I’ve stated once or twice that I’ve fallen head over heels with Ryuichi Sakamoto‘s Revenant score. Yes, I’m aware that the score is co-composed by Sakamoto, Bryce Dessner and German electronic musician Alva Noto but it’s the Sakamoto sections (bassy symphonic strings for the most part) that lifted me out of my seat. Sakomoto’s music … Read more
Ryuichi Sakomoto‘s “Bibo No Aozora” is on the soundtrack at the end of Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu ‘s Babel, and it really sank into me — the music, the film, the whole package — when I saw it a second time on Wednesday. Here’s a YouTube video of Sakomoto playing “Bibo No Aozora.” Just a taste.
Today I received a double-vinyl album of The Revenant score, which was mainly composed by Ryuichi Sakomoto with supplemental music by Bryce Dessner and Alva Noto. Despite a decision by the Academy’s music branch to disqualify it because “a score assembled from the music of more than one composer shall not be eligible” (per Academy … Read more
I’ve thought long and hard about the Shiznit’s “honest” movie posters, and the only one I even half-like is the one for The Revenant — not because it’s cool or clever, but because it condenses what a healthy percentage of Joe Popcorn types have been saying about it when they ponder the ads and the … Read more
Despite Revenant director Alejandro G. Inarritu having told both myself and Indiewire‘s Anne Thompson in interviews (both of which posted on 12.19) that an appeal of the Academy’s disqualification of Ryuichi Sakamoto‘s score was being pushed, the appeal was in fact rejected on 12.18. There was no hearing. Letters of appeal were written by Alejandro … Read more
Inarritu thought #1: “Why can’t we trust that people can have an incredible, spectacular, exciting rollercoaster, but with respect of their intelligence? Why do big films, these pizzas and these hamburgers, have to be about nothing? [Why do] they have to extract any intelligence or humanity or truth from [these films]…why?” Inarritu to Ryuichi … Read more
I did a 20-minute phoner yesterday afternoon with Revenant director Alejandro G. Inarritu. No mention of the “bear rape” thing as I was determined to keep things on a higher plane. We covered several areas. Toward the end I asked if he was going to appeal the recent disqualification of Ryuichi Sakamoto‘s score for Oscar … Read more
Late Wednesday afternoon 112 motion picture scores were announced by the Academy as eligible to win the Best Musical Score Oscar, and of course the one score I’ve been really and truly knocked out by — Ryuichi Sakamoto‘s sparely applied, solemn string music for Alejandro G. Inarritu‘s The Revenant — didn’t qualify. That’s because Sakamoto … Read more
Since succumbing to Ryuichi Sakamoto‘s Revenant score I’ve been asking the powers that be for an mp3 excerpt or two. I’ve been explaining that people need to hear how sad and strikingly solemn Sakamoto’s anthem is, particularly for its simplicity as it pretty much boils down to six or seven notes. Those bassy symphonic strings … Read more