MARK KERMODE’S MOVIE PLAYLIST

THE CRITIC AND SCALA RADIO PRESENTER CHOOSES SCORES HE’S BEEN PLAYING ON HIS WEEKLY SHOW

1. MEN

All men really are the same in Alex Garland’s haunting folkfairy-tale that mutates into full on body-horror fleshiness. Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow’s brilliantly unsettling score really gets under the skin of this mind-boggling drama, mixing choral voices and unearthly groans to utterly disorientating effect. For a taste of just how disturbing the music is, check out the deceptively inviting opening track ‘Pastorale’, the skin-crawling ‘The Green Man’, and the cavernously creepy ‘The Church’. And if you fancy some more folk-horror-inflected music suggestions, soundtrack albums for The Wicker Man (by Paul Giovanni and Magnet) and Midsommar (by The Haxan Cloak, aka Bobby Krlic) both feature eerie tunes that lend a sinister edge to the summer holidays. Enjoy!

2. ANTARTICA

Following the death of Greek composer Vangelis, we received several requests from Scala listeners for favourite tracks from films like Blade Runner, Missing and Chariots Of Fire. But the most rewarding request was for music from Antarctica, the 1983 Japanese movie for which Vangelis earned a Best Score nomination at the Japanese Academy awards. The film, which told the true story of dogs left to fend for themselves during an ill-fated scientific expedition in the ’50s, became a then record-breaking hit domestically and remains a popular favourite in Japan. A loose Disney remake, Eight Below, was released in 2006 and earned an ASCAP Film and Television Music award for composer Mark Isham.

3. YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER

Regular Scala listeners will know I’m a big fan of composer and filmmaker Die Hexen. Last year, she provided the atmospheric accompaniment to Kate Dolan’s You Are Not My Mother, which was nominated for several Irish Film And Television Awards including Best Score, in which category she went up against the likes of David Holmes for Kin, Van Morrison for Belfast, and Stephen Rennicks, who won for The Quiet Girl. You can watch You Are Not My Mother on Netflix, and the score is now available digitally.

4. HUSTLE

Dan Deacon’s score for the documentary Ascension was genuinely remarkable, and his music for this well-received Adam Sandler Netflix sports dramedy, recorded with the London Contemporary Orchestra, is no less adventurous. Dive into opening track ‘Combine’, and then just keep listening...