2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (John Williams)
The best score of John Williams' entire career?

3. The Matrix Revolutions (Don Davis) *
If justice is served, the Matrix trilogy will be remembered for years to come for the innovation it brought to the film scoring scene. In Revolutions, Don Davis' music reached an operatic zenith that stands in my mind as one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of film scoring... and certainly in the last decade.

4. The Red Violin (John Corigliano) *
In just a couple of months, this score rocketed to my 10th most played score in my collection (as iTunes tells me). It is incredible, and would stand equally well as a modern classical work as a film score. (edit: Doh! just remembered this is 1999)

5. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Elliot Goldenthal)
I haven't owned this one very long, but I've listened to it so much already that I would place it firmly as one of the best scores I've heard in the last decade. Possibly Elliot Goldenthal's best score.

6. Finding Neverland (Jan Kaczmarek)
Certainly one of the most charming and emotional scores I've heard in the last decade or so. Brings tears to my eyes every time. As an added boon, the recording quality and timbre are practically unrivaled.

7. Pan's Labyrinth (Javier Navarrete)
I know this is a controversial pick, but it's nonetheless a very compositionally accomplished work with amazingly dense orchestration. The muddy recording is forgiveable.

* Open Mind Necessary. i.e., this is not an immediately enjoyable work to many, and some listeners might just not 'get it.' However, if you can 'get it,' you'll appreciate the true brilliance of the work.

You should really listen to all of the Lord of the Rings scores, each and every one. Some claim they are overrated but they are big orchestral works composed over a significantly longer period than most scores are allowed and it really shows in my opinion. Complex themes weave through the film and as a stand alone listen tell the epic tale.

Gladiator by Hans Zimmer was also a stand out score in my opinion. It is a little controversial because of its Holst references but the idea of using a waltz rhythm to score a battle was ingenious.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within – Elliot Goldenthal wrote a powerful score that overwhelmed the visuals in my view. It didn’t help that it was hard to identify with the CGI characters or the somewhat depressing story. A fine listen on it’s own.

Band of Brothers – Michael Kamen wrote an incredibly stirring and evocative opening them for this HBO miniseries. The series was well conceived and the music was well spotted. One of his best.

Below – An atmospheric score that evokes a sense of claustrophobia. Eerie and sometimes intense, it is not a melodic score but is well worth a listen.

Catch Me If You Can – A John Williams score that is a throwback to his 60’s writing style. Breezy and jazzy it nevertheless displays the master’s touch. It is mature writing in a whimsical mode. Different from a lot of his other output

Eight Legged Freaks – Okay, the film is a guilty pleasure but this is a great example of a composer taking a well known tune and adapting it to serve a film. It is fun and inventive and a real pleasure to see John Ottman cut loose in such an odd way. It’s hard to recognize the composer who brought us the brooding and dark Usual Suspects in this score.

Signs – This is a great suspense score for what is essentially a movie about faith. I have seen this score described as “Hermannesque” and this is mainly due to the way that he uses the strings. A very good score. But in fairness, James Newton Howard has done a fine job on all the M. Night Shymalan films. If you like this check out the beautiful writing in The Village and Lady In The Water.

Girl with A Pearl Earring – A lush orchestral score by Alexandre Desplat. This was the first score of his that I really noticed. Quite nice.

Battlestar Galactica Season One – A surprisingly good score for a series I love. I didn’t really notice the music that much when I watched the show but as a standalone this was a well done and interesting score.

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban – The best of the Harry Potter scores to my ears. It is darker than the previous scores but still contains John Williams sense of fancy. It was great to hear him really cutting loose across different styles of music. Great score.

The Incredibles – A controversial score simply because Michal Giachinno was asked to recreate a specific style score and succeeded so well. He channel’s 60’s John Barry effortlessly and delivers a score that makes this score a nostalgic treat as well a big breakthrough score for the composer.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow – A huge orchestral score that is for a film that tries, and ultimately falls short, to invoke the 30’s pulps. The score is a winner and a fun listen.

Troy – The rejected score by Gabriel Yared was controversial because of the way that he outed the creative process that led to it’s rejection. The score itself is excellent and moving. There is no way to know how it would have worked in the film, but as a stand alone it was a breath of fresh air after so many synth driven, wall of sound scores. It can be difficult to find.

Corpse Bride – A very good Danny Elfman score for a Tim Burton musical. Not as good as Nightmare Before Christmas but a well done score and some interesting songs. Tears to Shed and Duet are both great!

Star Wars III – The Revenge of the Sith – A master at work, we see John Williams construct a dark score that ties together the disparate elements of the two trilogies. A great, great score on par with Empire Strikes Back as far as Star Wars scores go.

Pan’s Labyrinth – A very good score for an interesting film. It’s main claim to greatness lies in its use of a haunting lullaby that is woven into the score. It is melodic and well written and quite good.

There are probably other great scores from this period that I haven’t listened to yet, but these are the ones that I really liked over the last few years.

(Yes, I know I went over 7. Guess I am just a rebel)

2) Far From Heaven (Bernstein, 2002)
3) Naqoyqatsi (Glass, 2002)
4) Signs, (Howard, 2002)
5) Girl with a Pearl Earring (Deplat, 2003)
6) The Incredibles (Giacchino, 2004)
7) Memoirs of a Geisha (Williams, 2005)
8) Pan’s Labyrinth (Navarrete, 2006)

Three from 2000
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Tan Dun
Chicken Run - John Powell & Harry Gregson-Williams
Yoyes - Angel Illarramendi

2. Solaris(Cliff Martinez) - Mysterious, haunting, alien yet romantic, fits the film perfectly.

3. The Fountain(Clint Mansell) - Very simple but deeply moving. The opening track starts out quite spare but with each subsequent track the arrangements build and become more trippy and complex and then the last track winds down into something simple and very beautiful. The first and last tracks on this score are my favorites.

4. Sex and Lucia(Alberto Iglesias) - Again, another deeply moving, mysterious score but more organic sounding than The Fountain or Solaris. My favorite track on this score is Encuentro.

5. Signs(James Newton Howard) - This is one of the best scores of the 00's. Hearkens back to those old monster movie scores. Fantastic to listen to. Grips you from the beginning and never lets go. A real gem!

6. Unbreakable(James Newton Howard)- This uses a lot of hero themes throughout the score as well as some electronic arrangements. It's just as good as Signs.

7. Gladiator(Hans Zimmer) - Yeah I know some folks hate Zimmer but I really love this score. The first three tracks and the last two are my favorites because I find them to be the most powerful and moving, especially the track named Earth but I can listen to the entire score and never get tired of it. Zimmer uses simple, memorable broad themes which appeal to a lot of people.

AI, Artificial Intelligence (Williams)
The Return of the King (Shore)
Birth (Desplat)
The Dancer Upstairs (Iglesias)
Angels in America (Newman)
The Red Violin (Corigliano)
Titus (Goldenthal)
The Caveman's Valentine (Blanchard)
Naqoyqatsi (Glass)
Signs (Newton-Howard)

Best overall musical experience - Moulin Rouge

1. Mission To Mars (Morricone)
2. Timeline (Goldsmith)
3. Final Fantasy (Goldenthal)
4. Hellboy (Beltrami)
5. Harry Potter & Sorceror's Stone (Williams)
6. Spiderman (Elfman)
7. Enigma (Barry)

quote:

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Originally posted by franz_conrad:
Seven is too few!

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It could also be too many.

I'll go for
(1) The Mists of Avalon
(2) The Matrix Trilogy
(3) Troy (not the Prokofiev/Vaughan Williams version)
(4) The Village
(5) Lady in the Water
(6) Pirates of the Caribbean
(7) Hellboy

quote:

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3. The Matrix Revolutions (Don Davis) *
If justice is served, the Matrix trilogy will be remembered for years to come for the innovation it brought to the film scoring scene.

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Not getting it. What's innovative about them?

Never mind, on to my list. It's rather shocking, but apart from the Lord Of The Rings, there's really no score that jumps to my mind instantly. After some hard thinking, my picks would be:

1. Lord Of The Rings trilogy - one for the ages

2. Star Wars Episode III - more for historical meaning than anything else

3. Die Another Day - yes, you've read correctly. It's James Bond music taken to the most crass and outlandish extreme, and it will be remembered as an important score (and film) because here the Bond series took one step too much and collapsed under the pressure it put on itself.

4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban - John Williams' best and most inspired score since Jurassic Park, and I stand by that.

5. Pan's Labyrinth - brilliant example of innovative and variating writing with an extra dose of genuine writing, mixed with thriller element

6. X-Men 3 - Media Ventures' inborn desire for "louder, faster, bigger" translated into a thematically interesting and complex orchestral work.

And since I'm in the mood, here's a short list of the IMO most dissapointing scores:

4. Babel - and I thought the cometic rise of sound designers like Gustavo Santaolalla were only possible in alternate universes

3. Star Wars Episode II - never heard a duller Williams score. I didn't know he was even capable of writing such a turd

2. Pirates Of The Caribbean (all of them, including #3, which, admittedly, has to come out yet) - I really think every note of these scores, from start to finish, is genuinely wrong for the film. Both, in concept and execution. I just don't find an excuse for electric guitars in a pirate movie.

1. King Arthur - wow, just wow. I don't even know how to describe this score. I have never heard such a droning conglomerate of overbearing nothingness and orchestrall dullness that wants to say everything, but in the end says nothing, does nothing, and all that with an amazing lack of substance. It's Gladiator taken to its ridiculous melodramatic extreme.

I expect some devastating responses ... hold nothing back!

quote:

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Originally posted by gkgyver:
Not getting it. What's innovative about them?

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The Matrix scores owe quite a lot to John Adams, but as far as film scores go, they're pretty unique for what they are - the first two at least, I always thought the last installment borders a bit too much on Horner bombast writing. It's still good, but nowhere near as special as the first two.

Also, Reloaded features the best mix of orchestral and techno writing I've heard.

quote:

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4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban - John Williams' best and most inspired score since Jurassic Park, and I stand by that.

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I can see what you mean. I wouldn't completely disregard Lost World, and the first Potter score has enough going for it (particularly the thematic complexity) that I can't easily put one before the other, plus I'm quite a fan of Rosewood and Amistad. But even under these circumstances, what you're saying isn't stretching it all that much.

(And I never got all the praise for A.I.)

quote:

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6. X-Men 3 - Media Ventures' inborn desire for "louder, faster, bigger" translated into a thematically interesting and complex orchestral work.

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Nice description.

quote:

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2. Pirates Of The Caribbean (all of them, including #3, which, admittedly, has to come out yet) - I really think every note of these scores, from start to finish, is genuinely wrong for the film. Both, in concept and execution. I just don't find an excuse for electric guitars in a pirate movie.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Marian Schedenig:
(And I never got all the praise for A.I.)

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And why would you? John Williams wrote it!

Someone on this message board recently stated that they felt Prisoner of Azkaban was the least well-served John Williams score on album. That is nonsense. Anyone who has heard the 2-disc AI set will know how much the AI album was missing - to think of the emphasis put on the Monica catalena and the pop song he derived from it is painful...

Among the excluded portions:
- Almost the entire first third of the score - including the theme for the broken family, and the whole slow beginning of David's Oedipal fascination with Monica. With the exception of one arrangement of David's theme, and Williams two-voice string piece (a tribute to Khatchaturian?), nothing from this section of the film appears until Monica abandons David.
- Speaking of the abandonment scene, the concert version is good, but it appears twice on the album (in full and abridged form). The careful segue cue from the family story to the abandonment scene is nowhere to be heard.
- The setting up of the Blue Fairy theme throughout the second act of the film is cut from the album.
- The real 'Rouge City' cue, with its inspired tribute to Strauss' Rosenkavalier waltz, is also missing from the album. (There is a Rouge City cue, but its grossly mislabelled.)
- Some of the more emotionally removed cues from the later section of the film, that balanced out the near syrupy-emotion of 'Monica's Theme', are also missing. Unfortunate.

quote:

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Originally posted by nuts_score:
I think that's one of Zimmer's best over the recent years

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At which point any number of Zimmer bashers could point out that Zimmer's best is hardly good and it only shows how lame film music has become.

The second and third were - admittedly - less unique and innovative than the first, but Revolutions offered such a technically impressive, apocalyptic, and operatic finale to the series, that I would place it as the best and most listenable and enjoyable of the three.

@ Marian: The Matrix Reloaded is singlehandedly responsible for opening my mind to include techno as an acceptable genre to my tastes.

quote:

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6. X-Men 3 - Media Ventures' inborn desire for "louder, faster, bigger" translated into a thematically interesting and complex orchestral work.

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Yeah... it also does help that John Powell is something of a rebel from the tyranny of Media Ventures.

As for that most lamentable of suggestion, Pirates of the Caribbean......... are you *quite* sure you didn't read this as "Top 7 Worst Scores of the 2000s"?

Star Wars Episode III
The Matrix Revolutions
X-MEN
X-MEN: The Last Stand
Superman Returns
Spider-Man (both 1 and 2)
The Mummy Returns

quote:

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At which point any number of Zimmer bashers could point out that Zimmer's best is hardly good and it only shows how lame film music has become.

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#1 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Shore, 2001-2004)
#2 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Doyle, 2005)
#3 Troy (rejected) (Yared, 2004)
#4 Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within (Goldenthal, 2001)
#5 A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (Williams, 2001)
#6 The Matrix Revolutions (Davis, 2003)
#7 Chicken Run (Powell & Gregson-Williams, 2000)

Worst Of:

#1 Babel (Santaolalla, 2006)
#2 Brokeback Mountain (Santaolalla, 2005)
#3 Poseidon (Badelt, 2006)
#4 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Badelt et al., 2003)
#5 The Island (Jablonsky, 2005)
#6 The Forgotten (Horner, 2004)
#7 The Chronicles of Narnia, I (Gregson-Williams, 2005)

Looking back at my best of lists and how my tastes have changes over the years here are some of my favorite scores composed in this brand new century.

GLADIATOR (Hans Zimmer)
DINOSAUR (James Newton Howard)
THE PERFECT STORM (James Horner)
ALL THE PRETTY HORSES (Marty Stuart, Larry Paxton and Kristin Wilkinson)
CHICKEN RUN (John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY (Howard Shore)
A.I. (John Williams)
PAVILION OF WOMEN (Conrad Pope)
THE SHIPPING NEWS (Christopher Young)
THE MUMMY RETURNS (Alan Silvestri)
FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN (Elliot Goldenthal)
SIGNS (James Newton Howard) - I consider this the best of the decade so far.
THE MATRIX RELOADED AND REVOLUTIONS (Don Davis)
ANGELS IN AMERICA (Thomas Newman)
BIRTH (Alexandre Desplat)
BLIZZARD (Mark McKenzie)
SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (Edward Shearmur)
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (John Williams)
THE POLAR EXPRESS (Alan Silvestri)
THE INCREDIBLES (Michael Giacchino)
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (John Williams)
REVENGE OF THE SITH (John Williams)
X-MEN 3: THE LAST STAND (John Powell)
PERFUME: A STORY OF A MURDERER (Tom Tykwer, Reinhold Heil, and Johnny Klimek)
EIGHT BELOW (Mark Isham)
THE DA VINCI CODE (Hans Zimmer)
CASINO ROYALE (David Arnold)

GAME SCORES

PRIMAL (Paul Arnold and Andrew Barnabas)
SECRET WEAPONS OVER NORMANDY (Michael Giacchino)
MEDAL OF HONOR: FRONTLINE (Michael Giacchino)
GUN (Christopher Lennertz)
MEDAL OF HONOR: EUROPEAN ASSAULT (Christopher Lennertz)
SUPERMAN RETURNS (Colin O'Malley)
MERCENARIES (Chris Tilton)

If I had to pick only ten then the list would look like this...

1. SIGNS (James Newton Howard)
2. SKY CAPTAIN THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (Edward Shearmur)
3. MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (John Williams)
4. THE MUMMY RETURNS (Alan Silvestri)
5. THE SHIPPING NEWS (Christopher Young)
6. SECRET WEAPONS OVER NORMANDY (Michael Giacchino)
7.THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (Howard Shore)
8. THE MATRIX RELOADED (Don Davis)
9. FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN (Elliot Goldenthal)
10. THE INCREDIBLES (Michael Giacchino)

quote:

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Originally posted by NeoVoyager:
As for that most lamentable of suggestion, Pirates of the Caribbean......... are you *quite* sure you didn't read this as "Top 7 Worst Scores of the 2000s"?

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#1 Planet Earth (Fenton, 2006)
#2 Dinotopia (Jones, 2002)
#3 Children of Dune (Tyler, 2003)
#4 Angels in America (Newman, 2003)
#5 Band of Brothers (Kamen, 2001)
#6 The Mists of Avalon (Holdridge, 2001)
#7 Colditz (Harvey, 2005)

and

#1 Gollum's Song (The Two Towers, Shore, 2002)
#2 For Always (A.I. - Artificial Intelligence, Williams, 2001)
#3 May It Be (The Fellowship of the Ring, Enya, 2001)
#4 The Dream Within (Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within, Goldenthal, 2001)
#5 If We Could Remember (The Sum of All Fears, Goldsmith, 2002)
#6 Believe (The Polar Express, Silvestri, 2004)
#7 Tell Me Now (What You See) (King Arthur, Zimmer, 2004)

CK

[Message edited by Christian Kühn on 04-30-2007]

quote:

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Originally posted by Christian Kühn:
#1 [b]Gollum's Song (The Two Towers, Shore, 2002)
#2 For Always (A.I. - Artificial Intelligence, Williams, 2001)
#3 May It Be (The Fellowship of the Ring, Enya, 2001)
#4 The Dream Within (Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within, Goldenthal, 2001)
#5 If We Could Remember (The Sum of All Fears, Goldsmith, 2002)
#6 Believe (The Polar Express, Silvestri, 2004)
#7 Tell Me Now (What You See) (King Arthur, Zimmer, 2004)

CK
[/B]

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I can tell you're a fan of ballads, Christian!

Here's my own list of songs for films I really liked over the last few years:

- Slow Day (by Kristin Asbjornsen for FACTOTUM)
- The Rider Song (by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis for THE PROPOSITION)
- A Song for Hope (by Ennio Morricone for FATELESS)
- Analyze (by Thom Yorke for THE PRESTIGE)
- Burn it Blue (by Goldenthal for FRIDA)
- The Ground Beneath Her Feet (by U2 for MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL)
- Falling at your Feet (by Bono/Eno/Hassell for MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL)
- Chaiya Chaiya Bollywood Joint (by Rahman et al - rearranged by Blanchard for INSIDE MAN)
- Start Wearing Purple (by Gogol Bordello for EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED)
- He Needs Me (version used in PUNCHDRUNK LOVE)

quote:

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#7 The Chronicles of Narnia, I (Gregson-Williams, 2005)

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But here are some of my favorite works in no particular order:

The Family Man - I thought this was a nice Elfman score that had almost the magic of Edward Scissorhands.

Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire - An odd choice, but I just can't get enough of the new theme Patrick Doyle wrote and I will be missing it in the new film

King Arthur - Although I think this is one of the worst cases of editing in a film I have ever, EVER seen, I love the score outside of the film. The themes Hans Zimmer wrote are very good and emotional.

The New World - Yes, James Horner couldn't write a new piece of music to save his life. However, there's something very relaxing and original about this score. Great for days when you just want to lay back and relax.

Road To Perdition - What can I say, I love emotional Thomas Newman scores. People laugh when they see I have How To Make An American Quilt and The Horse Whisperer, but then they hear them and kind of shut up.

The Fountain & Requiem For A Dream- Still haven't seen The Fountain (getting the Blu-Ray in a couple weeks so it better be a good movie) but the scores by Clint Mansell to both of these are just great. The themes get in your head and wont leave!!!

The Last Samurai - Another semi-relaxing CD with some great Gladiatory-Action parts by Hans Zimmer.

Lady In The Water, Signs, The Village & Unbreakable- Big M. Night Shyamalan fan. His movies have a weird magicalness to them and so do the scores. I just wish James Newton Howard would've included a certain track from The Village that repeated a few times in the film but didn't end up on the CD (hate it when that happens!).

The Da Vinci Code - Some of the stuff in the film is great and emotional. The CD release could've been better, but it's still a great score by Hans Zimmer.

Munich & Memoirs of a Geisha - What can I say, John Williams was ROBBED!!! These two scores are extremely emotional and are just fantastic.

I think I listed enough...

Goldsmiths Timeline
Badelt-Time Machine
Howard-several, King Kong and Dinosaur and others, also Vertical LImit and Hidalgo
Shore's-Rings scores were very good
Chicken Run by Powell and Gregson Williams
Kingdom of Heaven by GW.
and some others.