James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and Odin in Heart of the Beast from Paramount Pictures.
As Fall begins, and with the big awards “heavy hitters” still a few weeks away, the multiplexes could use a good dose of “star power”. Or should I say “Pitt” power? Yes, the Oscar winner returns after burning up racetracks around the globe in F1: THE MOVIE. His newest release doesn’t try to emulate that one’s high-octane thrills and spectacle, nor its shiny CG sheen. Oh, but it’s not a “drawing room” drama, since it has lots of action, suspense, and unexpected “pathos”. It’s an offbeat “movie meal” crafted by Brad’s FURY director. This time they’re not steering another tank in WWII since they’re in the modern day as the duo, along with an amazing canine co-star, journey into the HEART OF THE BEAST.
After a brief fast-forward, we’re introduced to the story’s focus: retired Army Special Forces vet James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his furry “brother in arms” combat canine Odin (Uber), a frisky, dark-haired German Shepherd. James has landed his single-engine floatplane on a lake deep in the Alaskan wilderness. It’s part of their “much-earned” “downtime” in order to deal with the aftereffects of wartime in the Middle East. Their shared wounds are both mental (PTSD flashbacks) and physical (“Odie” lost a leg, and both are scarred). Luckily, the fishing is great, and the quiet is calming…until a chatty hiker (J.K. Simmons) breaks into their solitary “bliss”. Over campfire beers, their “guest” warns James about a fast-moving storm. By morning, the duo is alone once more. Their supplies are loaded into the plane, and, using his piloting skills, the plane breaks past the dark clouds. Then, the unthinkable happens: James is struck with a health emergency (his “ticker” seems to be having an “episode”). They crash to earth, with the plane sinking to the bottom of a lake. After the two reunite, James retrieves some supplies. They’ve no choice but to hike through the wilderness, nearly sixty miles, to reach a road. Can these devoted friends survive the brutality of nature, the weather, and the wildlife before their supplies and strength run out? This could be the greatest battle these wary soldiers have ever faced.
It would be tempting to say this film is a “one-man show”, but really it’s a “one-human show”, with Pitt flexing his emotional acting chops as the “walking wounded” Belmont. For much of the story, he’s stoic, especially when interacting with the “interloper”. Oh, but Pitt “flips the switch,” giving us an energized and engaged James when bonding with Odie. Pushing past his “matinee idol” smoulder, Pitt exposes his vulnerable side when protecting and caring for his animal “soulmate”. It’s joyous to see him taking risky roles so many decades into his film career. Simmons provides some needed levity as the “party crasher’ who helps fill us in the “backstory” of JB and OD. As for the latter, Uber (and his team of stunt dogs and doubles) melts our hearts with his soulful, brown, watery eyes as the challenges of the trek reopen his own past traumas. He’s the “protector” that we’re rooting for James to protect and heal all of their pain.
The aforementioned director who worked with Pitt a dozen years ago is David Ayer. With this work, he’s coming off of a couple of well-received Jason Statham “bone-crunchers”. This one gives Ayer more of a challenge for his filmmaking abilities. He’s balancing the gorgeous scenery with several harrowing stunt sequences, while always reminding us of the emotional commitment in the story’s duo. Much of what works is due to the structure of the script by Cameron Alexander (one of the 2017 “Blacklist” screenplays). It combines elements of other great “sole survivor against nature” films like THE REVENANT and ALL IS LOST. Oh, but it’s not one “soul” since Ayer keeps us emotionally connected to Odin and his plight. The gorgeous location work, with New Zealand doubling for Alaska, almost makes us forget about the long trek…until Ayer reminds us with a raging river to cross and hungry wildlife ready to pounce. As if the incredible plane crash wasn’t enough for our heroes. This leads to a story problem for many who may have a tough time accepting Belmont’s stamina and strength sustaining him over his cardiac “glitch”. Maybe it’s his adrenaline “amping up” in response to the possible loss of Odie ( a little “suspension of disbelief” perhaps is warranted). If you can get past this, you’ll be rewarded with a journey full of terror and surprising tenderness. It’s this love and devotion that propels and powers the HEART OF THE BEAST.
2.5 Out of 4
HEART OF THE BEAST is now playing in theatres everywhere
Even though Summer vacations are a not-too-distant memory as Fall begins, that’s not stopping the multiplex from taking us around the world, with movies set in faraway lands. And like last week’s charmer, SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM, this is animated, too. No, we’re not back in the northern U.K.; rather, we’re headed to the warmer climes of the Philippines. Oh, and it’s not told in stop-motion clay-figure animation, but in glorious, gorgeous CGI, with some brief detours into “classic” 2-D. Plus, we’re treated to a terrific introduction to the local customs and mythology. But, not to worry, kids, it’s far from a dry historical lecture. That’s because there are laughs a’ plenty, with the magic and monsters (maybe a bit scary) found on FORGOTTEN ISLAND.
This fantasy fable focuses on two young women, whom we meet during their early grade school years. The raucous, uninhibited “Jo” Yuson gets a bit too energetic and destructive during her class presentation (with a “splash zone”) all about her Grandma Lola’s time on the legendary island of Nakali, home to strange creatures. While waiting outside the principal’s office, Jo meets the shy, bookish, bespectacled Raissa. The duo quickly bond, and after a visit to the home Jo shares with Lola (voice of Dolly De Leon), they decide to become BFFs, cementing the bond with friendship bracelets. Through the years, the two become inseparable, spending many hours on the nearby beach, in search of the magical “sand dollar” that will open a portal to Nakali. Finally, the end of high school nears; Lola has passed, and Jo (H.E.R.) bounces from job to job in the local mall’s food court. But Raissa (Liza Soberano) has big, big plans: she’s been accepted to Caltech and will be flying off to America. Jo tries to convince her to stay, but settles for one last night together on the beach before the flight early in the morning. And, who would have guessed it, they find that mystical sand dollar (or does it find them). A glowing portal entrance appears in the sand and draws the duo into a dark void. They wake up hours later in Nakali, with no idea what they did after arriving. Plus, the sand dollar is missing, so they’ll have to retrieve it in order to make Naissa’s flight. Luckily, they meet Raww (Dave Franco), a “were-dog (were-aspin, actually)”, who tries to help “fill in the blanks”. Unluckily, they’re pursued by the very angry (Raissa has her wings) Manang (Lea Salonga), a vampire-like demoness. In their frantic search for a way home, Jo and Raissa team up with many exotic creatures and friendly demons and explore several cultures of Nakali. It’s all wondrous, but the clock’s ticking, and Manang’s not far behind. Will they make that flight?
Usually, I begin my critique of the actors involved, so I’ll tell you that both H.E.R. and Ms. Soberano are splendid as the two leads, capturing the emotional bond of the BFFs. Franco brings lots of frenetic energy to the “teen-dog”, while Salonga is quite intimidating as the vindictive vamp. I should also single out the wonderful work of Jenny Slate (yes, Marcel the shell with shoes on) as the memory-craving, cat-like demon Batiba and Manny Jacinto doing an infanilized riff on his “The Good Place” TV role os the baby demon, the massive, three-eyed blue Bungi.Kudos also to Ronny Chieng as the adorably angry king Truffle Wuffle, Jo Koy at “tree royalty” Datu, and Kevin McCann as the vain, silly aquatic hunk, not “merman”, but Mermahn (many might think him a parody of Jason Momoa’s Aquaman in the DCEU, but I thought of Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner from classic Marvel Comics).
Yes, they’re great, but the real stars of this film are the legions of talented artisans that lent their considerable talents to making a masterpiece that’s bursting with creativity and visual splendor. At the forefront is the excellent directing team of Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado, following up on their much-better-than-expected PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH. Yes, that was terrific, but this is a major step forward, matching the animation innovations we’ve seen in the “Spider-Verse” films. There is a tactile, textured quality that’s not overdone to the point of being live-action mimicry, although the rich camera techniques expand on iconic movies like THE MATRIX and AVATAR. For dramatic and comedic emphasis, characters suddenly shift into Anime tropes and pop with manga-inspired line drawings. This leads to several superb 2D “hand-drawn” (though probably using the “Flash” methods) sequences (Raww’s “version” of the first meeting with his two new pals). Speaking of that fuzzy fellow, he’s the source of some great slapstick as parts of him go from human to “weredog” to tiny pooch puppy. That’s just a small sample of the astounding “physical acting” and movement showcased. There’s a wonderful bit of visual emoting from an intense karaoke singer at Raissa’s graduation party 9those poses) to the vamp vixen as she stalks and struts as her body literally breaks in two (I like the crazed frozen smile of Batiba, also). The dazzling color scheme immerses us inside, not only in Nakali, but also in the streets of the women’s home village. And yes, this is a wonderful intro to the culture and its wonderful mythology. Plus, the musical choices are excellent, mixing new tunes with pop classics. Everything is so engaging, but I wish that the editing could be a bit tighter, as a third act “recap” should have been trimmed of a couple of set pieces (save them for a special edition disc). It’s a minor quibble, since this is such an invigorating, phantasmagorical journey that not only rewards the eyes and ears, but also fills our hearts with the joys of lifelong friendship and devotion. And that’s what makes FORGOTTEN ISLAND truly unforgettable.
4 Out of 4
FORGOTTEN ISLAND is now playing in theatres everywhere
“Seconds: Season One” is a procedural series from Finnish TV that offers something different from the usual police dramas I’ve covered. One night, a train crash and explosion incident at a small town station kills over 60 people and injures many more, including passengers in the train and a large group partying in the station’s lounge. Witness testimonies are scant and inconsistent over what happened. Our protagonists are the team of accident investigators from their equivalent of our National Transportation Safety Board.
For six hourlong episodes, the team headed by Marita (Leena Poysti) wades through the debris, witnesses, survivors and victims’ family members trying to figure out the cause in order to prevent such a disaster from happening again. Was it human error? A failure of the new AI control system that’s about to be adopted by all of Europe? Was there some act of vandalism that set these tragic events in motion?
The team is awash in possibilities – none of which seem plausible or consistent with aspects of the evidence. They’re not only separate from the police, whose job is to punish anyone who committed a causative crime regardless of the full array of contributing factors, but in some ways at odds with them. Conflicting interests exist as to control of the physical evidence and contact with witnesses. The investigative agencies don’t always play nicely with each other, complicating the tasks for both.
We also are given a panoply of subplots and personal issues. The AI system creators might be covering up a known flaw to finalize the sale of their billion dollar product, rather than lose out to a few rival companies from other countries close behind in developing theirs. The dude driving the train may not be honest about what he observed. There’s a chicken-or-egg question about whether the train caused the explosion or whether the explosion caused it to crash? This occurred at night in the boonies, rather than in the middle of a city, further limiting the witness pool.
Of course, there’s plenty of media frenzy and outrage among the locals, seeking to punish whoever cost the lives and health of so many of their friends and family. Several seemingly likely culprits ebb and flow along the way. Marita’s process is influenced by recurring chats with her hallucinated sister, who died 36 years earlier. Another key player is schizophrenic. The woman who ran the station’s bar is a newcomer, and easy target for blame. One member of the team, Eero (Juho Milonoff), is an arrogant asshole who may be more obstructionist than helpful.
The cast is solid; the pace is slow; really slow. There’s less physical action than in typical crime dramas to keep the energy level up for sustained interest. Those who like puzzles will be most in synch with what they do and what they find in putting the whole thing together. The season ends with resolution of the case, setting the table for Season Two, which will set them on a new disaster to unravel.
3 Out Of 4 Stars
Finnish crime drama SECONDS premieres September 22, 2026 in the U.S. and Canada on MHz Choice.
After a harrowing plane crash, Special Forces officer James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his combat dog, Odin, find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Together, they are forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements. From acclaimed filmmaker David Ayer, Heart of the Beast is an intense adventure thriller that explores the unbreakable bond between a man and his best friend as they face their greatest battle yet.
The film is from director David Ayer (FURY).
HEART OF THE BEAST IS ONLY IN THEATRES ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2026!
Rated PG-13 for intense survival violence, peril, and bloody/injury elements.
The screening is at 7pm on Wednesday, Sept 23rd at B&B West Olive.
WINNER – Sundance Film Festival: Best Directing – U.S. Dramatic
Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly.
Directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka and starring Rinko Kikuchi, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, YOU, Yoh Yoshida and Damián Alcázar, Sony Pictures Classics will release HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY! in theaters nationwide September 25, 2026.
Rated R.
The NASHVILLE screening is Tuesday, September 22 at 7:00pm at AMC THOROUGHBRED 20, 633 Frazier Dr, Franklin, TN 37067
WINNER – Sundance Film Festival: Best Directing – U.S. Dramatic
Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly.
Directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka and starring Rinko Kikuchi, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, YOU, Yoh Yoshida and Damián Alcázar, Sony Pictures Classics will release HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY! in theaters nationwide September 25, 2026.
Rated R.
The screening is Tuesday, September 22 at 7:00pm at AMC Creve Coeur. Doors open at 6pm.
Adapted from Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, this seductive, psychological thriller follows renowned author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) and Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), a struggling writer who relocates to the remote Crawford estate to ghostwrite for Verity. After Lowen uncovers what appears to be Verity’s chilling autobiographical notes, she wrestles with the disturbing and twisted confessions about Verity’s husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), and finds it hard to separate fiction from reality, manipulation from attraction, and opportunity from obsession.
VERITY opens in theaters October 2.
Rated R.
The screening is Tuesday, September 29, 7pm at the B&B West Olive Creve Coeur 10. Doors open at 6pm.
Okay, let’s continue on with the Halloween-themed films this weekend (yeah, it’s still nearly six weeks away). Now, this one’s not specifically set during the holiday, and it’s definitely not for families (as the old joke goes, unless it’s Addams or Manson), like those punkin’ luvin’ sheepies. However, this is also an “IP”. The new Shaun film comes from a nearly twenty-year-old TV show. This one’s a bit more convoluted. It was a computer game first introduced thirty years ago, then a movie series six years later, followed by several more. Off the theatre screens since 2019, the studio behind it thinks that it’s overdue for a “reboot” or “re-imaging”. And what better director for the project than the man behind one of the surprise horror hits of last year (it even scored an acting Oscar). So, is there still life (or afterlife) in the world of RESIDENT EVIL?
In the opening moments, we’re introduced to a bedraggled, frazzled medical courier named Bryan (Austin Abrams). He’s making an organ delivery at a Colorado hospital during a cold, snowy night. He’s eager to clock out and head home to his girlfriend (she just told him over the phone that she’s “preggers”), but a doctor pleads with him to make one more delivery to a hospital in Raccoon City. And since it’s “double overtime”, Bryan agrees, despite his lack of snow chains on his clunker of a car. The combination of icy conditions and his ongoing “convo’ with his “bae” leads to him striking a woman who dashes out of the forest. He skids to a halt and gets out. Walking back, Bryan sees her body’s snow imprint, but…no body. He follows her footprints and finds her lying in the snow, wearing a cocktail dress and barefoot. After an encounter with a local policeman, Bryan heads away to a distant farmhouse. He’s chased by the watchdog, whose head explodes into a tangled mass of razor-sharp fangs and writhing tentacles. Just what has happened? Somehow, Bryan must find a way to reach a research hospital in downtown Raccoon City. But could this desperate delivery take Bryan into a horrific hellscape teaming with mutated monsters bent on making him one of their own? What a way to earn a couple of overtime bonus bucks!
Unlike many action game movie adaptations, this centers on one character, who’s in nearly every scene. Luckily, the talented Mr. Abrams is more than up to this formidable task. His Bryan is the ultimate “everyman”, thrust into a situation well past his abilities and “skill set,” as his ongoing mantra may be, “I’m not good with (fill in the blank)”. This “wage slave” would be having the most stressful night of his life, even without the slimy horrors lurking in every shadow. Abrams shows us how his heart is with his ladylove, as their relationship jumps to the new, higher level of parenthood. His voice cracks as he struggles to say the right words. And then the world goes “wonky”. With his frantic body language and darting eyes, Abrams conveys Bryant’s panic as he must concoct a defensive strategy very, very quickly. And with his humanity, we also get his “keep going” courage and his snarky sense of humor that prevails (his “f-bombs” hit on target, more than his bullets). It’s wild to think that Abrams will be in more deadly danger as the lead in WHALEFALL next month. Here, he does get a few other terrific actors to share his panic. Of note is the hilarious Paul Walter Hauser as a shadowy “secret spook” named Paul (yes, but his unsaid last name could be Ex Machina, as he “spills the beans” on the cause of this “s#*storm”) in a couple of brief scenes, who has us wanting more (he and Bryan are a superb team). And in the final moments, we get some chaotic chuckles from Zach Cherry as an exasperated head genetics geek. But still, this is Abrams’ “showcase”.
So, who’s this horror movie “wonderkind” who has been given the keys to this decades-old IP? Why, it’s director Zach Cregger (“Mr. WEAPONS”), who co-wrote this script with Shay Hatten. Sure, he gives us lots of excellent “jump scares” and “edge-of-your-seat” suspense sequences, while maintaining an overriding vibe of impending doom. That’s not what surprised me. I was not expecting the humor, as I may have laughed more than I gasped (frequently on both counts). Now, I’ll admit that I’ve never played the game, nor have I seen any of the previous flicks (it seemed like one screen in the multiplex always had one), as I went in “fresh”, so I’m not one of the critical “gamers” who are kvetching online about the jokes. And I enjoyed Cregger’s “spin” that plays on how one of us would try to survive in a “mutant monster-verse”, figuring out weapons and security (padlocks are tougher than we’ve been led to believe). Speaking of the creatures, they’ve found a great balance between the CGI and practical effects, which reminded me a bit of the work of Rob Bottin (1982’s THE THING) and Chris Walas (1986’s THE FLY). They’re truly the stuff of “body horror” nightmares. My only quibble may be the ending, as it feels like a bit of a downbeat detour to Bryan’s jolt-fueled journey. Ah, but this is a full banquet of terror and thrills with a tasty side dish of gags (in every sense), giving a new saucy, spicy spin to the plague-filled play(or slay)ground of RESIDENT EVIL. At least it’ll remind you to tip those delivery workers.
3 out of 4
RESIDENT EVIL is now playing in theatres everywhere.
You wouldn’t think so by the broiling temps, but the Fall season officially begins in a few days. And helping to push us into the Fall movie season is this family flick that centers on the big holiday. No, Thanksgiving is a couple of months away. This is a big Halloween movie that’s for “all ages”, despite that arbitrary “PG” rating. Unlike the big CG-produced features this year, like TOY STORY 5, HOPPERS, and those MINIONS, this is “old school” stop-motion animation puppetry, before Laika’s WILDWOOD opens next month. And this is a sequel, the latest in a trilogy by that “crazy crew from across the pond”, Aardman Animations. The main stars aren’t Wallace & Gromit, nor the birds of CHICKEN RUN, though the principal setting is a farm. A few months ago, these fluffy lil’ critters were darling detectives, so why can’t they figure in a monster movie satire? So, let’s get our “tricks n’ treats” with SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM. Boo! Baaa!
In a bucolic farm just outside of the quaint little village of Mossingham, that sheep, Shaun (voiced by Justin Fletcher), and his flock are secretly growing prize pumpkins for the big upcoming Halloween festivities. The crop is looking fantastic until the Farmer (John Sparkes) crashes through the patch while trying to ask the pretty local veterinarian (Nina Sosanya) to the town’s big Country and Western-themed dance, the “Halloween Hoedown”. It’s a gloopy gourd massacre, but the tiniest sheep, Timmy (Fletcher, again), saves the seeds. Ah, but Shaun has an idea. He discovers an old, dusty science book for kids, which inspires him to create a salve cream to supercharge and stimulate the seeds. Scrambling to find a container for his formula, Shaun grabs an empty bottle of hair growth gel from the Farmer. The pumpkins are swelling up, but the Farmer, wanting to restore his lush locks for the vet, uses the “quick-grow-goo” on his shiny pate. And it works on him, too. Ah, too well! Soon, he’s covered in hair, resembling a sasquatch. When the townfolk spot him, they immediately go into angry and scared “mob mode”, complete with torches and pitchforks. Shaun and his sheep pals have to rescue him and provide a cure before he’s shipped off to “Bigfoot Island”, while also dealing with those now gargantuan orange behemoths that threaten to destroy the farm and the village.
Though I’ve listed some voice actors, this funny flick is basically told in pantomime, harkening back to those olden, golden days of silent screen comedies. Their lines are basically gibberish and accented “mumbles”. And that’s what is showcased here: the superb visual design, from the main characters to the lush backgrounds (a great early gag involves a false painted bit of scenery which had me fooled). The always-blinking eyes are so expressive, paired with the superb physical acting of everyone (terrific “poses” abound). Happily, the “tactile” qualities of this variant of “claymation” isn’t completely “smoothed over” with too many pixels (as with the greats like Ray Harryhausen, there’s the feeling of the figures being gently guided by human hands). It all blends, thanks to the witty, satirical script by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow and the directing team of Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, based on the TV series begun in 2007 by Nick Park and Bob Baker. All the classic monster movie tropes are given their due. Shaun goes into full “mad scientist” mode, as a mix of Baron Frankenstein and Doctor Jekyll, with appropriate lighting effects. And the people of the village seem more Transylvanian than British (love the obnoxious “influencer”). There’s even a brief segment done in classic 2D animation with a touch of finely inked children’s book illustration. This is truly excellent “all-ages” entertainment, with sumptuous sight gags along with the parody bits for the elders, and a brisk 80-minute runtime for the “wee ones” (since it’s not too scary, this might make a great “first movie in a theatre experience”). After the triumph of the last Wallace & Gromit romp a couple of years ago, this zany comic adventure reminds us of the joyous cinematic gems from Aardman’s awesome artisans. So, yes, SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM is far, far from “baaad”. It’s an animation sensation.
4 out of 4
SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM is now playing in select theatres
ANTZ. SHREK. CHICKEN RUN. Since the 1990’s, film goers have been listening to the music of the incredibly talented composer, Harry Gregson-Williams, who helped shape the sound of modern animated films.
Gregson-Williams’s recent projects include the feature film THE DOG STARS, directed by Ridley Scott, starring Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, and Josh Brolin which is in cinemas now and marks their eighth collaboration together and the upcoming ANIMALS starring Ben Affleck and Kerry Washington, directed by Affleck coming out in theaters on October 9 which marks their fourth collaboration together.
His previous films with Ben Affleck include Live by Night, THE TOWN, and GONE BABY GONE. Gregson-Williams is also known for his continued collaborations with Ridley Scott having written original scores for GLADIATOR II, THE MARTIAN, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, THE LAST DUEL and HOUSE OF GUCI and themes for PROMETHEUS and EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS.
A riveting, cinematic thriller set in a world where survival is instinct, but humanity is a choice, THE DOG STARS is in theaters now. The film tells the story of Hig (Jacob Elordi), a young pilot who, together with a military survivalist, Bangley (Josh Brolin), has carved out an efficient but isolated homestead in a brutal post-apocalyptic world. But when Hig receives a mysterious radio transmission, he ventures into the unknown in search of the hope and humanity he still believes exist. Based on Peter Heller’s captivating bestseller, THE DOG STARS features a critically acclaimed ensemble, including Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, and Guy Pearce.
In a recent interview with the composer, Gregson-Williams and I discussed the wide range of films he’s worked on, his love of conducting his scores and collaborating on some of the grandest films with the most prolific directors.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: I’m Michelle from We Are Movie Geeks.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Good title. Did you see Dog Stars?
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: I did. Totally gutted by it. I really liked it. Been a huge fan of Ridley Scott’s since ALIEN.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Yeah, thanks.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: I mean, I’ve been with this guy forever. I saw ALIEN that opening weekend when I was all of age 13, and it was, like, my first R-rated movie, so I have been with him since the beginning.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Wow. My relationship with him started with, in a roundabout way, started when I met his brother, and I scored ENEMY OF THE STATE, MAN ON FIRE, SPY GAME, THE TAKING OF THE PELHAM 1, 2, 3, all Tony’s films from from 1996 to the day he died, sadly. My intro to Ridley really started on the film KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, which I loved. I think it’s quite an underrated movie. It’s so gorgeous to look at.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: Isn’t it?
Harry Gregson-Williams: It’s amazing and here we are 20 years later.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: Fans love the director’s cut of KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Yes, they do, and Ridley does as well. I remember when we were scoring it, and the film was pretty much what we see as the director’s cut now, but he was aware that he was going to have to cut it down for theaters for its theatrical release. And I remember asking him, how are you going to do that really? Because it doesn’t to me. I can’t see how you can do that. It seemed like a perfectly formed movie as it was, and he said, No, I’ve got a cunning plan. There’s something that I’m going to have to take out reluctantly for the cinematic release, but I’m going to pop it right back in if ever I can get a director’s cut, and sure enough, he did.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: How did the conversation go with bringing you on his latest film?
Harry Gregson-Williams: Shortly after we finished GLADIATOR II, actually. He’s very prolific, isn’t he? He seems to be working on the next one when we’re doing the present one, you know, thinking about it, planning it. He never stops. He’s industrious, but you know he’s a real artist at heart, literally he is. He paints for fun, and I think that’s how his brother started at art school in London, and they started in commercials and then came here to Los Angeles. He told me THE DOG STARS would be a very different ride, and I must say I was quite relieved. He said those words after we’d finished GLADIATOR II, because that was so intense. He said this is going to be a thoughtful movie about human connection and loss and the sharing of those emotions.
And then he scuttled off and shot it. He sent me the first cut and asked me to consider the score, and what to share with him, what I might be thinking of the 1st cut that I saw. I realized that I unlike, say, in our previous film, Gladiator II, where I leaned very heavily on an orchestral component to the score, but it didn’t seem that I would need that in this movie, although I did record orchestra, but it is one of the components that makes up the kind of sonic tapestry of what I went for. It seemed to me, as it’s not an urban movie, that it is set very much in the countryside. I started experimenting with all manner of shapes and sizes of guitars, electric and acoustic, ukuleles, Dobros. Anything that felt akin to what I saw on screen. And that’s kind of why I landed the palette for this movie. The musical palette for this movie was very much based on those instruments supported by the foundation that an orchestra can give you. This isn’t a big sweeping orchestral score. It didn’t seem like this. This story really needs to burst out in moments of anger and aggression, which are very fun to do. But the score is trying to carve out these emotions that the characters are feeling. It’s quite a personal movie, it’s a small cast of characters, and they share a lot of things in common, like loss.
There’s the hope of something better somewhere else. But it’s interesting to work on a movie like this when all of us went through a COVID pandemic, which didn’t wipe out most of humanity, which I guess is a movie.
That’s where we find ourselves, but the possibility of something like that happening is a bit more real to us now, isn’t it? We saw huge swathes of the population threatened by something, and I guess that sort of leads us to believe that something like this, which is obviously more extreme, could result in the sort of scenario we find ourselves in THE DOG STARS. I loved the script and the geography of it all, even down to the plane. I remember saying to Ridley, God, I love the look of that plane, Rid. I love the color of it. It’s kind of mustard yellow.
These things are very intentional with him. I think the first cue that I wrote was Hig’s first flight, right at the beginning of the film. And that, just for me, Hig seems to be at his happiest and freest when he’s up in the air with his best buddy, which, of course, is his dog, Jasper, and that’s where he feels like he’s safest and happiest. There’s no dialogue up there, so music can help really inform the audience, the sort of emotional space that Hig is in, and of course that deteriorates during the film. It’s not always a happy place for him.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: There’s some heavy material in this. I mean, the whole end of the world.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Yeah, he spends a lot of time in his head, Hig? I mean, that’s what’s fascinating about his character and sometimes the music is able to inform us and help us and suggest things that he might be thinking of. I mean, in one scene, he’s up there, and he literally turns the engine off and we’ve got to wonder to ourselves, is he going to kill himself? Surely not. He’s got a dog beside him and musically, in that moment the music cue that I’d written had started maybe a minute or 2 before that, probably when Hig took off, I decided that the most effective way I could score that moment as he turns the engine off would be to come out into nothing at all and just have the sound effects of the wind breezing by, so there, you know, a lot of choices that one has to make along the way. Hopefully, that was a decent one.
There’s a sense of loneliness. There is a lot in most of these situations he finds himself in. And I think that’s why, you know, it is a movie about connection and the need for connection and again, just going back to our own experiences with Covid, which must be perhaps the closest we’ve kind of come to that. Not exactly a decimation of humanity. But the fact that we were isolated, weren’t we? And that sense of isolation, I think it comes through pretty well in this film. And the fact that each of these characters are craving some sort of human connection.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: I just need to ask you about the music cue for Jasper and his death, I mean, it just breaks the heart. I was listening to it again, I’ve listened to it a few times, and it’s such an emotional part of the movie, and the music is just perfect for that scene.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Ridley has dogs himself. I have a dog. And yeah, that was kind of a tough, tough moment. You know, my first effort at that moment in the score, Ridley’s reaction to it was, how much do we need the music here? How much do you think most audience members need help in feeling sorry for this moment? And the answer is not much. I mean, most people really would understand how hit he is by that moment. So, I was careful not to make the music overly sentimental, and that was very important, but as a sort of default in moments like that, rather than step into sentiment and too much emotion where the audience might be pushed away a little bit by that.
I’ve learned often in movies that I’ve done, not necessarily just movies I’ve done with Ridley, but a default sort of setting I would go for is more tension and leave the audience in a tense state with an underlying feeling of loss and the emotions that go with that. So, my 1st approach to it isn’t sadness, but like a sort of tension and suspended moment, so that the audience have a chance to feel what they want to feel, and the music’s not necessarily telling them they must feel this.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: I thought there was just enough in it without it just bowling you over and taking over the scene. I did love the various cues and other parts of the movie, where there were a lot of guitars, folk sounds, as well as these classic rock sounds, like the Mennonite folk song, that was so unique. I was not expecting that.
Harry Gregson-Williams: That was written by Tony Lewis, who’s my music editor on this film. And he often will write music on the films that we do, from GLADIATOR II, all the way back to KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, music that we reference as source music. So that’s music that’s not actually the score. It’s music that has a source so that you can see that on screen. So, for instance, in another movie, in a romantic comedy or something, a piece of source music might be a couple walking into a room, and someone puts on the radio. That’s coming from a source, and that’s music that has to be provided, but not necessarily by the composer. I have enough music to create from nowhere that’s not got a source on screen. So the source music in this instance that you’re referring to is written by Tony Lewis. Yes. And I included that on the album because I liked it.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: At the end of the movie the very quietness of it. I loved that very emotional cue where Hig goes home. It was just a very nice way to take a breath.
Harry Gregson-Williams: There’s plenty of melancholy at that moment, isn’t it? And music is essentially an emotion, but without language. Right? So there’s in that scene he’s as he takes off by himself this time. No dog to go with him, and returns home, where we have a flashback of his wife for the last time patting him on the shoulder, as if to say, go, be free, you’ve got to move on. And yeah, the music is very sparse there, and the intention is that it has a sense of loneliness, and you know, deep emotion. But again, without hitting the audience over the head with that, allowing the actor Jacob Elordi to do his thing, and the audience to catch up to that moment. This is him saying goodbye to his wife.
But in this part, the world suddenly erupts into gunfire and explosions and violence. And that’s the two scenes with Bangley trying to defend the homestead and then Hig and Cima and Pops getting chased down by the people on horseback.
That’s kind of classic Ridley who knows how to stage an action sequence. But I love the dynamic in this film, and that gave me an opportunity musically to have a range in the score. Sometimes you’re scoring a film, and one’s kind of channeling one emotion, one feeling, one kind of tempo, if you like. But in this film the dynamic range had to be quite big, as we’ve already established. There are some very lonely, melancholy moments in the film, but they’re also exciting, tense action scenes. So that’s always fun as a composer to have such a dynamic in what one’s got to provide. It keeps life interesting, I can tell you.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: How has the relationship with Ridley Scott developed over the years? You went from KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, PROMETHEUS, HOUSE OF GUCCI, GLADIATOR II and now this film. You two have done a lot of films together.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Well, how’s it developed over the years? Good question. I think it’s 8 or 9 movies that I’ve done with him.
He’s very steady and dependable and very interested in music. He understands the power of music in his films. Yeah, very much, very much so. And he’s sympathetic towards the process, which, the more time we get together, the better things are going to be. Obviously, in post-production, he’s pulled in many directions. You know, he’s got to review the edit, he’s got to review any visual effects that are going on as well as music. So yeah, I’ve learned over the years to make sure I schedule time with him, get him to come to my studio here and listen to ideas early. And he, in turn, has increasingly involved me earlier and earlier, so that there’s plenty of time for me to maybe go up one path, and there’s time for me to come back down that path a bit, and then go off in another direction, if need be, you know, sometimes as a composer once employed with so little time that probably your 1st idea has got to be, if not your 1st, your second idea has got to be the one. Once he sets sail and gets going, it’s a Ridley Scott movie. With GLADIATOR II, there was perhaps 100 min of music to write. I started as soon as he had finished shooting, and the post-production was a year and a half. So, I’ve learned that the more time I get, the better results we’re going to have. He’s all up for that. He loves the process.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: You can tell. And there was a great video that was released, with him talking about the music of GLADIATOR II, and how you work together. It was fascinating. Music is a huge part of his films, he gives a lot of consideration to how the music is going to sound, because it is an important part of his films.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Yes, he does. And, you know, with Ridley, it’s a very collaborative process, and it needs to be, and one needs to be very open as a composer. But I’m also very aware that he has a lot of choices. Over the years he’s had people like Hans Zimmer, Vangelis, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith. I don’t expect the phone to go. But if the phone does ring and it’s ringing, I’m more than happy to jump on board. I love it.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: Let’s switch to your upcoming project ANIMALS, Ben Affleck’s movie. What can you tell us about that?
Harry Gregson-Williams: I can tell you it’s a really good film and Ben’s in it and directing it. The last one that we did together where he was in it and directed it. Oh, I’ve done two with him that he’s been in and directed. One was LIVE BY NIGHT, and the other one, which I think a lot of people like, is THE TOWN and he was really good in that. The first film that he directed that I scored was GONE BABY, GONE. He stuck his brother in that.
When their son is kidnapped, an LA mayoral candidate and his wife scramble to raise the ransom while making choices that could tear their world apart. Directed by and starring Ben Affleck, with Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun, Gillian Anderson, Adriana Paz and Luis Gerardo Méndez, Animals is in select theaters and on Netflix October 9.
With ANIMALS, he asked me to do that around last Christmas. I got a call from him saying that he was a bit stuck with the music, and I said, I’ll do it. You don’t have to ask me twice, of course. So, I jumped into it, and I love it. I think it’s maybe the best part I’ve ever seen Ben in as an actor. I love it. Yeah, he’s good, really good. And it weirdly sort of perversely, he’s quite suited to the main role, because a lot of the movie takes place almost entirely within a very small radius of where I’m sitting right now, which is very close to where Ben has always lived since I’ve known him. So it’s Brentwood, the Palisades, Santa Monica – the west side of Los Angeles. And if you know this part of town, you recognize where he shot it. I mean, literally recognize streets, and places, and he plays a character so believable. I love it. And very similar to what we were just talking about with THE DOG STARS. There’s a huge dynamic range in this film. It was a tense thriller and I really liked it. I really liked the film, and I really liked his performance in it.
He’s really a thoughtful director and when it comes to music, he loves to be really involved, and we live close to each other and always have, actually on this side of LA and he will pop up in my studio of an evening pretty much unannounced. He likes to, he loves to, to, to kind of learn every beat of every bar of music that I’m creating and be there to influence its direction. You know, he’s a bit of a dream to work for as a composer, because he’s got a very clear direction, a very clear sense of the emotions that he’s trying to evoke. And this film is no different. No, it’s great fun. I can’t wait for it to come out.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: I’m looking forward to it. We’ve been listening to you since the 90s. I can’t tell you, I’m such a huge fan of CHICKEN RUN. I totally love it!
Harry Gregson-Williams: How did you like CHICKEN RUN 2?
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: I love CHICKEN RUN and the second one, FLUSHED AWAY, SHREK, NARNIA, THE MEG, and with these films and your scores, they’re campy, fun “make-believe” musical characters.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Well, I’ve considered myself very, very lucky to have done the Shrek series in the beginning. But mostly during that time, the chap who directed the first couple of Shreks and executive produced all of them, Andrew Adamson, called me one day after we did Shrek 2 and said, “Look. I think I’m going to be directing The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe. You wanna do it? I said, well, my God. So I don’t take these things for granted. That’s the great fortune I had there that Andrew went from Shrek to Narnia. I mean, had he gone from Shrek to, I don’t know, something else that might be okay. But that was a dream for me to be able to go into the Narnia series.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: I’m such a huge fan of FLUSHED AWAY and CHICKEN RUN. I think that your CHICKEN RUN score is so funny.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Oh, I’ve got one for you. I wonder whether you’ve seen it. So it’s by the same people, the CHICKEN RUN people, but it’s the only one at that time they had only ever made their Claymation, you know, the stop motion thing, CHICKEN RUN.
But then they made a film called ARTHUR CHRISTMAS with Sony. That was an animation, as it were, computer generated animation, not little clay figures. And I love that film.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: These other films, they’re so much fun, and they’re fun to listen to, and the score just goes so well with those films, because they’re very different from the serious dramas.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Of course. I have 6 children, so I have to keep making movies, at least the younger ones, the older ones, they’re fine. They can watch movies. You know, there’s a few movies that I’ve done that I’ve had to keep hidden from the younger children, like Team America or whatever. That’s a no-go. Movies like Arthur Christmas, Flushed Away, Chicken Run, Chicken Run 2, Shrek, those things my kids, the younger ones, can watch. Obviously the ones who were around when I did SHREK, they’re much older, so they’ll enjoy THE DOG STARS where ANIMALS is kind of a tense thriller.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: Have you conducted any of your scores?
Harry Gregson-Williams: Yeah, all of them.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: How do you like that? I’ve talked to some composers where they’re like, not on your life. I would never conduct any of my music. But you seem to like it.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Oh, I do. It’s part of my process, so there are two trains of thought, I think, as composers and both are completely valid. You know, my old buddy Hans Zimmer doesn’t conduct his scores, but he knows how to do a score. There’s no prizes for conducting your own score. It’s a preference.
If you think about it, sort of geographically, if you’re conducting the score, you’re in with the orchestra, you can hear a certain amount of what’s going on, but you’ve got headphones on. If you don’t, somebody else will conduct the orchestra and you’ll be in the control room where you can hear precisely what’s going on. So that’s why a lot of composers would probably prefer to be in the control room because they’re control freaks. It’s not called the control room for no reason. No, what they’re trying to achieve is, you know, it doesn’t really matter who’s conducting the score.
They’re trying to achieve the best results, the best performance, and the best place to hear that, from their point of view, is in the control room. So for me, the best place for me to do that is out in the room with the orchestra, but it’s just a preference and doesn’t mean much either way.
Michelle McCue We Are Movie Geeks: Thank you so much. This has been a real treat.
Harry Gregson-Williams: Oh, it’s an absolute pleasure, Michelle, and I hope you like ANIMALS when it comes out. I think Ben’s really good in this film. He’s never been better.
