Voor 99% koud gemaakt

You can still get copies of Intrada's new, limited edition release of Henry Mancini's score to John Frankenheimer's 99 and 44/100% Dead, but they're almost gone. It's an oddball crime film not dissimilar in tone to Michael Ritchie's Prime Cut starring Richard Harris (seemingly made up to look just like his contemporary Michael Caine), Edmond O'Brien (already suffering the effects of Alzeimer's Disease in this, his last film), Bradford Dillman, Ann Turkel (soon to be Mrs. Richard Harris), and "Chuck Connors as Claw Zuckerman." Interestingly, some elements of the script by Robert Dillon were originally part of an early draft of Once Upon a Time in America that he worked on with Sergio Leone. Frankenheimer's film shows up now and then on Fox Movie Channel in 'scope, but remains unreleased on DVD.

This Belgian poster features the title in Dutch and French, something I don't recall seeing on another poster, but which makes perfect sense for a bi-lingual nation such as Belgium.

The key art that should have been used for the soundtrack CD, and which should be utilized for a DVD, should one ever materialize:

The comic-style posters are reminiscent of this bad boy:

EDIT: I just checked out Mr. Peel's site and see that he recently wrote a typically fine piece on 99 and 44/100% Dead!.

Ask anyone who's heard it. Anyone.

Boy, was I happy fellow when this showed up in my mailbox last week:

With Quentin T. using several Charles Bernstein tracks in Inglourious Basterds, I wouldn't be surprised if the already sold-out Mr. Majestyk fetches even more interest on the secondary market. There's no denying the catchiness of Bernstein's main theme for Vince Majestyk, which you can sample here at the Intrada website. Bernstein leads things off with a melancholy, trumpet-based main title that beautifully establishes the Majestyk character in musical terms. This motif is repeated throughout the score with a mix of jazz, country, and rock elements and just the right amount of atmospheric, atonal touches that place this soundtrack firmly in the '70s action-movie pantheon. You can still get the soundtrack here. Get 'em while they last, or before the bandwagoners coming home from Inglourious Basterds.