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Film Composer Spotlight: Thomas Newman
As iconic as the opening musical blasts of every Star Wars film are, the 20th Century Fox fanfare that (until recently) precedes it is arguably just as iconic. The composer of that tune was the inadvertent patriarch film music’s first and only dynasty: Alfred Newman. The Newman name can be spotted everywhere in the Music…
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Traverse City Film Festival 2019: Top Films
After a leave of absence of reviews from last year’s Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF) even though I was there, I return with short reviews of the most impressive films that I saw this year. I have only reviewed films that are scheduled for distribution now or later this year. So rather than write about…
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Film Composer Spotlight: John Williams
If one wishes to compose music for film, one cannot necessarily hope to get famous doing so. One cannot expect to have his or her music played regularly or have their name be recognizable to anyone outside of the world of film. Film music is designed to stay in the background. Unseen. Unconsciously heard. Safe…
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Film Composer Spotlight: Hans Zimmer
There are many creative forces which go into storytelling through film. You may not always be fully conscious of everything being used to communicate a story to you. The easiest element to recognize in a film is the on-screen performers. Film actors are the stars. They get paid the big bucks. Everyone talks about them,…
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Oscars 2019 – Who Should Win? (Part Two)
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Roma
It’s that time of the year again. Lights are glowing. Music is going. Food is flowing. That’s right — it’s Oscar season! The festive holiday where we live in movie theaters because all the best films of the year appear over the course of three months. However, Netflix might be changing that. The platform that…
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Claudine
“I have known this woman all my life,” Diahann Carroll writes in her autobiography.* “We grew up together in the same neighborhood.” Lest someone might interpret that statement as metaphorical, she continues: “much of the film was shot around 145th Street and Convent Avenue, the very same neighborhood where I was raised…Claudine and I were…
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First Man / Free Solo
Our audio equipment failed us in October, but we’re back and better than ever. Welcome to our first double feature podcast! That’s right, this month you get two movies for the price of one. Starting things off is First Man. After launching two masterpieces into the universe with Whiplash and La La Land, director Damien…
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A Star Is Born
Have you ever had a moment so overwhelmingly emotional — chaotically sensory even — that you don’t know what to do when it’s over? If not, try to imagine one. Because the coming topic is essentially a concert film, imagine your favorite artist/band is playing at a large stadium (for some, maybe just remember your…
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Mandy
Who is Nicolas Cage? Oscar-winning actor? Charming leading man? The king of rage? The answer of course is all of the above. His nearly four decade career has run the gamut. He’s been acclaimed and panned. He’s made hits and straight-to-DVD misses. But through it all, Cage is still making movies and we’re still talking…
