Brian Eno

There are few films I love more or less solely based on their sound track! Well this is one of them. Granted, Peter Jackson's "post" Lord Of The Rings film is also visually stunning this score is absolutely beautiful and amazing. The film itself, though well played all the way through, is a bit of a mess and not really something you remember much afterwards.

A Couple of Soundtracks!

OK - so these two has to be listened to at full blast!!

 ENJOY!

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

Many painful years it took for this film to finally hit the theatres! After falling in love with the first 3 Lord Of The Rings films of course I had to jump on the wagon and be eager beyond words to see what this one was all about.
  The expectations from fans, critics and everyone else must have been huge! I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for Peter Jackson to jump back into all of this to try and 'do it again'!
  Let me first say that I'm a 'discount' fan as I call it! I never read the book! I never read any of Tolkien's books! I am (like probably around 98 percent of everyone else) prone to just watch the films rather than reading the books. On one hand I prefer this because it seems almost impossible to ever be satisfied with the result on film if you've read the book and why do I want to set myself up for disappointment almost every time I watch a film? I also am a film nerd with a capital N and though you can then discuss forever whether that should include reading the books behind the films or not - I think this justifies where I rank in the scheme of things!
  Anyway, that was the background, so move on fast if you don't think I deserve to say anything about this film since I didn't read the book behind it.
  I was absolutely amazed! I loved this film! How they managed to carry on the same feel from the other films and add new elements is astonishing! I loved every minute of the film - and there are quite a few minutes in it! Martin Freeman is perfect, perfect PERFECT as a young Bilbo - I almost stood up to cheer when Gandalf appeared as well as with all the other characters that are also featured in the Lord Of The Rings films. It was quite a wonderful reunion.
  Effects are amazing all though they do seem just a tad over the top here and there and there are scenes where I could argue that 'less is more' - but who am I to judge that.
  Old Bilbo, Ian Holm, is probably the only one who suddenly doesn't seem to fit in. He looks visibly very old and has this ridiculous hair that looks nothing like the style of the other films. Not sure what happened there but naturally Ian Holm is not a youngster anymore so I guess it's understandable. Remarkably enough, Christopher Lee, Saruman, looks more or less exactly the same (this man is over 90 now I think) and still delivers his wonderful sarcasm along with his wise words.
  After effects have been used a tad sloppy throughout the film but other than that it's a technical wonder! The score is just exactly as much new mixed with recognizable music to make it fresh and original with a familiar feel to it and, naturally, wardrobe and set design is a wonderland out of this world. How it must have been one of the best times of their lives to do those sets.
  Stories in the film are connected to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy in a beautiful way and the whole film was just a pleasure for me to watch! Undoubtedly there will be an extended version of this one too and I know I'll be first in line to see the extra material on that one too. Lord Of The Rings seem to not just be films anymore - it's sagas, mythologies, studies, whole worlds of information, investigation and entertainment.

Hansel & Gretel - Witch Hunters

This movie is so incredibly ridiculous to the point that it's actually entertaining! It has a very "Sam Raimi horror films" feel to it - it kind of knows it's completely over the top but exploits it, milks it and is not ashamed of it. Who cares about historical facts, weird accents and things that couldn't possibly be invented yet! Who cares about witches that have little back story and who seem to have agendas you don't quite understand! It's bloody entertaining and it's fun to watch witches die in all kinds of imaginative ways.
  The story is plain, simple and stupid: Hansel and Gretel survived the witch in the candy house many years ago and now they hunt them for a living. Oh, and witches can't hurt them with spells - something that comes remarkably in handy throughout the film.
  Both Jeremy Renner and what's-her-face are cute, unbelievable and forgettable but it's the effects, the over-acting and the side characters that makes the film entertaining! Will you remember this film? No! Will we look back at it in 10 years and shake our heads ? Yes! But much like other insane twists and mismashes of other genres (Van Helsing, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen etc) this is a very light and very entertaining ride where I do think it's worth the money if you're into light entertainment (and I do mean light!).
  I love Famke Janssen! Ever since X-Men I've wanted more and more! Sadly she doesn't show up in many movies - whether by choice or not I don't know. And though she has admitted in some interview that she took this role simply because she had a mortgage to pay (yes, actors are humans!) and she seems strangely out of place in the film, seemingly thinking 'what the f***k did I agree to here) she is doing her best with a very one dimensional character and is very amusing to watch in this film!

SINISTER

So I saw the movie 'Sinister'! Lah di da! Same old story basically as every time I see a horror film. It was good and scary at times but most of the juicy stuff had already been given away in the trailer. Dammit! Why do they always do this to me?
  Anyway, that's pretty much all I want to say about the film itself. BUT - I was pretty impressed with the sound design and the score. Obviously, like so many other scary films this would have been nothing without good sounds. And of course, to my astonishment, it was Christopher Young doing the score.
  I've become quite a fan of his lately. From creepy scores (Nightmare on Elm Street & The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) to some of the most beautiful scores I can remember (Copycat & Entrapment). Anyway, I have now listened to so many film score composers that I can almost always hear who did the score to the movie I'm watching. However, mr. Young continues to surprise me. Pull him up on IMDb and see the astonishing list of very different movies he has composed for. I find it amazing. He renews himself with every score and only in his beautifully composed, quiet piano pieces does he reveal himself from film to film. The rest of the music is a surprise every time. Below is his 'Greatest Hits' from YouTube. Listen for yourself. Though I disagree that these are his greatest hits it definitely shows the incredible variety in his works.

  And on that note, worth mentioning is definitely also Dane A. Davis, the main sound designer on the film, who has worked on 'Cabin In The Woods' and the 'Matrix' films. No wonder it's all so well done!

The Loved Ones

Oh it is so delightful to be scared in new ways! Especially when you, like me, have started to feel almost numb after all the horror films I've exposed myself to.
  'Mum And Dad' came highly recommended and I'd never heard of it before but I'm thankful I did.
  It's a short little independent thing and it's hard to say much about this film without giving away the plot. But pretty superb acting combined with a chilling story makes this one of the most chilling films I've ever seen and it holds some of the most disturbing scenes I've seen on film. Let's just say you'll remember Christmas in a whole new way after this film!
   Lena meets Birdie and her strangely quiet brother at Heathrow airport where they all work. By accident (??) Lena misses the bus home and has to spend the night with Birdie and her family.
  Well, from then on we go into a story where mum and dad, brilliantly played by Dido Miles and Perry Benson, are the bosses and you don't want to do anything to piss off daddy! In this household, family is everything!
  Written and directed by Steven Sheil, a relative newcomer who I'm sure most audiences, especially the American, haven't heard much from. But I think there will be lots of interesting projects spawned by his hand in the near future.
  About once per year I get excited about a horror film, its surprises and its refreshing approach to the genre. And this film is definitely the first one this year. There are others in the horizon I'm very excited about and I hope I'll have a record year in that department.
  Horror is such an interesting genre because there's so much of it and to get anywhere with a story you constantly have to stretch it to new places. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't and sometimes it redefines the whole genre.
  This film is sort of in between everything. It's not that it's completely original but it mixes elements in a clever way and puts a brilliant madness into an everyday situation and that creeps the pants off me.

Depressing! (The Sequel)

I was at the movies the other day and after watching the usual 35 minutes of previews before the actual film I realized that every single preview I had seen was either a sequel, a prequel, a new 3D version or a remake of a movie. Watching the cars explode, the expensive effects etc etc I was saddened, mostly as a filmmaker and storyteller but also just as a plain old human being, that it has come to this! Granted the previews I saw were all for mainstream American films so there's a lot more out there but it's so sad that this is what they have to do to entertain us. More of the same, just bigger, louder and more expensive.
  And it's clever too. I'm not above it myself! Naturally if I've enjoyed a film I am much more likely to watch the sequel, especially if it continues the story from the first film. Rarely am I happy with the result but I do fall for it often.
  Now there are different types of sequels of course. Some are obviously made to make more money, there's not much eye to the plot and it's more or less the same thing again (The Mummy) and then there are the ones that do tell a new story, explore deeper and expand the universe of characters you already know (X-Men).
  But as someone who desperately wants to tell new stories, original stories, things that haven't already been done I'm just so sad thinking about how many people out there like me there are, with great ideas, great scripts that never gets a chance because Hollywood wants more of the same and eagerly throws hundreds of millions of dollars after projects that are so preposterous you think it's a joke. At the same time it's virtually impossible for new writers and directors to even gather a few thousand dollars to make something new.
  Think of what we are missing?! And not only do we get sequels, prequels etc, but when one studio makes a certain kind of film, immediately another one will plan more or less the same story to compete with it. Best new example are the two 'Snow White' films that magically came out very close to each other.
  And try to list the super hero/villain movies that have come out in the past 5 years and the ones you already heard are planned for the next 5!! It is a very long list! Superheroes who had their last movie only a few years ago are already getting the reboot. And if that doesn't work we will pick some of them to be in the same movie or maybe even do the good old mash ups of 'so-and-so vs. so-and-so'. And if that one doesn't work, we will relaunch some film in 3D, make an extended version and send that one out there or simply just make one 'anniversary' edition after another. The brain dead possibilities are endless!
  I wonder how many directors feel they sell their soul when they do a sequel? I will never deny that I might end there myself. There's still bills to pay and I'm sure there will be a few extra zeros on that check if someone is trying to persuade you to do a sequel.
  And it's OK that they are there! I just think it's depressing how many there are and how they keep finding new ways to sneak them up on us in different forms. And how dare they remake the classics! I almost feel it destroys the original when they do that. My heart wept as I saw the remake of 'Fright Night' and I am appalled to recently have found out that they are redoing 'Carrie'! It cannot and will not ever be close to the original! Why? Why??
  And we, the people, hold the power! We go see it so they keep making it! I go see them because I often feel I must! What can I do? What can we do? It's like the guilt you feel if you go to your friend's party but not the next one. There's just something there you must not miss because they lure you into thinking it is part of the story you already saw.