Thompson on Hollywood

Immersed in Movies: Assessing the Music Oscar Race

Awards

Like cinematography, production design, editing, and sound, the Oscar-nominated music scores are all organically tied to their movies in very personal ways. So it's hard to pick a winner among such stalwarts as Alexandre Desplat ("Argo"), Thomas Newman ("Skyfall"), Mychael Danna ("Life of Pi"), and Dario Marianelli ("Anna Karenina") along with the venerable old warhorse, John Williams ("Lincoln"). Still, I keep hearing a lot about Danna being the favorite in a very close race.

By Bill Desowitz
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February 15, 2013 3:41 PM
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Immersed in Movies: Assessing the Sound Oscar Races

Features

While "Argo" might be the Oscar frontrunner for sound editing and mixing, jarring and humoring us with a bizarre Iranian hostage rescue mission, all of this year's nominees create fascinating soundscapes: "Django Unchained" offers a spirited yet analogue-like experience associated with the spaghetti western...

By Bill Desowitz
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February 13, 2013 3:47 PM
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Oscar Watch: 'Skyfall' Builds Academy Support, Composer Thomas Newman Overdue for Oscar

Awards

"Skyfall" could land a surprising number of Oscar nominations when they are announced on January 10. James Bond films, while they have been popular over the decades with Academy voters as popcorn entertainment, have not been Oscar contenders except for the occasional technical or song nomination. (The Oscarcast is tributing Bond on its 50th anniversary, in any case.) But Bond 23 is directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes ("American Beauty") and brings a certain class and patina missing from many other Bond films.

By Anne Thompson
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January 4, 2013 4:03 PM
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'Les Miserables' Soundtrack Scores on Charts, Hathaway's 'I Dreamed a Dream' Soars

News

When "Les Miserables: Highlights From the Motion Picture Soundtrack" debuted on December 21, it claimed the top spot of Billboard's soundtrack chart. In three days it sold 43,000 copies, 60% of which were digital downloads. The most popular of the 20 tracks included in the album is Anne Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream" (20,000 copies sold in three days); it may win her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. The soundtrack has also taken the top spot on both iTunes (before being pushed to No. 2 by Mumford & Sons' "Babel") and Amazon. "I Dreamed a Dream" is iTunes' 27th most-downloaded track.

By Sophia Savage
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January 2, 2013 2:53 PM
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Jay-Z Producing Score for Baz Luhrmann's 'Great Gatsby'

News

The first two trailers for Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby," both featuring the pulsing hip-hop beats of Kanye West-Jay-Z collaboration "Watch the Throne," let us know that this will be no ordinary F. Scott Fitzgerald adaptation...

By Beth Hanna
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January 2, 2013 1:41 PM
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Listen: Five Tracks from Alexandre Desplat's 'Zero Dark Thirty' Score

News

The complete score for Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty," by the prolific composer Alexandre Desplat, is now available online. This is something a little different for Desplat, melding pulse-pounding and Middle Eastern strings for the film's fraught sequences, with a lighter staccato sound for the quieter moments.

By Beth Hanna
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December 14, 2012 12:49 PM
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Nirvana, Foo Fighter Frontman Dave Grohl to Direct "Sound City" Documentary

News

Dave Grohl, the famed frontman of Foo Fighters and drummer of Nirvana, will direct and produce a music documentary, "Sound City," on the legendary music studio. From the trailer - posted below - it already looks frenetic and chock full with self-congratulatory interviews. But for fans of the infamous recording studio...

By Maggie Lange
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May 3, 2012 4:35 PM
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KiD CuDi Samples "Attack the Block" in his Latest Track, Plus "Hunger Games" Anthem

News

Smooth hip-hop stylist KiD CuDi samples lines from the 2011 British sci-fi comedy "Attack the Block" in his latest track "Hook Me Up With Some More of This Whiskey." The movie's fast and funny style matches nicely with CuDi's sound (listen and download here). KiD CuDi also appears on the soundtrack for "The Hunger Games" (listen below). The intense song "The Ruler & the Killer" masterfully blends CuDi's distinctive sound with the movie. Our ears are perked for more cinema collaborations from the singer.

By Maggie Lange
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April 27, 2012 11:52 AM
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How 'The Hunger Games''s Lush Soundscapes Were Made (Video)

Video

Can't get enough of "The Hunger Games"? Learn about how the film's Dolby Surround 7.1 Immersive audio was created for the film in the video below. Director Gary Ross and his sound team - Supervising Sound Editor Lon Bender, Re-recording Mixer Michael Keller, and Re-recording Mixer Mike Prestwood Smith -- discuss how the film's "lush soundscapes" were made.

By Sophia Savage
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March 27, 2012 4:50 PM
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Immersed in Movies: Oscar-Winner Dante Ferretti Talks Retro 'Hugo'

Features

As we come down to the wire, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that Oscar belongs to "The Artist" and "Hugo" in a strange alignment of early moviemaking nostalgia. But while "The Artist" will likely score the top three prizes for picture, director, and actor, "Hugo" seems destined to take most of the technical awards.