Jon Broxton

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.

OTHELLO – Charlie Mole THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton O, beware, my lord, of jealousy, it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on. One of William Shakespeare’s most enduring a…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the Shakespearean tragedy OTHELLO, with music by Charlie Mole.

RED SONJA – Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli Original Review by Jonathan Broxton The character Red Sonja was created for Marvel comics in 1973 by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith as a companion to their already-established Con…

My latest film music review is of the score for the new sword-and-sorcery epic RED SONJA, with music by Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli.

DR. JEKYLL AND MS. HYDE – Mark McKenzie THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton A classic sci-fi horror tale with a comic twist, Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde is a modern reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella The St…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the comedy-horror DR. JEKYLL AND MS. HYDE, with music by Mark McKenzie.

DRACULA – Danny Elfman Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel Dracula, which introduced the world to the modern concept of the vampire, has been made into films dozens and dozens of times ov…

My latest film music review is of the score for the new French-made version of DRACULA, with music by Danny Elfman.

WASHINGTON BLACK – Cameron Moody Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Washington Black is a new Hulu drama-adventure TV series based on the 2018 ‘bildungsroman’ novel of the same name by Canadian-Ghanaian author Esi Edugyan. The st…

My latest film music review is of the score for the new Hulu adventure TV series WASHINGTON BLACK, with music by Cameron Moody.

LAST OF THE DOGMEN – David Arnold THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton A wilderness action adventure with elements of mystery and historical fantasy, Last of the Dogmen stars Tom Berenger as Lewis Gates, a rugged bo…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the wilderness adventure LAST OF THE DOGMEN, with music by David Arnold.

THE NAKED GUN – Lorne Balfe Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Sassafras Chicken in D. Make it extra lumpy, boys. As much as I enjoy witty repartee and sophisticated but humorous observations about the human condition, there…

My latest film music review is of the score for the new comedy sequel THE NAKED GUN, with music by Lorne Balfe.

WATERWORLD – James Newton Howard THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton For many years in Hollywood Waterworld – the title of Kevin Costner’s 1995 action-adventure movie – was a byword for financial disaster in movie…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the ocean-going action/adventure WATERWORLD, with music by James Newton Howard.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS – Michael Giacchino Original Review by Jonathan Broxton WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET SEEN THE FILM, YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER WAITING UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE DONE SO TO READ IT. Marve…

My latest film music review is of the score for the new Marvel super hero adventure THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, with music by Michael Giacchino.

I agree. I actually don't know how much more music there is in the film - I would imagine a bit - plus it would be nice to have the suites broken out into the actual in-context cues.

BEYOND RANGOON – Hans Zimmer THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Beyond Rangoon is a political drama/thriller directed by John Boorman, inspired by the real events of the 1988 Burmese Uprising, when students a…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for the political drama/thriller BEYOND RANGOON, with music by Hans Zimmer.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER – Chanda Dancy Original Review by Jonathan Broxton A sort-of-sequel, sort-of-remake, this year’s I Know What You Did Last Summer is a slasher horror film directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, and is the fifth ins…

My latest film music review is of the score for the slasher sequel I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER with music by Chanda Dancy.

OPERATION DUMBO DROP – David Newman THROWBACK THIRTY Original Review by Jonathan Broxton Loosely based on a real event that happened during the Vietnam War in 1968, Operation Dumbo Drop is a family-friendly action-comedy-drama writte…

My latest review in the Throwback Thirty series is of the score for family action comedy OPERATION DUMBO DROP, with music by David Newman.

I truly feel that this is some of the best music written for television, period. Ever. In the entire history of the medium. I just... I can't. Them consistently overlooking this is one of the most outrageous oversights in Emmy music history. Utterly incomprehensible. (2/2)

Not wanting to take away from the other excellent nominees in various categories, but the fact that Bear McCreary and The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power has been shut out AGAIN for Best Score for a Drama Series Emmy is appalling. (1/2)

SUPERMAN – John Murphy and David Fleming Original Review by Jonathan Broxton WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET SEEN THE FILM, YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER WAITING UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE DONE SO TO READ IT. I was…

My latest film music review is of the score for the new super hero reboot SUPERMAN, with music by John Murphy and David Fleming.