Author: Michelle McCue

Huge passion for film scores, lives for the Academy Awards, loves movie trailers. That is all.

‘The Dark Knight’ … Music LIVE

Hollywood composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard will be performing elements of their score for The Dark Knight at the film’s premiere in New York.  To listen to 3  samples of their awesome score, click here.

IGN and Reuters report the two composers will be performing together live for the first time, on stage at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square IMAX Theater prior to the film’s world premiere  this Monday, July 14, at 7pm.

Additionally, Zimmer and Howard will be signing copies of the soundtrack at Virgin Megastores in New York on Tuesday, July 15th, in Times Square at 7pm, and in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 16th, at Hollywood and Highland, also at 7pm.

Warner Bros. Records will release four different configurations of the soundtrack for The Dark Knight:

  • a standard jewel case CD
  • a 2 LP set of heavy-weight 180 gram vinyl version
  • a special edition digipack
  • a collector’s edition with special artwork to come after release.

The soundtrack for The Dark Knight will be released on Warner Bros. Records on July 15 prior to the film’s nationwide opening on July 18.

WAMG First Look at ‘Death Defying Acts’

From Australian filmmaker, Gillian Armstrong (Charlotte Gray, Mrs. Soffel) … I’d almost forgot the biopic about Harry Houdini, starring Guy Pearce, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Saoirse Ronan (Atonement).  Pearce’s portrayal didn’t cast a spell on some Houdini purists after it premiered at Toronto’s Film Festival last year.  Ã‚  ‘Death Defying Acts‘ opens this week in limited release  in New York and LA – hope it makes its way to St. Louis.

Trailers Showing with ‘The Dark Knight’

As a crazed  trailer geek, I am happy to write that ComingSoon.net has confirmed which trailers will be attached to The Dark Knight. Many thought we’d catch a first glimpse of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. But, alas, its not to be so. What we can expect is a first teaser for ‘Terminator: Salvation’ (May 22, 2009)  from Warner Bros.,  the graphic novel ‘Watchmen’ (March 6, 2009), and the thriller ‘Body of Lies’ from Ridley Scott  (  October 10, 2008) starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Russell Crowe.

Tarantino Unveils ‘Inglorious Bastards’ To 4 Hollywood Studios

from Deadline Hollywood Daily:Â  

LA Weekly’s Nikke Finke has  another exclusive – this time on  Quentin’s next film!

  

Quentin Tarantino has just gone  out with  his long-anticipated script about World War II. But here’s the weird thing sources are telling me: not only is Laurence Bender attached to produce Inglorious Bastards, but there’s also “a possibility” that Harvey Weinstein will be producing as well  but not financing it. This certainly adds fuel to those rumors that The Weinstein Co  is having movie money woes. grondhouse1.jpgAfter all, one of the ways that The Weinstein Co attracted investors  was by hyping its creative connection to the Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill 1 & 2 writer/director who  has long made a lot of money for a lot of people. But now only Harv, and not his investors, could potentially profit from the connection? Unreal. And let’s not forget that The Weinsten Co  produced and financed Quentin’s last pic Grindhouse/Death Proof that tanked at the domestic box office because of Weinstein’s own admission that he erred in releasing it  in the U.S. market  as half of a too-long 3-hour, 12-minute double-feature.

This  latest Tarantino epic, originally for Miramax and originally set for 2001, has been so long in the works that some people thought it might never see the light of day. Tarantino himself has described it as a Spaghetti Western meets World II film that’s an homage to the Dirty Dozen with a  story about a group of soldiers on their way to be executed who  get the chance of a reprieve.  I hear it’s gone out to  Universal, Warner Bros, Paramount (all yesterday) and Sony (today). As usual, there’s a lot of secrecy surrounding this Quentin project sent out by William Morris.

‘T4’ Set Pix …

Some new pictures from the set of ‘Terminator Salvation.’ The fourth part of the “Terminator” series will be released next Memorial Day by Warner Brothers. The McG film began shooting in May and principal photography should be finished by late August. However, the New York Times reports that if  the  Screen Actor’s Guild votes to strike, actors on the movie, like  star Christian Bale, would have to walk off the set.  (The results of  a strike  vote will come out sometime next week.)

For  more on-location set  pictures of T4, click here.

‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ Trailer

Here’s a first look at the  trailer for 20th Century Fox’s ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly… It’s the story of the arrival of an alien, Klaatu, which causes a worldwide panic. I’m actually excited for this “reimagination”. The sci-fi thriller opens December 12th. Is “whoa” too much??

WAMG First Look at ‘The Last Station’

The film, based on the book The Last Station, is about the life of famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer). Mirren plays his wife Sofya. The much in demand James McAvoy plays Valentin Bulgakov, Tolstoy’s secretary. Mirren and Plummer were replacements for Meryl Streep and Anthony Hopkins. Paul Giamatti also co-stars. The film is being directed by Michael Hoffman, whose biggest hit to date was the Pfeiffer/Clooney romantic comedy One Fine Day (1996). But since this is a period bio will we see it in this years Oscar race? Hoffman’s only Oscar film previously was the 17th century drama Restoration (1995) which won  for costume design & art direction.

Helen Mirren has another big year ahead of her with  three films coming our way. The other biggies are an A list ensemble crime thriller (State of Play) and one true story about a brothel in Nevada (Love Ranch) directed by her husband Taylor Hackford (Ray).

‘Saw V’ Teaser Poster

IMDB claims bragging rights to  Lionsgate’s first  one-sheet for Saw V.   In the fifth installment of the Saw franchise, Hoffman (Costas Mandylor)  carries on the Jigsaw legacy alone. But when his secret is threatened, Hoffman must go on the hunt to eliminate all loose ends. Tobin Bell, Julie Benz, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson and Mark Rolston star. Saw V opens in theaters on October 24th…perfect for Halloween.

Ledger’s Posthumous Oscar Win for ‘Dark Knight’

Today’s big Oscar news… Is Heath Ledger assured of an Oscar nomination and posthumous win for The Dark Knight? KTLA’s Oscar Red Carpet Guru, Sam Rubin, seems to think so. He no more came home last night from the LA junket screening and posted in his blog:

“I just returned from a screening and I wanted to commit this to a public forum as quickly as possible. Heath Ledger gives a blockbuster performance in the new Batman movie. His work, as The Joker, will absolutely be nominated for an Oscar, and at this point in the year, Ledger is also a hands-down favorite to win it posthumously. Ledger offers perfect pitch, perfect tone, his Joker hits all the right notes. ‘The Dark Knight’ is among the better super-hero movies of all time, and Ledger is THE BEST villain in a super hero movie of all time. Really. It will only add to the conversation of all that Ledger could have accomplished had he lived. Amazing work.”

AP’s David Germain echoed the sentiment:

“The buzz over Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker in “The Dark Knight† for the last several months was justified. With his final full film role, Ledger delivers what may be remembered as the finest performance of his career.”

And lastly, Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers unequivocally states:

“If there’s a movement to get him the first posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch won for 1976’s Network, sign me up. Ledger’s Joker has no gray areas — he’s all rampaging id.”