural level, "Time Out" winningly shifts between Vincent's more or less normal home life and his unusual activities on the road while steadily increasing one's interest and sympathy in his fate.
Telling his suspicious but loving wife, Muriel (Karin Viard), that he has gotten a new job in nearby Geneva, Vincent borrows a large sum of money from his father (Jean-Pierre Mangeot) to get an apartment there. Meanwhile, crossing paths with old friends and colleagues, Vincent passes himself off as a man with a sure-bet investment, and it's mildly shocking how easily people are persuaded to give him significant sums of money with no guarantees.
Barely able at times to keep the deception going, he invites Muriel to visit him in Geneva and manages to get past the nonexistent apartment issue by taking her to the mountain farmhouse he stays in.
There are several knockout sequences. With echoes of Michelangelo Antonioni, one shows Vincent as he wanders through a Geneva office building, as if he's looking for a vacant office to occupy and trying to blend into the architecture. He eventually ends up in the lobby with his briefcase and appears legit, until a security guard asks him to leave. In another, Vincent and Muriel walk in the snow and get separated by dense fog, with the tension incredibly high over her unspoken suspicions.
Vincent is essentially decent and desperate and unconventionally flourishing as a man out of sync with the world. Eventually, he's approached by a career hustler (Serge Livrozet) and does get a job selling knockoffs made in Poland to pay back those he has borrowed from. Muriel talks to a former workmate of Vincent's and learns a little about the truth. The climax is unexpected, and the conclusion is not the upbeat denouement it appears to be on the surface.
From spiritual rebirth to bruising defeat, Vincent's odyssey resonates in a profound way, comparable to the classic films of Jean Renoir.
"Time Out" is also technically inspiring and immeasurably en-hanced by composer Jocelyn Pook's somber score. n
TIME OUT
ThinkFilm
A Haut et Court production
Director Laurent Cantet
Screenwriters Robin Campillo, Laurent Cantet
Producer Caroline Benjo
Executive producer Barbara Letellier
Director of photography Pierre Milon
Art director Romain Denis
Editor Robin Campillo
Costume designer Elizabeth Mehu
Music Jocelyn Pook
Color/stereo
Cast:
Vincent Aurelien Recoing
Muriel Karin Viard
Jean-Michael Serge Livrozet
Father Jean-Pierre Mangeot
Mother Monique Mangeot
Running time -- 134 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
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