This is a pretty fun look at composer Michael Giacchino and some of his work as well as some of his philosophy and what his influences have been.

Personally, some of his work I have liked, some of it I have not. I can’t say, for instance, that Star Trek (2009) was my favorite Star Trek Score by any means (The Wrath of Kahn still has that honor), but it was decent enough. And this is fun.

The full-length trailer for Gore Verbinski‘s The Lone Ranger released this week promised plenty of good stuff from the film: sweeping Western vistas, death-defying stunts, massive explosions, a banged-up Armie Hammer, and a weirdo Johnny Depp. One thing we won’t be getting, however, is a score from Jack White.

The former White Stripes frontman signed on this spring for what would have been his first full movie score, but has since exited the project. Stepping into White’s place now is Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer.

Who knows what happened there. Was White fired, or did he…

The Hobbit may not be coming out for another month, but we’ve got the full soundtrack by Howard Shore right here. As far as I can tell, Empire Online first posted this player widget.

Due to copyright concerns you can’t skip around to different portions or tracks in the music, but it’s still a fun listen.

Beginning December 10^th, the Soundtrack will be available for purchase in both a standard edition and a deluxe edition. I’d wager it will be worth owning regardless of how the film turns out. I’ve only listened to the first few minutes and I already love it. Howard Shore has returned…

“I thought it was an amazing opportunity to do something genuinely groundbreaking,” said director Tom Hooper. If this featurette is any indication, I believe the filmmaker hit the mark. It must have been incredibly daunting, but it would appear to excel greatly as the cast lived up to the demands of the production.

Les Misérables as Hooper would have it is heavenly based after the musical adaptation that’s been on tour for decades. It is the longest-standing broadway musical to date, and anyone that appreciates musicals that has seen it can tell you why. The story line is rich, the…

I had the opportunity to see Raiders of the Lost Ark this past weekend in its remastered IMAX glory. I have to say I was duly impressed. The film held up quite well for the most part. And seeing Indy “stick it to the Nazis” is always fun.

I must confess that I have not traditionally thought very highly of the Indiana Jones franchise. And I’m even talking pre-Crystal Skull. Until this past weekend it had been a couple years since I had seen the original trilogy, and I distinctly remember that they weren’t very good films. I have to say that Raiders of the Lost Ark is actually a far better…

Steven Speilberg’s been hard at work to bring to us another award-winning biopic. This time, what with Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln, he is bound to create quite a buzz with the film and stir up age-old controversy and worship for the 16th president of these United States of America.

It’s practically impossible to imagine that Lincoln will not reflect a highly subjective viewpoint of Abe. Some will be very happy with the American spirit and glorification of their “patron saint of freedom.” While one would expect history buffs to be the target audience of Spielberg’s film, it’s…

Filming for the eighth installment to the ever-expanding Marvel cinematic universe, Thor: The Dark World, will officially start tomorrow. Although, action won’t take place until next week at the “fictional village,” where a battle between two kingdoms will ensue, built for the production in Bourne Wood, England. And showcasing set preparations at the location being near-complete, photos via Wayne Howes and various others have surfaced.

The first four photos below were taken earlier this week, while the others that follow were taken just yesterday.

Click through for the set photos if…

Yep, another Steven Spielberg movie means another John Williams score, and the upcoming Oscar contender “Lincoln” will mark their 26th collaboration (“Duel” and “The Color Purple” being the only films in Spielberg’s oeuvre the composer hasn’t scored). And with the marketing campaign beginning to build up since the first official look at Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role earlier this month, with a poster yesterday, now comes the full tracklist to the movie, which may serve as some kind of mild spoiler about just what moments in the president’s life the movie will cover.

Based on the…

Considering The Hunger Games was released on DVD barely a week ago, I figured now would be a good time to review what is, in my opinion, one of the finest aspects of the film: the score, composed by none other than J.N.H. I’ve encountered several less-than-favorable reviews of it, and the most common criticism seems to be that score is too minimalistic. I beg to differ: the score is minimalistic, but perfectly so. Howard invests thought and emotion where lesser men would have settled for cheap thrills. And frankly, I find it incredible that most listeners can’t appreciate that. Their loss,…