2011 Oscar Nomination Reactions

Well, there were quite a few surprises as the nominees were announced this morning. Let’s get to it.

Best Picture
Oscar’s Final Nine
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Descendants”
“The Artist”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (Haven’t Seen)

Likes: The fact that there are nine nominees (many were predicting only seven or eight), and that none of them were “Bridesmaids,” which was, inexplicably, a critical darling many thought might get in the race. The weighted voting system now being used for Best Picture didn’t limit variety.

Dislikes: I wasn’t as high on “Moneyball,” “The Tree of Life,” and “War Horse” as others were (and I haven’t seen “Extremely Loud” yet, which broke through even though it lost a lot of momentum in earlier awards); I would have traded any of them for “The Adventures of Tintin,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” and “Rango” any day of the week.

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “Hugo”; “The Beaver”; “The Symphony”; “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; “Hanna”; “Midnight in Paris”; “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”; “Warrior”; “Missing Pieces”

Oscar’s Pick: “The Artist.” It’s win at the Producers Guild this past weekend should help separate it from other Best Picture contenders “Hugo” and “The Descendants,” although a lot can change in the next month.

Best Director
Oscar’s Final Five
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

Likes: All five are more than worthy, even if Malick’s film didn’t impress me as much as it clearly did the Academy.

Dislikes: That said, I’m sort of surprised Steven Spielberg didn’t get a nod for “War Horse,” even though he’s been shut out of earlier contests, not to mention that his superior directorial achievement this year was the animated “Tintin,” which failed to break into not just Best Picture, but also Best Animated Feature.

Brian’s personal hopefuls: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”; David Yates, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; Michael LaPointe, “The Symphony”; Steven Spielberg, “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” & “War Horse”; Joe Wright, “Hanna”

Oscar’s Pick: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.” Unless a groundswell comes up for either Allen or Malick, this is a race between Scorsese and “The Artist’s” Hazanavicius, both of whom paid wonderful homage to Hollywood history in their films. That said, I think Marty will win his second Oscar in five years, and the Academy will spread the love around as much as possible.

Best Actor
Oscar’s Final Five
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Demián Bichir, “A Better Life”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy” (Haven’t Seen)

Likes: Though his film has largely been unheard from in the normal Oscar precursors, Gary Oldman clearly had enough goodwill and popularity on his side to finally earn his first(?!) nomination for the well-performing “Tinker Taylor.” (Now I just have to see it myself.) I’m also glad SAG nominee Bichir made the cut for his heartbreaking performance in Chris Weitz’s powerful immigration drama.

Dislikes: While all of the nominees are deserving, it would have been nice to see Michael Fassbender (“Shame”) or Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“50/50”) make the cut. Oh well—I have no doubt that their times will come.

Brian’s personal hopefuls: Mel Gibson, “The Beaver”; George Clooney, “The Descendants”; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “50/50”; Robin Zamora, “The Symphony”; Demián Bichir, “A Better Life”

Oscar’s Pick: George Clooney, “The Descendants.” Clooney has been sharing a lot of the early honors with best friend Pitt and “Artist” star Dujardin, but barring a SAG upset by either one of them, I think Academy favorite Clooney (who has been nominated several times as not only actor but also screenwriter and director over the years) will win for his career-best performance.

Best Actress
Oscar’s Final Five
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Glen Close, “Albert Nobbs” (Haven’t Seen)
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady” (Haven’t Seen)

Likes: The three performances I’ve seen are all well-deserving (and place in my own top five). I’m quite relieved that Mara made the cut for her brave and brilliant performance in the thriller “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”—I was worried she wouldn’t make the cut.

Dislikes: Well, now I have to find time to see both Close and Streep’s films. Why couldn’t you have nominated Elizabeth Olsen (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”) or Saoirse Ronan (“Hanna”) instead?

Brian’s personal hopefuls: Viola Davis, “The Help”; Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”; Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”; Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”; Saoirse Ronan, “Hanna”

Oscar’s Pick: Viola Davis, “The Help.” This is going to be a three actress race to the finish line between Streep, Williams, and Davis, but I think Davis will come out ahead for her work in the box-office hit, “The Help.”

Best Supporting Actor
Oscar’s Final Five
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marylin”
Max Von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (Haven’t Seen)

Likes: Well, I had a feeling there would be a surprise in store in this category, and I was right. And the other four all were solid choices.

Dislikes: Of course, I was HOPING for that surprise to be Andy Serkis for “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” rather than veteran Von Sydow. And what happened to Albert Brooks (“Drive”) as an inevitable nominee, or a surprise nod for Ben Kingsley (“Hugo”)?

Brian’s personal hopefuls: Andy Serkis, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” & “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn”; Ben Kingsley, “Hugo”; Christopher Plummer, “Beginners” & “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”; Nick Nolte, “Warrior”; Hunter McCracken, “The Tree of Life”

Oscar’s Pick: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.” What started as one of the least predictable categories of the year has turned into a bit of a snoozer, with Plummer winning time and time again for his career-crowning performance as a father who embraces life (and himself) after his wife dies. I can’t complain, though—he deserves the adoration.

Best Supporting Actress
Oscar’s Final Five
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs” (Haven’t Seen)

Likes: Even though I didn’t have much love for the movie as a whole, I’m glad McCarthy got the nod for her scene-stealing hilarity in the summer blockbuster. It’s also nice to see that Chastain’s busy year (which included “The Tree of Life” and “Take Shelter”) didn’t split too many votes.

Dislikes: Bejo’s performance is really a leading one, but that’s how it goes sometimes. And it’s too bad Carey Mulligan didn’t get in for “Shame,” or that past winner Marion Cottilard didn’t make quite the impression on voters she did on me with her performance in “Midnight in Paris.”

Brian’s personal hopefuls: Carey Mulligan, “Shame”; Anjelica Huston, “50/50”; Octavia Spencer, “The Help”; Marion Cottilard, “Midnight in Paris”; Jessica Chastain, “The Help” & “The Tree of Life”

Oscar’s Pick: Octavia Spencer, “The Help.” I don’t expect McCarthy to surprise here, although it COULD happen. Instead, look for Spencer to beat out her equally-worthy co-star Chastain to get a win for “The Help.”

Best Original Screenplay
Oscar’s Final Five
“Midnight in Paris” (Woody Allen)
“The Artist” (Michel Hazanavicius)
“Bridesmaids” (Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig)
“Margin Call” (J.C. Chandor) (Haven’t Seen)
“A Separation” (Asghar Farhadi) (Haven’t Seen)

Likes: Well, this is certainly a diverse selection…

Dislikes: ...although I would have gladly traded “Bridesmaids” for either “The Beaver,” “50/50,” or “Beginners” any day of the week.

Brian’s personal hopefuls: Kyle Killen, “The Beaver”; Will Reiser, “50/50”; Mike Mills, “Beginners”; Michael LaPointe, “The Symphony”; Gavin O’Connor, Anthony Tambakis & Cliff Dorfman, “Warrior”

Oscar’s Pick: “Midnight in Paris.” “The Artist” could win, but its storytelling success is more dependent on the “big picture” than just its screenplay. Look for Woody Allen to win his first Oscar in quite a while for his best film in at least 15 years.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Oscar’s Final Five
“The Descendants” (Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash)
“Hugo” (John Logan)
“Moneyball” (Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin)
“The Ides of March” (George Clooney, Grant Heslov,
Beau Willimon)
“Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy” (Bridget o’Connor & Peter Straughan) (Haven’t Seen)

Likes: The nod for “Ides of March” means that there’s a little bit of variety…

Dislikes: ...still, Steve Kloves deserved more credit than he received for his contributions to the “Potter” franchise (you do know he scripted seven of the eight films, right?). And no love for the British trio who wrote “The Adventures of Tintin?” No, I’m not THAT surprised. Just…disappointed.

Brian’s personal hopefuls: Steve Kloves, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, “The Descendants”; Amanda Silver & Rick Jaffa, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”; John Logan, “Hugo”; Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish, “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn”

Oscar’s Pick: “The Descendants.” Look for Payne to win his second Oscar in this category (after “Sideways”) for his funny and weighty script for this Best Picture contender.

Best Original Score
Oscar’s Final Five
“The Adventures of Tintin” (John Williams)
“Hugo” (Howard Shore)
“The Artist” (Ludovic Bource)
“War Horse” (John Williams)
“Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy” (Alberto Iglesias) (Haven’t Seen)

Likes: John Williams didn’t cancel himself out for either of his wonderful scores. The four I’ve heard are more than deserving.

Dislikes: While I’ve heard great things about the score for “Soldier Spy,” is it really better than the scores for “Hanna,” “Drive” (which was stupidly deemed ineligible), “Super 8,” or “Captain America: The First Avenger?” I doubt it.

Brian’s personal hopefuls: The Chemical Brothers, “Hanna”; Rob Simon, “The Symphony”; John Williams, “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” & “War Horse”; Cliff Martinez, “Drive”; Michael Giacchino, “Super 8”

Oscar’s Pick: “The Artist.” For much of its running time, Bource’s music is all you hear, and the way it impacted the film was tremendous. It’ll win.

Best Original Song
Oscar’s Final Two
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” (Bret McKenzie)
“Real in Rio” from “Rio” (Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, Siedah Garrett)

Likes: Well, at least “The Muppets” didn’t get shut out like it inexplicably did at the Golden Globes.

Dislikes: Only two nominees? Really?! Did you guys not LISTEN to all the songs this year?

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “So Long” from “Winnie the Pooh” (Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward); “Pictures in My Head” from “The Muppets” (Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis, Chen Neeman); “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” (Bret McKenzie); “The Star Spangled Man” from “Captain America: The First Avenger” (Alan Menken & David Zippel); “The Backson Song” from “Winnie the Pooh” (Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez)

Oscar’s Pick: If you think “Man or Muppet” isn’t going to win this, there’s no helping you.

Best Animated Feature
Oscar’s Final Five
“Rango”
“Puss in Boots”
“A Cat in Paris” (Haven’t Seen)
“Chico & Rita” (Haven’t Seen)
“Kung Fu Panda 2” (Haven’t Seen)

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “Rango”; “Winnie the Pooh”; “The Adventures of Tintin”; “Arthur Christmas”; “Puss in Boots”

Oscar’s Pick: No “Rio” or “Cars 2?” Fine by me. No “Arthur Christmas” or “Winnie the Pooh?” Less fine. No “Adventures of Tintin?” A bit surprising given the pedigree, but not unexpected. That leaves two Dreamworks films to cancel themselves out, and “Rango” to ride off into the sunset, deservingly.

Best Foreign Language Film
Oscar’s Final Five (Haven’t Seen Any)
“Bullhead” (Belgium)
“Footnote” (Israel)
“In Darkness” (Poland)
“Monsieur Lazhar” (Canada)
“A Separation” (Iran)

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “I Saw the Devil”; “13 Assassins”

Oscar’s Pick: “A Separation,” although this category has really been a turkey shoot the past few years.

Best Documentary Feature
Oscar’s Final Five (Haven’t Seen Any)
“Hell and Back Again”
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
“Pina”
“Undefeated”

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, a Tale of Life”; “Viva! Saint Agrippina”; “Buck”; “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”

Oscar’s Pick: I’d be really surprised if the final chapter of the groundbreaking “Paradise Lost” series didn’t win, given all the recent publicity and revelations in the case of the West Memphis Three. Now I just need to see it for myself.

Best Visual Effects
Oscar’s Final Five
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“Hugo”
“Real Steel”

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”; “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; “X-Men: First Class”; “Thor”; “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

Oscar’s Pick: Wow, really? This is the ONLY nomination for one of the summer’s most acclaimed blockbusters? Look for WETA Digital’s perfection of mo-cap technology to win this one for “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”

Best Sound Mixing
Oscar’s Final Five
“War Horse”
“Hugo”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
“Moneyball”

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; “Insidious”; “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn”; “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”; “War Horse”

Oscar’s Pick: I can see “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” sneaking away with this one, but I think it’s going to come down to “War Horse” and “Hugo,” with “Hugo” winning the prize.

Best Sound Editing
Oscar’s Final Five
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Drive”
“War Horse”
“Hugo”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”; “Insidious”; “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn”; “The Artist”; “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”

Oscar’s Pick: In another race between two Best Picture winners, look for “Hugo” to beat our “War Horse,” although I would LOVE to see “Drive” get the nod for its moody sound design.

Best Cinematography
Oscar’s Final Five
“Hugo”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“The Tree of Life”
“The Artist”
“War Horse”

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “Hugo”; “Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol”; “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”; “Super 8”; “Insidious”

Oscar’s Pick: While Robert Richardson’s extraordinary 3D camera in “Hugo” SHOULD get the vote, look for the artful lensing of Emmanuel Lubezki to give “The Tree of Life” probably it’s only win of the evening (not undeservingly, either).

Best Film Editing
Oscar’s Final Five
“The Artist”
“Hugo”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“The Descendants”
“Moneyball”

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “Hanna”; “The Artist”; “Hugo”; “Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol”; “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”

Oscar’s Pick: I really want to say “Hugo” and Scorsese’s longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker, but I think probable Best Picture winner “The Artist” will take the honors for its brisk and lively storytelling.

Best Art Direction
Oscar’s Final Five
“Hugo”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”
“The Artist”
“War Horse”
“Midnight in Paris”

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “Hugo”; “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”; “The Artist”; “Jane Eyre”; “War Horse”

Oscar’s Pick: Look for the complex visuals of that train station to win this one for Team “Hugo.”

Best Makeup
Oscar’s Final Three
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2”
“Albert Nobbs” (Haven’t Seen)
“The Iron Lady” (Haven’t Seen)

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “X-Men: First Class”; “Hugo”; “Insidious”

Oscar’s Pick: Hey, if it takes this category for “Harry Potter” to FINALLY win an Oscar (and no, the franchise has not won a single Oscar), you won’t hear any complaints out of me.

Best Costume Design
Oscar’s Final Five
“Hugo”
“Jane Eyre”
“The Artist”
“Anonymous”
“W.E.” (Haven’t Seen)

Brian’s personal hopefuls: “Hugo”; “Jane Eyre”; “Captain America: The First Avenger”; “X-Men: First Class”; “Thor”

Oscar’s Pick: “Jane Eyre.” I don’t really know why I’m not going with one of the Best Picture nominees here, but I think the critically-acclaimed “Eyre” will win out.

Now, onto the awards less likely to be cared about, and randomly-selected predictions.

Best Short Film- Live Action
Oscar’s Final Five
“Pentecost”
“Raju”
“The Shore”
“Time Freak”
“Tuba Atlantic”

Oscar’s Pick: “Raju”

Best Short Film- Animated
Oscar’s Final Five
“Dimanche/Sunday”
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”
“La Luna”
“A Morning Stroll”
“Wild Life”

Oscar’s Pick: “La Luna”

Best Documentary Short Subject
Oscar’s Final Five
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement”
“God is the Bigger Elvis”
“Incident in New Baghdad”
“Saving Face”
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom”

Oscar’s Pick: “Incident in New Baghdad”

Viva La Resistance!

Brian Skutle
http://www.sonic-cinema.com

A Movie a Week: "Frenzy"

Three years in, my “Movie a Week” series has solidified itself in terms of form. Some weeks, I’ll link my movies with an upcoming release. The weeks before and after Dragon*Con, it’s all about genre. In October, it’s all about horror movies. The week of Christmas, it’ll be a film I identify with that particular holiday. And other times, I’ll just wing it, sometimes even switching up the selected film.

This year, you’ll find a lot of the same, with one twist—this year, many of the films I’ll be reviewing are suggestions by friends and fans. Some of the choices are pretty out there, making my choice for this year’s “bookend director” being the infamously bad Edward D. Wood Jr. even more fitting. Expect equally “outside the box” selections in the years to come.

This week’s film is another one suggested by Mathew (he presented a lot of choices for this year). It’s a later film in the career of Alfred Hitchcock, his 1972 thriller “Frenzy”. As as fan of the Master of Suspense, needless to say I was curious to see what he had up his sleeve. I hope you enjoy!

Brian Skutle
http://www.sonic-cinema.com

“Frenzy”- A-
“Frenzy” is the second-to-last film Alfred Hitchcock made in his long, brilliant career. It contains several elements familiar to the Master of Suspense’s fans—a man wrongly accused, a rhythmic score (by Ron Goodwin), and a killer whose particular pathology is unsettling, and not kind to women—but it also contains something new: nudity, and a gratuitous sexuality. This resulted in the film being rated R in the US, as well receiving an “X” in the director’s native England.

That’s a problematic notion. With many of Hitchcock’s best films, any sexuality and subversive violence was subtly just beneath the surface, and we definitely didn’t see the brutality in the violence the way “Frenzy” depicts it at times. Sure, the shower scene in “Psycho” was risque, but Hitch edited and shot the sequence in a way that kept the most graphic material off-screen; it was a masterstroke enhanced by the shrieking score by Bernard Herrmann. In depicting the rape at the center of “Frenzy,” Hitchcock is rather explicit, although not to the point of pornography. There’s no mistaking what’s happening, though.

Why would Hitchcock suddenly feel the need to show such a thing in this manner? True, the rigid censorship in movies had gone by the wasteside by the late ‘60s, but did Hitchcock really feel the need to take advantage of the new possibilities of what could be shown on-screen? That was one of the great mysteries as I watched “Frenzy,” but as the film progressed, any sense of disillusionment and disappointment in the Master’s choices was replaced by my typical admiration for Hitchcock’s instincts as a storyteller and craftsman of the highest order.

The film is based on a novel by Arthur La Bern about a series of murders in modern-day London (well, modern day for 1972). They are called the “Necktie Murders” because each of the victims have been strangled with a necktie; they’ve also been raped. At the time of strangulations begin to occur, a London man named Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) gets into a run of bad luck: he’s fired from his job at the local pub, and he has nowhere else to go but a homeless shelter. He also has to go to his ex-wife for a loan, but naturally, when exes get together, they get into an argument, which doesn’t bode well when she ends up dead at the hands of the killer who, we find out, is actually Blaney’s friend, Bob Rusk (Barry Foster). Well, I’m not sure if you can call Rusk a friend as he murders Blaney’s co-worker and girlfriend (Anna Massey), and then frames Blaney, leading him into prison. But the police inspector on the case (Alex McCowen) is not quite sure about Blaney’s guilt, and while he deals with his wife’s attempts a cooking (a subplot that illicits several laughs, but seems somewhat out of place in the film as a whole), finds himself less and less certain as the evidence begins to point in Rusk’s direction.

To try and compare this film to Hitchcock’s greatest works would be a disservice; I mean really, a director can’t make a “Vertigo” or “Psycho” or “Rear Window” every time, can he? But “Frenzy” definitely belongs in the conversation with lower-tier Hitchcock delights such as “Dial M for Murder,” “To Catch a Thief,” and his ‘50s remake of “The Man Who Knew Too Much.” It lacks the depth and purpose of the filmmaker’s best films, but it’s clear that, at the end of his career, Hitchcock still knew how to tell a good, old-fashioned murder mystery yarn (which he certainly has, courtesy of Anthony Shaffer’s screenplay), even if he did choose to push the boundaries of what could be (or even should be) shown on the big screen.

Previous “Movie a Week” Reviews
“Night of the Ghouls” (1958)
“Killer Klowns from Outer Space” (1988)
“Young Frankenstein” (1974)
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2001)
“Frenzy” (1972)

See Brian’s list of 2009 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2010 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2011 “Movies a Week” here.

Answering the Call: The Journey of a Musical "Warrior"

Back in 2001, Joss Whedon was a very busy man. He was producing two television shows, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel”, and he was prepping a third one, “Firefly”, for debut in 2002. He was also delving into writing comic books for the first time. That Fall, the first issue of his comic book series, Fray, came out. An eight-issue title, Whedon’s thrilling tale of a future slayer in a world that has forgotten slayers, watchers, and other mystical protectors against the supernatural took a little while to finally hit reader’s hands because of his television schedule, but when it was done, it was another fascinating addition to his Buffyverse.

Contrast that schedule to my own. In May of 2001, I graduated from Georgia State. From that point until early 2004, my own creative output was quite sparse: a couple of (still unrecorded) trombone quartets as well as two little electronic fanfares for the end of commentaries my friends and I were recording for movies and television shows. In 2002, however, the inspiration did hit me to create a piece inspired by Fray, and in late August 2002 I began writing ideas for the piece, which I would title “Calling of a Warrior”. Split up into two movements, “Warrior” was intended as a tone poem, less a piece that hit the story beat-for-beat musically and more inspired by the moods and emotions I felt as I went through the pages of Whedon’s series and the compelling artwork by Karl Moline and Andy Owens. It was an ambitious idea for me at the time, and while I had very vivid ideas for the piece musically, and wrote some outlines for the beginning of the piece, it laid dormant for several years as sketches (not the only piece of mine from that time period to suffer such a fate; “Sonic Contemplation” similarly waited incomplete).

In 2009, it was about time to revisit “Calling of a Warrior”. My third album, “Sonic Visions of a New Old West”, had re-awakened my creative instincts when I began composing again in ‘04, and ‘09 found me beginning to hit full steam on my fourth (and most ambitious) album yet, “Beyond the Infinite: A Musical Odyssey”. I knew my next album after “Beyond the Infinite” was to be called “Storytelling Through Sound”, and I wanted “Calling of a Warrior” to be a part of that. Again, I began to sketch out the beginning of the piece (using my work from 2002 as a guidline), but this time, music actually got recorded. Using some hand percussion instruments I’d purchased at the Georgia Renaissance Festival in 2008, I improvised what would become the beginning of the piece. It was only 87 seconds of music, but it was an important first step to the piece’s eventual completion in 2011 (delayed as I wanted to complete and release “Beyond the Infinite” 2010).

What is a “tone poem?” In a sense, it is a composition (typically written for orchestra) that reflects scenes, moods, or ideas from source material in another medium (such as a novel or painting, for example). Written in a single movement, it doesn’t follow the traditional musical theory of works like a symphony, and is typically about the length of a symphonic movement. Two of the most well-known to me are ones that are forever linked to the films of Stanley Kubrick: “Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss, inspired by the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche; and “Timesteps” by Wendy Carlos, which was inspired by the novel, A Clockwork Orange, and was later used (partially) in Kubrick’s film of the novel. It is the electronic “Timesteps” that has been most influencial for me in creating “Calling of a Warrior”.

In creating “Calling of a Warrior”, I’ve attempted the take a step back from the film music aesthetic of much of my recent work into a more abstract realm. Whether fans of Fray will find the piece satisfying musically or in keeping with Whedon’s story is almost an afterthought (although I do hope it finds an audience); the more important point for me is whether I’ve coveyed what I read in Fray (as well as the continuation story Whedon told in the anthology book, Tales of the Slayer). I believe I have: the mystery of the ominous first pages of issue #1; the chaos of a life turned upside down; the excitement of the action scenes; the sorrow of lost friends; the surprise of the final pages, and the peace of a realization on the part of the main character that when all is said and done, she may be the only one imbued with her abilities, but she is not alone. I can’t wait for people to be able to hear it. For now, I hope this blog will whet your appetite for the piece itself. You can also hear the introduction to the piece here.

My fifth album, now just titled, “Storytelling”, will be available online this summer. For information and links to my previous albums and more music, you can go to my Music page here.

Thanks for listening,

Brian Skutle
www.sonic-cinema.com
www.reverbnation.com/brianskutle
www.myspace.com/brianskutle
www.myspace.com/cinemanouveau
www.youtube.com/bskutle
Sonic Cinema Shop
“Creative Beginnings” at CDBaby
“Dark Experiments” at CDBaby
“Sonic Visions of a New Old West” at CDBaby
“Beyond the Infinite: A Musical Odyssey” at CDBaby