There's no right or wrong way to judge the Original Score category, mostly because each film requires a different atmospheric touch from the orchestral music to properly convey the tone. For some, like Star Wars or Jurassic Park, a bold, sweeping theme locks the scenes and the overall movie in your memory for all time. … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2024 – Original Score
When I was 12 years old, my family and I took a Spring Break vacation to Florida to go to Disney World. It was one of the greatest weeks of my life, and now that both my mother and the close family friend who was the impetus for the trip are gone, I hold on … Continue reading Old Man Yells at Klaus – Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Strictly speaking, when it comes to the two music categories, you never truly have to see the accompanying film. This is especially true for Original Song, as more often than not a good chunk of the nominees only play over the credits anyway, so they're not truly part of the movie, but rather an accessory. … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2023 – Original Score
The orchestral score of a film is one of the subtlest, yet most essential elements. Sometimes, if the composer is doing his or her job right, you don't even notice it's there, as it simply complements the action on the screen. At times, the perfect scene gets the perfect little bit of punctuation with a … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2020 – Original Score
The Academy Award nominations are just under a week away, and as the final preview, we now have the list of contenders for the major Hollywood labor unions and the British Film Academy! There's a lot to sift through, and as the results trickle in over the next few weeks, we'll get a lot of … Continue reading Unions, Jack! – BAFTA and Guild Nominations Announced!
This is, technically, another category where you don't need to actually see the movies to get the nominees. You can literally go to YouTube right now and hear the soundtracks to all five nominated films and get the gist of it. Hell, I did that myself before I wrote this just so I'd have a … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2018 – Original Score
There are basically two types of Steven Spielberg movie these days: One is historical drama where heroes use the power of words to change the world (think Lincoln, Schindler's List, and most recently Bridge of Spies), and the other is absurdist fantasy that seems to try to recapture the magic of E.T., including an unhealthy predilection for aliens and … Continue reading Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep Show Us How “Fake News” Did it in the 70s – The Post
I Actually Paid To See This 