David Coscina

I have a problem with Menken's technical abilities. I find his music as fluffy as my mom's Persian cat. I would agree that his Hunchback score, which has the least noteriety, was his best. I just never could get into his music because it sounds so scaled down and thin. I've heard more balls from Giacchino's ALIAS music with half the orchestra forces. I truly find it sad that animated scores like "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin" were awarded over scores like Glory, Born on the 4th of July, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Sneaker's etc. And then there were really amazing animated scores like Mulan, Iron Giant, and Rescuers Down Under that were ignored....It just reinforces my theory that Oscar voters like their music basic- keep it simple, triadic and not very adventurous in the orchestrations and you're bound to win an Oscar. Let's just go back a few years: 2004- Howard Shore (REturn of the King) 2003- Elliot Goldenthal (Frida) 2002- Howard Shore (Fellowship of the Ring) 2001- Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) 2000- John Corigliano (The Red Violin) -------------------------------------------- okay, I stand corrected. The last 5 years recipients have been great composers recognised for their accomplishments.

I'll have to disagree with you on that count. And to the person who said Menken has the most Oscars of any composer, I don't think so. Williams has 5, I think Menken has 3 (not counting his Song Oscars). And I don't think number of Oscars equals a particular worth of a composer. Goldsmith only won one, I think North only got a lifetime achievement, etc.

Sounds like it....why couldn't they have brought this dumbass rule in to disqualify Menken's sub-par Disney crap in the late '80's early '90's. It makes me sick to think that hack has more statuettes on his mantle than Goldsmith, North, Herrmann, etc. etc.

I think it's a great score. It plays really well on its own because Shore crafted it like a classical piece rather than the usual underscore. Anyone who says that cannot hear a theme in this score needs to re-assess their listening/music skills.

I wonder if the Academy would have excluded Goldsmith's PATTON because it was only 15 minites of music in a 3 hour film....

I actually voted for the Color Purple. To this day, the climax of that film moves me more than the others. The "I could have saved more" is the only part in Schindler's List that I find a little hammy. Everything else in the picture is perfect. As for E.T., I also find it too melodramatic. Perhaps Color Purple is that way to others. Actually, my all-time favorite ending to a movie is accompanied by John Williams music- The Accidental Tourist. The final close shot of Macon Leary's face smiling is the most amazing finale to a film, aided by Williams' soaring music. Can anyone think of a better composer for that moment. Hell, no!

Accidental Tourist, made even more valuable because John Williams signed it at the post-concert reception in Pittsburgh 2003.

What's the worst case scenario? We only get ROTS? Or we get a Zimmer WOTW? Okay, that second hypothesis is kind of scary. But then again, Spielberg likes Zimmer, Cruise likes Zimmer, and Zimmer is the head of Dreamworks Music dept. Now I'm depressed.

I suppose this is what message boards are for- speculation.

Maybe Williams will recommend Michael Giacchino for WOTW. I think it would be interesting if Williams had to pass on this project. And we all know Rogue Leader would probably change his opinion about remakes

Actually Morlock, I like your results from the first post better. Yared's TROY had the best music of the year. Hands down. It's the most solid score I've heard in ages and dwarfs the competition. I've tracked "Achilles' Destiny" under the film and it's unbelievably moving. And functional. Hollywood focus groups and Warner Bros. really f****d us and the filmgoing public out of a truly outstanding score. I like Williams Terminal score more than Potter which I find well written as usual but not terribly inspiring. "Jazz Autographs" on the other hand is one of Williams' best themes ever. Beautiful composition. Giacchino's Incredibles is still my fave score of the year. I hope he wins the Oscar for it.

Although I am a devout Williams fan, I think the best score of the year was Giacchino's Incredibles. Regardless if its stylistic sources, it works amazing with the film. Better than anything else I've seen/heard...although my favorite score of the year is Yared's Troy. Followed by Shore's The Aviator and Williams' Terminal. I like parts of Harry Potter but honestly, much of it needs to be heard in the film as opposed to on its own.

I just wrote a Goldsmith-type piece tonight http://forums.keyfax.com/user-files/162611...20Goldsmith.mp3

For really scary-ass music try Ligeti's REQUIEM. That's terrifying. The Exorcist (including Lalo Schifrin's rejected cues) The Shining (featuring "Rocky Mountains" by Wendy Carlos) Alien3- Goldenthal Interview with the Vampire- Goldenthal Pranks- a very very early Chris Young effort The Thing- classic Morricone score The Changling

Nicely done Neil! I wish Goldenthal would get back into doing "big" projects. I'd love to have heard his take on Last Samurai or even something like The Aviator. I still play COBB and GOLDEN GATE after 10 years and enjoy them as much as I did back then.

I agree with Morlock. I couldn't care less about ROTS. War of the Worlds is the film I'm looking forward to next summer....as well as Batman Begins. Cool new trailer out for that one.

The Aviator is very different from Shore's LOTR. Almost Classical-music like. Don't know how it works with the film but obviously a few people thought it works well. I'm also disappointed with this year's nominees. I think Giacchino's INCREDIBLES is the best score of the year, in and out of the film context. So much fun to listen to from the first track to the final track. I love parts of Williams' POA and The Terminal but not in their entirety. And The Terminal works well in the film but I don't think it's as integral to the overall end-product as GIacchino's music is in The Incredibles...and isn't that the criteria the voters are supposed to employ? As for Eastwood being nominated, that's truly mystifying. His music for Mystic River was totally overrated as was the film. IN fact, it was one of the most overwrought, melodramatic pieces of **** that I saw last year. And I like Eastwood's stuff normally. Huge disappointment.

There were some great moments in HP3 and The Terminal but on the whole, the seem a little weaker than Williams' usual excellence. I personally like Angela's Ashes more than a lot of what Johnny has written of late for the same reason I love Yared's Troy- both scores are music, not pitched sound effects.

Well everyone has their own opinion about music but from an objective standpoint based solely on the construction of the music (harmony, melody, rhythm, orchestration, variation) there hasn't been a lot out there since ESB or TMP that can boast the same compositional prowess. When is the last time you heard a 4 part fugue with the level of chromatic passing tones that worked that well in a film score? Hmmm, Jaws' Shark Cage Fugue maybe? Point is, there aren't a lot of examples where a composer went to the lengths Yared did to paint a perfect picture of an ancient civilization. I'm with Thardavenport on this. Troy is brilliant. And I don't use "brilliant" that often. And having heard Vaneglis' ALEXANDER, it is a complete insult to Yared to mention his score with Vangelis' piece of trash in the same sentence.

I think the elements in Yared's score are the same in TESB and TMP; fluid melodies, bold harmonic progressions and a uniform developement of thematic material. Yared's Troy isn't like 90% of the scores we hear today which are the equivelant to aural wall paper. His score is musical and dynamic, much like early Williams and Goldsmith efforts that attracted generations of music lovers toward film scoring. While I don't think Troy is "better" than TESB or TMP, it certainly is on par with them and is leagues ahead of anything I've heard out of Hollywood in years. And this has nothing to do with the fact that it was rejected. It has everything to do with the quality and care that went into composing the score.

Definitely! I'd love to get a full release of this score on CD someday. Perhaps Varese will release it. It's far too great of a score to exist only in a limited edition.

Absolutely. Check out the latest issue of Film Score Monthly if you want a detailed analysis of the music.

Thanks pixie twinkle- I'll be checking this one out!

Very impressive for his age. Some of his treatment of the Dies Irae recalls Tiomkin's "It's a Wonderful Life" though. But heck, at 11, he's off to a heck of a start.

LAST SAMURAI. He would have used that infernal shakuhachi but this time it would have had some context! And he would have ripped off Toru Takemitsu but second hand Takemitsu is better than first hand Zimmer in my books! Seriously though, I think he would have done an admirable job on this project and I'm still upset at Zwick for choosing Hans baby.