Lewya

Powell > Giacchino I could see Giacchino standing a chance against if he somehow did good work more often, but he isn't. Both are pretty mediocre composers though. If we take their best works, Lost and the first How to Train Your Dragon, I am not sure which one I prefer. HTTYD is more "fun", but Lost may be more interesting. I also like the best material from the first Incredibles score, some of Medal of Honor (despite it being a pastiche score like Incredibles) and the finest parts of Ratatouille. That's about it when it comes to Giaccchino. With Powell I like the first HTTYD score, Bourne when it is at its best, and a few other scores when they are at their best like say Hancock. Nothing they have done is on my playlist(s) though, so I don't really care about their music even if some of it is pretty good indeed.

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Curious, does anyone here know if John Adams has ever said something about John Williams? I have missed that if so. I am curious what Adams thinks about Williams, I remember that Adams was critical of Spielberg in an interview.

I just found negative comment (I think): The Pulitzer prize-winning composer Mario Davidovsky said the following about Williams: "John Williams is to music history what an onion bagel is to the history of the space program."

Oh, I do remember reading Williams's somewhat negative comments on Psycho. He said something to the extent that it was very effective but that it wasn't a great score. And he is clearly wrong, I'd rank Psycho as strong as anyting Williams has done. The quality of the string writing is hard to beat and it is just so memorable and iconic.

We know for instance that he thought that The Shawshank Redemption was one of the most impressive scores of the younger generation back from an old interview he did in the late 1990s. We also know and can assume Vertigo, Spartacus and A Streetcar Named Desire counts too. Him just conducting something isn't enough though. I am curious, has he ever commented on Goldenthal for instance? I must have missed that if so.

A.I. is a top 10 Williams score. Give me it any day over E.T., Jaws, Superman etc.

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Yes, you can have a top 10 (limited to one film per composer), how difficult is that to understand? I totally disagree with what you write, only Williams would have multiple entries in the top 10 if we hadn't limit ourselves to one per composer (ok, Shore would have more than one entry too for me), the others simply haven't written good enough music imo. I don't see how Horner etc can have multiple entries on any list at all. This is precisely one of the reasons I limited it to one per composer, otherwise I was afraid that there would be certain fanboy tendencies shining through some lists, like say only listing three composers to take up the entire list - as if their efforts would be better than the rest, then I would argue that people simply haven't heard enough and/or aren't open-minded enough. Fine, I admit making the error of counting the entire trilogy as one entry, The Fellowship of the Ring then. Interesting list, I haven't heard The Skin I Live In and Femme Fatale. I am a pretty big fan of Sakamoto, so I will have to check it out.

Listening to The Revenant and Star Wars: The Force Awakens - two of the best scores of 2015. I easily prefer TFA and would have given it the Oscar that year, but The Revenant has some superb heights and I agree that it should have been nominated. I would have bumped out Burwell's Carol.

Limited to one film per composer to make things a bit more interesting and challenging, otherwise I am sure several posters would mention several Williams's scores on their lists - something I would too had we not limited ourselves to one film per composer. I'd probably have three Williams's scores in my top 10 (A.I, Geisha and Sith) without the limitation, but it is more interesting this way

I didn't say telvision scores or game scores were less worthy - it isn't the case (at least one television score would make my list had I not specifically asked for film scores in particular), I was just interested in what people would mention as the top 10 FILM scores of the century (limited to one film per composer). No other reason than that, just wanted to see which 10 films (limited to one per composer) people would single out as having the best scores.

No, best FILM scores of the 21st century, limited to one film per composer. Lost isn't qualified for instance, otherwise I would mention Angels in America as Thomas Newman's finest 21st century score, but that's television thus it isn't qualified.

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Same here, in fact there isn't a genre I listen to more than others - or wait, maybe drama and sci-fi scores comes closest of what I most listen to film score-wise. In fact, I'd go as far to say that almost all action music doesn't interest me, because I can't think of much worthwhile action music at all in the history of movies. That doesn't mean that it is bad at all, but it isn't good enough for me to want to listen to it separately in isolation. Empire and Nevsky probably contain most of the best action music in movies for me and even when it comes to these two, I don't that often listen to them.

Blade Runner BY FAR on both accounts - one of the best scores and films of all time. The other one is good, but nowhere near.

Tombstone. Agreed about western scores in general, an overrated genre for film music, although I do like my share of Morricone scores etc even if I almost never listen to them, it is hardly Morricone at his very best (well, most of them at least).

I was thinking of East of Eden in particular, it is hard to beat the main title especially as far as Americana in film goes.

Seven Years in Tibet - John Williams Nixon - John Williams I have changed my mind about Nixon, I now think it is a top 20 Williams score. Both of these scores are top 20 Williams scores and two underrated Williams scores. Give me them any day over the likes of the Home Alones, Stepmom, The Terminal, Indy 4, War Horse etc.

Haha, but it is true. There are a fair number of Williams scores I don't care for (ok, let's be honest here, the same can be true about the composers I included in my top 4, but probably not to the same extent). I couldn't care less about things like the Home Alones, Stepmom, The Terminal, Indy 4, War Horse etc though. Had he written more scores like Close Encounters, A.I.. Memoirs of a Geisha etc then I would perhaps think differently.

1. I don't really care about most of Williams's music even if most of it is good, it isn't good/interesting/compelling enough to make me want to listen to again or add it to my playlist(s). Only about say the best 20% or so of it is really worthwhile. 2. Williams isn't even my favourite living film composer - I probably prefer Elliot Goldenthal and Thomas Newman over him, at least Newman over Williams. Williams wouldn't make my top 4 film composers of all time either. Top 4 film composers of all time: Bernard Herrmann Alex North Thomas Newman Jerry Goldsmith Williams would maybe come in at fifth.

Out of the alternatives, Land Before Time - Horner's best score ever maybe even.

It is all about the fourth and final movement.

Lincoln - John Williams It is good, not great.

Ferdinand I guess, but I don't care about either score at all.