Who are the most significant influences on your musical life and career as a composer? A great film or TV score is most potent as an artform when it reinforces the emotion on screen, but it also knows when music is not needed. What strategies do you employ to get this balance right? These were some of the topics discussed by four top TV composers when they joined Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2024 awards contenders: Julia Newman (“Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”), Sherri Chung (“Based on a True Story”), David Fleming (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”) and Nami Melumad (“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”). Watch our fascinating full group roundtable panel above, and click on each name above to view each nominee’s individual interview.
See Watch our lively chats with over 300 of 2024 Emmy contenders
“I used to go to sleep when I was a...
See Watch our lively chats with over 300 of 2024 Emmy contenders
“I used to go to sleep when I was a...
- 5/28/2024
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
“I wanted it to be alive more than anything, and there to be a sense of real delight and weirdness,” reveals “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” composer Julia Newman about her score for the FX limited series. For our recent webchat she adds, “What I love so much about this show is that there’s no good guys, but we empathize at different moments with all of the characters. Everyone inhabits a real humanness and in inhabiting that humanness, of course, everybody is flawed. I loved the idea of Truman Capote always listening, always with the typewriter going on, as everybody was always scheming. It’s actually part of what makes the story so powerful. As shallow as human beings can get and as deep as human beings can get, what does it mean to be on your deathbed and to regret a friendship lost? That’s so profound. So,...
- 5/28/2024
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
After a seven-year break, FX’s anthology series “Feud” is back with another installment of rivalry and gossip titled “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans,” telling the story of Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) and a high society New York City socialite group known as The Swans, which includes Babe Paley (Naomi Watts), Slim Keith (Diane Lane), C.Z. Guest (Chloë Sevigny), Lee Radziwill (Calista Flockhart), Ann Woodward (Demi Moore) and Joanne Carson (Molly Ringwald). The previous season of the Ryan Murphy docudrama that starred Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis nabbed 18 Emmy Award nominations and two wins. Let’s look back at their haul to see how it may impact this current season at the 2024 Emmys.
Here are the 2017 Emmy wins and nominations for “Feud: Bette and Joan”:
Best Limited/Movie Non-Prosthetic Makeup (Won)
Eryn Krueger Mekash, Makeup Designer
Robin Beauchesne, Assistant Makeup Department Head
Shutchai Tym Buacharern,...
Here are the 2017 Emmy wins and nominations for “Feud: Bette and Joan”:
Best Limited/Movie Non-Prosthetic Makeup (Won)
Eryn Krueger Mekash, Makeup Designer
Robin Beauchesne, Assistant Makeup Department Head
Shutchai Tym Buacharern,...
- 4/20/2024
- by Christopher Tsang
- Gold Derby
Things are slowly heating up for the release of Yorgos Lanthimos’ upcoming movie, Kinds of Kindness, which is set to be released on June 21, 2024 in theaters. This is the Greek director’s next project after the award-winning hit Poor Things starring Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe, both of whom are returning for Kinds of Kindness as well, continuing their successful collaboration with the Oscar-nominated filmmaker. Ahead of the movie’s release, Searchlight Pictures has just released the first official teaser trailer for the upcoming movie.
Kinds of Kindness is based on an original script co-written by Efthimis Filippou Lanthimos himself. Lanthimos described the film as “a contemporary film, set in the US – three different stories, with four or five actors who play one part in each story,” confirming that Kinds of Kindness is going to be the first anthology movie in his career. Aside from the already-mentioned Stone and Dafoe,...
Kinds of Kindness is based on an original script co-written by Efthimis Filippou Lanthimos himself. Lanthimos described the film as “a contemporary film, set in the US – three different stories, with four or five actors who play one part in each story,” confirming that Kinds of Kindness is going to be the first anthology movie in his career. Aside from the already-mentioned Stone and Dafoe,...
- 3/27/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
It is no secret that Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ career has been evolving quite nicely since his hit film The Lobster. The Greek director has gained numerous major awards and nominations, and with his recent hit film, Poor Things, winning several Academy Awards, we are pleased to confirm that his upcoming movie, Kinds of Kindness, will be released later this year – on June 21, 2024.
Unlike his two previous films, The Favourite and Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness will be based on an original script written by Lanthimos himself and Efthimis Filippou. It is going to be an anthology film, which the director himself described as “a contemporary film, set in the US – three different stories, with four or five actors who play one part in each story”. The actors in question include Lanthimos’ favorite collaborator, Emma Stone, as well as Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie,...
Unlike his two previous films, The Favourite and Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness will be based on an original script written by Lanthimos himself and Efthimis Filippou. It is going to be an anthology film, which the director himself described as “a contemporary film, set in the US – three different stories, with four or five actors who play one part in each story”. The actors in question include Lanthimos’ favorite collaborator, Emma Stone, as well as Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie,...
- 3/15/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film tonight, marking the first Oscar win for filmmakers Dave Mullins and Brad Booker.
Set to the anti-war Christmas classic song by John Lennon and Yoko Ono “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”, the animated short follows two soldiers at the frontline of World War I as they play a chess game through carrier pigeon, unaware they are on opposing sides of the battle.
Related: ‘American Fiction’: Cord Jefferson Pleas With Hollywood To Give New Creatives A Shot While Accepting Award At 2024 Oscars
The filmmaking pair was joined on stage by executive producer Sean Ono Lennon, son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who led the crowd in wishing his absent mom a happy (UK) Mother’s Day.
Related: Deadline’s Reviews Of All The Oscar Best Picture Nominees
“John Lennon and Yoko...
Set to the anti-war Christmas classic song by John Lennon and Yoko Ono “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”, the animated short follows two soldiers at the frontline of World War I as they play a chess game through carrier pigeon, unaware they are on opposing sides of the battle.
Related: ‘American Fiction’: Cord Jefferson Pleas With Hollywood To Give New Creatives A Shot While Accepting Award At 2024 Oscars
The filmmaking pair was joined on stage by executive producer Sean Ono Lennon, son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who led the crowd in wishing his absent mom a happy (UK) Mother’s Day.
Related: Deadline’s Reviews Of All The Oscar Best Picture Nominees
“John Lennon and Yoko...
- 3/11/2024
- by Ryan Fleming
- Deadline Film + TV
What Oscar records will be broken and which ones will remain intact at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony March 10. With a win, Billie Eilish, 22, and Finneas, 26, would become the youngest artists ever to win two Oscars before the age of 30. The pair won for James Bond theme “No Time to Die” in 2022, and are nominated this year for “What Was I Made For,” from “Barbie.” Only three individuals have clinched two Oscars before turning 30: Luise Rainer earned back to back Oscars by the time she was 28 for “The Great Ziegfeld” (1936) and “The Good Earth” (1937); Jodie Foster in 1989 for “The Accused” (age 26) and in 1992 for “The Silence of the Lambs” (29); and Hilary Swank in 2000 for “Boys Don’t Cry” (26) and in 2005 for “Million Dollar Baby” (29).
Meanwhile, Diane Warren faces a less enviable milestone with her 15th nomination for “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot,” potentially tying with the late Alex North...
Meanwhile, Diane Warren faces a less enviable milestone with her 15th nomination for “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot,” potentially tying with the late Alex North...
- 3/8/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Original Song Barbie
Weekly Commentary: With an original song win, Billie Eilish, 22, and Finneas, 26, would become the youngest artists ever to win two Oscars before the age of 30. The pair won for James Bond theme “No Time to Die” in 2022, and are nominated this year for “What Was I Made For,...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Original Song Barbie
Weekly Commentary: With an original song win, Billie Eilish, 22, and Finneas, 26, would become the youngest artists ever to win two Oscars before the age of 30. The pair won for James Bond theme “No Time to Die” in 2022, and are nominated this year for “What Was I Made For,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2023 Oscars Predictions:
Best Animated Short
Weekly Commentary: In the realm of animated shorts, the title can be as captivating as the storyline itself.
This year, Dave Mullins’ “War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko,” which is co-writes with Sean Lennon, the son of Beatles band member John Lennon,...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2023 Oscars Predictions:
Best Animated Short
Weekly Commentary: In the realm of animated shorts, the title can be as captivating as the storyline itself.
This year, Dave Mullins’ “War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko,” which is co-writes with Sean Lennon, the son of Beatles band member John Lennon,...
- 3/5/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Oscar-frontrunning Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” was the big winner at Asifa-Hollywood’s 51st Annie Awards (held February 17 at UCLA’s Royce Hall), grabbing seven awards, topped by best animated feature. As a 66 percent Oscar predictor, the Annie win bodes well for Sony and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
The other “Spider-Verse” awards were for FX, character design, direction, music, production design, and editorial.
The Oscar-nominated dark horse, “Robot Dreams” (Neon), from Pablo Berger, won best independent feature, and “War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko” (ElectroLeague) took best short. The prestige short got a boost in its race for the Oscar. It’s directed by Pixar alum Dave Mullins and executive produced by Sean Ono Lennon, in partnership with Peter Jackson and his Wētā FX Limited animation team.
Hayao Miyazaki’s summary film, “The Boy and the Heron“ (Studio Ghibli-GKids), won two Annies for Takeshi Honda...
The other “Spider-Verse” awards were for FX, character design, direction, music, production design, and editorial.
The Oscar-nominated dark horse, “Robot Dreams” (Neon), from Pablo Berger, won best independent feature, and “War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko” (ElectroLeague) took best short. The prestige short got a boost in its race for the Oscar. It’s directed by Pixar alum Dave Mullins and executive produced by Sean Ono Lennon, in partnership with Peter Jackson and his Wētā FX Limited animation team.
Hayao Miyazaki’s summary film, “The Boy and the Heron“ (Studio Ghibli-GKids), won two Annies for Takeshi Honda...
- 2/18/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“It’s been really interesting to talk about the film in this personal way, because it really was never meant to be so personal,” Elemental director Peter Sohn said at Deadline’s Contenders Film: The Nominees panel Saturday.
“The seeds sort of started,” the Disney/Pixar vet added of his own Korean family story that birthed the Oscar-nominated toon. “And it rippled through the crew, and a lot of our crew members started bringing their own personal lives to it as well.”
With a love story of sorts between fire element Amber and water element Wade, “empathy among cultures” and a dollop or two of the immigrant experience and interracial relationships, the seven-year effort to bring Elemental to the big screen now sees the half-billion-grossing pic up for Best Animated Feature. It will face off for the Oscar against Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. Netflix’s Nimona,...
“The seeds sort of started,” the Disney/Pixar vet added of his own Korean family story that birthed the Oscar-nominated toon. “And it rippled through the crew, and a lot of our crew members started bringing their own personal lives to it as well.”
With a love story of sorts between fire element Amber and water element Wade, “empathy among cultures” and a dollop or two of the immigrant experience and interracial relationships, the seven-year effort to bring Elemental to the big screen now sees the half-billion-grossing pic up for Best Animated Feature. It will face off for the Oscar against Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. Netflix’s Nimona,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
The annual Oscar nominations lunch is always about the same thing: measuring the applause when the Academy rep calls each nominee down to the riser for the class photo. This year, 179 nominees and four international director nominees made the trek to the Beverly Hilton.
It’s always the celebrities who merit the biggest cheers. Snubbed actress Margot Robbie, on hand as the producer of “Barbie,” and snubbed director Greta Gerwig, on hand as the film’s co-writer, got enthusiastic applause. One theory has a sympathy vote driving a win for Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach for Adapted Screenplay over frontrunner “Oppenheimer,” which after all, has 13 chances to win over the eight for “Barbie.”
Actress frontrunner Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) got a big round, along with her old “La La Land” costar Ryan Gosling (resplendent in a “Barbie”-friendly pink suit), who was delighted to meet Messi, the blue-eyed dog from “Anatomy of a Fall.
It’s always the celebrities who merit the biggest cheers. Snubbed actress Margot Robbie, on hand as the producer of “Barbie,” and snubbed director Greta Gerwig, on hand as the film’s co-writer, got enthusiastic applause. One theory has a sympathy vote driving a win for Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach for Adapted Screenplay over frontrunner “Oppenheimer,” which after all, has 13 chances to win over the eight for “Barbie.”
Actress frontrunner Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) got a big round, along with her old “La La Land” costar Ryan Gosling (resplendent in a “Barbie”-friendly pink suit), who was delighted to meet Messi, the blue-eyed dog from “Anatomy of a Fall.
- 2/13/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Society of Composers & Lyricists will honor Martin Scorsese and the late Robbie Robertson with the Spirit of Collaboration Award at this year’s Scl Awards on Feb. 13.
This award recognizes a “composer/director relationship which has created a prodigious body of work.” Robertson and Scorsese’s collaborations have included Raging Bull, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, Silence, The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon.
Past recipients of the Spirit of Collaboration Award include Thomas Newman and Sam Mendes, Terence Blanchard and Spike Lee, Carter Burwell and the Coen Brothers and last year’s honorees Justin Hurwitz and Damien Chazelle.
The nominees for the Scl Awards, which this year will be hosted by Siedah Garrett, closely reflect this year’s Oscar-nominated songwriters and composers: Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (Barbie), Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt (Barbie), Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson (American Symphony) and Diane Warren...
This award recognizes a “composer/director relationship which has created a prodigious body of work.” Robertson and Scorsese’s collaborations have included Raging Bull, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, Silence, The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon.
Past recipients of the Spirit of Collaboration Award include Thomas Newman and Sam Mendes, Terence Blanchard and Spike Lee, Carter Burwell and the Coen Brothers and last year’s honorees Justin Hurwitz and Damien Chazelle.
The nominees for the Scl Awards, which this year will be hosted by Siedah Garrett, closely reflect this year’s Oscar-nominated songwriters and composers: Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (Barbie), Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt (Barbie), Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson (American Symphony) and Diane Warren...
- 1/26/2024
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Inheritance,” “The Accident” and “Good Bad Things” are among the award winners at the 30th annual Slamdance Film Festival. The winners were announced Thursday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Park City – The Yarrow in Park City, Utah.
The three films feted the Feature Grand Jury Prizes, while the Audience Awards went to “African Giants,” “Demon Mineral,” “Good Bad Things” and “Night Drives.”
The festival also announced the recipient of their Agbo Fellowship from Slamdance alumni Joe and Anthony Russo. It went to Kiarash Dadgar, whose short film “The Steak” was programmed as a part of the Narrative Shorts competition and included a $25,000 prize with mentorship from the brothers.
“This year’s award-winning films leave an indelible mark on the world of independent cinema. Each one delves into groundbreaking storytelling and the spirit of human resilience, highlighting the extreme filmmaking talent on show at Slamdance ’24,” Taylor Miller, Slamdance director, said in a statement.
The three films feted the Feature Grand Jury Prizes, while the Audience Awards went to “African Giants,” “Demon Mineral,” “Good Bad Things” and “Night Drives.”
The festival also announced the recipient of their Agbo Fellowship from Slamdance alumni Joe and Anthony Russo. It went to Kiarash Dadgar, whose short film “The Steak” was programmed as a part of the Narrative Shorts competition and included a $25,000 prize with mentorship from the brothers.
“This year’s award-winning films leave an indelible mark on the world of independent cinema. Each one delves into groundbreaking storytelling and the spirit of human resilience, highlighting the extreme filmmaking talent on show at Slamdance ’24,” Taylor Miller, Slamdance director, said in a statement.
- 1/26/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Caroline Brew, Diego Ramos Bechara and Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
On Thursday afternoon, the history-filled Sony lot in Culver City — which was the MGM lot during Hollywood’s Golden Age, home to “more stars than there are in heaven” — welcomed film composer John Williams, after whom the studio’s musical building was being renamed.
Williams, 91, who is best known for the scores of Star Wars and 29 Steven Spielberg films — 20 of which were scored in the structure that will henceforth be known as the John Williams Music Building — was on hand, as were many of his collaborators (Spielberg, J.J. Abrams and Spielberg’s producers Frank Marshall and Kristie Macosko Krieger) and colleagues (including fellow film composer Thomas Newman).
Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra kicked off the festivities by noting how much “magic was made right here in this building.” Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group chairman and CEO Tom Rothman then argued that the greatest of all time in many fields is debatable,...
Williams, 91, who is best known for the scores of Star Wars and 29 Steven Spielberg films — 20 of which were scored in the structure that will henceforth be known as the John Williams Music Building — was on hand, as were many of his collaborators (Spielberg, J.J. Abrams and Spielberg’s producers Frank Marshall and Kristie Macosko Krieger) and colleagues (including fellow film composer Thomas Newman).
Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra kicked off the festivities by noting how much “magic was made right here in this building.” Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group chairman and CEO Tom Rothman then argued that the greatest of all time in many fields is debatable,...
- 1/18/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Nimona,” the underdog Oscar contender from Annapurna Animation/Netflix, was the surprise leader for Asifa-Hollywood’s 51st Annie Awards with nine nominations. Meanwhile, the leading Oscar frontrunners, Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” and Studio Ghibli/GKids’ “The Boy and the Heron” each scored seven nominations. The awards ceremony will be held February 17 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
They will compete for best feature honors with Crunchyroll/Sony’s “Suzume,” the latest 2D fantasy/adventure from anime master Makoto Shinkai, which also collected seven nominations, and Nickelodeon/Paramount’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which grabbed six noms.
Pixar’s “Elemental” also earned six nominations, while Neon’s “Robot Dreams,” an indie Oscar hopeful from Spain/France, earned five nominations.
The other best indie feature contenders are GKids’ “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia,” “Four Souls of Coyote” (Cinemon Entertainment), “The Inventor” (Curiosity Studios), and “White Plastic Sky...
They will compete for best feature honors with Crunchyroll/Sony’s “Suzume,” the latest 2D fantasy/adventure from anime master Makoto Shinkai, which also collected seven nominations, and Nickelodeon/Paramount’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which grabbed six noms.
Pixar’s “Elemental” also earned six nominations, while Neon’s “Robot Dreams,” an indie Oscar hopeful from Spain/France, earned five nominations.
The other best indie feature contenders are GKids’ “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia,” “Four Souls of Coyote” (Cinemon Entertainment), “The Inventor” (Curiosity Studios), and “White Plastic Sky...
- 1/11/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Searching for and listening to movie soundtrack music for the year is an active quest of curiosity, discovery, and collage. For those fatigued and pushing through the chilliest season, I hope this mix can provide both energy and warmth, as it did to me in making it.Trends in film music over the last decade are continuing strong in 2023, particularly in the ambition of independent auteurs using complex and unusual scoring. The foundation for this mix is Angela Schanelec's beautiful and aptly titled Music, which provides both diegetic and non-diegetic moments to guide us. Samples range from The Old Oak, in which classical choral choir meets Syrian guitar and words of hope that now hit harder than ever, to a mix of sentimental strings courtesy of the legendary Joe Hisaishi. Abstract experimental sounds by two completely different kinds of artists—Harmony Korine and Thomas Newman—are mixed with sliced...
- 1/4/2024
- MUBI
Ryan Murphy’s upcoming FX series “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” boasts one of the greatest casts of the TV season. But it has also broken new ground on the music side: a father-daughter team providing the musical score.
It’s believed to be a first for music in films and TV. Emmy winner and 15-time Oscar nominee Thomas Newman has written the theme, but his daughter Julia Newman, in her first major outing, has composed the score for the entire eight-hour miniseries.
Julia Newman, 29, earned a master’s degree from the University of Southern California’s screen scoring program in 2020 and has since worked on short films, documentaries, games and web series. But “Feud” was a massive new challenge, and, she says, “my dad and [executive producer] Alexis Martin Woodall allowed me the opportunity to spread my wings.”
The series (which debuts Jan. 31) takes place between 1955 and 1984 and depicts a literary...
It’s believed to be a first for music in films and TV. Emmy winner and 15-time Oscar nominee Thomas Newman has written the theme, but his daughter Julia Newman, in her first major outing, has composed the score for the entire eight-hour miniseries.
Julia Newman, 29, earned a master’s degree from the University of Southern California’s screen scoring program in 2020 and has since worked on short films, documentaries, games and web series. But “Feud” was a massive new challenge, and, she says, “my dad and [executive producer] Alexis Martin Woodall allowed me the opportunity to spread my wings.”
The series (which debuts Jan. 31) takes place between 1955 and 1984 and depicts a literary...
- 12/22/2023
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed its shortlists for 2024 Oscar nominees in several categories, including Best Original Song and Best Original Score.
Of the 15 songs on the Oscar shortlist for Best Original Song, three come from Barbie: “Dance the Night” sung by Dua Lipa; “I’m Just Ken” sung by Ryan Gosling; and “What Was I Made For?” sung by Billie Eilish.
Also on the Best Original Song shortlist are Olivia Rodrigo for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes; Sharon Van Etten for “Quiet Eyes” from Past Lives; Jarvis Cocker for “Dear Alien (Who Art In Heaven)” from Asteroid City; Jon Batiste for “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony; and Metro Boomin, A$AP Rocky, and Roisee for “Am I Dreaming” from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The shortlist for Best Original Score includes Consequence’s 2023 Composer of the Year,...
Of the 15 songs on the Oscar shortlist for Best Original Song, three come from Barbie: “Dance the Night” sung by Dua Lipa; “I’m Just Ken” sung by Ryan Gosling; and “What Was I Made For?” sung by Billie Eilish.
Also on the Best Original Song shortlist are Olivia Rodrigo for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes; Sharon Van Etten for “Quiet Eyes” from Past Lives; Jarvis Cocker for “Dear Alien (Who Art In Heaven)” from Asteroid City; Jon Batiste for “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony; and Metro Boomin, A$AP Rocky, and Roisee for “Am I Dreaming” from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The shortlist for Best Original Score includes Consequence’s 2023 Composer of the Year,...
- 12/21/2023
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Film News
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed its shortlists for 2024 Oscar nominees in several categories, including Best Original Song and Best Original Score.
Of the 15 songs on the Oscar shortlist for Best Original Song, three come from Barbie: “Dance the Night” sung by Dua Lipa; “I’m Just Ken” sung by Ryan Gosling; and “What Was I Made For?” sung by Billie Eilish.
Also on the Best Original Song shortlist are Olivia Rodrigo for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes; Sharon Van Etten for “Quiet Eyes” from Past Lives; Jarvis Cocker for “Dear Alien (Who Art In Heaven)” from Asteroid City; Jon Batiste for “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony; and Metro Boomin, A$AP Rocky, and Roisee for “Am I Dreaming” from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The shortlist for Best Original Score includes Consequence’s 2023 Composer of the Year,...
Of the 15 songs on the Oscar shortlist for Best Original Song, three come from Barbie: “Dance the Night” sung by Dua Lipa; “I’m Just Ken” sung by Ryan Gosling; and “What Was I Made For?” sung by Billie Eilish.
Also on the Best Original Song shortlist are Olivia Rodrigo for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes; Sharon Van Etten for “Quiet Eyes” from Past Lives; Jarvis Cocker for “Dear Alien (Who Art In Heaven)” from Asteroid City; Jon Batiste for “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony; and Metro Boomin, A$AP Rocky, and Roisee for “Am I Dreaming” from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The shortlist for Best Original Score includes Consequence’s 2023 Composer of the Year,...
- 12/21/2023
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Music
Oscar’s music branch has had its say, naming 15 original scores and 15 songs to its shortlist for possible nomination at the 96th Academy Awards, with few surprises.
As expected, all three “Barbie” songs that were entered — Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For,” Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” — made the 15-song list. Only two, under Academy rules, can be nominated.
The mild surprise was the citing of two new songs from “The Color Purple” (“Keep It Movin'” and “Superpower”) and two from “Flora and Son” (“High Life” and “Meet in the Middle”), while two of the biggest musicals of the season, “Wonka” and “Wish,” failed to make the cut in either category.
The Bruce Springsteen song from “She Came to Me,” Golden Globe-nominated, is also missing from Oscar’s preliminary list, as are the *Nsync reunion on a song from...
As expected, all three “Barbie” songs that were entered — Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For,” Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” — made the 15-song list. Only two, under Academy rules, can be nominated.
The mild surprise was the citing of two new songs from “The Color Purple” (“Keep It Movin'” and “Superpower”) and two from “Flora and Son” (“High Life” and “Meet in the Middle”), while two of the biggest musicals of the season, “Wonka” and “Wish,” failed to make the cut in either category.
The Bruce Springsteen song from “She Came to Me,” Golden Globe-nominated, is also missing from Oscar’s preliminary list, as are the *Nsync reunion on a song from...
- 12/21/2023
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists in 10 categories for the upcoming 96th Oscars ceremony.
Overall, Greta Gerwig’s meta-comedy “Barbie” had the most mentions with five including sound, original song for its three submissions from Billie Eilish (“What I Was Made For?”), Dua Lipa (“Dance the Night”) and Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt (“I’m Just Ken”), and original score, from the latter duo. The big miss for “Barbie” was in makeup and hairstyling, which was the category that yielded the most surprises.
In addition to “Barbie,” “The Color Purple,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” all failed to make the shortlist. Instead, the branch selected A24’s eccentric “Beau is Afraid” and Universal Pictures’ horror summer film “The Last Voyage of the Demeter.”
In the music categories are compositions from Daniel Pemberton (“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”), Ludwig Göransson (“Oppenheimer”) and the late...
Overall, Greta Gerwig’s meta-comedy “Barbie” had the most mentions with five including sound, original song for its three submissions from Billie Eilish (“What I Was Made For?”), Dua Lipa (“Dance the Night”) and Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt (“I’m Just Ken”), and original score, from the latter duo. The big miss for “Barbie” was in makeup and hairstyling, which was the category that yielded the most surprises.
In addition to “Barbie,” “The Color Purple,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” all failed to make the shortlist. Instead, the branch selected A24’s eccentric “Beau is Afraid” and Universal Pictures’ horror summer film “The Last Voyage of the Demeter.”
In the music categories are compositions from Daniel Pemberton (“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”), Ludwig Göransson (“Oppenheimer”) and the late...
- 12/21/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
In 2021, Sean Ono Lennon was looking for a way to make a music video for one of his parents’ signature songs and feeling creatively stuck—until he had a meeting with former Pixar animator Dave Mullins. The song, 1971’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over), is probably the most popular piece of music John Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote as a couple. But beyond appearing reliably on playlists around the world every Christmas, Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is also a peace anthem, and Sean wanted to reintroduce the song’s message. The song “just felt like it deserved some kind of piece to help get it out there for another generation,” Lennon says. The only problem was that every music video idea seemed to trivialize it. “It almost felt goofy,” Lennon says. “Like a Hallmark kind of thing. What are we going to show, a family sitting around a fire?...
- 12/5/2023
- by Rebecca Keegan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” is set to dominate the original song race. Oscar voters will likely pick all three contenders from the blockbuster for the original song shortlist: Billie Eilish’s tear-inducing ballad “What Was I Made For,” Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Ryan Gosling’s pitiful song of feeling inadequate “I’m Just Ken.”
Mark Ronson and songwriting partner Andrew Wyatt wrote the latter two, while Eilish partnered with brother Finneas on her tune. However, with only two nominations allowed in this category, it will be left to the music branch to decide which two they pick.
Lenny Kravitz eyes a spot on the list with “Road to Freedom,” a song he penned for George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin.” The soulful song’s horns and trombones are key to this composition, which accompanies the film’s end credits.
Disney seeks to snag nominations for the original songs...
Mark Ronson and songwriting partner Andrew Wyatt wrote the latter two, while Eilish partnered with brother Finneas on her tune. However, with only two nominations allowed in this category, it will be left to the music branch to decide which two they pick.
Lenny Kravitz eyes a spot on the list with “Road to Freedom,” a song he penned for George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin.” The soulful song’s horns and trombones are key to this composition, which accompanies the film’s end credits.
Disney seeks to snag nominations for the original songs...
- 11/29/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Approaches to film scoring have become increasingly eclectic—from jazz and classical to hip-hop and avant-garde—making it more difficult than ever for Academy voters to narrow the field to 15 for Oscar’s shortlist. Variety examines 16 of the possible choices, in alphabetical order:
‘American Fiction‘ – Laura Karpman
Cord Jefferson’s movie—about a Black writer who, as a joke, writes a bad novel that becomes a best seller—has a lead character whose name is Thelonious and whose nickname is Monk. So, to composer Laura Karpman, fashioning a score in the style of the jazz great was an obvious choice.
Much of her score is small-combo, piano-featured jazz, and while she also wrote a massive orchestral and choral score for “The Marvels,” this much smaller but acclaimed film would seem to be her best shot for awards. She has five Emmys, co-founded the Alliance for Women Film Composers, and was...
‘American Fiction‘ – Laura Karpman
Cord Jefferson’s movie—about a Black writer who, as a joke, writes a bad novel that becomes a best seller—has a lead character whose name is Thelonious and whose nickname is Monk. So, to composer Laura Karpman, fashioning a score in the style of the jazz great was an obvious choice.
Much of her score is small-combo, piano-featured jazz, and while she also wrote a massive orchestral and choral score for “The Marvels,” this much smaller but acclaimed film would seem to be her best shot for awards. She has five Emmys, co-founded the Alliance for Women Film Composers, and was...
- 11/29/2023
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Every year, we here at IndieWire take on the daunting and potentially insane task of plowing through seemingly endless lists of potential Sundance entrants to pick out the films that not only could make their way onto the annual festival’s slate, but the ones we’d most like to actually land in Park City in January. As ever, there’s no shortage of possibilities for the upcoming festival, including a wide variety of films shot under various Covid protocols, a slew of holdovers from the before times, and some long-gestating films we’ve been expecting and hoping to see for entire years.
And while we don’t yet know how the twin strikes will have impacted the overall lineup — as this article is published, the SAG-AFTRA strike has been over for barely 12 hours — and who will be on hand to attend this year to tout their work, we do know that,...
And while we don’t yet know how the twin strikes will have impacted the overall lineup — as this article is published, the SAG-AFTRA strike has been over for barely 12 hours — and who will be on hand to attend this year to tout their work, we do know that,...
- 11/9/2023
- by Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich, Ryan Lattanzio and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
For Pixar’s Elemental, composer Thomas Newman was given the challenge of scoring for ‘elemental’ cultures that don’t exist in the real world, while instilling a sense of familiarity for the viewer. He says the real difficulty was to “point towards different cultures and never land on one.”
Directed by Pete Sohn, the story follows Ember (Leah Lewis), a fire resident working in her parents market, whose fiery temper leads her to a chance meeting with Wade (Mamoudou Athie), a sappy water resident working as a city inspector. While fire and water do not mix well, Ember and Wade find themselves growing closer and closer. Rather than focus on the clash between elements for the score, Newman says the most important thing to remember is that it’s a love story.
Elemental
Deadline: You have a lot of different elements blending together, what were your initial inspirations?
Thomas Newman...
Directed by Pete Sohn, the story follows Ember (Leah Lewis), a fire resident working in her parents market, whose fiery temper leads her to a chance meeting with Wade (Mamoudou Athie), a sappy water resident working as a city inspector. While fire and water do not mix well, Ember and Wade find themselves growing closer and closer. Rather than focus on the clash between elements for the score, Newman says the most important thing to remember is that it’s a love story.
Elemental
Deadline: You have a lot of different elements blending together, what were your initial inspirations?
Thomas Newman...
- 11/8/2023
- by Ryan Fleming
- Deadline Film + TV
Billie Eilish and Finneas along with Lenny Kravitz and Diane Warren are among the nominees at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
Eilish and Finneas landed a nomination for “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie. The song is one of three from the movie vying for Oscar consideration. Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro were nominated for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” which was just revealed as the official song of the film. Also receiving nominations for their music are Justin Timberlake, Alan Menken, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Metro Boomin and A$AP Rocky.
The composers nominated include Alexandre Desplat, Michael Giacchino, Ludwig Göransson, Laura Karpman, Branford Marsalis, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Daniel Pemberton, John Powell, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt and Hans Zimmer, among others.
Robbie Robertson who passed away earlier this year landed a...
Eilish and Finneas landed a nomination for “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie. The song is one of three from the movie vying for Oscar consideration. Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro were nominated for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” which was just revealed as the official song of the film. Also receiving nominations for their music are Justin Timberlake, Alan Menken, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Metro Boomin and A$AP Rocky.
The composers nominated include Alexandre Desplat, Michael Giacchino, Ludwig Göransson, Laura Karpman, Branford Marsalis, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Daniel Pemberton, John Powell, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt and Hans Zimmer, among others.
Robbie Robertson who passed away earlier this year landed a...
- 11/2/2023
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (Hmma) today announced the 2023 nominees for scores and songs in film and other visual media categories. The awards will be presented Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 8:00 p.m. (Pst) at The Avalon, 1735 Vine Street, in Hollywood, CA.
Song nominees include Oscar-winners Billie Eilish and Finneas for “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from Hunger Games: The Ballard of Songbirds & Snakes. Justin Timberlake, Alan Menken, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lenny Kravitz, Diane Warren, Metro Boomin, and A$AP Rocky also received nods for their original songs in films.
Composers nominated include Alexandre Desplat, Michael Giacchino, Ludwig Göransson, Laura Karpman, Branford Marsalis, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Daniel Pemberton, John Powell, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Robbie Robertson, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt, Hans Zimmer (The Creator), among many others.
Films nominated in score, song, onscreen performance, and in...
Song nominees include Oscar-winners Billie Eilish and Finneas for “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from Hunger Games: The Ballard of Songbirds & Snakes. Justin Timberlake, Alan Menken, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lenny Kravitz, Diane Warren, Metro Boomin, and A$AP Rocky also received nods for their original songs in films.
Composers nominated include Alexandre Desplat, Michael Giacchino, Ludwig Göransson, Laura Karpman, Branford Marsalis, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, Daniel Pemberton, John Powell, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Robbie Robertson, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt, Hans Zimmer (The Creator), among many others.
Films nominated in score, song, onscreen performance, and in...
- 11/2/2023
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Lauv is channeling Miley Cyrus through a stripped cover of her song “Used to Be Young.”
On Thursday, the singer appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, where he performed a cover of Cyrus’ recent single backed by only his keyboard. “You tell me time has done changed me/That’s fine, I’ve had a good run,” he sang in the chorus. “I know I used to be crazy/That’s ‘causе I used to be young.”
Lauv’s sparkly nail polish could be seen floating over the...
On Thursday, the singer appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, where he performed a cover of Cyrus’ recent single backed by only his keyboard. “You tell me time has done changed me/That’s fine, I’ve had a good run,” he sang in the chorus. “I know I used to be crazy/That’s ‘causе I used to be young.”
Lauv’s sparkly nail polish could be seen floating over the...
- 10/12/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Multimedia Music has closed a deal to acquire the music publishing rights from the film music library of Millennium Media, which includes titles such as “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” “London Has Fallen,” “Angel Has Fallen,” “Hitman Wife’s Bodyguard,” “Hellboy,” “The Outpost,” “Mechanic: Resurrection,” “Rambo: Last Blood,” “Blackbird,” “Acts of Vengeance” and “The Expendables 4.”
The deal follows Multimedia Music’s recent music partnership with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, and its acquisition of STX Entertainment’s music library.
The Millennium Media library includes music from leading composers including Brian Tyler, Atli Orvarsson, Mark Isham, Trevor Morris, David Buckley and Benjamin Wallfisch.
Multimedia Music will co-publish the catalog with current co-owner and administrator Kobalt Music.
James Gibb, who founded Multimedia Music with colleague Phil Hope, said: “Millennium Media consistently produces high caliber, commercial films made for the big screen that have earned over $2 billion at the box office. We are thrilled to have secured this catalog,...
The deal follows Multimedia Music’s recent music partnership with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, and its acquisition of STX Entertainment’s music library.
The Millennium Media library includes music from leading composers including Brian Tyler, Atli Orvarsson, Mark Isham, Trevor Morris, David Buckley and Benjamin Wallfisch.
Multimedia Music will co-publish the catalog with current co-owner and administrator Kobalt Music.
James Gibb, who founded Multimedia Music with colleague Phil Hope, said: “Millennium Media consistently produces high caliber, commercial films made for the big screen that have earned over $2 billion at the box office. We are thrilled to have secured this catalog,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Drum & Lace, aka Sofia degli Alessandri-Hultquist, is an artist and composer from Florence, Italy. Her music has been described as being genre-fluid and having a “chameleon-like nature” (A Closer Listen), melding together sampled field recordings, lush layers of synths, chamber instruments and electronic beats. She draws inspiration from film music, music concrete and nature to create textural electronica, often blending unlikely sounds with one another.
Her feature-length film scoring credits include Netflix film “Night Teeth” (directed by Adam Randall), campy-thriller “Deadly Illusions”, They/Them (directed by John Logan) and the just released Red, White & Royal Blue. Television credits include AppleTV+ Original Series Dickinson (created by Alena Smith), seasons 3 and 4 of NBC Good Girls (created by Jenna Bans & Bill Krebs) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (created by Sara Goodman) for Amazon Prime Video.
Sofia recently discussed with Wamg her terrifying and thrilling score for Lionsgate’s Cobweb, how...
Her feature-length film scoring credits include Netflix film “Night Teeth” (directed by Adam Randall), campy-thriller “Deadly Illusions”, They/Them (directed by John Logan) and the just released Red, White & Royal Blue. Television credits include AppleTV+ Original Series Dickinson (created by Alena Smith), seasons 3 and 4 of NBC Good Girls (created by Jenna Bans & Bill Krebs) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (created by Sara Goodman) for Amazon Prime Video.
Sofia recently discussed with Wamg her terrifying and thrilling score for Lionsgate’s Cobweb, how...
- 8/11/2023
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Lauv is back with a shimmering new lovestruck tune, “Love U Like That.”
The tender, atmospheric song finds Lauv fully throwing caution — and other peoples’ opinions — to the wind and embracing the whirlwind early days of a relationship: “Really old habits, really old baggage/Just walked away into your madness, onto your mattress,” he sings. But as the song develops, the feelings become more than just carnal, with Lauv singing in a final chorus, “Used to judge myself now I don’t care cause/Hey, I love you like that.
The tender, atmospheric song finds Lauv fully throwing caution — and other peoples’ opinions — to the wind and embracing the whirlwind early days of a relationship: “Really old habits, really old baggage/Just walked away into your madness, onto your mattress,” he sings. But as the song develops, the feelings become more than just carnal, with Lauv singing in a final chorus, “Used to judge myself now I don’t care cause/Hey, I love you like that.
- 8/4/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Film Independent is currently in the middle of a Matching Campaign to raise support for the next 30 years of filmmaker support. All donations make before or on September 15 will be doubled—dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000. To kick off the campaign, we’re re-posting a few of our most popular blogs.
Regardless of its importance to the storytelling process, film music is too often an afterthought. There are a variety of theories that composers have as to why, and they’re mostly related to a lack of education. So I’ve decided to take an active stance in educating filmmakers about the role of music in film and the process of how a film score comes into being.
My hope is that by the end of this piece you’ll be more familiar with: A) the history of film music in general, and B) the key composers who have contributed to the...
Regardless of its importance to the storytelling process, film music is too often an afterthought. There are a variety of theories that composers have as to why, and they’re mostly related to a lack of education. So I’ve decided to take an active stance in educating filmmakers about the role of music in film and the process of how a film score comes into being.
My hope is that by the end of this piece you’ll be more familiar with: A) the history of film music in general, and B) the key composers who have contributed to the...
- 7/28/2023
- by Olajide Paris
- Film Independent News & More
Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners has sold a 50% stake in its catalog of music publishing and music master rights from the film music library to Multimedia Music, including marquee and award-winning films 1917, Green Book, The Bfg, Bridge of Spies, The Post, Office Christmas Party, Thank You For Your Service and The Girl on the Train and others. The catalog features iconic music from several of the most renowned and celebrated composers in the world including John Williams, Thomas Newman, Danny Elfman, Alexandre Desplat, Rachel Portman, Mark Isham and Rob Simonsen.
The music partnership will also see Mmm and Amblin pursue new initiatives to increase value by maximizing income collections and sourcing new uses for the catalog in commercials, trailers and television shows.
“We are proud to partner with Mmm and look forward to exploring new avenues to maximize the value of our extensive music catalogue alongside their fantastic team,...
The music partnership will also see Mmm and Amblin pursue new initiatives to increase value by maximizing income collections and sourcing new uses for the catalog in commercials, trailers and television shows.
“We are proud to partner with Mmm and look forward to exploring new avenues to maximize the value of our extensive music catalogue alongside their fantastic team,...
- 6/28/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
When composer Thomas Newman was having early conversations about the music of Pixar’s “Elemental,” he looked for a connecting thread between the film’s imaginary world, where elements are characters, and the human world. “I looked for similar issues of otherness and how that could be reflected in music, and how we would identify with that through our human ear,” says Newman.
His approach to cracking the score was about applying a “musical color,” and association to the universal themes. When he looked at scenes and the vibrant colors of “Elemental,” what did his ears hear sonically, and did that match what his eyes were seeing?
With 93 credits to his name, and having worked on Pixar movies like “Wall-e” and “Finding Nemo,” Newman is no stranger to scoring music for otherness-type characters. Peter Sohn’s story builds a city where earth, water, fire and air are characters, living in their respective communities.
His approach to cracking the score was about applying a “musical color,” and association to the universal themes. When he looked at scenes and the vibrant colors of “Elemental,” what did his ears hear sonically, and did that match what his eyes were seeing?
With 93 credits to his name, and having worked on Pixar movies like “Wall-e” and “Finding Nemo,” Newman is no stranger to scoring music for otherness-type characters. Peter Sohn’s story builds a city where earth, water, fire and air are characters, living in their respective communities.
- 6/27/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
June 2023 – Akira Kosemura, the renowned composer/pianist & one of the most streamed Asian classical artists, has released his new single “Vega”, out now on Decca Records/Universal Music Canada.
The new single is the fifth track of his upcoming solo piano album Seasons, set for release on June 30. Inspired by Japan’s four seasons, Kosemura dedicates 12 songs (3 songs for each season) and expresses the beauty of various moments in the country of rich nature – cherry blossoms, rainy season, fallen leaves and snowy landscape.
With this album, Kosemura elaborates his musical identity as a Japanese in his highly acclaimed solo piano format.
Akira Kosemura – Photo credit: Yusuke Abe
“This album began in the early summer of 2020, when I was contacted by Decca Records,” says Kosemura. “The seeds of ideas that emerged from our conversations about each other and our future projects gradually grew within me. This is a sort of the island music,...
The new single is the fifth track of his upcoming solo piano album Seasons, set for release on June 30. Inspired by Japan’s four seasons, Kosemura dedicates 12 songs (3 songs for each season) and expresses the beauty of various moments in the country of rich nature – cherry blossoms, rainy season, fallen leaves and snowy landscape.
With this album, Kosemura elaborates his musical identity as a Japanese in his highly acclaimed solo piano format.
Akira Kosemura – Photo credit: Yusuke Abe
“This album began in the early summer of 2020, when I was contacted by Decca Records,” says Kosemura. “The seeds of ideas that emerged from our conversations about each other and our future projects gradually grew within me. This is a sort of the island music,...
- 6/21/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
‘Japan is known for having very beautiful seasons. Every day, as we live, we are influenced so much by them – the change of the season, the air, the temperature, the wind, or the smell of the wind. Those are things that inspires us.’
It’s clear that nature is something that is very much at the heart of Akira Kosemura, both the man and the music that he makes. His is a natural talent, born of a fascination with film music, storytelling and a curiosity about the sounds of the world around us. That all shines through in Seasons, but the seeds have been sewn by the musician and composer over the last 15 years and a blossoming career that seemingly grew out of nowhere. Or should that be somewhere?
Tokyo is home for Kosemura, it’s where he was born, and it continues to play an important role in shaping his identity as a composer.
It’s clear that nature is something that is very much at the heart of Akira Kosemura, both the man and the music that he makes. His is a natural talent, born of a fascination with film music, storytelling and a curiosity about the sounds of the world around us. That all shines through in Seasons, but the seeds have been sewn by the musician and composer over the last 15 years and a blossoming career that seemingly grew out of nowhere. Or should that be somewhere?
Tokyo is home for Kosemura, it’s where he was born, and it continues to play an important role in shaping his identity as a composer.
- 6/18/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
“What if the elements we knew were alive?” This is the introductory question posed by the director of Pixar’s 27th full-length animated feature film. It acts as a quick summation of a unique concept, but it deceptively hides enough that you have barely begun to scratch the thematic surface.
While the plot revolves around a journey of self-discovery and budding romance between two elements (personifications of fire and water), Sohn laces it with not just visual gags, dazzling animation, slapstick humour and puns for a younger audience, but also deep and very mature themes of the immigrant experience, cultural identity, the discovery of self and generational trauma.
Drawing from his own experiences as a child of Korean immigrants living in New York, Sohn’s ability to condense this reflection into a narrative driven by the socio-economic and cultural experiences of its lead Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) gives ample...
While the plot revolves around a journey of self-discovery and budding romance between two elements (personifications of fire and water), Sohn laces it with not just visual gags, dazzling animation, slapstick humour and puns for a younger audience, but also deep and very mature themes of the immigrant experience, cultural identity, the discovery of self and generational trauma.
Drawing from his own experiences as a child of Korean immigrants living in New York, Sohn’s ability to condense this reflection into a narrative driven by the socio-economic and cultural experiences of its lead Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) gives ample...
- 6/13/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Disney and Pixar’s Elemental opens in theaters on June 16. Check out the new trailer celebrating Pixar Animation Studios’ New Short “Carl’s Date”.
The short opens June 16 exclusively in theaters in front of the film. Written and directed by Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® Award winner Bob Peterson and produced by Kim Collins, “Carl’s Date” goes home with Carl Fredricksen (voice of Ed Asner) and his lovable talking dog, Dug (voice of Peterson), who were introduced in Pixar’s Oscar®-winning feature “Up.” Moviegoers will catch up with Carl as he reluctantly agrees to go on a date with a lady friend—but admittedly has no idea how dating works these days. Ever the helpful friend, Dug steps in to calm Carl’s pre-date jitters and offer some tried-and-true tips for making friends—if you’re a dog.
“Elemental” is an all-new, original feature film set in Element City,...
The short opens June 16 exclusively in theaters in front of the film. Written and directed by Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® Award winner Bob Peterson and produced by Kim Collins, “Carl’s Date” goes home with Carl Fredricksen (voice of Ed Asner) and his lovable talking dog, Dug (voice of Peterson), who were introduced in Pixar’s Oscar®-winning feature “Up.” Moviegoers will catch up with Carl as he reluctantly agrees to go on a date with a lady friend—but admittedly has no idea how dating works these days. Ever the helpful friend, Dug steps in to calm Carl’s pre-date jitters and offer some tried-and-true tips for making friends—if you’re a dog.
“Elemental” is an all-new, original feature film set in Element City,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Disney releases the film in theaters on Friday, June 16.
So much of modern Pixar comes mired in “almost’s” and “what-if’s,” and Peter Sohn’s “Elemental” is no exception. It’s as conflicted as they come: a heavy-handed, mixed bag immigrant metaphor punctuated by a genuinely moving romance. It gets frequently lost down the rabbit-hole of its own conceptual details, but at the same time, it yields occasionally stunning images and thoughtful aesthetics — like Thomas Newman’s incredibly effective Indian-inspired score — resulting in a film that embodies the very best and worst of the studio’s recent output, defined more by its potential than whether or not it fulfills it.
Sohn’s last directorial venture, “The Good Dinosaur,” was an unfortunate victim — along with “Soul” and “Toy Story 4” — of the strange Pixar era where environmental...
So much of modern Pixar comes mired in “almost’s” and “what-if’s,” and Peter Sohn’s “Elemental” is no exception. It’s as conflicted as they come: a heavy-handed, mixed bag immigrant metaphor punctuated by a genuinely moving romance. It gets frequently lost down the rabbit-hole of its own conceptual details, but at the same time, it yields occasionally stunning images and thoughtful aesthetics — like Thomas Newman’s incredibly effective Indian-inspired score — resulting in a film that embodies the very best and worst of the studio’s recent output, defined more by its potential than whether or not it fulfills it.
Sohn’s last directorial venture, “The Good Dinosaur,” was an unfortunate victim — along with “Soul” and “Toy Story 4” — of the strange Pixar era where environmental...
- 5/27/2023
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Indiewire
One of the biggest blockbuster hits of 2003 was the Pixar animated feature “Finding Nemo,” featuring the voice talents of Albert Brooks and Ellen Degeneres, and directed by Andrew Stanton. It was Pixar’s fifth feature following “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2” and “Monsters, Inc.” Released two decades ago on May 30, 2003, “Finding Nemo” was a box office smash, making $70 million its opening weekend in the United States and eventually reaching $380 million nationwide and $941 million worldwide. Read on for our celebration of the “Finding Nemo” 20th anniversary.
Most of the nation’s critics loved the film, including Moira MacDonald in Seattle Times, who said it’s “enchanting; written with an effortless blend of sweetness and silliness, and animated with such rainbow-hued beauty, you may find yourself wanting to freeze-frame it.” And Lou Lemenick in New York Post called it “a dazzling, computer-animated fish tale with a funny, touching script...
Most of the nation’s critics loved the film, including Moira MacDonald in Seattle Times, who said it’s “enchanting; written with an effortless blend of sweetness and silliness, and animated with such rainbow-hued beauty, you may find yourself wanting to freeze-frame it.” And Lou Lemenick in New York Post called it “a dazzling, computer-animated fish tale with a funny, touching script...
- 5/18/2023
- by Brian Rowe
- Gold Derby
The wonderful folks at Pixar Animation are ready to unleash their 27th feature with the imaginative "Elemental." Drawing inspiration from director Peter Sohn's youth growing up as a second-generation immigrant in New York City, the film is a celebration of cultural and ethnic diversity, wrapped in a heartwarming romantic comedy. The story is said to be inspired by films like "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," "Moonstruck," and "Amélie," but is presented in a way that appeals to audiences of all ages.
"Elemental" is also one of Pixar's most ambitious films to date, with producer Denise Ream telling Total Film Magazine, "We knew it was going to be hard. We didn't know it was going to be as hard as it was." As all of the characters are different elements, they all move in entirely different ways. Considering the film showcases an entire city of different elemental folk interacting with one another,...
"Elemental" is also one of Pixar's most ambitious films to date, with producer Denise Ream telling Total Film Magazine, "We knew it was going to be hard. We didn't know it was going to be as hard as it was." As all of the characters are different elements, they all move in entirely different ways. Considering the film showcases an entire city of different elemental folk interacting with one another,...
- 4/26/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
The 2023 Cannes Film Festival has all the elements of global appeal.
After previously announcing controversial film “Jeanne du Barry” as the opening night selection, Disney/Pixar’s “Elemental” has been revealed as the closing night film. The Peter Sohn-directed feature is Pixar’s 27th film, and its world premiere will take place at 2023 Cannes on May 27, playing out of competition.
“Elemental” marks the fourth Pixar film to be selected for a Cannes premiere, following “Up,” “Inside Out,” and “Soul.” The feature also boasts an opening short film titled “Carl’s Date,” tied to the “Up” universe.
The film is set in Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. The story introduces Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis), a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade (voiced by Mamoudou Athie) challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.
After previously announcing controversial film “Jeanne du Barry” as the opening night selection, Disney/Pixar’s “Elemental” has been revealed as the closing night film. The Peter Sohn-directed feature is Pixar’s 27th film, and its world premiere will take place at 2023 Cannes on May 27, playing out of competition.
“Elemental” marks the fourth Pixar film to be selected for a Cannes premiere, following “Up,” “Inside Out,” and “Soul.” The feature also boasts an opening short film titled “Carl’s Date,” tied to the “Up” universe.
The film is set in Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. The story introduces Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis), a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade (voiced by Mamoudou Athie) challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.
- 4/19/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
It’s all elemental when Disney’s Pixar releases another classic feature.
“Elemental” is an upcoming animated ensemble comedy where characters are made out of the earth’s elements like air, fire, water, and dirt. A woman made of fire (Leah Lewis) and a man made of water (Mamoudou Athie) find out that their differences aren’t so different after all, despite not being able to touch.
Disney and Pixar’s latest is an original feature film set in Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. The story introduces Ember (Lewis), a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade (Athie) challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.
The voice cast also includes Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O’Hara, Mason Wertheimer, and Joe Pera.
Peter Sohn directs from a script by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel,...
“Elemental” is an upcoming animated ensemble comedy where characters are made out of the earth’s elements like air, fire, water, and dirt. A woman made of fire (Leah Lewis) and a man made of water (Mamoudou Athie) find out that their differences aren’t so different after all, despite not being able to touch.
Disney and Pixar’s latest is an original feature film set in Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. The story introduces Ember (Lewis), a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade (Athie) challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.
The voice cast also includes Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O’Hara, Mason Wertheimer, and Joe Pera.
Peter Sohn directs from a script by John Hoberg, Kat Likkel,...
- 3/28/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Tom Hanks has worked his high-wattage, regular-guy-hero amiability for so long that he was bound to experiment with a year like 2022 eventually. In the summer, he gave us an oily, flesh-packed Colonel Tom Parker with that strange barbed-wire accent in “Elvis,” then he took on Geppetto in the year’s other, forgettable “Pinocchio,” and now he’s been fitted for grumpypants, frown lines, and a self-made noose as a suicidal sourpuss in “A Man Called Otto.”
But we know Hanks by now, and what kind of curmudgeon he’d want to play, which means you don’t have to be familiar with the source material of “Otto” to guess within the first few minutes — when he’s being obnoxious to a perfectly kind hardware store cashier, but in that isn’t-it-cute-how-mean-he-is way — that this is one of those movies typically described in terms of “surrendering” to “charms,” and “winning you over.
But we know Hanks by now, and what kind of curmudgeon he’d want to play, which means you don’t have to be familiar with the source material of “Otto” to guess within the first few minutes — when he’s being obnoxious to a perfectly kind hardware store cashier, but in that isn’t-it-cute-how-mean-he-is way — that this is one of those movies typically described in terms of “surrendering” to “charms,” and “winning you over.
- 1/12/2023
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
“The common mayfly has a life expectancy of just one day,” announced the voiceover in a memorable Vodafone advert from the early Noughties. “But is he miserable about it? Not one bit.” This insect’s life, repurposed as metaphor, has come to represent the flickering flame that is human existence. Life, getting shorter with every passing minute. It’s no surprise then that Scottish novelist Andrew O’Hagan used “mayflies” as the title of his 2020 novel about two friends working through a lifetime of memories as the light fades, a story that’s adapted this Christmas as a BBC One two-part special.
Martin Compston is Jimmy, a successful author returning to the Ayrshire of his youth at the behest of Tully (Tony Curran), his oldest friend who has incurable cancer. “I’m f***ed, Noodles,” he says, using Jimmy’s childhood nickname. “I’ve got four months and that’s the short of it.
Martin Compston is Jimmy, a successful author returning to the Ayrshire of his youth at the behest of Tully (Tony Curran), his oldest friend who has incurable cancer. “I’m f***ed, Noodles,” he says, using Jimmy’s childhood nickname. “I’ve got four months and that’s the short of it.
- 12/28/2022
- by Nick Hilton
- The Independent - TV
When you have an international best seller that was on the Nyt list for 42 weeks and then made into a multi-Oscar-nominated Swedish film that became the third-most successful in the history of that country Ingmar Bergman called home, you might wonder what the need was for an English-language American remake. The answer is a chance to give Tom Hanks a role he can run with and, more important, to bring a very human, often funny, character-driven story back to light in a time that needs it more than ever.
Related Story 2023 Domestic Box Office To Hit 9 Billion Fueled By 33 Tentpoles, But How Does Hollywood Prevent Original Adult Pics From Falling Into Further Jeopardy? Related Story Rita Wilson Talks Oscar-Qualifying 'A Man Called Otto' Song, Plans For New Production Company Artistic Films, First Collaboration With Wes Anderson On 'Asteroid City' & More Related Story Tom Hanks Talks Working...
Related Story 2023 Domestic Box Office To Hit 9 Billion Fueled By 33 Tentpoles, But How Does Hollywood Prevent Original Adult Pics From Falling Into Further Jeopardy? Related Story Rita Wilson Talks Oscar-Qualifying 'A Man Called Otto' Song, Plans For New Production Company Artistic Films, First Collaboration With Wes Anderson On 'Asteroid City' & More Related Story Tom Hanks Talks Working...
- 12/28/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s not always bad to be late to the party, even when it comes to the Oscars. Sony Pictures’ “A Man Called Otto” had its first official screening on Monday at the Academy Museum, with a crowd full of industry voters and critics alike. Though the film wasn’t really on anyone’s radar, the reception was surprisingly enthusiastic based on social media reactions.
After sitting out the best picture discussion for the last three years, Sony has a few hands to play during the season. Aside from Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King” and J.D. Dillard’s “Devotion,” Marc Forster’s “A Man Called Otto” could strongly appeal to the older demographic of the Academy, sure to bring joyous moments and a few tears.
Beloved actor and “America’s Dad” Tom Hanks is back doing what he does best: stepping into an “everyman character” that the audience can’t help but root for,...
After sitting out the best picture discussion for the last three years, Sony has a few hands to play during the season. Aside from Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King” and J.D. Dillard’s “Devotion,” Marc Forster’s “A Man Called Otto” could strongly appeal to the older demographic of the Academy, sure to bring joyous moments and a few tears.
Beloved actor and “America’s Dad” Tom Hanks is back doing what he does best: stepping into an “everyman character” that the audience can’t help but root for,...
- 12/9/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Steven Spielberg's cinema is one of emotional symphonies; discovery, laughter, tears, bravery, fear, to name but a few. He uses sound to great effect to immerse viewers in the multitudes of worlds he’s created over his career. This mix traces the legacy of one of contemporary cinema’s most renowned figures; with his semi-autobiographical new film The Fabelmans out in theaters this autumn, it felt apt to visit Spielberg's treasure trove of cinematic sound. Tim: “Do you hear that?”
Gennaro: “Maybe it’s the power trying to come back on?”
Lex: “What is that?”The mix begins with the sound of luscious rain sounds from Jurassic Park (1993), followed by children whispering wondering, fearful questions. (The mix cuts away just before the terror of a dead goat landing on the roof of the kids’ car.) This is a great example of how sounds in Spielberg's films sway between powerfully orchestral,...
Gennaro: “Maybe it’s the power trying to come back on?”
Lex: “What is that?”The mix begins with the sound of luscious rain sounds from Jurassic Park (1993), followed by children whispering wondering, fearful questions. (The mix cuts away just before the terror of a dead goat landing on the roof of the kids’ car.) This is a great example of how sounds in Spielberg's films sway between powerfully orchestral,...
- 11/21/2022
- MUBI
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.