Reviews | Kusiak Music
Read critic's reviews of the scores and testimonials about the experience of working with Kusiak Music from the director's and/or producer's point-of-view.
Reviews & Testimonials
“I have been privileged to work with so many extraordinarily talented composers, Danny Elfman, Philip Glass, and John Kusiak. [Tabloid] is a difficult job for a composer, because the movie balances so many contradictory themes and images. It runs from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the tawdry to the tragic. How do you evoke such a range of emotions and ideas? John Kusiak has been able to achieve the seemingly impossible—balance disparate elements and yet create a hauntingly beautiful score that highlights Joyce McKinney and her pursuit of love. This is my favorite movie, and it is in no small measure due to the music which frames it, defines it, and makes it come alive.”
“As often, Morris surrounds his story with unexpected asides, blindsides us with surprise revelations, and weaves in an ominously urging score by John Kusiak.”
“John Kusiak is one of my favorite composers. Why? His music is wacky, emotional, unpredictable and most of all fun. It’s just the thing to add a little twist to a show!”
“As the documentary makes clear via archival clips, news broadcasts and fresh interviews...all of it set to John Kusiak’s elegiac score, Du Pont was a lonely, socially inept prince desperate to be embraced by his tough world-class athletes as “one of them.””
“We were extremely fortunate in that once we had locked our edit we were able to get this fantastic composer, John Kusiak...It was just amazing working with him on the score.”
“John brought a very personal story - the story of the disappearance of my childhood friend - to life. Telling someone your story and then having them write the music that shares those feelings with the rest of the world is magical. And John does just that beautifully and professionally.”
“Kusiak’s style embodies much of the deftness and charm of [Nino] Rota’s music as well, embroidering the fanciful gestures of circus-type themes...weaving melody with atmosphere, whimsy with a penetrating gaze.”
“I love working with John Kusiak. Not only is he extremely talented, he really listens. For example, on Building the Alaska Highway, a documentary I directed for American Experience, I wanted a cinematic score that reflected the vastness of Alaska Territory and the Canadian Rockies as well as the various storylines and themes that were coming together. John crafted a moving score that we still enjoy listening to. It is the same with his score for The Gold Rush. ”
“In our film for the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, Ill., you have crafted a musical synthesis of pain, sorrow, hope and inspiration. Our hearts are genuinely lifted by the beauty of your composition. I hear the strength of the survivor in their words and your music. It is so beautiful, so elegant in its power to linger and stir the imagination. Stunning. Simply stunning.”
“John was a pleasure to work with; he was always available to speak with at any hour of the day, showed creative ingenuity, priced his product fairly and made every effort to insure our satisfaction. Very personable and always addressed concerns with confidence and integrity.”