Edelweiss Edelweiss is a 1959 piece from the musical, The Sound of Music. It is named after the edelweiss, a white flower found high in the Alps. The song was written for the Broadway production of The Sound of Music, for the character, Captain Georg […]

The Apology Song The Apology Song (Si Puedes Perdonar) was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla for the 2014 animated film ‘The Book of Life’. It’s a beautiful ballad about the power of forgiveness and redemption. The song is sung by Diego Luna, who voices the character […]

Simple Harp Variation No. 1 Simple Harp Variation No.1 is a beautiful and minimalist piece of music by British composer, Martin Phipps. This motif is from the Netflix drama-series, ‘The Crown’ which chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II from the 1940s to modern times. […]

American Sniper Ennio Morricone’s “The Funeral” was used as the closing theme in Clint Eastwood’s 2014 film American Sniper. The song was originally composed for the 1965 spaghetti western, The Return of Ringo. It’s a melancholic piece of music that perfectly captured the final scenes […]

Goodbye Brother Ramin Djawadi’s poignant composition “Goodbye Brother” is used throughout the 8 seasons of Game of Thrones. It’s considered the theme of House Stark. The sparse melody mirrors the emotional turmoil of the Stark siblings as they part ways. “Goodbye Brother” serves not only […]

Nightcall Drive is a 2011 neo-noir crime film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling. The film follows a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. The song “Nightcall” by Kavinsky is used prominently in the film, and it is […]

Dances With Wolves The author of Dances with Wolves is man by the name of Michael Blake (1945-2015). As a 20 year-old in 1965, Blake was a product of the counterculture revolution of 1960’s America: against the establishment, and the Vietnam War. He was a […]

The Gravel Road The Gravel Road is an incredible piece of music from M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village. The soundtrack is by the iconic composer, James Newton Howard. I remember seeing this film at a packed theater in 2004. At that point, M. Night was […]

Saving Private Ryan Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998) was the first war film that put the viewer into the battle. You felt the measure of their sacrifice. I was in my early 20’s when I saw it, and I went back to theater to […]

TIME Inception is a 2010 science fiction film written, and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Cobb; a professional thief who steals information by infiltrating the subconscious. Cobb is offered a chance to have his criminal history erased in exchange for a […]

Mission: Impossible Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 is a jaw dropping action movie. It was quickly overshadowed by Oppenheimer and Barbie, but I must implore you to see this on the biggest screen possible. Pure entertainment. Just as good (if not better than) […]

Elevator Beat Elevator Beat is beautiful fingerstyle guitar piece from Nancy Wilson (Heart). She wrote this for 2001’s Vanilla Sky. At the time, she was married to film’s director, Cameron Crowe. Nancy Wilson is one of the all time greats. I’ve always been a fan […]