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Indie Ear is written by Brandon Kim. Drop him a line at indieear (at) ifc dot com

Reel to Reel

Eva Green, Ryan Phillippe, Malakai... Franklyn?

By Brandon Kim on 11/20/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

I remember seeing this trailer for a film called "Franklyn," and although it looked a bit like Liam Neeson's masked "Dark Man" tripping balls in a remake of 1998's "Dark City" it also reminded me a bit of the kind of fantasy Terry Gilliam would entertain. Add Eva Green and I'm sold. The UK production also featured Ryan Phillippe, Sam Riley (who played Ian Curtis in "Control") and LOTR's Bernard Hill (King Theoden of course). I just forgot all about it, thinking the requisite marketing barrage would remind me to brave the usual weekend troglodytes for some big screen fun,... MORE »

Coal Country Music

By Brandon Kim on 11/16/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Here's something to get you environmentalist's (and thinking people) all pissed off. You know the story of Big Coal blasting and bullying it's way to sky high profits at the expense of children. "Coal Country" is a new doc that looks into the truth about modern coal mining in Appalachia. It focuses on the process of mountaintop removal mining, the families it destroys, the rivers it pollutes, even the mountains it levels. The story is told by both working miners and activists, and whatever side you come down on, one point cannot be argued: coal generates half of this country's... MORE »

The Men who Stare at Goats, serious soundtrack, farcical direction

By Brandon Kim on 11/09/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Finally got to see "The Men Who Stare at Goats" after months of anticipation. I wrote about it back before even a trailer could be found, but the real world crazy shit the film's based on was more than enough to wet the palate. Along with the incredible cast, it was probably too much - it's not often you can anticipate a film that long and have it pay off. I found the telling of the story to be dodgy and non-committal. Mostly, director Grant Heslov couldn't take the First Earth Battalion or the Army's psychic warfare experiments seriously. This... MORE »

Broken Embraces: Almodovar, Cruz, Cat Power

By Brandon Kim on 10/29/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

I had a Spanish roommate around the turn of the century when Penelope Cruz was blossoming into a huge star who could not believe what a sucker I was for her. He would stand shirtless in the kitchen over a pungent pot of puttanesca and tell me that she was a terrible actor, that she was like a whore. Whenever we would see a cute brunette with big brown eyes out at the bars (with which we were hopelessly distracted) he would inevitably launch into a rant against Penelope. "If you could only hear her as I do in Spanish,... MORE »

Fix, Olivia Wilde, Tao Ruspoli

By Brandon Kim on 10/27/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

You may be aware by now of actress Olivia Wilde. I guess she's been in every glossy guy spread from Maxim to GQ in a bathing suit. She's also made her mark on TV in House M.D., and unfortunately the show beloved by the Bush twins, The OC. But she's not all vapid teen drama, in fact she came to my attention with "Tron Legacy" where we she will play a "loyal confidant to Kevin Flynn." Tron 2.0, as it was formerly called, will be first rate cinema spectacle when it's released in 2010 and should cement Wilde as a... MORE »

Twilight New Moon soundtrack: sell outs or players?

By Brandon Kim on 10/19/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

I thought I'd rather drink turpentine and piss on a brush fire than watch the original "Twilight." Not only did it appear to be a vapid teenage girl fantasy, but one that carelessly rewrote long cherished rules of Vampirism. Then I saw "Adventureland," and supposed I could give it a chance after seeing how mind blowing Kristen Stewart has become since the floor plan thriller, "Panic Room." Perhaps I suffer from some form of vapid teenage boy fantasy syndrome, so be it. I had little choice, just about every female I know aged six to sixty is fired up over... MORE »

American Artifact: The Rise of American Rock Poster Art

By Brandon Kim on 10/12/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

I have a love-hate relationship with rock posters. Like many people who get involved in the music biz, I found them to be a complicated necessity. Anyone can make up a show poster, but not anyone can do it well. There are a lot of eyesores out there that just remind me of how many beautiful trees are felled so some kid can scrawl another scratchy cartoon figure with a name and date on another 500 stack of 11 x 17 sheets at kinkos. But at it's best, a rock poster is at once an expression of an artist, a... MORE »

The Drifter

By Brandon Kim on 10/09/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Environmental activist and surfer macho Rob Machado went to Indonesia on a trip that was about more than the quest for the perfect wave. "The Drifter" documents his journey of self discovery through the South East Asian archipelago where he comes to realize something fundamental about the human condition. As he put it, "We dream of the perfect wave, the perfect job, the perfect house, and when we get there... we dream of something else." [Rob Machado ripping through the green room of a glassy tube in Indonesia. Photo by Dustin Humphrey] The film features tunes by a host of... MORE »

"An Education" in wooing a young girl

By Brandon Kim on 10/06/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Stories about older guys with younger girls never really go out of style, but they have changed a bit. They use to have that everyone wins feeling, Bogart and Bacall who were 45 and 19 when they met, actually married, and they are still celebrated. These films have taken on a different tone over time though, it's not all Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant anymore. [Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard. Photo by Kerry Brown, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics] Director Lone Scherfig's "An Education" is a naughty tale about 16-year old Oxford bound schoolgirl, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) and the dashing... MORE »

Peter and Vandy, indie soundtrack

By Brandon Kim on 09/29/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Playwright Jay DiPietro turned his 2002 stage production "Peter and Vandy" into a film loaded with indie music. The film, his directorial debut, is a love story that tries to answer the common question, "How the hell did we get this way?" through a non-linear telling of all the moments that make up a relationship. Events juxtaposed, disconnected chronologically, but connected in their eventual illumination of the characters. Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler (Teeth, Alexander The Last) star. Ritter is the son of the late comedic good guy, John Ritter. He last played the most podunk Bush, Jeb, in Oliver... MORE »

Rage (Against the Mobile Device)

By Brandon Kim on 09/17/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Call me a Luddite, but I am opposed to the idea of watching a film on a cell phone. Not only is Sally Potter's ("Orlando," "The Man Who Cried,") new film "Rage" being made for release on mobile devices, it's premiering on them before a theatrical release. The release on September 21st will take place in seven parts, one each day through web/mobile application, Babelgum. (Lily Cole as Lettuce Leaf in "Rage.") The episodic release seems to add further insult, but the film does not have a conventional narrative structure, or even any real locations. Instead, the story is told... MORE »

Coco Before Chanel, Tautou, Desplat

By Brandon Kim on 09/11/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

"Coco Before Chanel" tells the tale of the infamous French couturier whose tres cool penchant for masculine flourishes changed the way women could present themselves in society. I think. Certainly her tweeds and the simple lines of her equestrian themed outfits helped ride in the modern sartorial era - less feathers and puffs. Pants and jackets for women. Even the most fashion illiterate person knows the name if only for the perfume she created. I like Marilyn Monroe's response to being asked what she wore to bed: "Why, CHANEL N° 5 of course." (Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel. Photo by... MORE »

Intimate Enemies, Alexandre Desplat, Florent Siri.

By Brandon Kim on 09/03/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

I was a bit salty when I discovered that the working title I'd been using for a story had been taken already by director Florent Siri, but this French film, "Intimate Enemies" is not about my ex-girlfriend. Instead it is concerned with Algeria's fight for Independence. A kind of French "Platoon." Like Vietnam, France's war with Algeria is national baggage that is a never ending source of grief, reconciliation, and introspective war films. Check out "The Battle of Algiers" and "Indigenes" (foolishly retitled "Days of Glory" for it's '07 US release) for more on this dark chapter of history. Man,... MORE »

Black Dynamite, Wax Poetics

By Brandon Kim on 08/31/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

File this Soul-Fu flick, "Black Dynamite," under blown out in your blaxploitation library. The one thing I've always dug about the genre as a whole is the music and when the story is too vapid to hold you between laughs, it can be a reason to keep watching along with the hilarious get ups everyone's got on. I'm not as excited about drug dealers, pimps, hoes and corrupt crackers as I used to be, which is why I don't watch Fox News anymore. But a blaxploitation comedy, I have some room for that. I've also been awaiting Arsenio Hall's return... MORE »

Avatar: how many other films can it embody?

By Brandon Kim on 08/27/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

James Cameron's much-hyped "Avatar," is the first feature film he will have directed since 1997's "Titanic" when it releases in December. After what was apparently a spectacular 16 minute teaser trailer at select IMAX theaters, the film has already sold tickets, 4 months ahead of release. It's a revolution in cinema you know. I must say, the 2 minute version I've seen is quite cool. The music is especially brilliant, that long tone evolving into a droning cacophony pulls you right in and doesn't let go. It doesn't jerk you around like most big budget broke trailer compositions that have... MORE »

The Men Who Stare At Goats

By Brandon Kim on 08/26/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

I've been looking forward to Grant Heslov's "The Men Who Stare At Goats" since March when the film's music supervisor mentioned it to me. While I still don't have detailed soundtrack information, and there is still no trailer to be had, I did come across something worth sharing. (George Clooney, staring at one too many goats). The film is based on a book of the same title by British author and documentary filmmaker, Jon Ronson. It's all based on a true story, involving the Pentagon's research into paranormal and "new age" approaches to warfare that began after the Viet Nam... MORE »

Scorsese's Sinatra biopic - who's it gonna be?

By Brandon Kim on 08/21/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

I've got high hopes that someone will have an intervention with Martin Scorsese regarding his Leonardo DiCaprio addiction in time for the casting of this biopic, titled simply, "Sinatra." Scorsese is the right director to helm such a picture, his love and deft handling of cool/macho packs of guys is half the battle. Once upon a time he was a soundtrack genius too - I think "Mean Streets" alone holds two spots in my top ten uses of a song in film list (something I should start to chip away at). But it's his choice of lead that worries me,... MORE »

World's Greatest Dad

By Brandon Kim on 08/19/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

I like dark comedies because they are more honest than their average brethren - the good ones anyway. It's a broad category but it seems we can add Bobcat Goldthwait's "World's Greatest Dad" to a list that includes films like "Heathers," "Ghost World," every other film the Cohen Brothers make, even the likes of "Dr. Strangelove." (Bobcat Goldthwait and Robin Williams. WORLD'S GREATEST DAD, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.) Robin Williams stars as high school poetry teacher, Lance Clayton, who's nightmare of a teenage son tragically provides him with the opportunity he's waited for all his life. Of course it comes... MORE »

District 9's newcomers

By Brandon Kim on 08/13/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

The plot of "District 9" centers around a group of aliens in Johannesburg, South Africa that no one knows anything about at the outset. Likewise the film's director and talent are unknowns, though I suspect they will be quite famous (and treated much better) in short order when this film opens. Indeed, I suspect Blomkamp is the new onomatopoeia for the sound of success. First time feature director, South African Neill Blomkamp came to the project when he came to the attention of "District 9" producer, Peter Jackson. It's a long winded tale about Jackson looking for a fresh director... MORE »

St. Trinians, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett sing

By Brandon Kim on 08/06/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Before singing his way through "Mamma Mia!," Colin Firth was in a picture called "The Importance of Being Earnest" where he and Rupert Everett have a charming little duet, masculine in that gay late 1800's kind of way. A few years ago, though it was not released in the US, Firth and Everett got to sing together again in the UK comedy, "St. Trinian's." The setting is an oddball English all-girls private school (which is always good, salacious aptitudes aside even). Firth plays the Minister of Education who wants to shut it down and Everett plays two roles, including one... MORE »

Alien and Ridley together again, sans Ripley or Goldsmith

By Brandon Kim on 08/03/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

It might be a bit early to declare with certainty that Ripley will not be in the planned "Alien" prequel, that Ridley Scott's returning to direct after sitting out the last three films. Studios often devise ways of bringing characters back to sci-i franchises that are not born yet, or who've already died - look no further than Ripley in "Alien: Resurrection." But it's probably safe to say that a 59 year old Sigorney Weaver would not return to the series into a time frame earlier than her first role (back in 1979). Clearly, the great Jerry Goldsmith, now deceased,... MORE »

G.I. Joe: the FAIL of jock entertainment

By Brandon Kim on 07/30/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

G.I. Joe was the best thing a kid could have in the early 80's, even better than the other toy/cultural giant, "Star Wars," shocking as that may sound. G.I. Joe was an awesome toy line driven by a TV show and comic books, even a movie. "Star Wars" was a movie (or movies), supported by a toy line. While those film releases were colossal events, they were separated by vast stretches of time, whereas G.I.Joe came on every single day, as soon as you got home from school. It should be no wonder then, that it's very special to a... MORE »

Tron Legacy

By Brandon Kim on 07/29/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

1982's "TRON" was my generation's "The Wizard of Oz." In a time before the internet, before the average person even had their own computer, it imagined a fantasy world that was very much over the technological rainbow, and realized it in hues and colors never quite presented that way before. It also had an incredible musical score, done by synth pioneer Wendy Carlos who had scored "The Shining" two years prior (and did some soundtrack work on "A Clockwork Orange"). Much less awesome were the additional song contributions by Journey, which were not up to the caliber of say, "Don't... MORE »

Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart, T-Bone Burnett

By Brandon Kim on 07/28/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Jeff Bridges, one of the finest American actors of all time, will star as an old school country singer in "Crazy Heart" based on the book of the same title. When I first caught wind of this musically inclined project I thought it was more along the lines of this, and I'd trade all the liquor soaked cowboy hats in the world to make it so. Still, there's much to look forward too with the film as is. Colin Farrell co-stars and though he clearly had his beginnings as a dbag, somewhere between playing a gay ancient Greek womanizer, and... MORE »

Harry Potter and the morphing super fun film score

By Brandon Kim on 07/27/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

It's always interesting to hear how scores evolve over the course of a film franchise, how they adapt to changes in the continuing saga while retaining some flourishes of the original themes. The "Jaws," Indiana Jones, and James Bond franchises come to mind as highlights, and though dramatically flawed at points (though I believe "Casino Royale" to be a triumph), they've left their mark with unforgettable scores. Waiting for the scene where that tell-tale tune plays and listening for how it's changed with each release is part of the fun. It helps to have a great beginning and the Potter... MORE »

Bill Kong, Tan Dun, Yo-Yo Ma, Clint Mansell

By Brandon Kim on 07/24/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

I spoke with producer Bill Kong recently about his new film "Blood:The Last Vampire," the future of Hong Kong cinema, and of course, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." You can read that here! Thought I'd also give a quick shout out to some of the composers that I've enjoyed in his features, like Shigeru Umebayashi who composed the score for Kong's "House of Flying Daggers" and the rousing score for Wong Kar Wai's "2046." (Chinese composer Tan Dun) Clint Mansell who scores Kong's latest picture, "Blood," has two films out simultaneously, as he composed the music for "Moon" as well. Mansell... MORE »

The Pacific

By Brandon Kim on 07/23/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

The role of music in a war film is especially complicated, and often the best idea, like war itself, is too refrain altogether from using it. There are far better ways to achieve both cinematic and Nationalist goals. Unfortunately, the vast majority of war flicks are utterly ruined by the soaring patriotic themes they employ. Their bloated orchestrations goosestep all over the action and the story, if there is any. ("The Pacific" will premiere on HBO in 2010) An exception to this was the brilliant HBO series, "Band of Brothers," which triumphed both because of it's great characters and it's... MORE »

Moon, Duncan Jones, Clint Mansell, Horrible Loneliness

By Brandon Kim on 07/17/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

You've surely heard by now that "Moon" director Duncan Jones is David Bowie's son, and I don't expect the news articles with clever Bowie song titles to stop, since his follow-up feature "Mute" has already been announced. There may be a reprise cameo of the Sam Rockwell role in what Jones described as his "love letter to Blade Runner." More on that bold, incredible statement here, and don't miss IFC's recent interview with Jones here on the site. Some would probably scoff if Jones had used a Bowie song in "Moon," but I for one would not have ruled out... MORE »

Philip Glass, Robert McNamara, Transcendent Man

By Brandon Kim on 07/15/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

I was raised to think guys like former brainiac defense secretary Robert McNamara, who died last week, were heroes. Then I got an education and found out he was just a sad old dick who pumped up the military industrial complex machinery with each and every ordinance-heavy scheme he conceived from the indulgent end of World War II through the colossal fail that was Vietnam. It's clear now that he was just a servant of hegemonic momentum, lost and churned up in a war machine too complex to navigate. If one can be momentarily removed from that born and bred... MORE »

Bad Lieutenants

By Brandon Kim on 06/22/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

New Order lost their edge a long time ago, and though they have some great records, they're a bit dull to my ear when compared with their first incarnation, Joy Division. Just as the remaining members went on with a new name and sound after Ian Curtis' death, so do they now after ditching bassist Peter Hook. Good on them, it's sure not New Order without him. In his stead, they've picked up Alex James from Blur and the name Bad Lieutenant. From what I've heard so far, they don't live up to the name. And make no mistake, there... MORE »

Hollywood's Greatest Year: 1939

By Brandon Kim on 06/19/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel, The refrain

The Academy's celebratory event for "Hollywood's Greatest Year" caught my attention 'cause I couldn't believe they were more jaded about Hollywood than I am. 1939 was the shit huh? What do these imperious folk think about the past 70 years of Hollywood pictures? I'd probably pick 1982 if I had to grab a year outta the air, I mean just look at it: "Bladerunner" "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" "Poltergeist" "Star Trek: The Wrath Of Kahn" "An Officer and a Gentleman" "First Blood" "Gandhi" "Conan The Barbarian" ...even "Tootsie" What a tough year. But anyway the Academy says its 1939, and when... MORE »

Coppola and Golijov

By Brandon Kim on 06/10/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Francis Ford Coppola's new film, "Tetro" is about two brothers and their domineering Father, an orchestra conductor. It's the first original screenplay he's written since 1974's "The Conversation" and is apparently quite personal. Personal in that it's drawn somewhat from his own life and his father who was also a conductor. But the rivalry and dysfunction is all fiction. He told the NY Times, "Granted that classical music was part of my life, but my father was a wonderful and talented man who didn't get his break in life until much later and was nothing like the monster portrayed here."... MORE »

Nice score Sherlock

By Brandon Kim on 06/05/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Once a pioneer in fusing cutting edge electronics with traditional orchestrations, composer Hans Zimmer, sits comfortably among the top hotshot Hollywood go-to guys. His roster of blockbuster scores include the films, "Rain Man," "Days of Thunder," "The Lion King," "Batman Begins," "The Da Vinci Code" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." The problem is, his scores just sound like bloated old turds hitting a wet diaper now. (Left: Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr., and Rachel McAdams in "Sherlock Holmes") It wouldn't be a stretch to pin blame on Hans Zimmer for the formulaic sound of most big budget... MORE »

"The Road" : Nick Cave, blow my mind.

By Brandon Kim on 05/20/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel, The Intersection

It seems this much delayed mystery picture by director John Hillcoat has a firm release date of October 16th (latest by the Weinstein Company anyway), and a trailer surfaced last week that on first viewing looks and sounds very promising. (Left: Viggo as The Man, in John Hillcoat's "The Road.") The cast is incredible, and includes: Viggo Mortensen (swordsman, nude fighter, brought back the cleft chin) Charlize Theron (prettier when ugly?) Robert Duvall Guy Pearce Garret Dillahunt ("Deadwood" multi-role villain, "well that's one fer you Wiald Biell!") Molly Parker (also from "Deadwood") Michael K. Williams ("The Wire's" badass, unforgettable Omar)... MORE »

Michael Mann's "Public Enemies"

By Brandon Kim on 05/18/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Director Michael Mann is the master of the musical sequence. Give him a jam, a slick car (or speedboat or private jet) and a couple bad asses with guns and you're going to get the toughest three minutes of film possible. Sometimes he can't be bothered to cut the song short and you'll get more. Sure Johnny Depp is the man, yeah Christian Bale had me at "Cadillac of the sky!," but it's Michael Mann's work I'm looking forward to in "Public Enemies." Pick an episode, any episode of Miami Vice, and you'll find an incredible, often ground breaking use... MORE »

Down for you is up: "Adventureland" Soundtrack

By Brandon Kim on 05/15/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Movies should be seen on the big screen but given how easy it is to cozy up to the old LCD and just veg, a liberal use of netflix and a Blu-ray player can be forgiven. But there are, in my estimation, two kinds of films that must be seized upon and seen in the theater no matter how fast you can torrent or how sweet your plasma is. The big visual spectacles like "Star Trek," are the obvious ones, and this goes some way to explain that film's spectacular box office numbers. The second kind are the smaller, smarter... MORE »

Star Trek: Far out theme music since 1966

By Brandon Kim on 05/12/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

A spaceship left Earth yesterday at 1:01:56 pm (central time). I found a few minutes to marvel at this and read NASA updates between bouts of rudimentary file upload tech problems the likes of which even the lowest ensign on board the Enterprise could lick in seconds, in a vacuum, with Klingon disruptors melting his keypad. But I'm a fool. So, pretend drunk on Romulan ale I shuttled off to see "Star Trek," which has always had a special place in my multi-cultural, desire for a better, united Human race heart. And I've always loved the music. I used to... MORE »

Easy Virtue

By Brandon Kim on 05/08/2009
Filed under: Reel to Reel

Based off a Noel Coward play from 1924, "Easy Virtue" is a romantic comedy period film served up in contemporary flair and a modern soundtrack in 1920's disguise. It's an odd one. The composer, Marius De Vries brings a wee bit of "Moulin Rouge!" with him to the score. The result is perhaps jarring at times, but certainly more interesting than most. Director Stephan Elliot ("Eye of the Beholder") noted, "I have never done this before; I am used to scoring a film, and when something sad happens you put some sad music on, for a happy scene you put... MORE »

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