The Surprising Link Between Lucretius’ “On the Nature of Things” and Ridley Scott’s “The Martian”

October 28, 2015 By Joseph Susanka

Here’s a fun account of (some of) the thoughts that went into the music behind Scott’s highly-successful The Martian — an account (via Daniel Schweigber’s interview with composer Harry Gregson-Williams over at Film Music Magazine) that features a surprise cameo from Rome’s very own Lucretius: A key area for me was how to play “us” looking on at him as it were. Everything Mark does becomes well-known and public knowledge. There’s a lot of warmth and good will that he feels through his limited communication,... Read more

Some People Put A Microphone In My Face. You Won’t Believe What Happened NEXT!!!

October 27, 2015 By Joseph Susanka

“The jawbone of an ass is just as dangerous a weapon today as it used to be.” OK, so you probably will believe what happened next, because you’ve seen microphones and faces (and click-bait titles) before. And you’ve seen what happens once I start talking about movies, which is exactly what these folks asked me to do. (“Dark movies,” specifically, and why I watch them.) It was a new experience for me, but one that I enjoyed a great deal. The audience was fantastic, and... Read more

SSF: “Premier Automne”

October 26, 2015 By Joseph Susanka

Wordless, weird, and wonderful. Abel lives in the winter and Apolline lives in the summer. Isolated in their “natures”, they never met each other. They are not even supposed to meet. So when Abel crosses the border and discovers Apolline, curiosity is overwhelming. Their encounter soon becomes more complicated than they could imagine. Both of them will have to learn compromise to protect the other… For some reason, it made me think of the Persephone story, though I’m not quite... Read more

SVS: “Blackthorn”

October 23, 2015 By Joseph Susanka

Given that I was out of town at the start of this week, today sort of snuck up on me. And that means I’m not quite as prepared for a Streaming Video Recommendation (SVS) as I’d like. So I’m going to just toss a Western out there and call it good. Because Westerns are always good. But in the interest of full disclosure, I’m not just mailing it in today. I’m super-mailing it in. ’cause I’m not even going to write something new... Read more

More (Inexplicably) Obscure French Baroque Music

October 22, 2015 By Joseph Susanka

This was playing during the last 15 minutes of my Journey Back From Gallup yesterday. It’s the first movement of a sonata by French violinist and composer Jean-Joseph de Mondonville (who is also known as Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, just in case the first moniker seemed too terse to anyone), and it’s really, really fine stuff. Sort of Rameau Meets Corelli, with A Dash of Red-Headed Priest (and at least a hint of Boccherini, which is just confusing). Now, I’m on the... Read more

This Week’s Suggestion — “Lilo & Stitch” — And A Quick OOTO Announcement

October 16, 2015 By Joseph Susanka

Oh good! My dog found the chainsaw! I’ll be stepping away from the blog for a few days, traveling to New Mexico to give a talk: “The Brutality of Grace: On the Value of Watching Dark and Difficult Films.” So, naturally, I’m recommending a film that’s not even remotely dark or difficult: Lilo & Stitch, one of the finest (and most unusual) of the Nouveau Disney films. It’s on NETFLIX INSTANT, AMAZON INSTANT($), YOUTUBE($), and SOME OTHERS($). Disney’s song-filled animated comedy follows... Read more

A Handful Of Mighty Musical Hunters

October 13, 2015 By Joseph Susanka

That's Alaric Rokko Jans' score for David Mamet's astonishingly (and unfairly) obscure period film, The Winslow Boy. Adapted by Mamet from Terence Rattigan's 1940's play of the same name, it's a really fine piece of work. And the score is a perfect fit for the mood and tone of the film. ("Tone." Heh.) Read more

SSF: “Racines”

October 12, 2015 By Joseph Susanka

Hints of Howl’s Moving Castle in this short: Racines, from Kaw Animation. (I think “racine” means “roots,” but my French is literally terrible, so I don’t know for sure. Also, she reminds me of Mad Madam Mim, for some reason.) A bitterly old lady is moving on the back of a giant rock. Forever unsatisfied, she cannot admit to stop. As her determination grows, her companion gets exhausted. Attribution(s): All artwork, publicity images, and stills are the property of Kawa... Read more

SVS: “Avatar: The Last Airbender”

October 9, 2015 By Joseph Susanka

I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to recommend today. (The weeks feel like they’re coming two-at-a-time of late, and I’m sort-of-tired. So, yeah. I’m a bit behind. At least emotionally, if not actually.) And then I saw this Crux article on “Avatar: The Last Airbender” from Friend-O-The-Blog Steven Greydanus: “Bending the air: Defying gravity in ‘Avatar,’ ‘Star Wars,’ Miyazaki, and more.” There is a sense in which “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is for my children in part what “Star... Read more

Shedding A Little More Light On Mr. Rube Goldberg

October 7, 2015 By Joseph Susanka

Remember my post from a few weeks ago where I professed my great love for All Things Goldberg? And shared a fun little Red Bull-Zach King contraption as proof? Well, this latest machine (via ThisIsColossal) might be my favorite one yet. Once again (like the King-Bull video), this one’s an ad. For a high speed optical internet provider from Japan called auひかり(au HIKARI). And once again, I don’t even care, because it’s amazing. (The silence is an unusual and particularly nice touch. Makes it... Read more