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Providing the perfect date night option for those who love romantic comedies and festive slashers, Josh Ruben's Heart Eyes is now slicing into theaters, and Lakeshore Records will release Jay Wadley's score for the festively frightful film digitally beginning February 14th, giving horror-loving couples the chance to add the movie's music to their Valentine's Day playlists. As an early treat for Daily Dead readers to enjoy ahead of the soundtrack's holiday digital release, we have the chilling Heart Eyes track "Forgive Me" that you can listen to right now!

You can listen to Jay Wadley's "Forgive Me" below, and we also have the full track listing with additional details! To learn more about the digital release of Heart Eyes—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, visit:

https://lnk.to/heart-eyes

From the Press Release: Lakeshore Records is set to release Heart Eyes--Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally [on] February 14, featuring music...

Santa Monica, California – February 04: Josh Ruben and Jay Wadley attend a special Beyond Fest screening of Screen Gems and Spyglass Media Group’s Heart Eyes at Aero Theatre on February 04, 2025 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Sony Pictures via Getty Images)

For the past several years, the “Heart Eyes Killer” has wreaked havoc on Valentine’s Day by stalking and murdering romantic couples. This Valentine’s Day, no couple is safe…

Hitting theaters this February is the Valentine’s Day horror-comedy Heart Eyes from director Josh Ruben.

Screen Gems and Spyglass Media Group present a Divide/Conquer production, Heart Eyes. Starring Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, with Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster. Produced by Christopher Landon, Greg Gilreath, and Adam Hendricks. Written by Phillip Murphy and Christopher Landon & Michael Kennedy.

The director of photography is Stephen Murphy, Bsc, Isc. The production designer is Rob Bavin.

In the "Seinfeld" episode "The Jacket", Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and George (Jason Alexander) arrange to have dinner with Alton Benes (Lawrence Tierney), the father of Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Because of a drama involving towed cars, Elaine is running late to the dinner, and Jerry and George spend a long, painful time trying to converse with Alton, a gruff, grumpy character. Alton is a famous author, and Jerry assumes he'll be talkative and gregarious, but he is quite the opposite; he is annoyed by his companions' whiny behavior and delicate sensibilities and wears a permanent, disapproving frown. When Jerry refuses to go for a walk in the snow — to save his new suede jacket from water damage — Alton insists. Like with many "Seinfeld" episodes, everyone is uncomfortable by the end.

Lawrence Tierney gave an excellent performance, and the cast was elated to be working with him. Tierney had been acting professionally since the 1940s,...

From the brisk strains of Bernard Herrmann’s Antonin Dvorak-inspired opening theme to its concluding gag of a honeymoon train speeding into a tunnel, North by Northwest is the apotheosis of Alfred Hitchcock’s exploration of the wronged man on the run and functioned in 1959 as a summary of the Master of Suspense’s career to date.

Cary Grant, wearing his gray suit like natural skin, embodies smug New York ad executive Roger O. Thornhill, an aging, gin-swilling playboy whose swiftly established m.o. in romance and work is “expedient exaggeration.” Poetic justice strikes as he’s incredibly abducted from the Plaza Hotel bar by the henchmen of an urbane master spy, Phillip Vandamm, who’ve mistaken him for an undercover agent. Framed for a killing at the United Nations, Thornhill runs a cross-country gauntlet of lawmen and baddies, with time for a sleeping-car tryst with an ambiguously remote blonde,...

by Chad Kennerk

Images courtesy of Silents Synced

In explaining montage, or ‘assembly’ as he liked to refer to it, Alfred Hitchcock once explained the Kuleshov Effect or, as Hitch called it, ‘pure cinematics’; the juxtaposition of imagery to create different ideas. In the same way, comparison and contrast of music and image have been used practically since the origins of film language to create additional meaning. What would the shower scene in Psycho be without Bernard Herrmann’s strings? Jaws wouldn’t be nearly as ominous sans John Williams’ iconic ‘da-dum…da-dum.’ In the same spirit, Silents Synced reimagines film score by pairing classic silent films with the music of contemporary artists. Specifically designed for independent movie theatres, the new event cinema series kicked off in the US with an appropriately released October pairing of the Radiohead albums Kid A and Amnesiac with F. W. Murnau’s 1922 symphony of horror,...

Paul Mescal wields a sword and Denzel Washington steals the show in Ridley Scott’s full-blooded sequel. Here’s our Gladiator II review:

If Gladiator was a film for a less pessimistic pre-9/11 America, its sequel is full of post-January 6th angst. There are talks of insurrection by flickering candlelight, power-mad emperors planning unjust wars overseas, and lots of bloody retribution. But while it’s possible to pick through Gladiator II for modern parallels and political undercurrents, this is still Ridley Scott at his most straightforwardly crowd-pleasing.

Like its predecessor, Gladiator II is a revenge movie in the guise of a Hollywood sword and sandal epic, though this time the motivations for that vengeance – and at times, who to root for – are less clear. At first though, Scott’s sequel almost feels like a remake of the 2000 movie: it opens with a spectacular battle sequence, before introducing a hero who,...

A horror masterpiece represents more than effective scares or some of the best movie monsters. When critics and audiences elevate a horror film to masterpiece status, they recognize how it transcends the horror genre's or subgenres' conventions to create something that resonates on multiple levels. These rare films combine technical excellence, thematic depth, and psychological complexity while still delivering the primal thrills that define horror.

These masterpieces are some of the best horror movies of all time, and they share certain qualities: impeccable craft, cultural relevance, and the ability to unsettle audiences long after viewing. Whether examining family trauma, societal breakdown, or human nature itself, these films elevate horror beyond simple shocks to create enduring works of cinema that continue to influence filmmakers and haunt viewers decades after their release.

Psycho A Revolutionary Thriller That Changed Cinema Forever

Psycho

Director Alfred HitchcockRelease Date September 8, 1960Studio(s) Universal PicturesCast Janet Leigh,...

John Williams is obviously and without question one of the greatest film composers who’s ever lived, but that still feels like something of an understatement. The case could be made that no one in his field — from Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann to Ennio Morricone and Toru Takemitsu — has come remotely close to matching the sheer breadth, diversity, and cultural impact of Williams’ contributions to the cinema. Indeed, Williams’ greatness is so obvious and self-evident that Laurent Bouzereau’s lovingly basic documentary about him only needs to sit back, shut up, and let the music do the talking. After all, what else is there to say about a 92-year-old workaholic who claims that his inspiration comes to him from the sky? How do you interrogate what Steven Spielberg refers to as “the purest form of artistic expression I’ve ever experienced from a human being?”

A richer and more...

As the master of suspense, it's no surprise that Alfred Hitchcock is behind some phenomenal scary movies perfect for Halloween. The iconic English director is well known as one of the greatest minds to ever step behind the camera, particularly when it comes to his terrifying thrillers. From Alfred Hitchcock's murder mysteries to his more straightforward horror movies, the man's filmography is a perfect library to reach for during the spooky season.

Admittedly, by modern standards, Alfred Hitchcock's work can sometimes feel quite tame, groundbreakingly terrifying at the time of their release but noticeable aged. Still, his scariest films offer some level of creep factor, slow-burn dread, and above all else, suspense that make them well worth watching even today. With a whole coterie of noticeably frightening films, Alfred Hitchcock forever changed cinema with his unique sensibilities for fear and tension.

Vertigo 1958

A surreal masterpiece, Vertigo is the perfect choice...

Pop sensation and actor Lady Gaga is no stranger to the macabre. With her fierce love for all things gothic and horror-inspired, she’s brought dark and edgy elements to both her music and on-screen performances, like Lady Gaga’s unforgettable role in American Horror Story. Whether it’s her iconic meat dress or a performance with fake blood at the 2009 VMAs, Gaga has always embraced her love for the eerie. But which horror and thriller films rank as her personal favorites?

Gaga’s admiration for legendary director Alfred Hitchcock is no secret. In her hit song Bad Romance, she famously references three Hitchcock masterpieces: Psycho, Vertigo, and Rear Window. Her love for these films is deeply ingrained in her artistic identity.

In a 2015 interview on The Tonight Show, she even described thrillers and horror as calming for her, elaborating on her affection for the genre. This appreciation for Hitchcock extends to her music,...

Alfred Hitchcock: The Iconic Film Collection will collect six of the Master of Suspense’s classics on 4K Ultra HD + Digital: Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, North By Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds.

Releasing on November 26 via Universal, the six-disc set is limited to 5,150. It’s housed in premium book-style packaging featuring artwork by Tristan Eaton along with photos, bios, and trivia.

In 1954’s Rear Window, “A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.”

It’s written by John Michael Hayes (To Catch a Thief), based on Cornell Woolrich’s 1942 short story “It Had to Be Murder.” James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, and Raymond Burr star.

Rear Window special features:

Audio commentary by Hitchcock’s Rear Window: The Well-Made Film author John Fawell Rear Window Ethics – 2000 documentary Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael...

Since hitting the big screens back in the ’70s, Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver has cemented itself as one of the most influential films of all time. Apart from its impeccable cinematography, Bernard Herrmann’s iconic score, and Robert De Niro’s masterful acting, the film further benefits from Jodie Foster’s portrayal of Iris.

Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver | Credit: Columbia Pictures

But playing the part of an underage s-x worker turned out to be a hassle for the 12-year-old Foster, as she recalled going under psychological evaluation to be deemed fit for the role.

The Board of Education Was Initially Against Jodie Foster’s Involvement in Taxi Driver A still from Taxi Driver | Credit: Columbia Pictures

By the time she was selected to helm the controversial gig, Jodie Foster had already made a name for herself in showbiz and even collaborated with Martin Scorsese on 1974’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

We love seeing which films rank among our favorite directors’ list of best ever — the ones that left a mark and steered them in the path of becoming some of the most renowned artists of the medium. But let’s face it, we don’t mind a little conflict, either. But Park Chan-wook wasn’t going after his fellow directors in a physical way but rather in a much more damming way — attacking their work!

In a recently unearthed slam session from 1999, Park Chan-wook called out 10 films that he considered the most overrated ever. Keep in mind that by this point, the South Korean director only had two features to his credit. So what’s on the list and what did he have to say? Let’s check it out:

Park Chan-wook primarily took issue with American films, opening the list with Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, which can...

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is shaking up its cast for season 3. Martin Quinn, who debuted as future Enterprise Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the season 2 finale "Hegemony," will be joining the main cast. (Quinn is the third actor to play Scotty after James Doohan and Simon Pegg.)

Irish actor Cillian O'Sullivan will also be part of the recurring cast as archaeologist Dr. Roger Korby. Trekkies will recognize that name from "The Original Series," specifically the season 1 episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" In that episode, Korby (Michael Strong) was Nurse Chapel's (Majel Barrett) long lost fiance. The backstory was that he'd gone missing in 2261 (five years before the episode took place) on the planet Exo III. The Enterprise travels to the planet to search for him but all is not well. Korby found the remains of a civilization that built androids in their image, and now wants...

Douglass Fake, founder of leading movie soundtrack label Intrada and producer of more than 700 albums of movie and TV music, died Saturday at a Richmond, Calif., hospital after a long illness. He was 72.

Fake’s many credits include the first complete restoration of Leonard Bernstein’s “On the Waterfront,” a lavish 5-cd release of Elmer Bernstein’s “The Ten Commandments” and the debut of several Henry Mancini scores including “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” previously only available in abridged pop recordings.

Among the label’s best sellers were expansions of previously incomplete recordings of such classics as John Williams’ “Jaws,” Alan Silvestri’s “Back to the Future” and Jerry Goldsmith’s “Alien.” Fake also supervised the re-recording of a dozen albums of classic film music including Bernard Herrmann’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and Miklos Rozsa’s “Ivanhoe,” “Spellbound” and “Julius Caesar.”

A longtime film-music fan, Fake launched Intrada Records...

Horror picture "Longlegs" is proving to be a surprising box office success. A lot of credit must go to indie studio Neon's marketing campaign, which was scary enough to get people paying attention, yet restrained enough to not give the whole movie away.

Starring Maika Monroe as FBI Agent Lee Harker, "Longlegs" follows the hunt for a serial killer, played by a well-disguised Nicolas Cage. Cage's killer character is mercifully kept at a distance or off-screen for most of the movie; the rare times we get an up-close look, it's like we're intruding on something devilish.

Director Osgood Perkins' previous films have felt a bit too empty for me. The procedural core of "Longlegs," though, gives the movie enough of a skeleton that I could appreciate Perkins' craftsmanship without it trying my patience. Is "Longlegs" the scariest movie ever? No, but it is the movie equivalent of a page-turner,...

Regardless of its importance to the storytelling process, film music is too often an afterthought. There are a variety of theories that composers have as to why, and they’re mostly related to a lack of education. So I’ve decided to take an active stance in educating filmmakers about the role of music in film and the process of how a film score comes into being.

My hope is that by the end of this piece you’ll be more familiar with: A) the history of film music in general, and B) the key composers who have contributed to the development of film music as an art. So—where did this all start?

The Silent Era (1890s-1929) Silent film star Mary Pickford. Somewhere, a pianist is inspired.

During the silent era, films music is provided by each individual theater, either by phonograph or as performed live by flesh-and-blood musicians.

When a story enters "The Twilight Zone," it can traverse genres ranging from fantasy to science-fiction to horror. My favorite episode of the series is one that fits mostly into the last category: season 2 episode 5, "The Howling Man," which takes a classic "don't judge a book by its cover" premise into creepy (and theological) directions.

Five years after World War 1, American traveler David Ellington (H.M. Wynant) is lost in a storm and stumbles on a monastery. The men — clad in robes, carrying staves, and using only candles for light — turn away Ellington's request for shelter. While leaving he hears a horrible howling and finds the source is a ragged man (Robin Hughes) who is locked in a cell. Brother Jerome (John Carradine) warns that this prisoner is Satan himself, imprisoned by his brotherhood to prevent evil on the scale of the Great War. A disbelieving Ellington frees the Howling...

When TCM channel host Dave Karger used to be a writer for Entertainment Weekly in his early days as a print journalist, he would focus a great deal on interviewing the big pop stars of the day, along with his duties on the film beat. But little did very many people suspect then that what he really wanted to be writing about was “Laura”… not Branigan, but David Raksin’s music for the classic 1945 noir. That was the film that really prompted Karger’s lifelong love of movie scoring.

“His score for ‘Laura’ really turned me on to classic film music, and film scores in general,” says Karger. “And then you go back and you learn that in 1945, there were 20 Oscar nominees that year in the category of best score for a non-musical film — and David Raksin wasn’t even one of the 20 nominees. That’s a score that has...

In a Variety profile of legendary composer John Williams earlier this year, director Steven Spielberg singled out a reason why the musician's work seems to stand out among his contemporaries.

"Every score he's ever composed, and even the ones that might have the most complicated orchestrations, he always has a beautiful main theme," Spielberg said. "And I don't hear themes being written for movies as much as they used to be by Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, Max Steiner, Dimitri Tiomkin and Bernard Herrmann. Film composition isn't a lost art, but thematic scoring is becoming more and more a lost art. And the great thing about Johnny is, he's still got it."

Of course, to say Williams has "still got it" is something of an understatement. The prolific composer is synonymous with the type of sweeping, powerful, emotional music that helped to define blockbuster filmmaking. A crucial part of why those scores clicked with audiences,...

Quentin Tarantino does not view Kill Bill as two separate films. That should be acknowledged upfront as fair. After all, it is this detail which allows Tarantino the ability to claim Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood as his ninth instead of 10th film (thereby delaying any obligatory early retirements). And to be sure, Tarantino shot Kill Bill as one epic vision that was only encouraged to be broken up by, ahem, Harvey Weinstein while Tarantino was finishing up principal photography.

So while the story was released as Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2, they’re two sides of the same tale. Be that as it may, there’s no denying that they’re two incredibly different sides. Whether a creative choice made in post-production after realizing he had hours more of running time to play with, or because the filmmaker was already at his most indulgent...

When Toddy Haynes’s May December was released last year, it prompted a worldwide (or at least Twitter-wide) reckoning with the meaning of camp. There were furious debates as to the exact parameters of the term and which works fell within them. For Mothers’ Instinct, this matter becomes a kind of existential crisis, because celebrated cinematographer Benoît Delhomme’s 1960s-set directorial debut can’t decide whether it wants to be considered camp or not, as it awkwardly pitches itself between a somber drama and antic melodrama.

Like May December, this remake of the Olivier Masset-Depasse’s 2018 film Duelles is a domestic drama that throws two women into the same space and steadily ratchets up the tension between them. Alice (Jessica Chastain) and Céline (Anne Hathaway) live in neighboring homes in the suburbs. Alice’s son Theo (Eamon Patrick O’Connell) and Céline’s son Max (Baylen D. Bielitz) are best friends,...

Tarantino's eclectic music choices in the Kill Bill Vol. 1 soundtrack enhance the energy and excitement of the action-packed set pieces. Uma Thurman's thrilling sword fights as the Bride become more exhilarating with the perfect songs playing in the background. The Kill Bill Vol. 1 soundtrack, filled with classic songs and original compositions, adds depth and emotion to the martial arts epic storyline.

The Kill Bill soundtrack remains one of Quentin Tarantino’s most eclectic and enjoyable releases. Ever since Mr. Blonde tortured a police officer to the tune of “Stuck in the Middle with You” in Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino has been known for his movie's needle drops. His music choices are as integral to his signature filmmaking style as his snappy dialogue and graphic violence. Music isn’t usually a priority for action movies, but Tarantino proved with Kill Bill that the right song can enhance the...

Released soon after the end of the Great Depression and on the precipice of America’s entry into World War II, William Dieterle’s All That Money Can Buy is a peculiar and fascinating blend of the populist agitprop of the 1930s and the patriotic hokum that defined much of the war years.

In transposing the legend of Faust and his pact with the devil to a rousing bit of American folklore, the screenplay by Dan Totheroh and Stephen Vincent Benét presents greed as anathema to the American way of life, and in one of the few brief eras where that notion was anything short of risible. As such, rugged individualism is spurned in favor of collectivism, specifically in the exalting of the values of an agricultural grange—a communal safety net for small farmers like All That Money Can Buy’s protagonist, Jabez Stone (James Craig).

After a string of bad luck,...

Spoilers for "Psycho" to follow.

Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" created a watershed moment in American cinema when it was released in 1960, setting an unforgettable precedent for the slasher genre and the portrayal of shocking violence and complex psychosexual deviance on the big screen. There is a palpable edge to "Psycho" that has served as a blueprint for slasher-thrillers down the line, where the violence is sudden and shocking, with the examination into minds like that of Norman Bates' (Anthony Perkins) conveyed in unabashedly visceral and layered terms. Although "Psycho" is designed to keep us on the edge of our seats, as Hitchcock utilizes his mastery over suspense to sustain that sentiment throughout, the shower scene is still considered one of the most jarring scenes where a character dies when least expected.

Janet Leigh stars as Marion Crane, a woman on the run who takes shelter at the Bates Motel when...

Who could've imagined "Community" launching the careers of so many big-name artists? From the Russo Brothers to Donald Glover and Alison Brie, Dan Harmon's cult-favorite comedy series was a breeding ground for then-budding talents, perhaps none more so than composer Ludwig Göransson. Over the last 15 years, Göransson has cemented himself as one of the best music-making millennials in the business, along the way picking up an Oscar for the sick Afrofuturistic beats of his "Black Panther" soundtrack (although his Oscar-nominated score for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" was just as impressive). He's now landed a well-deserved second Academy Award for his electrifying work on "Oppenheimer," placing him in some reputable company when it comes to the Oscars.

Specifically, this gives Göransson just as many Oscars as Hans Zimmer. It's actually kind of mind-boggling that the legendary composer doesn't have more than that, considering just how many iconic movie scores he's...

The films in the running for the 2024 Best Original Score Oscar are “American Fiction,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Oppenheimer,” and “Poor Things.” Our current odds indicate that “Oppenheimer” (3/1) will take the prize, followed in order of likelihood by “Killers of the Flower Moon” (4/1), “Poor Things” (9/2), “Indiana Jones” (9/2), and “American Fiction” (9/2).

Just two of the five musicians on this roster are returning contenders, with the first-timer subgroup consisting of Jerskin Fendrix (“Poor Things”), Laura Karpman (“American Fiction”), and Robbie Robertson (“Killers of the Flower Moon”). Robertson, who died last August at age 80, is this category’s eighth posthumous nominee and first since 1977, when Bernard Herrmann earned dual bids for “Obsession” and “Taxi Driver” nearly 14 months after his death. He would be the fourth deceased composer to win an Academy Award, following Victor Young and “Limelight” (1973) duo Raymond Rasch and Larry Russell.

Of the...

If would be hard to name an artist in any medium who illustrated Flaubert’s famous maxim of creativity better than Ennio Morricone. Morricone, who died in 2020 (at 91), was certainly one of the greatest composers of movie soundtracks who ever lived. But even if you consider him next to his fellow giants, Morricone scaled his own wild peak, inventing his own kind of beauty, his own transcendent cacophony. Yet you would never have guessed it to look at him.

“Ennio,” directed by Guiseppe Tornatore (“Cinema Paradiso”), is a 156-minute portrait of Morricone built around an extensive interview with the composer. (It also includes comments from a murderers’ row of filmmakers and artists.) The movie opens on a beating metronome, which seems to set the orderly, clockwork rhythm of Morricone’s life. Strolling into his ornately furnished living room, he walks quickly, not like a man of 90, and his voice is light and direct.

Online dating can be a minefield. Your feelings can get hurt. Your confidence can be shaken. Your time can be wasted. And you can wander into a maelstrom of murder, arson, and identity theft that leaves you questioning your previously established reality. This is the point at which a situation morphs from social annoyance to Netflix true crime documentary.

Lover, Stalker, Killer, whose title practically screams “edgy true crime doc!,” is a sort of tech-age cautionary tale about what can happen when you go looking for love on all the wrong websites.

Two songs from “Barbie” are Oscar-nominated, part of a diverse collection of songs and musical scores nominated for the 96th annual Academy Awards.

“What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, and “I’m Just Ken,” by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, were chosen by the 390 voting members of the Academy music branch. Three “Barbie” songs were shortlisted (Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” being the third) but only two can be nominated, per Academy rules.

The “Barbie” songs are already considered frontrunners, and if either number prevails on March 10, the Oscar will go to a pair of songwriters who already have one of those golden statues. Siblings Eilish and O’Connell won for 2021’s James Bond film “No Time to Die,” while Ronson and Wyatt were two of four 2018 winners for Lady Gaga’s song “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born.”

They will compete against Jon Batiste...

You probably know the premise of "Bones." Set in Washington DC, forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) solve murders by studying the mortal remains of the victims. Or do they?

For the show's 200th episode, "The 200th in the 10th", the team decided to do something totally different (and non-canon). In this episode, the show moves to 1950s Los Angeles, where Brennan is an LAPD detective pursuing Booth, a jewel thief. At his latest robbery, Booth finds a burnt skeleton while safecracking and is immediately labeled as suspect No. 1 of the murder. Brennan, knowing it's not Booth's Mo, recruits her quarry to solve this new case together. Hey, after 10 seasons, a show has earned the right to swing for the fences!

"The 200th in the 10th" is made in the style of Old Hollywood thrillers, especially Alfred Hitchcock's 1950s technicolor noir films.

Did you know that Alfred Hitchcock made a film starring Shirley MacLaine and John Forsythe? Did you know he made a broad comedy? Did you know he shot an entire film in Craftsbury, Vermont?! Well, I guess the last one isn't so shocking. And "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", Hitchcock's Carole Lombard-starring screwball comedy from 1941, is quite well-known and liked.

But I'm not talking about "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." I'm talking about the other comedy made by the master of suspense. 1955's "The Trouble With Harry" represented several firsts for Hitchcock -- his first dark comedy, the first film he made after obtaining American citizenship (he had been living and working in the country for 16 years by that point), and the first film he made after commencing production on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." That series quickly became popular with audiences and was cemented in short order as an American institution,...

Robert De Niro has been working in Hollywood for almost six decades now, with eight Oscar nominations to his name and two wins. His most noted collaboration has been with director Martin Scorsese, with whom he has done 10 films, including their latest partnership on “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which was released October 20 through Apple Original Films. In celebration of the western crime epic, let’s take a look back at De Niro’s eight Oscar nominations in 45 years; seven for acting and one for producing.

His first Oscar nomination and victory came on the heels of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic crime film “The Godfather” with the equally successful second installment “The Godfather Part II” (1974), in which De Niro plays a young Vito Corleone, played by Oscar winner Marlon Brando in the first movie. Just like Brando, De Niro triumphed at the 1975 Oscars for the character, albeit in the...

Ihsahn has announced a new self-titled solo album arriving February 16th. The Norwegian black metal legend has also unveiled two different versions — one black metal and one symphonic — of the lead single “Pilgrimage to Oblivion.”

The metal version immediately calls to mind Celtic Frost’s seminal album Into the Pandemonium with its fusion of black metal and bombastic orchestral arrangement. Ihsahn’s vocals are starkly placed among the music, which has tangible prog-metal slant in its composition, following the template of the Emperor founder’s latter solo material.

“‘Pilgrimage to Oblivion’ serves as a rather immediate introduction to the overarching musical and conceptual aspects of the album,” remarked Ihsahn in a press release. “The lyrics go directly into the storyline and the video is the first in a sequel of videos portraying the whole story.”

Ihsahn’s upcoming album will be issued with an alternate symphonic version. The accompanying symphonic...

"Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis" is the comedy talk show TV series, hosted by Zach Galifianakis ("The Hangover") featuring celebrity guests, including Charlize Theron, Brie Larson and Natalie Portman, hilariously insulted:

"... the show opens with Dave Blume's arrangement of Bernard Herrmann's theme from 'Taxi Driver'.

"The set intentionally resembles a low-budget amateur production for public-access television.

"Galifianakis maintains an awkward and often antagonistic demeanor with his guests...

"...asking bizarre, inappropriate or insulting questions mixed with offhand non-sequiturs. The guests' responses are mostly improvised..."

Click the images to enlarge...

64 years after its debut on CBS, no series has been able to match the consistency of quality or the rigorousness of thought that Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone" demonstrated over its five stellar seasons. For many, the series' most memorable episodes set us on edge via science fiction or straight-up horror elements, but Serling and his roster of first-rate writers could be just as brilliant when using nothing but plain old reality to freak us out.

The Red Scare metaphor "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" is probably the finest example of this (especially in an era where a massive blackout could easily plunge millions of technology reliant humans into utter chaos), but it's closely followed by the pilot episode that established the series as a one-of-a-kind mindf***. Written by Serling himself, "Where Is Everybody?" sets up as a post-apocalyptic nightmare. Earl Holliman plays an amnesiac who finds...

Have you heard of a movie about a brilliant quantum physicist who travels to a remote location so he can test a groundbreaking theory that could change the world forever? It’s shot in breathtaking black-and-white, and features Nazis and a doomed romance.

If you’re thinking of Oppenheimer, you’re wrong by a good two decades (in terms of the time setting), as well as a good hundred million dollars (in terms of budget). And yet, like a smaller, distant cousin to the Christopher Nolan blockbuster, German director Timm Kröger’s The Theory of Everything (Die Theorie Von Allem) is also an artfully made, ambitious period piece where reality sometimes bends to the laws of modern physics.

However, the similarities end there. Nolan’s movie was science-fact, remaining as close to historic events as technically possible. Kröger’s second feature is more of a genre-jumping experiment, combining Hollywood sci-fi...

Film Independent is currently in the middle of a Matching Campaign to raise support for the next 30 years of filmmaker support. All donations make before or on September 15 will be doubled—dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000. To celebrate the campaign, we’re re-posting a few of our most popular blogs.

Since the early 2000s, there’s been a disappointing trend in movies away from full-fledged opening title sequences. Whether because of the desire to jump straight into the action or the impulse to keep the audience focused on a film’s story (rather than its creators), elaborate, artful opening title sequences, once commonplace, have become increasingly rare—which is too bad.

Great opening title sequences do a whole lot more than just show the names and guild memberships of those behind-the-scenes folks who make it all happen. They can do the critical early-movie work of establishing a movie’s mood and texture,...

When Alfred Hitchcock fired the composer behind “Vertigo” and “Psycho” over creative differences during the production of “Torn Curtain” in May 1966, it was clear that film music was changing. Although Bernard Herrmann’s theremin-laden score for “The Day the Earth Stood Still” had changed the game, his rugged determination not to succumb to rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, or (God forbid) “theme tune” scores that were quickly becoming all the rage in Hollywood made him an enemy of serial pragmatist Hitchcock. They never worked together again.

Three months later, The Beatles released “Revolver,” with what The Village Voice called a “bent and pulverised sound” — and pop music had gone electronic. Amid times a-changin’, Herrmann dug his heels in. His final score a decade later, for “Taxi Driver,” is as classic as they come.

When the synthesizer again altered the sound of film music in the 1980s, Herrmann’s fingerprints were, ironically,...

Quentin Tarantino loved the ending of "Freaky Friday," praising the Battle of the Bands sequence as a "genius scene and a perfect ending." Tarantino approached director Mark Waters at a party to share his love for the Battle of the Bands sequence. Tarantino's appreciation may stem from the fact that the sequence uses music to tell its story, a technique he often employs in his own films.

Mark Waters, the director of Freaky Friday, has revealed that iconic director Quentin Tarantino loved the ending of the movie. The 2003 comedy starred Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis as a mother and daughter who accidentally swap bodies, adapting Mary Rodgers' 1972 novel of the same name for the third time. The wacky fish-out-of-water comedy of the movie leads up to a climax where the mother (in her daughter's body) has to pretend to play guitar during a Battle of the Bands, leading her...

It goes without saying that movie music has come a mighty long way in the last 100 years or so, but the first two decades of the 21st century have nevertheless been an extraordinarily active and evolutionary stretch of time for film scores. Without discounting the bold and formative achievements of old masters like Bernard Hermann and Toru Takemitsu, it’s fair to say that the rise of independent cinema and the challenge of the digital age have provoked a true paradigm shift in how we think about musical accompaniment.

Rock and avant-garde musicians like Jonny Greenwood and Mica Levi have used narrative projects as inspiration to explore new facets of their genius, while more traditional composers such as Alexandre Desplat and Carter Burwell have risen to the challenge by delivering the most beautiful work of their careers. Indeed, some of the very best movie scores in recent memory (including the...

Where to Watch Powered by Robert Downey Jr. believes he can improve upon Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" in a remake, but it's unlikely to capture the magic of the original. "Vertigo" is hailed as one of the greatest movies ever made, showcasing Hitchcock's directorial skills and creating a captivating cinematic experience. Rdj's previous remakes, such as "Dolittle," have been box office bombs, indicating that a remake of "Vertigo" could worsen his remake curse.

Robert Downey Jr.'s plans of remaking Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo may sound intriguing on paper, but it is a step too far for the Iron Man star. Adapted from the French novel D'entre les morts, Vertigo follows detective John “Scottie” Ferguson (played by James Stewart), who has a debilitating fear of heights. After he leaves the force following an incident that brings him face-to-face with his acrophobia, an old colleague asks him to track down his wife.

Midway through Steven Soderbergh’s new thriller miniseries Full Circle, Sam Browne (Claire Danes) asks her brooding husband Derek (Timothy Olyphant), “Is there something else going on?” The query comes as the Brownes are dealing with a kidnap threat against their son, an apparent murder, and someone targeting the corporate empire that the couple runs on behalf of Sam’s celebrity chef father, Jeff McCusker (Dennis Quaid).

“You mean more than all this?” an incredulous Derek replies.

So, yes, the Brownes are dealing with a lot. And Soderbergh and writer...

Nearly 50 years since it was released in theaters, many Taxi Driver quotes still remain deeply embedded in the minds of those who've seen the classic movie. Today, Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver remains one of the most acclaimed masterpieces in the history of cinema. Travis Bickle’s tragic downfall as the quintessential antihero continues to influence dark psychological thrillers and their deeply flawed protagonists to this day. Many screenwriters have tried to emulate the incisive, cynical work of Paul Schrader, but few have managed to capture the anger of city-dwelling loners quite like how Schrader’s Taxi Driver script did it.

Among the earliest Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro movies, Taxi Driver was what gave Scorsese his first Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and it's easy to see why. New York itself is a character in Taxi Driver, it explores a seedy underworld, framed by Bernard Herrmann's beautiful jazz score,...

Donnie Yen is the premier martial arts showman on Earth. He is the heir to Jackie Chan, who was Bruce Lee's successor, and, like those legends, his fighting style is a fluid amalgam of hand-to-hand combat techniques. Watching Yen ply his craft is like listening to a vintage De La Soul track. His fight scenes are an exhilarating, expertly choreographed blur of disciplines. Yen samples from Tai Chi, karate, Taekwondo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, aikido, wrestling, judo and so much more. And when you spot a reference to a patented punch, kick, or feint from another film or a notable fighter, you get every bit as giddy as the first time you heard the Beastie Boys blend John Williams' "Jaws" theme with Bernard Herrmann's legendary "Psycho" cue in the song, "Egg Man," on their "Paul's Boutique" album.

At the age of 59, Yen shows no signs of slowing down, nor has...

Amazon’s action-thriller Citadel is about to establish what the studio must hope is the next big spy franchise. Created by David Weil and produced and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Citadel is a melting pot of genres and feels, blending classic espionage stylings with modern thrills, and sweeping romance with quick humor. Citadel is also the second-most-expensive series ever made, the first being Amazon’s other big gamble The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Helping to bring the ambitious world of Citadel to life is film composer Alex Belcher. Belcher is a longtime collaborator of the Russo brothers, stretching back to his time assisting composer Henry Jackman on projects like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. While Belcher cites legendary film composer Bernard Hermann as a major influence on his work for Citadel, the composer also enlists modern production and composing...

William is a highly successful pediatric surgeon, a little uptight but living a good life with his family in London. But from the moment he locks eyes with Anna, standing across the room at a lavish party, he’s doomed. He knows it. We know it. The fun of Obsession, a new four-part erotic thriller from Netflix, lies in watching it all fall down. That, and a whole lot of kinky, animalistic sex.

This is a tale of amour fou, in which lust tramples everything in its path – family, respectability,...

A children's animated film, re-dubbed from Spanish and released to UK theatres in time for the Easter holidays, Mummies is entertaining enough but that is unlikely to translate to anything more significant.

While the Rosetta Stone was initially considered unique, there are partial copies of the same decree and three earlier sets of text commanded by Ptolemy V. In a similar vein, Epic Tails from earlier this year takes something roughly like the past and makes of it something roughly contemporary, with mixed impact. The utility of that revelatory rock was in its repetition, the same set of dated references again and again.

A character's ringtone is the violin stab from the score of Hitchock's Psycho, and while it's assigned to their mother I find myself wondering who among its intended audience will have consumed Bernard Herrmann's score in that work or if they'll have absorbed it as cultural background.

To the mission tower once more!

Paramount Pictures has acquired rights to remake “Vertigo,” the James Stewart and Kim Novak-led Alfred Hitchcock psychological thriller that is considered by many critics to be the greatest film of all time.

The project is being developed by Team Downey, Robert Downey Jr.’s production company, and Steven Knight, the British writer-director-producer behind “Peaky Blinders” is attached to write. Knight also just landed a deal to bring “Star Wars” back to theaters after Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson exited the franchise. Trade reports suggest that this is likely being packaged as a vehicle for Downey to star in.

“Vertigo,” based on a 1954 French novel by the team of Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, was released in 1958 by Paramount and was nominated for two Oscars—sound and production design. On the one hand, it’s a simple crime mystery, but on the other it...

Forrest Gump is Andrew Scott Bell’s origin story, in a manner of speaking. When his parents bought the two-disc soundtrack, packed with cuts from Bob Dylan and Creedence Clearwater Revival, he gravitated most to the final track, “Forrest Gump Suite,” by composer Alan Silvestri, who is also known for What Lies Beneath, Castaway, and Avengers: Infinity War, among countless other works.

“I remember hearing the track and lightning sparks going off in my brain,” he tells Bloody Disgusting. So, he listened to it over and over again until he learned how to play it on piano. “I’ll never forget how to play it,” he adds.

From upstate New York, Bell grew up in a very religious home. Being a “weird queer kid,” he found himself taking dance, ballet, and piano lessons. “When I was very young, I landed on art and drawing, and I was really into that.