Lewya

https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-50-best-movie-scores-of-all-time/ - scroll down to see their list. As much as I liked both Levi's Under the Skin and Greenwood's There Will Be Blood, I think they might be overrated currently. Thoughts on their list?

https://variety.com/2019/music/news/andre-previn-dead-dies-composer-gigi-porgy-and-bess-1203152006/

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/23/ennio-morricone-composer-film-makers-directors-cliches-music I think it's interesting that Morricone implies John Williams *is* talented but has happily turned out commercial dross for years.

In his new biography Ennio Morricone: In His Own Words, Ennio Morricone is complimentary but critical of John Williams - Star Wars scores in particular. "My criticism was not directed to Star Wars in particular, which I enjoyed a lot from the very beginning of the saga, but the scoring style which (especially Hollywood) composers and directors have made us used to. I attempted a new direction with my score for The Humanoid by Aldo Lado, in which I devised a six-voice double fugue based on tonal harmony (the six voices were split in half between the orchestra and the organ, with a double subject and a double countersubject). The piece was titled "Incontro a sei" (Six-Faced Encounter): The work was grueling, but very stimulating at the same time. Although the production could not remotely compete with Star Wars, to me this piece seemed to somewhat mirrror the imaginary of the universe, the infinite spaces and the sky, without giving in to clichés. Obviously, such experiments were self-imposed necessities, rather than obligatory pathways. Still, speaking both as a composer and a filmgoer, I believe that a rather simplistic standardization of stylistic choices has made film music less interesting over the years, in terms of both conceptional depth and compositional methods." Morricone said that Williams is “an exceptionally gifted composer whom I greatly respect”, but even he is criticised for making “a commercial choice” about the space epic franchise. It was, he says, “understandable, but still commercial. I could not have scored Star Wars in that way”. He adds: “What seems hazardous to me is to associate a march, no matter how well written, to outer space. Oftentimes, solutions of this sort stem not so much from the lack of creativity or skills, but from mere commercial concerns – as consequences of the rules imposed by the film industry … Speaking both as a composer and a filmgoer, I believe that a rather simplistic standardisation of stylistic choices has made film music less interesting over the years, in terms of both conceptual depth and compositional methods.”

Out of all the composers listed above: Herrmann and North are in a class of their own, no one else comes close. Herrmann was the most original of all Hollywood composers, but North the most progressive. When it comes to most of the other names, it is a fairly even battle, all of them except maybe Young have written some of the best film music of all time (I am not very familiar with Young though so he could have very well have written something impressive, but so far, I find him to perhaps be the kitschiest and least impressive Golden Age composer). My ranking of the 9 Golden Age composers mentioned in the poll, going after whose film music I like the most: 1. Herrmann & North - it depends on the day who I prefer, but on most days, it is probably North. 2. The rest, with Young ranked last. Had Takemitsu and/or Rosenman been included then they would be in the top together/after North and Herrmann, but they are probably more of silver age composers. Herrmann = North = Takemitsu > Rosenman > the 7 other names

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Agreed, but I am less keen on Greenwood. Goldenthal absolutely yes, he is my first choice in fact for both Dune and Avatar (and for many projects in general). I have a feeling it will be Zimmer for both Dune and Avatar, or at the very least one of them.

I have never seen or heard the Mishima score in its entirety, so I can't comment on it. The Hours I am not a fan of; I pretty much agree with the music critic in NYT on it who wrote that it was mindless and a miscalculation: https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/02/arts/film-the-great-film-score-catch-it-if-you-can.html. I don't think it is BAD though, just not a very good score. Of the film scores of Glass's film scores I have heard, I regard Koyaanisqatsi as his best film work, but even that I find somewhat overrated. Don't get me wrong, it is admittedly an original score, but I don't find myself returning to it. I kind of like it, but never really listen to it.

3 stars Glass, 4 stars Williams. Almost none of Glass's film scores has worked for me even if it is still decent music, this while Tibet is among Williams's most underrated scores (if there is a such thing).

Ma talks more about Williams (and Morricone) here in this pretty recent interview: He says that Morricone is probably one of the most inspired melodists.

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Not really a fan of either, but at least Zimmer has written 2 good scores - Inception and The Thin Red Line. Giacchino has Lost which is my favourite work of his, but I can't say I love that, but it is his best work to date. I consider Zimmer superior - his highs are more frequent and higher than Giacchino's. Giacchino is probably the most overrated film composer working at the moment (Zimmer is also one of the most overrated composers right now, but at least he sometimes, but rarely delivers - the last time he delivered the goods for me was Inception, which at the time was a fresh score - a rare achievement for film scores).

Top 5 film scores of 2018 - these 5 would have been my Oscar nominees: The Sisters Brothers - Alexandre Desplat Out of the Shadows - Christopher Gordon Most Beautiful Island - Jeffery Alan Jones Thoroughbreds - Erik Friedlander You Were Never Really Here - Jonny Greenwood

I am wondering, has J.K. Rowling ever commented on the Harry Potter music and/or on Williams? I don't think I have ever heard her comment on it.

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It is the shortlist, these 15 scores will be narrowed down to 5 nominations.

Mine would be almost the same as yours, but I think Desplat will make the cut. Not sure who I would bump out in favor of Desplat though. I think If Beale Street Could Talk will win the Oscar.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the shortlists for several categories for the 91st Academy Awards, including Best Original Score and Best Original Song. The nominations will be announced on January 22, 2019 and the awards show will be held on February 24. Fifteen scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 91st Academy Awards. One hundred fifty-six scores were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. The scores listed in alphabetical order by film title are: “Annihilation” – Geoff Barrow & Ben Salisbury “Avengers: Infinity War” – Alan Silvestri “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” – Carter Burwell “Black Panther” – Ludwig Goransson “BlacKkKlansman” – Terence Blanchard “Crazy Rich Asians” – Brian Tyler “The Death of Stalin” – Christopher Willis “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” – James Newton Howard “First Man” – Justin Hurwitz “If Beale Street Could Talk” – Nicholas Britell “Isle of Dogs” – Alexandre Desplat “Mary Poppins Returns” – Marc Shaiman “A Quiet Place” – Marco Beltrami “Ready Player One” – Alan Silvestri “Vice” – Nicholas Britell Adés didn't make the cut apparently. No Red Sparrow or the other better Desplat score either - are there any other "snubs"? No Greenwood or Yorke either. No Giacchino.

Colette - Thomas Adés

Mission to Mars - Ennio Morricone

Best Original Score – Motion Picture: Marco Beltrami (“A Quiet Place”) Alexandre Desplat (“Isle of Dogs”) Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther”) Justin Hurwitz (“First Man”) Marc Shaiman (“Mary Poppins Returns”) A bit sad to see Newton Howard miss out, I still consider his Red Sparrow one of the best of the year even if I wouldn't give the score more than 3 stars. I also prefer Desplat's The Sisters Brothers from this year. No Adés either apparently. I thought Britell would be cited to be honest even if I didn't like his score much.

Maps to the Stars - Howard Shore Imaginative and good, Shore's finest score since The Lord of the Rings, much preferable than the tired Hobbit stuff. Top 5 of 2014 material. War Horse - John Williams Still not a big fan of this. For all its characteristic craftmanship, it lacks distinction. Still, it is top 10 of 2011 material, maybe even top 5. American Beauty - Thomas Newman The best score of 1999 for me (followed by Titus, The Matrix, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and The Mummy - now that was a good year for film music, full of highlights). Gorgeous, inventive - top 5 Newman. Angels in America - Thomas Newman Bliss, also top 5 Newman. I don't want to pick between this and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for the best score of 2003 - both are two of my favourite scores of all time. Michael Collins - Elliot Goldenthal My favourite score of 1996. Top 5 Goldenthal. This is just tremendous and moving. This has to be one of the most underrated film scores out there despite the Oscar nomination.

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Lovely evocative cue that one. Little Buddha might be Sakamoto's finest film score. I think he said that he considers it his best film score. The Last Emperor is the one that comes close to me. I also like stuff like Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, but mostly just for the theme. Do you have a favourite of the film scores you've written? Sakamoto: The most memorable that I've written is from Little Buddha – the very last cue from Little Buddha. I was so satisfied with the quality of the music, with the role of the music in the film, and Bertolucci also liked it. That was actually the fifth trial I did for that cue. Four trials were rejected by Bertolucci, and that was the fifth one, it was a hard task – maybe that's why it was the most memorable! Recently, the theme of The Revenant is something I'm satisfied with, too.

More Kevin Puts: Puts has written in virtually every musical genre; is there something new he’d like to try? Puts: “I’d like to write film music. I think I’m just as influenced in my own music by film music, and film itself as I am by art music. Some of the first music I really loved was John Williams’s film scores when I was a kid—Star Wars, E.T. I still love them deeply, and I have the scores now. I hope I can find a way to do that.” - https://www.sfsymphony.org/Watch-Listen-Learn/Read-Program-Notes/Articles-Interviews/Original-Voices-Composers-Kevin-Puts-and-Anna-Clyn.aspx