My question is simple... the summer is almost gone, and so are this years exceedingly crummy batch of summer popcorn flicks... so what were our favorites?

I don't need lists, either. Pick one or two and tell us why. That's what makes this place interesting.

My choices are:

A.I. (John Williams) - Lyrical and haunting, this score to everyone's favorite love-it-or-hate-it summer pic is the one thing I think we can all agree on. Williams is a true master, and here is the proof.

The Others (Alejandro Amenabar) - I recently wrote an in-depth review of this one over at Dan Goldwasser's site (www.filmmusic.com)... check it out if you get the chance. But in short, this is a spooky and gorgeously crafted score to what is sure to be a sleeper hit.

Evolution (John Powell) - Powell is fast becoming one of my favorite contemporary composers, and this guilty pleasure is one of the reasons why. I didn't even see the movie, but the album represents some of the best kinds of things to come out of Media Ventures.

Okay, so there we go. Trying my best here to get a fun vibe back on around here. Anyone else?

Clayton

And I agree about Shrek... I was one of the few who absolutely didn't like the movie. But the score is another notch in the bedpost of Chicken Run's awesome composers, John Powell (yet again) and Harry Gregson-Williams.

Don Davis' Jurassic Park 3 is very good as well, though perhaps a bit too heavy on the action side to make for a balanced listen. A.I. is good Williams, with some surprisingly fresh parts, but severaly handicapped by the CD's awful sound.

I'm looking forward to seeing Shrek on Monday, and I expect the true highlights of 2001's film scores to come at the end of the year - Harry Potter and Fellowship of the Ring. For once, the summer was just the "prologue".

2. I'm one of those folks that really loves summer movies. It's not like I take a break from thinking for three months. I'm a year-round movie goer. It's just nice to get enthusiastic about movies that, if not complicated, are generally pretty fun. Going to the movies is about being entertained. If you can find a good balance between brains and balls, you should do pretty well eleven months out of twelve....

3. This weekend is technically the end of summer for me, and while I look forward to the "barrage of crap" that the rest of the year holds (i.e., The Musketeer, Windtalkers, et. al.) I'll go ahead and post my take on the summer up to now, for the fun of it. (I actually reserve the right to pass full judgement until I take in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back tomorrow, (which I am really looking forward to...) but it's Friday night, and I'm awake at this late hour, so here goes....)

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1. The Mummy Returns - Symphonic fun. Wasn't sure exactly what to expect--(but then, I rarely do know what to expect)--so, I was pleasantly surprised. Real adventure.

2. Pearl Harbor - Damn the critics. Beautiful and heartening. Great film, great score -- both on an epic scale. Love that epic scope.

3. Moulin Rouge - One of those I wasn't sure I'd like and then ended up liking more than anyone else I went with....Even though it's pretty much a one-way ticket from the get-go, it has some of the greatest song-orchestrations concieved for a film. Really looking forward to Craig Armstrong's score contributions on that...future release...yes?

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Post Script:

I did not see Evolution, but the score is terrific. Swordfish was a decent movie without much score. Atlantis was a good contribution.

A.I. was such a enigmatic film...I don't think of it as a "summer film", but it is a very interesting, noteworthy film...I find paradoxically that I can neither recommend the film to others (knowing they will be bored to tears, or merely confused beyond reason)--nor deny its' profundity. Its' viewing makes for interesting discussion with the open minded.

The Score, Shore; cooooooool album
Mummy Returns, Silvresti; nonsensical fun, which we're allowed every so often, only Hollywood dishes it out way too often
The Others, Amenabar; fit the film like a glove.
Final Fantasy, Goldenthal; what's NOT to like about this one
Atlantis, JNH; I love the guy's music okay?

honorable mention goes to Craig Armstrong for Kiss of the Dragon, which I thought very cool.

I think the only positive summer movie experience for me was EVOLUTION. I hadn't any expectations towards the movie, so maybe that's why it was, in my opinion, better than THE MUMMY RETURNS or JURASSIC PARK III. Although EVOLUTION was basically a comedy, I found it also seriously witty, charming, and immensely more uplifting than JURASSIC PARK III. The score for EVOLUTION was also a pleasant versatile surprise from John Powell.

THE MUMMY RETURNS - uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurgh! I really liked the first one, THE MUMMY, and compared to its "originality" and adventurous fun, this sequel was an exhausting and nauseating wooden rollercoaster ride. The sequel lacked from the freshness and the peculiar "innocence" of the first one; THE MUMMY RETURNS had a disastrous script which was over-assembled by everything. Less would be more. Same thing concerns Alan Silvestri's score - if he had been more careful in his continuous orchestral turbulence, the score could have been better. "Sandcastles" (in the End Title) was the only music that got caught in my ear, thus wanting to purchase this soundtrack.

JURASSIC PARK III - grrrrrrrowl ! The movie was in fact better than LOST WORLD: JP II - it really showed that dinosaurs are not of playing matter. It contained couple of nightmarish sequences which were totally absent from LOST WORLD. The movie also got some extra laughs during the sequences when nearly everybody in the theater checked their pockets for their phones. The music score wasn't as great as I hoped it to be, but nevertheless Don Davis' music fitted almost every inch of the movie most perfectly - all except the John Williams arrangements. In my opinion the movie and the score would have worked better without the Williams themes.

A.I. - A very haunting and emotional score. Tracks 9 and 12 bring tears to my eyes and the last score to do that was E.T. I agree with Lancelot when it comes to the film though.

The Mummy Returns - Finally Silvestri unleashed. I've always wanted to hear a large bombastic score from him. This film is pure popcorn fun and so is the score.

As for the rest well Jurassic Park 3 was better than I expected. Considering who Davis had to follow he did a great job. Nice action cues. Atlantis and Planet Of The Apes were both pretty good. I love percussion driven scores. Final Fantasy was nice, it sounded like typical Goldenthal to me so maybe I'm missing why some people herald it above all of his works.