Tag Archives: Hans Zimmer

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ 13-minute featurette

In just over a week the epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy hits theatres. To catch up on Bruce Wayne’s story thus far and get a glimpse into where the upcoming movie will take the character, watch this 13-minute featurette featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film and plot and character insight from the stars, producers, and special department heads. You’ll hear from director Chris Nolan, stars Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Michael Cane, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, producers, Emma Thomas, Jordan Goldberg, Kevin De La Noy, screenwriter Jonathan Nolan, production designer Nathan Crowley, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, director of photography Wally Pfister, stunt coordinator Tom Struthers, and visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin.

“What we’re constructing here is a very, very elemental conflict between good and evil,” Nolan says of his final venture into the world of Gotham City. “Every great story deserves a great ending, and we’re really trying to be true to that.”

All in all this flashy clip doesn’t include any major spoilers, so it’s safe to watch before seeing the movie. Unless of course you want to go into this thing having watched none of the previously released trailers and casting scoops.

Other things you can do to help carry the time: the official movie website has been updated with a new synopsis and additional cast and crew information; and you can stream the entire 15-track soundtrack from trilogy composer Hans Zimmer at Empire. Also, after the break you’ll find a brief recorded interview with Nolan courtesy of Nightline and a very funny parody clip from Above Average featuring Batman, Bane, and 60’s Robin.

The Dark Knight Rises hits theatres July 20. Continue reading ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ 13-minute featurette

Hans Zimmer scores big with Despicable Me (+ Pharell Williams) and Inception soundtracks

German composer and producer Hans Zimmer has played a part in over 100 films, and his latest two ventures do not disappoint. Zimmer teamed up with N.E.R.D. frontman Pharell Williams and Heitor Pereira to compose the score for Universal Pictures’ Despicable Me. I fell for the score last September when the first teaser trailer for the animated flick came out. When it was made known that Pharell would have a hand in the music production, there was little doubt that the soundtrack would attract moviegoers. The movie opens with the slow tempo “Despicable Me” track and it hits the ground running as other Pharell-infused songs add an extra touch to support the gorgeous animations. The soundtrack features four solo cuts from Pharell; he also produced and wrote songs for a number of the characters including “Minion Mambo” (co-written by Lupe Fiasco) and “The Unicorn Song.” Robin Thicke, The Bee Gees, and The Sylvers lend their voices to the soundtrack, too. Preview and purchase the soundtrack at iTunes, or at least get the catchy “Despicable Me” track.

Having worked magic on Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan decided to call up Zimmer’s services a third time to formulate the score for Inception. The soundtrack is, in a word, brilliant. Zimmer was going for “a very electronic score”, and after researching how it would be best to mash together “the playfulness” of math and music he succeeded in making a score that perfectly matches the dizzying and exciting on-screen action. From the chilling “Half Remembered Dream” track that was featured behind the theatrical trailer to the heavy, melancholy “Dream Is Collapsing” and “Dream Within a Dream” tracks to the final track “Time” that is both uplifting yet ominous, Zimmer manages to capture the suspense and thrill of the movie in music. Download the soundtrack at iTunes.