What was the last score/cue to BOWL you over?

[David Coscina 4]

There have been a couple of late-

Marianelli's The Half Killed from Atonement is a relatively simple piece that features alternating chord movements but is so nicely orchestrated and has a real power to it.

Giacchino's ROAR is certainly a piece I'm dying to hear in better quality but it's fun and over-the-top. He's GOT to have a great sense of humour because this piece is freakin' great.

JN Howard's I AM LEGEND has several cues that really blow me away.

JN Howard's THE WATER HORSE cue "The fishermen" with its marriage of Celtic players and full orchestra (along with foot stepping for good measure) still puts a smile on my face. It might be a rehash of Williams' Far and Away but I still love it.

--------------------

All-time bombastic cue has to go to Elliot Goldenthal's first part of Wreckage and Rape from ALIEN3. It's the most apocalyptic, ominous music I have heard. for sheer orchestral violence, add the last 10 measures of Candles in the Wind from ALIEN3. Man those poor horn players with those lip trills.

[Richard Penna 3,696]

JNH's I Am Legend and Water Horse for me as well.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

oi teh pirates songs bloo mi awai evry tym

[ChuckM 1]

Last, as in released most recently?

"Arrival to Earth" from Transformers. I don't care if you like the rest of the score or not, that piece is awesome!

[Trumpeteer 302]

The music in "There Will Be Blood" when the well blows up.

I think it's one of Jonny Greenwood's previously written pieces, which is why I couldn't find it on the score album on iTunes.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

"Arrival to Earth" from Transformers. I don't care if you like the rest of the score or not, that piece is awesome!

I'm not gonna lie, I can enjoy some good old MV every once in a while, and that piece certainly fits the bill.

The last cue that really impressed me was probably "Swimming" from The Water Horse. It goes through such a wide range of moods and culminates in a sweeping rendition of the main theme, with that awesome horn line running underneath. JNH greatness!

[indy4 155]

Swimming and The Fisherman from TWH. Also Overture from NBNW.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

"Arrival to Earth" from Transformers. I don't care if you like the rest of the score or not, that piece is awesome!

Yes it is.

Also, I didn't know you live in Maryland! What part?

[SeekUYoda 0]

Anakin's Dark Deeds from Revenge of the Sith. I hadn't heard the soundtrack before I saw it, and I was FLOORED in the theatre. It's a little out of date, but I haven't seen too many films since then.

[Ollie 1,059]

It's been along time s

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

...ince you were bowled over by a film score?

Ray Barnsbury - who hopes Mark didn't fall off his chair mid-sentence from a seizure or something

[King Mark 3,631]

Pan's Labirinth

[Ollie 1,059]

No I put on a score and it bowled me over.

I dunno what happened, the text was there when I hit "reply".

[John Crichton 4]

Giacchino's Roar. Like I said before, it could have done without the ethnic warbling, but the low string and low brass writing was fantastic.

[Ollie 1,059]

Female soprano John, female soprano.

[Taikomochi 1,136]

The music in "There Will Be Blood" when the well blows up.

I think it's one of Jonny Greenwood's previously written pieces, which is why I couldn't find it on the score album on iTunes.

'Popcorn Superhet Reciever". it was never released, but I have a recording.

Personally, I'd have to say Una Princesa from Pan's Labyrinth.

[Red 75]

Honestly, "The Great Eatlon" from Howard's Lady in the Water. Great, great music which is nearly too good for the film.

[David Coscina 4]

Honestly, "The Great Eatlon" from Howard's Lady in the Water. Great, great music which is nearly too good for the film.

oh don't hold back. JN Howard's music is LEAGUES better than that POS film. And I don't use this term lightly. It was terrible. Incomprehensible, self indulgent crap that ought to have snapped Shymalan out of his "I'm great stupor" that he only got from doing The 6th Sense and Unbreakable...

[Pieter Boelen 740]

I would say John Debney's Lair, except that is not a film score.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It feels like one.

[GoldsmithFanatic2000+ 0]

Poltergeist II: The Other Side.

That's the last score I listened to so that gets my vote. It's a marvellous sequel score in it's own right. I guess it comes down to personal taste, but I love the synths and all the sampled sounds used in the score. It's vastly different to the fantastic original and that's what I like most about it.

It's my second favourite Goldsmith sequel score, behind The Final Conflict.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It is a good score. The CD sounds fabulous too.

[indy4 155]

Honestly, "The Great Eatlon" from Howard's Lady in the Water.

Since I recently bought LitW, I would agree to that. Charades, The Healing, and the Great Eatlon are some of Howard's finest tracks that I've heard. In my pathetic JNH collection, only Signs beats LitW.

[King Mark 3,631]

Poltergeist II: The Other Side.

It is a mere shadow of the original Poltergeist

[Hlao-roo 389]

Seven years ago, when I listened to "Monica's Theme" (the end credits vocalise) from A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Giacchino's Medal of Honor: Airborne. Truly sophisticated writing for a video game (though this is typical for MG).

Especially love the thematic ties to MOH: Frontline in the Nijmegen Bridge cues.

[GoldsmithFanatic2000+ 0]

Poltergeist II: The Other Side.

It is a mere shadow of the original Poltergeist

I don't think so, neither do the consensus.

The original is the superior of the two scores, but Goldsmith took the music and style for the sequel in a new and uniquely different direction.

Poltergeist II was amongst the major steps being undertaken by Goldsmith towards what is now regarded as his trademark sound, and that was definitely a given bonus. I for one am glad he abandoned that typical 20th century concept of orchestration approach for many of his scores from 1980 onwards. I doubt very much Goldsmith would be my favourite film composer today if he hadn't done so.

To each his own.

[Wojo 2,453]

We're going back aways, but I don't think any cue surprised me more than "Confrontation With Count Dooku and Finale."

I was still a lurker at this MB, I wasn't into posting yet, but I had been following (i.e. lurking) for years, reading the threads about how it was thought The Imperial March was going to be subtly assembled over the three films, like with Anakin's Theme, but never fully realized until Anakin Skywalker donned the helmet to become Darth Vader. That was the prevailing opinion until Episodes II and III debuted, at least.

So when I listened to the soundtrack before seeing the movie, I had only those sketchy pre-conceived notions of what the music was going to be about. I think I listened to that track before any others on the disc.

When the Imperial March began, fully developed, in this deep, militaristic style, with counterpoints similar enough to the Trade Federation's, I was completely floored. It was like 2 in the morning and my college dorm was on a quiet floor, so I had to contain any loud exclaims, but tears of surprise, joy, and confusion ran freely from my face. I was not expecting it and there's never been a moment like it with me and soundtracks before or since.

[indy4 155]

Yes, that moment of Imperial March in the Finale is one of the strongest moments of the saga's score, despite AotC being the weakest score overall.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Last score to really surprise me was I Am Legend. Didn't expect it to be so so subtle and beautiful.

[scissorhands 16]

The latest Joe Hisaishi score: "Mari to Koinu no Monogatari" (the The Mari and the puppies) or, what is the same, Hisaishi at his best (when writing intimate scores for smallers movies).

[Ollie 1,059]

Seven years ago, when I listened to "Monica's Theme" (the end credits vocalise) from A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

That may have been one of the last times for me.

[Romão 2,274]

Munich, specially Prayer for Peace

[David Coscina 4]

Seven years ago, when I listened to "Monica's Theme" (the end credits vocalise) from A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

That may have been one of the last times for me.

I prefer Search for the The Blue Fairy theme or even David's theme myself. AI as a film blew me away. It was an amazing experience.

[lordskylark 1]

Most X-Ray Dog and Immediate Music stuff is the best music I've ever heard. So, that stuff has been getting major playback above everything else by far the last couple years.

[Hlao-roo 389]

Seven years ago, when I listened to "Monica's Theme" (the end credits vocalise) from A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

That may have been one of the last times for me.

I prefer Search for the The Blue Fairy theme or even David's theme myself. AI as a film blew me away. It was an amazing experience.

I understand people's inclinations toward the supposedly less mawkish theme for the blue fairy, but I find the end credits piece simply transcendent, perhaps owing to Barbara Bonney's performance. And I have mixed feelings about the film, but I will say that A.I. was definitely unlike anything I had ever seen before -- or, indeed, anything I've seen since. (For you Blade Runner fans out there, I'm referring to the cumulative experience, not to set design.)

[mahler3 478]

To be honest, the only composer to exite me of late has been Phillipe Rombi as I have dscovered some of his older works after falling in love with his score for Joyeux Noel!

[QMM 4]

Roar and Evacuation from I Am Legend

[tpigeon 3]

Seven years ago, when I listened to "Monica's Theme" (the end credits vocalise) from A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

That may have been one of the last times for me.

I prefer Search for the The Blue Fairy theme or even David's theme myself. AI as a film blew me away. It was an amazing experience.

I understand people's inclinations toward the supposedly less mawkish theme for the blue fairy, but I find the end credits piece simply transcendent, perhaps owing to Barbara Bonney's performance. And I have mixed feelings about the film, but I will say that A.I. was definitely unlike anything I had ever seen before -- or, indeed, anything I've seen since. (For you Blade Runner fans out there, I'm referring to the cumulative experience, not to set design.)

I totally agree. Although I prefer the Blue Fairy theme's treatment in the actual film, when David encounters her underwater. That, to me, is the very definition of transcendant, much like the images. A beautiful film and score; very likely my favorites from Spielberg and Williams.

Ted

[SturgisPodmore 0]

"Swimming" from The Water Horse.

~Sturgis

[Taikomochi 1,136]

"Death Is The Road To Awe" from "The Fountain". That movie made so little sense, but I was certainly bowled over by this track.

[Richard Penna 3,696]

"Swimming" from The Water Horse.

~Sturgis

Definitely. There's no single highlight in this cue, it's made of them.

I'm also in love with the string passage at the end of 'Driving to the Loch' and '..Get Wet', and of course the finale from Saving Crusoe to The Jump. I'm not listening to the underscore types cues much - it's these notables that make the album.

Someone mentioned 'The Great Eatlon' earlier - I agree. I got the album about a week later than most on here and was reading so many people saying what a payoff this cue was - and true enough, my mouth was hanging open and heart racing by the time that final Blue World theme erupts. This cue is especially good since I watched that part of the film a week or so ago, and to me, it was one of the most bland and uninspiring scenes a piece of music could accompany. Maybe James saw it differently...

[indy4 155]

"Farewell" from Pocahontas, especially the last minute and a half or so.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Indeed, that's a wonderful piece. Gotta love the "If I Never Knew You" theme!

[indy4 155]

Indeed! Also, "Mine, Mine, Mine" is spectacular, especially the part where John Smith comes in.

[tpigeon 3]

"Swimming" from The Water Horse.

~Sturgis

Definitely. There's no single highlight in this cue, it's made of them.

I'm also in love with the string passage at the end of 'Driving to the Loch' and '..Get Wet', and of course the finale from Saving Crusoe to The Jump. I'm not listening to the underscore types cues much - it's these notables that make the album.

Someone mentioned 'The Great Eatlon' earlier - I agree. I got the album about a week later than most on here and was reading so many people saying what a payoff this cue was - and true enough, my mouth was hanging open and heart racing by the time that final Blue World theme erupts. This cue is especially good since I watched that part of the film a week or so ago, and to me, it was one of the most bland and uninspiring scenes a piece of music could accompany. Maybe James saw it differently...

First, a note on "Swimming." This may be my favorite cue of 2007. You're right in that it's one long highlight reel, with different styles of music, rhythms, and tempos throughout. Although the best portion of this cue, for me, is the wondrous moment from about the 2:00 minute mark until 3:00. There's really nothing else like that in the rest of the score; and it's self-contained beauty is just incredible, with those trademark string chords he writes combined with the ethereal voice. Perfect. I do wish it showed up in the score more often.

Re: "The Great Eatlon," I still remember hearing it for the first time two summers ago and being brought to tears right at 3:32, when he slows down the theme and elevates it to levels I didn't think possible, with the combination of strings, bells, and chorus. Somehow, the whole score is building to that one moment, and it is transcendant.

Ted

[GoldsmithFanatic2000+ 0]

Lady in the Water is a wonderful score. I gather you have heard it Ted but if you haven't; Take a listen to Goldsmith's "The Haunting".

It's the primary score which inspired the latter. There are many similarities, especially with the main theme.

[Neimoidian 14]

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Patrick Doyle, especially the opening cue To Think of a Story. Terrific work by Doyle who I don't appreciate much.

[King Mark 3,631]

I got to listen to the score to the TV series "Taken" and I though it was pretty good.

[King Mark 3,631]

I just saw The Spiderwick Chronicles.I must say some of the score worked amazing in the film ,especially the the flight on the griffin,the ending and the Closing Credits.

And the griffin flight music was mixed about 10X as loud as Buckbeaks flight ,helping it a lot

there must be something about half bird/half animal creatures that inspires composers