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SUMMER 2008...
BOTTLE SHOCK and NOBEL SON will be in theaters later this year! The release dates are August 6th for Botttle Shock and October 3rd for Nobel Son. Stay tuned for more updates, including news about current and upcoming projects.
 BOTTLE SHOCK had its world premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Starring Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Rachael Taylor, Freddy Rodriguez, Eliza Dushku, and Dennis Farina, this feature film tells the story of the early break-through days of California wine making. Based on a true story, the narrative centers on the now infamous Paris wine tasting of 1976 (which has come to be known as the "Judgment of Paris"), when California wines trumped French wines in a blindfold contest. The film provided the opportunity to reunite with some great individuals I've worked with over the years, including director Randy Miller, co-writer/producer Jody Savin, violinist Sid Page, clarinetist Larry London, guitarist Peter Maunu, concertmaster Endré Granat, cellist and contractor David Low, trumpeter Tim Larkin, copyist Julie Eidsvoog, orchestrator John Eidsvoog, scoring mixer Dennis Sands, and music editor Joanie Diener. The result of our efforts is one of my most eclectic scores to date, covering jazz, blues, folk-rock, orchestral, French café, and my own peculiar brand of quirky-alternative music utilizing detuned kantele and bowed psaltery (improbably, it all hangs together.) This is my fifth collaboration with Randy and his wife, Jody, and my tenth film at Sundance. More on Bottle Shock...
 NOBEL SON premiered last year at New York's Tribeca Film Festival. I worked with producer and re-mix artist Paul Oakenfold on the score, and the result of our collaboration is an edgy track combining techno/electronica grooves and agitato strings. This taught thriller spiked with droll humor is directed by Randall Miller, who co-wrote the script with his wife Jody Savin. Ph.D. candidate Barkley (Bryan Greenburg) is kidnapped the night before his father Eli (Alan Rickman) will receive the Nobel Prize. When Eli refuses to pay a ransom which equals the $2 million prize, secrets, betrayal and revenge collide. The film also features Shawn Hatosy, Bill Pullman, Danny DeVito, Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson, Ernie Hudson, and Eliza Dushku. More on Nobel Son...
 THE FAR SIDE OF JERICHO played in the Los Angeles area last year, with a screening at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, followed by a week-long run at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Director Tim Hunter (RIVER'S EDGE), and hard-boiled cult writer James Crumley (THE LAST GOOD KISS), who co-wrote the script, like their westerns straight-up and action-packed with lots of dark humor. The result is a pistol-packing, great-looking, widescreen entertainment shot in spectacular New Mexico locations – a treat for those who like their westerns short on symbolism and tall in the saddle. Three widows of outlaw gang members are forced to flee a posse and villains who think the women know where their dead husbands' loot is buried. On the perilous journey that includes run-ins with Indians, Pinkerton agents, and even a few surly ghosts, they have the opportunity to become better friends – if they manage to survive.
 The three "character actress" leads, Judith Burnett, Suzanne Andrews and Lissa Negrin are best friends in real life, and the salty supporting cast includes Patrick Bergin as a corrupt sheriff and James Gammon as a decidedly homicidal preacher. Co-starring John Diehl, C. Thomas Howell. The score is a trail mix consisting of homages to Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Fielding, Bernard Herrmann and Ry Cooder, seasoned with a dash of Kurt Weill.
 JULIA ROBINSON AND HILBERT'S TENTH PROBLEM recounts the story of a pioneering American mathematician against a background of mathematical ideas. Robinson rose to prominence in a field where she was often the only woman. She was the first woman elected to the mathematical section of the National Academy of Sciences, and the first woman to become president of the American Mathematical Society. Her work, and the exciting story of the path that led to the solution of Hilbert's tenth problem in 1970, produced an unusual friendship between Russian and American colleagues at the height of the cold war. My first work with filmmaker George Csicsery goes back almost 20 years. This film premiered January 7, 2008 during the Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Diego, CA.
 ONCE UPON A TIDE is a live-action / animated fable from Sea Studios, produced in partnership with the Harvard Center for Health and the Global Environment. The 10-minute film depicts the journey of a little girl named Olive who lives in a world, not unlike our own, where a spell has been cast causing people to forget about the ocean and its importance to our lives. Luckily for Olive, she finds a shell that helps open her eyes to the magic of the ocean. This is my fourth collaboration with Sea Studios. The film screened at the Boston Museum of Science on March 5th.
 Dubbed the most controversial film at the Mill Valley Film Festival (where it nonetheless received a standing ovation), PASSION AND POWER: THE TECHNOLOGY OF ORGASM is the story of one simple invention, the vibrator, and its relationship to the female orgasm. The history of the device and its medical use had virtually vanished until historian Rachel Maines, researching needlework patterns in early 20th century women's magazines, ran across ads for electric vibrators. Her curiosity piqued, she traced the origins of this early electrified appliance. Her discoveries form the basis for this engaging and thought-provoking documentary feature. The film premiered last year at a standing-room only screening at Lincoln Center in New York, and screened January 11th and 13th at the Palm Springs Film Festival.
 PRIMARIES AND SECONDARIES is the name of Robert Irwin's recent retrospective at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. It's also the title of Leonard Feinstein's 18 minute film which accompanies the exhibition. Lenny and I have collaborated on numerous projects over the years, and this marks our third film about the artist. Irwin's work is rooted in Abstract Expressionism, but during his fifty year career he has moved from gestural painting to major installation projects such as the Los Angeles Getty Museum's monumental gardens. His interest in altered consciousness helped define the aesthetic of the West Coast Light movement in the late '60s. The show also featured five new site-specific installation pieces (see photo.) The film documents the creation of one of the pieces, and includes extensive interviews with Irwin.
 HOLLYWOOD CHINESE premiered March 18th at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. This feature documentary is a multi-faceted look at American cinema through the lens of the Chinese-American experience, and through films from an industry that was often uninformed about issues regarding race, yet at times could be surprisingly sensitive.
The film (my third project with director Arthur Dong) includes interviews with Ang Lee, Nancy Kwan, Joan Chen, David Henry Hwang, Amy Tan, and others, as well as clips from classic and current films. Watch for a PBS broadcast later this year.
 The soundtrack of MARILYN HOTCHKISS' BALLROOM DANCING & CHARM SCHOOL made Film Music Magazine's Cineradio Top 20 for the month of May in 2006. (This list reflects airplay of film score music on terrestrial, internet and satellite radio in the US and Canada.) The CD is available from Milan Records, and the DVD is currently in release. Director Randall Miller's film had its premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where its initial screening was greeted with a standing ovation. Festival director Gary Gilmore describes the film this way: "There is a purity of spirit and heart in Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School that hearkens back to a simpler, more straightforward place, a place that draws from emotional memories of growing up, with its scars and lost dreams.... Without question, Marilyn Hotchkiss reaches out and touches you deeply." The cast includes Robert Carlyle, Marisa Tomei, John Goodman, Mary Steenburgen, Donnie Wahlberg, Sean Astin, David Paymer, Sonia Braga, Camryn Manheim, and Danny DeVito. I play piano on the orchestral score, which also incorporates tin whistle, Tibetan bowls, gamelan, and wind chimes, and features violin solos by Sid Page.
 WHEN DO WE EAT? is now available on DVD. This first feature from director Salvador Litvack (who co-wrote the film with his wife Nina Davidovich) tells the story of a Passover gone crazy when the family patriarch unknowingly ingests a hit of ecstasy. The film features a great ensemble cast, including Jack Klugman, Michael Lerner, Lesley Ann Warren, Max Greenfield, and Adam Lamberg. WHEN DO WE EAT? was also named Best Comedy at the Napa/Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival, and Sal received Best Director award at the Tahoe/Reno International Film Festival. The klezmer-inspired score features Leo Chelyopov on clarinet, Rene Mandel on violin, Paul Viapiano on guitar, Jim Self on tuba, Dave Carpenter on bass, and Wayne Bergeron on trumpet. The soundtrack is available from JMG Records.
More on "When Do We Eat?"...
THE RON CLARK STORY premiered in 2006. Directed by Randa Haines and featuring Mathew Perry in the thoughtfully underplayed title role, this Emmy-nominated television movie tells the true story of an elementary school teacher whose work with inner city kids turns their failing grades to "A"s and transforms their lives. (The kids' performances are outstanding.) Perry received Golden Globe, SAG, and Emmy nominations for his performance, Randa was honored with a DGA nomination, film editor Heather Persons received an EDDIE nomination, and music editor Joanie Diener was nominated for an MPSE Golden Reel Award. The score uses guitar, bowed autoharp, glass jars, metal pots and plastic pipes.
Also premiering in 2006 (on Lifetime) was LIFE OF THE PARTY, a
comedy drama from writer/director Barra Grant. Starring Eion Bailey and
Ellen Pompeo, the film tells the story of an affable alcoholic whose friends
and family arrange a psychological intervention in an attempt to help him.
When the psychologist fails to show, events take an unexpected turn. The
film is highlighted by strong performances and a great script. The score
features clarinet, bass clarinet, melodica, harp, and percussion.
 THE FALL OF FUJIMORI had its premiere broadcast on the PBS series POV in 2006. Director Ellen Perry's critically acclaimed documentary premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival, and features her unprecedented interviews with the former Peruvian president (which were conducted when he was living in Japan and was shielded from extradition.) Though recognized for effectively squashing terrorism in his country, Interpol is seeking to indict Fujimori on charges of kidnapping, murder and corruption. I worked on the score with my friend, Chilean musician Quique Cruz. The soundtrack includes many indigenous Andean percussion, wind, and string instruments. The film screened theatrically in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco this earlier this year, and was recently honored with a Writer's Guild nomination for Best Documentary Screenplay. More on "The Fall of Fujimori"...
 In the turbulent fall of 1967, a devastating ambush killed more than 60 U.S. soldiers in a Vietnamese jungle, while half a world away at the University of Wisconsin, a peaceful protest against the war spiraled out of control. These events are chronicled in TWO DAYS IN OCTOBER, a powerful, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning documentary directed by Robert Kenner. Based on the Pulitizer Prize-winning book, "They Marched Into Sunlight," the film launched the 2006 season of American Experience, on PBS. (The project marks my ninth collaboration with Robby.) It's a mostly electronic score, featuring solos by Tim Larkin on trumpet and Chris Bleth on bamboo flutes.
 The science series NATURE presents OCEANS IN GLASS: BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM, which premiered in 2006. This visit to one of the world's most spectacular aquariums presents some 30,000 animals and plants in nearly total environments – described as virtual slices of ocean. Produced by Sea Studios Foundation, the film features an electronic score built around sampled glasses and kantele (a traditional folk instrument from Finland.)
 LIVING WITH WOLVES premiered on Discovery Channel in 2005. This two-hour program offers a compelling behind-the-scenes account of wildlife filmmakers husband and wife Jim and Jamie Dutcher, in a prequel to the Dutcher's Emmy award-winning documentary WOLVES AT OUR DOOR (I had also scored their earlier film.) The beautifully photographed program (which received an Emmy nomination for cinematography) delves into the filming, memorable moments, struggles and logistical problems faced by the couple as they spent six years living with a pack of captive wolves in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. The folk-flavored orchestral score features guitar and fiddle solos.
 THE HEART OF GOLD BAND is alive (though currently on hiatus). I'd played with the band in the early 1980s, and we reunited in May of 2004 to play eight venues, including the House of Blues in L.A. and the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. The band features former Grateful Dead vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay; David MacKay on bass; Zion Godchaux on guitar and vocals; Greg Anton on drums; Brian Godchaux on electric violin, mandolin and vocals; Joanie Diener on vocals; Russ Randolph on percussion; and me on keyboards and vocals. Reuniting with Donna, David and Greg was the best, as was playing for the first time with Brian, Russ, and Zion (who was six the last time I'd seen him!). David and I first played together when we were in our teens, and my wife Joanie was drafted to sing background vocals – so the tour was a rich experience on many levels. Photos from the tour can be seen in the SIGHTS section. Additional photos can be found on the Heart of Gold Band
website. More on the Heart of Gold Band...
 2005 saw the untimely loss of a friend and collaborator, the co-writer and director of the film PICTURE BRIDE. Kayo Hatta was one of the most gifted, beautiful, down-to-earth, and genuinely spiritual people I've had the good fortune to know. Much of who she was continues to live on in her beautiful film.
Starring Youki Kudoh and Tamlyn Tomita, this story of a young Japanese woman who comes to Hawaii in 1918 to work in the sugar cane fields won the Audience Award at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival and received critical praise on its theatrical release. (Toshiro Mifune has a cameo in one of his last roles.) The orchestral score features James Walker on bamboo flutes and Peter Maunu on guitar. Miramax released "Picture Bride" on DVD last year.
 Wayne Wang's EAT A BOWL OF TEA is also now available on DVD. The score is a hybrid of jazz (inspired by Monk and Ellington) and traditional Chinese music, and features an original song, "Spring In New York," which I wrote for the film. (See the PRESS page for a review excerpt.) Purchase "Eat A Bowl of Tea"...
 LEO (starring Joseph Fiennes, Elizabeth Shue, Dennis Hopper, Sam Shepard, Deborah Unger, Justin Chambers, and Mary Stuart Masterson) is now available on DVD. Set in rural Mississippi, the film tells the story of a former prisoner and the lives he changes on his journey toward redemption. The eclectic score moves from ambient textures to orchestral ensembles, and features duduk and piano solos, as well as rootsy guitar and dobro. Purchase "Leo"...
 INHALING THE SPORE,a documentary on the Museum of Jurassic Technology, had its premiere in 2004 at the museum's new screening room. Directed by Leonard Feinstein, the film features interviews with (among others) Lawrence Weschler, who penned the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book on the museum, and David Wilson, the museum's founder. The score uses a small ensemble featuring accordion, violin, clarinet, and piano. The DVD is available for purchase through the museum. Purchase "Inhaling The Spore"... More on the Museum of Jurassic Technology...
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