- This topic is empty.
- Posts
BAFTA Nominations for Music is the British equivalent of the Oscars and I guess the rules are different there because Chicago and Gangs of New York were both nominated (having preexisting music and whatnot). Out of all the scores Elfman wrote this year it would be funny to see him recognized for Chicago (although I adore what he wrote and wished that he had written more). I believe the most deserving ON THIS LIST is Glass and Williams, but that’s just my silly old opinion not isn’t it (where is Spiderman or Far From Heaven? Not even Signs or The Two Towers? – What is this the Golden Globes?
.CATCH ME IF YOU CAN John Williams
CHICAGO Danny Elfman/John Kander/Fred Ebb
GANGS OF NEW YORK Howard Shore
THE HOURS Philip Glass
THE PIANIST Wojciech KilarI just thought you might want to know.
Nat
A nomination for JW is a shoe-in. What a predictable list.
Hmmm, here is mine:
Danny Elfman – Red Dragon
James Newton Howard – Signs
Wojciech Kilar – The Pianist
Road to Perdition – Thomas Newman
Danny Elfman – Spider-manI don’t think Gangs of New York should be up there because it wasn’t an original score, more or less a reperformed work (according to Nat).
Chicago was more of a musical than having a big lush score (I am gonna get hell for that).
The Pianist totally blew me away so that is gonna stay up on my list for a while, as was Road to…, just blew my mind.
I didn’t see the Hours yet but I’m not a big fan of Philip Glass (as well as lots of minimalists, more hell coming, I know it).
Catch me if you can shouldn’t be up there cause Williams has enough awards already to build a house, and he needs to give other people a chance (yeah, yeah, it’ll never happen, but I can dream right?).
Newton Howard always impresses me (except for his early stuff). I think he is the master of resolution in films. You have the opening theme, which is dark and disturbing, then at the end of the film he uses a variation that is so peaceful, it’s scary.
And as for Mr. Elfman, his score for Red Dragon gave me chills (which rarely happens). It was truley a tour de fource of suspence music, as full and chilling as any can expect. Who knew that Danny could deliver such an outright scary score (it’s even scary without the film).
Some, or rather many, will object to the Spider-man on my list, because too many think it is similar to Batman, when it is anything but. This score was a totally different trip on suburbia super-heros (he was in a city but still seemed suburbian to me), and was totally lacking the whole “gothic” tone (that I love in Batman, but this was just as awesome). It is, in my opinion, a true work of art, a pulsing and crashing ride that fully takes us into the film, as only Danny can do.
Alot might notice that I left off the Two Towers. I did this because while I felt that Fellowship was amazing, I was left wanting more from Two Towers. I got it right when it came out and it seemed that Shore went for a more Williams/Star Wars approach that I would have liked. Too many of the themes are repeated again, without enough variations, and without enough new content that blew me away. If this movie had been a 9 hour film, Shore would have done it alot different, and would have changed alot more stuff to keep it interesting and not the same old thing (which I KNOW), but I guess he thought it couldn’t hurt because, after all, it was coming out a year later, and the previous music was probably not as fresh in most people’s minds as it was in mine. It was an awesome score though, and I would put it up if Fellowship hadn’t been there.
And there you have it, my warped and disturbed musical opinion on who is the best and why. It may not please you, but hey, I don’t care hehehe.
Knight (The Film Music Critic)
I LOVE the “Rohan” theme in the Two Towers. How can you NOT like it?! (Nah, j/k. Everyone has his/her own opinion). However, that theme on solo strings is undeniably gorgeous in my book. So melancholy! (As most of you know, I go nuts over anything with a tinge of sadness. Just like Danny said, “If there’s one thing I love, it’s sad music”). Ironically enough, I found Two Towers to be a much better score than Fellowship – bet you can’t guess why!
-E (who will now put on The Two Towers soundtrack and listen to the “Rohan” theme on repeat all night)
E, I’m with you on the Rohan theme – it was THE best new theme of the second movie. My favorite theme from the first is the Shire theme. There is a great article, with and interview of Shore, about the Two Towers in Soundtrack magazine (there is one in Film Score Monthly too, but I haven’t read that one yet). The article goes in depth about how he scored the film. The same issue (sadly the last of the quarterly issues of Soundtracks) has an article about Elfman’s Red Dragon with a great full body color photo of Elfman.
As far as my favorite scores (or at least the ones that have found themselves into my player over and over again) from 2002 would read like this…
1. Spider-Man
2. Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones
3. The Hours
4. Far From Heaven
5. The Two Towers
6. Road To Perdition
7. Punch Drunk Love (with “Here We Go” being favorite original song)
8. Signs
9. Catch Me If You Can
10. Noqauqatsi (sp)The strongest, as they work in the film that they were written for, are Road To Perdition and Punch Drunk Love. Its music that actually dictates the way you are suppose to feel and not just augmenting what is on screen. I love scores like that (Morricone is one of the best at this type of scoring).
I know I’ve left out a few favorites (and some will probably go up on the list in a month or two) but that is why I listen to film scores (and classical music) mostly anyway – there is a wealth of great music to listen to out there.
I love Film Music.
Nat
“The Pianist totally blew me away so that is gonna stay up on my list for a while, as was Road to…, just blew my mind.”
Doesn’t the Pianist have a whole bunch of classical piano works in it?
“…I’m with you on the Rohan theme – it was THE best new theme of the second movie.”
Isn’t that the only new theme in The Two Towers? To me it sounds like the Fellowship theme played upside down. Haha — I kid, the music is great.
Here are my chocies:
Best Music, Original Dramatic Catch Me if You Can – John Williams
Far From Heaven – Elmer Bernstein
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Howard Shore
Red Dragon – Danny Elfman
Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones – John Williams
Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score
Austin Powers in Goldmember – George S. Clinton
Chicago – Danny Elfman
Men In Black – Danny Elfman
Treasure Planet – James Newton Howard
Spirited Away – Jo HisaishiYeah, The Pianist has a bunch of Chopin works on it (I think that’s the composer) and only a few Kilar works.
Of the ones I’ve heard, I’d have to go with:
Signs
Red Dragon
SpiderMan
Insomnia (some GREAT music in that movie)“…with a great full body color photo of Elfman.” Uh…Nat? You’re talking about the latest issue of FSM, right? There was certainly something on Elfman/Red Dragon in the “Fall Film Scores” issue, but I didn’t see any pic of Elfman in this latest one. However, there is the kick ass back cover with the giant “for your consideration” pic of Ralph Fiennes and Emily Watson in Red Dragon. Am I missing a full color, full body photo of Elfman?!? (Wow, that comment could be misconstrued in SO many contexts that I”m not even going to address it. Think what you want, but I’m much more partial to the Batman promo photo).
-E (who usually doesn’t have time to read FSM cover-to-cover, but always picks out the Elfman updates)
No, not Film Score Monthly, it was SOUNDTRACK (like I said in the post) – the Belgium film score magazine. It is their “final” issue after 25+ years of publication (although It might become an annual magazine now). You can get it at Intrada.com or SreenArchives.com for $5 and it is worth it.
Nat
That’s ScreenArchives.com – sorry.
Nat
Oops, sorry Nat. Thanks!
-E
Yes, the Pianist has a bunch of Chopin pieces, but it also has a breathtaking original score that wasn’t written by Chopin. If you listen, music will come.
Knight (To all those crazy people: I know that the scary little telletubbies are gonna attack, I have forseen it! It is time that we all grab out pitchforks again!)
Yeah! Somebody brought back the pitchforks! Thanks, Knight, for bringing back the “Deliverance” imagery (but not ALL the “Deliverance” imagery
)-E
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.