Soundtrack Reviews – X

The Rebirth of Dante Tomaselli’s Desecration (1999)

Review of Desecration (1999) on Blu from Code Red / KINO / Unobstructed View + an interview with writer-director-composer Dante Tomaselli.

Suburban Tales VIII: No Down Payment (1957)

In Suburban Tales VIII, I examine Martin Ritt’s film of John McPartland’s novel No Down Payment (1957), released on shiny Blu-ray by Twilight Time, plus some contemporary parallels…

Even Killer Fish Movies Must Have Killer DNA: The Meg (2018)

Review of the latest 3D killer fish flick: THE MEG (2018) from Warner Bros. + quick thoughts on the ongoing Canada-wide postal strike.

Djinn (2013): Tobe Hooper’s Supernatural Swill

Review of Tobe Hooper’s feature film swan song, the barely seen Djinn (2013), from Screen Media.

Politics, Politics, Politics: BlacKkKlansman (2018) + The Last Hurrah (1958)

Just in time for the U.S. midterms are two political dramas – Spike Lee’s BLACKKKLANSMAN (2018) from Universal + John Ford’s THE LAST HURRAH (1958) from Twilight Time.

Viva Amiga’s Zach Weddington (and a bit of gear talk)

Podcast interview with Zach Weddington on Viva Amiga, his affectionate documentary on the pioneering multimedia computer (plus a bit of gear talk).

Patricia Rozema’s Singing Mermaids & White Room + Bonus Audio from NCFD 2018

Review of the CanCon classic I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987) and much-maligned White Room (1990) + Q&A audio of director Patricia Rozema & journalist Kiva Reardon during National Canadian Film Day.

ArtScopeTO 07: Interview with Photographer Andre Vittorio

Aprils ArtScopeTO podcast features photographer Andre Vittorio, whose series Abstractions on Metal can be seen at Toronto’s Urban Gallery until Sat. April 28, 2018.

BR: Desecration (1999)

After refining the imagery from specific nightmares into a series of abstract short films, Dante Tomaselli fleshed out his surreal tale of a morally corrupt spirit into a feature-length work that’s part nightmare…

BR: No Down Payment (1957)

Martin Ritt’s second film as director is this lesser known, slightly star-studded drama based on a novel by pulp writer John McPartland, and both the film and novel were reportedly the inspiration for Knots Landing…

BR: Meg, The (2018)

In spite of the hype, the decent box office gross, and inherent B-movie elements, The Meg is an incredibly dumb film, which wouldn’t be an issue if the script had been crafted with skill, and the direction wasn’t hack-like…

DVD: Djinn (2013)

Filmed in 2011, sneaked to a London test audience in 2012, and premiering at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in 2013, Tobe Hooper’s swan song is a sad illustration of the lousy projects the Poltergiest (1982) director had to settle for at the tail-end of his career…

DVD: BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Spike Lee’s latest feature is based on Black Klansman, Ron Stallworth’s recently published account of his time as an undercover detective for the Colorado Springs Police Department during the 1970s, with one heck of a premise…

LP: John and Mary (1969)

Written during his busiest period (1968-1970), Quincy Jones’ score for John and Mary was quite sparse, leaving obligatory space for the film’s myriad dialogue exchanges and source music, but the score is memorable for being atypical of the material Jones was writing at the time: action comedies (The Italian Job, The Hell with Heroes), comedies (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,Cactus Flower), and the funky style of They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!

CD: Runaway Train (1985)

For some soundtrack fans, it was a bit of surprise to learn the composer of pioneering synth scores had begun his career with large orchestral scores for John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981) and Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal (1982)…

LP: Bourne Identity, The (2002)

The first film in the enduring franchise gave John Powell the perfect opportunity to write what remains both his definitive action sound, and the definitive action score of that decade, blending large orchestral sounds with layers upon layers of electronics…