Beak> are back with a surprise new album.
Released today in full, >>>> (pronounced “four”) sees band members Geoff Barrow (Portishead), Billy Fuller (Fuzz Against Junk), and Will Young get back to their musical roots. “We felt that touring had started to influence our writing to the point we weren’t sure who we were anymore,” the band wrote in a statement. “So we decided to go back to the origins of where we were at on our first album — with zero expectations and just playing together in a room.”
To that end, Beak> employ inventive arrangements throughout >>>>, like the organ-led slowburn that blossoms into a synth-clad, indie rock groove on the opening track “Strawberry Line.” Going into the second track, “The Seal,” Fuller’s basslines become the star of the show, meditatively interlocking with the beat to drive the songs forward.
From there, the album bounces between bustling tunes and reflective moments,...
Released today in full, >>>> (pronounced “four”) sees band members Geoff Barrow (Portishead), Billy Fuller (Fuzz Against Junk), and Will Young get back to their musical roots. “We felt that touring had started to influence our writing to the point we weren’t sure who we were anymore,” the band wrote in a statement. “So we decided to go back to the origins of where we were at on our first album — with zero expectations and just playing together in a room.”
To that end, Beak> employ inventive arrangements throughout >>>>, like the organ-led slowburn that blossoms into a synth-clad, indie rock groove on the opening track “Strawberry Line.” Going into the second track, “The Seal,” Fuller’s basslines become the star of the show, meditatively interlocking with the beat to drive the songs forward.
From there, the album bounces between bustling tunes and reflective moments,...
- 5/28/2024
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
When “Civil War” director Alex Garland first met with sound editor Glenn Freemantle (the Oscar-winning “Gravity”) to discuss his nightmarish vision of the combat zones, he emphasized that the secret was conveying the reality of the loud, chaotic gunfire and explosions within each environment.
Freemantle, though, saved the best for last: the distinctive sound of gunfire hitting concrete and metal during the climactic storming of the nation’s capital by the Western rebel forces.
“That particular battle [shot in an Atlanta car lot] is pretty intense because it’s hitting everything, and there’s no mercy in it,” Freemantle told IndieWire. “The thing that occurred to me was the acoustics would be very unique. You’re in the streets there with all these [blockades]. And it’s all metal and concrete, and you’ve got tanks, machine guns, [grenade] launchers, helicopter guns, other guns from distances, and you have it all around you.” Not to mention SUVs crashing...
Freemantle, though, saved the best for last: the distinctive sound of gunfire hitting concrete and metal during the climactic storming of the nation’s capital by the Western rebel forces.
“That particular battle [shot in an Atlanta car lot] is pretty intense because it’s hitting everything, and there’s no mercy in it,” Freemantle told IndieWire. “The thing that occurred to me was the acoustics would be very unique. You’re in the streets there with all these [blockades]. And it’s all metal and concrete, and you’ve got tanks, machine guns, [grenade] launchers, helicopter guns, other guns from distances, and you have it all around you.” Not to mention SUVs crashing...
- 4/20/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Spoiler Alert: This contains major spoilers for the ending of “Civil War,” now playing in theaters.
“Civil War” production designer Caty Maxey was tasked with building a dystopian America that showed bombed-out buildings and abandoned cars that stretched for miles on the freeway. It was all part of her creative brief for Alex Garland’s latest film.
Garland drops audiences into the middle of “Civil War.” America is no longer united and there are warring factions. At the center of it all are four journalists who travel from New York to Washington, D.C., where the Western Forces of Texas and California are battling the Federal Government. Kirsten Dunst plays Lee, a photojournalist. She is joined by colleagues Joel (Wagner Moura), Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson). When Lee, Joel, and Jessie arrive at a Western Forces base in Charlottesville, another reporter, Anya (Sonoya Mizuno) informs them that...
“Civil War” production designer Caty Maxey was tasked with building a dystopian America that showed bombed-out buildings and abandoned cars that stretched for miles on the freeway. It was all part of her creative brief for Alex Garland’s latest film.
Garland drops audiences into the middle of “Civil War.” America is no longer united and there are warring factions. At the center of it all are four journalists who travel from New York to Washington, D.C., where the Western Forces of Texas and California are battling the Federal Government. Kirsten Dunst plays Lee, a photojournalist. She is joined by colleagues Joel (Wagner Moura), Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson). When Lee, Joel, and Jessie arrive at a Western Forces base in Charlottesville, another reporter, Anya (Sonoya Mizuno) informs them that...
- 4/15/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Plot: In the United States, amid a brutal civil war, a team of journalists drive from New York to Washington D.C, where they’ve been promised an interview with the president.
Review: A24 is the only movie studio I know of that’s picked up a cult following of its own. Their brand has become one of the most trusted among discerning film fans, delivering a slew of interesting, provocative movies that fit all genres. In some ways, they are a throwback to an older kind of filmmaking in that they’ve never focused on chasing franchises and have always been filmmaker-focused. They’ve always taken risks, and it’s paid off more than it hasn’t. However, their latest film, Civil War, is arguably their riskiest movie, sporting their biggest budget (north of $50 million) and subject matter that could be seen as a bit of a political powder keg.
Review: A24 is the only movie studio I know of that’s picked up a cult following of its own. Their brand has become one of the most trusted among discerning film fans, delivering a slew of interesting, provocative movies that fit all genres. In some ways, they are a throwback to an older kind of filmmaking in that they’ve never focused on chasing franchises and have always been filmmaker-focused. They’ve always taken risks, and it’s paid off more than it hasn’t. However, their latest film, Civil War, is arguably their riskiest movie, sporting their biggest budget (north of $50 million) and subject matter that could be seen as a bit of a political powder keg.
- 4/12/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Having it’s World Premiere at SXSW on March 14 was Alex Garland’s Civil War.
The Hollywood Reporter says, “The audience reaction to the film has been very effusive, with viewers calling it a riveting, disturbing, masterful piece of filmmaking (read the audience and critic first reactions).”
The consensus of many of the reviews out of the film festival in Austin say the film is brilliant:
“With the precision and length of its violent battle sequences, it’s clear Civil War operates as a clarion call. Garland wrote the film in 2020 as he watched cogs on America’s self-mythologizing exceptionalist machine turn, propelling the nation into a nightmare. With this latest film, he sounds the alarm, wondering less about how a country walks blindly into its own destruction and more about what happens when it does,” says Lovia Gyarkye in her review over at The Hollywood Reporter.
“Alex Garland’s...
The Hollywood Reporter says, “The audience reaction to the film has been very effusive, with viewers calling it a riveting, disturbing, masterful piece of filmmaking (read the audience and critic first reactions).”
The consensus of many of the reviews out of the film festival in Austin say the film is brilliant:
“With the precision and length of its violent battle sequences, it’s clear Civil War operates as a clarion call. Garland wrote the film in 2020 as he watched cogs on America’s self-mythologizing exceptionalist machine turn, propelling the nation into a nightmare. With this latest film, he sounds the alarm, wondering less about how a country walks blindly into its own destruction and more about what happens when it does,” says Lovia Gyarkye in her review over at The Hollywood Reporter.
“Alex Garland’s...
- 3/17/2024
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A24’s new trailer for Civil War doesn’t move viewers any closer to understanding how, given the history of our country, California would be joining Texas and Florida in seceding from the United States. The idea of a second Civil War is nowhere near as far-fetched as Texas and Florida agreeing with anything California proposes, and vice versa, and writer/director Alex Garland recently said he wants audiences to ask how that could possibly happen.
“I tend not to spell things out in films. I sometimes feel overly spoon-fed by cinema, and so I probably just react against that,” said Garland in an interview with Empire. “That question, why Texas and California, is a question that I want the audience to ask.”
The film stars Oscar nominee Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, and Nick Offerman. Spaeny, McKinley Henderson, Offerman, and Mizuno previously starred...
“I tend not to spell things out in films. I sometimes feel overly spoon-fed by cinema, and so I probably just react against that,” said Garland in an interview with Empire. “That question, why Texas and California, is a question that I want the audience to ask.”
The film stars Oscar nominee Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, and Nick Offerman. Spaeny, McKinley Henderson, Offerman, and Mizuno previously starred...
- 2/20/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Have an itch to see a movie about a gunfight, the whole gunfight and nothing but the gunfight? Search no more, for Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump have the movie for you: twenty minutes of angry crooks in conference, and then seventy minutes of non-stop shootin,’ with no annoying plot context or character depth to get in the way. Just say ‘Bang Bang I shot you down,’ and then play it in a loop, ad infinitum.
Free Fire
Blu-ray
Lionsgate
2017 / Color / 2:39 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date July 18, 2017 / 24.99
Starring: Sam Riley, Michael Smiley, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley, Babou Ceesay, Noah Taylor, Jack Reynor, Mark Monero, Patrick Bergin, Enzo Cilenti, Tom Davis.
Cinematography: Laurie Rose
Film Editors: Amy Jump, Ben Wheatley
Original Music: Geoff Barrow, Ben Salisbury
Written by Amy Jump, Ben Wheatley
Produced by Andy Starke
Directed by Ben Wheatley
Many critics fairly well loved Ben Wheatley...
Free Fire
Blu-ray
Lionsgate
2017 / Color / 2:39 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date July 18, 2017 / 24.99
Starring: Sam Riley, Michael Smiley, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley, Babou Ceesay, Noah Taylor, Jack Reynor, Mark Monero, Patrick Bergin, Enzo Cilenti, Tom Davis.
Cinematography: Laurie Rose
Film Editors: Amy Jump, Ben Wheatley
Original Music: Geoff Barrow, Ben Salisbury
Written by Amy Jump, Ben Wheatley
Produced by Andy Starke
Directed by Ben Wheatley
Many critics fairly well loved Ben Wheatley...
- 7/4/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In the age of nonstop studio blockbusters, a composer is never out of work. And no composer works harder than James Newton Howard. The brains behind more than 150 scores for film and TV, Howard has been nominated for eight Oscars across a career spanning more than four decades. His work includes the “Hunger Games” series; “Pretty Woman”; and every M. Night Shyamalan movie.
And music from all those films was on display at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, where Howard was honored during the June 30 opening ceremony with the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.
“I’m very lucky,” Howard told IndieWire at the festival the next day. “I do seem to be in demand.”
Read More: How Hollywood’s Latest Tech Tool Enhanced Oscar-Winning ‘The Jungle Book’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ (Video)
Fittingly, after receiving his award,...
And music from all those films was on display at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, where Howard was honored during the June 30 opening ceremony with the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.
“I’m very lucky,” Howard told IndieWire at the festival the next day. “I do seem to be in demand.”
Read More: How Hollywood’s Latest Tech Tool Enhanced Oscar-Winning ‘The Jungle Book’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ (Video)
Fittingly, after receiving his award,...
- 7/3/2017
- by Andrew Lapin
- Indiewire
Kendrick Lamar has released a brand new song and video, “Humble.” The clip was directed by Dave Meyers alongside Lamar and Top Dawg Entertainment President Dave Free (Lamar and Free are known as The Little Homies). The song was produced by Mike WiLL Made-It.
“Humble.” comes just one week after the release of another new song, “The Heart Part 4.” Both tracks are from Lamar’s highly anticipated upcoming album, which is expected to drop April 7, as reported by NME. The release follows the Compton rapper’s acclaimed third studio album “To Pimp a Butterfly,” which dropped in 2015.
Read More: ‘Free Fire’ Score: Listen to All The Music from Portishead’s Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury
“I think now, how wayward things have gone within the past few months, my focus is ultimately going back to my community and the other communities around the world where they’re doing the groundwork,...
“Humble.” comes just one week after the release of another new song, “The Heart Part 4.” Both tracks are from Lamar’s highly anticipated upcoming album, which is expected to drop April 7, as reported by NME. The release follows the Compton rapper’s acclaimed third studio album “To Pimp a Butterfly,” which dropped in 2015.
Read More: ‘Free Fire’ Score: Listen to All The Music from Portishead’s Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury
“I think now, how wayward things have gone within the past few months, my focus is ultimately going back to my community and the other communities around the world where they’re doing the groundwork,...
- 3/31/2017
- by Yoselin Acevedo
- Indiewire
After premiering at the 2016 Toronto Film Festival, Ben Wheatley’s “Free Fire” is finally gearing up for its theatrical debut on April 21. But before that, we get to enjoy the film’s score, which was created by Portishead’s Geoff Barrow and composer Ben Salisbury. The soundtrack, which also includes songs by John Denver, Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Real Kids, was released Friday via Invada and Lakeshore Records.
Read More: ‘Free Fire’ Review: Brie Larson Stars In the Craziest Shootout of All Time
Barrow and Salisbury previously created the soundtrack for Alex Garland’s 2015 sci-fi psychological thriller “Ex Machina,” which earned them an Ivor Novello Award. The duo also collaborated on the score for Garland’s follow-up, “Annihilation,” which is slated for release in September; as well as an episode of the Netflix original series “Black Mirror.”
Read More: ‘Free Fire’ Trailer: Brie Larson and Ben Wheatley Unleash A...
Read More: ‘Free Fire’ Review: Brie Larson Stars In the Craziest Shootout of All Time
Barrow and Salisbury previously created the soundtrack for Alex Garland’s 2015 sci-fi psychological thriller “Ex Machina,” which earned them an Ivor Novello Award. The duo also collaborated on the score for Garland’s follow-up, “Annihilation,” which is slated for release in September; as well as an episode of the Netflix original series “Black Mirror.”
Read More: ‘Free Fire’ Trailer: Brie Larson and Ben Wheatley Unleash A...
- 3/31/2017
- by Yoselin Acevedo
- Indiewire
Dailies is a round-up of essential film writing, news bits, videos, and other highlights from across the Internet. If you’d like to submit a piece for consideration, get in touch with us in the comments below or on Twitter at @TheFilmStage.
Portishead‘s Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury will reteam with Ex Machina director Alex Garland to score Annihilation, Pitchfork reports.
See a video essay on imitation, contamination, and dissolution in Bong Joon-ho‘s Memories of Murder:
Fantastic Fest 2016 has announced its first wave of programming including films from Andrea Arnold, Werner Herzog, and more.
Read an extensive profile on Mike Mills and the making of 20th Century Women at Semi Permanent:
When it came to shooting 20th Century Women, he actually welcomed the chance to revisit his adolescence, and commune with the spirit of his mother who, he says, was a bit too thorny for that when she was alive.
Portishead‘s Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury will reteam with Ex Machina director Alex Garland to score Annihilation, Pitchfork reports.
See a video essay on imitation, contamination, and dissolution in Bong Joon-ho‘s Memories of Murder:
Fantastic Fest 2016 has announced its first wave of programming including films from Andrea Arnold, Werner Herzog, and more.
Read an extensive profile on Mike Mills and the making of 20th Century Women at Semi Permanent:
When it came to shooting 20th Century Women, he actually welcomed the chance to revisit his adolescence, and commune with the spirit of his mother who, he says, was a bit too thorny for that when she was alive.
- 8/2/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Far be it from me to disagree with our staff, but I would hard-pressed to name 30 films from 2015 that I would consider among the “best” of the year.
The same can’t be said for film music, though. As predictable as each superhero template or franchise reboot may have been this year, composers keep finding new ways to reinvent the sounds of the cinema. Not to mention that the ever-widening landscape of VOD and streaming service-produced projects has increased the room with which artists can flex their musical chops.
2015 was an embarrassment of movie score riches. In indie horror gem Bone Tomahawk, Jeff Herriott & S. Craig Zahler inject hope and despair into a bleak, cannibal-stricken Wild West, where feeling anything is better than the unflinching mortality facing its characters. Patrick Doyle’s warmhearted Cinderella continued Disney’s tradition of attaching amazing scores to frivolous live-action do-overs, while on the other end of the spectrum,...
The same can’t be said for film music, though. As predictable as each superhero template or franchise reboot may have been this year, composers keep finding new ways to reinvent the sounds of the cinema. Not to mention that the ever-widening landscape of VOD and streaming service-produced projects has increased the room with which artists can flex their musical chops.
2015 was an embarrassment of movie score riches. In indie horror gem Bone Tomahawk, Jeff Herriott & S. Craig Zahler inject hope and despair into a bleak, cannibal-stricken Wild West, where feeling anything is better than the unflinching mortality facing its characters. Patrick Doyle’s warmhearted Cinderella continued Disney’s tradition of attaching amazing scores to frivolous live-action do-overs, while on the other end of the spectrum,...
- 1/3/2016
- by David Klein
- SoundOnSight
'The Peanuts Movie': 2016 Best Original Score Oscar contender along with 111 other titles. Oscar 2016: Best Original Score contenders range from 'Mad Max: Fury Road' to 'The Peanuts Movie' Earlier this month (Dec. '15), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made public the list of 112 film scores eligible for the 2016 Oscar in the Best Original Score category. As found in the Academy's press release, “a Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category will be made available with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.” The release adds that “to be eligible, the original score must be a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring, and must...
- 12/24/2015
- by Mont. Steve
- Alt Film Guide
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 112 scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 88th Academy Awards.
The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below, in alphabetical order by film title:
“Adult Beginners,” Marcelo Zarvos, composer
“The Age of Adaline,” Rob Simonsen, composer
“Altered Minds,” Edmund Choi, composer
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip,” Mark Mothersbaugh, composer
“Anomalisa,” Carter Burwell, composer
“Ant-Man,” Christophe Beck, composer
“Beasts of No Nation,” Dan Romer, composer
“The Big Short,” Nicholas Britell, composer
“Black Mass,” Tom Holkenborg, composer
“Bridge of Spies,” Thomas Newman, composer
“Brooklyn,” Michael Brook, composer
“Burnt,” Rob Simonsen, composer
“By the Sea,” Gabriel Yared, composer
“Carol,” Carter Burwell, composer
“Cartel Land,” H. Scott Salinas and Jackson Greenberg, composers
“Chi-Raq,” Terence Blanchard, composer
“Cinderella,” Patrick Doyle, composer
“Coming Home,” Qigang Chen, composer
“Concussion,...
The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below, in alphabetical order by film title:
“Adult Beginners,” Marcelo Zarvos, composer
“The Age of Adaline,” Rob Simonsen, composer
“Altered Minds,” Edmund Choi, composer
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip,” Mark Mothersbaugh, composer
“Anomalisa,” Carter Burwell, composer
“Ant-Man,” Christophe Beck, composer
“Beasts of No Nation,” Dan Romer, composer
“The Big Short,” Nicholas Britell, composer
“Black Mass,” Tom Holkenborg, composer
“Bridge of Spies,” Thomas Newman, composer
“Brooklyn,” Michael Brook, composer
“Burnt,” Rob Simonsen, composer
“By the Sea,” Gabriel Yared, composer
“Carol,” Carter Burwell, composer
“Cartel Land,” H. Scott Salinas and Jackson Greenberg, composers
“Chi-Raq,” Terence Blanchard, composer
“Cinderella,” Patrick Doyle, composer
“Coming Home,” Qigang Chen, composer
“Concussion,...
- 12/17/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Michael Giacchino took Film Composer of the Year, while Antonio Sanchez took Film Score of the Year for Birdman.
Sitting alongside the 42nd annual Gent Film Festival in Belgium (October 13-24), the 15th edition of the World Soundtrack Awards doled out its musical honours with a coinciding orchestral concert featuring the works of leading composers Alan Silvestri, Patrick Doyle and Daniel Pemberton.
Michael Giacchino was awarded with top honours as Film Composer of the Year for Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, Inside Out and Jurassic World. He was previously the World Soundtrack Award’s Discovery of the Year in 2005 for his work on The Incredibles.
Antonio Sanchez was also a big winner, beating out Bruno Calais (Song Of The Sea), Alexandre Desplat (The Imitation Game), Hans Zimmer (Interstellar) and Johann Johansson (The Theory Of Everything) for Best Original Film Score of the Year (Birdman).
Sanchez also nabbed the Discovery of the Year Award.
“I remember...
Sitting alongside the 42nd annual Gent Film Festival in Belgium (October 13-24), the 15th edition of the World Soundtrack Awards doled out its musical honours with a coinciding orchestral concert featuring the works of leading composers Alan Silvestri, Patrick Doyle and Daniel Pemberton.
Michael Giacchino was awarded with top honours as Film Composer of the Year for Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, Inside Out and Jurassic World. He was previously the World Soundtrack Award’s Discovery of the Year in 2005 for his work on The Incredibles.
Antonio Sanchez was also a big winner, beating out Bruno Calais (Song Of The Sea), Alexandre Desplat (The Imitation Game), Hans Zimmer (Interstellar) and Johann Johansson (The Theory Of Everything) for Best Original Film Score of the Year (Birdman).
Sanchez also nabbed the Discovery of the Year Award.
“I remember...
- 10/28/2015
- ScreenDaily
It’s that time once again! For the unfamiliar, every year I make two mix tapes sampling the best music from the best movies released. The first mix is usually released in the summertime, about halfway through the year – and I release the second tape in late December. Below is the first half of the best movie scores/soundtracks of 2015. Take a listen and please remember, sharing is caring so don’t be shy to like it on Facebook or tweet it to your friends. Cheers!
(Check out Awesome Mix Tape #5: Best soundtracks/scores 0f 2014)
Playlist:
Eden movie clip
Daft Punk – “One More Time” (Eden)
DJ Light – “Team Gotti Anthem” (Tangerine)
Black Ox Orkestar – “Skocne” (What We Do In the Shadows)
Spring Movie Clip
Elias Rahbani – “Dance of Maria” (What We Do In The Shadows)
Dope movie clip
Tribe Called Quest – “Scenario” (Dope)
Onyx – “Slam Harder” / “Slam” Mix (Dope...
(Check out Awesome Mix Tape #5: Best soundtracks/scores 0f 2014)
Playlist:
Eden movie clip
Daft Punk – “One More Time” (Eden)
DJ Light – “Team Gotti Anthem” (Tangerine)
Black Ox Orkestar – “Skocne” (What We Do In the Shadows)
Spring Movie Clip
Elias Rahbani – “Dance of Maria” (What We Do In The Shadows)
Dope movie clip
Tribe Called Quest – “Scenario” (Dope)
Onyx – “Slam Harder” / “Slam” Mix (Dope...
- 7/18/2015
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
“Isn’t it strange, to create something that hates you?”
It’s hard to find smart, thought-provoking science fiction stories these days, with current trends dictating bigger is better. Writer-Director Alex Garland’s Ex MacHina, released this past April, was small-scale, slow-paced, and breaks no new ground in terms of ideas. Yet thanks to a terrific script, exceptional characterizations, and one super-sexy robot, it was the best new science fiction film I’d seen since Under The Skin. Like Garland’s earlier scripts, which gave us fresh takes on the zombie genre (28 Days Later) and the space-flight-to-save-the-earth genre (Sunshine), Ex MacHina took a familiar sci-fi concept, in this case the replication of human presence via artificial means, and makes it new.
Ex MacHina told the story of Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a low-ranking worker bee at Bluebook, the world’s “biggest internet search engine”. The film opened with him winning an...
It’s hard to find smart, thought-provoking science fiction stories these days, with current trends dictating bigger is better. Writer-Director Alex Garland’s Ex MacHina, released this past April, was small-scale, slow-paced, and breaks no new ground in terms of ideas. Yet thanks to a terrific script, exceptional characterizations, and one super-sexy robot, it was the best new science fiction film I’d seen since Under The Skin. Like Garland’s earlier scripts, which gave us fresh takes on the zombie genre (28 Days Later) and the space-flight-to-save-the-earth genre (Sunshine), Ex MacHina took a familiar sci-fi concept, in this case the replication of human presence via artificial means, and makes it new.
Ex MacHina told the story of Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a low-ranking worker bee at Bluebook, the world’s “biggest internet search engine”. The film opened with him winning an...
- 7/14/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Check out these alternative new posters created by artists Francesco Francavilla and Jock for director Alex Garland’s brilliant sci-fi movie Ex MacHina.
In his review, Matt Zoller Seitz (rogerebert.com) rightly calls it “a classic film.”
Catch this intelligent, must-see film this weekend, if you live in NY and La, or when it opens nationwide on April 24th. You wont see another movie like it this year.
Garland, writer of 28 Days Later and Sunshine, makes his directorial debut with the stylish and cerebral thriller, Ex MacHina. Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer at an internet-search giant, wins a competition to spend a week at the private mountain estate of the company’s brilliant and reclusive CEO, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac).
Upon his arrival, Caleb learns that Nathan has chosen him to be the human component in a Turing Test – charging him with evaluating the capabilities, and ultimately the consciousness,...
In his review, Matt Zoller Seitz (rogerebert.com) rightly calls it “a classic film.”
Catch this intelligent, must-see film this weekend, if you live in NY and La, or when it opens nationwide on April 24th. You wont see another movie like it this year.
Garland, writer of 28 Days Later and Sunshine, makes his directorial debut with the stylish and cerebral thriller, Ex MacHina. Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer at an internet-search giant, wins a competition to spend a week at the private mountain estate of the company’s brilliant and reclusive CEO, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac).
Upon his arrival, Caleb learns that Nathan has chosen him to be the human component in a Turing Test – charging him with evaluating the capabilities, and ultimately the consciousness,...
- 4/10/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The singularity has become the biggest source of fear for sci-fi films as of late. Just recently we've had Transcendence, Lucy, Her and Chappie and in less than a month from now, Avengers: Age of Ultron. But before the comic book herd gets its fill Alex Garland's feature directorial debut Ex Machina arrives as one of the most cerebral portrayals yet, from both a logical and emotional perspective. It delves into the excitement of creating an artificial piece of intelligence that could manage to convince us it's human as well as the fear of what might happen if not only we begin to believe it's human, but mostly what if it begins to believe and, more than just believing, what if it begins to fear for its own survivalc Garland, best known for his screenplays for films such as Sunshine and 28 Weeks Later..., takes his first stab at directing...
- 4/8/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Maybe this is going to become a regular thing as the complete score for this weekend's new release Ex Machina, by Portishead member Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury, has been made available online. Just last week it was the score for Ryan Gosling's Lost River as it seems this is becoming a regular thing more and more. readmore postid="172499" I saw Ex Machina, written and directed by Alex Garland (writer of Sunshine, Dredd) making his feature directorial debut, just last week and I'll have my review soon enough, though I will say I agree with pretty much everything Mike wrote in his review from SXSW. As for the score, it's more mood than anything else. Something you could turn on in the background and just melt into. Give it a listen below and be on the lookout for the film in theaters this Friday, April 10 as 2015 has already started...
- 4/6/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Okay, so you got your fill of turbo-charged madness this weekend with the record breaking "Furious 7," so maybe you need something with a bit of brains to balance things out. Well, this weekend, the sci-fi "Ex Machina" arrives stateside, and besides being "the first great film of 2015," it's got a great score by Portishead member Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury. And now you can treat your ears to the whole thing. Fact Mag debuted the soundtrack and you'll want to put your headphones on for this one. Synths, strings, sampled brass and the software PaulStretch, the music throbs and pulsates, builds to crescendoes, but also delivers small melodic moments too. Fans of Cliff Martinez or the duo Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans will definitely dig it. "Ex Machina" opens on April 10th. The soundtrack will be released later this month via Invada Records.
- 4/6/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Ex Machina was without argument the hottest premiere at SXSW 2015. The line around Paramount circled, back and forth and began wrapping the adjacent building even. When Director Alex Garland and stars Oscar Isaac, and Domhnall Gleeson hit the stage to present the film the rally cries violently approved. And the energy wasn't all for nothing, Ex Machina proved exceptionally seductive cinema. I was fortunate enough to attend the Ex Machina roundtable, with Alex Garland, and Oscar Isaac, to get a first hand opportunity to work out the big ideas and questions the film provokes.
All non cinelinx labeled Q's, asked by other Film Journalists. And all non-cinelinx answers Paraphrased.
Q. On that dance scene...
A. Oscar Isaac explains that there was a lot of preparation, and rehearsals, and that Alex Garland (Writer/Director) would look over it, and join in on occasion.
Q. On the dance coming out of left field.
All non cinelinx labeled Q's, asked by other Film Journalists. And all non-cinelinx answers Paraphrased.
Q. On that dance scene...
A. Oscar Isaac explains that there was a lot of preparation, and rehearsals, and that Alex Garland (Writer/Director) would look over it, and join in on occasion.
Q. On the dance coming out of left field.
- 3/21/2015
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Aaron Hunt)
- Cinelinx
Film scores are pretty ephemeral to a large chunk of the movie-going populace, where music isn’t noticeable unless a triumphant fanfare or sweeping ballad draws enough attention to itself. So if scoring is already the film industry’s unappreciated middle child, how silly is a list about ones that haven’t been released yet? Very silly. Oftentimes, composers don’t even sign with a project until well into production, so speculating on the best film music of 2015, like any year, forces one to work with what’s known. Sound on Sight will offer more in-depth analysis on the most buzzed about music as the year rolls on but for now, here are the ten movie scores I’m most excited to hear in 2015.
10. The Walk — Alan Silvestri
Alan Silvestri’s last great score was for a TV show, and his last great film score was for one of the more forgettable Marvel entries.
10. The Walk — Alan Silvestri
Alan Silvestri’s last great score was for a TV show, and his last great film score was for one of the more forgettable Marvel entries.
- 2/7/2015
- by David Klein
- SoundOnSight
The score for Alex Garland's directorial debut Ex Machina will be released later this year.
Recorded by Geoff Barrow of Portishead and Ben Salisbury, the soundtrack will be available on CD and vinyl via Invada Records on April 10.
Ex Machina: Alex Garland talks making the best sci-fi film of 2015
An edit of the song 'Hacking/Cutting' has been made available to stream now.
Barrow and Salisbury previously collaborated on an unused score for 2012's Dredd, a movie written by Garland.
The album was later released in May 2012 as Drokk; Music Inspired By Mega-City One.
Ex Machina stars Domhnall Gleeson as coder Caleb, who wins a competition to spend a week at a retreat with his boss Nathan (Oscar Isaac).
He learns that Nathan is working on the creation of artificial intelligence, contained in the body of a beautiful robot Ava (Alicia Vikander).
The tracklisting for Ex Machina is...
Recorded by Geoff Barrow of Portishead and Ben Salisbury, the soundtrack will be available on CD and vinyl via Invada Records on April 10.
Ex Machina: Alex Garland talks making the best sci-fi film of 2015
An edit of the song 'Hacking/Cutting' has been made available to stream now.
Barrow and Salisbury previously collaborated on an unused score for 2012's Dredd, a movie written by Garland.
The album was later released in May 2012 as Drokk; Music Inspired By Mega-City One.
Ex Machina stars Domhnall Gleeson as coder Caleb, who wins a competition to spend a week at a retreat with his boss Nathan (Oscar Isaac).
He learns that Nathan is working on the creation of artificial intelligence, contained in the body of a beautiful robot Ava (Alicia Vikander).
The tracklisting for Ex Machina is...
- 2/5/2015
- Digital Spy
There's no god to save Domhnall Gleeson from this machine: The actor finds himself caught between man and robot in the intense new trailer for Ex Machina, a sci-fi thriller that marks the directorial debut of Alex Garland, the screenwriter behind 28 Days Later… and Sunshine.
Garland also wrote Ex Machina, in which Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) plays Nathan, a reclusive CEO who brings in Caleb (Gleeson) to test the capability and consciousness of a new artificial intelligent experiment. While Caleb is immediately impressed with this robot named Ava (played...
Garland also wrote Ex Machina, in which Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) plays Nathan, a reclusive CEO who brings in Caleb (Gleeson) to test the capability and consciousness of a new artificial intelligent experiment. While Caleb is immediately impressed with this robot named Ava (played...
- 10/30/2014
- Rollingstone.com
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