I must have watched The Return three or four times now, several years apart, and each time I am left with a very strong impression. Set against the backdrop of the desolate wilderness of Northern Russia, The Return is an arresting film by first-time director Andrey Zvyagintsev. On its release, the film took most critics by ... [Continue Reading]
OST
Air: Sonic Armada
Both Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007) and Martin Scorsese's Hugo (2011) have done a lot to reintroduce "cinemagician" Georges Meliès to an entirely new audience, especially to his ground breaking masterpiece Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon). The science-fiction short was originally released in 1902 ... [Continue Reading]
Rasha Rezk: Mreyte ya mreyte
"Mreyte ya mreyte" (Mirror oh my mirror) is another track from the Caramel soundtrack (see previous post). Performed by Syrian singer Rasha Rezk, beautifully orchestrated and arranged by Lebanese composer Khaled Mouzanar, it is the final song of the film as the credits roll: Mirror oh my mirrorI will tell you my storyTell me ... [Continue Reading]
Khaled Mouzanar: Zaghloul el Hamam
Caramel (2007) is a Lebanese film by first-time director Nadine Labaki which has enjoyed a very successful international career. Set in a beauty salon in Beirut, the film humorously chronicles the daily lives of five women of different generations and religious backgrounds. Even though conflict and political unrest are never ... [Continue Reading]
Jon Hopkins: Monsters theme
Monsters is a 2010 British independent science fiction film written and directed by Gareth Edwards with a wonderful soundtrack by Jon Hopkins. Monsters chronicles the journey of an American journalist and her fellow citizen from alien-infected and quarantined Mexico to the American border. Filmed on a shoestring budget with ... [Continue Reading]