The Return of YoYo

The updates for this week have been delayed as the return of an old nemesis has clobbered the operating system, yet again.

While core data is retrieved and the main machine's operating system and files are rebuilt overnight (gee, I'm gettin' awfully good at this rabbit rubbish), the wave of reviews will be delayed until Sunday.

Astrological Portents That I Sense:

I see a new transition for 2010. I sense a move from PC to Mac. I feel this can be done with no regrets. I feel the YoYo virus will finally leave my space bubble alone.

Until then, do read my interview with composer Elia Cmiral, whose recent work includes the teen horror flick Forget Me Not, and the WWII historical drama Habermann, set for a 2010 release.



- MRH

(First) Horror Efforts

Although Robbie Bryan had written and starred in The Stand-In (1999), iMurders marks his feature directorial debut, as well as his first effort in the horror – a genre that many filmmakers use to make a commercial mark as well as learn the ropes of feature filmmaking before moving on to more personal or riskier projects.

Horror has and will probably continue to be a popular genre for first-timer directors because it’s hugely commercial in spite of being cluttered with many second-rate efforts, or works where the director shows singular strengths (Robert Hall’s Laid to Rest, Stephen Norrington’s Death Machine) rather than a knack for genuine storytelling (which, in and of itself, includes the ability to shock, as well satisfy audiences).

iMurders is a mixed bag because it’s perhaps too ambitious: the bookend scenes that start and end the film with a hook and twist finale work, but everything in the middle is very wobbly. Either the script was undercooked, or when everything was assembled, certain glaring weaknesses had to be pruned for pacing and evened out the multiple story threads, which in turn weakened certain characters as well as performances.

The issue of a weak centre is what also affected the first Saw film back in 2004 – great premise, an excellent twist, memorable score theme – but there was that truly horrible acting, messy plotting, and some wretched dialogue that made one wonder whether actor Cary Elwes was ever competent in the first place.

In spite of the surprisingly strong cast (not to mention underused genre composer Harry Manfredini), iMurders doesn’t quite hit the mark, but it has some strong points, some of which are addressed in the review of Anchor Bay’s DVD.

Also from the label comes Cameron Romero’s Staunton Hill, which is being billed in some areas as the director’s first film, as well as his first horror film. Romero, son of icon George Romero (Night of the Living Dead), has already directed a gory slasher called The Screening (see above picture sniplet), but that project has reportedly been shelved in spite of being completed back in 2007.

Whether Romero prefers to let the film rest for future tinkering or later sneak it out as a quiet DVD release after more recent projects have demonstrated his confidence as a filmmaker, The Screening is a film some genre fans are very curious to see, though whether it’s worth the wait won’t be known until it’s finally in theatres or home video.

In its place comes Romero's formal commercial debut, Staunton Hill, which borrows from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre template and gives certain aspects some variations that ultimately affect the story’s coherence. The sporadic gore is fairly strong, but it’s obvious Romero wanted to balance blood-letting with atmosphere and capture profane behaviour within the beautiful surroundings of a quiet farm during the blazing fall season.

Like iMurders, aspects of the film’s budget affected some technical components, and the film’s success on home video will likely depend on the keen interest, and kindness by less finicky fans.

- MRH

Soundtrack News

I’ll have another set of soundtrack reviews out shortly, but available shortly on CD and MP3 are the following soundtracks from the usual mail order shops:

Bill Conti’s That Championship Season (La-La Land Records).

Bill Conti’s beautiful Murderers Among Us gets an expanded release from Buysoundtrax.com (aka BSX Records), and the label is releasing the next full soundtrack album by Alan Howarth – Morkeleg (Backstabbed). I wonder if Retribution (1987) will ever see the light of day again... and also from the label is Basil Poledouris’ Wind paired with A Whale for the Killing, and Lee Holdridge’s Winterhawk gets its own CD release.

TCM’s been running a salute to composer Johnny Mercer this month, so out comes the soundtrack album to the documentary Clint Eastwood presents Johnny Mercer, featuring ‘songs from and inspired by’ the film, marking Mercer’s birth in 1909.

MovieScore Media’s released a limited CD edition of James Peterson’s The Red Canvas for those wanting more than the standard digital album, and the label will also release The House of the Devil / I Can See You from the innovative Jeff Grace on CD and MP3 as well.

Britain’s Network, which releases both DVDs and CDs, has already put out a number of complete series sets for composers Edwin Astley and Laurie Johnson (to name a few), and now comes a 2-disc sampler – The Music of ITC - with music from The Saint, The Protecttors, and many others.

(Now if only the owners of the ITC film library would stop licensing crappy full frame NTSC transfers to Region 1 distributors and remaster some of their prestige and cult titles. If crud like G.I. Joe can exist on DVD and Blu-ray, why can’t we get a widescreen edition of Voyage of the Damned or The Cassandra Crossing. Oh wait, Cassandra was out letterboxed, but then it was replaced with a full screen version. Sometimes I wonder if monkeys are the ones pressing the green-for-go buttons in the ITC film and video archive.)

From Sweden’s fin de siècle media comes Stefano Torossi’s Omicidio per vocazione / E’stato bello amarti (limited to 500 copies).

From Italy’s DigitMovies comes a bevvy of new goodies: Bruno Nicolai’s music for Peter Collinson’s Ten Little Indians (1974), Riz Ortonlani’s Una ragione per vivere e una per morire / La notte dei serpenti, Stelvio Cipriani’s Il triangolo delle Bermuda / Bermude: la fossa maledetta / Uragano sulle Bermude l’ultimo S.O.S. (on 2 CDs), and Roberto Nicolosi’s score for Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath (with mono and surviving stereo cues).

Italy’s Beat Records is issuing Nico Fidenco’s Emanuelle Nera (Black Emanuelle) in a limited run of 1000 copies.

Spain’s Saimel Records is releasing Angelo Francesco Lavagnino’s Attentato ai tre Grandi / Africa ama in a limited run of 500 copies, and Mateo Pascual’s music for the videogame Planet 51.

Lastly, Antonio Cora and Kent Sparlin’s Seventh Moon comes to CD via ERM Media (distributed worldwide via Naxos)

I just finished an interview with Christopher Gordon (On the Beach, Moby Dick, Salem’s Lot) regarding his new score for the vampire film/I am Legend riff Daybreakers, which will run in the January/February issue of Rue Morgue magazine. (The full Q&A version will run at KQEK.com a bit later.) The soundtrack album runs 64 mins., and is just superb. The huge Wagnerian sound and extensive use of cellos and fascinating brass effects are just some of the gorgeous sounds in this epic orchestral score, which will be released in January by Lionsgate Records. When’s it’s out, buy the CD.

Seriously.

- MRH