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

[crocodile 7,983]

There are 5 scores on this list that I did like: The Neon Demon, Jackie, Kubo and the Two Strings, Hail, Caesar! and High-Rise. Moonlight and Arrival were good too.

 

Karol - wondering what Moana is doing on this list.

[KK 3,307]

Did you like Moonlight Karol? I could barely stand that score.

[crocodile 7,983]

Yeah, it is a very simple score. At the same time, I don't think this film requires great layers of musical complexity.

 

Karol

[KK 3,307]

It didn't. But it could have done with more than or none of those infuriating verbatim half-theme statements. Score wasn't as effective as I thought it'd be in film either. But I guess that's what it takes to get nominated for an Oscar these days...

 

What did you think of the film?

[crocodile 7,983]

Haven't seen it. Is it good? Looked interesting from the trailer.

Karol

[KK 3,307]

It's great. It's simple, but very confidently directed. Jenkins has a lot of potential.

[crocodile 7,983]

The film doesn't have its UK release date yet. Think someone acquired the right to distribute it last month but it might take time before it gets here.

 

Karol

[Thor 7,463]

37 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

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

 

I find that fairly easy. It's all a matter of exposure.

[KK 3,307]

I'm struggling to come up with a top 10 for this year!

[Arpy 4,145]

I'm glad Kubo got a mention on this list. I love the score and the film.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

1 hour ago, KK said:

I'm struggling to come up with a top 10 for this year!

 

Even NeoNeoJWfan is finding it hard these days!

[KK 3,307]

How dare you sir! Please don't associate me with NeoNeoJWFan! NeoJWFan deserves more respect than that.

[crocodile 7,983]

Being a hipster is a hard life. Persecurion and prejudice at every corner.

 

Karol

[KK 3,307]

I don't know about that. Maybe a cynic...I do sound more bitter these days don't I?

[MedigoScan 324]

no love for 10 cloverfield lane is disgusting

[Thor 7,463]

1 hour ago, KK said:

I'm struggling to come up with a top 10 for this year!

 

I'm struggling to boil it down to 10. Each year, there are at least 40-50 good scores of the 300-400 I get to listen to. Probably more, but I haven't been able to hear them all.

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

4 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

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

They don't have to list 30. Its a poll. They just have to list 5. And points are added up from individual lists to come up with 30.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

2 hours ago, KK said:

I don't know about that. Maybe a cynic...I do sound more bitter these days don't I?

 

Yes! What was her name? The bitch!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

3 hours ago, Thor said:

 

I'm struggling to boil it down to 10. Each year, there are at least 40-50 good scores of the 300-400 I get to listen to. Probably more, but I haven't been able to hear them all.

400 scores a year?! 

[Jay 37,281]

Still no avatar, Koray?

[KK 3,307]

46 minutes ago, Stefancos said:

Yes! What was her name? The bitch!

 

Life. And yea, she's a bit of a bitch.

[Thor 7,463]

1 hour ago, Koray Savas said:

400 scores a year?! 

 

Yes, somewhere in that territory. Granted, some of them I just skim through.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

1 hour ago, Koray Savas said:

400 scores a year?! 

 

He's the Morricone of score listeners!

[Gnome in Plaid 219]

On 12/19/2016 at 9:42 PM, TheUlyssesian said:

 

 

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.

Ah... I was just thinking of past years and only looked at the score list, and their "most anticipated" list is usually pretty mainstream.  Wasn't Arrival technically an "indie" film, just with a huge budget?  The line gets pretty blurry these days.

[Thor 7,463]

Indiewire obviously doesn't neglect Hollywood or commercial films. But their LEANINGS are towards more indie and auteur fare. Also, as Gnome says, many films are 'hybrids' -- like ARRIVAL, SILENCE, HANDMAIDEN. Or subversive films packed in a traditional form, like the brilliant HACKSAW RIDGE.

[Richard Penna 3,669]

23 hours ago, Thor said:

 

I find that fairly easy. It's all a matter of exposure.

 

I think it's more a case of matching tastes than finding 'good' scores. We'll be be here all day if we're trying to argue which are the good ones.

 

Plus, with my ballooning collection, I don't have the capacity (in any sense) for 100 new scores every year. To some extent, I do a lot of listening as well - I skim a lot of production music sites for good stuff. However, even that I have a heavy filter on. I just live with the fact that there is great music I don't yet know about. You can't hear it all.

 

Come to think of it, is this '400 scores per year' the reason why you refuse to listen to anything longer than 50 minutes? You just don't have the time?

[Thor 7,463]

4 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

Come to think of it, is this '400 scores per year' the reason why you refuse to listen to anything longer than 50 minutes? You just don't have the time?

 

He, he.....no. But if I find an album I like, I like to listen to the whole thing from start to finish -- every time (this is why album presentation is so important to me). I'm not into "peacemeal" listening like so many others. Most of these new scores, however, I just skim through -- play a little bit of that track, halt if I find something interesting, then on to the next etc. Then I delete it afterwards if there wasn't anything there (most of these are promos). That's the only way I'm able to be exposed to that number of scores in a year. You never know -- sometimes, you encounter a gem you wouldn'd otherwise have discovered. Plenty of those this year too.

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

11 hours ago, Gnome in Plaid said:

Ah... I was just thinking of past years and only looked at the score list, and their "most anticipated" list is usually pretty mainstream.  Wasn't Arrival technically an "indie" film, just with a huge budget?  The line gets pretty blurry these days.

 

There is absolutely no shape or form in which Arrival is even remotely indie. It is stuidio produced, studio distributed and studio released with a budget indies could never imagine and a wide 3000 screen release etc etc made with studio stars.

[Thor 7,463]

39 minutes ago, TheUlyssesian said:

 

There is absolutely no shape or form in which Arrival is even remotely indie. It is stuidio produced, studio distributed and studio released with a budget indies could never imagine and a wide 3000 screen release etc etc made with studio stars.

 

True. But it's "indie" in some aesthetic angles. Just like, say, Terrence Malick's THE THIN RED LINE. Perhaps 'alternative' or 'arthouse' are more fitting words, but I've never really been a fan of the latter. A film is a film.

[Gnome in Plaid 219]

4 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

 

There is absolutely no shape or form in which Arrival is even remotely indie. It is stuidio produced, studio distributed and studio released with a budget indies could never imagine and a wide 3000 screen release etc etc made with studio stars.

My understanding was that it was independently financed and then picked up by Paramount for distribution, which seems to be backed up by this article.

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

I would say indie and studio are very important distinctions which have nothing at all to do with quality or tone or style. Absolutely nothing.

 

The distinction is important in that it consists of the differences in financing, funding, distribution, access to audiences etc. There are fluid definitions but these definitions stand. There is a body ISA which hands out the independent spirit awards which puts certain definitions like a cap of 20 million.  They would never allow Arrival for their awards and did not qualify LA la land as indies too because they are not.

 

Generally speaing, indies are lower budget and mostly have platform releases - that is first la nyc or a limited release then a few more theaters etc before going wide if ever.

 

Arrival a straight wide release can never be considered indie. If you consider Arrival indie, then what is Paterson? Micro indie? Or certain women? Minscule indie?

 

I literally can't envision a scenario where Arrival can be classified as an indie. Not to be glib but it has spaceships and aliens lol.

[Thor 7,463]

You are right, but there needs to some terms for describring stylistic hybrid films like these. If 'indie aesthetic' is insufficient, then perhaps 'arthouse' or 'alternative' are better words. For me, it's less interesting how a film has been financed or distributed, as it is how the filmatic tools are used.

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

But that is altering the definition of a word, or at the very least extending it improbably.

 

I dunno what's an indie aesthetic lol. Besides the fact that it could mean anything or even be positive or negative or neutral or again anything.

 

For what it's worth - only my personal opinion here and not general definitions - Arrival had a more subdued tone perhaps but it was still absolutely and utterly a commercial mainstream film to me. The film-making made it so. It was pedestrian to say the least. I think it is a thoroughly unremarkable film and I find myself chuckling at the fact that I am discussing a film at such length which I don't think is a very substantial film. So I personally, neither in tone (whatever that means) nor in its model of financing and distribution or gigantic marketing budget, find anything remotely indie about this particular film.

[Gnome in Plaid 219]

8 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

I would say indie and studio are very important distinctions which have nothing at all to do with quality or tone or style. Absolutely nothing.

 

The distinction is important in that it consists of the differences in financing, funding, distribution, access to audiences etc. There are fluid definitions but these definitions stand. There is a body ISA which hands out the independent spirit awards which puts certain definitions like a cap of 20 million.  They would never allow Arrival for their awards and did not qualify LA la land as indies too because they are not.

 

Generally speaing, indies are lower budget and mostly have platform releases - that is first la nyc or a limited release then a few more theaters etc before going wide if ever.

 

Arrival a straight wide release can never be considered indie. If you consider Arrival indie, then what is Paterson? Micro indie? Or certain women? Minscule indie?

 

I literally can't envision a scenario where Arrival can be classified as an indie. Not to be glib but it has spaceships and aliens lol.

Other than the budget cap (which I think is a fairly recent addition), the Spirit Award eligibility "rules" are basically "whatever we feel like," some fluff about "independent spirit."  You're also conflating production and distribution.  Arrival was independently financed and production started before it was guaranteed wide distribution (although obviously they wouldn't have spent what they did without feeling pretty certain it would).  I haven't seen Arrival, and my friends who saw it left unimpressed.  As you said, though, "indie" vs. "studio" doesn't mean anything for quality, and production budget works the same way.  Some of the worst movies I've ever seen were independent films, and some of the best were also made on microscopic budgets.  On the other hand, that doesn't mean larger-budget films have no artistic value, even if most of the blockbusters are crap.  (Plus, the Friedberg-Seltzer cultural genocide projects usually come in below the ISA threshold.)  But the way Arrival was made makes it technically an indie film, just one with a massive budget, commercial expectations, and easy access to distributors.  Fun fact: the Prequels are technically indie films (the article I read dates back to TPM's release, but I would assume the same principles apply).  Privately financed, then dealt with distribution.  As I've said, the line is blurry, and, frankly meaningless if you're not on the business side of things (various union rules apply differently depending on overall project budget).

 

As for "spaceships and aliens," there's plenty of indie sci-fi, even using your definition of "indie."  Moon?  No Good Heroes?  Another Earth?  Monsters?  Hell, District 9's budget was barely over the ISA's limit.

[Thor 7,463]

4 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

For what it's worth - only my personal opinion here and not general definitions - Arrival had a more subdued tone perhaps but it was still absolutely and utterly a commercial mainstream film to me. The film-making made it so. It was pedestrian to say the least. I think it is a thoroughly unremarkable film and I find myself chuckling at the fact that I am discussing a film at such length which I don't think is a very substantial film. So I personally, neither in tone (whatever that means) nor in its model of financing and distribution or gigantic marketing budget, find anything remotely indie about this particular film.

 

If you didn't care for ARRIVAL, that's your right. But it's certainly not a commercial, mainstream film in terms of mise-en-scene or storytelling. The time jumps, the Malick-ian mood-setters, the reliance on ellipses etc. are all tools that are more common in alternative cinema. Yet the premise or the 'basic story' is fairly conventional. Which is why it is a hybrid film. How it's financed or distributed is less important (at least to me).

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

8 hours ago, Gnome in Plaid said:

Other than the budget cap (which I think is a fairly recent addition), the Spirit Award eligibility "rules" are basically "whatever we feel like," some fluff about "independent spirit."  You're also conflating production and distribution.  Arrival was independently financed and production started before it was guaranteed wide distribution (although obviously they wouldn't have spent what they did without feeling pretty certain it would).  I haven't seen Arrival, and my friends who saw it left unimpressed.  As you said, though, "indie" vs. "studio" doesn't mean anything for quality, and production budget works the same way.  Some of the worst movies I've ever seen were independent films, and some of the best were also made on microscopic budgets.  On the other hand, that doesn't mean larger-budget films have no artistic value, even if most of the blockbusters are crap.  (Plus, the Friedberg-Seltzer cultural genocide projects usually come in below the ISA threshold.)  But the way Arrival was made makes it technically an indie film, just one with a massive budget, commercial expectations, and easy access to distributors.  Fun fact: the Prequels are technically indie films (the article I read dates back to TPM's release, but I would assume the same principles apply).  Privately financed, then dealt with distribution.  As I've said, the line is blurry, and, frankly meaningless if you're not on the business side of things (various union rules apply differently depending on overall project budget).

 

As for "spaceships and aliens," there's plenty of indie sci-fi, even using your definition of "indie."  Moon?  No Good Heroes?  Another Earth?  Monsters?  Hell, District 9's budget was barely over the ISA's limit.

 

I already said that last comment was glib and not a serious comment. You need not have addressed it lol.

 

Again independent has absolutely nothing to do with quality. I myself find most american indies absolutely awful. The film-making is as piss poor as American blockbusters for the most part.

 

But as I said repeatedly, a paucity of means and distribution opportunities are extremely key differences. You yourself said Arrival was made with a massive budget, commercial expectations and easy access to distributors. Well those things make it not indie.

 

The Lobster and Love & Friendship are considered super hit films. How much did they make? About 10 million. Why?  Because they are indies. Would Arrival be called a superhit if it made 10 million. Most certainly not. 

 

I think we are talking in circles here. Agree to disagree. You can Arrival an indie film and I will call it a mainstream film and we can both survive.

 

[Thor 7,463]

45 minutes ago, TheUlyssesian said:

Again independent has absolutely nothing to do with quality. I myself find most american indies absolutely awful. The film-making is as piss poor as American blockbusters for the most part.

 

You do have some strong opinions, I'll grant you that.

 

Several American indie films this year that I thought were very good:

 

AMERICAN HONEY (Arnold), NERVE (Joost & Schulman), NOCTURNAL ANIMALS (Ford), ROOM (Abrahamson), MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Lonergan), IN JACKSON HEIGHTS (Wiseman), MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (Nichols), HUSH (Flanagan). Are BONE TOMAHAWK and 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE indies? What about MORGAN? SWISS ARMY MAN?

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I like non-orchestral scores.

[A24 4,326]

On 19-12-2016 at 10:23 PM, Thor said:

 

 

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

 

What?! No Boom Tzz?! 

[Richard Penna 3,669]

This is an area I've had endless debates on with a film buff friend at work, who IMO is constantly on his high horse about appreciating all sorts of indie films.

 

While it's probably true that indie-financed films are probably more likely to have more challenging or niche subject matters, that's really not an important factor to me when choosing a film. If it sounds interesting, I'll watch it.

 

The *only* genre where I genuinely think that bigger budget often leads to a worse film is horror/paranormal. I went though a phase of watching a shedload of ultra low budget paranormal-themed films, and they were almost always better than the bigger budget ones.

 

Score-wise, I've heard some really good indie scores and some downright unlistenable ones. Again, I don't think it makes any difference other than occasionally the recording quality. (Room doesn't really sound particularly good)