Indiewire Critics' Poll of 30 Best Film Scores of 2016 (Warning: Awful Taste Alert!)

[TheUlyssesian 2,477]

These punks, so called film critics, nearly 170 of them, voted in a variety of categories. But posting results to just the best score category.

 

1. Jackie – 346
2. La La Land – 269
3. Moonlight – 185
4. Arrival – 145
5. The Neon Demon – 95
6. Sing Street – 94
7. The Childhood of a Leader – 72
8. American Honey – 67
8. The Handmaiden – 67
10. The Fits – 58
11. Moana – 57
12. Manchester by the Sea – 48
13. Nocturnal Animals – 46
14. The Witch – 45
15. Hell or High Water – 37
15. The Lobster – 37
17. 20th Century Women – 36
18. Krisha – 33
18. Kubo and the Two Strings – 33
20. Lion – 32
21. Everybody Wants Some!! – 30
22. Green Room – 25
22. Love & Friendship – 25
24. Paterson – 24
25. High-Rise – 23
26. Hail, Caesar! – 22
26. Midnight Special – 22
28. The Red Turtle – 20
29. My Golden Days – 18
30. Certain Women – 17

 

Full poll here - http://www.indiewire.com/2016/12/best-movies-2016-critic-poll-results-1201757008/

 

This is Exhibit A for the death of proper orchestral film-scoring these days in cinema. These film critics prefer any manner of ridiculous sound design like score. No Williams, no Gia, no JNH, no Desplat, no Elfman.

[Jay 37,339]

Green Room had a score?

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Not a bad list. 

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Hail, Caesar! should be higher.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

1 minute ago, BloodBoal said:

Hail, Caesar! should be higher.

 

Agreed!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,513]

Ditto HIGH-RISE.

 

It's nice to see Cliff Martinez getting recognized.

[Jay 37,339]

Hail Caesar had a score?

[leeallen01 2,135]

Arrival had a score? I just thought it was a few brahmmmms and *insert Max Richter here*...

 

Orchestras are DISGUSTING!!! 

 

I WANT MORE SYNTHETIC CLIPS AND BOPS!! Now THAT is how you score a film, not with those stupid noisy things. You know, those brown and gold stuff. What's their stupid name? Instruments?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Just now, Richard said:

Ditto HIGH-RISE.

It's nice to see Cliff Martinez get recognized.

 

Recognized by who though?

[TheUlyssesian 2,477]

Just now, leeallen01 said:

Arrival had a score? I just thought it was a few brahmmmms and *insert Max Richter here*...

 

Orchestras are DISGUSTING!!! 

 

I WANT MORE SYNTHETIC CLIPS AND BOPS!! Now THAT is how you score a film, not with those stupid noisy things. You know, those brown and gold stuff. What's their stupid name? Instruments?

 

The Academy even disqualified Arrival for competing in Best Score because it used too much Max Richter.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,513]

1 minute ago, Stefancos said:

 

Recognized by who though?

 

Me..and that's all that matters 

[leeallen01 2,135]

Max Richter's wife divorced him because he had too much Max Richter.

[Jay 37,339]

Arrival had a very good score!  You were not paying attention in the theater if you thought that was all it had to offer!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

3 minutes ago, Jay said:

Hail Caesar had a score?

 

Yes, and it was awesome.

 

Can't believe you didn't notice it. I guess you're getting really old!

[leeallen01 2,135]

Just now, Jay said:

Arrival had a very good score!  You were not paying attention in the theater if you thought that was all it had to offer!

 

To be honest, my attention was mostly fixed on how pretentiously boring the film was.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

5 minutes ago, Jay said:

Hail Caesar had a score?

 

You are joking right? 

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

They're entitled to their opinions.  

[Jay 37,339]

2 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

Yes, and it was awesome.

 

Can't believe you didn't notice it. I guess you're getting really old!

 

I probably noticed it at the time and have forgotten about it since!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

2 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

 

Yes, and it was awesome.

 

Can't believe you didn't notice it. I guess you're getting really old!

 

I seem to recall Jason actually mentioned the score when talking about the film.

[TheUlyssesian 2,477]

1 minute ago, Jay said:

 

I probably noticed it at the time and have forgotten about it since!

 

 

Its a Carter Burwell score. Of course you forgot it. Burwell does not even remember what he wrote for it.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Carter Burwell is a fine composer!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,339]

2 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

 

I seem to recall Jason actually mentioned the score when talking about the film.

 

Hey you're right, I did talk about the score!

 

http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/24637-what-is-the-last-film-you-watched-newer-films/&do=findComment&comment=1243237

 

(a few posts later)

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Jay, can you please close this hate thread? 

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I knew it!

 

The cue for the arrival of the submarine was great too!

[Jay 37,339]

2 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

Idiot!

 

7 months is a long time!

 

 

1 minute ago, Stefancos said:

I knew it!

 

The cue for the arrival of the submarine was great too!

 

I mention that a few more posts down from the above link!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Long enough to forget that a film had a score?

 

Hand in your mod codes and leave!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

2 should be 1.  Otherwise a largely silly list.

[Thor 7,490]

You can always count on this forum for hatred against anything that isn't old-school traditional/conventional Hollywood film music!

 

I think the list is fine. Some superb scores on there that are also among my own 2016 favourites:

 

ARRIVAL, THE NEON DEMON, THE HANDMAIDEN, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, THE RED TURTLE.

 

Some OK-ish: MOONLIGHT, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS, LION, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

 

Some I haven't heard and/or are mostly filled with pop songs: LALALAND, SING STREET, THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER, AMERICAN HONEY (spectacular film, though), THE FITS, EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!! etc.

 

I haven't seen their number 1, JACKIE, yet, but I'm a fan of Larrain, so I think I'll like the movie. Didn't care much for the score on album, but Levi is one of those that are best appreciated in context (like the hypnotizing UNDER THE SKIN).

 

Open up your taste buds, folks, and stop having a limited diet of cymbal crashes and brass fanfares!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

2 minutes ago, Thor said:

You can always count on this forum for hatred against anything that isn't old-school traditional/conventional Hollywood film music!

 

Orchestral music is better than everything!

[Thor 7,490]

Orchestral, schmorchestral....

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

There's lots of non-orchestral music out there that's better than lots of orchestral music.  It's just much of the stuff on this list is a little empty and lightweight, regardless of style.

[Jay 37,339]

Mica Levi's score to Under The Skin is mesmerizing in the film!

 

I still haven't listened to it outside the film

[KK 3,307]

To its credit, it does address a more diverse range of scores than these blogger sites usually put on their lists. And there are some fine scores on the list, along with the overrated drivel.

[Thor 7,490]

17 hours ago, Jay said:

Mica Levi's score to Under The Skin is mesmerizing in the film!

 

I still haven't listened to it outside the flim!

 

It's NOT an easy listen. I like me some avantgarde stuff once in a while, but it didn't connect with me on album. Only in the film.

[TheUlyssesian 2,477]

Now let's be honest. Moonlight is a very good film. But it is a very simplistic mundane melody played a couple of times in the film. Do you think that's  bigger achievement than what JNH wrote for Fantastic Beasts which is an enormous score that really elevated the film in many ways.

 

From the Top 10, the Handmaiden is the only one which whole-heartedly gets my vote (with LLL something I haven't seen).

 

Jackie is good and a decent mention but this preference for small middling scores over even the slightest melodic orchestral old school scoring is kinda problematic. You know these guys actively hate orchestral music these days. You know Star Wars and E.T. would be torn apart in reviews for their scores now.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

2 minutes ago, TheUlyssesian said:

this preference for small middling scores over even the slightest melodic orchestral old school scoring is kinda problematic.

 

Yes, but equally problematic is the attitude that traditional/orchestra = better.  Let the merit of the music be one's guide, not any stylistic biases or preconceptions.

[TheUlyssesian 2,477]

Just now, Prerecorded Briefing said:

 

Yes, but equally problematic is the attitude that traditional/orchestra = better.  Let the merit of the music be one's guide, not any stylistic biases or preconceptions.

 

I am not saying one is better or vote for one over the other. I am saying, have a balance point of view and give space to both.

 

You can see from their list that they are the ones who are narrowminded with their active rejection of orchestral music.

 

I do like lots of smaller film scores. On balance, the other side should see value in old school scoring too.

 

Its funny that when a film has old-school direction, you get reviews like they don't make em like this any more. But when you get old-school scoring, it is deemed overbearing and dated.

[Thor 7,490]

I don't see what the problem is. Indiewire is a site that leans more towards arthouse/independent cinema, so the score list will obviously reflect that. A devoted film music site would probably be more evenly balanced (I know that my own list for the upcoming programme will have bits of both, although -- like Indiewire -- leaning more towards the smaller and alternative).

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I haven't seen any of these movies.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

These were not meant for you.

[KK 3,307]

6 minutes ago, Thor said:

I don't see what the problem is. Indiewire is a site that leans more towards arthouse/independent cinema, so the score list will obviously reflect that. A devoted film music site would probably be more evenly balanced (I know that my own list for the upcoming programme will have bits of both, although -- like Indiewire -- leaning more towards the smaller and alternative).

 

Indeed. With that in mind, its actually fairly balanced for the audience it caters to.

 

You don't have to take the list as law.

[Will 2,215]

I haven't seen any of these films or heard their scores. My parents did see Moonlight and compliment the music. 

[KK 3,307]

That might be the most overrated score of the year in critics circles.

[Gnome in Plaid 219]

4 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

This is Exhibit A for the death of proper orchestral film-scoring these days in cinema. These film critics prefer any manner of ridiculous sound design like score. No Williams, no Gia, no JNH, no Desplat, no Elfman.

I think they restrict their "best of" list to independent films (although I'm not sure how Hail, Caesar! fits in, then).  By my reckoning, that would rule out anything from Williams, Elfman, Giacchino, or JNH this year, (plus Shore, Debney, and Beltrami) and all but one of Desplat's scores.  That doesn't, however, excuse ranking High-Rise so low, or ignoring Fences altogether.

 

4 hours ago, Richard said:

Ditto HIGH-RISE.

 

It's nice to see Cliff Martinez getting recognized.

In fact, getting so much recognition that he might finally be recognized as a different person from High-Rise composer Clint Mansell.

[TheUlyssesian 2,477]

1 hour ago, Gnome in Plaid said:

I think they restrict their "best of" list to independent films (although I'm not sure how Hail, Caesar! fits in, then).  By my reckoning, that would rule out anything from Williams, Elfman, Giacchino, or JNH this year, (plus Shore, Debney, and Beltrami) and all but one of Desplat's scores.  That doesn't, however, excuse ranking High-Rise so low, or ignoring Fences altogether.

 

In fact, getting so much recognition that he might finally be recognized as a different person from High-Rise composer Clint Mansell.

 

 

I know for a fact they do not. There is absolutely no restriction of any kind to what you can vote for.

 

Look at their most anticipated list? Its fucking Stars Wars and Nolan and Blade Runner.

 

Their Top 10 has Arrival. A mainstream commercial film.

 

La La Land is a studio produced commercial film, NOT an indie.

 

Handmaiden might be a foreign language film but it is not an indie. It is a box office blockbuster in its native country and a very commercial film.

 

They have Silence on there. NOT an indie. It's a mid budget studio film.

 

In best actor they have Sully, The Nice Guys, Hacksaw Ridge etc.

[Jay 37,339]

4 hours ago, Daniel Clamp said:

I haven't seen any of these movies.

 

Hell or High Water is a seriously excellent film! 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Honestly though, any one of us would be hard pressed to find 30 good scores in any given year. 

[Richard Penna 3,681]

I'd be hard pressed to find 5 scores I liked this year. That said, I haven't heard Arrival yet.

 

However, I generally don't use critics' responses to decide whether to watch or listen to something.