Archive for April, 2012
HotDocs: Shadows of Liberty + Where Heaven Meets Hell
Capsule reviews from the latest HotDocs screenings: Shadows of Liberty (2012) making it’s World premiere, and Where Heaven Meets Hell (2011) making it’s North American premiere, plus editorial blather.
Record Store Day, Soundtrack News & Release Tally
Editor’s Blog on this past Record Store Day and some personal thoughts on long-dead record stores in T.O., Soundtrack News, and a tally of the latest and upcoming soundtrack releases.
Film Music at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival + Soundtrack Reviews
Just uploaded is a quartet of soundtrack reviews, starting with Howard Shore’s Hugo (HOWE Records), and a few horror titles from La-La land Records that didn’t quite make it into Rue Morgue’s coverage due to space issues… and were perhaps overlooked… until now: Danny Elfman’s epic Planet of the Apes (in a fat 3-disc set),Trevor Jones’ The Sender, and Basil Poledouris’ Spellbinder. Also detailed: specifics of the Film Music Sidebar Series at the upcoming Toronto Jewish Film Festival (May 3-13), including a few things involving me!
The Titanic Legacy, Part II
Tired of the Titanic blather? Well, try and squeeze in two more edifying reviews – the 1943 Nazi propaganda film Titanic, and the 2012 History CHannel documentary Nazi Titanic, which chronicles the often absurd and tragic circumstances surrounding the film’s production. Also added to the mobile site database are related reviews for Das leben geht weiter, Herr Goebbels’ last but unrealized propaganda film; Wort un tat, a crude 1938 Nazi newsreel / ersatz documentary; and reviews of Titanic (1953) and Raise the Titanic (1980). Wait, that’s not two reviews… Whoops.
Bouchet-Tolo Double-Bill = Quadruple-Trouble!
Reviews of Code Red’s B-movie double-bill Stoney / Surabaya Conspiracy (1969) + The Killer Likes Candy / Un killer per sua maestà (1968).
The Titanic Legacy, Part I
Yes, it’s Friday the 13th, and tomorrow makes the day the world’s greatest oceanliner – the Titanic – struck an iceberg and lost most of her passengers. A tragedy, pop culture phenomenon, and merchandise windfall all in one, and the 100th anniversary brings out oodles of new and old material to feed nostalgia, fascination, and genuine empathy for the 1500+people who died April 14th. Not reviewed is James Cameron’s Titanic (do you really need to read another review of the most-reviewd Titanic film?), but a pair of recently aired teleplays on CBC Newsworld, and available online via streaming – the excellent Saving the Titanic docu-drama, and TitanicL The Canadian Story – plus reviews of Sony Classical’s 4-CD Titanic: Collector’s Anniversary Edition set, and BSX Records’ Titanic: An Epic Musical Voyage.
The Erotic Shades of Zalman King, Part I
American erotic film pioneer Zalman King died in February at the age of 69, and the release in March of his first major screenwriting success – a film version of Elizabeth McNeill’s autobiographical 9 1/2 Weeks (1986), directed by Adrian Lyne – seems like the perfect opportunity to both review the film and begin a sporadic look at King’s oeuvre as a filmmaker, with a lengthy Editor’s Blog / tribute to the marginalized oddball.
Twisted Metal’s Michael Wandmacher + Grant Kirkhope’s Reckoning
Videogame voundtrack reviews for Grant Kirkhope’s Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Michael Wandmacher’s Twisted Metal (Sony), plus an interview with Wandmacher regarding scoring videogames + teaser details on his upcoming horror score, The Haunting in Georgia.
Darrell Wasyk’s The Girl in the White Coat
After a lengthy absence from feature films, writer / director Darrell Wasyk (H, Mustard Bath) returns with The Girl in the White Coat, his liberal adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s short story “The Overcoat,” starring Pascale Montpetit, which begins its engagement at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Friday. Uploaded is both a film review, and an interview with Wasyk, who also discusses his breakthrough film H, and its planned DVD release. Yes, really!
The Films of Frankie-Boy, Part I
Slight editorial blather to set up the first set of reviews focusing on the films of Frank Sinatra, crooner, and pretty good actor who eventually settled into a familiar groove and sometimes got lazy in the execution of a film or two. From Olive Films on Blu-ray comes the Rod Serling-scripted heist thriller Assault on a Queen, and the film version of Neil Simon’s first play, Come Blow Your Horn; and from Twilight Time we have Pal Joey, with pal Frankie sandwiched between palsies Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak. No spicy hot sauce required at all!
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