Bernard Herrmann's Centennial

One of the greatest American composers of the 20th Century was Bernard Herrmann. As 2011 is his centennial year, I want to celebrate the man and his music.

Here are some favorites from his marvelous music for movies.

Jason and the Argonauts - One of the first films I saw as a kid that featured Herrmann's music.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir - One of the loveliest scores ever to come out of Hollywood.

The Day the Earth Stood Still - Can music take you on a ride into outer space? You bet it can.

Mysterious Island - William Stromberg conducts the MSO in this wild track called The Balloon.

White Witch Doctor - Hold on to your pith helmet when you hear this one!

On Dangerous Ground - Brace yourself for "Death Hunt," a ferocious piece performed by Esa Pekka Salonen conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

North By Northwest - Herrmann's fandango for Hitchcock's classic.

Obsession - "Giving it everything he's got" sums up Herrmann's ravishing score for this DePalma thriller.

Taxi Driver - One of Herrmann's final scores featuring a sweeping jazz sax solo.


Posted by Terrence Seamon on February 5, 2011.

It's Awards Time

This is the time of year when various film industry organizations hand out awards for the best in movies for the previous year. I love awards season! But an annual frustration occurs too when movies that I really liked get snubbed at the awards. For example, director Christopher (The Dark Knight) Nolan's Inception, which I thought was the Best of the year as an overall film. Second place would go to the Coen Brothers' True Grit for taking a great American story and spinning it beautifully to life. Third place would go to David Fincher's The Social Network which chronicles the birth of facebook.

Will it go the way I'd like it to? Probably not. It's likely that the King's Speech, an historical bio from the UK, will sweep the awards at Oscar time. It's a good little film, the kind that Academy voters tend to swoon for.

So, let me take this opportunity to give out the Terrys, my own award to the movies and the artists who make them.

Best Film: Inception

Best Director: Christopher Nolan (runner up: the Coens)

Best Music Score: Hans Zimmer for Inception (runner up: Carter Burwell for True Grit)

Best Actor: Colin Firth for The King's Speech

Best Actress: Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit

I still haven't seen The Fighter or Toy Story 3. So I have some catching up to do.

By the way, here is an excellent new blog devoted to film music: http://musicatthemovies.wordpress.com/

This blog entry is dedicated to the memory of legendary film composer John Barry who died a few days ago.

True Grit

Yes, it has been months since my last posting here. I've been waiting for a good enough reason. Today I found it.

I just saw the new film from the Coen brothers, True Grit, starring Jeff Bridges as one-eyed US Marshall Rooster Cogburn and an all-star cast. It is the best film of 2010, in my view.

If I gave out awards, I'd give the following to this extraordinary retelling of an American classic Western:

- Best Score by Carter Burwell

- Best Screenplay adapted from a book

- Best ensemble of actors including the young phenom Hailee Steinfield as the avenging 14 year old Matty Ross, Matt Damon as a stalwart Texas Ranger, Josh Brolin as the hunted killer Tom Chaney, and Barry Pepper as outlaw chief Lucky Ned Pepper.

- Best directors

- Best picture

My niece came along to see the film and had never seen a Western before. She loved True Grit and asked me what other Western is as good. I'm still thinking about that one.

Go see it.

Inception

Whoever it was that said Inception is like "James Bond Meets The Matrix" was right on the money. Except that such a comparison only goes so far. And film-maker Christopher Nolan's grand dream epic goes so much farther.

What a movie! For most of it, I was breathless. I couldn't even manage a "Whoa!" during the many Whoa-deserving scenes.

I won't even try to sum up the labyrinthine plot that has something to do with invading Cillian Murphy's dreams to plant an idea there that will change the business plans of his energy company. I'll just say that Inception boasts a huge and impressive cast headed by the always excellent Leonardo DiCaprio and the sadly gorgeous Marion Cotillard, supported by Ellen (Juno) Page, Joseph (Brick) Gordon-Levitt, Tom (Bronson) Hardy, and Ken Watanabe. And Tom Berenger, for goodness sake!

Composer Hans Zimmer's pounding pulsating score is one of his very best!

I think I may have just seen the Best Picture winner of the year.

Posted by Terrence Seamon on July 22, 2010

Pandorum

When Pandorum came out in theaters a year or two ago, I remember thinking, "I've got to see that one." But I never did.

Until last night. Thanks to my sons, they sat me down, with takeout food (excellent Vietnamese dinner from Nha Trang Place Jersey City) and beer (Exit 4 from Flying Fish) to watch Pandorum.

Excellent!

An intense and terrifying spaceship thriller starring Ben Foster, Dennis Quaid, and German actress Antje Traue (who would make an excellent Lisbeth Salander), I was riveted throughout as director Christian Alvart kept me guessing as to just what the heck was going on.

And I loved the ending.

For some reason, when Pandorum ran in theaters, it tanked. The critics didn't like it. And audiences passed on it.

If you like Alien, The Descent, and similar sci-fi/horror films, this one is for you.

Posted by Terrence Seamon on July 13, 2010

When I Was A Kid

At the Movie Addicts group on LinkedIn, someone asked, What were some of your favorite movies when you were a kid?

When I think back to my kid days, the late 1950's to early 1960's, I was truly a movie (and TV) addict, watching just about everything that the New York stations had to broadcast, especially channels 5, 9 and 11.

I loved anything having to do with horror, ghosts, sci fi, adventure...you name it. And classic comedy, especially Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, even the Bowery Boys.

So here are some of the films that really resonated with me when I was a kid:

- The March of the Wooden Soldiers. To this day, I can sit and watch this timeless classic comedy with Laurel & Hardy and still laugh my butt off over their old jokes ("Good night, Ollie.")

- Mighty Joe Young. I still choke up during the climactic fire rescue scene.

- King Kong. A classic of cinema, period.

- The Wizard of Oz. Ditto my last comment. One of the top ten films of all time.

- The Time Machine starring Rod Taylor, with its excellent music score by Russell Garcia.

- Jason and the Argonauts. For mythic adventure and strange creatures, this one has it all, courtesy of animation master Ray Harryhausen and composer Bernard Herrmann.

- The Day the Earth Stood Still. When Patricia Neal approaches Gort the giant robot, to stop it before it destroys the Earth by saying "Klaatu barata nikto," you have one of the most terrifying moments in film history. Plus score by Bernard Herrmann.

- Hold That Ghost. One of Abbott and Costello's early efforts has gangsters, ghosts, and the Andrew Sisters!

- The Magnificent Seven. What a cast. What a story. What music (by Elmer Bernstein)

- Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Maybe the best mix of comedy and horror ever. And the score by Frank Skinner is a favorite.

And one more I just remembered:

- The Fabulous World of Jules Verne. A Czech film with striking visuals that look like drawings come to life.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, July 10, 2010

Jason and the Argonauts

When I was a kid, I begged my dad to take me to see Jason & the Argonauts (1963) at the local movie theater. I could tell he wasn't enthused. But he relented and took me to see it.

It changed my life.

The creatures animated by the great Ray Harryhausen were among his very best, including the tormenting harpies, the giant man of bronze Talos, and the army of skeletons. Each scene is a classic of cinema.

Elevating these and other scenes is the music provided by the legendary Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann whose score for Jason is among his very best. From the opening theme with its strong pounding drums and triumphant horns, to the wild fandango that propels the battle with the skeletons, this is film scoring at its greatest, transporting you to a mythic place where you believe in seven headed hydras guarding a golden fleece.

Tom Hanks said, at an Oscar ceremony a couple years ago, that the greatest film ever made was Jason and the Argonauts. I agree.

Posted by terrence Seamon, July 3, 2010