movies

Mozart's Starring Role In 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'

Lloyd Schwartz — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 18:23:00 +0000

Sunday Bloody Sunday is one of those films that lets you into the lives of believable, complicated characters. A handsome, self-centered young artist played by the actor/rock singer Murray Head is having simultaneous affairs with both an older woman (played with infinitely nuanced self-irony by Glenda Jackson) and an older man, a Jewish doctor (the touching Peter Finch), two intelligent adults who have mutual friends and even know each other slightly.

Soundtrack/Movie Review: "Hitchcock"

Nathan Cone — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 04:55:36 +0000

Alfred Hitchock was one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century, but he also had a dark side. A deeper reading of his films reveals some of Hitch’s hidden obsessions, including: murder, sex, and love. Throughout his career, Hitchcock was aided by the unseen hand of his wife, Alma Reville, who often served as the director’s sounding board and sometime editor.

Blu-ray Review: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Ryan Steans — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 04:44:57 +0000

Interview: Author J.B. Kaufman on "The Fairest One of All"

Nathan Cone — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:57:30 +0000

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” may not have been the first animated film, but as author and film historian J.B. Kaufman points out, Walt Disney “completely redefined the concept of what an animated feature could be” with his 1937 film, celebrating 75 years this December.

John Williams' Inevitable Themes

Jeff Lunden — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:30:43 +0000

For more than 50 years, John Williams' music has taken us to galaxies far, far away through adventures here on earth, made us feel giddy joy and occasionally scared us to death.

He might be the most recognized contemp

KPAC's 30th Anniversary: 30 Great Film Scores

Nathan Cone — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 04:11:42 +0000

This month, KPAC is celebrating thirty years of broadcasting. Our hosts are having some fun sharing "30 lists" - artists, music, movies, and recordings you might enjoy, that help shape the sound of your classical oasis.

As the curator of Texas Public Radio’s film series, Cinema Tuesdays, I spend a lot of my free time enjoying movies, and their soundtracks. Soundtracks make up a small but important section of our library at KPAC. Because we connect to movies on such a personal level, film scores often come with built-in emotional attachment. Below is a list of some of my favorites. While this is by no means a ‘best of’ list, these are the records I enjoy spinning most often on my CD player and iPod. I created a Spotify list, linked below, so you can listen to all of the tracks in a playlist, and in the article, each track is linked to Amazon when available so you can download a song or album for yourself. Have fun listening!

Click here to listen to the list on Spotify.

Singin' in the Rain on Blu-ray: What a Glorious Feeling

Nathan Cone — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:29:25 +0000

Among movie musicals, “Singin’ in the Rain” stands as the greatest of them all. Its nearest competitors, “The Band Wagon” with Fred Astaire, or even Gene Kelly’s “An American in Paris,” produced a year before “Singin’ in the Rain,” are also just as entertaining today as when they were first released six decades ago. But something about “Singin’ in the Rain” gives it a snap that remains timeless.

After SXSW, "WOLF" Leads The Pack At Dallas International Film Festival

Nathan Cone — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:57:44 +0000

On the heels of a sold-out debut at Austin’s South By Southwest Film Festival last month, Ya’Ke Smith’s debut feature, “WOLF,” screens at the Dallas International Film Festival this weekend. The taut, emotional drama is about a family struggling to come to grips with their son’s sexual abuse at the hands of their church pastor.

SXSW 2012: A Feral Child, Roaming Texas in "Kid-Thing"

Nathan Cone — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:55:56 +0000

Austin-based directors Nathan and David Zellner's dark fable, "Kid-Thing," screens at South By Southwest after playing the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. In the film, young Annie (Sydney Aguirre) roams the countryside of East Texas aimlessly, casually shoplifting, throwing objects at passing cars, and enjoying her freedom, while her father lays about on the couch.

SXSW 2012: 'Tchoupitoulas,' a Portrait of New Orleans by Night

Nathan Cone — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:56:27 +0000

Following their acclaimed documentary "45635," Bill and Turner Ross headed south to New Orleans, filming the city almost exclusively at night. "Tchoupitoulas" follows three brothers as they experience what Turner Ross calls a "surreal Pleasure Island."