Alex Ludwig

@celexo

“Dies Irae Guru” • Liberal Arts @BerkleeCollege • Author, "Hearing Death at the Movies” Co-editor, “Woodstock Then & Now”

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Alex Ludwig@celexo· 9d

I regret to inform you that the infamous Raven’s Nest outcropping in Acadia (on the Schoodic side) is just as gorgeous as all the social media influencers want you to believe.

A rocky outcropping on the shores of Schoodic Peninsula in Maine.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· 13d

We’ve been dog sitting a 1.5 yr old pittie and my dog is 7+. I’ve been trying to wear the pittie out with tons of walks and it seems to be working!

Alex Ludwig@celexo· 16d

Woke up and realized I have started my annual Halloween tradition a little early! All of the Evil Dead franchise and I'll finish the Resident Evils today.

Screenshot of 15 film posters, including the Evil Dead franchise and almost all of the Resident Evil films, along with The Omen III, Her Private Hell, and Bay of Blood.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· 27d

Haha…worlds colliding.

Two of my favorite social media follows with almost identical opinions

Alex Ludwig@celexo· 29d

It’s been a week

Screenshot showing The Odyssey, Evil Dead, Omen 3, Minions and Monsters

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Jul 4

Celebrating today the only way I know how!

Richard Lee, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adam’s from the film version of 1776

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Jun 28

Current status: Prepping for a two-day road trip back home to visit my parents with the 13-year old for company.

Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear, in a still from The Muppet Movie.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Jun 6

24 films seen in a theater in 2026…mostly winners, but with summer blockbuster season upon us who knows what will come up next.

Screenshot of 12 movies posters, including “We Bury the Dead,” “Primate,” “28 Years Later: the Bone Temple,” “Send Help,” “Scream 7,” “Nirvanna the Band the Show the movie,” “Sweet Charity,” “The Bride,” “Undertone,” “Ready or Not: Here they come,” “Hail Mary,” “Forbidden Fruits”

Screenshot of 12 films: “Exit 8,” “Super Mario Galaxy,” “Mother Mary,” “Speed Racer,” “Mortal Kombat 2,” “Hokum,” “Devil Wears Prada 2,” “Obsession,” “Mandolorian and Grogu,” “Sheep Detectives,” “Backrooms, and “Master of the Universe”

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Jun 2

This is Sofi…she’s smiling in her sleep, dreaming about chasing after bunnies and squirrels.

My dog Sofi, sleeping with a smile on her face.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· May 29

current status: watching Brian Da Palma's "Sisters" and Herrmann's score is just pecking around the edges of so many different versions of a Dies Irae, but never enough conclusively.

a standard meme format showing a smiling face on the left (with the text "When I hear the start of a Dies Irae") and a frowning face on the right ("When I realize it's not a Dies Irae")

Alex Ludwig@celexo· May 24

Arsenal are champions again! (Love Mark Burren’s St Totteringham’s Poster in the background!)

A happy family all cheering on the Arsenal!

Alex Ludwig@celexo· May 20

Wore my Arsenal scarf in the neighborhood post-thunderstorm for the evening dog walk…wore my Arsenal scarf to my son’s trumpet lesson…thinking about wearing it to bed tonight. #arsenal

Alex Ludwig@celexo· May 7

This... score? Oh...ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do w/you. You go to the record player & you select, oh I don't know, the soundtrack to "The White Lotus," for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put in your ears.

Picture of Anne Hathaway's character in "The Devil Wears Prada," in which she's wearing the infamous 'cerulean'-colored sweater that Meryl Streep's character ruthlessly historicizes.

Picture of the book cover of "Hearing Death at the Movies: Film Music and the Long History of the Dies Irae"

Alex Ludwig@celexo· May 5

Any interest in reading about a melody that's been around for nearly a millenium (falcon) and appears in each Star Wars film? Then I've got a book for you! #diesirae #starwars #maythe4thbewithyou

Screenshot of the Table of Contents listing a subchapter on the Dies Irae in Star Wars

Screenshot of the opening graphs of the subchapter on the Dies Irae in Star Wars

Alex Ludwig@celexo· May 3

“Halfway to Halloween” leading into May the 4th always makes my @letterboxd.social diary a bit funny.

Screenshot of my four recent watches: “Lizard in a Woman’s Skin” plus the Star Wars Prequel films.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Apr 30

Movies are magic, and it's been a "perfect" month for me...one a day (at least) for every day of April. All the "Alien" movies (for Alien month), and a few "Predators" too...supplemented with a bunch of Peter Weir, as I follow along with my favorite podcast @blankcheck.bsky.social

a screenshot of 31 movie posters, including the entire "Alien" franchise as well as a few "Predator" films and films directed by Peter Weir.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Apr 24

I hope you can find someone that loves you as much as the director David Lowry loves putting crowns on his actor's heads. #mothermary #greenknight

Anne Hathaway in "Mother Mary" wearing an elaborate crown.

Dev Patel, in "The Green Knight," wearing an elaborate crown.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Apr 20

I believe movies are magic, despite their subject matter or quality -- mostly.

Screenshot showing my four previously watched films: "Predator" (1987), "Merrily We Roll Along" (2025), "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" (2026), and "Alien 3" (1992).

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Apr 14

Did you see me? I'll give you hint: you really only see my left hand, shaking away.

The author's left hand, playing cello, circled in red.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Apr 14

Packed with stars, this made-for-TV movie followed multiple generations of a family with women that just happened to witness, or take part in, important moments of women's liberation (Forest Gump style). I was hired to play cello in a wedding scene, and for one brief glorious shot you can see me.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Apr 14

Tomorrow's lecture on "Back to the Future" gives me the very thin opportunity to tell my students about how I was a cello-playing extra on the set of the Lea Thompson-starring period film called "A Will of Their Own" (1998).

A poster for the film "A Will of Their Own," showing four prominent faces and listing their stars (Lea Thompson, Ellen Burstyn, Faye Dunaway, and Thomas Gibson).

The author (c. 1998) wearing a tuxedo and standing next to a cello case.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Apr 9

Probably the most disturbing song in the film? It's heads and tails the villain singing "Mean Mr. Mustard."

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Mar 24

In addition to being my birthday, today (March 24th) saw those kids from "The Breakfast Club" go to detention on a Saturday; and Don Lockwood, Kathy Selden, and Cosmo Brown from "Singin' in the Rain" decide that the "Dueling Cavalier" would be a musical...what a momentous day!

Screenshot of a frame from the movie "The Breakfast Club," with the text quoting the voice over saying, "Saturday, March 24, 1984."

Screenshot of a frame from the film "Singin' in the Rain," in which Cosmo Brown (played by Donald O'Connor) throws a calendar showing the date of March 24th.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Mar 11

David Fincher has a credit on this film (as a matte photography assistant at ILM), at the age of 22 !!

List of credits for "NeverEnding Story" including for David Fincher!

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Feb 25

Movies I'm excited to see soon in Boston: 1. "The Passion of Joan of Arc," Brattle (Sun., 5:30pm) 2. "The Seventh Seal," Brattle (Tues., 6pm) 3. "Sweet Charity," Alamo (Mar 5, 7:00pm) 4. "Planet of the Apes," Brattle (Mar 10., 6pm) @brattletheatre.bsky.social @alamodrafthouse.bsky.social

Poster for Dreyer's "Passion of Joan of Arc"

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Feb 21

"Garden of Delights" ("Il giardino delle delizie") released in 1967 score by Ennio Morricone

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Feb 16

anyone else watching "Industry"?? Wow, what a fantastic episode last night...keeps getting better each season, each episode!

a shot from behind of the actor Ken Leung walking down a suburban street, in a still taken from the HBO show "Industry" S4E6.

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Jan 22

If you wanted to hear a nerd talk about nerdy things & drink a beer at the same time, listen up. I am returning to @lecturesontap.bsky.social to give a talk on the music of Star Wars -- yes, we'll delve a little into the Dies Irae, too. Boston folks, check it out! DM me for a pre-sale link.

Poster advertising a "Lectures on Tap" talk titled "The Music of Star Wars: John Williams's Space Opera" taking place on February 10, 2026

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Dec 31

Taking my 13-yr old to see Monty Python & the Holy Grail (his favorite film by far) projected; hearing a live organist accompany The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks; and finally, seeing I Confess, a Hitchcock thriller full of Dies Irae quotations at the Paris Theater in NYC.

A screen showing an advertisement for the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail

A poster for the film The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks.

A screen showing an advertisement for the film I Confess

Alex Ludwig@celexo· Dec 31

Movies are magic and I had a wonderful year watching them. Highlights include watching Re-Animator (at The Brattle) with Barbara Crampton doing a Q&A in person; The Brutalist in 70 mm at The Coolidge; Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair at the Alamo here in Boston; and The Shining in IMAX;