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When the world of music and the fantasy realm collide, we get something as beautiful and nostalgic as John Williams’ Harry Potter score and Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings theme song. But while both the enchanting scores transported audiences to a world of magic and wonder, the iconic composers faced major competition during the 2002 Academy Awards.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone composer, John Williams | Image: YouTube/ Stephan Aubé

With Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring competing against each other, fans seemingly held their breath. However, considering how Hedwig’s theme transcended boundaries and remained popular through generations, people had anticipated a magical victory for Williams. Yet, the night ended with Shore’s epic composition taking the trophy, stirring both applause and chaos.

John Williams vs. Howard Shore at the 2002 Oscars

In the realm of film music,...

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, the sixth installment in the Wallace & Gromit stop-motion franchise from Aardman Animations, is set to world premiere on the closing day of AFI Fest, screening at the Tcl Chinese Theatre, as part of the festival’s Red Carpet Premieres section, on October 27.

The premiere comes ahead of the film’s global Netflix debut, outside of the UK, which will take place this winter.

In this next installment of Wallace & Gromit, from returning directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, beagle Gromit’s concern that his owner Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart” gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master… or Wallace may never be able to invent again.

Robert Zemeckis’s awards hopeful Here will get its world premiere at AFI Fest as the Centerpiece Screening in Hollywood on October 25.

The Miramax drama marks the first reunion of the director with his Forrest Gump stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright and will open theatrically in the US via Sony Pictures/TriStar Pictures on November 1. Miramax holds international rights.

Here recounts the multi-generational stories of families and the place they inhabit. Eric Roth adapted the screenplay from the graphic novel of the same name by Richard McGuire. The cast includes Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly and Michelle Dockery.

Zemeckis, Jack Rapke,...

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today that the World Premiere of Robert Zemeckis’ Here has been selected as the Centerpiece Gala at this year’s AFI Fest.

The TriStar movie will make its grand splash at the Tcl Chinese Theatre on Oct. 25. The pic opens on Nov. 1.

Here, produced by Miramax, reteams the Oscar winning Forrest Gump filmmaker with his cast of Tom Hanks and Robin Wright.

Here is billed as an original drama about multiple families and a special place they inhabit. The story travels through generations, capturing the human experience in its purest form. Forrest Gump scribe Eric Roth and Zemeckis adapted the screenplay from the acclaimed same-name graphic novel by Richard McGuire. Pic also stars Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly and Michelle Dockery. Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Derek Hogue and Bill Block produce.

“Robert Zemeckis is, first and foremost, a master storyteller – and, uniquely, one who has spent...

I'm quite certain you could lop off the first 20-30 minutes of Tomorrowland and never notice. Then again, the same could probably be said for the final 80-90 minutes. There is little to no point to this movie other than to throw a plastic-wrapped vision of imagination and invention alongside a ham-fisted environmental message down our throats with all the subtlety of James Cameron's Avatar, but Cameron had the good sense to at least develop a story around his preaching whereas Tomorrowland beats around the bush until finally allowing Hugh Laurie to belt out his sermon before delivering the film's ultimate finale with a big dull thud. Director Brad Bird (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Ratatouille), who co-wrote the film's screenplay with Damon Lindelof ("Lost", Prometheus), spends nearly a quarter of the film's running time introducing us to the young inventor Frank Walker (Thomas Robinson). Frank has built a...

I think we were all surprised when the fourth collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks began production with little to no fanfare. What's even more surprising is that it snuck into production without a title, being referred to for the longest time as Untitled Cold War Thriller. But now we know what the film will be called when it hits cinemas, Bridge of Spies. The title refers to a real bridge that links the outer reaches of former West Berlin with the city of Potsdam, that was used by the American and Soviet intelligence agencies in the 60's to perform prisoner exchanges. The movie, working from a script by Joel and Ethan Cohen, will follow lawyer James Donovan (Hanks) as he tries to the negotiate the very first prisoner exchange on the bridge, that of a pilot whose plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. As well reuniting Spielberg with Hanks,...

Grace Kelly is an actress that I haven’t spent nearly enough time with. Thankfully, that will soon change thanks to Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Here is a portion of the news release …

On July 29, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (Wbhe) will remember one of Hollywood’s most glamorous film stars with the debut of the Grace Kelly Collection. The Collection includes six of the iconic screen legend’s most popular films. She stars with some of Hollywood’s finest leading men, including Clark Gable, Cary Grant, William Holden, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

About the Films

Mogambo (1953)

Kelly received her first Academy Award nomination (Best Actress in a Supporting Role) in this remake of 1932’s Red Dust, in which Gable originally starred with Jean Harlow. He stars here with Kelly and the sizzling Ava Gardner, who was also nominated for her performance. Directed by John Ford, and shot on location in Africa,...

And in the end, it was a predictable Oscar night! The frontrunners were true frontrunners with "12 Years a Slave" taking home the Best Picture trophy while "Gravity" won all technical awards. In the acting categories, Cate Blanchett won Best Actress, Matthew McConaughey was awarded the Best Actor trophy, while Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong'o received the Supporting Actor and Actress awards, respectively.

I think Ellen did a great job hosting the award, and the best musical performer for me was Pink singing "Over the Rainbow" in tribute to "The Wizard of Oz."

And here are the winners of the granddaddy of the Awards Season -- the 2014 Oscars:

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale in .American Hustle.

Bruce Dern in .Nebraska.

Leonardo DiCaprio in .The Wolf of Wall Street.

Chiwetel Ejiofor in .12 Years a Slave.

Winner: Matthew McConaughey in .Dallas Buyers Club.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi in...

The Oscar nominations for the 86th Academy Awards have been announced but who will win and who should win? In a banner year for great movies, 2013 gave us thought-provoking and entertaining experience at the cinema. On Oscar night, Steve McQueen.s .12 Years a Slave. will take home the top prize but Alfonso Cuaron.s .Gravity. will win all the technical awards including Best Director. Quite fitting since one provoked (.12 Years.) and the other entertained (.Gravity.).

And for those who know me, the Academy Awards is my Super Bowl! I.m a nerd when it comes to the Oscars! So I tried to predict the winners to help you with your Oscar pool.

And here's my complete and utterly fearless 2014 Oscar predictions:

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale in .American Hustle.

Bruce Dern in .Nebraska.

Leonardo DiCaprio in .The Wolf of Wall Street.

Chiwetel Ejiofor in .12 Years a Slave.

Matthew McConaughey...

The Oscar nominations for the 86th Academy Awards have been announced but who will win and who should win? In a banner year for great movies, 2013 gave us thought-provoking and entertaining experience at the cinema. On Oscar night, Steve McQueen.s .12 Years a Slave. will take home the top prize but Alfonso Cuaron.s .Gravity. will win all the technical awards including Best Director. Quite fitting since one provoked (.12 Years.) and the other entertained (.Gravity.).

And for those who know me, the Academy Awards is my Super Bowl! I.m a nerd when it comes to the Oscars! So I tried to predict the winners to help you in your Oscar pool.

And here's my complete and utterly fearless 2014 Oscar predictions:

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale in .American Hustle.

Bruce Dern in .Nebraska.

Leonardo DiCaprio in .The Wolf of Wall Street.

Chiwetel Ejiofor in .12 Years a Slave.

Matthew McConaughey...

Oscar has smiled upon Australia this morning, with Academy Awards nominations for Cate Blanchett, Catherine Martin, Beverly Dunn, Michael Wilkinson and Dave Clayton.

If Blanchett wins best actress for Blue Jasmine, she will become the first Australian actor in history with two gold statues. She was named best supporting actress for The Aviator in 2005.

Martin (production design, costume design) and Dunn (costume design) are nominated for their work in The Great Gatsby. .Cm. won twice before, for art direction and costume design for Moulin Rouge! This is Dunn.s first Oscar nod; she won an AFI award for Australia, shared with Martin, Ian Gracie and Karen Murphy.

La-based costume designer Wilkinson scored his first nomination for American Hustle.

Visual effects wizard Dave Clayton was recognised for his work on The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, shared with Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon and Eric Reynolds. Clayton, Letteri and Saindon were nominated...

We woke up early with Hollywood this morning for the nominations for the granddaddy of the awards season -- the Oscars! Mister Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, along with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the nominations, and there were not a whole lot of surprises.

But I'm very happy that the Academy honored "Dallas Buyers Club" with a nod for Best Picture along with Golden Globe winners, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, getting Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations respectively.

David O. Russell's "American Hustle" and Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" dominated the nominations with 10 nods each including Best Picture. The films will compete with "12 Years a Slave," "Captain Phillips," "Her," "Nebraska," "Philomena," "Dallas Buyers Club," and "The Wolf of Wall Street."

Emma Thompson, two-time Oscar winner, was ignored for her fantastic work in "Saving Mr. Banks," and the movie failed to...

Music Composed and Produced by: Bear McCreary

Release Date: August 2, 2013

Formats: CD and Digital Download

Number of Discs: 1 (14 tracks, approx. 56 minutes)

Label: Sparks & Shadows

Overview:

About the Composer:

Bear McCreary‘s unique combination of atypical instrumental background (he is a professional accordionist) with rigorous classical training prepared him to compose for disparate genres. By the age of 24, McCreary was launched into pop culture history with his groundbreaking score to Syfy’s hit series Battlestar Galactica, for which he composed “the most innovative music on TV today” (Variety). It “fits the action so perfectly, it’s almost devastating: a sci-fi score like no other” (NPR). Io9.com declared Bear McCreary one of the Ten Best Science Fiction Composers of all time, listing him alongside legends John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann.

McCreary, who recently earned his second Emmy nomination for Da Vinci’s Demons, continues to write for the television show The Walking Dead.

Press Release:

La-la Land Records Re-engages In The Cylon Wars With Two New Soundtracks Composed By Bear McCreary Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome on March 12th

Caprica: Original Television Soundtrack in April

La-La Land Records announces the release of two new soundtracks Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome on March 12th and Caprica: Original Television Soundtrack in April. Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica) composed the music for both series.

“In scoring the Battlestar Galactica prequels Caprica and Blood & Chrome, I returned to the unique combination of world and orchestral sounds that defined my previous score,” McCreary described. “But, both prequels had their own distinct approach. Caprica was interlaced with delicate chamber orchestra textures, solo harp and other-worldly source songs. Blood & Chrome is energized by heavy distorted-synthesizers and searing electric guitar performances. Listeners will hear, however, that all three series have a common musical DNA.”

Battlestar Galactica:...

The Caprica season one soundtrack is finally getting released! Bear McCreary has just made the announcement on Twitter. The soundtrack will be out in April.

The Blood and Chrome soundtrack is coming even sooner. It will be released on March 12th. B&C will have its television premiere this Sunday, February 10, from 8 to 10Pm Et/Pt.

Then, at long last, a multi-cd album of "#Caprica" is coming in April, featuring the songs & score from the entire series, w/ bonus demos.

— Bear McCreary (@bearmccreary) February 5, 2013

The "Caprica" CD is happening because of you guys. Passionate fans never let this go. To each of you, I offer a rowdy "So Say We All!"

— Bear McCreary (@bearmccreary) February 5, 2013

Here is the full press release from Cinemedia Promotions:

La-la Land Records Re-engages In The Cylon Wars With Two New Soundtracks Composed By Bear McCreary

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome on March 12thCaprica: Original Television Soundtrack in April

(February 5, 2013 – Burbank,...

Dial M For Murder

Stars: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams, Anthony Dawson | Written by Frederick Knott | Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

It’s easy to say that Alfred Hitchcock was a true master of his art. We can talk for hours about the little tricks he employed to tell a story to the audience and even get down to the technical details of how he did it, and why he was so good. The real joy of Hitchcock though is to watch his films and actually enjoy just how he did it, to look for his cheeky little cameos and to just be thankful that we had a man of such talent to make such an impact on film and television. Dial M for Murder is quite a curiosity, filmed for 3D and made in 1954 it is an example of just how the gimmick can be used in a subtle way,...

What's the greatest Alfred Hitchcock film? Every film fan will have a different answer, with "The 39 Steps," "Rebecca," "Spellbound," "Notorious," "Rear Window," "Vertigo" and "North By Northwest" all making compelling cases for being the very best. But few of his films had such an impact on cinema as "Psycho," the 1960s thriller that saw him go into darker, more shocking territory than ever before, with some of the most famous sequences in the history of the medium.

Following secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) as she embezzles money from an employer and hides out at a deserted motel owned by the mysterious Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a man with serious mother issues, only to stunningly and unforgettably kill off its lead halfway through the film, the picture turned out to be the biggest hit of Hitchcock's career, and was arguably his last truly great movie. It was released fifty-two years ago tomorrow,...

The world could do with more high-def releases with Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, or Alfred Hitchcock. The trio is sumptuously represented in To Catch a Thief and it is certainly a title that film lovers will want to catch and put in their collections. John Robie (Cary Grant) is retired. The problem is that he.s a retired jewel thief, known as the Cat. The police have come looking for him since robberies that seem much like his own have been recently staged. He gives the cops the slip but wants to catch the thief that has caused him all this trouble. H.H. Hughson (John Williams) is an insurance agent and acquaintance of Robie.s restaurateur friend Bertani (Charles...

Brad Bird chats to us about Mission: Impossible, The Incredibles, Die Hard, sound, Inglourious Basterds and much, much more...

Regular readers of this site will be all too aware of our love for the movies of Brad Bird. The Iron Giant is a firm, firm favourite in these parts, and our feelings towards The Incredibles and Ratatouille are no mystery, either.

For his fourth film, Bird has tackled the fourth Mission: Impossible movie. And as part of the promotional tour for that film, they let us in a room with him for 20 minutes. The fools. Here's what happened...

Does it get any less scary, the process of moviemaking, and everything associated with it?

I don’t think so if you’re doing it right. I think if you get too comfortable with it, then something’s missing. I think that you ought to be a little frightened. It’s like...

You know by now that Pajiba Love Friday is a Family Affair, right? That we built this city on mock and droll? If you see the same contibuters in these posts week in and week out that means a) they're firing me links over on facebook (friend me, it ain't hard!) or via email. And you know what, my little anonymous sources? You can too! If I've neglected to use you in the past, please don't let that stop you. So listen folks, it's a gorgeous Friday, I've got a frosty Multi-Green Kombucha (More than one green! Many greens! Ideally not Soylent Green!) let's dive right into Pajiba Love Friday!

Julie sent me this snort-worthy link from The Blogess. Read It Or I'll Sick This Strangulating Monkey On You. (The Blogess)

From esme we have this tremendously well-written essay on why you might consider hating Amy Pond (companion, "Doctor Who,...

Montgomery Clift, I Confess Alfred Hitchcock is the focus of tonight's programming on Turner Classic Movies, which will be showing five of the director's films: Stage Fright, I Confess, Dial M for Murder, The Wrong Man, and Strangers on a Train. None of them is a masterpiece; all of them are worth your time. My favorite of the five is I Confess, partly because of its intriguing plot about a murderer who confesses his crime to a priest who later becomes the chief suspect in the case; and partly because Montgomery Clift is quite good as the tormented priest. Anne Baxter is his leading lady. However flawed, I find both Stage Fright and Dial M for Murder enjoyable. The former is immensely helped by Alastair Sim's performance, though Jane Wyman does solid work as the heroine while Marlene Dietrich gets to sing a song or two. In Dial M for Murder,...

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 40th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

"If you only watched Human Target broadcasting on Fox, who knows what you heard? Because the compression can be really weird"

As if composer Bear McCreary's cult credentials weren't impeccable enough, with acclaimed and commercially successful releases and performances of his music for Battlestar Galactica, he's also provided the soundtrack to the likes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, looming AMC creep-fest The Walking Dead and Fox's Human Target, the soundtrack of which is currently on release...

What can you tell us about Human Target itself and how you became involved with it?

Human Target was a project I got involved with when the series creator, Jonathan Steinberg called me in for a meeting and told me about the show. This was before the pilot was even shot, so right away this guy was thinking very seriously - most of the time a composer isn’t brought in until...

If you.re not yet familiar with composer Michael Giacchino, you should be. Having just won the Oscar for his work on the score for Pixar.s Up, the New Jersey native is working seemingly non-stop on project after project, making him about as in demand as the legendary John Williams or the lovably plinky Danny Elfman. In a Variety article about Giacchino - once they.re able to stop verbally felating him that is - a few new projects are mentioned that are currently on his plate, and he.s mostly keeping it in the family. Giacchino made his way to fame through J.J. Abrams. Alias series in the early 2000.s, which ultimately got him the gig on Lost, but he.s also done tons of work with Pixar. As we speak, Brad Bird, Giacchino.s director on Pixar.s The Incredibles, is filming Mission: Impossible 4; J.J. ...

Michael Giacchino has personally solved the problem of unemployment in America: just win an Oscar for Best Original Score. After Giacchino's 2010 Oscar win for his amazing score to Up, the composer behind Star Trek and Lost has more jobs than a normal person would know what to do with. He just finished Let Me In, we already found out he will be scoring Andrew Stanton's John Carter of Mars, but now we have official confirmation that he's currently scoring Cars 2 for John Lasseter and Pixar, followed by Super 8 and Mission: Impossible 4 for frequent collaborators J.J. Abrams and Brad Bird respectively. He's also "adapting John Williams' themes for the refreshed Star Tours ride at Disneyland." And that's not even everything on the man's plate. Find out what else he's scoring, and more, after the break. Variety ran a long profile on the award winning composer which is...

Every week, Film School Rejects presents a movie that was made before you were born and tells you why you should like it. This week, Old Ass Movies presents: To Catch a Thief (1955) If there was one thing I had to work at avoiding with covering movies from before 1960, it was featuring a Hitchcock film every single week. What some might call an unhealthy obsession with the man's work, I call a totally normal need to watch one of his films every hour on the hour and make cross-country trips to check out the filming sites. However, my passion for all things Hitch aside, To Catch a Thief is probably one of his most popular films, and if not his best, it's definitely the most accessible. In the picture, Cary Grant plays John Robie - a famous cat burglar inventively nicknamed The Cat - who has to run from police when thefts baring his signature style start...

Cary Grant steals again in this re-release of Alfred Hitchcock.s To Catch a Thief. He.s joined by leading lady, and soon to be princess, Grace Kelly in what is certainly a classic in Master Hitchcock.s filmography. John Robie (Cary Grant) is retired. The problem is that he.s a retired jewel thief, known as the Cat. The police have come looking for him since robberies that seem much like his own have been recently staged. He gives the cops the slip but wants to catch the thief that has caused him all this trouble. H.H. Hughson (John Williams) is an insurance agent and acquaintance of Robie.s restaurateur friend Bertani (Charles Vanel). Robie enlists Hughson to give him a list...

DVD Review To Catch A Thief - 2-Disc Centennial Collection Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams Running Time: 1 hr 46 mins Rating: Not Rated Due out: 3/24/09 Plot: A reformed jewel thief (Grant) must find out who is behind robberies similar to his old style before he is pinned with the crimes themselves. Who's It For? Lovers of Hitchcock and Cary Grant fans - but if you're either of those, you've probably already seen this. Movie: There's nothing like a good Hitchcock film, especially with an iconic coupling like Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. The action here is exciting. It's fun, intelligent fare from a director more than capable of giving us a wonderful, twisting tour of the French Riviera. This...

I have always been moved in some way or another by film music, but no one has created a bigger lump in the throat or watered my eyes more than Ennio Morricone.

He made film music transcend the film. He made me realize that film music could invoke emotions that went beyond just playing sad or tense or action themes. His music became the emotional anchor of the films he scored. This is music that didn’t have to make you think of the film it was used in, but gives your life its own score. I know that may be getting a little carried away, but that’s how I’ve always viewed it.

Being a (very) amateur composer myself, I always fall back on not just his work but the context of how it’s placed in movies. The few cues that were written before filming especially in...