The 8th Annual JWFan Awards - The Best Scores and Films of 2015!

[Jay 37,353]

It's silly for me to do this so early since some potentially great films haven't even opened wide yet (The Revenant is one I'm looking forward to, opening Jan 8 here).  But some people like to do this stuff early, so here you go!

 

 

Here are the usual categories;  Feel free to skip some or add your own!

 

TOP 5 SCORES OF 2015:

 

RUNNERS UP:

 

TOP 10 INDIVIDUAL TRACKS OF 2015:

 

TOP 5 CATALOG TITLES OF 2015:

 

BEST FILM SCORE LABEL OF 2015:

 

5 BEST FILMS OF 2015

 

SPECIFIC HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015:

 

SPECIFIC DISAPPOINTMENTS OF 2015:

 

 

 

 

Btw, you can click right here for a handy list of all the 2015 catalog releases when making your vote:

 

http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/20226-the-specialty-film-score-label-catalog-of-new-titles/

 

And click here to be reminded of all the films that count as 2015 films:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_in_film

 

 

Oh and click:

 

HERE for the 2013 awards (main post contains links to all prior years)

 

HERE for the 2014 awards

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

If The Revenant opens Jan 8 there, doesn't that make it a 2016 film?

[Jay 37,353]

Huh?  It's been playing in NY and LA for weeks, It simply doesn't open wide until Jan 8th.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Ok. I did not know that.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

I only know my #1 for each category.  

[Hlao-roo 389]

6 minutes ago, Mr. Big said:

I only know my #1 for each category.  

 

If you know your #1 "runner up," don't you have to know your top 5?

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

TOP SCORES OF 2015:

 

    1) Star Wars: The Force Awakens - John Williams

    2) The Hateful Eight - Ennio Morricone

    3) The Revenant - Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto, Bryce Dessner

    4) SPECTRE - Thomas Newman

    5) The Good Dinosaur - Mychael & Jeff Danna

    

    Also of note: 

    

    Michael Salvatori and company's music for the Destiny expansions, and Kazuma Jinnouchi's score for Halo 5, examples of the vibrant scene of game music

 

    Giacchino's Jurassic World, wherein he finally goes back to what he's really gifted at

 

    Some lovely tunes for Mr. Holmes from Carter Burwell

 

    Thomas Newman's curio for Bridge of Spies

 

    Jóhann Jóhannsson's oppressive but fresh Sicario

 

    Tom Holkenborg's raucous Fury Road

 

 

TOP CATALOG TITLES OF 2015:

 

    A.I. Artificial Intelligence - John Williams (LLL)

    LLL's Horner (Braveheart, The Pagemaster) releases

 

 

BEST FILMS OF 2015:

 

    I'll have to revisit this in a few months maybe as the Oscars approach and I'm forced to sit down and really see everything worth seeing.  Aside from the obvious Star Wars though, what I've most enjoyed this year are The Hateful Eight and The Revenant. 

 

 

SPECIFIC DISAPPOINTMENTS OF 2015:

 

    I hesitate to include a grouchy category like this, but there are two noteworthy enough disappointments.  Both The Martian and Ex Machina were potentially enjoyable scifi films ruined in exactly the ways I predicted they would be.  Really a shame.

[crocodile 8,008]

It's a very mainstream bunch. Not much of smaller stuff drew my attention this year, sadly.

 

TOP 5 SCORES OF 2015:

 

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (John Williams)

2. The Hateful Eight (Ennio Morricone)

3. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (Joe Kraemer)

4. Jupiter Ascending (Michael Giacchino)

5. Wolf Totem (James Horner)

 

RUNNERS UP: The Walk (Alan Silvestri), Trumbo (Theodore Shapiro), Sicario (Johann Johannsson), Pan (John Powell), Spectre (Thomas Newman), Bridge of Spies (Thomas Newman), Cinderella (Patrick Doyle), Avengers: Age of Ultron (Danny Elfman's parts only)

 

TOP 10 INDIVIDUAL TRACKS OF 2015:

 

The Jedi Steps and Finale from Star Wars: The Force Awakens (John Williams)

It’s a Hellava Chase from Jupiter Ascending (Michael Giacchino)

L’Ultima Diligenza di Red Rock from The Hateful Eight (Ennio Morricone)

Bridge of Spies (End Title) from Bridge of Spies (Thomas Newman)

Backfire from Spectre (Thomas Newman)

Eighty Words a Minute from Trumbo (Theodore Shapiro)

Solomon Lane from Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (Joe Kraemer)

First Mission from Ant-Man (Christophe Beck)

It Begins from Avengers: Age of Ultron (Danny Elfman)

Jurassic World Suite from Jurassic World (Michael Giacchino)

 

These are not necessarily the best pieces of music. But I found myself re-listenng to those ten most often.

 

TOP 5 CATALOG TITLES OF 2015:

 

1. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (La-La Land)

2. Jaws (Intrada)

3. Return to Oz (Intrada)

4. Obsession (Tadlow)

5. The Last Starfighter (Intrada)

 

I’d also like to add The Ghost and the Darkness (Intrada), The Journey Inside (Intrada) and Something Wicked This Way Comes (Intrada).

 

BEST FILM SCORE LABEL OF 2015:

 

Intrada. With so many excellent titles being released by them, there is simply no competition.

 

5 BEST FILMS OF 2015:

 

1. Mad Max: Fury Road

2. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

3. Inside Out

4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

5. Avengers: Age of Ultron

 

I actually haven’t seen a great deal of films in 2015, hence this disappointing list. There’s a lot of more recent things that I still need to see. So I wouldn’t treat this too seriously.

 

SPECIFIC HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015:

 

8th FMF Festival in Krakow (although it was my least favourite edition so far)

Interstellar Live in London

Joe Kraemer interview (my best experience so far)

Two giants John Williams and Ennio Morricone releasing their score albums on the same day and smashing all competition in an instant.

All four Jaws scores getting a release and the continued rise of Mike Matessino

 

SPECIFIC DISAPPOINTMENTS OF 2015:

 

Fantastic Four 'collaboration' between Philip Glass and Marco Beltrami

The fact Danny Elfman didn’t get to score Age of Ultron entirely on his own and how his music was treated in that film.

Movie-wise, it’s Spectre, Sicario and The Martian.

Not hearing Howard Shore’s final recorded piece for a Middle-earth score in the extended version of The Battle of the Five Armies

Dario Marianelli being kicked off Pan

 

And, of course, there's James Horner's unfortunate fatal accident back in June. But you can't label it under "disappointments". That wouldn't have been appropriate.

 

Karol

[TheUlyssesian 2,478]

TOP 5 SCORES OF 2015:

1. John Williams - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

2. Michael Giacchino - Tomorrowland

3. Gabirel Yared - Tom At The Farm

4. Daniel Pemberton - The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

5. Carter Burwell - Carol

 

Runner-Ups

6. Michael Giacchino - Inside Out

7. Danny Elfman - 50 Shades Of Grey

8. Danny Elfman - Avengers: Age Of Ultron

9. Ennio Moricone - The Hateful Eight

10. Henry Jackman - Kingsman: The Secret Service

 

TOP 12 INDIVIDUAL TRACKS OF 2015:

1. The Jedi Steps and Finale - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

2. March Of The Resistance - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

3. Rey's Theme - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

4. Joy Turns to Sadness/A Growing Personality - Inside Out
5. New Avengers - Avengers: Age of Ultron - Avengers: Age of Ultron
6. Electric Dreams - Tomorrowland
7. End Credits - Tomorrowland
8. Opening - Carol
9. Manners Maketh Man - Kingsman: The Secret Service
10. Take You Down - The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
11. His Name Is Napoleon Solo - The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
12. The Unfinished Kiss - The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

 

Top 12 Best New Themes of 2015

1. Jedi Steps - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

2. Rey's Theme - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

3. March Of The Resistance - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

4. Love Theme or the Main Theme (whatever its called) - Tomorrowland

5. Athena's Theme - Tomorrowland

6. Ilya's Theme - The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

7. Kingsman Theme - Kingsman: The Secret Service

8. New Avengers Theme - Avengers: Age of Ultron

9. Solo's Theme - The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

10. Main Theme - The Hateful Eight

11. Main Theme - Carol

12. Sadness Theme - Inside Out

 

5 BEST FILMS OF 2015

1. The Assassin

2. Li'l Quinquin

3. A Pigeon Sat On A Branch

4. Jauja

5. Tom At The Farm

 

5 Best Uses of Existing Music

1. Love

2. The Hateful Eight

3. Youth

4. Clouds Of Sils Maria

5. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Top 10 Film Scores:

1. Loin Des Hommes (Cave, Ellis)

2. The Hateful Eight (Morricone)

3. The Danish Girl (Desplat)

4. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Pemberton)

5. Tomorrowland (Giacchino)

6. En Mai Fais Ce Qu'il Te Plait (Morricone)

7. Sicario (Jóhannsson)

8. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Williams)

9. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (Kraemer)

0. Bridge Of Spies (Newman)

 

Top 5 Game Scores:

1. Assassin's Creed Syndicate (Wintory)

2. Everybody's Gone To The Rapture (Curry)

3. Fallout 4 (Zur)

4. The Order: 1886 (Graves)

5. Batman: Arkham Knight (Arundel, Buckley)

 

Top 5 Catalog Releases:

1. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (La-La Land)

2. Jaws 2 (Intrada)

3. Braveheart (La-La Land)

4. 3:10 To Yuma (La-La Land)

5. Agent Cody Banks (Intrada)

[JasonTHX 21]

Top 10 Film Scores:

 

1. The Hateful Eight (Morricone)

2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Williams)

3. He Named Me Malala (Newman)

4. Mad Max: Fury Road (Tom Holkenborg)

5. The Revenant (Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto, Bryce Dessner)

6. Carol (Carter Burwell)

7. Spectre (Newman)

8. Chappie (Hans Zimmer)

9. The 33 (Horner)

10. The Second Best Exotic Marigiold Hotel (Newman)

 

TOP 7 INDIVIDUAL TRACKS OF 2015:

 

1. Sherzo For X-Wings - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

2. L’Ultima Diligenza di Red Rock - The Hateful Eight

3. School V. Celebrity - He Named Me Malala

4. Brothers In Arms - Mad Max: Fury Road

5. The Jedi Steps and Finale - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

6. A Reunion - Spectre

7. Grievous Injury - He Named Me Malala

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Most overrated film of the year,  tie between Mad Max, Jurassic World, and Avenger's 2 The Age of Mediocrity.

Best Score...The Force Awakens

Best Film....The Force Awakens

Most Unnecessary rerelease or whatever the hell it was, waste of time AI. 

Jaws the 2 disc set, nice to have I suppose but the original soundtrack is still the best part.

The most disappointing trend in continued in film is the piss poor cinematography. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,520]

Scores of the year:  1/ "Inside Out"

                             = 1/ "The Hateful 8" (a low, rumbling, powerhouse of a score. Easily his best in many a year).

 

JW score of the year: "TFA".

 

Re-issue of the year: the masterful - and all-new - "Jaws 2"

                                  = "Total Recall".

 

Meh of the year "TFA" (sorry, but somebody had to say it).

[publicist 4,643]

TOP 5 SCORES OF 2015:

 

THE HATEFUL 8, Ennio Morricone

MR. HOLMES, Carter Burwell

THE PROGRAM, Alex Heffes

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, John Williams

WOLF TOTEM, James Horner

 

RUNNERS UP:

Carol

EN MAI FAIS CE QU'IL TE PLAIT

EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE

In The Heart of The Sea

Jurassic World

Krampus

Macbeth

Pan

Sicario

Trumbo

 

 

TOP 5 CATALOG TITLES OF 2015:

A. I., Ghost and the Darkness, Gremlins 2, Sodom & Gomorrah, Braveheart

(hm: Jaws, Obsession, Indecent Proposal, Warlock Deep Rising, On the Waterfront, The Last Starfighter, Jaws, Return to Oz, Judge Dredd, Double Indemnity, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Braveheart, The Lost Weekend, Chain Reaction)

 

BEST FILM SCORE LABEL OF 2015:

Intrada

 

 

SPECIFIC HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015:

ASSASSIN'S CREED SYNDICATE, Austin Wintory

 

 

[Gnome in Plaid 219]

Top 5 Film Scores of 2015

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (John Williams)

2.  Secrets of a Psychopath (Scott Glasgow)

3.  Sponge Out of Water (John Debney)

4.  Trumbo (Theodore Shapiro)

5.  Jupiter Ascending (Michael Giacchino)

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order): Carol (Carter Burwell), The Hateful Eight (Ennio Morricone), He Named Me Malala (Thomas Newman), Loin des Hommes (Nick Cave/Warren Ellis), The Man from UNCLE (Daniel Pemberton), Mr. Holmes (Carter Burwell), The Mistover Tale (Jerome Leroy), No Escape (Marco Beltrami/Buck Sanders), Poltergeist (Marc Streitenfeld), The Revenant (Ryuichi Sakamoto/Carsten Nicolai), Tomorrowland (Michael Giacchino), Wolf Totem (James Horner)

Top 5 TV Scores of 2015

1. House of Cards (Season 3) (Jeff Beal)

2. Hand of God (Season 1) (Marc Streitenfeld)

3. Hannibal (Season 3) (Brian Reitzell)

4. Scream (Season 1) (Jeremy Zuckerman)

5. Flesh and Bone (Season 1) (Dave Porter)

Top 5 Video Game Scores of 2015

1. Sword Coast Legends (Inon Zur)

2. Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (Austin Wintory)

3. Halo 5 (Kazuma Innouchi)

4.  Star Wars: Battlefront (Gordy Haab)

5. Bless (Lorne Balfe/Hans Zimmer)

Top 5 Catalog Titles of 2015

1. Home Alone (John Williams) (La-La Land)

2. The Firm (Dave Grusin) (La-La Land)

3. Braveheart (James Horner) (La-La Land)

4. AI (John Williams) (La-La Land)

5. The Wind Gods (Pinar Toprak) (Caldera)

Best Film Score Label

La-La Land.  What a great bunch of catalog releases this year.

Top 10 Individual Tracks of 2015 (in alphabetical order) (might change)

The Abduction (John Williams) (The Force Awakens)

The Abrasax Family Tree (Michael Giacchino) (Jupiter Ascending)

Burger Beard on Island (John Debney) (Sponge Out of Water)

Escaping in a Bubble (John Debney) (Sponge Out of Water)

Family Tragedy (Scott Glasgow) (Secrets of a Psychopath)

Genine (Scott Glasgow) (Secrets of a Psychopath)

The Jedi Steps and Finale (John Williams) (The Force Awakens)

Maddy Is on TV (Marc Streitenfeld) (Poltergeist)

Rey's Theme (John Williams) (The Force Awakens)

Smoking Cubans (Jeff Beal) (House of Cards)

Top 5 Films of 2015

I'll do this section once I've seen more of the Oscar contenders, but Touched with Fire is likely to be pretty high up the list.

Biggest Disappointment of 2015

Probably the fact that Clint Mansell scored two films (one of which sounds completely insane by the information we have available), but neither are being released this calendar year.  For something more specific, it would be the film, although not the score, of The Force Awakens.  For a score itself, the biggest disappointment for me would be Spotlight.  Come on, Howard – you're a master of choral and experimentally dissonant music, and you're writing for a film that looks at the dark side of Catholic bureaucracy, and you come up with this?

 

[Jay 37,353]

Woops, I never did 2015 either!  This will be a hard one...

 

 

BEST SCORES OF 2015:

1 (tie). Star Wars: The Force Awakens by John Williams

1 (tie). Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation by Joe Kraemer
3. Tomorrowland by Michael Giacchino

4. Living in the Age of Airplanes by James Horner

5. Animal Kingdom: Let's go Ape by Laurent Perez Del Mar

6. Wolf Totem by James Horner

7. Inside Out by Michael Giacchino

8. Jupiter Ascending by Michael Giacchino

9. Jurassic World by Michael Giacchino

10. The Hateful Eight by Ennio Morricone

BEST CATALOG TITLES OF 2015:

1. Jaws by John Williams (Intrada)

2. A.I. Artificial Intelligence by John Williams (La-La Land)

3. The Last Starfighter by Craig Safan (Intrada)

4. Dances with Wolves by John Barry (La-La Land)

5. Total Recall by Jerry Goldsmith (Quartet)

6. Basic Instinct by Jerry Goldsmith (Quartet)

7. Home Alone by John Williams (complete) (La-La Land)

8. Jaws 2 by John Williams (Intrada)

9. Back To The Future II by Alan Silvestri (Intrada)

10. Back To The Future III by Alan Silvestri (Varese)

11. Braveheart by James Horner (La-La Land)

12. Edward Scissorhands by Danny Elfman (Intrada)

13. Judge Dredd by Alan Silvestri (Intrada)

 
FILM SCORE LABEL OF THE YEAR:
Intrada just KILLED it this year, there's no doubt it was their best year in their entire time as a company.  On top of all the ones I included above, this was also the year they put out The Boy Who Could Fly, The River Wild, Jaws 3-4, Rio Bravo, Duel, Warlock, Red Eye, Ghost and the Darkness, Coneheads, Return to Oz, Indecent Proposal, Agent Cody Banks, a definitive Capricorn One, The Secret of NIMH, The Monkey King, and the unused Something Wicked This Way Comes score.  Wow!

La-La Land of course had the amazing releases of AI, DWW, HA25, and Braveheart that would win them the year in any other year (not to mention releasing The Firm, Millennium, The Last Boyscout, Monster Squad, Giant, The Pagemaster, and reissues of Magic, The Egyptian, Krull...) it's just hard to compete with Intrada's year.  Another special shout-out must go to Quartet, for hiring Neil S. Bulk to make brilliant, perfect editions of Total Recall and Basic Instinct, completely one-upping the prior, OOP expansions each had had in the past.  Way to go, Neil!

BEST FILMS OF 2015

1 Carol

2 The Big Short

3 Room

4 The Revenant

5 Spotlight

6 Mad Max: Fury Road

7 The Martian

8 The Hateful Eight

9 Ex Machina

10 Inside Out

11 Sicario

12 The Voices

13 The Walk

14 Mississippi Grind

SPECIFIC HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015:
Getting married and playing some film music at my wedding.  The big announcement that all three Back to The Future scores would be released in complete form in a cross-label, cross platform event, all overseen by Mike Matessino.  The ferver as the release of The Force Awakens (film and score) approached.  A perfect complete expansion of The Last Starfighter coming out right away in January and leading the best of year list all year long.  The magic Mike Matessino worked on the less-than-ideal tapes Universal had for Jaws.  Interviewing Mike about Jaws, Jaws 2, and Home Alone.  Discovering how brilliant of a score Dances with Wolves was - I never really listened to it before this year.  What a powerhouse.  Seeing how Neil handled Total Recall and Basic Instinct as perfectly as Mike Matessino would have.  Seeing Mad Max Fury Road in the theater.  The Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation score absolutely blowing me away in every way possible.  Seeing 

SPECIFIC DISAPPOINTMENTS OF 2015:

James Horner's passion and hobby taking his life.  The fact that Joe Kraemer wasn't immediately hired to score 2-4 movies a year, every year after the incredible Rogue Nation score.  Dario Marinelli getting replaced on Pan.  The Force Awakens film (I warmed up to it somewhat when I went out and saw it again in 2016, but that opening night experience sure was a poor one).  Paying to see Terminator Genisys in IMAX in order to see the Rogue Nation preview - seriously Terminator Genisys is one shitty movie.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

3 hours ago, Jay said:

The Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation score absolutely blowing me away in every way possible.  Seeing 

Now you've got me curious how that second sentence was supposed to end!

[Jay 37,353]

Haha,  I have no idea now! 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Dude! It's nearly 2017. What are you doing?

[Thor 7,495]

My favourite 10 scores of 2015:

 

http://celluloidtunes.no/celluloid-tunes-39-the-10-best-scores-of-2015-13th-international-edition/

 

Playlist, from 10 to 1:

 

Wolf Totem — «Leaving for the Country» — James Horner
He Named Me Malala — «I am Malala» — Thomas Newman
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. — «Escape from East Berlin» — Daniel Pemberton
The Murder Pact — «Special K» — Matthew Llewellyn
Far from the Madding Crowd — «Opening» — Craig Armstrong
Chappie — «Breaking the Code» — Hans Zimmer, Steve Mazarro, Andrew Kaczynski
Cinderella — «Pumpkin Pursuit» — Patrick Doyle
Lost River — «Yes» — Chromatics & Johnny Jewel
Gold Coast — «Entry» — Angelo Badalamenti
The Duke of Burgundy — «Carpenter Arrival» — Cat’s Eyes

 

My favourite 20 movies of 2015:

 

http://montages.no/2016/01/thor-joachims-topp-20-2015/

 

Complete list of 2015 films seen (in ranked order):

 

https://mubi.com/lists/2015-films-ranked

 

 

[Jay 37,353]

Man, Wolf Totem sure has some powerful moments in its score. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Yes. That final track is amazing. Pure epic scoring!

 

Thank you James!

[Jay 37,353]

The action cue in the middle that repurposes Aliens, Apollo 13, etc action music makes me smile every time. But the dramatic tracks suck me into the mood he's created quite effectively every time. His last great score (I still haven't heard Southpaw or The 33,but doubt I'll like them as much as Wolf Totem, and I assume he wrote Airplanes before Wolf Totem) 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Like most Horner scores it borrows far too literally for its own good. If you can't live with that...pity. If you can look beyond that, it's a very satisfying score.

[Thor 7,495]

7 minutes ago, Jay said:

The action cue in the middle that repurposes Aliens, Apollo 13, etc action music makes me smile every time. But the dramatic tracks suck me into the mood he's created quite effectively every time. His last great score (I still haven't heard Southpaw or The 33,but doubt I'll like them as much as Wolf Totem, and I assume he wrote Airplanes before Wolf Totem) 

 

It was definitely his last GOOD score, although I personally consider AVATAR his last truly GREAT score. I didn't care much for SOUTHPAW or THE 33, but I do like several parts of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN -- it was in my 'runner ups' this year.

[Jay 37,353]

I've received far more enjoyment from Wolf Totem in one year as I have from Avatar in 7

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Same!

[publicist 4,643]

26 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Like most Horner scores it borrows far too literally for its own good. If you can't live with that...pity. If you can look beyond that, it's a very satisfying score.

 

I found it a step up after things like 'Cristiada' that i actually like better than some others it is based on but boy, is it impertinent.

 

'Avatar' has a nice cue here and there but Cameron really is (=was) Horner's gift and curse: keeping the composer's market value high - even earning him the elusive Oscar - but then forcing dumb trailer music clichés upon him that apparently need to be rewritten to the point of keeping Horner busy a whole year. The end results probably were satisfying for JH from a business standpoint but artistically...

 

'

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Wolf Totem has a sort of old fashioned solidity to it. It's the type of score that could have been written in the 60's, for a film directed by John Huston. Or any decade after that.

 

And surprisingly for a Horner score for a film with a strong ethnic flavour. the composer is rather reserved in his customary use of "world music".

[Thor 7,495]

Well, I guess I'm kinda unique here (again). I've come to appreciate AVATAR as Horner's magnum opus, a spot previously held by ALIENS. But my personal favourite still probably remains THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS (so glad I got to communicate this to Horner in my interview back in '13).

 

WOLF TOTEM is excellent, but for me it belongs in the big 'bunch' of scores after the foremost favourites.

[publicist 4,643]

What 'Wolf Totem' offers Horner is that it allows him to take over for huge stretches of time (the movie is very pictorial) and actually write what he does best, long, classically structured pieces (derivative as they may be) that tell a story. It is somewhat muted, though, a lot of the colossal action scenes receive an appropriate underscore but remain thematically vague, a bit unresolved, apart from the first half of 'Hunting the Wolves'.

 

What i like most is that it is not as overbearing even in the more pathos-laden moments, there is a certain late-age grace to the three thematic strains. One of them sounds as if he suddenly remembered 'In Country' again, which may be even possible after he produced the Intrada cd.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I would use the term "restraint" rather than muted. Like you said. The film and score work beautifully together. And Horner wasnt forced to compete with sound effects or accommodate rapid fire editing much.

[Thor 7,495]

Agreed. I've yet to see the film, though. I like Annaud, so I should get around to it.