The ’80s was a decade of movies that you can hear at a roar even on mute. A screenshot of Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay aboard the train in “Risky Business” has a sound to it. The same goes for a still image of Kaneda riding towards Neo-Tokyo in “Akira,” or Jack Nicholson’s car snaking its way up the mountains towards the Overlook Hotel during the opening titles of “The Shining.”
It was a decade of synths and sad jazz; a decade of legends reaching the height of their powers (e.g. John Williams and Ennio Morricone), and of newcomers from other disciplines becoming cinematic virtuosos in their own right (e.g. Ryuichi Sakamoto and Philip Glass). The movies had never sounded that way before, but the best film scores of the ’80s — our picks are listed below — continue to echo in our minds as if they’ve always been there.
It was a decade of synths and sad jazz; a decade of legends reaching the height of their powers (e.g. John Williams and Ennio Morricone), and of newcomers from other disciplines becoming cinematic virtuosos in their own right (e.g. Ryuichi Sakamoto and Philip Glass). The movies had never sounded that way before, but the best film scores of the ’80s — our picks are listed below — continue to echo in our minds as if they’ve always been there.
- 8/15/2023
- by David Ehrlich and Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
(Welcome to Year of the Vampire, a series examining the greatest, strangest, and sometimes overlooked vampire movies of all time in honor of "Nosferatu," which turns 100 this year.)
Civilization is a tenuous notion in "Nosferatu the Vampyre," Werner Herzog's 1979 remake of the original "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror." The movie begins with footage of mummies in a cave, their faces frozen in ghastly, Edward Munch-like expressions. The camera pans down and we see that some of them are wearing shoes and fashionable heels, an image at odds with their half-decayed state and the spooky, ethereal choral chanting of Popol Vuh's "Brüder des Schattens" ("Brothers of the Shadow").
A bat flies in through the window of the bedroom where Lucy Harker, played by Isabelle Adjani ("Possession"), wakes screaming from a nightmare. Her husband Jonathan (Bruno Ganz) tries to console her, but he'll be riding off soon, despite her presentiments...
Civilization is a tenuous notion in "Nosferatu the Vampyre," Werner Herzog's 1979 remake of the original "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror." The movie begins with footage of mummies in a cave, their faces frozen in ghastly, Edward Munch-like expressions. The camera pans down and we see that some of them are wearing shoes and fashionable heels, an image at odds with their half-decayed state and the spooky, ethereal choral chanting of Popol Vuh's "Brüder des Schattens" ("Brothers of the Shadow").
A bat flies in through the window of the bedroom where Lucy Harker, played by Isabelle Adjani ("Possession"), wakes screaming from a nightmare. Her husband Jonathan (Bruno Ganz) tries to console her, but he'll be riding off soon, despite her presentiments...
- 10/22/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
So much of our collective love of horror is grounded in the visual: A splash of gore, an inventive creature design, an image so startling and unexpected it lingers long after the lights come back up. It’s only right for a genre that takes our greatest fears and gives them shape (perhaps even The Shape). But there’s a frightening power in the unseen as well, and many of horror’s crowning achievements have demonstrated that nothing sweetens a scare or ratchets the tension of a chilling set piece quite like a good instrumental score.
Horror has long been at the forefront of innovations in makeup, visual effects, sound design, and cinematography, and its impact on film and television music is no different. One of the earliest electronic instruments, the theremin, gave otherworldly texture to “The Spiral Staircase” and “The Thing From Another World” before its synthesizer and sequencer...
Horror has long been at the forefront of innovations in makeup, visual effects, sound design, and cinematography, and its impact on film and television music is no different. One of the earliest electronic instruments, the theremin, gave otherworldly texture to “The Spiral Staircase” and “The Thing From Another World” before its synthesizer and sequencer...
- 10/19/2022
- by Erik Adams
- Indiewire
Tracing the blueprint of F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent shock-fest, Nosferatu, Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre follows the ever-popular Count Dracula as he tries to sink his fangs into the members of a small German village. Obscure and decadent, prog legends Popol Vuh created an uncanny musical backdrop matching the entrancing quality of Murnau’s cinematography. Not content on simply remastering the score for the 2015 reissue, Waxwork commissioned Jessica Seamans of Landland to work on the first officially approved Nosferatu the Vampyre soundtrack artwork since the original 1978 release.
Speaking on how she got the commission, Jessica explains, “Waxwork emailed me out of the blue! It was the end of 2014 when they contacted me, and I had never really worked on anything big or remotely high-profile at that point. I was excited when I got the email, but more than anything I was terrified and intimidated and had no idea how...
Speaking on how she got the commission, Jessica explains, “Waxwork emailed me out of the blue! It was the end of 2014 when they contacted me, and I had never really worked on anything big or remotely high-profile at that point. I was excited when I got the email, but more than anything I was terrified and intimidated and had no idea how...
- 3/27/2018
- by Sam Hart
- DailyDead
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveriesNEWSRadley Metzger's The Lickerish QuartetRadley Metzger, whose groundbreaking erotic films helped set standards of style for both mainstream and arthouse cinema, has died at 88. His classics Camille 2000 (1969) and The Lickerish Quartet (1970) were featured on Mubi last year. Critic and programmer Steve Macfarlane interviewed the director at Slant Magazine for the Film Society of Lincoln Center's 2014 retrospective devoted to Metzger.Recommended VIEWINGThe Cinémathèque française has been on a roll uploading video discussions that have taken place at their Paris cinema. This 34 minute talk is between Wes Anderson and director/producer Barbet Schroeder.The Criterion Collection has recently released a new edition of Michelangelo Antonioni's masterpiece Blow-Up, and has uploaded this stellar clip of actor David Hemmings speaking on a talk show about making the film.Recommended READINGHoward Hawks' ScarfaceHow does Chicago intertwine itself with crime and the culture created in the mix of the two?...
- 4/5/2017
- MUBI
New The Conjuring 2 trailer is an eerie watch. Premiering today at WonderCon, the new trailer for James Wan’s hotly anticipated Warren-fied sequel The Conjuring 2 is a creepy, atmospheric melange of exposition, mystery and supernatural shivers. And it also appears to be borrowing some of late composer Florian Fricke’s (aka Popol Vuh) music from…
The post Creepy New Conjuring 2 Trailer Sounds Like Herzog! appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post Creepy New Conjuring 2 Trailer Sounds Like Herzog! appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 3/26/2016
- by Chris Alexander
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Another year, another move further away from caring about pop. Whether that's pop's fault or mine, I'm not sure. But there was still plenty of great new music released in 2015, and here, according to my idiosyncratic tastes, are the best albums, or at least my favorites.
1. Wire: Wire (Pink Flag)
This is said to be the first time that Bruce Gilbert's replacement, guitarist Matthew Simms, was heavily involved in the creation of a Wire album, and the result is...the closest Wire has ever come to sounding like a Colin Newman album. I exaggerate for effect, but only slightly: most everything thrums along smoothly and motorik-ly, he takes all the lead vocals (though Graham Lewis supposedly wrote many of the lyrics), and there are none of the post-punkier outbursts of the group's previous two reunion albums, though near the end of Wire, the one-two punch of "Split Your Ends" and "Octopus" come close.
1. Wire: Wire (Pink Flag)
This is said to be the first time that Bruce Gilbert's replacement, guitarist Matthew Simms, was heavily involved in the creation of a Wire album, and the result is...the closest Wire has ever come to sounding like a Colin Newman album. I exaggerate for effect, but only slightly: most everything thrums along smoothly and motorik-ly, he takes all the lead vocals (though Graham Lewis supposedly wrote many of the lyrics), and there are none of the post-punkier outbursts of the group's previous two reunion albums, though near the end of Wire, the one-two punch of "Split Your Ends" and "Octopus" come close.
- 12/27/2015
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Special mention: Häxan
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Genre: Documentary
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft, told in a variety of styles, from illustrated slideshows to dramatized reenactments of alleged real-life events. Written and directed by Benjamin Christensen, and based partly on Christensen’s study of the Malleus Maleficarum, Häxan is a fine examination of how superstition and the misunderstanding of mental illness could lead to the hysteria of the witch-hunts. At the time, it was the most expensive Scandinavian film ever made, costing nearly 2 million Swedish krona. Although it won acclaim in Denmark and Sweden, the film was banned in the United States and heavily censored in other countries for what were considered, at that time, graphic depictions of torture, nudity, and sexual perversion. Depending on which version you’re watching, the commentary is...
Directed by Benjamin Christensen
Denmark / Sweden, 1922
Genre: Documentary
Häxan (a.k.a The Witches or Witchcraft Through The Ages) is a 1922 silent documentary about the history of witchcraft, told in a variety of styles, from illustrated slideshows to dramatized reenactments of alleged real-life events. Written and directed by Benjamin Christensen, and based partly on Christensen’s study of the Malleus Maleficarum, Häxan is a fine examination of how superstition and the misunderstanding of mental illness could lead to the hysteria of the witch-hunts. At the time, it was the most expensive Scandinavian film ever made, costing nearly 2 million Swedish krona. Although it won acclaim in Denmark and Sweden, the film was banned in the United States and heavily censored in other countries for what were considered, at that time, graphic depictions of torture, nudity, and sexual perversion. Depending on which version you’re watching, the commentary is...
- 10/27/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
"A Most Violent Year" marks musician Alex Ebert's second feature experience with film scoring. And he's having a blast. The Magnetic Zeros frontman's work represents a different hue and shade of identity for Chandor's films, a lurking, subtextual element that is less about dressing the films than speaking to their thematic undercurrent. And like "All is Lost," which came with the closing track "Amen" (and earned Ebert a Golden Globe for Best Original Score), "A Most Violent Year" also boasts an original song. "America For Me" closes out the film as a wearied testament spoken from the point of view of one of the secondary characters in the film. It's bold and unique and almost at odds with the tidiness of the film otherwise, but that very conflict is also thematically relevant. Ebert and I talked about that and a bit more, including the influence of artists like Popol Vuh,...
- 11/29/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Werner Herzog is one of my all time favourite directors. Ever since watching his take on Nosferatu, I knew I was hooked. Exploring both his fictional and documentary films, you will find a fascinating body of work. Sure, some of his opinions I really don’t agree with (I’m talking about you, Into the Abyss and Death Row) but whether you agree with the content or not, a film with Herzog’s name on it will at least touch you in one way.
The British Film Institute recently released a 10 disc box set of some of Herzog’s films. Over the coming weeks (and maybe months) I will be going through each disc. Part review. Part retrospective. Hopefully you will join me on my Herzogian journey.
Whether you are a fan of Herzog or a newcomer to his work, I hope you at least get something out of this.
The British Film Institute recently released a 10 disc box set of some of Herzog’s films. Over the coming weeks (and maybe months) I will be going through each disc. Part review. Part retrospective. Hopefully you will join me on my Herzogian journey.
Whether you are a fan of Herzog or a newcomer to his work, I hope you at least get something out of this.
- 10/3/2014
- by Mondo Squallido
- Nerdly
Tim Sommer, rock raconteur extraordinaire, recently wrote a playlist for Tim Broun's blog Stupefaction. (#1 choice shown above.) Mr. Sommer has lately been writing a daily column in The Brooklyn Bugle (motto: "On the Web because paper is expensive") that immediately became the one thing that I read every day, just so I can enjoy his combination of cultural erudition and lunatic whimsy. In one of his Bugle columns he wrote about making the list. And in that article he posited other approaches/lists that I found myself wishing he had made as well. But he's undoubtedly got better things to do with his time. I apparently do not, however (okay, I do, I just have poor impulse control), and made my own lists based on his criteria.
And here they are. I could have gone thirty deep on each of these lists just as he did on Stupefaction (well, maybe...
And here they are. I could have gone thirty deep on each of these lists just as he did on Stupefaction (well, maybe...
- 8/1/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Nosferatu the Vampyre
Written and directed by Werner Herzog
Germany, 1979
Before he filmed his eccentric version of what makes a bad lieutenant, and before he fictionalized his documentary about Dieter needing to fly, Werner Herzog in 1979 wrote and directed a full-fledged remake of a silent film classic. His Nosferatu the Vampyre, an exceptionally faithful take on F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu from 1922, recalls the original in story, tenor, and potency. Not matter the subject, Herzog frequently manages to endow the mundane and banal with qualities of inherent peculiarity; here, working specifically within the horror genre, his capacity for the uncanny is as intoxicating as ever.
In a contemporary documentary about the making of the film, included as part of the newly released Blu-ray, Herzog declares Murnau’s picture to be “the most important film ever made in Germany.” That’s quite a statement, certainly a debatable one, but it is nevertheless...
Written and directed by Werner Herzog
Germany, 1979
Before he filmed his eccentric version of what makes a bad lieutenant, and before he fictionalized his documentary about Dieter needing to fly, Werner Herzog in 1979 wrote and directed a full-fledged remake of a silent film classic. His Nosferatu the Vampyre, an exceptionally faithful take on F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu from 1922, recalls the original in story, tenor, and potency. Not matter the subject, Herzog frequently manages to endow the mundane and banal with qualities of inherent peculiarity; here, working specifically within the horror genre, his capacity for the uncanny is as intoxicating as ever.
In a contemporary documentary about the making of the film, included as part of the newly released Blu-ray, Herzog declares Murnau’s picture to be “the most important film ever made in Germany.” That’s quite a statement, certainly a debatable one, but it is nevertheless...
- 5/30/2014
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
With Nosferatu the Vampyre (aka Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht), Werner Herzog's allegiance to F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent feature Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens makes it even more intriguing than it would be were it wholly original. Murnau's film is striking for its imagery to the point it owns what may be the most iconic horror villain of all-time, even for those that have never seen the movie, as Max Schreck's spindly figure rises from the shadows as Graf Orlok (a variation on Bram Stoker's "Dracula"). Murnau's Nosferatu, however, can be a bit of a challenge to get through, even at 94 minutes, while Herzog's adaptation brings new life to the story, with frequent nods to the original and more than enough to make it all his own. Herzog, of course, was able to make his film without worry over the rights to Stoker's novel as it had entered...
- 5/28/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
For many reasons, Werner Herzog’s 1972 vampire tale “Nosferatu the Vampyre” is a classic effort in the prolific filmmaker’s body of work, not least of which because it features Klaus Kinski, Herzog’s legendary muse and tempestuous collaborator, at his most tranquil and genuinely creepy. “It was clear there would never be a vampire of his caliber ever again,” Herzog said of Kinski at L.A.’s Cinefamily last night, where the little-seen German language version of the film begins a weeklong 35mm run today. “I do not need to see the vampire films of the future. I still know Kinski will be the best, at least for four or five centuries.” Co-starring Bruno Ganz, Isabelle Adjani, and Roland Topor, Herzog’s re-interpretation of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent classic is rife with the director’s trademarks: surreal landscapes and environments scored to Popol Vuh, an uneasy relationship with nature,...
- 5/17/2014
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
Ten years after they first worked together on Aguirre, the Wrath of God, writer/director Werner Herzog would reteam with star Klaus Kinski for the fourth time, though it wasn't originally envisioned that way. In fact, I doubt Herzog would say much of Fitzcarraldo was how he originally envisioned it. This ambitious piece of genius cinema would take he and Kinski back into the Peruvian jungle for a film that seems to have been cursed from the start, but even curses are meant to be broken given the proper enchantment. Kinski came aboard the project, replacing original star Jason Robards, playing the lead role of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald (aka Fitzcarraldo), an opera-loving Irishman determined to bring the opera to the jungles of Peru. Alongside him was to be his assistant Wilbur (Mick Jagger), but as production was delayed and Robards fell ill with dysentery, the production almost fell to pieces.
- 5/6/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
When you begin exploring the work of director Werner Herzog some (if not most) will argue Aguirre, the Wrath of God is likely the best place to start. Though I don't think you get the full picture of this portion of Herzog's career without including Fitzcarraldo or the documentary My Best Fiend, which came another 12 years later, detailing Herzog's work with Aguirre star Klaus Kinski. Without Kinski, Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo and, most likely, Herzog would not be the same. With that in mind, know this is the first review in a coming triptych, meant to build off one another to the point an entire picture begins to form. History, in this case, cannot be ignored. Considered an entry in the West German New Wave, Aguirre is very loosely based on the accounts of Spanish Dominican monk Gaspar de Carvajal (played in the film by Del Negro) as well as the life...
- 4/30/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
With 2013 very nearly dead and gone, Ricky D, Simon Howell and guest Deepayan Sangupta shoot the proverbial shit on some of their favorite holiday-set films, as well as their general impressions of 2013 as a filmgoing year. In between talk spots, we’ve chosen some of our favorite soundtrack selections from the 2013 filmscape for your hopefully gleeful consumption. Happy holidays, y’all.
Playlist
Her: The Breeders, “Off You” - The Bling Ring: Klaus Schulze, “Freeze”
Afternoon Delight: Bowerbirds, “In the Yard”
Sightseers: Popol Vuh, “Ah!”
Frances Ha: David Bowie, “Modern Love”
Spring Breakers: The Cool Kids, “What Up Man”
The World’s End: Suede, “So Young”
Drinking Buddies: Wolf People, “Cotton Strands”
Inside Llewyn Davis, “Please Mr. Kennedy”
The Battery, Rock Plaza Central, “Anthem for the Already Defeated”
Please give us a rating on iTunes. It would be very much appreciated!
Listen on iTunes
Like...
Playlist
Her: The Breeders, “Off You” - The Bling Ring: Klaus Schulze, “Freeze”
Afternoon Delight: Bowerbirds, “In the Yard”
Sightseers: Popol Vuh, “Ah!”
Frances Ha: David Bowie, “Modern Love”
Spring Breakers: The Cool Kids, “What Up Man”
The World’s End: Suede, “So Young”
Drinking Buddies: Wolf People, “Cotton Strands”
Inside Llewyn Davis, “Please Mr. Kennedy”
The Battery, Rock Plaza Central, “Anthem for the Already Defeated”
Please give us a rating on iTunes. It would be very much appreciated!
Listen on iTunes
Like...
- 12/20/2013
- by Sound On Sight Podcast
- SoundOnSight
News.
Over the last week, we lost American actor Harry Carey Jr., 91, and Portugese filmmaker Paulo Rocha, 77. Glenn Kenny posted an excerpt from Carey's memoir Company of Heroes: My Life as an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company on his blog. Cinemateca Portuguesa's Facebook page shares some photos of Rocha:
Above: With Jean Renoir, 1962.
Above: With Manoel de Oliveira, 1965.
Above: 1977.
Finds.
David Hudson shares his twelve favourite films of 2012, along with some thoughts on the year, which you should consider checking out. Hudson closes out his piece with a Notebook-related nod:
"If I were asked if I happened to have a favorite film critic of 2012, my spontaneous reply would be, yes. Ignatiy Vishnevetsky. Read him on The Master. Read him on Barbara. And for cinema’s sake, read him on Zero Dark Thirty."
From Observations on Film Art, Kristin Thompson on the top ten films...of 1922:
"As...
Over the last week, we lost American actor Harry Carey Jr., 91, and Portugese filmmaker Paulo Rocha, 77. Glenn Kenny posted an excerpt from Carey's memoir Company of Heroes: My Life as an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company on his blog. Cinemateca Portuguesa's Facebook page shares some photos of Rocha:
Above: With Jean Renoir, 1962.
Above: With Manoel de Oliveira, 1965.
Above: 1977.
Finds.
David Hudson shares his twelve favourite films of 2012, along with some thoughts on the year, which you should consider checking out. Hudson closes out his piece with a Notebook-related nod:
"If I were asked if I happened to have a favorite film critic of 2012, my spontaneous reply would be, yes. Ignatiy Vishnevetsky. Read him on The Master. Read him on Barbara. And for cinema’s sake, read him on Zero Dark Thirty."
From Observations on Film Art, Kristin Thompson on the top ten films...of 1922:
"As...
- 1/2/2013
- by Adam Cook
- MUBI
Legendary film-maker to helm live streaming of Killers show in New York in September. Expect live animals, says bassist
No mere pop promo director is good enough for the Killers' next webcast – legendary film-maker Werner Herzog is to direct the band's forthcoming concert video, to be broadcast live on 18 September.
Anyone with an internet connection will be able to tune in to the concert at New York's Paradise Theatre, which will be streamed on YouTube. It's the 11th in the American Express Unstaged series, which previously saw Arcade Fire team up with Terry Gilliam, Duran Duran with David Lynch, and John Legend with Spike Lee.
"I think there's gonna be an animal involved," bassist Mark Stoermer told Rolling Stone, regarding Herzog's plans. "He has ideas for someone crowd-surfing with a camera on … [and] he's gonna put cameras on Ronnie [Vannucci Jr] while he's playing drums."
Herzog is certainly an unconventional pick for a...
No mere pop promo director is good enough for the Killers' next webcast – legendary film-maker Werner Herzog is to direct the band's forthcoming concert video, to be broadcast live on 18 September.
Anyone with an internet connection will be able to tune in to the concert at New York's Paradise Theatre, which will be streamed on YouTube. It's the 11th in the American Express Unstaged series, which previously saw Arcade Fire team up with Terry Gilliam, Duran Duran with David Lynch, and John Legend with Spike Lee.
"I think there's gonna be an animal involved," bassist Mark Stoermer told Rolling Stone, regarding Herzog's plans. "He has ideas for someone crowd-surfing with a camera on … [and] he's gonna put cameras on Ronnie [Vannucci Jr] while he's playing drums."
Herzog is certainly an unconventional pick for a...
- 8/30/2012
- by Sean Michaels
- The Guardian - Film News
Asia: XXX (Frontiers)
That title's not triple-x as in porn, it's Roman numerals marking this supergroup's thirtieth anniversary (though I bet the confusion will increase this page's hits). Yup, three decades ago, "Heat of the Moment" was a massive hit. However, critics have tended to dislike Asia, either for dealing in pop rather than the glorious prog-rock of its members' previous bands -- Yes, Elp, and King Crimson -- or (if said critics are on the other side of the great divide) as dinosaurs still too proggy for naysayers in the post-punk era. Not this critic, through; I have always enjoyed John Wetton's voice, layered vocal harmonies, and melodic sense in every context, and never found Geoff Downes's keyboards and catchy songwriting/production the sacrilege that purist proggers did.
While there are some slight production differences from thirty years ago, basically this third studio album since the original lineup (Wetton,...
That title's not triple-x as in porn, it's Roman numerals marking this supergroup's thirtieth anniversary (though I bet the confusion will increase this page's hits). Yup, three decades ago, "Heat of the Moment" was a massive hit. However, critics have tended to dislike Asia, either for dealing in pop rather than the glorious prog-rock of its members' previous bands -- Yes, Elp, and King Crimson -- or (if said critics are on the other side of the great divide) as dinosaurs still too proggy for naysayers in the post-punk era. Not this critic, through; I have always enjoyed John Wetton's voice, layered vocal harmonies, and melodic sense in every context, and never found Geoff Downes's keyboards and catchy songwriting/production the sacrilege that purist proggers did.
While there are some slight production differences from thirty years ago, basically this third studio album since the original lineup (Wetton,...
- 7/7/2012
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Werner Herzog is personally participating in two events in New York this week, beginning tonight with Paul Holdengräber's Live from the New York Public Library conversation series and again with Holdengräber tomorrow at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for a post-screening discussion of Herzog's use of music in The White Diamond and beyond. Screenings of Fitzcarraldo Friday night fill out Bam's duet of a series, Ode to the Dawn of Man: Film and Music with Werner Herzog. In addition, Herzog's video installation in the Whitney Biennial goes on display Thursday incorporating footage he filmed during an improvisation between cello and organ (here is a spellbinding clip of some of the footage from that session). Truly, 'tis the season in New York to contemplate the director's transformation of the world into music.
Herzog's knack for fusing his own astonishing images to somehow equally astonishing music has always been exceptional, to the...
Herzog's knack for fusing his own astonishing images to somehow equally astonishing music has always been exceptional, to the...
- 2/29/2012
- MUBI
…the only thing we can do is play the song.
Alright now. For all you boppers out there in the big web city, all you internet people with an ear for action, I’ve got something for you. It’s a special for that real live bunch from Coney. (And there ends my near-aimless, only-amusing-to-me riff on Lynne Thigpen in The Warriors.)
The Cinefamily (hosts of our mighty live event) have — on their excellent and revamped website — just launched a new, monthly podcast dedicated to the deepest and best soundtrack cuts. It’s a full hour of music that’s great all the way through. Here’s what you get in the podcast, hosted by The Cinefamily’s Bret:
Son of Dracula – Daybreak (Harry Nilsson)
The Cannonball Run – Cannonball (Ray Stevens)
Perfect Strangers – I’m A Shadow on the Walls of the City (Michael Minard)
——
Lifeforce – Theme (Henry Mancini)
Crosscurrent...
Alright now. For all you boppers out there in the big web city, all you internet people with an ear for action, I’ve got something for you. It’s a special for that real live bunch from Coney. (And there ends my near-aimless, only-amusing-to-me riff on Lynne Thigpen in The Warriors.)
The Cinefamily (hosts of our mighty live event) have — on their excellent and revamped website — just launched a new, monthly podcast dedicated to the deepest and best soundtrack cuts. It’s a full hour of music that’s great all the way through. Here’s what you get in the podcast, hosted by The Cinefamily’s Bret:
Son of Dracula – Daybreak (Harry Nilsson)
The Cannonball Run – Cannonball (Ray Stevens)
Perfect Strangers – I’m A Shadow on the Walls of the City (Michael Minard)
——
Lifeforce – Theme (Henry Mancini)
Crosscurrent...
- 7/13/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
Werner Herzog's presence in his own films – including the new Cave of Forgotten Dreams – marks him out as a romantic, eager to experience what he's trying to understand
Few film directors seem as directly present in their work as Werner Herzog. Not only does he have an instantly recognisable aesthetic, but unlike most European auteurs of his generation, he has become a familiar face in front of the camera. We are so accustomed to seeing him – playing football with Peruvian indians, arguing with Klaus Kinski, eating his own shoe at Chez Panisse – that we might mistake him for just another "personality", one of the celebrities who parade past at various scales, from cellphone to Times Square, on our screens. Directors are required to be showmen, particularly directors of documentaries, who always have to hustle to finance and screen their work. But Herzog's presence, his insistence on being in the middle of things,...
Few film directors seem as directly present in their work as Werner Herzog. Not only does he have an instantly recognisable aesthetic, but unlike most European auteurs of his generation, he has become a familiar face in front of the camera. We are so accustomed to seeing him – playing football with Peruvian indians, arguing with Klaus Kinski, eating his own shoe at Chez Panisse – that we might mistake him for just another "personality", one of the celebrities who parade past at various scales, from cellphone to Times Square, on our screens. Directors are required to be showmen, particularly directors of documentaries, who always have to hustle to finance and screen their work. But Herzog's presence, his insistence on being in the middle of things,...
- 4/18/2011
- by Hari Kunzru
- The Guardian - Film News
German avant-garde rockers Popol Vuh are producing a special limited box-set containing their scores for the Werner Herzog + Klaus Kinski buddypack of "Aguirre: The Wrath of the God," "Nosferatu," "Fitzcarraldo," and "Cobra Verde," plus "Heart of Glass," which features lead performances by hypnotized actors. Those not down with Herzog's latest (or dismayed that their favorite renegade director became a done-to-death Internet meme where all jokes go to die a million times over) will enjoy the trip down memory lane, as included in the collection is a near 100-page booklet featuring "unseen footage and images." 5,000 copies only, pre-order while…...
- 1/1/2011
- The Playlist
Kevin Greutert knows all about things that go bump, splat, and “Aaargh! My eyes! My eyes!” in the night. Greutert edited the first five movies in the Saw franchise and has directed the last two, including Saw 3D, which is out today. He also came within a poltergeist’s whisker of making Paranormal Activity 2, but that’s a whole other kind of horror story.
We put the thumbscrews to Greutert, until he agreed to recommend five frightening movies to watch this Halloween weekend.
You will find his choices after the jump.
1. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
“For Halloween I would recommend...
We put the thumbscrews to Greutert, until he agreed to recommend five frightening movies to watch this Halloween weekend.
You will find his choices after the jump.
1. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
“For Halloween I would recommend...
- 10/29/2010
- by Clark Collis
- EW.com - PopWatch
This March, the American Cinematheque will play host to two programmes that will send a succulent shiver down the spine of any buff of classic horror and science fiction.
On Saturday, March 20th, the Egyptian theatre presents Encounters at the Edge of Sanity: A Tribute to Werner Herzog, and welcomes legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, for a live discussion between his seminal films Nosferatu the Vampyre and Cobra Verde, both starring Herzog’s favorite collaborator, the genius actor Klaus Kinski.
Nosferatu, of course, needs no introduction to monster maniacs. Citing F.W. Murnau’s milestone 1922 (unauthorized) Dracula-adaptation Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror- featuring the immortal performance of Max Schreck as the vampire Orlock – as the best film ever made in Germany, Herzog, already a lauded writer/director himself, remade the film in 1979 as an homage to the work that inspired him so, and that had defined German cinema of the time.
On Saturday, March 20th, the Egyptian theatre presents Encounters at the Edge of Sanity: A Tribute to Werner Herzog, and welcomes legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, for a live discussion between his seminal films Nosferatu the Vampyre and Cobra Verde, both starring Herzog’s favorite collaborator, the genius actor Klaus Kinski.
Nosferatu, of course, needs no introduction to monster maniacs. Citing F.W. Murnau’s milestone 1922 (unauthorized) Dracula-adaptation Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror- featuring the immortal performance of Max Schreck as the vampire Orlock – as the best film ever made in Germany, Herzog, already a lauded writer/director himself, remade the film in 1979 as an homage to the work that inspired him so, and that had defined German cinema of the time.
- 3/11/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
By George D. Allen
Recently, I wrote an article for the Movies Unlimited home blog, MovieFanFare, offering my quickly selected picks for 10 “desert island” movies, those films which, were I forced to choose, I felt (in those moments writing the article, anyway) I would be carting along with me to enjoy during my eternal vacation/banishment on said remote locale.
Now, monsterfans, wipe those memories of Stephen King’s gruesome short story “Survivor Type” from your mind and assume all of your other creature comforts are as normal as they could possibly be (so that you don’t have to worry about minor concerns like hacking off your own body parts for food!), and pick those 10 masterworks of the horror genre you’re going to be forced to live with for the rest of your days. I completed my own “Rorschach test” in this regard below. It was tough. I...
Recently, I wrote an article for the Movies Unlimited home blog, MovieFanFare, offering my quickly selected picks for 10 “desert island” movies, those films which, were I forced to choose, I felt (in those moments writing the article, anyway) I would be carting along with me to enjoy during my eternal vacation/banishment on said remote locale.
Now, monsterfans, wipe those memories of Stephen King’s gruesome short story “Survivor Type” from your mind and assume all of your other creature comforts are as normal as they could possibly be (so that you don’t have to worry about minor concerns like hacking off your own body parts for food!), and pick those 10 masterworks of the horror genre you’re going to be forced to live with for the rest of your days. I completed my own “Rorschach test” in this regard below. It was tough. I...
- 3/1/2010
- by Movies Unlimited
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
We're doing something crazy, and launching another little series here on Cinematical: Serious Scores. You're a smart bunch, so I imagine you've already figured out that the goal isn't to highlight our favorite bank heists, but to praise the creme de la creme of cinema's soundtracks. Hopefully, you'll find something new for your iPod, rediscover a lost favorite, or appreciate a piece along with us.
Technically, Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God doesn't have an official soundtrack. The entire score was recorded by the German progressive band Popol Vuh (the first of many collaborations they did with Herzog), and was released as an album in 1975, with a 2004 re-release. Only two tracks were actually used in the film: Aguirre I and Aguirre II. If you disdain the rest of their Krautrock, the magic of iTunes and Amazon allows you to buy them individually. Now you can put them on a playlist,...
Technically, Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God doesn't have an official soundtrack. The entire score was recorded by the German progressive band Popol Vuh (the first of many collaborations they did with Herzog), and was released as an album in 1975, with a 2004 re-release. Only two tracks were actually used in the film: Aguirre I and Aguirre II. If you disdain the rest of their Krautrock, the magic of iTunes and Amazon allows you to buy them individually. Now you can put them on a playlist,...
- 11/21/2009
- by Elisabeth Rappe
- Cinematical
It seems as though some readers are concerned that the soundtrack of Heavy Metal won't be metal enough. Well, if you're looking for heavy metal, look no further: Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America is probably the most death metal movie I've ever seen, other than the most excellent documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. In a nutshell, Severed Ways is an alternate version of the discovery of America with Vikings.
There's very little dialogue, other than "translations" of Old Norse, a few memorable scenes of killing and dismembering animals, and one scene of the lead Viking (writer/director/star Tony Stone) literally pooping in the woods. Like, up close. This is all to the tunes of bands like Dimmu Borgir, Popol Vuh, Burzum, Brian Eno, Morbid Angel, Old Man's Child, Queens of the Stone Age and Judas Priest. As Manohla Dargis points out in her review of Severed...
There's very little dialogue, other than "translations" of Old Norse, a few memorable scenes of killing and dismembering animals, and one scene of the lead Viking (writer/director/star Tony Stone) literally pooping in the woods. Like, up close. This is all to the tunes of bands like Dimmu Borgir, Popol Vuh, Burzum, Brian Eno, Morbid Angel, Old Man's Child, Queens of the Stone Age and Judas Priest. As Manohla Dargis points out in her review of Severed...
- 6/9/2009
- by Jenni Miller
- Cinematical
Director Tony Stone's first feature "Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America" is, on its surface, a story about two Vikings marauding their way through the forests of the New World 485 years before Columbus did. But more than that, "Severed Ways" bears the spirit of black metal, crafted into an audacious movie between the hammer of an HD camera and the anvil of Stone's wild musings.
For the uninitiated, black metal is an angry, dark and tortured subgenre of heavy metal known mainly for the controversy it's inspired. Church burnings, murder, Satanism, Nazism -- these are the shadows it casts from its origins in Norway. These horrors aren't just hyperbole on the part of detractors, but they don't illuminate the ideological movement from which the musical genre has sprung either. At its heart, black metal is a reaction to Judeo-Christian society from a people whose cultural roots reach deep into an earthy,...
For the uninitiated, black metal is an angry, dark and tortured subgenre of heavy metal known mainly for the controversy it's inspired. Church burnings, murder, Satanism, Nazism -- these are the shadows it casts from its origins in Norway. These horrors aren't just hyperbole on the part of detractors, but they don't illuminate the ideological movement from which the musical genre has sprung either. At its heart, black metal is a reaction to Judeo-Christian society from a people whose cultural roots reach deep into an earthy,...
- 3/13/2009
- by Brandon Kim
- ifc.com
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