Brundlefly 2,382 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 #1-10 The Lost World (complete) The Prisoner of Azkaban (complete) The Temple of Doom Jurassic Park (complete) Rosewood (complete) The Last Crusade Raiders of the Lost Ark JFK A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (complete) Amistad (complete) #11-20 The Philosopher's Stone (complete) Empire of the Sun (complete) Munich The Witches of Eastwick The Empire Strikes Back A New Hope The Chamber of Secrets (complete) War of the Worlds (complete) Minority Report (complete) Lincoln #21-30 Hook (complete) The Phantom Menace Schindler's List (complete) War Horse Dracula (complete) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (complete) E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (complete) Revenge of the Sith Return of the Jedi Born on the Fourth of July #31-40 The Last Jedi Seven Years in Tibet Sleepers Presumed Innocent (complete) Nixon Attack of the Clones The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull The Rise of Skywalker The Force Awakens The Terminal #41-50 Angela's Ashes 1941 (complete) Saving Private Ryan (complete) Jaws 2 (complete) Home Alone (complete) Jaws (complete) Superman: The Movie (complete) The Fury (complete) Stepmom The Adventures of Tintin #51-60 Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (complete) Catch Me If You Can The Book Thief The Patriot Sabrina (complete) The River (complete) Family Plot (complete) The Missouri Breaks (complete) The Post Heartbeeps (complete) #61-69 Stanley & Iris (complete) Always (complete) The Accidential Tourist The BFG Black Sunday (complete) Monsignor (complete) Far and Away (complete) SpaceCamp (complete) Midway (complete) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,384 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 That's a lot of ranking! Not sure I have the time to make a similar list anytime soon, although it would be interesting at some point. Sorry to see you didn't care for THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST or MONSIGNOR; two wonderful scores, IMO. But kudos for having both A.I. and AMISTAD in the Top 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex 2,833 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Love your top 2, although I'd put The BFG higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,042 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 I like his Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, and Jaws scores the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 #1 is accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Brundflys list is shit total shit. The kind of shit that trump produces. Its so much shit the I applaud his efforts to stir the shit. Wojo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,042 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Joe can you try to be nicer please? Brundlefly is completely entitled to his own opinions. Why not share your own list instead of attacking his? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 No Jay. I attacked his list not him get a clue. I broke no rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,042 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 7 hours ago, JoeinAR said: No Jay. I attacked his list not him get a clue. I broke no rules. Er, I actually quite specifically said that you attacked his list, and not him personally. See: 7 hours ago, Jay said: Joe can you try to be nicer please? Brundlefly is completely entitled to his own opinions. Why not share your own list instead of attacking his? Also, I simply and kindly asked you to please by nicer, and did not accuse you of breaking forum rules. Ironically, you attacked me personally by telling me to get a clue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 A list like that deserves ridicule A comment like Jay's deserves a stern no like you tell your dog when she is bad. Quintus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,042 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 37 minutes ago, JoeinAR said: A list like that deserves ridicule A comment like Jay's deserves a stern no like you tell your dog when she is bad. Nobody's personal opinion on what their favorite scores are deserves ridicule, actually. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, just like you are completely entitled to disagree with them. You don't need to use the words you used to attack his choice, though; you can say that you disagree in a nicer way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 So uncivilized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,042 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 I'm trying to make this place more civil! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 I'm offering you the opportunity for that experience to be...civilized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 46 minutes ago, Jay said: I'm trying to make this place more civil! After years of seemingly not giving a flying fuck about what was said here, as long as it was spelled well? Good luck mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,042 Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,382 Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 10 hours ago, Thor said: That's a lot of ranking! Not sure I have the time to make a similar list anytime soon, although it would be interesting at some point. Sorry to see you didn't care for THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST or MONSIGNOR; two wonderful scores, IMO. But kudos for having both A.I. and AMISTAD in the Top 10. I did this list in 20 minutes, it is as impulsively created as possible. Just start with Jaws go chronologically until The BFG. Always just ask yourself whether you like title C more than title B and less than title A and if that's true put it there. At the end you get one or another surprise, since you created the list quite subconsious. 7 hours ago, JoeinAR said: Brundflys list is shit total shit. The kind of shit that trump produces. Its so much shit the I applaud his efforts to stir the shit. Call me Seth. What does bother you the most? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rough cut 1,709 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 I've mentioned many times that even though we are all hardcore (probably) JW fans, there is a lot of diversity of what we consider the best of the maestros output. But that's the beauty of life, yes? : ) I took one look at this list and dismissed it right away since there are a lot of things I don't agree with. However, one is entitled to one's opinion. But your top ten... really?? ; ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandor 796 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 Ok, here it goes: 01. Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope 02. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 03. Schindler's List 04. Raiders Of The Lost Ark 05. Superman The Movie 06. Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back 07. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind 08. Jaws 09. Jurassic Park 10. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone 11. Hook 12. Born On The Fourth Of July 13. War Horse 14. A.I. Artificial Intelligence 15. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 16. Home Alone 17. Saving Private Ryan 18. Memoirs Of A Geisha 19. Star Wars Episode VI Return Of The Jedi 20. Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom 21. Empire Of The Sun 22. Far And Away 23. Seven Years In Tibet 24. Amistad 25. The Adventures Of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn 26. Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace 27. Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade 28. Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith 29. JFK 30. Jaws 2 31. Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens 32. Angela's Ashes 33. Nixon 34. The Witches Of Eastwick 35. Star Wars Episode II Attack Of The Clones 36. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets 37. Dracula 38. The Eiger Sanction 39. The Fury 40. Lincoln 41. The BFG 42. The Lost World: Jurassic Park 43. Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull 44. The Accidental Tourist 45. Rosewood 46. The Patriot 47. Stanley And Iris 48. Home Alone 2: Lost In New York 49. Monsignor 50. Always 51. The Terminal 52. 1941 53. Sleepers 54. SpaceCamp 55. Munich 56. Family Plot 57. The River 58. War Of The Worlds 59. Presumed Innocent 60. Minority Report 61. Catch Me If You Can 62. Sabrina 63. Midway 64. The Book Thief 65. Black Sunday 66. Stepmom 67. Heartbeeps 68. The Missouri Breaks I did not include Yes, Giorgio and Superman IV since Williams only contributed selections to these scores. And yeah; I've never been a big fan of The Lost World... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,382 Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 1 hour ago, rough cut said: I've mentioned many times that even though we are all hardcore (probably) JW fans, there is a lot of diversity of what we consider the best of the maestros output. But that's the beauty of life, yes? : ) I took one look at this list and dismissed it right away since there are a lot of things I don't agree with. However, one is entitled to one's opinion. But your top ten... really?? ; ) My Top 10 is really not that typical. For the famous JW scores: Either I adore them or I never really got the hype. @Sandor made a really typical Top 10. 16 minutes ago, Sandor said: And yeah; I've never been a big fan of The Lost World... Nor a fan of JW's colder, darker, modern stuff, right? (Minority Report, War of the Worlds, Munich, Presumed Innocent, Sleepers) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rough cut 1,709 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 @Brundlefly 70 % of your top ten is either Jurassic Park, Harry Potter or Indiana Jones... TBH, at first glance I thought it was a very atypical top ten, but I guess there's a consistency of thematic ideas, even though I do not agree that a top 10 needs to rely so heavy on so few franchises. Furthermore, I would like to add that throwing in an odd ball or two (in your case three) should be considered mandatory from any super fan's perspective! We might not agree in the end, but well done, mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrScratch 294 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 I don't have the time to rank all of these scores, but I do know that "The Terminal" would be at the bottom of such a list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,443 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 Out of interest, Brundlefly...why JAWS onwards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,382 Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 5 hours ago, rough cut said: @Brundlefly 70 % of your top ten is either Jurassic Park, Harry Potter or Indiana Jones... TBH, at first glance I thought it was a very atypical top ten, but I guess there's a consistency of thematic ideas, even though I do not agree that a top 10 needs to rely so heavy on so few franchises. Furthermore, I would like to add that throwing in an odd ball or two (in your case three) should be considered mandatory from any super fan's perspective! We might not agree in the end, but well done, mate. I myself was surprised how important the Indy trilogy is to me, but that's it. 1 hour ago, Richard said: Out of interest, Brundlefly...why JAWS onwards? The most "controversial" thing here should be #41-50 which is full of famous, beloved scores. Jaws, Home Alone and especially Superman were never among my favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,384 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 2 hours ago, Richard said: Out of interest, Brundlefly...why JAWS onwards? To most people here, Williams' 17 years of active film scoring and 40-something feature film scores prior to JAWS basically don't exist! But that's OK. It's an OK starting point. Ranking 42 years worth of film scores is ambitious enough in itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,382 Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 3 hours ago, Richard said: Out of interest, Brundlefly...why JAWS onwards? Initially misunderstood your question. Well, I barely know anything older than Jaws. Starting in 1975 is easier for most fans I think, because [what Thor said]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Hilary Bray 235 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 Seems doing a best to worst list seems sacrilegious. That and I wouldn't know where to begin. Paper Chase would be unnaturally high I know that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandor 796 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 Jaws was the defining score which -after following it up with a string of equally classic scores- turned John Williams into a household name and arguably the most popular film composer of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,053 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 Off the top of my head this would be a preliminary list of some of my all time favorites by Williams Superman Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back Jaws CE3K E.T. Raiders The Lost World Temple of Doom Return Of Yhe Jedi Schindlers List Harry Potter POA Jaws 2 Home Alone 2 War Horse A.I. Memoirs Of A Geisha Black Sunday Dracula Jurassic Park 1941 Home Alone Harry Potter SS The Fury The Cowboys Born on the Fourth of July The Towering Inferno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,384 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 3 hours ago, Brundlefly said: Initially misunderstood your question. Well, I barely know anything older than Jaws. Starting in 1975 is easier for most fans I think, because [what Thor said]. But of course, now you've inspired me to do a ranking of his scores between 1958 and 1975! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 I wonder, are there any scores that you guys consider to be "irredeemable"? Looking at this list, I see certain scores and think "Yeah that one's definitely low on the list", but then I think: "Well, but it has this piece, and this one". For example, Jaws 2 is one of my least favorites, but then I think of "Finding the Orca", "Brody Misunderstood", or "The Catamaran Race", and say, "Man, there's some fine music in here!" The overall effect of the score taken as a whole, though, leaves a lesser impression on me than others, which is why I prefer a score like The Terminal over it--even though if I take it track by track I might find the "lesser" score to quantitatively have more highlights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,382 Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share Posted October 12, 2017 Listen to your heart, Nick. Just listen to your heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 I wasn't commenting on a lack of decisiveness, I was hoping to spur a discussion on what kinds of elements lead someone to rank certain scores higher or lower than others. And also if there were scores John Williams has done that anyone considers unmitigated dumpster fires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUlyssesian 2,467 Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 His best score is E.T. His most film-elevating score. His best are his 4 academy award winning scores plus Raiders, Sorcerer's Stone, Close Encounters, Empire Strikes Back, Hook and Reivers. RU: AI & Jurrasic Park Some of his earlier simpler scores reveal his gift for melody perhaps even better than his later busier much more elaborate works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,382 Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share Posted October 12, 2017 9 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said: Some of his earlier simpler scores reveal his gift for melody perhaps even better than his later busier much more elaborate works. The Lionheart-Effect: the simpler, the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,382 Posted January 22, 2021 Author Share Posted January 22, 2021 Need to update that list. War of the Worlds, Monsignor and The River are much higher now. There's more that I don't agree on any more. On 10/10/2017 at 8:24 PM, Thor said: That's a lot of ranking! Not sure I have the time to make a similar list anytime soon, although it would be interesting at some point. Sorry to see you didn't care for THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST or MONSIGNOR; two wonderful scores, IMO. But kudos for having both A.I. and AMISTAD in the Top 10. I'm waiting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,384 Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 He, he. So many titles, it would require so much time to organize it all, I never got around to it. Same with the 'composers I've met' thread. Perhaps I'll look into either of these two tonight, over a few drinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 On 10/12/2017 at 7:40 AM, TheUlyssesian said: Some of his earlier simpler scores reveal his gift for melody perhaps even better than his later busier much more elaborate works. The more intimately skilled with composition Williams became the more stodgy and boring his music got. This is why his earlier 70s-80s stuff is drastically more exciting than his post Schindler's era output. You can track Spielberg's career arc in almost exactly the same way, it's pretty striking. I also think the differences between analogue and digital play their part in the resonant effectiveness of Williams' sound. Ricard and Ollie 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 Fitzwilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerateWohl 4,278 Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 I wouldn't be able to create such a ranking. It would start with the trouble of defining the criteria of choice. Is it which score I like to listen to most, or which I find most interesting musically and which contains the best scoring ideas, or is it which score supports the film best? Or which score stand on its own best without the film? Even with just these approaches I would end up with at least three different lists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,382 Posted January 22, 2021 Author Share Posted January 22, 2021 No objectivitiy in this ranking. Just your intuition telling you what you like most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joni Wiljami 1,205 Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 1. CE3K 2. The Book Thief 3. Nah... I hate lists... 🍹🍷🍻 68. The Lost World 69. War of the Worlds Done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brundlefly 2,382 Posted January 22, 2021 Author Share Posted January 22, 2021 70. News of the World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,019 Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 On 10/10/2017 at 10:14 PM, Brundlefly said: I did this list in 20 minutes, it is as impulsively created as possible. Just start with Jaws go chronologically until The BFG. Always just ask yourself whether you like title C more than title B and less than title A and if that's true put it there. At the end you get one or another surprise, since you created the list quite subconsious. Call me Seth. What does bother you the most? While this thread has been revived, I thought I'd take a whack at this impossible task by following this approach, and it actually wasn't as hard as I expected. Here's my resulting list, only covering scores that I'm decently familiar with: Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back Raiders of the Lost Ark Jurassic Park The Lost World: Jurassic Park Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban The Phantom Menace E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Jaws Return of the Jedi The Force Awakens Close Encounters of the Third Kind Revenge of the Sith Attack of the Clones Lincoln Hook War Horse 1941 The Cowboys Superman: The Movie Images Home Alone Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The Adventures of Tintin Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Saving Private Ryan Black Sunday Amistad Minority Report A.I. Artificial Intelligence Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets The Rise of Skywalker The Last Jedi Solo (theme, etc.) Memoirs of a Geisha Rosewood Dracula The BFG War of the Worlds The Poseidon Adventure The Towering Inferno Earthquake SpaceCamp Catch Me If You Can Empire of the Sun Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Far and Away Jaws 2 The Book Thief Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (themes) Family Plot Paradoxically, there are items lower on the list that make me go, "Wait, I like that one better than a score that's a ways above it!" And of course, the quality of any score is a very complicated consideration. But the overall shape of the list should be somewhat accurate to my current tastes. It's an interesting exercise, if nothing else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerateWohl 4,278 Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 I didn't get further than a top 20 ranking. Anyway all of the before mentioned ones are brillant scores. Being a low number in a John Williams score ranking doesn't mean it's bad, it is just not considered as good as the higher ranks. So, these are my top 20. The Empire Strikes Back E.T. Raiders of the Lost Ark The Witches of Eastwick The Force Awakens Minority Report War Horse The Phantom Menace Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Star Wars Schindler's List A.I. Jaws Close Encounters of the Third Kind Dracula Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Attack of the Clones War of the Worlds Catch Me if You Can Angela's Ashes I was struggling with A.I. since watching the movie my impression was "Too much music" and "Less would have been more for the film", but the score is so beautiful and full of georgeous ideas. If A.I. was a silent movie the score probably would be perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbeck 121 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 I did a "top 25" I love most of his scores and it is very difficult to rank something like Star Wars against Accidental Tourist or Memoirs Of A Geisha, all 'perfect scores' but very different genres. That said here's my list: 1. Jaws 2. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind 3. Star Wars - A New Hope 4. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 5. The Fury 6. Superman - The Movie 7. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer´s Stone 9. Star Wars - Return of the Jedi 10. Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back 11. Raiders Of The Lost Ark 12. Jaws 2 13. A.I. - Artificial Intelligence 14. Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith 15. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 16. Memoirs of a Geisha 17. Dracula 18. Star Wars - The Force Awakens 19. The Lost World 20. Schindler's List 21. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 22. Home Alone 23. The Accidental Tourist 24. Black Sunday 25. Jurassic Park Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,615 Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 It's getting harder to make such lists. Obviously the stuff from the late 70's/early 80's is still tops but then he still writes themes that are among his best recently like Rise of Skywalker, Adventures of Han, Rebellion is Reborn and Galaxy's Edge So I have a clear "top" list and some I generally dislike but for the rest there's a lot of ties. Like is The Rise of Skywalker better than any of the Prequel scores...maybe. So top of the list: Empire Strikes Back Revenge of the Sith Temple of Doom Raiders of the Lost Ark E.T. Hook Close Encounters Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Jurassic Park Superman ... Bottom of the list: Rosewood Minority Report War of the Words Saving Private Ryan Presumed Innocent Sleepers ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 11,956 Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 17 minutes ago, King Mark said: Revenge of the Sith < 17 minutes ago, King Mark said: Presumed Innocent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,019 Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Shit, I somehow missed Rosewood on mine. Added. I should also say that from around #10-15 and above on my list, any one of those scores feels like #1 while I'm listening to it. Those are really, really hard to compare. And although I didn't plan it this way, it's really only the last 10-15 that I'm not so enthusiastic about. (Family Plot is at the very bottom because it actively annoys me sometimes, depending on my mood, which is too bad, because it's an interesting and unique score.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now