If you get a sense of déjà vu watching ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM, then you may be more familiar with the story’s more popular incarnation, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, THE KING AND I. The 1946 film, based on Margaret Landon’s memoir, stars Irene Dunne as Anna, an English widow who comes to Siam to [...]

In his fascinating book, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell discusses some interesting tests surrounding jam. That’s right, jam. In one famous study, Columbia business professor Sheena Iyengar set up two taste booths with a variety of exotic different jams–one small booth with 6 jams and a larger one with 24. “Conventional economic wisdom, of course, says that [...]

Few films are as raw and powerful as Elia Kazan’s ON THE WATERFRONT. Marlon Brando stars as Terry Maloy, an ex-boxer who questions his guilt over his part in a mob death and blows the whistle on union corruption on the New Jersey docks. Terry became one of Brando’s signature roles and he leads an [...]

Karen Carpenter said it best: “Rainy days and Mondays always get you down…” And she was so right. Yesterday and today have both been grey days here in New York City–outside and inside. After a weekend that saw the demise of my laptop–which also resulted in a dime-sized hole (yes, hole) on the knuckle of [...]

I’ve made no bones about my love of Thomas Newman‘s work. And THE GOOD GERMAN is one of my favorites. The film is director Steven Soderbergh’s interesting, yet ultimately misguided, attempt to film a 1940′s film 60 years too late. Based on Joseph Kanon’s 2001 bestseller, George Clooney stars as a journalist who returns to Berlin [...]

In 1953, Oscar decided to make up for the embarrassment of 1952′s Best Picture THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (though a guilty pleasure) by awarding its top prize to the stellar FROM HERE TO ETERNITY. The film was only the second film since GONE WITH THE WIND to receive 13 nominations, yet fell just short the record set [...]

We reviewers get some strange albums floating across our desks every now and then. And Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin has to be one of the stranger albums that has crossed my path. While I appreciate Wilson and the classic Beach Boys sound, Gershwin is sacred ground and I went into my first listen with my arms [...]

Ever since the beginning of message boards, there have been film music threads about SPARTACUS. With every new announcement of upcoming CDs, someone would invariably (and idiotically) say, “I bet it’s SPARTACUS!” The holy grail of a complete SPARTACUS remained maddeningly elusive for years. But with Alex North’s 100th birthday celebration this year and the 50th [...]

Sometimes the historical success of a film rests solely on its music, at least with us film score fans. Such is the case with BORN FREE. Based on naturalist Joy Adamson’s bestselling book, the film chronicles the African adventures of Joy (Virginia McKenna) and her husband George (Bill Travers), including bringing up a lioness cub. [...]

Elliot Goldenthal always seems to produce his best work when he’s collaborating with his real life partner, director Julie Taymor. And such was the case with his Oscar-winning score to FRIDA (2002). Selma Hayak lustily portrays the tortured life of painter Frida Kahlo in the captivating biopic, from Frida’s humble beginnings, her marriage to legendary revolutionary [...]