Nic Cage Fugue

I'm not nearly as down on it as many people online are. I think Horner's main theme is strong. And the development of it throughout the score is interesting, all leading to its most heroic statement in the penultimate track. But yes, the soundtrack is way too long. As far as modern action scores go, though, it's a solid effort.

Looks spectacular. Person of Interest is the best sci-fi superhero series to ever air on TV. I'm still waiting for the last season to hit Netflix.

I didn't know that Wintory piece existed. It's beautiful.

And the sting over the title card. It really is one of the great movie openings. Just from your short description I picture it, hear it, and get goosebumps.

It's fascinating how the movie score opens with the five-minute Hymn of Red October, which plays uninterrupted over the opening scenes of the movie. This piece lays out all of the score's thematic material. Almost everything that comes after is derived from that hymn; even the suspense and action cues come out of it. This shows the tremendous amount of confidence director McTiernan had in Poledouris, that essentially this one piece of music would be allowed to drive his movie. It's such a bold decision and I can't think of a modern film scored this way.

So I take it I should go pick it up from the record store I was at last night that had the LP for five bucks?

Basil would have been 71 yesterday. Robocop by Basil Poledouris A classic for a reason. Mind-meltingly good mix of orchestra and synth. Teases you with snippets of the main theme to build expectation. And what a main theme it is when it arrives: heroic and memorable and vaguely sinister at the same time.

It's not just you. And many of them are fine scores. But the list goes out of its way to snub almost anything traditional or classical in its approach.

Birth is deserving, at least. But this list feels like Of My Favorite Movies These Are the Ones With the Best Music...Plus Ennio Morricone Because Tarantino

Pan is fun for sure. I think I prefer it to the How to Train Your Dragon scores, actually. The Golden Compass by The Composer Desplat I love this rich and complex score. The themes might be too subtle for some people but there are so many of them, and they're so beautifully intertwined, that it will take me years to unravel it all. Texturally it's a gorgeous work, too. The opening track, with its creaky woodwinds and subtle piano, perfectly sets the stage for the moody, intelligent, wildly ambitious score to come. The man could have written a couple of catchy fanfares and called it a day, but he treated the project with the same seriousness as Shore did LotR. It might not jump out at you on first or second or even third listens but it's got a depth and power that sticks with you.

I really like the piano statement of the main theme starting around 9:30.

Zimmer's Superman theme isn't bad (listening to its reemergence in BvS). It's simple and noble - I like it. It's all the pummeling action tracks that just aren't for me. And many of the secondary themes feel underdeveloped on the OST. I find the BvS soundtrack to be much more balanced between thematic and percussive material.

I wouldn't be posting it in a thread called "What is the Last Score You Listened To" if I didn't actually listen to it. Sorry if you're offended.

I like plenty of Zimmer scores. Just not Man of Steel. I'm happy that he's moving on from superheroes because it seems like his heart is not in it.

Man of Steel by Hans Zimmer If this is the kind of stuff I'm missing by not listening to Remote Control superhero scores then I feel I've made the right decision. Obnoxious, repetitive, and totally at odds with everything Superman. Mostly dreck. Mad Max: Fury Road by Junkie XL. In the same vein but appropriate to the torched MM landscape. And there are a couple of lovely sad string pieces. Might actually revisit this one.

Oh, I'll have to listen to that outside of the movie. Thanks for reminding me of it. Patrick Doyle's Carlito's Way (De Palma, go figure) is quite good too.

The Untouchables - Ennio Morricone One of my all-time favorites. A film score that seared its composer's name in my head forever upon first viewing in junior high. From that off-kilter, inimitable title track to the soaring, blissfully over-the-top Untouchables theme to the absolutely heartbreaking Death Theme, I love this score so much. I don't think I could appreciate until now how ingenious Machine Gun Lullaby is. Ingenious and oh-so-Morricone. I'm sure he's written better scores but none I cherish more. Can you imagine such a crime drama score being written today, so bold and melodic and brazenly sentimental? I can't.

Played it. Finished it. It's great. And the music, my god.

There's a rumor going around that Wintory is scoring Kong: Skull Island. Even if that turns out to be untrue, I await his inevitable blockbuster scores with a mixture of dread and excitement.

Lovely score. Some of the best choral and woodwind writing I've heard in a while. And those harps!

Avatar - James Horner Never one of my favorite Horner scores but I feel like I must reassess that opinion. One of the most gorgeously textured scores - the mix of electronics, orchestra, and choir is really quite stunning and unique sounding. Many have combined those elements before but few have done so with such understated beauty and emotion. And it's a score that builds to something. I guess James excelled at writing scores that felt like a journey of discovery but this one begins so unassumingly atmospheric, gradually unfolds its thematic material, and brings it all home in "War," one of the most rousing action cues he ever wrote (and he wrote some barnburners). I miss this guy so much.

Revenge of the Sith I think it's my favorite of the Prequel scores. I was never a big fan of Duel of the Fates but I love Battle of the Heroes. DotF always felt like half of a theme to me, and BotH is the superior other half. It's hard for me to love these scores since they're connected to movies I mostly hate but I'll be returning to this one.

I'm noticing many more variations on the main theme, like that very pretty choral bit at the end of Hitting the Saucer.

Battle in the Snow. I love how the piano is both melodic and rhythmic. Love that first cymbal crash at :18. Love the percussion throughout. Very inventive and sounds unlike anything else JW did in the series. Pound for pound Empire might be the best score he ever wrote.

I really like this score. The Yorktown theme has been playing in my head all weekend. But also while I tend to find Giacchino's action music a bit shrill and uninteresting I think there are some exciting, listenable action cues here. Some of them seem to have actual motifs of their own! I like what he did with the Krall theme. By the end of the movie, it has transitioned into something a bit noble. Not sure I agree with that read on the character but it's musically satisfying. And the choral bit at the end of Hitting the Saucer might be the most beautiful thing I've heard from Giacchino. In general it sounds to me like he tinkers with his main theme a lot more this time around. Might be my favorite of his Trek scores but I need to listen to Into Darkness a few more times.