Ka Mele Oku'u Pu'Uwai -- Sol Hoopii's Novelty Trio
The Descendants, based on Kaui Hart Hemmings' highly acclaimed novel of the same name, is scored exclusively with Hawaiian music. Hemmings, who comes from Hawaii, weaves into her writing the island themes of family, soil and inheritance, and the movie too has a strong sense of place, not least thanks to its soundtrack. Given the intention of the filmmakers to lend the movie a distinct Hawaiian flavour, the natural direction to take was to use the sounds of the islands, and the music plays a crucial part in evoking an authentic mood. Most of the titles on the soundtrack feature established masters of Hawaiian music, whether modern and classical: names such as Gabby Pahinui, Ray Kane, Keola Beamer, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, Jeff Peterson, and Rev. Dennis Kamakahi.
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Happy first day of summer! As the temperature rises (or in New York, jumps twenty degrees overnight) searching for an air-conditioned sanctuary may top your to-do list, and as a result, you may find yourself checking out the latest releases hitting your local cinema. As summer officially kicks off, Crossover Media is proud to spotlight four soundtracks from blockbuster films releasing this season.
Prometheus
Director Sir Ridley Scott collaborates with Marc Streitenfeld to create a thrilling soundtrack for the Alien prequel. Twenty-five tracks feature a ninety-piece orchestra that recorded the entire album in one week to create a musical score that contributes to the unsettling but exciting sentiment of the film.
Men in Black III
Having composed music for over thirty films, Danny Elfman is best known for composing music for the majority of Tim Burton's movies including Batman, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice. Elfman composed the score for the two previous Men In Black movies which earned him one of his Academy Award nominations. He is also known for his television work, composing the theme songs for The Simpsons and Desperate Housewives, and as the leader of the rock band Oingo Boingo. Nominated for 11 Grammy Awards, 4 Academy Awards, and 4 Golden Globe Awards, Elfman is often referred to as Hollywood's hottest film composer.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
When eleven-year-old Lincoln learns that his mother was killed by a supernatural creature, he embarks on a crusade against vampires. Music to match the horror and heroism of the story comes from Henry Jackman, who has worked on many of the best-known movies in recent years. His early career involved programming and additional composition for such hits as The Da Vinci Code, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Simpsons Movie and The Dark Knight, before moving on to be principal composer for Monsters vs. Aliens, Henri IV, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class and the animated feature Winnie The Pooh.
The Amazing Spider-Man
One of the biggest names in modern film music, James Horner, composed the score to this superhero blockbuster. As a distinguished orchestrator and conductor of orchestral music, Horner is noted for his skill in combining choral, electronic and instrumental effects in movie scores of which he has more than 100 to his credit. Horner is the composer of the best-selling orchestral film soundtrack of all time: Titanic (1997). Horner's music underlines both the exciting action of the film and its personal, touching, romantic moments. The film's director, Marc Webb, was seeking a composer to "create a score that felt massive and huge but also intimate and small." Webb succeeded in that search and found Horner whose music? expresses both grandeur and intimacy.
These four films combine action and adventure with soundtracks that will transcend you to another world and take your mind off the heat!
Silver Linings Playbook, the newest film from director David O. Russel has been getting a lot of Oscar buzz since its release. The film follows recently released mental hospital patient Bradley Cooper as he struggles with his assimilation back into normal life. The cast of characters is unexpected, as is this score which reinforces Cooper's struggles with instability trying to get back on his feet. With tracks by The Alabama Shakes, Jessy J, and Mountain Man, as well as 2 Dave Brubeck Quartet cuts: West Side Story's 'Maria' and one from Brubeck called 'Unsquare Dance', the soundtrack rounds out with Stevie Wonder's 'My Cherie Amour' and the Les Paul/Mary Ford tune: 'The Moon of Manakoora'.