CD REVIEW - 27 DRESSES + NEWS FROM MICHAEL WIESE


27 Dresses
Music by Randy Edelman
Varese Sarabande VSD 6881 (EU)
25 Tracks 40:40 mins

It's been a good while since I had a Randy Edelman soundtrack to review. It's usually a pleasurable experience and his score for the new Katherine Heigl comedy 27 Dresses is no exception.
The album makes for light, pleasurable listening, bubbling along to largely pianistic music, though guitar adds to the sentimental moments, of which there are predictably quite a few. We are dealing with weddings and romance here, after all. Amongst these warm, and yes, sometimes poignant moments, there are of course upbeat and optimistic passages, where strings take the fore, and there's even a little funk-rock, which gets precariously close to Shaft territory at one point.
Many of the cues are quite brief, but the music flows well on disc. If you're a born romantic, you're sure to find plenty to enjoy here.

From: Michael Wiese

TOMORROW IS THE NIGHT!!!

Dear Friends and Fellow Filmmakers -

My new film will be shown at the Acorn. It will probably be the only Cornwall showing so I hope very much to see you there.

Would you be so kind as to forward this to your friends?

Many thanks.

Michael Wiese

THE SACRED SITES OF THE DALAI LAMAS at THE ACORN

The Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas: A Pilgrimage to The Oracle Lake will be shown at The Acorn Theatre on Thursday, March 20th, 7pm, followed by a Q&A session with filmmaker Michael Wiese. Admission is 5 pounds. Profits to go to Tibetan causes.

The film is a remarkable pilgrimage visiting the sacred sites of the Dalai Lamas in Tibet and gives the viewer extraordinary access to the caves where the early Buddhist masters meditated, the monasteries where the Dalai Lamas and others taught, and - at an altitude of over 17,000 feet - looks down into the famous Oracle Lake of Lhamo Lhatso where every Dalai Lama has had prophetic visions.

The guides on the pilgrimage are:

Steve Dancz is a musician and a composer for National Geographic television specials. He has performed with his jazz band at the Dalai Lama's Sacred Music Festival in India among other international appearances.

Glenn Mullin studied Buddhism with the Tibetan refugees in India for over 12 years. His two most important teachers were Kyabje Ling Rinpoche and Trijang Dorjechang, the two spiritual masters of the Dalai Lama. He has written 25 books on Tibetan culture, including a dozen on the lives and works of the early Dalai Lamas. His latest is The Flying Mystics of Tibetan Buddhism.

Khenpo Tashi is a Bhutanese monk, international Buddhist teacher, curator of Bhutan's national museum, friend of the royal family and presenter of a daily radio program in Bhutan.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

BACKGROUND STORY by filmmaker Michael Wiese

"My dear friend and composer Steve Dancz invited me to join him on a life-changing pilgrimage to the most sacred sites of the Dalai Lamas in Central Tibet. The pilgrimage was led by Steve's teacher Glenn Mullin who has written countless books on Buddhism and was an interpreter for the Dalai Lama. Glenn has lived in Tibet for 12 years and so we had extraordinary access to people and places that one would not normally see. We were also accompanied by Khenpo Tashi, a Bhutanese monk, and learned by his example.

It was an extraordinary once-in-a-life experience visiting the caves and monasteries where the early Buddhist masters taught, meditated and achieved enlightenment.

At the final moment before leaving the UK - I decided to take a camera with me and so we are able to share this journey with you in a feature length documentary with music by Steve Dancz.

The first person to see the film was His Holiness The Dalai Lama who requested a copy from Glenn when they met in Mongolia. He probably wanted to see his homeland and the sacred places he remembered as a young monk before he was forced into exile.

Since then the film has been shown at the Foundation for Tibet (London) to celebrate the Dalai Lama's birthday, at the Atlanta Film Festival, the Dallas Video Festival, Tibet House in New York, The Landmark Theater in Los Angeles and other venues. It will be in the Film Market at Cannes next month.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

A DVD with many special features is available on Amazon.co.uk. The Acorn film showing will be a benefit for Tibetan causes.

Michael Wiese will be available for a Q&A session after the showing.

For further information contact

Michael Wiese

01736 810 001

mw@mwp.com

www.mwp.com

MICHAEL WIESE
MERMAID FILMS Ltd.
2 St. Loy Cottage
St. Loy, St. Buryan
Penzance TR19 6DH England
+44 (0)1736 810 001 (phone/fax)

MICHAEL WIESE PRODUCTIONS
3940 Laurel Canyon Blvd., #1111
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 379-8799
(818) 986-3408 fax

WEBSITE
www.mwp.com