Jon Broxton

WICKED, PART TWO: FOR GOOD – John Powell and Stephen Schwartz Original Review by Jonathan Broxton I don’t expect that even the most ardent fans of the original stage musical could have anticipated the impact and acclaim received by Wicked, Part One, following…

My latest film music review is of the score for smash hit musical sequel WICKED: FOR GOOD, with music by John Powell and Stephen Schwartz.

NIXON – John Williams THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton I am not a crook! — Richard Nixon, November 17, 1973 I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow — Richard Nixon, Augus…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the Oscar-nominated score for the political biopic NIXON, with music by John Williams.

JAY KELLY – Nicholas Britell Original Review by Jonathan Broxton If there’s one thing Hollywood loves, it’s movies about Hollywood. From Singin’ in the Rain to The Artist, Sunset Boulevard to La-La Land, to recent TV shows lik…

My latest film music review is of the score for the satirical Hollywood-centric comedy/drama JAY KELLY, with music by Nicholas Britell.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY – Patrick Doyle THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton “I come here with no expectations, only to profess, now that I am at liberty to do so, that my heart is and always will be… yours.” Althou…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the Oscar-nominated score for the classic Jane Austen adaptation SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, with music by Patrick Doyle.

FRANKIE STARLIGHT – Elmer Bernstein THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton An adaptation of the best-selling semi-autobiographical novel ‘The Dork of Cork’ by Chet Raymo, Frankie Starlight is a nostalgic comedy-drama fi…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the family drama FRANKIE STARLIGHT, with music by Elmer Bernstein.

NUREMBERG – Brian Tyler Original Review by Jonathan Broxton The Nuremberg War Trials, held in the eponymous city from 1945 to 1946, were a series of military tribunals convened by the Allied powers to prosecute leading fi…

My latest film music review is of the score for WWII-era legal drama NUREMBERG, with music by Brian Tyler.

TOY STORY – Randy Newman THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton To infinity and beyond! There are only a few films that you can point to as marking a genuine turning point in the history of cinema, but 1995’s…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the music for the groundbreaking animated film TOY STORY, songs and score by Randy Newman.

FRANKENSTEIN – Alexandre Desplat Original Review by Jonathan Broxton It’s astonishing to think that there have been more than 50 cinematic adaptations of the story of Frankenstein since it was first penned, one haunted summer in 1…

My latest film music review is of the score for director Guillermo del Toro's new take on the classic horror story FRANKENSTEIN, with music by Alexandre Desplat.

Some maybe obscure ones: North Sea Hijack (Michael J Lewis), Leviathan (Goldsmith), Curly Sue (Delerue), Toy Soldiers (Folk), Radio Flyer (Zimmer), Heaven & Earth (Kitaro), Congo (Goldsmith), Dr Jekyll and Ms Hyde (Mark McKenzie), Operation Dumbo Drop (D Newman)... I have a ton of these :)

Silvestri's ratio was shockingly bad in terms of great scores for bad movies. The Quick and the Dead too, maybe?

... Beastmaster 2 (Robert Folk), The 1998 Avengers (McNeely), The New World (Horner). Megalopolis from last year.

Oh, so, so many. Superman 4 (Sandy Courage), all the Police Acaemies, Mac and Me (Silvestri), Super Mario Bros (Silvestri), We're Back (Horner), Exit to Eden (Doyle), Jungle Book (Poledouris), Batman & Robin (Goldenthal), Portrait of a Lady (Kilar), Warriors of Virtue (Don Davis)...

JUMANJI – James Horner THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Jumanji is a children’s fantasy action-adventure film starring Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce, and Jonathan Hyde, di…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the classic action adventure JUMANJI, with music by James Horner.

BUGONIA – Jerskin Fendrix Original Review by Jonathan Broxton The term ‘bugonia’ comes from Latin and Greek, and relates to an ancient concept or myth describing the spontaneous generation of bees from the carcass of a dead…

My latest film music review is of the score for the new satirical comedy-drama BUGONIA, with music by Jerskin Fendrix.

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT – Marc Shaiman THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Looking back now, considering where we are today in terms of what the American political landscape has become over the past decade, it seems alm…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the romantic/political drama THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT, with music by Marc Shaiman.

COPYCAT – Christopher Young THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Copycat is a psychological thriller directed by Jon Amiel, starring Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermot Mulroney, and William McNamara. Weave…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the serial killer thriller COPYCAT, with music by Christopher Young.

Klaus Doldinger, 1936-2025 Composer Klaus Doldinger died on October 16, 2025, at his home in Germany after a short illness. He was 89. Klaus Erich Dieter Doldinger was born in May 1936, in Berlin, Germany. He studied piano a…

A few notes about composer Klaus Doldinger, who sadly passed away last week.

GOLDENEYE – Éric Serra THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Six years after Timothy Dalton vacated the role after the comparative commercial flop of License to Kill, and after several years of protracted …

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the Pierce Brosnan James Bond film GOLDENEYE, with music by Éric Serra.

LONG DISTANCE – Steven Price Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Long Distance is a science fiction action-adventure movie directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, starring Anthony Ramos, Naomi Scott, Kristofer Hivju, and the v…

My latest film music review is of the score for the long-delayed sci-fi action movie LONG DISTANCE, with music by Steven Price.

POWDER – Jerry Goldsmith THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Powder is a science fiction-drama film written and directed by Victor Salva, starring Jeff Goldblum, Mary Steenburgen, Lance Henriksen, and Sean…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the scifi-drama POWDER, with music by Jerry Goldsmith.

PLAY DIRTY – Alan Silvestri Original Review by Jonathan Broxton A fun action-thriller crime caper from writer-director Shane Black, Play Dirty is the seventh film based on the ‘Parker’ series of novels by author Donald E. Wes…

My latest film music review is of the score for the action-crime-thriller PLAY DIRTY, with music by Alan Silvestri.

THE SCARLET LETTER – John Barry THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 work The Scarlet Letter is widely considered one of the greatest American novels, blending psychological depth, histo…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series (a day late because I lost track of the week) is of the score for the literary period romance THE SCARLET LETTER, with music by John Barry.

DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE – John Lunn Original Review by Jonathan Broxton After 15 years, 52 TV episodes, and two theatrical movies, the Downton Abbey saga comes to a close with this third and final film, Downton Abbey: The Grand Final…

My latest film music review is of the score for the new Downton Abbey film, DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE, with music by John Lunn.

THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST – Noah Sorota Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Nature documentaries have always provided fertile ground for film composers. From the epic scores by Elmer Bernstein and Jerome Moross for National Geographic in…

My latest film music review is of the score for the new nature documentary feature THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST, with music by Noah Sorota.

SEVEN – Howard Shore THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton The world is a fine place and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part. — Ernest Hemingway. What’s in the box?!? — Detective…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the serial killer thriller SEVEN, with music by Howard Shore.

AMERICANA – David Fleming Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Americana is a modern western crime thriller written and directed by Tony Tost, starring Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, Eric Dane, Zahn McClarnon, and Halse…

My latest film music review is of the score for the new western crime thriller AMERICANA, with music by David Fleming.

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the Oscar-nominated score for the comedy-drama UNSTRUNG HEROES, with music by Thomas Newman.

APPLEWOOD – Penka Kouneva and Deniz Aktaş Original Review by Jonathan Broxton It’s not often than I feel compelled to write about the music for low-budget straight-to-streaming horror movies because, frankly, they are not usually very good…

My latest film music review is of the score for the ghost story movie APPLEWOOD, with music by Penka D Kouneva and additional music by Deniz Aktaş.

Joseph Metcalfe and the Simi Valley Symphony Orchestra by Jon Broxton It isn’t every day that one gets to hear a film music concert in small-town America, especially if the small town is the one in which you currently live, and even more especially one…

My new article for the IFMCA about Simi Film Fest, the Simi Valley Symphony Orchestra, and their recent film music concert conducted by Joseph Metcalfe.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS – John Ottman THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. This famous quote from the writings of 19th century French po…

I'm back with a new review!

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the classic crime thriller THE USUAL SUSPECTS, with music by John Ottman.

Hopefully full review service will resume next week.