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The Best Film Scores of 2013

With every awards season comes a flood of “best of” compilations and top ten lists, but film scores can be tricky in that department. After all, different composers are operating on different levels, each one working toward a separate goal in his or her respective picture. Brian Tyler aims for something propulsive and heroic in Iron …

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‘The Spectacular Now’ a swooning, honest tale of teenage angst and love

The Spectacular Now Directed by James Ponsoldt Written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber USA, 2013 The teenage genre is an infinite well Hollywood enjoys returning to, even if such repetition can frequently wind up creating some of the most inherently false-seeming films. We like watching movies about teenagers so we can be nostalgic …

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Spectacular Classics Screening Series kicks off Tuesday with teen classic ‘Say Anything’

If you spend any amount of time here at Sound on Sight, you probably love movies, old and new. And you probably have fond memories of being a teenager. (Or maybe you are a teenager right now, in which case, we feel very old. But never mind.) So you may hold some classic teen-themed movies …

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10 non-blockbuster films we’re looking forward to this summer

The summer season has, over the past few decades, become synonymous with movie blockbuster season, as studios have found the months of May to August to contain the most profitable release dates for big-budget tentpole features, leading to the summer of recent years being filled with superhero films, big budget CGI features, and other tentpole …

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Ebertfest 2013: Day 4 looks at mythology and the difficult road to self-knowledge

After a late day three (the Q&A didn’t get out until about midnight), many of the attendees to Ebertfest, myself included, were a bit on the sluggish side this morning. The first screening was set for 11am, which hardly seems early on paper, but for anyone catching up with friends at the festival or, in …

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Thirteenth annual Phoenix Film Festival promises to stand out among the festival-circuit crowd

The beginning of April, for those in the Southwest, heralds an all-new Phoenix Film Festival. This year, the Phoenix Film Festival kicks off its 13th annual edition with impressive celebrity guests, independent feature premieres, seminars, workshops, parties, and more. The festival, which runs from April 4 to April 11, boasts some star-studded new films and …

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Interview with composer Rob Simonsen on the mechanics of musical storytelling, the impact of technology on film scoring, and the beneficial ubiquity of pop music.

Rob Simonsen has been writing music for the screen for nearly a decade now. He has done commercial work for Apple and has provided music for the TV series Dollhouse. Simonsen’s close relationship with composer Mychael Danna has afforded him the opportunity to provide additional music for many scores ranging from Surfs Up to Life of …

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