From A to Zimmer: The 50 Best Scores So Far This Decade (w/ YouTube links)

[Watashi]

This is the big one, my fellow Match Cutters. The ultimate list I've been working on the past few weeks. No delays on this one. I have everything ready to go, but I will pace it out slowly so readers can have a chance to listen to every score I list.

I don't hide my admiration for a good musical score (though I can't speak in the language Barty uses to describe what makes a score truly memorable). A good score can make a bad movie watchable. You'd be surprised on how many wretched films out there carry a great score that saves it from total wastefulness. Why pick a selected amount of scores from only this decade and not create an all-time list? I think an all-time list would be rather predictable and full of the usual suspects from Williams, Herrmann, Elfman, and Horner. This list is much more difficult considering all these scores are still fresh on our minds and easily located due to their wide-spread accessibility. Plus, I feel that composers have fully transcended the medium and there is as much far range of variant scores than there ever was. I don't have any preference in what a score offers. All I ask for a good score to do is move me (in any emotion) and not just appropriately accompany the images on screen, but long after the film is over as well. I like 'em bombastic, jazzy, experimental, soothing, and haunting.

This is important: CLICK ON THE SOUNDTRACK COVER TO LISTEN TO THE MUSIC.

As many comments or suggestions would be very helpful. I know this list will upset many and also give posters a new perspective on how great a film score can add to the viewing experience.

P.S. I want you to rip into me at every chance, trans. This list is for you.

[Spinal]

#12 is too high! #45 is too low! Why are my personal favorites not on your list of personal favorites? I'm outraged!

[Watashi]

- 50 -

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/5042/harrypotterandtheprisonrt8.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGL9rTv9M6Y)

Year:
2004

Composer:
John Williams

It's appropriate to kick start the list off with, what else, a John Williams score. The man is an idol of many current young composers and the best there is when it comes to the field. The Harry Potter franchise have been quite underrated in Williams' repertoire, but his most memorable work comes from th e third film, The Prisoner of Azkaban. Hedwig's Theme is still there as with other previous musical cues, but the track Buckbeak's Flight is where Williams really sets soar. An epic cue that starts off with a high-octane percussion before bursting into full melody.

[Sven]

"High-octane," Wats? Really?

[Watashi]

- 49 -

THE PAINTED VEIL

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5927/thepaintedveilgg6.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O83JcoK6QRU)

Year:
2006

Composer:
Alexandre Desplat

Alexandre Desplat is one the upcoming composers of this generation to watch out for. He's going to be huge and expect to him have many Oscar statues on his mantle within the next decade. His score for the underseen The Painted Veil is a lush romantic timbre of repetitive piano cues and waltzes. The self-titled opening track The Painted Veil is a weaving melody of beautiful piano notes layered over bamboo flutes and various percussion.

[Watashi]

"High-octane," Wats? Really?

Yes, really.

[Sven]

Yes, really.

...why?

[Watashi]

- 48 -

SPEED RACER

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/8310/speedracerfj6.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsq5WA3kaZU&feature=related)

Year:
2008

Composer:
Michael Giacchino

I love Michael Giacchino. I love, love, love him. He is no question the next John Williams. In just this decade, he has created more memorable music for film, TV shows, and video game more than anyone. The scary thing is that he is just barely getting started. His work on Speed Racer score shouldn't not have been this grand. He takes the classic Nobuyoshi Koshibe theme and goes beyond what it ever initially required. An entire full-orchestration of "Go Speed Racer Go" could not have been conducted any better. This is a snappy, bouncy soundtrack but also transcends into something much deeper and emotionally-stirring heard in tracks like Let Us Drink Milk. This is a hyper exotic score for a hyper exotic film.

[Watashi]

...why?

All I had on me was my Travers Brand Thesaurus. Sorry.

Anyway. The music. Listen to it.

[Sven]

First you sucker-punch me with "high octane," then you want me to listen to the Harry Potter score?

You're killing me.

[Watashi]

First you sucker-punch me with "high octane," then you want me to listen to the Harry Potter score?

You're killing me.
I told you guys wouldn't like this thread.

But listen to the music at least.

[Winston*]

Harry Potter bit sounds like Batman.

[Watashi]

- 47 -

TRANSFORMERS

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/4088/transformerstw3.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsScZOqj_x4)

Year:
2007

Composer:
Steve Jablonsky

Ah, Transformers. The film everyone hates to hate. Why Michael Bay, why? Why do your horrible films feature such great scores? The Transformers score sounds like your average Bay/Bruckheimer action melody set on auto-pilot, but I have an Achilles' Heel in big bombastic themes, and there is few greater hero themes than Jablonksy's Arrival on Earth. This heroic, patriotic theme is considered the main theme of the film and can be heard at 0:50 in the track linked above. This track would be a great theme for the upcoming and overly-delayed Justice League movie to have our heroes into the light in a majestic and strong fashion. Damn you, Michael Bay. You moved me. I hate it when you do that.

[transmogrifier]

This list is for me? It's like getting herpes for Christmas.

:)

Here is my list of good scores:

Lost Highway
Mulholland Drive
Last of the Mohicans
Punch-Drunk Love
Most of The Lord of the Rings

....and end.

[Ezee E]

The thing with the Harry Potters, the Transformers, and even the Batman themes is that they all sound the same to me. They work in the context of the movie, but don't elevate the movie BECAUSE of the score.

Movies like There Will Be Blood, The Assassination of Jesse James, Irreversible, and Requiem For A Dream are better because of the score.

I will continue to check out this list. But your score taste is like Barty, and I'm pretty sure I'll see more of the former.

[Raiders]

I cannot remember the Transformers score very well, but I seem to remember it sounding just like most other bombastic action movie scores.

[Russ]

Don't listen to 'em Wats, keep 'em coming. Even if I do agree with the dissenters, I enjoy the thread and appreciate the effort.

EDIT: not to infer anyone else's intentions, just want to applaud the work.

[SirNewt]

Yup, I too find Wats's taste problematic but I love the thread and won't discourage you. I'll read and keep my loud mouth shut, keep 'em comin'.

[Sven]

Here is my list of good scores:

Last of the Mohicans
Most of The Lord of the Rings

I do not understand how one can be as overtly anti-score as you and still think that these two examples qualify as "good". They are the definition of overwrought bombastic telegraphy, which seems to be a main component in your complaints.

[transmogrifier]

I do not understand how one can be as overtly anti-score as you and still think that these two examples qualify as "good". They are the definition of overwrought bombastic telegraphy, which seems to be a main component in your complaints.

There are parts of me you're never likely to understand, iosos. Don't even try. You'll only end up getting hurt.

[Sven]

There are parts of me you're never likely to understand, iosos. Don't even try. You'll only end up getting hurt.

Good call.

[Raiders]

I do not understand how one can be as overtly anti-score as you and still think that these two examples qualify as "good". They are the definition of overwrought bombastic telegraphy, which seems to be a main component in your complaints.

Lord of the Rings on the whole is far from simply bombastic (it has its moments, but how can it not?). Howard Shore is awesome. Recognize.

[transmogrifier]

And besides, once that music kicks in during the final sequence of LotM, if you don't feel it, you're a lost cause. It's no Crimewave, I grant you, but it's pretty neat.

As always with scores, it's a combination of good music and appropriate synthesis with the on-screen action. Most of the time, the score is a space-filler, post-it notes of manufactured emotion ("Insert crying here!") and a horrible crutch for film-makers worried that they are unable to tell a story without it.

Sometimes it works. But not enough for it to be worth caring about in movies.

[Lucky]

I thought The Painted Veil was undervalued in just about every category, score included. Good choice there.

[Sven]

And besides, once that music kicks in during the final sequence of LotM, if you don't feel it, you're a lost cause. It's no Crimewave, I grant you, but it's pretty neat.

Well, hey, Crimewave is no Grease, that's for sure, but I'll give it to you.


As always with scores, it's a combination of good music and appropriate synthesis with the on-screen action. Most of the time, the score is a space-filler, post-it notes of manufactured emotion ("Insert crying here!") and a horrible crutch for film-makers worried that they are unable to tell a story without it.

Sometimes it works. But not enough for it to be worth caring about in movies.

Well, I'm certainly not going to argue FOR movie scores, because I don't care one way or the other, really. But your blanket condemnation posed in objective terminology makes you sound a little qrazy, for music has been an active part of the cinema practically since its inception. I do not have a thing against your position as a bias, but seen as indicative of cinema in general, I think you'd have an impossible time trying to prove anything about it. Assuming intentions of the filmmaker is the final grasp of a desperate man.

[Sven]

Lord of the Rings on the whole is far from simply bombastic (it has its moments, but how can it not?). Howard Shore is awesome. Recognize.

As for you, check your PMs plz kthx.

[transmogrifier]

you sound a little qrazy

Low blow, man, low blow.

*cries*

[transmogrifier]

Good call.

what the hell are we going to do with the adjective iososian now? So selfish.

[Derek]

what the hell are we going to do with the adjective iososian now? So selfish.

Enough people will have to continue calling him iosos that he caves in and changes it back. Stay strong.

The real downside is that I will undoubtedly picture Sven, the Swedish giant from the AT&T ads, every single time I see one of his posts...

http://brittanyshoot.com/videos/comm/att.png

[chrisnu]

Enough people will have to continue calling him iosos that he caves in and changes it back. Stay strong.
I usually think of him as "Nashville avatar". :) I hadn't even noticed the name change until it was pointed out!

[soitgoes...]

Enough people will have to continue calling him iosos that he caves in and changes it back. Stay strong.


This might just work...

[Watashi]

The thing with the Harry Potters, the Transformers, and even the Batman themes is that they all sound the same to me. They work in the context of the movie, but don't elevate the movie BECAUSE of the score.

Movies like There Will Be Blood, The Assassination of Jesse James, Irreversible, and Requiem For A Dream are better because of the score.

I will continue to check out this list. But your score taste is like Barty, and I'm pretty sure I'll see more of the former.

Harry Potter sounds nothing like Transformers. At all.

Anyway this list features scores of many types. You'll be happy.

[Watashi]

And seriously, iosos?

No.

Change it back.

[Derek]

This might just work...

:lol:

But come on, TBickle was username. iosos is an institution. It's bigger than any of us and Patrick is a fool for thinking he has the power to escape it.

[SirNewt]

And seriously, iosos?

No.

Change it back.


Yeah, isosos is a match-cut pillar. The name has been around since I started reading matchcut on the old site.

[soitgoes...]

:lol:

But come on, TBickle was username. iosos is an institution. It's bigger than any of us and Patrick is a fool for thinking he has the power to escape it.I understand what you're saying. It's kinda like when Prince got so big he could only represent his grandness with a symbol. It was only when symbol Prince stopped making the great hits that only non-symbol Prince could make that he changed it back. I'm sure RaidersoftheFoundArk or Spinal Pap will be glad to change it back once Sven's posts start losing that certain luster we've all come to expect.

Sorry Wats for the temporary hijack. Please continue with the great thread idea.

[Watashi]

- 46 -

THE DA VINCI CODE

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1516/thedavincicodewe1.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJYZBP_1i0k)

Year:
2005

Composer:
Hans Zimmer

I have not seen The Da Vinci Code. I don't plan on seeing it and probably never will. However, I do know that Hans Zimmer wrote a great fucking score for the film. The score is pure classic Zimmer. It's marquee track, Chevaliers de Sangreal, gives it the extra edge over your standard dime-a-dozen Zimmer score. It's his best track since Journey to the Line. Like in most Zimmer scores, the strings are heavily relied on, but the track gains momentum and breaks out into a choral and french horn collision to to close out this astounding piece of work.

[Morris Schæffer]

- 48 -

SPEED RACER

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/8310/speedracerfj6.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsq5WA3kaZU&feature=related)

Year:
2008

Composer:
Michael Giacchino

I love Michael Giacchino. I love, love, love him. He is no question the next John Williams. In just this decade, he has created more memorable music for film, TV shows, and video game more than anyone. The scary thing is that he is just barely getting started. His work on Speed Racer score shouldn't not have been this grand. He takes the classic Nobuyoshi Koshibe theme and goes beyond what it ever initially required. An entire full-orchestration of "Go Speed Racer Go" could not have been conducted any better. This is a snappy, bouncy soundtrack but also transcends into something much deeper and emotionally-stirring heard in tracks like Let Us Drink Milk. This is a hyper exotic score for a hyper exotic film.


The Giacc did some astonishing work for the Medal of Honor videogames. His "Arnhem Knights" on the MOH: Frontline soundtrack is of particular merit. Haunting!

Gotta say I'm mucho surprised by the appearance of Transformers.

[Sven]

The real downside is that I will undoubtedly picture Sven, the Swedish giant from the AT&T ads, every single time I see one of his posts...

This is my favorite Sven commercial. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WezYRI214Hc)

[Derek]

This is my favorite Sven commercial. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WezYRI214Hc)

:lol:

Now that's good old-fashioned jingoism.

[Watashi]

- 45 -

THE PROPOSITION

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/2913/thepropositionts8.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX2oYPzr3jY)

Year:
2005

Composer:
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

John Hillcoat has found his go-to composer with Nick Cave (the upcoming The Road will be their 5th collaboration), and not only does he write the music, but writes the script as well. Nick Cave departures from his Bad Seeds-oriented compositions to produce a slow-tempo score that recreates the haunting atmospheric world of the Australian Outback. The two central voices of the score is Warren Ellis's violin work and Nick Cave's unusual vocal performances found in the Rider trilogy tracks that brings a surreal and uneasy tone to the album.

[Ezee E]

Nice.

[SirNewt]

This is my favorite Sven commercial. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WezYRI214Hc)

WOW! Just wow. . . I mean. . . wow.

[Derek]

Great pick Wats. Even trans can't complain about that one. :)

[Watashi]

- 44 -

FAR FROM HEAVEN

http://img388.imageshack.us/img388/8235/farfromheavenam8.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd9hYU9LbHE)

Year:
2002

Composer:
Elmer Bernstein

Composing his final score before his death, Elmer Bernstein went back to his roots after what seems a lifetime of dead ends (Wild Wild West, Buddy, Bulletproof). His work on Far From Heaven is reminiscent of his yesteryears in the 40's and 50's. A very Sirkian soundtrack to accompany the very lush Sirkian colors and dialogue on screen (I just love saying Sirkian; It sounds like a Star Trek race). The opening title Autumn in Connecticut is a soft somber piano solo until it bursts out halfway in a very melodramatic fashion. It may not be The Great Escape or The Magnificent Seven, but Bernie left us with one of his greats.

[transmogrifier]

Great pick Wats. Even trans can't complain about that one. :)

You'd be surprised at how deep my resources for complaining really are. But, I've just woken up, so coffee first.

[Qrazy]

Well, hey, Crimewave is no Grease, that's for sure, but I'll give it to you.

Well, I'm certainly not going to argue FOR movie scores, because I don't care one way or the other, really. But your blanket condemnation posed in objective terminology makes you sound a little qrazy, for music has been an active part of the cinema practically since its inception. I do not have a thing against your position as a bias, but seen as indicative of cinema in general, I think you'd have an impossible time trying to prove anything about it. Assuming intentions of the filmmaker is the final grasp of a desperate man.

Tool.

[SirNewt]

Touchez pas au Grisbi - C


Fix this, I demand it.

[Amnesiac]

James Newton Howard's score (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwCtz1afdIM&feature=related) for The Village deserves a mention.

[Watashi]

So, I come home from work expecting this to bloom and everyone talking about my selections.

But, no. More random hijacking.

[Watashi]

- 43 -

BLACK HAWK DOWN

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2876/blackhawkdownjb2.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcxQfCZ_9V8)

Year:
2001

Composer:
Hans Zimmer

The Z-Man is at it again and his music for Black Hawk Down is all over the place. You have indigenous East African vocals, hip-hop, electronica, and of course the classic orchestral cues that Zimmer is known for. Perhaps the most traditonal Zimmer-esque track is Leave No Man Behind which carries a strong, emotional theme presented throughout the entire album.

[Winston*]

Have you listened to Dirty Three (Warren Ellis' band), Watashi? They r good.

[Watashi]

- 42 -

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5181/crouchingtigerhiddendraev9.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbhJfXPk8SE)

Year:
2000

Composer:
Tan Dun

Both adventurous and melancholic, Tan Dun's score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a powerful clash of Western and Eastern elements that guide us dramatically while staying true to Dun's and Lee's Chinese roots. Yo-Yo Ma's strong cello work enriches the score and fulfills Dun's notes harmoniously. It is a well-balanced, emotional score that evokes not only the story but also the whole world that this unique film creates.

[Watashi]

Have you listened to Dirty Three (Warren Ellis' band), Watashi? They r good.
No. Anything like his scores?

[Raiders]

So, I come home from work expecting this to bloom and everyone talking about my selections.

But, no. More random hijacking.

Lighten up, Francis.

For my part, I honestly don't remember scores well enough to comment for most, and no offense but I'm not going to sit here and listen to what you've linked just to comment. I'm eternally lazy.

[Watashi]

Lighten up, Francis.

For my part, I honestly don't remember scores well enough to comment for most, and no offense but I'm not going to sit here and listen to what you've linked just to comment. I'm eternally lazy.
What are you, Madman?

[transmogrifier]

A thread has never truly made it until it is hijacked. Or until iosos and Qrazy have a three-page slanging match within it. Or until a female replies.

[Derek]

What are you, Madman?

What are you delusional enough to believe most people here care about scores enough to spend the time to listen to them outside of the film? :) Seriously though, you can't do a thread like this for any other reason than you enjoy writing about the subject and you get something out of it yourself. Something like this, or Davis and my Pink Floyd thread, are only going to be of interest to a small group of posters and you should've expected that going in.

As for Raiders, it's not Madman syndrome because he's saying he doesn't have the interest in listening to them.

I like your Far From Heaven pick! Berstein's consistently good so I hope to see more from him than Newton Howard or Zimmer.

[Derek]

A thread has never truly made it until it is hijacked. Or until iosos and Qrazy have a three-page slanging match within it. Or until a female replies.

Who's iosos?

[transmogrifier]

Who's iosos?

Some guy. Had a name change. Bad career move.

[Boner M]

No. Anything like his scores?
A lot of the stuff from The Proposition was recycled Dirty Three material. You should check out Whatever You Love, You Are. Amazing album.

[Watashi]

- 41 -

A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/4927/averylongengagementrt2.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1od-b0cthw4)

Year:
2004

Composer:
Angelo Badalamenti

While Amelie's score is quite whimsical, I prefer the other Tautou/Jeunet collaboration (yeah, you heard me, no Amelie on this list). Badalamenti's score on A Very Long Engagement is a slow, often dark, consistent style that parallels the love and war in tone. Various woodwind solos and French horn are used throughout heard often in the love theme (the track Main Title/The Trenches) and in the string theme, Mathilde's Theme. Badalamenti uses his experience working with David Lynch to create a serene, subtle cue to fully express the film's themes of love, hope, loss, and war.

[Watashi]

What are you delusional enough to believe most people here care about scores enough to spend the time to listen to them outside of the film? :) Seriously though, you can't do a thread like this for any other reason than you enjoy writing about the subject and you get something out of it yourself. Something like this, or Davis and my Pink Floyd thread, are only going to be of interest to a small group of posters and you should've expected that going in.

As for Raiders, it's not Madman syndrome because he's saying he doesn't have the interest in listening to them.

I like your Far From Heaven pick! Berstein's consistently good so I hope to see more from him than Newton Howard or Zimmer.

I think that's the whole point of the thread. To get people who don't really notice score that much and have them listen to the various styles of each composer. I'm not doing this thread to amuse myself, but to show you guys (who are usually ignorant towards this type of stuff) a new light of the subject. It takes like, what 3 minutes to listen to each selection. Who knows, you may actually be moved by this thread.

And what's with the JNH bashing? He's represented on this list the most. He has an amazing range and great work.

Though it's pretty predictable you guys will only like the avant-garde stuff or the classical homage stuff (which isn't a bad thing really).

[Watashi]

Plus Bernstein only composed the score from Far From Heaven this decade before his death, so you can safely say that this will be the last of him on the list.

[Derek]

I think that's the whole point of the thread. To get people who don't really notice score that much and have them listen to the various styles of each composer. I'm not doing this thread to amuse myself, but to show you guys (who are usually ignorant towards this type of stuff) a new light of the subject. It takes like, what 3 minutes to listen to each selection. Who knows, you may actually be moved by this thread.

And what's with the JNH bashing? He's represented on this list the most. He has an amazing range and great work.

Though it's pretty predictable you guys will only like the avant-garde stuff or the classical homage stuff (which isn't a bad thing really).

Calling us all ignorant is a good way to get discussion going. It's also ridiculous and untrue as all of us have obviously heard all of the scores in the context of the movies we've seen. If you're saying you MUST hear them outside the film to truly appreciate them, then I say the composer has failed to properly do his job. It's the same as saying you have to read a script to appreciate how great the dialogue in a film is. Absurd.

I haven't found any of JNH's scores memorable enough to bash him as a composer. I just know his and Zimmer's obnoxiously bombastic score almost single-handedly ruined Batman Begins for me. Fortunately, they put a muzzle on him for The Dark Knight, which wisely used its music (aside from a lot of the ambient pieces) sparingly by comparison.

[Derek]

Plus Bernstein only composed the score from Far From Heaven this decade before his death, so you can safely say that this will be the last of him on the list.

Didn't notice the "this decade" in the thread title.

*Crosses fingers for Punch-Drunk Love*

[Watashi]

Calling us all ignorant is a good way to get discussion going. It's also ridiculous and untrue as all of us have obviously heard all of the scores in the context of the movies we've seen. If you're saying you MUST hear them outside the film to truly appreciate them, then I say the composer has failed to properly do his job. It's the same as saying you have to read a script to appreciate how great the dialogue in a film is. Absurd.

I'm not saying any of this at all. I never said a score must work outside a film to be truly memorable. That's silly. The links are here just as a reminder for people, like Raiders, who can't remember the score that well, or those who just want to revisit it.


I haven't found any of JNH's scores memorable enough to bash him as a composer. I just know his and Zimmer's obnoxiously bombastic score almost single-handedly ruined Batman Begins for me. Fortunately, they put a muzzle on him for The Dark Knight, which wisely used its music (aside from a lot of the ambient pieces) sparingly by comparison.

Eh, bombastic movies carry bombastic scores. Now if Zimmer scored a Hal Hartley movie, then yes, that would be ruining the film.

So calm down you big goon, I'm putting loads of time in this thread for fun and party poopers only make me sad.

Only trans is allowed to bash this thread. I gave him full permission.

[transmogrifier]

And I think I have been rather well-behaved, considering.

[Watashi]

And I think I have been rather well-behaved, considering.
Hey, you love The Last of the Mohicans soundtrack, which is like, one of my favorite scores ever.

You're cool with me.

[transmogrifier]

Hey, you love The Last of the Mohicans soundtrack, which is like, one of my favorite scores ever.

You're cool with me.

Excellent. I'm going to let you get on with the thread. I don't promise ot actually listen to the scores you post, because I'm going to be pretty much listening to Sonic Youth and stuff, but I'll read, and reflect. And most likely disagree. But that's to be expected.

[Watashi]

Excellent. I'm going to let you get on with the thread. I don't promise ot actually listen to the scores you post, because I'm going to be pretty much listening to Sonic Youth and stuff, but I'll read, and reflect. And most likely disagree. But that's to be expected.
Sonic Youth?

I bought their CD and it's just noise.

[transmogrifier]

Sonic Youth?

I bought their CD and it's just noise.

You can't complain about hijacks if you're going to be littering your thread with bait like this.

*is the bigger man*

[Watashi]

A lot of the stuff from The Proposition was recycled Dirty Three material. You should check out Whatever You Love, You Are. Amazing album.

Just listened to a good chunk of this album. Yeah, good stuff.

[D_Davis]

A lot of the stuff from The Proposition was recycled Dirty Three material. You should check out Whatever You Love, You Are. Amazing album.

I agree - it is really good stuff.

[Watashi]

- 40 -

I AM LEGEND

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/5084/iamlegendvp2.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFLgGA3PGZ0&feature=related)

Year:
2007

Composer:
James Newton Howard

James Newton Howard has the ability to play with your emotions long after you hear it. I Am Legend is a good example of Howard's music plays your heart strings like an enraptured harpist. The score goes virtually unnoticed in the film and I didn't even pick up on the theme until I downloaded the soundtrack later on. The music illustrates one man's venture into loneliness through its swaying strings and sad trumpet solos. Howard's music can put shivers down your spine if you are engrossed with the characters on screen, and James does a sublime job of putting the right notes at the right time to orchestrate this beautifully.

[Watashi]

I agree - it is really good stuff.
Hey, a Davis sighting!

Hello!

[Qrazy]

Fix this, I demand it.

Yeah it's probably more of a C+/B- but I was very underwhelmed... and particularly disappointed coming off of the wonderful Le Trou.

[D_Davis]

Hey, a Davis sighting!

Hello!

Oh hai!

Solid list so far. Nothing that I would consider exceptional, or listen to apart from the film, but solid choices.

While film music is important to me, I rarely listen to scores outside of the films they are in. There are very few in fact. I like Pink Floyd's More and Obscured by Clouds, and The Straight Story is a fantastic album apart from its film, as is the newer version of Solaris, but I find most symphonic stuff to be uninteresting when taken out of context.

For example, I love the score for the Lord of the Rings films, but I can not imagine ever wanting to listen to it as just a piece of music. Music like this just doesn't do much for me when it is divorced from its visual component.

I'll definitely be reading and listening to your choices though.

[Qrazy]

A thread has never truly made it until it is hijacked. Or until iosos and Qrazy have a three-page slanging match within it. Or until a female replies.

He sure seems to be itching for one the number of times I see him randomly dropping my name lately. True love dies hard I suppose.

[Derek]

He sure seems to be itching for one the number of times I see him randomly dropping my name lately. True love dies hard I suppose.

Your user name makes it easy to drop into conversation. May I suggest a name change. I believe 'iosos' is now available if you'd really like to turn the tables on him...

[Qrazy]

Your user name makes it easy to drop into conversation. May I suggest a name change. I believe 'iosos' is now available if you'd really like to turn the tables on him...

Yes but that's just what he'll be expecting... I think I'll opt for something far more insidious... and do absolutely nothing.

[Barty]

O
For example, I love the score for the Lord of the Rings films, but I can not imagine ever wanting to listen to it as just a piece of music. Music like this just doesn't do much for me when it is divorced from its visual component.


Omg no. Lord of the Rings is the greatest music written in the last 100 years.

[Barty]

I just know his and Zimmer's obnoxiously bombastic score almost single-handedly ruined Batman Begins for me. Fortunately, they put a muzzle on him for The Dark Knight, which wisely used its music (aside from a lot of the ambient pieces) sparingly by comparison.

Actually, The Dark Knight has the exact same bombast of Batman Begins. I won't dispute the score overall though has a much more somber and reserved tone, but that's the nature of Dark Knight against Begins. And your so wrong about any muzzle being put on Zimmer because he was given more freedom in this score than in Batman Begins. It just happens that Zimmer exponentially increases his greatness when writing sequel scores.

But to say the score for Begins almost ruined the movie, and then not say the same for TDK is crazy.

[Ezee E]

Yep, I agree with Davis. A few scores I've downloaded, and when listening to them without the material, it's just weird.

I look forward to the day when I go to Barty and Wats' house, drink beer, and listen to the latest Harry Potter score.

[Barty]

I look forward to the day when I go to Barty and Wats' house, drink beer, and listen to the latest Harry Potter score.

I don't drink beer, and I don't really care for the Harry Potter scores.

[Ezee E]

I don't drink beer, and I don't really care for the Harry Potter scores.
Then we'll have milk, and listen to the latest Pixar score. With cookies... If Barty's feeling a little crazy.

[Barty]

Then we'll have milk, and listen to the latest Pixar score. With cookies... If Barty's feeling a little crazy.

I don't drink Milk, and Pixar score's aren't some of my favorites.

[Ezee E]

I don't drink Milk, and Pixar score's aren't some of my favorites.
Well we will discuss the truth to Noah's Ark over crackers.

[Derek]

Actually, The Dark Knight has the exact same bombast of Batman Begins. I won't dispute the score overall though has a much more somber and reserved tone, but that's the nature of Dark Knight against Begins. And your so wrong about any muzzle being put on Zimmer because he was given more freedom in this score than in Batman Begins. It just happens that Zimmer exponentially increases his greatness when writing sequel scores.

But to say the score for Begins almost ruined the movie, and then not say the same for TDK is crazy.

What I meant by muzzle wasn't a lack of creative freedom. I meant that the softer, ambient pieces were used far more often. Not that there are bombastic parts of the score in Dark Knight, but they weren't as overbearing. Perhaps if you break it down minute by minute, the amount of bombast is the same (don't really care one way or the other) but the use of the score was far more effective in the latter film. Not that I'm the expert in film scores that you and Wats are but this was one of the rare times where I consciously was looking out for the score since I disliked it in Begins so much.

[Watashi]

I don't drink Milk, and Pixar score's aren't some of my favorites.

You're dead to me.

[Boner M]

I think Memento has easily the best Nolan score, and is one of the standout scores of this decade.

[D_Davis]

Omg no. Lord of the Rings is the greatest music written in the last 100 years.

Not even close dude.

[Morris Schæffer]

Hope to see Marianelli's Atonement score.

[Raiders]

Not even close dude.

1. Lord of the Rings score
2. The Rite of Spring

Sounds about right.

[D_Davis]

1. Lord of the Rings score
2. The Rite of Spring

Sounds about right.

Yeah, I guess I agree since you put it this way.

[Raiders]

Yeah, I guess I agree since you put it this way.

But, seriously, I love LOTR's score and Barty's claim is absurd. I just can't imagine how it can overshadow work from Gershwin, late Debussy, Bartok, Strauss and Tomas Marco (sticking with classical-vein music for comparison's sake and since Barty really only listens to that).

In fact, Shore's own score for Dead Ringers is better.

[D_Davis]

But, seriously, I love LOTR's score and Barty's claim is absurd. I just can't imagine how it can overshadow work from Gershwin, late Debussy, Bartok, Strauss and Tomas Marco (sticking with classical-vein music for comparison's sake and since Barty really only listens to that).

In fact, Shore's own score for Dead Ringers is better.

Not to mention the amazing neo-classical stuff from Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and all of the amazing pop and rock albums released in the LAST 100 YEARS.

If I were going to make an absurd claim about music (which I am not), I might argue that the last 100 years have produced the most interesting music of all time, but I wouldn't consider the LotR score to be among this music even though I, too, really enjoy it in the films.

However, there is just way too much great music out there to claim that one thing or one era is the best ever.

Just about every day I discover something new worth listening to.

[Ezee E]

I would like to think Barty is overexaggerating, but I've posted with him for too long to know that he certainly believes that.

[Barty]

It is. It's a Wagnerian effort of compositional genius. The music captures the essence of the books, of film, of the entire art of film scoring in the most passionate, thematically varied and integrated 12 hours of music ever written for film. Shore will never write anything close to it. He has crafted the most important and astounding classical composition of his era, on par with Mozart's, Beethoven's, and Wagner's greatest works.

[Ezee E]

It is. It's a Wagnerian effort of compositional genius. The music captures the essence of the books, of film, of the entire art of film scoring in the most passionate, thematically varied and integrated 12 hours of music ever written for film. Shore will never write anything close to it. He has crafted the most important and astounding classical composition of his era, on par with Mozart's, Beethoven's, and Wagner's greatest works.
Barty's so adorable.

[Barty]

Barty's so adorable.

So is a baby Lion until you pet it and the rest of the pride comes up to you and claws off your face and eats your heart.

[Ezee E]

So is a baby Lion until you pet it and the rest of the pride comes up to you and claws off your face and eats your heart.
Luckily Barty has no claws.

[D_Davis]

I'd argue that Terry Riley's "In C" and Steve Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" are both more interesting and more "important" in the field of neo-classical , or whatever you want to call modern classical, than the soundtrack to LotR.

[Watashi]

- 39 -

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/4140/brokebackmountaingz8.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEqIlRcwm5o)

Year:
2005

Composer:
Gustavo Santaolalla

Brokeback Mountain is one of those rare occasions where the film was shot to the music. Most composers score the film during post-production to the already completed film, but Ang Lee wanted to get the mood right, so he listened to Santaolalla's music while shooting. The main guitar theme primarily headlined in The Wings is as cinematic as they come. Although short on an actual underscore score, what slips through is a heartbreaking strum of the fingers that takes the viewer on a journey of anguish and unrequited love. There maybe nothing memorable outside of The Wings, but sometime all it takes is one theme to grab us and never let go.

[dreamdead]

Santaolalla's score is the first on here that I still remember from my viewing experiences. As a track and as thematic core, "Wings" is just devastating. It's one that instantly propels me back into the film and opens up the world of Brokeback. Wonderful choice, and if the rest of the score had only had the power of this track it would have been a classic.

[Watashi]

- 38 -

28 DAYS LATER

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/7233/28dayslaterlp2.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZNk35OJERI)

Year:
2002

Composer:
John Murphy

From a guitar score that will pull at your heart strings to one that will make the hair on your back stand up. 28 Days Later features a score mostly composed by John Murphy but also features tracks from Brian Eno and other various artists. The instrumental track, In the House - In a Heartbeat is slow and dreading in its build-up, much like the nuclear "zombies" in the film, but then implodes in a pounding rock tempo as the infected being their attack. Loaded with dark and chilling ambiance, John Murphy's wonderful score is sure to please fans of film music and hard rock.

[Spinal]

Brokeback Mountain is the first one on this list that I can remember and fully support. Beautiful stuff. Nice choice.

[Watashi]

- 37 -

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/1695/catchmeifyoucanuf6.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkXp1JB11hM)

Year:
2002

Composer:
John Williams

Believe or not, John Williams does the occasional non-bombastic theme-heavy scores from time to time. I know, it's quite shocking, but this is a guy before Spielberg made him his personal buddy was cranking out scores for Robert Altman. Catch Me If You Can is very old school Williams. It starts out with the famous title track, a sneaky little theme with a retro jazzy underscore that ventures into darker territory later on. The Father's theme heard in tracks Recollections and Father and Son is reminiscent of the Sinatra era with cool somber saxophone solos that works in best in context of the film rather alone.

[soitgoes...]

The best thing about the movie.

[Amnesiac]

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/1695/catchmeifyoucanuf6.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkXp1JB11hM)

It starts out with the famous title track, a sneaky little theme with a retro jazzy underscore that ventures into darker territory later on.

Yeah, good call. What a fun movie. Very memorable score.

[Watashi]

- 36 -

MEMENTO

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1287/mementolg9.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-j07BRzq1g&fmt=18)

Year:
2000

Composer:
David Julyan

When composing the synthesized score to Memento, David Julyan aimed to create an organic ambient rhythm that emotes Leonard's drifting personality of pain and loss. The tone changes between the color and black-and-white scene. The film's main theme is often found in the colored sections, especially during times when Leonard is narrating. This is a score you would love to play as background music before you go to bed and just close your eyes and fall into its trance-like motions.

[dreamdead]

Props for the 28 Days Later and Memento scores. Both have themes that resonate and build on the action even as they avoid unnecessarily taking center stage. The 28DL score hit its climax for me when it's first used in 28 Weeks Later, actually; the editing and framing of it there contributed mightily to why that film lingered in my mind after my initial lackluster impression.

For its part, Memento works a haunting refrain into a narrative that itself always refrains from self-examination. It's a nice non-diagetic cue, and the strongest case in my eyes for Nolan's strengths as a filmmaker; it was the perfect marriage of music and image for him.

[Ezee E]

Awesome two choices. Catch Me If You Can feels like a score that Hitchcock would use in one of his movies. Great on its own, even better within the context of the movie. Too low, but awesome choice.

[D_Davis]

- 37 -

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN






Good choice.

[Watashi]

- 35 -

25th HOUR

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/3740/25thhourwp9.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV8ywRyXS9w)

Year:
2002

Composer:
Terence Blanchard

Terence Blanchard's haunting score for 25th Hour is his best work on a Spike Lee joint (they have collaborated together since 1991 for Jungle Fever). Blanchard's solemn strings evoke a Celtic-style traditional symphonic melody that melts into a Middle Eastern arias. While overbearing at times, Blanchard doesn't fade out and only raises the dramatic level with every fiery rant and passionate expression of freedom and regret felt in Monty and Spike. This is an introspective piece that compliments Blanchard's jazzy roots and then adds a whole new sophisticated layer.

[SirNewt]

He sure seems to be itching for one the number of times I see him randomly dropping my name lately. True love dies hard I suppose.

hm. . . well that worked better than I thought it would.


Omg no. Lord of the Rings is the greatest music written in the last 100 years.

No, just no.

It is a fantastic score though. Well, more than fantastic. But still, no.


1. Lord of the Rings score
2. The Rite of Spring

Sounds about right.

You stole my indignant jibe, how could you?

[Ezee E]

If you thought Blanchard was over-the-top, wait until you see the end of Miracle at St. Anna.

[Watashi]

- 34 -

A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/3512/ailx9.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tnt4LBsZ-I&feature=related)

Year:
2001

Composer:
John Williams

Whether or not you want to argue that A.I. was too Spielberg and not enough Kubrick or vica-versa, the same can't be said about Williams's fantastic score. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but when you've working for this long, you don't have to be. A.I. is one of Williams more sentimental scores he ever did that had to cover David's trek in being reunited with his mother. Heavy emotional tracks like Abandoned in the Woods carries a reprise of Williams' own E.T.. It carries a sad and moving theme out of the brass and strings. The main theme Where Dreams Are Born is a soft cue, this time with a beautiful female soprano vocalizing over it. The cue is played over a pivotal scene in the film (you should know it) and even can be considered a nod to Ennio Morricone.

[Watashi]

- 33 -

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/8761/howlsmovingcastlenf1.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx0BS4jB53U)

Year:
2004

Composer:
Joe Hisaishi

I don't know any soul alive who can dislike Joe. He has a proud history and long, detailed career working with two of the biggest Japanese filmmakers, Takeshi Kitano and Hayao Miyazaki. His partnership with Miyazaki-san has developed decades worth of memorable scores including his most recent work in Howl's Moving Castle. The main theme is an instantly recognizable cue and is spread out through all tracks in different variations and tempos. The first variaton is a series of waltzes that could be heard playing in an 18th century Grand Ball. The second is quieter, that relies on a heavy piano solo to carry the mood. No matter what speed Hisaishi plays his melody at, it carries a joyous feel that transports you instantly into the far-out fantasy world that only Miyazaki can brainstorm up.

[Sven]

Kitano's Hisaishi > Miyazaki's Hisaishi

Still, Howl's score is the best part about it, and one of his best. Props. Rep, even.

[Watashi]

Kitano's Hisaishi > Miyazaki's Hisaishi

It's very close. His Hana-bi score is probably his best work.

[Sven]

It's very close. His Hana-bi score is probably his best work.

I would say Kikujiro, then Sonatine, then probably Hana-bi. Still, masterpieces all.

[Watashi]

- 32 -

SPIDER-MAN 2

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5128/spiderman2mt6.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Gox3X6yvM&feature=related)

Year:
2004

Composer:
Danny Elfman

The score to Spider-Man was often considered a disappointment, certainly up to Elfman standards and was predictably compared to other heroic, grandiloquent superhero themes like Superman and Elfman's own Batman theme. While he revisited all of the themes from the original film (including the Green Goblin theme), Danny Elfman experimented around with a new theme (that would be known as Doc Ock's theme) that took Danny back to his old style reminiscent of Darkman or his early Burton work. The main titles are still the fan favorite, and for the sequel Elfman only made them better by adding a male choir and giving a stronger, more emotional, emphasis. It's true that Elfman's composing didn't end well with director Sam Raimi, and some of his cues were rejected and replaced by John Debney and Christopher Young (who of course went on to score Spider-Man 3).

[Watashi]

- 31 -

WALL-E

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9407/walleha6.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LZc30Jtsz4)

Year:
2008

Composer:
Thomas Newman

See, I'm not a complete Pixar whore. I can strain myself from littering the top five of nothing but Pixar scores. WALL-E is Thomas Newman's most recent score and his second pairing with Stanton and Pixar (Finding Nemo was their first). Even though WALL-E's score is full of Newmany moments, this Newman's first attempt at a science fiction score. The opening track 2815 A.D. brings the vast emptiness of this post-apocalyptic conundrum of endless wasteland. It actually brings back memories of playing Chrono Trigger in the Ruined World. Define Dancing is the most recognizable of Newman's basic style, but that's not a negative criticism. The track has a futuristic fun theme as it soars into Newman's trademark strings over the pivotal point of WALL-E and EVE interacting for the first time in a intergalactic space dance across the stars.

[Watashi]

Hmmm.

[Spinal]

Hmmm.

OMG! Two hours went by without a reponse!

Just do the list already!

[Watashi]

OMG! Two hours went by without a reponse!

Just do the list already!

:|

[Kurosawa Fan]

:|

Seriously though, you do this with every list. Just because everyone doesn't reply to every post doesn't mean people aren't reading along. Stop begging for attention and make with the list. This isn't RT.

[Watashi]

Seriously though, you do this with every list. Just because everyone doesn't reply to every post doesn't mean people aren't reading along. Stop begging for attention and make with the list. This isn't RT.
Um, the exact same list on RT is getting less responses, so I don't understand what you're talking about. I'm not begging for attention, just yearning for discussion. Anyway, I'm updating the list, but I'm still going to pace it out slowly in case people do feel the need to comment or whatever.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Um, the exact same list on RT is getting less responses, so I don't understand what you're talking about. I'm not begging for attention, just yearning for discussion. Anyway, I'm updating the list, but I'm still going to pace it out slowly in case people do feel the need to comment or whatever.

I don't visit RT anymore, but I figured with more people on the site you'd get more responses. Guess I was incorrect.

And yes, continue with the list. There isn't much to discuss as far as I'm concerned. It's either "Nice pick" or "You suck". That's about the long and short of it. Go as slowly as you want, but it'd be nice if you made a list without complaining that people weren't commenting enough.

[Watashi]

- 30 -

KING KONG

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/6035/kingkongiw8.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEa3sB-Zdxg)

Year:
2005

Composer:
James Newton Howard

King Kong is a score that's defined by its themes. And boy, it has a lot of them. Originally set to be composed by Howard Shore, James Newton Howard took over when Shore left the project due to "creative differences" leaving James only five weeks to compose a whole new, fresh score from scratch. Once the main title for King Kong appears, we hear the ape's motif - four brash low descending chords. Howard's score is mish-mash of brass heavy action cues (Head Towards the Animals and Tooth and Claw) and soft, tender moments (Beautiful and Central Park). The love theme between Anne and Kong is Howard's strongest theme and is the most crucial in bringing this exaggerated Beauty and the Beast story to life.

[Watashi]

My next selection will make Spinal very happy.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

Modern film music: not as good as old timey film music.

[D_Davis]

Seriously though, you do this with every list. Just because everyone doesn't reply to every post doesn't mean people aren't reading along. Stop begging for attention and make with the list. This isn't RT.

Shoot, I'll post by myself for weeks at a time in the sci-fi, horror book threads!

I just like the way my words look on screen - they're damn sexy!

[dreamdead]

It's a shame that you're not into the Asian cult of stasiscore, because the scores to Last Life in the Universe and All About Lily Chou-Chou are as mesmerizing as anything I've heard this decade.

Props to the Terence Blanchard score from Lee's film. I need to give Hisaishi's score a listen since, like Sven, I haven't paid nearly as much attention to his work with Miyazaki as I have with Kitano.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

It's a shame that you're not into the Asian cult of stasiscore, because the scores to Last Life in the Universe and All About Lily Chou-Chou are as mesmerizing as anything I've heard this decade.

Props to the Terence Blanchard score from Lee's film. I need to give Hisaishi's score a listen since, like Sven, I haven't paid nearly as much attention to his work with Miyazaki as I have with Kitano.

oh yes, the Last Life in the Universe score is amazing!

[transmogrifier]

I think the fact that I watched Wall-E just two weeks ago and I don't remember a single thing about the score, good or bad, pretty much sums up my relationship with film scores in general.

[Watashi]

I think the fact that I watched Wall-E just two weeks ago and I don't remember a single thing about the score, good or bad, pretty much sums up my relationship with film scores in general.
That you have a horrible memory? :P

[transmogrifier]

That you have a horrible memory? :P

Well, that's a valid theory, except that I remember a lot of the other stuff that happened in the movie.

[Russ]

I certainly get the impression that Wats' opinion of the soundtracks on display are more based on his listening to the CDs, and not so much of how the music is actually used in the films, tho I'll freely admit I could be way off base here.

Guess I'm like Trans in this regard. A soundtrack in the context of the film that I'm watching really has to knock my socks off to register with me. And some certainly do, tho not many on this list.

EDIT: Which is not to say that they're bad, good or even great pieces of music in an isolated environment. To me, part of what makes a film score great is how it's utilized on screen.

[Watashi]

I certainly get the impression that Wats' opinion of the soundtracks on display are more based on his listening to the CDs, and not so much of how the music is actually used in the films, tho I'll freely admit I could be way off base here.

Guess I'm like Trans in this regard. A soundtrack in the context of the film that I'm watching really has to knock my socks off to register with me. And some certainly do, tho not many on this list.

I rarely ever listen to soundtracks by themselves (that's Barty). I certainly care how the music works in the context of the film because that's the intended cause of the composer. The tracks I label here are just the main key themes that can be listened to outside of the film. Not every track on every score will do this. Most of these scores I heard first were within the film and really affected me and made me pursue it further.

[Russ]

Understood. I meant no slight.

[Watashi]

- 29 -

PERFUME: STORY OF A MURDERER

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/9082/perfumeir9.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQY4HGud6yw&feature=related)

Year:
2006

Composer:
Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek, Tom Tykwer

Now here is a score that works incredibly well in context of the images on screen and not so much outside. In the film Giuseppe Baldini (Dustin Hoffman) likens the creation of perfume to a musical chord of individual notes that when mixed by skilled hands, they create a layered, complex scent (or sound) that can overpower almost anyone. As Grenouille adds to his perfume, the chord progression reflects this as each individual theme and solo cues layer over one and another to create a complex, almost hypnotic melody. The Women's theme is the basis of the score's progression and is heard prominently in The Girl With The Plums and Meeting Laura. A boy soprano is featured in the more darker tracks (Laura's Murder) and once the perfume is complete, the score climaxes into a new level of music.

[Ezee E]

I don't visit RT anymore, but I figured with more people on the site you'd get more responses. Guess I was incorrect.

And yes, continue with the list. There isn't much to discuss as far as I'm concerned. It's either "Nice pick" or "You suck". That's about the long and short of it. Go as slowly as you want, but it'd be nice if you made a list without complaining that people weren't commenting enough.
repped.

[Watashi]

I don't think anyone has told me "you suck" so far.

[Russ]

I don't think anyone has told me "you suck" so far.
Yes, Mr. Costello, we are all waiting for Abbott to make an appearance..

[Russ]

I really hate that Ravenous (1999) is barely ineligible for this list. Hey, Wats (if you've seen it), as an aside, what did you think of this score and would it have made your 50 best if it had been made a year later? I think it's one of the most original scores of at least the last decade, if not longer.

[Winston*]

I really hate that Ravenous (1999) is barely ineligible for this list. Hey, Wats (if you've seen it), as an aside, what did you think of this score and would it have made your 50 best if it had been made a year later? I think it's one of the most original scores of at least the last decade, if not longer.
I think this score is awesome within the movie, but as an album is basically unlistenable.

[Russ]

And I think you're fucking with me. :) Go watch a movie.

[SirNewt]

Modern film music: not as good as old timey film music.

maybe true,

The scores for these new fantasy epics are getting a lot of attention but in my humble opinion the original Metropolis score is still greater than all of them.

Huppertz is the father of film scoring in my book.

[Watashi]

I love the Ravenous score. It would definitely make my list if eligible.

Michael Nyman is a God. His scores for that, Gattaca, and A Zed and Two Naughts are all fantastic.

[Watashi]

- 28 -

SOLARIS

http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/9414/solariskd6.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxofXahX1DQ)

Year:
2002

Composer:
Cliff Martinez

Music for science fiction films generally fall into two categories: the cold, distant "alien music" (usually provided on a Theremin) creating an intense sound and the sweeping Wagnerian orchestra of grand proportions (Star Wars set the pattern upon its release). Cliff Martinez's score for Solaris is neither of the above. Martinez's score doesn't carry the same tunefulness as the other science fiction maestros, but he has taken pieces from both categories in establishing a middle-ground, one of ambiance and atmosphere. Martinez uses all various equipment from electronics, celesta, steel drum, and a gamelan ensemble (Indonesian bells and gongs). The score succeeds when layered over the complex subtext of Soderbergh's film and gives off a hallucinatory glow when accompanied with the luminous images.

[D_Davis]

Brilliant choice. This soundtrack is on heavy rotation on my ambient play list. One of the only soundtracks I can listen to outside of the film.

I suggest you listen to the following:

Patrick O'Hearn
Brian Eno and Harold Budd's The Pearl and Ambient 2
and Marconi Union

I think you'll dig them if you dig this soundtrack.

[Spinal]

PERFUME: STORY OF A MURDERER

Yeah, that's a good choice. Didn't really remember the music specifically until I clicked the link, but it was good to have my memory refreshed. Might have to get that album.

[Watashi]

- 27 -

MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/176/mrmagoriumswonderemporihp8.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFERpDsvPGs)

Year:
2007

Composer:
Alexandre Desplat & Aaron Zigman

Okay, so I'm probably the only one over the age of 12 who saw this movie and it's quite possibly one of the most underrated films of the decade. It's almost like a semi-biographical take on Jim Henson, who was a living legend who was full of life and taught kids not to say just say what their dreams were, but live them out. The musical score was a big part of my strong admiration for the film and stuck with me long after the end credits and Flaming Lips song were done. The main title theme is a whimsical melody of xylophones, pianos, and saxophones that recreate the feeling of being a kid again running around in a toy store like it was Disneyland.

[Watashi]

- 26 -

RATATOUILLE

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9412/ratatouillelz3.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqPcRAVUSwY&feature=related)

Year:
2007

Composer:
Michael Giacchino

Giacchino always manages to put a smile on my face when listening to one of his scores. For Ratatouille, Giacchino manages to captures all the sounds of Paris and toss them together with every musical convention you can imagine. The main theme, a driving melody on accordion counterpointed by piano and drums (found in tracks Collete Shows Him Le Ropes, Special Order, and End Creditouilles), channels the best of Michel Legrand and John Barry. This is an overall clever score that brings the essence of Paris to life from the jazzy street corners to the hustle and bustle of a fine French restaurant.

[Ezee E]

I prefer Amelie's Paris-sounding score.

[Watashi]

- 25 -

ROAD TO PERDITION


http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/914/roadtoperditionvx8.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ1AtRrnzVM)

Year:
2002

Composer:
Thomas Newman

Road to Perdition was a tale of two Newmans. First, Paul Newman gave an incredible farewell performance (not counting Cars) that delivered much depth to not only a character, but an entire career. Second, Thomas Newman composed a beautiful, heartbreaking score that was ethereally paired with Conrad Hall's legendary camera work (is there a better looking film than Road to Perdition?). Outside of the title track Road to Perdition (which is emotional and effective as Newman does best), Newman mixes it up with dark Irish undertones and light, Hollywood-made music for the father and son. I just wish Newman had a bit of a broader range and didn't go all Horner on us, or he would be one of the top 5 composers ever.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I forgot how absolutely awesome the Ratatouille score is.

[Ezee E]

I forgot how absolutely awesome the Ratatouille score is.
Careful. Wats may propose to you now.

[Lucky]

I'm a little late but I wanted to say that my favorite moment from the Kong score is "A Fateful Meeting." Not for the track alone, but when coupled with Naomi Watts filming on the boat it gives me chills everytime. The combination is nothing short of beautiful.

[Watashi]

- 24 -

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/900/lettersfromiwojimail3.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhKjfnaDQBQ&feature=related)

Year:
2006

Composer:
Kyle Eastwood

After scoring a hit (Mystic River), a miss (Million Dollar Baby), and a dud (Flags of our Fathers), Clint Eastwood passed the musical torch to his son, Kyle, to compose the closing chapter of his Iwo Jima saga. The central theme in Letters of Iwo Jima consists of four similarly structured phrases that form together a haunting elegy that has an Asian flavor, but the orchestration is a traditionally Western motif. Unlike Clint's previous scores, Kyle isn't bashful about wringing the emotions nor insistent upon beating the listener over the head with histrionics. It's a subtle theme used eloquently in tracks like Main Titles, Letters Montage, and Kuribayashi's Farewell Letter. It's a complete catalogue of emotional cues and is often overlooked due to its simplicity when regarding the great American scores.

[Watashi]

- 23 -

THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6862/matrixrevolutionsiv7.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk3KGHlCD1g)

Year:
2003

Composer:
Don Davis

The Matrix trilogy is a ground-breaking saga of special effects, storytelling, and divisive fanbase, but the one aspect that goes criminally unnoticed is Don Davis's masterwork of a score; a milestone of modern film music. Davis has matured and been given an extraordinary amount of freedom with each new Matrix score. In The Matrix Revolutions, Davis reaches a personal zenith of operatic stature in a full-blown Wagnerian scale. The score's centerpiece, Neodammerung, will kick your ass back to last Tuesday. This "Battle of the Gods" cue explodes with a full chorus and gives the orchestra a full work out. Even the listener feels fatigued from the effect as the score dwindles down. Revolutions is simply one long third act payoff and Davis does not disappoint.

[Ezee E]

I'll get behind the Matrix pick.

Also, recommendation for this year: Blindness.

[D_Davis]

I, too, like the music in the Matrix films. I like the use of the horns.

[Qrazy]

I, too, like the music in the Matrix films. I like the use of the horns.

Damn right.

[Barty]

I, too, like the music in the Matrix films. I like the use of the horns.

The music in the trilogy rocks. Such great use of atonality, and industrial sound.

[Watashi]

- 22 -

BIRTH

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/9574/birthwp8.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hFO9sA7LsA)

Year:
2004

Composer:
Alexandre Desplat

Alexandre Desplat is a composer of patience. Like many composers (even some found on this list), he doesn't feel the need to blast his orchestrations just because there is empty space. Desplat's main strength in the construction of his scores was the ability to mirror the musical development with the character development on screen. Birth's score is characterized by a waltz melody first heard in the second cue, The Engagement. This waltz, symbolizing the fragile stability of the main character, is craftily juxtaposed against the score's more sinister elements. Then there is the Prologue. A stunning opening cue that is just layers and layers of brilliant music starting with a delicate flute ostinato. Once the horns enter halfway through, it burst out in a Tchaikovsky-esque cue once this winter jog slowly takes a turn for the worse. Just don't listen to the cue. Watch it. It's also one of the best opening shots in any movie this decade.

[Ezee E]

Awesome pick. I completely forgot about this one. Repped.

[Watashi]

- 21 -

SPIRITED AWAY

http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/4913/spiritedawayoe9.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHXUnfJIoyo&feature=related)

Year:
2001

Composer:
Joe Hisaishi

Only Joe Hisaishi has can reinvent and refine an instrumental language that powerfully evokes all the magic in Miyazaki's phantasmagorical adventures. In Spirited Away, Joe effortlessly blends ancient Japanese modalities and percussion with Westernized influences. Joe is so good, he can capture the gentle lyricism of the East in one movement, and then the pulse-quickening action and suspense of the West in the next. It's a triumph that Miyazaki and Hisaishi are finally getting their recognition with American audiences and let's up hope that collaboration is far from over.

[Watashi]

- 20 -

STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH

http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/5330/starwarsepisodeiiimw2.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwGgLumlz4M)

Year:
2005

Composer:
John Williams

It's fitting that the best Star Wars prequel would also receive the best score. It's true that Revenge of the Sith was still plagued by horrible dialogue and over-choreographed action, but there's no denying that Williams brought his A-game in composing the final chapter of Star Wars. Much like Davis for The Matrix Revolutions, Williams took everything he learned from his previous scores and let them explode in one long climatic roller coaster of emotions. All the favorite Star Wars themes are still there, but Williams added two new themes to underscore the fiery relationship between Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan. The Battle of the Heroes is the film's centerpiece theme and is used during long-awaited duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan. Then there's a sorrowful tragic theme that is most stand out in the track Anakin's Betrayal and Padme's Ruminations. The latter track is one of the most unique and un-Star Warsy tracks the saga has ever heard. This ethereal track uses atmospherics and a wailing female vocal to play off the mirrored concerns of Anakin and Padme against a setting sun. This soundtrack is jammed pack with tons of cues and even prequel detesters (which is a lot of people) can't deny Williams magnificent opus 25 years in the making.

[Morris Schæffer]

Whoa, some cool picks buddy. Agreed with the wonderful Episode III, Spirited Away and The Matrix trilogy. On a related note, the score for Princess Mononoke was instantly forgotten by me.

I also didn't know Eastwood's son is a composer.

[EvilShoe]

I forgot how absolutely awesome the Ratatouille score is.
Giacchino has been putting out some good stuff as of late.
I also enjoyed his scores to Lost and Speed Racer.

[Watashi]

- 19 -

MISSION TO MARS

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9466/missiontomarscv4.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwI1WGP1UCo&feature=related)

Year:
2000

Composer:
Ennio Morricone

Yeah, I thought Mission to Mars was a better film and featured a better score than Revenge of the Sith. What are you going to do about it? Thankfully I'm on Match Cut, so I won't look crazy. But c'mon, it's Ennio Morricone. I think even John Williams would be pleased to be passed by such a music legend. Morricone is most known for his work with Sergio Leone, but many people forget that the guy is a total workhorse and composed over 450 films and still going. For his third pairing with Brian De Palma, Morricone composes probably his best work since The Mission. The film was a failure at the box office and with critics, but it didn't stop people falling in love with its music. The score's themes are reminiscent of his spaghetti western work in the 60's with subtle guitar arpeggios and flutes. No real surprise as the film contains Western motifs in the exploration of a new land and the vast deserts of Mars' surface. A Martian (uh, spoiler?) is the score's highlight track and Morricone at his dramatic best. This cue is classic Morricone and fits well into his already stacked repertoire.

[dreamdead]

I still don't think Road to Perdition is a great film (though it is aesthetically pleasing), but Newman's score, together with the cinematography, is likely the film's strongest asset.

Listening to Morricone now. I need to see De Palma's film. Definitely will try to get to it this month...

[Watashi]

- 18 -

THE DARK KNIGHT

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1668/thedarkknightpq8.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUPA9p5OEFU)

Year:
2008

Composer:
Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard

"Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos". You could apply the Joker's little philosophy lesson to Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's progression in musical score from Batman Begins to The Dark Knight. The first film introduced a number of themes including the most familiar two-note rising hero theme that could be considered as the new Batman theme. In Batman Begins, Zimmer and Howard's cues were often unrecognizable due to both collaborating on the rising hero theme. In The Dark Knight, this is not the case. Here, they split ways developing two new distinct themes to accompany the two new villains of Gotham city. Howard composed Two-Face's suite (found in Harvey Two-Face) and keeps this theme generally in the light strings and piano, but turns to darker and bolder instrumentation for Dent's transformation later in the film. Zimmer's new take on the Joker's theme is the real treat in the soundtrack. It's easy to take a Shirley Walker approach and use bouncy, goofy circus music for The Joker, but Nolan and Co. wanted to wipe everyone's past impressions off the table. Zimmer's take is appropriately unnerving and chaotic. Why So Serious introduces this sound design during the opening bank heist with electric cello, guitar and other harsh electronics. The Joker's theme gets under your skin and doesn't come in thematic rhythms, but quick pulses and electronic beats.

[Watashi]

- 17 -

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/2677/houseofflyingdaggersva9.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zunMNUFoV0)

Year:
2004

Composer:
Shigeru Umebayashi

Japanese composer Shigeru Umebayashi has done some fine scores in the past decade (his list ineligible In the Mood for Love might be his best work). When Zhang Yimou called upon him to bring his latest lush martial arts opera to life, he delivered a soft, subtle score much different from Tan Dun's wildly bombastic score for his previous film, Hero. Although for House of Flying Daggers, Umebayashi uses various traditional Chinese instruments, from the erhu to the pipa to the dizi, he places them in the soundscape, rather than allowing them to combine and overwhelm the scene. The lead theme Lovers is spread out during each key emotional meetings between the two lovers. It's a remarkably beautiful and poetic cue that lends a lyrical stillness that something few Western or Chinese composers would think of trying and that is what makes House of Flying Daggers (both film and score) so compelling.

[Spinal]

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS

Great selection!

[Watashi]

- 16 -

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/7959/requiemforadreamkf7.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSY4Yi2ypno)

Year:
2000

Composer:
Clint Mansell

What was once a cult soundtrack, the Requiem for a Dream score has now exploded into mainstream success with casual film fans labeling it as "the Two Towers trailer music". Before Clint Mansell composed the orchestrated Requiem for a Tower remix, his eerie three chord strings haunted film lovers for days matching up with the raw intensity delivered in Aronofsky's drug addiction film. The sparse progression found in cues like Summer Overture are engulfed in rich, moody atmosphere and feature an almost chorale-like electronic line. However, it is the Lux Aeterna cue (the fan-favorite orchestrated version) that is Mansell's best achievement. It takes the notable theme and turns into an epic masterpiece even if it's overexposed in trailers galore.

[Barty]

The list is good. The list is life.

[dreamdead]

Still rather surprised that Mansell's score for RfaD isn't higher. Despite the repetition of the orchestral themes, which works beautifully in the film but feels like overkill on the soundtrack, it's still fully memorable.

I wish the CD had been edited down to maybe twelve tracks to slim down the monotony, since it'd definitely get played more if that was the case.

[Melville]

BIRTH

Man, that opening scene is mesmerizing. It might have been better with no cuts (though the change in perspective would have been difficult without a cut), but still... good stuff. Great music too.

[Watashi]

- 15 -

LADY IN THE WATER

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/9306/ladywaterwu7.jpg/ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6QTvgMzE4o)

Year:
2006

Composer:
James Newton Howard

Barty can say heresy all he wants to my selection of Lady in the Water above Revenge of the Sith, but my list rules and therefore he does not. Already in the top 15 and this is the first pairing of James Newton Howard and M. Night Shyamalan to grace the list. Shyamalan gets a lot of flak thrown in his direction (some warranted), but no music lover can deny that he gets the most beautiful notes out of his go-to composer every outing. Trailer lovers should immediately recognize Howard's score from The Spiderwick Chronicles and Golden Compass trailers. The cues in Lady in the Water vary from shape and tone, but Howard sets up two main themes heard in the film - the emotional The Blue World theme, and the dark descending theme for the beast-like Scrunt. Both these theme are used prominent in the climax track The Great Eatlon, and if we know some history behind Howard and climatic cues, he's simply the best at them. Efficiently mixing a soft female choir, lush strings, piano and brass, Howard uses this amazing cue to elevate the material beyond the film's requirements. His scores are the reason why I can never truly hate a Shyamalan film.

[Watashi]

- 14 -

THE INCREDIBLES

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/2348/0000034058350yu6.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9DDKPmf5l8&feature=related)

Year:
2004

Composer:
Michael Giacchino

Why isn't Michael Giacchino a household name by now? He has taken the best of John Barry (James Bond) and Henry Mancini (The Pink Panther) and embodied their jazzy uplifting music into his own personal style. Giacchino's score for The Incredibles is not your typical triumphant superhero theme. Giacchino's approach involves creating a soundscape that pulls the listener back into the fun jazz orchestra method of scoring of the 60's, without ever becoming too self-referential. From the opening cue, The Glory Days, the nostalgic swinging rhythms immediately sets the tone of the score. The music takes us through various idioms and styles from tense action-cues like 100-Mile Dash to Mancini-inspired island riffs in Off to Work. It's only going to become a matter of years until Giacchino gets his proper due and go down as one of the all-time greats. Why isn't he doing Quantum of Solace?

[Watashi]

- 13 -

MULHOLLAND DR.

http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/8818/cdcoverul8.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuLSIEOznwY&feature=related)

Year:
2001

Composer:
Angelo Badalamenti

I'm sure this selection will please many people here. It's one of the best scores based on pure mood and tone alone to come out in a long time. No real rhythm or distinctive memorability attached to the notes, but who cares really. Badalamenti's score for Mulholland Dr. isn't designed to play within your household (unless you live in an insane asylum), but as a coexisting nightmare to David Lynch's surreal masterpiece. There are many notable cues (an opening swinging melody and a haunting Spanish rework of Orbison's "Crying"), but the Love Theme is Angelo's most brilliant work. Full of sadness and dread, it is a powerful theme to enhance the long lustful passion between Betty and Diane in the film's most infamous stop, pause, and rewind scenes.

[SirNewt]

- 20 -

STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH

http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/5330/starwarsepisodeiiimw2.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwGgLumlz4M)

Year:
2005

Composer:
John Williams


The score is obviously the best product of the prequel trilogy. Hollywood directors often lean on music. It's startling that even Williams's couldn't sell many of the films' moments.


[CENTER][FONT="Trebuchet MS"]- 16 -

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/7959/requiemforadreamkf7.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSY4Yi2ypno)

Year:
2000

Composer:
Clint Mansell



very memorable score


The list is good. The list is life.

and this made me spray tea.

[Watashi]

- 12 -

ATONEMENT

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/9738/atonementrs2.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_iljlyFFKM&feature=related)

Year:
2007

Composer:
Dario Marianelli

After multiple viewings I've come to my senses and hold Atonement as the cinematic masterpiece that it rightly is. It's a masterpiece of emotion, visual beauty, and aural pleasure. Dario Marianelli's score is no different. Right off from the first cue, Briony, we hear Marianelli use the typewriter as its own distinctive rhythmic percussion moving the music forward in a dynamic way. The beat of the typewriter ascends and descends into violins and pianos evolving into a one-of-kind arpeggio. That cue is just a mere appetite to the main course, Elegy of Dunkirk. Composed over a impressive single take through the horrors of war in 5 minutes, Marianelli's beautiful score will lift you into a dazed spell transporting you into these soldier's boots as you weep for the Hell they stumbled upon. I wouldn't be lying if I said Atonement has one of the most beautiful scores I've ever heard. I can never help be moved to tears upon hearing it.

[Raiders]

Pride & Prejudice is both the better film and has the better score.

[Watashi]

Pride & Prejudice is both the better film and has the better score.
Okay.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Pride & Prejudice is both the better film and has the better score.

This is the truth.

[Raiders]

Okay.

It's like Tourette's. Sometimes I uncontrollably spout off words of wisdom and truthiness.

[Watashi]

Remember, I thought Atonement was just pretty good too, but a second viewing completely elevated my experience.

It definitely requires another viewing.

I like Pride and Prejudice's score very much also, but it's not as complex or rich as Atonement's.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I actually liked Atonement less the second time around. The divide between the first and second half was much more pronounced, and I felt the urge to change the channel after the events at the dinner party.

[Morris Schæffer]

Excellent choice with Atonement! It is perhaps one of the five most powerful movies I've ever seen and the score is brilliant. Don't remember the score for Pride and Prejudice at all.

U got repped!

[Ezee E]

Eh, I would give Atonement a second try, but don't really see a need to check out Pride & Prejudice a second time. Both have the same rating though, whatever that means.

[Spinal]

I'd agree that Pride and Prejudice is the better film, but I thought the score for Atonement was exceptional. Don't really remember the score for the first film.

[Raiders]

Atonement has a very good score, but those damn typewriter sounds were annoying as hell. The piano music for P&P is definitely superior, but that may just be more my musical taste.

[Barty]

Atonement has the better score.

[dreamdead]

I concur with Raiders on the Atonement score. Then again, I always side with the simplicity of a lone piano when it's positioned against a full orchestra. That's also why Quiet City's score is so marvelous.

The typing here added too much of an artificial layer to a film that is already about artifice. As such, it sort of implodes under layer and layer of artifice and prevents the true emotions from coming out.

[Watashi]

- 11 -

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END

http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/Large/06/974006.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPn3o1kPCF4)

Year:
2007

Composer:
Hans Zimmer

It's funny how huge the Pirates franchise really was. The trilogy made over a billion domestically and is up there with Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings as the most successful franchises of all time. All of them have one main thing in common besides their ability to bring in the cash, and that's each of these franchises are carried by a tremendous score. Even though Zimmer was never credited as original composer for the first Pirates installment, his traditional style is certainly present in form of Klaus Badelt, Zimmer's musical apprentice and apostle. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is all Zimmer though, and it's a shame he is not given enough due for his amazing work on this franchise. Most will pass it up as "been there, done that" for Zimmer, but this score is an incredibly complex piece and one quick listen through is not enough to really appreciate all the layers of hard work Zimmer put into. At World's End features two strong central themes that come and go in a surprising assortment of cues that vary from the swashbuckling romp you'd expect to a guitar heavy Morricone-esque remix.

[Watashi]

- 10 -

THE LAST SAMURAI

http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/soundtracks/810-1.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWEMqu0iHvo)

Year:
2003

Composer:
Hans Zimmer

The list cannot get enough of Zimmer. The most impressive aspect of The Last Samurai's score is its authenticity. If you think Zimmer is a simple "score and move on" type of composer, you are gravely mistaken. It is clear that Zimmer took this score and the ethnic instrumentation to heart and the authenticity of the sound reflects that. He will spend days just experimenting with rhythms until he can find that perfect sound. The Last Samurai is one of Zimmer's best complete works since The Thin Red Line. Zimmer redefined modern film music and here he takes his standard American themes and molds them into Japanese instrumentation the same way the film's lead character is taken into the Japanese culture. Just listen to the cue finale, A Small Measure of Peace, linked above. The string textures are very reminiscent of the marquee track Journey to the Line, but with an Asian flavor molded with the combination of brass and the Taiko drums. This cue is filled with snippets of the samurai theme along with Algren's theme, but in a subtle manner. Zimmer does his fair share of action-oriented scores, but it's in his most quiet and calming tracks, you can really understand how much heart is present in his music.

[Sven]

I thought that Zwick (and/or producers and co.) laid the soundtrack on waaaaaay too thick. That scene where he's getting beaten up in the rain is one of the more disgustingly melodramatic moments I've seen in movies in terms of shameless musical orotundity.

[chrisnu]

- 13 -

MULHOLLAND DR.
Mulholland Drive/Love Theme is the best piece of film music composed this decade, so I approve. :)

[Watashi]

I thought that Zwick (and/or producers and co.) laid the soundtrack on waaaaaay too thick. That scene where he's getting beaten up in the rain is one of the more disgustingly melodramatic moments I've seen in movies in terms of shameless musical orotundity.
My favorite scene in the film.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I thought that Zwick (and/or producers and co.) laid the soundtrack on waaaaaay too thick. That scene where he's getting beaten up in the rain is one of the more disgustingly melodramatic moments I've seen in movies in terms of shameless musical orotundity.

Yep. Plus the movie sucks.

[Watashi]

Yep. Plus the movie sucks.
The movie rocks, mainly because of Toll and Zimmer. The story was silly, but as an artform, it's sublime.

It was really hard to decide which Zimmer score is better between #11 and #10.

[Morris Schæffer]

Didn't much like The Last Samurai either. Zwick's Glory struck me as a far more moving and authentic motion picture. Horner's score is also better!

[Watashi]

- 9 -

THERE WILL BE BLOOD

http://nowlikephotographs.com/images/therewillbeblood.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaZ0r_NQYMM&feature=related)

Year:
2007

Composer:
Jonny Greenwood

With an ambitious film like There Will Be Blood where dialogue is sparse, music is an essential key to give dramatic weight in the long breaks of silence. Jonny Greenwood's erratically hypnotic score is a character in itself along with Daniel Plainview with a voice just as important. If my last two Zimmer choices are considered pro-Wagner, then Greenwood's score is the anti-Wagner displayed in the masterful choice of the final movement of Brahms' violin concerto. Greenwood's bodywork is a romantic triumphalism of modern film music that never string together a coherent theme, but a juxtaposition of unsettling sounds and rhythms. The soundtrack itself is incomplete missing key three cues (found in Greenwood's other work Bodysong) and that's the only major mark against it, but judging as a whole within the film, it is nearly flawless. Even though it lacks the bombast found in a conventional score, it still carries the strong manipulative power to move you.

[Ezee E]

Duh. Great one. Can't picture the movie without the score at all.

[Watashi]

- 8 -

THE VILLAGE

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i106/RMS_88/rACO%20II/rACO%20III/rACO%20IV/The_Village_-_Soundtrack_-_Front.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ro4FHd51t4)

Year:
2004

Composer:
James Newton Howard

As time has passed, The Village is no longer seen as the misunderstood misfire by Shyamalan, but as the visually strong fairy tale it was always intended to be. I still claim it to be one of his better efforts and my appreciated has always begun with the Shyamalan's pairing of James Newton Howard. For the score in The Village, Howard juxtaposes the fairy tale romance and the horror evident onscreen both between cues and within the music’s structure. Howard's central voice lies in the dominance of Hilary Hahn's violin. Her bittersweet tone enriches the lead character's blind journey with a delicate balance of heart-wrenching beauty and classical somberness. The main ostinato can be heard in the overture Noah Visits and the climax cue The Gravel Road. The cues are just the right mix of darkness and light, wonderfully summarizing the movie’s themes.

[Winston*]

As time has passed, The Village is no longer seen as the misunderstood misfire by Shyamalan, but as the visually strong fairy tale it was always intended to be.

I don't think that's true.

[Raiders]

I don't think that's true.

Yeah, and even if it is, I don't see it that way.

[Watashi]

You both are wrong.

[Ezee E]

No, I'm pretty sure The Village is seen as the beginning of the end for Shyamalan. Down, DOWN, and then DONE.

[Dead & Messed Up]

You both are wrong.

I would love to see you support that first sentence with evidence.

:)

But...you are completely correct about the score. It's better - much better -than the film deserves. A lovely series of string motifs that thread in and out of each other, perfectly representing the simultaneous delicacy and underlying strength of Howard's character. When I'm writing at night, this is a frequent player.

[Watashi]

Been without the internets this weekend, so I'll update the next two rather quickly.

[Watashi]

- 7 -

THE FOUNTAIN

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/6553/fountainbi4.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J65bD8idVBU&feature=related)

Year:
2006

Composer:
Clint Mansell

Mansell's awe-inspiring score for The Fountain is highlighted by two rather simple motifs. The first is a 5 note progression which is performed following the downbeat in the measure. There is also a rising 3 note motif to signal the height of the film's enlightenment. These two motifs weave in and out the score often in a slow somber string set (heard significantly in The Last Man), but Mansell's breakout cue is Death in a Road to Awe which become trailer makers favorite go-to movie score of the current moment. This cue is a broad spectrum that encompasses everything Mansell did for the film. That piece of music alone contains everything a great score should have: multiple tempo changes, choral intensity, bells and chimes, and electrical guitar riffs. It's one hell of a cue.

[Watashi]

- 6 -

SUNSHINE

http://filmmusic.ru/images/Sunshine.JPG (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3YH2cebgbQ)

Year:
2007

Composer:
John Murphy

This score is impossible to find unless you're John Murphy's best friend, but with the internet, anything is possible. Not much to say about this one except in needs to be fully listened to appreciate the amazing effort John Murphy and his crew put into this score. I hope it gets released soon so more people can hear it.

[Spinal]

Awesome unexpected choice in Sunshine.

[SirNewt]

- 6 -

SUNSHINE

http://filmmusic.ru/images/Sunshine.JPG (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3YH2cebgbQ)

Year:
2007

Composer:
John Murphy

This score is impossible to find unless you're John Murphy's best friend, but with the internet, anything is possible. Not much to say about this one except in needs to be fully listened to appreciate the amazing effort John Murphy and his crew put into this score. I hope it gets released soon so more people can hear it.


Haven't seen this but that cover is really cool.

[chrisnu]

This score is impossible to find unless you're John Murphy's best friend, but with the internet, anything is possible.
I found it.

I'm accepting PMs :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWlXU2DeYkQ

[Watashi]

I found it.

I'm accepting PMs :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWlXU2DeYkQ

Uh...

[chrisnu]

Uh...
I mean that I have the whole thing :)

[Watashi]

- 5 -

SIGNS

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/4516/0000106859350cs4.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVVWQJTxlhw)

Year:
2002

Composer:
James Newton Howard

It's easy to say that James Newton Howard is simply evoking the great Bernard Herrmann, but that is just scratching the surface of this ridiculously good score. This is Howard's masterwork and it's not surprising that the film it compliments is Shyamalan's perfect Hitchcock emulation. No bodies rolling in the graves here. Herrmann would be very proud to see Howard's frentic homage to the idol composer. After all, you become greatness by learning from greatness. In Signs, Howard does something unique and creates a score that is both overbearing and minimalistic sticking to one key theme adding a little more motion, a little more sound with each cue until it overpowers us and blossoms into revelation and catharsis during the final cues, The Hand of Fate - Parts I and II. The memorable ascending string tone clusters rest underneath the climax of the movie that is quickly overtaken by brass and percussion that sweeps into a symphonic frenzy. Howard isn't just copy-pasting Herrmann's legacy, but using the musical language of his era in his own unique way to fully exploit Herrmann's strengths to a new generation.

[Watashi]

Those listening to the score, 4:25 is one of my favorite musical moments of recent memory.

[Watashi]

- 4 -

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5342/assassinationofjessejaman7.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz0FSG9h-GI)

Year:
2007

Composer:
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

A Song for Bob is my current favorite cue of the decade. It's strong impact on me alone is well-deserving over some more flashier complex score featured above. Western movies have always given composers ample room to flex their musical muscles and create mesmerizing odes to the prairie land. Nick Cave and his Dirty Three companion, Warren Ellis hum out a romanticized vision of the West through a series of dream-like cues magnifying the myth status of the Jesse James gang. The first cue Rather Lovely Thing meanders along with entrancing piano and string work. Warren Ellis's delicate strings are absolutely beautiful and lend so much to setting up this dynamic relationship between Jesse and Bob. The two self-titled songs for each character is the score's strongest work. Even without ever seeing a frame of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, listening to A Song for Bob immediately transports you into the film and you know what exactly what scene is playing over what cue.

[Watashi]

- 3 -
- 2 -
- 1 -

THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/2511/1199034243thelordoftherjy3.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ9NOV3KNpY)

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/7494/twotowerslp1.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im5CIpMFo4Q&feature=related)

http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/6599/returnofthekingpw0.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTETP_mZx44&feature=related)


Year:
2001-2003

Composer:
Howard Shore

Duh. Only a fool of a Took would doubt this placement. I may not be the hyperbolic fellow, but I would not hesitate to crown Shore's achievement along with the master composers of Mozart, Beethoven, and Wagner. The most amazing thing about Howard Shore's magnum opus is that it came out of nowhere. Shore has always been a great composer, but mostly out of subtlety for sleazy thrillers and Cronenberg's right-hand man. He was never considered a John Williams-esque maestro of bombast until Peter Jackson recruited him. It would take forever to highlight every amazing cue in the entire trilogy (and there is a lot of them), but it's simple to say, that Tolkien's grand epic deserved an equally grand score. Shore restrained himself from going overboard and making the score overpower Tolkien's illustrated mythos. The entire trilogy overlaps in themes, but much like Williams score for the Star Wars saga, it's in the complete work and not individualities that separates it from the pretenders. This pick was a no-brainer for me and to anyone who appreciates film music or music in general.

[Watashi]

Fin.

50. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
49. The Painted Veil
48. Speed Racer
47. Transformers
46. The Da Vinci Code
45. The Proposition
44. Far From Heaven
43. Black Hawk Down
42. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
41. A Very Long Engagement
40. I Am Legend
39. Brokeback Mountain
38. 28 Days Later
37. Catch Me If You Can
36. Memento
35. 25th Hour
34. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
33. Howl’s Moving Castle
32. Spider-Man 2
31. King Kong
30. WALL-E
29. Perfume: Story of a Murderer
28. Solaris
27. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
26. Ratatouille
25. Road to Perdition
24. Letters from Iwo Jima
23. The Matrix Reloaded/The Matrix Revolutions
22. Birth
21. Requiem for a Dream
20. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
19. Mission to Mars
18. The Dark Knight
17. House of Flying Daggers
16. Spirited Away
15. Lady in the Water
14. The Incredibles
13. Mulholland Dr.
12. Atonement
11. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
10. The Last Samurai
9. There Will Be Blood
8. The Village
7. The Fountain
6. Sunshine
5. Signs
4. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
3. The Return of the King
2. The Two Towers
1. The Fellowship of the Ring

[Watashi]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/221/511818695_dd44baad0c_o.jpg

It is accomplished.

[Ezee E]

I knew the ending, but, meh on it. I like #4 more.

I really don't understand the comparisons to Beethoven and Mozart. Outside of you and Barty, I've never heard such a rave.

Way to finish. I'll give rep.

[Spinal]

Not too crazy about the finale there.

[Watashi]

Not too crazy about the finale there.
It's the only logical #1 choice.

[Sven]

Not too crazy about the finale there.

Total weak-sauce.

[Spinal]

Total weak-sauce.

My post or the choice?

[Watashi]

My post or the choice?
It's Sven. Of course he agrees with your post.

[Watashi]

At least I have trans on my side.

[Derek]

I knew the ending, but, meh on it. I like #4 more.

I really don't understand the comparisons to Beethoven and Mozart. Outside of you and Barty, I've never heard such a rave.

Way to finish. I'll give rep.

This. Every word of it...aside from the giving rep.

Just kidding, I'll rep you for the high placement of Mulholland Dr., There Will Be Blood, Sunshine and Assassination of Jess James.... Nice job, Wats.

[Sven]

My post or the choice?

Wats is right, you silly goose.

Edit: about me being me, not about the top 3 scores. Ha.

[Watashi]

I don't know how anyone can say Shore's score is overwrought while listening to its best track Evenstar.

Do you people like music?

[Watashi]

Wats is right, you silly goose.

Almost sig-worthy.

[Spinal]

Should be said that this was a really great thread though. Nice work.

[Sven]

At least I have trans on my side.

Making a list of film scores and you expect trans to be on your side?

[Watashi]

Enough bickering, let's talk about the awesomesauce that is A Song for Bob.

Surely we can all agree on that one, no?

[Raiders]

LOTR has an awesome score. Deserving of its place on this list.

[Yxklyx]

I like your #1,#2, and #3! I lay back and listen to the soundtracks about once a year.

[Yxklyx]

...and I liked The Fountain - listening to your score snippet and it's really excellent. I need to see it again.

[SirNewt]

- 4 -

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5342/assassinationofjessejaman7.jpg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz0FSG9h-GI)

Year:
2007

Composer:
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

A Song for Bob is my current favorite cue of the decade. It's strong impact on me alone is well-deserving over some more flashier complex score featured above. Western movies have always given composers ample room to flex their musical muscles and create mesmerizing odes to the prairie land. Nick Cave and his Dirty Three companion, Warren Ellis hum out a romanticized vision of the West through a series of dream-like cues magnifying the myth status of the Jesse James gang. The first cue Rather Lovely Thing meanders along with entrancing piano and string work. Warren Ellis's delicate strings are absolutely beautiful and lend so much to setting up this dynamic relationship between Jesse and Bob. The two self-titled songs for each character is the score's strongest work. Even without ever seeing a frame of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, listening to A Song for Bob immediately transports you into the film and you know what exactly what scene is playing over what cue.


This film and score are fantastic and if anyone doesn't like them, I don't really want to hear about it.

BTW: Watts, thanks for the links. I don't listen to film scores much (though, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" is on pretty high rotation in my collection). I'm pretty amazed at how well "Jesse James" holds up outside the film.

[Barty]

LOTR has an awesome score. Deserving of its place on this list.

:pritch:

[Katrinaro]

I wasn't interested in seeing Sunshine until I listened to the beautiful track you linked to. Now I will watch it just for the music. :)

Nice job with the thread.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I don't know how anyone can say Shore's score is overwrought while listening to its best track Evenstar.

Do you people like music?

It's the right choice, Wats. It's as unapologetic, overwrought, and gloriously one-dimensional as the saga.

This is not a slam. I find that Jackson effectively emulated Tolkien's archetypal, unchanging characters, and Shore beautifully evoked the weight and power of such figures. "Evenstar" plays like a perfect musical evocation of the Goddess. "Forth Eorlingas" should be played before troops go into battle. "Concerning Hobbits" is as light, bouncy, and carefree as the hobbits concerned.

It's a tremendous achievement, and while I wouldn't place it in the company of Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Beethoven, the score is within shouting distance of Wagner, and that's no small feat.