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What are the WORST scored moments in film music?


robthehand

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My vote (for now) goes to "The Ice Battle" from King Arthur (which I saw a bit of on TV yesterday). The film's bad enough as it is, but Zimmer's mindless use of synths is all wrong here. As with Pirates of the Caribbean, there is nothing reflecting the period or even the style of the film - if I'd heard it in isolation from the film, it could have been from anything.

I'm sure there are worse, but that's all that springs to mind at the moment.

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It's kinda hard to really pick out something that is truly horrible because most of the problems I have are with looping, editing and tracking of the music in the film.

I will admit that I feel most of the Zimmer clone school of film scoring ruins the scenes for me but then most of those films are usually mind numbing junk so I guess it doesn't really matter. I really don't care for the synth pounding in most of those films which is a shame because some of those composers have shown flashes of something special.

Goldeneye comes to mind with a few sequences that could have used something better but the film is good enough that you really don't notice the music.

PJ's King Kong could have taken a lesson from the 1933 version and left the battle on top of the Empire State building un-scored because most of the music JNH wrote for that sequence is bland.

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The bug scene in King Kong comes to mind. I don't care if it was a fresh aproach. It just didn't fit. Also, everytime you hear a guitar riff in Dune.

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Yeah the bug scene didn't really do it for me. I guess in a way it was just meant to be this icey wash...but I'm not sure if it really did the job.

What I consider to be bad film scoring is some moments in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the score. It gets the job done in places...but there are two moments in the film that just are total cheese because of the score.

One is the scene where Malfoy is turned into a ferret. And then when Minerva uses her wand to change him back...I hate the stupid little chord that hits right when her wand flicks. It reminds me of a looney tunes cartoon.

The second part I hate is when Hermione is revealed in her gown...and the music is pure cheese. It just made me feel uncomfortable and goofy when I saw it. So over-the-top!

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I'm not sure if it counts as "scored", but in CoS, when the Chamber opens, and instead of the chamber theme playing, the Stone theme plays.

Come to think of it, pretty much every playing of the Stone theme is out of place and hence badly scored.

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Jack Sparrow's arrival actually works quite well.

It's just that that same material then gets repeated over and over and over and over and over and over and...

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To call AOTC one of the worst scored movies ever is either blind hate or pure ignorance of the world of film music.

I think in Joe's case it's both. I still don't understand the pure hatred AOTC recieves from a lot of people. Yes it maybe the weakest Star Wars score but it's still a wonderful score to listen to.

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Troy from Troy, 1:10 onwards. That horrible fanfare is so irritating.

I find AotC an inoffensive background listen, nothing more or less, except a few good moments such as The Meadow Picnic 3:00 onwards.

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The beginning of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe got under my skin-synths and a percussion groove underneath the sweeping shot of the train in the countryside just really didn't work. I also question some of Williams' own choices-The Terminal and Born on the Fourth of July both stand out as overdone for vast majority of the films they were written for. I also have minor issues with the use of the "Lament" theme in Revenge of the Sith when Anakin is preparing to choke Padme; it just seems too melodramatic, but I am hesitant to blame Williams alone because of the script and acting in that scene.

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Don't know if it's the worst but even still, I can't figure out why anybody likes The Passion Of The Christ.

Same.

When the dragon chases Harry in Goblet of Fire comes to mind for this. The music seemed to slow down the sequence and make it less exciting. I cant think of anything John has done that stood out as bad scoring. Clint Eastwood's score to Million Dollar Baby always irritated me too. I cringe whenever the music started up in Brokeback Mountain too and am still in shock from the oscars.

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Y'know, personally I think, as unlistenable as the score maybe outside of the film...PoTC worked quite well in the movie...

Even though it was way too repetative.

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Don't know if it's the worst but even still, I can't figure out why anybody likes The Passion Of The Christ.

Not my favourite Debney score but I like a few tracks... Mary Goes to Jesus, Crucifixion and Flagellation to be specific. That last one I find incredibly haunting and beautiful.

The rest of it...meh...again an inoffensive background listen.

And talking of Debney, has anyone heard his new score to Dreamer, and the main theme's incredible similarity to Bruce Almighty?

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I don't know about worst, but anything from Ladyhawke is terrible, the bug scene from King Kong is the worst scored scene from the past year (if not longer), and the opening from Narnia is wrong.

And talking of Debney, has anyone heard his new score to Dreamer, and the main theme's incredible similarity to Bruce Almighty?

...which to being with is John Debney copying James Newton Howard's comedy sound.

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And talking of Debney, has anyone heard his new score to Dreamer, and the main theme's incredible similarity to Bruce Almighty?

I have both those scores. When I bought Dreamer, I was astounded by how Debney shattered expectations, with guitar, solo violin, and piano peforming that simple little melody. :D Actiually though, I don't think it's that similar to the Bruce Almighty theme, other than the fact that they're both very simple and "pleasant" sounding.

Ray Barnsbury

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The other day, I woke up and nearly cried. Dreamer was playing on the TV in the living room, and I heard a beautiful string solo. It was only when I fully gained consciousness and started watching the film that I realized it wasn't that great. Interesting what the dream state can do to you.

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Y'know, personally I think, as unlistenable as the score maybe outside of the film...PoTC worked quite well in the movie...

Even though it was way too repetative.

Its a generic MV score with good gut feeling (which all MV stuff has) and rhythms to ramp up the heart rate in a dumb action movie. Of course it had to...function.

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I know it's probably suicidal to say this on this board, but honestly, doesn't anyone feel strange when Obi-Wan gets stabbed by Vader in Episode IV and there's happy music playing?

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I know it's probably suicidal to say this on this board, but honestly, doesn't anyone feel strange when Obi-Wan gets stabbed by Vader in Episode IV and there's happy music playing?

That's happy music? ;)

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Well, the Kong bug scene worked very well for me, I don't understand why people don't like it how it is. What's better, not scoring it? Maybe. Bug music? Cliche. More action oriented? Out of context. Claustrophobic music? Wrong movie.

Give me some suggestions, but it is fresh, being chilling, atmospheric, dreamlike, tinged with melancholy and quite surprising. I'd take that approach any day.

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Agreed. I thought that scene was scored beautifully.

I also have minor issues with the use of the "Lament" theme in Revenge of the Sith when Anakin is preparing to choke Padme; it just seems too melodramatic, but I am hesitant to blame Williams alone because of the script and acting in that scene.

I thought this was the saving grace of the scene. Whether or not he succeeded, Lucas was clearly going for a Greek Tragedy-esque feeling in this scene. The music was fitting; it's just a shame that the dialogue was so bafflingly simple, which was not helped by the sub-par performances by Christennsen and Portman.

Ted

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I know it's probably suicidal to say this on this board, but honestly, doesn't anyone feel strange when Obi-Wan gets stabbed by Vader in Episode IV and there's happy music playing?

The scene begins with a soft rendition of the Force Theme and then builds into an emotional version of Princess Leia's Theme. It doesn't really sound happy unless Lucas did some more tinkering and put the Ewok Celebration cue in there.

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I know it's probably suicidal to say this on this board, but honestly, doesn't anyone feel strange when Obi-Wan gets stabbed by Vader in Episode IV and there's happy music playing?

The only strange thing about it is that is mostly scored with Leia's theme and not the Force-Ben's theme. But I wouldn't call it happy music, in fact it's a very dramatic variation of Leia's theme, and in my opinion it works great in the movie as I've always felt Williams also considered Leia's theme as an "Old Republic theme" to a certain point, so the theme is fitting as one of the last knights of the Old Republic is killed.

I have to say I didn't expect anyone to mention the OT in this thread though.

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To call AOTC one of the worst scored movies ever is either blind hate or pure ignorance of the world of film music.

It's definitely both.

There's so much shit in film music, that considering anything from John Williams (or Goldsmith, or any other great composer) the worst scored moment ever, is totally pathetic IEO.

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The over-the-top cue where James Bond kills a spider in Dr. No. That is hilariously awful and a great example of why I'm glad Barry was hired to compose the next several Bond scores instead of Monty Norman.

Dole

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Hahaha, agreed, Bob Dole. The amount of times the James Bond theme makes an intrusive appearence is laughable in that film. Ironic that nineteen films later, David Arnold would do the same thing; over-use the theme.

The fight between Harry and Ron in GoF needed absolutely no music whatsoever. But that was a spotting issue rather than the music itself.

Also, any generic music in a period film that could be from any action movie about anything.

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Um... Ice Age 2 I saw recently really threw me for a loop musically.

Trying not to give much away, there's a part where manny runs up to a big rock and tells the Ele he's come to help her,

this cheesy ass, horrible horn chord plays... I couldn't hlep but feel like I'd been thrown into the 60's.

There were quite a few moments in that score... I dunno who did it anyways.

Although, the Sid song amused me.

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Hahaha, agreed, Bob Dole. The amount of times the James Bond theme makes an intrusive appearence is laughable in that film. Ironic that nineteen films later, David Arnold would do the same thing; over-use the theme.

It was actually editor Peter Hunt who was responsible for most of the tracking of the James Bond Theme.

Although Norman's score still isn't very good, especially compared to Barry's legendary works that would follow.

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How about any music from any scene from either Batman Forever or Batman and Robin!

I mean, the movies are awfull, but the scores are actually quite good.

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The scores are quite outstanding, actually. Over-the-top Goldenthal with tons of little musical jokes. Of course, the movies are so bad that you could call every score for them bad, because it's either too good for the films or just plain bad. bowdown

Marian - who only has the BF score on CD.

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Actually I didnt like in munich where we had Jewish athem played then we went into next sceen and it was still finnishing - didnt seem to fit.

I didn't like it either.

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Hahaha, agreed, Bob Dole. The amount of times the James Bond theme makes an intrusive appearence is laughable in that film. Ironic that nineteen films later, David Arnold would do the same thing; over-use the theme.

It was actually editor Peter Hunt who was responsible for most of the tracking of the James Bond Theme.

But I bet it wasn't the editor responsible for the Die Another Day usage!

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The over-the-top cue where James Bond kills a spider in Dr. No.  That is hilariously awful and a great example of why I'm glad Barry was hired to compose the next several Bond scores instead of Monty Norman.

Dole

Monty Norman had "assistance" writing that score anyway - his only real "talent" musically was those crappy Caribbean songs that are on the soundtrack album. If you look around, most of the "original" music in Dr. No borrows heavily from other (much earlier) scores.

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