Fortress Talent Management, a leading agency for composers and music supervisors, has promoted Jake Kozarec to partner.
Kozarec has been with Fortress since 2016, and has overseen the careers of Lorne Balfe, Matthew Margeson, Jeff Cardoni (White House Plumbers), Keegan DeWitt, Jay Wadley, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (Candyman), David Fleming and Alex Belcher.
Kozarec has played a key role in growing Fortress’ formidable roster, which includes Oscar-winners Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings), Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain), Mychael Danna (Life of Pi) and Rachel Portman (Chocolat) and Oscar nominees Nicholas Britell (Moonlight), Daniel Pemberton (Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse), Philip Glass (The Hours), Alberto Iglesias (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Clint Mansell (The Fountain) and Owen Pallett (Her).
The company’s clients...
Kozarec has been with Fortress since 2016, and has overseen the careers of Lorne Balfe, Matthew Margeson, Jeff Cardoni (White House Plumbers), Keegan DeWitt, Jay Wadley, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (Candyman), David Fleming and Alex Belcher.
Kozarec has played a key role in growing Fortress’ formidable roster, which includes Oscar-winners Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings), Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain), Mychael Danna (Life of Pi) and Rachel Portman (Chocolat) and Oscar nominees Nicholas Britell (Moonlight), Daniel Pemberton (Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse), Philip Glass (The Hours), Alberto Iglesias (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Clint Mansell (The Fountain) and Owen Pallett (Her).
The company’s clients...
- 11/30/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
American director Daniel McCabe and his team have opened up to Variety about the making of “Grasshopper Republic” at Swiss international documentary film fest Visions du Réel, where the pic is nominated in the main competition.
Based on a book of photographs by Michele Sibiloni, a photographer and long-time friend of McCabe, who co-shot the film with him and his brother Michael, “Grasshopper Republic” takes viewers on an immersive vérité style journey alongside Uganda’s grasshopper trappers as they set out to make the catch they hope will make them rich: prices and demand for grasshoppers are high in Uganda, where they are considered a delicacy.
The director was keen to emphasize the collaborative nature of the film, which was shot over three seasons in Uganda. Access to the trappers was made possible thanks to Sibiloni’s well established contacts with them.
“We really wanted to make something that was observational,...
Based on a book of photographs by Michele Sibiloni, a photographer and long-time friend of McCabe, who co-shot the film with him and his brother Michael, “Grasshopper Republic” takes viewers on an immersive vérité style journey alongside Uganda’s grasshopper trappers as they set out to make the catch they hope will make them rich: prices and demand for grasshoppers are high in Uganda, where they are considered a delicacy.
The director was keen to emphasize the collaborative nature of the film, which was shot over three seasons in Uganda. Access to the trappers was made possible thanks to Sibiloni’s well established contacts with them.
“We really wanted to make something that was observational,...
- 4/26/2023
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
Taskovski Films, the London-based world film sales company, has picked up “Grasshopper Republic,” which will have its world premiere in the International Competition at Visions du Réel documentary festival in Switzerland.
Filmed by Daniel McCabe over the course of three seasons in Uganda, “Grasshopper Republic” follows a grasshopper trapping team in verité style as these modern-day prospectors push into remote forests seeking their fortune by capturing this elusive prey.
We witness massive generators being hauled up collapsing mudbanks. Light posts are erected with chemically treated bulbs, casting a lurid neon green pall over the tree canopy, irresistibly attracting the swarm to their corrugated iron traps.
The trappers, who have suffered through injury, sickness and exhaustion, finally have their moment and relief washes over them. As for the grasshoppers who have been lured into a trap through unnatural trickery, their path ends in a frying pan.
McCabe says: “ ‘Grasshopper Republic’ is...
Filmed by Daniel McCabe over the course of three seasons in Uganda, “Grasshopper Republic” follows a grasshopper trapping team in verité style as these modern-day prospectors push into remote forests seeking their fortune by capturing this elusive prey.
We witness massive generators being hauled up collapsing mudbanks. Light posts are erected with chemically treated bulbs, casting a lurid neon green pall over the tree canopy, irresistibly attracting the swarm to their corrugated iron traps.
The trappers, who have suffered through injury, sickness and exhaustion, finally have their moment and relief washes over them. As for the grasshoppers who have been lured into a trap through unnatural trickery, their path ends in a frying pan.
McCabe says: “ ‘Grasshopper Republic’ is...
- 4/19/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Master Trailer — Mariama Diallo‘s Master (2022) movie trailer has been released by Prime Video. The Master trailer stars Regina Hall, Zoe Renee, Talia Ryder, Talia Balsam, and Amber Gray. Crew Mariama Diallo wrote the screenplay for Master. Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe created the music for the film. Charlotte Hornsby crafted the cinematography for the film. [...]
Continue reading: Master (2022) Movie Trailer: Regina Hall in promoted to “Master” of a residence hall at a Haunted University...
Continue reading: Master (2022) Movie Trailer: Regina Hall in promoted to “Master” of a residence hall at a Haunted University...
- 3/12/2022
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Of all the below-the-line categories at the Oscars, Best Original Score is the most difficult to predict early on due to the finicky nature of the music branch of the academy. Scores that sound like frontrunners are disqualified for a variety of reasons, from the number of credited composers to the amount of previously recorded music used. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2022 Oscar predictions for Best Original Score.)
Starting with the 2019 Oscars, the academy released a shortlist of 15 contenders. We got this year’s roster of semi-finalists on December 21, 2021. A second round of voting by the members of the music branch, again using preferential voting, will cut these 15 down to the final five nominees. These will be announced, along with the final contenders in all of the other competitive categories on February 8. The entire voting membership of the academy will then vote for the winners, which will be revealed...
Starting with the 2019 Oscars, the academy released a shortlist of 15 contenders. We got this year’s roster of semi-finalists on December 21, 2021. A second round of voting by the members of the music branch, again using preferential voting, will cut these 15 down to the final five nominees. These will be announced, along with the final contenders in all of the other competitive categories on February 8. The entire voting membership of the academy will then vote for the winners, which will be revealed...
- 1/23/2022
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Among the hundreds of things the pandemic has affected is the way composers work as recording sessions became virtual. But thanks to vaccines and Covid-safe plans in the the past year, in-person sessions were (mostly) back, though not to normal — and it was a welcome return for our five Meet the Experts: Composers roundtable panelists Daniel Pemberton (“Being the Ricardos”), Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (“Candyman”), Germaine Franco (“Encanto”), Carter Burwell (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”) and Nicholas Britell (“Don’t Look Up“).
For Pemberton, the Oscar nominee doesn’t believe his orchestral score for the Aaron Sorkin film would exist had he not been able to record it in person. “We got 70 people in a room and we got super lucky because I got to go there and it was just fantastic being in the room with all those people. And Covid restrictions had just changed in Britain so we could get 70 people,...
For Pemberton, the Oscar nominee doesn’t believe his orchestral score for the Aaron Sorkin film would exist had he not been able to record it in person. “We got 70 people in a room and we got super lucky because I got to go there and it was just fantastic being in the room with all those people. And Covid restrictions had just changed in Britain so we could get 70 people,...
- 1/22/2022
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Nia DaCosta‘s “Candyman” is a sequel to the 1992 horror classic, which features a beloved score by Philip Glass, and for composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, it was a matter of finding the right balance of tie-ins to the original while putting his own spin on it.
“We had a lot of conversations very early on in the process about the score … and for me it was very important to be able to reference the original film in some way but to try to steer clear of anything that was too concretely connected to the film,” Lowe tells Gold Derby during our Meet the Experts: Composers panel (watch above). “I did in the end rework one of Philip Glass’ original pieces [‘The Music Box’] but that was the last thing I did. I had completed the entire score before I even approached a consideration of what that would be because...
“We had a lot of conversations very early on in the process about the score … and for me it was very important to be able to reference the original film in some way but to try to steer clear of anything that was too concretely connected to the film,” Lowe tells Gold Derby during our Meet the Experts: Composers panel (watch above). “I did in the end rework one of Philip Glass’ original pieces [‘The Music Box’] but that was the last thing I did. I had completed the entire score before I even approached a consideration of what that would be because...
- 1/22/2022
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
There is something inherently unsettling about an elite university’s aura of vanity. Few other contemporary locations summon such a sense of reverence, exclusivity and historical angst — especially if the college is somewhere in brisk New England and adorned with the Ivy League distinction. Through an unnerving blend of supernatural horror and psychological drama, fiercely talented writer-director Mariama Diallo’s debut feature “Master” reflects on the roots and customs of one such illustrious school of eerily beautiful stone buildings and handsomely dim, wood-heavy chambers. It’s a fictional prototype called Ancaster, erected near where the Salem witch trials were once carried out. Diallo knows exactly what makes the grounds and hallways of these often lily-white institutions spine-tingling as she dissects their historical footprint, real and imagined, through the ghosts of those who left it.
The result is a stylish, sometimes terrifying genre film that shares DNA with Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman,...
The result is a stylish, sometimes terrifying genre film that shares DNA with Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman,...
- 1/22/2022
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
Five top composers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Academy Awards and guild contenders. Each person from these films is now on the Oscar shortlist. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Wednesday, January 19, at 4:00 p.m. Pt; 7:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Joyce Eng and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.
RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series throughout January and February. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 awards contenders:
“Being the Ricardos:” Daniel Pemberton
Synopsis: Follows Lucy and Desi as they face a crisis...
RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series throughout January and February. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 awards contenders:
“Being the Ricardos:” Daniel Pemberton
Synopsis: Follows Lucy and Desi as they face a crisis...
- 1/12/2022
- by Chris Beachum and Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
“Candyman,” a surprise inclusion on Oscar’s music shortlist, features an electro-acoustic score by New York composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe that contributes to the eerie and ultimately terrifying atmosphere of Nia DaCosta’s update of the 1992 horror classic.
“Candyman” was co-written and produced by Jordan Peele and wound up among the year’s top 20 grossing films. Lowe spent more than nine months composing and recording the music.
“To be able to enhance the story by way of creating a score that exists as a character within the landscape of the film, that’s most important to me,” says Lowe.
The appeal? “The racial overtones of the film, the history of brutality and trauma for Black bodies, concepts of ancestry, folklore, mythology, stories that are handed down orally.”
Lowe actually lived within a few blocks of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing project while in his 20s, and he returned to those...
“Candyman” was co-written and produced by Jordan Peele and wound up among the year’s top 20 grossing films. Lowe spent more than nine months composing and recording the music.
“To be able to enhance the story by way of creating a score that exists as a character within the landscape of the film, that’s most important to me,” says Lowe.
The appeal? “The racial overtones of the film, the history of brutality and trauma for Black bodies, concepts of ancestry, folklore, mythology, stories that are handed down orally.”
Lowe actually lived within a few blocks of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing project while in his 20s, and he returned to those...
- 1/10/2022
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
The Oscar shortlists were announced Dec. 21, and for some, it was an early holiday gift, as well as marking the ramp-up of awards season as showbiz starts to hone campaigns and voters start to really survey the contours of the myriad kudos on offer.
Documentary Feature
Some 138 films were eligible for this category, with 15 making the cut, voted on by the Academy’s documentary branch, which will then determine the final nominees. Of the 15, some films were expected, such as front-runner Denmark’s “Flee,” which also made the international film shortlist (and has a good shot at an animated feature nomination). Music docs pepper the list, such as the Cannes-bowing “The Velvet Underground,” from Todd Haynes (Oscar-nommed for original screenplay for “Far From Heaven”). It explores the influential rock band and the New York City art scene that nurtured its songs. Also going into the final stretch as a frontrunner...
Documentary Feature
Some 138 films were eligible for this category, with 15 making the cut, voted on by the Academy’s documentary branch, which will then determine the final nominees. Of the 15, some films were expected, such as front-runner Denmark’s “Flee,” which also made the international film shortlist (and has a good shot at an animated feature nomination). Music docs pepper the list, such as the Cannes-bowing “The Velvet Underground,” from Todd Haynes (Oscar-nommed for original screenplay for “Far From Heaven”). It explores the influential rock band and the New York City art scene that nurtured its songs. Also going into the final stretch as a frontrunner...
- 1/7/2022
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. The eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and is subject to change.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Oscars Predictions:
Best Original Score
Updated: Dec 28, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: There are bits worth celebrating and two composers...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Oscars Predictions:
Best Original Score
Updated: Dec 28, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: There are bits worth celebrating and two composers...
- 12/28/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists for Original Song and Original Score vying for Oscars nominations consideration. As Variety reports, the next phase of voting begins on Jan. 27 and ends Feb. 1. The official nominees for all the categories will be announced on Feb. 8.
A total of 84 songs were eligible in the Original Songs category, and 15 comprise the shortlist. The Original Song category pits couple Beyoncé (“Be Alive”) against Jay-Z (“Guns Go Bang”). Billie Eilish with brother Finneas’ “No Time to Die,” Ariana Grande and...
A total of 84 songs were eligible in the Original Songs category, and 15 comprise the shortlist. The Original Song category pits couple Beyoncé (“Be Alive”) against Jay-Z (“Guns Go Bang”). Billie Eilish with brother Finneas’ “No Time to Die,” Ariana Grande and...
- 12/22/2021
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
This year’s 10 Oscar shortlists are voted on by six branches of the Academy — Music, Documentary, Animation and Shorts, VFX, Makeup and Hairstyling and, for the first time, Sound — as well as willing members from all over the world able to watch a minimum of a dozen qualifying international features. Parsing these shortlists reveals the strengths and weaknesses of Oscar contenders heading into the final round of voting for the final five nominations, which begins on Thursday, January 27, 2022, and ends on February 1, 2022. Nominations are announced on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
With the calendar back to normal, more Oscar voters went out to screenings and theaters, although many made their selection from a wide range of movies available on the Academy portal. Back in the mix were such postponed movies as Denis Villeneuve’s day-and-date success “Dune” and Steven Spielberg’s success d’estime “West Side Story,” along with a smattering of arthouse and streaming fare.
With the calendar back to normal, more Oscar voters went out to screenings and theaters, although many made their selection from a wide range of movies available on the Academy portal. Back in the mix were such postponed movies as Denis Villeneuve’s day-and-date success “Dune” and Steven Spielberg’s success d’estime “West Side Story,” along with a smattering of arthouse and streaming fare.
- 12/21/2021
- by Anne Thompson and Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
This year’s 10 Oscar shortlists are voted on by six branches of the Academy — Music, Documentary, Animation and Shorts, VFX, Makeup and Hairstyling and, for the first time, Sound — as well as willing members from all over the world able to watch a minimum of a dozen qualifying international features. Parsing these shortlists reveals the strengths and weaknesses of Oscar contenders heading into the final round of voting for the final five nominations, which begins on Thursday, January 27, 2022, and ends on February 1, 2022. Nominations are announced on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
With the calendar back to normal, more Oscar voters went out to screenings and theaters, although many made their selection from a wide range of movies available on the Academy portal. Back in the mix were such postponed movies as Denis Villeneuve’s day-and-date success “Dune” and Steven Spielberg’s success d’estime “West Side Story,” along with a smattering of arthouse and streaming fare.
With the calendar back to normal, more Oscar voters went out to screenings and theaters, although many made their selection from a wide range of movies available on the Academy portal. Back in the mix were such postponed movies as Denis Villeneuve’s day-and-date success “Dune” and Steven Spielberg’s success d’estime “West Side Story,” along with a smattering of arthouse and streaming fare.
- 12/21/2021
- by Anne Thompson and Bill Desowitz
- Thompson on Hollywood
Composers Hans Zimmer and Jonny Greenwood came in strong on the Academy’s shortlist for Best Original Score, securing two slots apiece from a total of 15. Zimmer enters the next phase of Oscars competition with his scores for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Cary Fukunaga’s Bond film No Time to Die. Greenwood, meanwhile, moves forward with his soundtracks for Jane Campion’s Western The Power of the Dog and Pablo Larraín’s Princess Diana drama, Spencer.
Zimmer is an 11-time nominee who won an Oscar for his score to The Lion King in 1995, most recently vying for gold with Christopher Nolan’s 2018 World War II drama, Dunkirk. Greenwood—who also scored Paul Thomas Anderson’s recently released Licorice Pizza—earned his first nomination that same year with Anderson’s Phantom Thread.
The only past Oscar winner in contention this year, apart from Zimmer, is Alexandre Desplat—who nabbed a slot with The French Dispatch.
Zimmer is an 11-time nominee who won an Oscar for his score to The Lion King in 1995, most recently vying for gold with Christopher Nolan’s 2018 World War II drama, Dunkirk. Greenwood—who also scored Paul Thomas Anderson’s recently released Licorice Pizza—earned his first nomination that same year with Anderson’s Phantom Thread.
The only past Oscar winner in contention this year, apart from Zimmer, is Alexandre Desplat—who nabbed a slot with The French Dispatch.
- 12/21/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The music shortlists for Oscar consideration, announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, might just be the most star-studded lineup in history.
Nearly all of the 15 songs on the list for potential nomination have been written or recorded by pop superstars, and the approximately 375 members of Oscar’s music branch are going to have a difficult time paring the list down to five best-song nominees.
The most interesting matchup involves spouses Jay-Z and Beyoncé (for her “Be Alive” from “King Richard”).
Three songs on the shortlist are by past Oscar winners: H.E.R., last year’s surprise victor for “Fight for You,” has “Automatic Woman” from “Bruised” in contention; “La La Land” songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are co-writers of “The Anonymous Ones” from “Dear Evan Hansen”; and Jennifer Hudson is one of the writers on “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from the Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect.
Nearly all of the 15 songs on the list for potential nomination have been written or recorded by pop superstars, and the approximately 375 members of Oscar’s music branch are going to have a difficult time paring the list down to five best-song nominees.
The most interesting matchup involves spouses Jay-Z and Beyoncé (for her “Be Alive” from “King Richard”).
Three songs on the shortlist are by past Oscar winners: H.E.R., last year’s surprise victor for “Fight for You,” has “Automatic Woman” from “Bruised” in contention; “La La Land” songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are co-writers of “The Anonymous Ones” from “Dear Evan Hansen”; and Jennifer Hudson is one of the writers on “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from the Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect.
- 12/21/2021
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
“I am the writing on the wall, the sweet smell of blood. Be my victim.”
Now you can win the Win the Blu-ray of Candyman. We Are Movie Geeks has one to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite scary movie that starts with the letter ‘C’ is (I’d say Carnival Of Souls. It’s so easy!)
1. You Must Be A US Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To US Addresses. No P.O. Boxes. No Duplicate Addresses.
2. Winner Will Be Chosen From All Qualifying Entries. No Purchase Necessary
Experience More Of Candyman’S Ever-evolving Story With A Never-before-seen Alternate Ending
And Over An Hour Of Captivating Extras! Certified Fresh On Rotten Tomatoes – OWN It On Digital November 2, 2021 4K Uhd, Blu-ray And DVD November 16, 2021 From MGM & Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Dare to say his name. Oscar winner Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta expand...
Now you can win the Win the Blu-ray of Candyman. We Are Movie Geeks has one to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite scary movie that starts with the letter ‘C’ is (I’d say Carnival Of Souls. It’s so easy!)
1. You Must Be A US Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To US Addresses. No P.O. Boxes. No Duplicate Addresses.
2. Winner Will Be Chosen From All Qualifying Entries. No Purchase Necessary
Experience More Of Candyman’S Ever-evolving Story With A Never-before-seen Alternate Ending
And Over An Hour Of Captivating Extras! Certified Fresh On Rotten Tomatoes – OWN It On Digital November 2, 2021 4K Uhd, Blu-ray And DVD November 16, 2021 From MGM & Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Dare to say his name. Oscar winner Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta expand...
- 11/10/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The successful Candyman remake is coming to streaming and home video this week. Our friends at Universal Home Entertainment have provided us with two digital codes which we’re offering to our readers.
In order to win, tell us the scariest memory from your Halloween experiences. Provide good, creative details and have your entry submitted no later than 11:59 p.m., Monday, November 8. The decision of the ComicMix judges will be final.
Universal City, California, October 26, 2021 – Dare to say his name. Oscar® winner Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta expand on the infamous Candyman legacy with “a new horror classic” (Fox TV) that is “smart, stylish, and scary as hell”. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 84%, Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s (MGM) Candyman is back and yours to own on Digital November 2, 2021 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM and DVD November 16, 2021 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. All versions...
In order to win, tell us the scariest memory from your Halloween experiences. Provide good, creative details and have your entry submitted no later than 11:59 p.m., Monday, November 8. The decision of the ComicMix judges will be final.
Universal City, California, October 26, 2021 – Dare to say his name. Oscar® winner Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta expand on the infamous Candyman legacy with “a new horror classic” (Fox TV) that is “smart, stylish, and scary as hell”. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 84%, Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s (MGM) Candyman is back and yours to own on Digital November 2, 2021 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM and DVD November 16, 2021 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. All versions...
- 11/1/2021
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
Candyman is Available on Digital 11/2 and 4K Uhd, Blu-ray and DVD 11/16: "Dare to say his name. Oscar® winner Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta expand on the infamous Candyman legacy with “a new horror classic” (Fox TV) that is “smart, stylish, and scary as hell”. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 84%, Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s (MGM) Candyman is back and yours to own on Digital November 2, 2021 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-rayTM and DVD November 16, 2021 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. All versions come packed with over an hour of bonus features including a never-before-seen alternate ending, deleted and extended scenes as well as special featurettes taking viewers behind-the-scenes of the film and deeper into this complex and deeply resonant contemporary take on the bone-chilling urban legend.
For decades, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green were terrorized by a ghost story about a supernatural, hook-handed killer.
For decades, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green were terrorized by a ghost story about a supernatural, hook-handed killer.
- 10/26/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Audrey Diwan's Happening. The Venice Film Festival has come to a close. Check out all of the award winners, which include Audrey Diwan's Happening, Paolo Sorrentino's The Hand of God, and Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog, here.Comedian Norm Macdonald, best known as a former cast member of Saturday Night Live and for his performances in films like Dirty Work, has died at 61. In a tweet dedicated to Macdonald, Adam Sandler described Macdonald as the "most fearless funny original guy we knew." Once titled Soggy Bottom, Paul Thomas Anderson's latest feature has a new title: Licorice Pizza, a reference to the record store chain from the 1970s. Surprise 35mm trailers for Licorice Pizza, described as having similarities to Anderson's Boogie Nights, have been seen playing before films like American Graffiti and Repo Men.
- 9/15/2021
- MUBI
Credit: Desdemona DallasIn a 1948 article, The Slow Motion of Sound, Jean Epstein envisions a radical path for the future of film sound. With the fire of a manifesto, he diagnoses that since its inception, the soundtrack had been bound to “old forms of speech and music,” and “would reveal nothing to us of the acoustic world but what the ear had itself been used to hearing for as long as one could remember.” But the essay comes at a turning point. Epstein cites improving recording technology as heralding the potential for a “deeper and more accurate realism,” one that might puncture toward and reveal inner worlds and other occulted currents—“The voices of consciousness, the old repeated melodies of memory, the screams of nightmares and the words no one ever uttered.” He advocates a sonic magnification through slowing time to a granular, microscopic scale: one that would reveal in a thunderstorm an “apocalypse of screams,...
- 9/3/2021
- MUBI
Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman” update required an unconventional score — and Black composer and co-sound designer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe delivered a visceral soundscape in tune with the movie’s urban legend about racist violence perpetrated against Black men throughout history.
The horrifying legacy of Black trauma continues when artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) becomes obsessed with the legend of Candyman, who still haunts the gentrified community of Chicago’s Cabrini Green.
“The work that I created needed to live in the world of this new film, while still understanding that there was a legacy that needed to be addressed in some way [concerning Philip Glass’ iconic score to the original 1992 film],” Lowe said. He eventually carved out his own unique musical space while reimagining the Glass composition “The Music Box,” which the film uses during backstory exposition and over the end credits.
The Candyman mythology provided plenty of inspiration for Lowe, whose unconventional process consists of recording his...
The horrifying legacy of Black trauma continues when artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) becomes obsessed with the legend of Candyman, who still haunts the gentrified community of Chicago’s Cabrini Green.
“The work that I created needed to live in the world of this new film, while still understanding that there was a legacy that needed to be addressed in some way [concerning Philip Glass’ iconic score to the original 1992 film],” Lowe said. He eventually carved out his own unique musical space while reimagining the Glass composition “The Music Box,” which the film uses during backstory exposition and over the end credits.
The Candyman mythology provided plenty of inspiration for Lowe, whose unconventional process consists of recording his...
- 9/1/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“You can really make the story your own. But some of the specifics should be consistent.” So says William Burke (Colman Domingo), the aging keeper of the Candyman legend. And so say writer-director Nia DaCosta (“Little Woods”) and co-writers Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld (“The Twilight Zone”), the inventive re-creators of the “Candyman” franchise.
The filmmakers built their movie by deconstructing another one: Bernard Rose’s 1992 original, which was in turn based on Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden.” Though it was embraced by genre fans at the time (including a teenage Peele), Rose’s version is long overdue for a contemporary revision. It’s hard to imagine one with more searing impact than this.
The pandemic pushed the movie’s release date back a year, so the story opens in 2019 Chicago, long after the Cabrini-Green housing project of the original was razed to make way for gentrification.
The filmmakers built their movie by deconstructing another one: Bernard Rose’s 1992 original, which was in turn based on Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden.” Though it was embraced by genre fans at the time (including a teenage Peele), Rose’s version is long overdue for a contemporary revision. It’s hard to imagine one with more searing impact than this.
The pandemic pushed the movie’s release date back a year, so the story opens in 2019 Chicago, long after the Cabrini-Green housing project of the original was razed to make way for gentrification.
- 8/25/2021
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Dare To Say It. Candyman. Candyman. Candyman. Candyman…
Oscar® winner Jordan Peele unleashes a fresh take on the blood-chilling urban legend: Candyman. Filmmaker Nia DaCosta directs this contemporary incarnation of the cult classic.
For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy and his partner, gallery director Brianna Cartwright, move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.
With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini-Green old-timer exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman.
Oscar® winner Jordan Peele unleashes a fresh take on the blood-chilling urban legend: Candyman. Filmmaker Nia DaCosta directs this contemporary incarnation of the cult classic.
For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, visual artist Anthony McCoy and his partner, gallery director Brianna Cartwright, move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.
With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini-Green old-timer exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman.
- 8/11/2021
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Jóhann Jóhannsson's End of Summer is exclusively showing on Mubi from September 30 - October 30, 2020.End of SummerIn the only two movies he directed and scored himself, Jóhann Jóhannsson gave us a vision of human otherness, a sense of people without people. End of Summer (2014) and Last and First Men (2019) both present landscapes riven with energy but fresh out of humans. Last and First Men was filmed all around the former Yugoslavia, using 16mm anamorphic camera lenses. The only subjects before the lens are “spomenik,” enormous statues built after World War II to commemorate sites of violence. The figures are based on ancient, unfamiliar shapes and seem far from any common experience of Earth. Tilda Swinton’s narration, taken from a 1930s sci-fi novel, describes a dying race from the future talking to the dying race of the present—us. Jóhannsson’s music blends with field recordings and flows under...
- 10/12/2020
- MUBI
Nia DaCosta, director of the upcoming “Candyman” film inspired by the 1992 horror classic, shared a chilling short film depicting the origin story of her titular star.
Shadow puppets, manned by Manual Cinema, re-tell the gruesome scenes that form the Candyman’s lore set to Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe’s score. “Candyman, at the intersection of white violence and black pain, is about unwilling martyrs,” DaCosta captioned the video. “The people they were, the symbols we turn them into, the monsters we are told they must have been.”
Candyman, at the intersection of white violence and black pain, is about unwilling martyrs. The people they were, the symbols we turn them into, the monsters we are told they must have been. pic.twitter.com/MEwwr8umdI
— Nia DaCosta (@NiaDaCosta) June 17, 2020
The short debuts amidst a world rising up to protest against police brutality and the systemic racism in the United States...
Shadow puppets, manned by Manual Cinema, re-tell the gruesome scenes that form the Candyman’s lore set to Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe’s score. “Candyman, at the intersection of white violence and black pain, is about unwilling martyrs,” DaCosta captioned the video. “The people they were, the symbols we turn them into, the monsters we are told they must have been.”
Candyman, at the intersection of white violence and black pain, is about unwilling martyrs. The people they were, the symbols we turn them into, the monsters we are told they must have been. pic.twitter.com/MEwwr8umdI
— Nia DaCosta (@NiaDaCosta) June 17, 2020
The short debuts amidst a world rising up to protest against police brutality and the systemic racism in the United States...
- 6/18/2020
- by Klaritza Rico
- Variety Film + TV
If there's one film I'm hoping with all my might that I get to see on big screen this year, it's Nia DaCosta's Candyman. The original is a seminal work of urban horror, and the trailers for the pseudo-sequel thus far have set a great tone for what we can expect. And just this afternoon, DaCosta tweeted an incredible shadow puppet animated short, created by Manual Cinema with a haunting score by Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe. The short highlights the urban legend of Candyman, and certainly considering contemporary events, highlights violence against Black Americans, and the mobs that never give them rest. Check it out below....
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/17/2020
- Screen Anarchy
The new “Candyman” teaser might not feature any scenes from the upcoming horror movie, but the animated video is still as visually breathtaking as it is deeply unnerving.
“Candyman” director Nia DaCosta shared a two and a half minute-long teaser for the upcoming horror film that consists entirely of animated puppets. The teaser is loosely based on the origins of the film’s titular character and features a variety of depressingly topical scenes of racism, such as police beating a cowering black man, which is followed by a mob breaking into a black man’s home and killing him.
It’s a bleak teaser that effectively sets the tone for the upcoming “Candyman” film, which will serve as a sequel to the original 1992 film of the same name. The upcoming “Candyman” is a direct sequel to the 1992 film, which centered on the vengeful ghost of a black artist and son...
“Candyman” director Nia DaCosta shared a two and a half minute-long teaser for the upcoming horror film that consists entirely of animated puppets. The teaser is loosely based on the origins of the film’s titular character and features a variety of depressingly topical scenes of racism, such as police beating a cowering black man, which is followed by a mob breaking into a black man’s home and killing him.
It’s a bleak teaser that effectively sets the tone for the upcoming “Candyman” film, which will serve as a sequel to the original 1992 film of the same name. The upcoming “Candyman” is a direct sequel to the 1992 film, which centered on the vengeful ghost of a black artist and son...
- 6/17/2020
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
The new “Candyman” teaser might not feature any scenes from the upcoming horror movie, but the animated video is still as visually breathtaking as it is deeply unnerving.
“Candyman” director Nia DaCosta shared a two and a half minute-long teaser for the upcoming horror film that consists entirely of animated puppets. The teaser is loosely based on the origins of the film’s titular character and features a variety of depressingly topical scenes of racism, such as police beating a cowering black man, which is followed by a mob breaking into a black man’s home and killing him.
It’s a bleak teaser that effectively sets the tone for the upcoming “Candyman” film, which will serve as a sequel to the original 1992 film of the same name. The upcoming “Candyman” is a direct sequel to the 1992 film, which centered on the vengeful ghost of a black artist and son...
“Candyman” director Nia DaCosta shared a two and a half minute-long teaser for the upcoming horror film that consists entirely of animated puppets. The teaser is loosely based on the origins of the film’s titular character and features a variety of depressingly topical scenes of racism, such as police beating a cowering black man, which is followed by a mob breaking into a black man’s home and killing him.
It’s a bleak teaser that effectively sets the tone for the upcoming “Candyman” film, which will serve as a sequel to the original 1992 film of the same name. The upcoming “Candyman” is a direct sequel to the 1992 film, which centered on the vengeful ghost of a black artist and son...
- 6/17/2020
- by Tyler Hersko
- Thompson on Hollywood
Everything came together for film composer Jóhann Jóhannsson on “Arrival,” his third score with director Denis Villeneuve (following “Prisoners” and “Sicario”). Here he was able to broaden his avant-garde musical expression in a way that was totally in sync with the alien contact movie about language and communication.
“I have the luxury of working in pre-production with Denis, and the primary inspiration for the score came from the concept art,” Jóhannsson told IndieWire. “One of the main themes was written during the first week of shooting when the helicopter approaches the alien shell [or ship] for the first time.
“I did a session in Berlin where I was working with a 16-track tape loop and I recorded layers and layers of piano drones (sustained without the attack) at different speeds and slowed them down. So it took on the texture of the very tense drone with almost no processing. These were analog...
“I have the luxury of working in pre-production with Denis, and the primary inspiration for the score came from the concept art,” Jóhannsson told IndieWire. “One of the main themes was written during the first week of shooting when the helicopter approaches the alien shell [or ship] for the first time.
“I did a session in Berlin where I was working with a 16-track tape loop and I recorded layers and layers of piano drones (sustained without the attack) at different speeds and slowed them down. So it took on the texture of the very tense drone with almost no processing. These were analog...
- 11/21/2016
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Jóhann Jóhannsson’s latest score for Denis Villeneuve’s thriller “Arrival” takes listeners to another world. The Academy Award-nominated composer blended both classical and avant-garde elements to accompany the story of an alien invasion. The soundtrack was released by Deutsche Grammophon on Friday, November 11 and you can listen to it below.
Starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, the drama is set in the aftermath of an alien invasion after the government brings in an esteemed linguist, Louise Banks (Adams), to attempt to decipher their language and figure out their intent on Earth.
Read More: ‘Arrival’ Exclusive: Denis Villeneuve and Amy Adams Want To Make Science-Fiction Feel Real Again — Watch
To compose the music, Jóhannsson worked with several singers and vocal ensembles, including Theatre of Voices, conducted by Paul Hillier, and other artists including Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe and Hildur Guðnadóttir. The album also includes the track “On the Nature of...
Starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, the drama is set in the aftermath of an alien invasion after the government brings in an esteemed linguist, Louise Banks (Adams), to attempt to decipher their language and figure out their intent on Earth.
Read More: ‘Arrival’ Exclusive: Denis Villeneuve and Amy Adams Want To Make Science-Fiction Feel Real Again — Watch
To compose the music, Jóhannsson worked with several singers and vocal ensembles, including Theatre of Voices, conducted by Paul Hillier, and other artists including Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe and Hildur Guðnadóttir. The album also includes the track “On the Nature of...
- 11/11/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
It seems with each passing year the flood of year end lists are published earlier and earlier, assuring that at least a handful of films deserving a place on any given list are missed due to a lack of time and opportunity. Even here at Ioncinema.com, posting my list after the calender year has actually closed, it feels a little premature writing up a list, knowing there are plenty of films that I’ve yet to see due to a lack of screenings nearby – Mr. Turner, Foxcatcher, Leviathan, Winter Sleep and Selma just to name a few. I should note that it seems there is a lack of international releases on this list as well, but rest assured, of the many I saw this year, most won’t reach a domestic release until sometime in 2015, so films like Christian Petzold’s Phoenix, Tsai Ming-liang’s Journey to the West,...
- 1/5/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
The Brothers Ben Find Supernal Solace On The Fringe
There are creative collaborations and there are perfect unions. The newly born cinematic relationship between experimental documentarians Ben Russell (Let Each One Go Where He May) and Ben Rivers (Two Years At Sea) seems to be the latter. Their first feature together, A Spell To Ward Off The Darkness, lets the inclinations of both artists meld into one pensively celebrative journey into the outskirts that sees the human spirit glow in the shadow of societal norms. Part reflexive documentary and part narrative fabrication, the film follows the existential exploration of a nameless journeyman (played by real-life musician Robert A.A. Lowe) in three parts – from an island-bound commune in Estonia, to the solitary seclusion of the Finnish backwoods, and finally to the dark depths of a rock club in Norway where he joins fellow black metal musicians on stage in a breathtaking...
There are creative collaborations and there are perfect unions. The newly born cinematic relationship between experimental documentarians Ben Russell (Let Each One Go Where He May) and Ben Rivers (Two Years At Sea) seems to be the latter. Their first feature together, A Spell To Ward Off The Darkness, lets the inclinations of both artists meld into one pensively celebrative journey into the outskirts that sees the human spirit glow in the shadow of societal norms. Part reflexive documentary and part narrative fabrication, the film follows the existential exploration of a nameless journeyman (played by real-life musician Robert A.A. Lowe) in three parts – from an island-bound commune in Estonia, to the solitary seclusion of the Finnish backwoods, and finally to the dark depths of a rock club in Norway where he joins fellow black metal musicians on stage in a breathtaking...
- 12/1/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
★★★☆☆Narrative is not even a remote concern for Ben Rivers and Ben Russell, the co-directors of the experimental mixed-media art documentary, A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness (2014). Carved into three distinct acts, their film ostensibly follows the wanderings (or wonderings) of a man – musician and artist Robert A.A. Lowe – through an Estonian free-loving commune; an isolated stretch in a beautiful, desolate forest; and playing in a Norwegian metal band. Glacially paced with little incident, this is cinema as visual poetry, exploring our relationships what is around and within us. It is lyrical, oblique and completely bewitching even if it is never entirely satisfying.
- 12/1/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Thanks to the increase in access to small scale non-fiction films through the barrage of streaming services viewers now have access to – Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Mubi, Vudu, etc – people are watching more documentaries than ever before. You can literally turn on any web ready device of your choosing and be watching any number of top quality docs within a number of seconds. It’s nothing short of incredible. But, with ease of access comes an over saturation of content used to fill in the curatorial gaps. For every Marwencol, Senna, Gimme Shelter or The Act of Killing, there are heaps of ordures cinéma clogging up precious bandwidth. And let’s not forget, cinemas themselves are enjoying a renewed trust in the non-fiction form, exhibiting over 100 documentaries on the silver screen last year and banking over $50 Million at the box office in the process, not including the hundreds of...
- 7/28/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Titled A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness, it's the first feature-film collaboration between celebrated artist/filmmakers Ben Rivers (Two Years at Sea) and Ben Russell (Let Each One Go Where He May), which follows a nameless protagonist (played by musician Robert AA Lowe) as he explores 3 very different existential options: as a member of a commune on a small Estonian island; living alone in the wilds of northern Finland; and fronting a neo-pagan black metal band in Norway - all in a quest for utopia - truth, self-awareness, and spiritual connectedness. A staple in the art and music community of Chicago, Robert A.A. Lowe joined up with the 90 Day Men in 1997, formed Dreamweapon with...
- 2/13/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
One of the more anticipated films of a very strong Wavelengths section, Ben Rivers and Ben Russell’s A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness unspooled Saturday night to a packed house at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Jackman Hall. A true collaborative effort by two major filmmakers, the feature follows a black guitar player, Robert A.A. Lowe, from a northern Finland commune through a solitary journey across a lake into an isolated wilderness to the climactic scene on a stage in Estonia, where he performs with a black metal band. The film is less of a character study than it is the […]...
- 9/8/2013
- by Mike Ryan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
One of the more anticipated films of a very strong Wavelengths section, Ben Rivers and Ben Russell’s A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness unspooled Saturday night to a packed house at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Jackman Hall. A true collaborative effort by two major filmmakers, the feature follows a black guitar player, Robert A.A. Lowe, from a northern Finland commune through a solitary journey across a lake into an isolated wilderness to the climactic scene on a stage in Estonia, where he performs with a black metal band. The film is less of a character study than it is the […]...
- 9/8/2013
- by Mike Ryan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Ben Rivers and Ben Russell, two artists whose accomplished individual bodies of work already complement one another with overlapping ambitions, ideas and approaches, co-direct A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness (which has just premiered here in Locarno in the Fuori concorso section), a three part manifesto on the potential for utopian living, and a loose, fluid (distinctly apolitical and secular) definition of what that may be. Beginning in a commune in the Lofoten Islands, Rivers and Russell fleetingly document moments of life, music and conversation among a peaceful collective of people, before jarringly switching to a portrayal of a tranquil solitude in the wilderness of Northern Finland as a figure canoes and settles on the shore, and, finally, a black metal performance in Norway. These three parts are seemingly disparate, but tonally unite in Rivers and Russell's unbiased presentation. One of the central elements that connect these three parts are the film's main figure,...
- 8/12/2013
- by Adam Cook
- MUBI
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.