This documentary could just as easily have been called “monomania”. It is a character study of obsessive Steinway technician Stefan Knüpfer, a virtuoso among piano tuners. He prepares the instruments for the actual virtuosi, responding with inexhaustible patience to their often nebulous requests. Pierre-Laurent Aimard, for instance, wants a piano with two contrasting soundworlds for a recording of The Art of Fugue – an effect Knüpfer attempts to realise, in a rather Chaplinesque episode, with the help of removable sound absorbers and glass sound mirrors.  Knüpfer’s mishaps continue when Lang Lang announces that the piano tuned especially for his solo concert is better suited for chamber music. Comedy duo Igudesman & Joo draw a welcome spark of levity from the technician, whose implacable earnestness does grow a bit dull at times. In fact, the film’s only shocking moment is when we learn Knüpfer has a family. What? A life away from Steinway?  Knüpfer is not the most charismatic linchpin for a documentary, but by god, he’s definitely the man you’d want tuning your piano. And that’s what this documentary is really about – the quest for the perfect piano sound, and the men who devote their lives to it. A…

Composer, filmmaker and photographer: Nyman talks about his work across all three disciplines. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

This Alexandre Desplat score was unfairly passed over for the Best Soundtrack gong at the Oscars.

It’s disappointing to see how bleak Taymor’s vision so often looks, and feels.

An intelligent science fiction story that steadfastly refuses to obey genre rules.

Sundance and Cannes favourites, Gael Garcia Bernal and a Japanese love story among this year’s cinematic offerings. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Sonny Rollins may be celebrating his 80th birthday on stage in Sydney, but has Vivid become too mainstream? Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Clint Mansell is the former frontman of UK band Pop Will Eat Itself and the composer of cult scores for Darren Aronofsky films Pi, Requiem for a Dream and, now, Black Swan. The soundtrack to this ballet thriller is a bold reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.  Mansell doesn’t quite have the musical chops to take Tchaikovsky’s score apart himself – but, with the help of arranger-conductor Matt Dunkley, he has concocted 16 tracks of atmospheric instrumental music which dance around moments of high drama in Tchaikovsky’s score. These are given rather silly names – Opposites Attract, A Room of her Own, It’s My Time – which relate to the movie, but say nothing about the music. Still, on the whole, this is an interesting undertaking – Swan Lake seen through a glass darkly. And Mansell has the good judgement and taste to let Tchaikovsky’s music speak for itself when necessary.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest picks up where the previous film left off – with Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) in hospital with gunshot wounds. Charged with the attempted murder of her father (she planted an axe in his head), she relies on her old friend and lover Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) to prove her innocence, to take down the authorities who conspired to keep her locked up and silent since she was 12 years old. There are Russian defectors, dodgy psychiatrists, courtroom antics and more.  Containing none of the excitement or even the elegance of the first film, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Hornet’s Nest is cumbersome and way too long. Clocking in at 150 minutes, it’s as though the filmmakers were afraid to upset the book’s squillions of fans by condensing the narrative to make a more intriguing and enjoyable experience.  The performances are all good and there are thrills to be had, but with the book being adhered to so closely there is little chance of getting under the skin of any of the key characters. If I hadn’t seen the previous films, or read the books, I would have been confused.

Alex Pozniak and Caitlin Yeo have won the opportunity of a lifetime with the APRA Professional Development Awards.

Electronic music wizards Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross triumph over established film composers, winning Best Original Score for The Social Network. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Bizet’s most famous opera Carmen will be screened in 3D across Australia. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in