John Williams Best Score Oscar Nomination for The Rise of Skywalker!

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Breaking his own record as the most nominated living person, receiving his 52nd Oscar Nomination!

 

Congratulations Maestro!

 

 

The 5 nominees:

Joker (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

Little Women (Alexandre Desplat)

Marriage Story (Randy Newman)

1917 (Thomas Newman)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (John Williams)

[zoltan_902 141]

The category will inevitibly be renamed "The John Williams Memorial Award for Best Film Score".

[Richard Penna 3,664]

Meh.

 

JW is JW. All the others are accompanying acclaimed films. I think there's little to be excited about here.

[mrbellamy 6,270]

Yay for JW, I’m glad he got nommed for all 3

 

I hope Thomas wins

[DrTenma 116]

16 minutes ago, Richard Penna said:

Meh.

 

JW is JW. All the others are accompanying acclaimed films. I think there's little to be excited about here.

Well, I think that the composers are still the ones that vote the nominations, so that's important. I much doubt he will win, although I between the 5 nominations his work is the strongest by a big margin. I'm sure that Guðnadóttir will get the award...

[eitam 364]

Glad JW got nominated, and I hope he wins: it's been too long! 

[Arpy 4,145]

Won't win, but at this point I count nominations as wins. 

 

 

[Jay 37,255]

Congrats maestro!

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

Regular folks thinking - 6 nominations for the same song?

[Bilbo 3,709]

Hard to believe the three ST scores got nominations but RotS didn’t 

 

Anyway, still delighted with this news. Can’t see him winning but it’d be amazing if he did. 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Wholly undeserved. 

Its nice lip service from the Academy, which has no credibility remaining. 

[Remco 685]

Congratulations, Maestro!

 

I just hope Joker doesn’t win. 

[A. A. Ron 1,736]

I think Joker will win and Thomas Newman will continue getting snubbed for the rest of time.

[Marian Schedenig 8,153]

2 hours ago, Richard Penna said:

JW is JW. All the others are accompanying acclaimed films. I think there's little to be excited about here.

 

In other words: Most film scores just get nominated because the films are popular. Only Williams gets regular nominations simply based on the quality of his work.

[mrbellamy 6,270]

Well sort of. He’s great and we all love him but I think it’s completely fair to say nominating John Williams is its own form of complacency.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

1 minute ago, mrbellamy said:

Well sort of. He’s great and we all love him but I think it’s completely fair to say nominating John Williams is its own form of complacency.

 

I agree.  This is a mark of deference more than anything.

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

JW has now been nominated for 7 of the past 9 scores he has composed. That's definitely something.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Hooray!

[Cerebral Cortex 3,357]

Kudos to Williams for now having received nominations for Best Original Score across 7 different decades!

 

2 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

Regular folks thinking - 6 nominations for the same song?

 

I feel most think it's 9. I've had a couple people over the years who were really surprised when they found out Williams wasn't nominated for any of the prequel trilogy scores (and rightfully so). 

[mrbellamy 6,270]

The weird awards politics definitely came into play there. He got nominated those years for baity late releases. Angela, CMIYC, and Memoirs/Munich are all deserving scores but I suppose he would have gotten prequel nods if they were the only choice.

 

Then again, maybe not. Oscar voters tend to have short memories. I think the winter releases for the sequels really helped. I imagine he still would have gotten in for TFA with a summer release but perhaps not the other two. Likewise BFG may have gotten a nod if it were a Thanksgiving/Christmas movie.

[Obi 404]

1 hour ago, A. A. Ron said:

Thomas Newman will continue getting snubbed for the rest of time.

 

Unfortunately yes. But it's always better than Alan Silvestri (Nominated once for Cast Away).

 

But... Hope Williams win. The Rise of Skywalker is the best score of the year.

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

48 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

The weird awards politics definitely came into play there. He got nominated those years for baity late releases. Angela, CMIYC, and Memoirs/Munich are all deserving scores but I suppose he would have gotten prequel nods if they were the only choice.

 

Then again, maybe not. Oscar voters tend to have short memories. I think the winter releases for the sequels really helped. I imagine he still would have gotten in for TFA with a summer release but perhaps not the other two. Likewise BFG may have gotten a nod if it were a Thanksgiving/Christmas movie.

 

I agree that he would have gotten in for the Prequel scores had he  not have those other 4 movies. I mean 2005 was impossible. Surely people don't expect him to get nominated 3 times the same year?

 

I think the movie has to have atleast SOME heat for the score to be considered. I think BFG was totally dead. Got no box office, tepid critics, uninterested award bodies. It had nothing. So it would never get in under circumstances.

 

The sequel trilogy I feel confident he would have gotten in regardless of release date. Only iffy 1 would be Last Jedi. Had it released in the summer, then he would have been nominated for The Post that year.

 

Needless to say - the bottom line is - 

 

In Each year that Williams scored a Star Wars film - he was Oscar nominated (but not necessarily for the Star Wars film).

 

And now of course the music branch feels urgency. They never know what his last score will be. So they are going to respect him whenever he scores a film.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Thomas Newman is the next John Williams.

 

At least Michael Giacchino or Hanz Zimmer didn't get nominated. 

[Balahkay 627]

TROS definitely deserved the nom.  If Disney had promoted the score more and made more of a to-do about this being Williams last SW film after 40+ years, he could have a chance to win.  Disney really dropped the ball on this one when I think he could have had a good chance at winning.  The winner will likely be Joker, though.

[DominicCobb 194]

29 minutes ago, Balahkay said:

TROS definitely deserved the nom.  If Disney had promoted the score more and made more of a to-do about this being Williams last SW film after 40+ years, he could have a chance to win.  Disney really dropped the ball on this one when I think he could have had a good chance at winning. 

 

I would agree, but I also think the treatment of the score in the film really hurts its chances as well.

[The Five Tones 302]

I support Hildur Guðnadóttir winning for Joker. And as much as I’d love to see Dubs get a sixth Oscar before he leaves us, his record including 52 nominations speaks for itself. Congrats Maestro!

[Richard Penna 3,664]

I'll eat my proverbial hat if Joker doesn't win.

 

I still maintain that HTTYD is better than TROS and should be in this list.

[Biodome 714]

Kinda miss Midsommar on that list. It had a great, atmosphere-creating score.

[rough cut 1,714]

Inspite of having broken his strict leitmotif rule for a couple of moments (which I am sure was J.J.’s or Disney’s decision), JW’s score for TROS kicked ass!

 

I haven’t heard any of the other scores, except for Joker in the film, but I payed no attention to the score.

 

So completely subjective, and in all naivety, I hope JW wins.

[p0llux 392]

I love this lineup. All of them are classically trained musicians. However there's one score that isn't very classical and from the least experienced composer too. 

 

Joker by Hildur Guðnadóttir - 4/5

This is the least classical one. The frontrunner to win somehow. A troubled score for a troubled mind like the Joker. The score was effective in film, but does little to keep me listening outside of the theater.

 

Little Women by Alexandre Desplat- 5/5

Fantastic score with a great performance from the chamber orchestra. Period pieces without a big orchestra is Desplat's strength.

 

Marriage Story by Randy Newman - 5/5

Randy Newman's delicate side is a fantastic listen. Like Desplat, Newman's use of a smaller ensemble for personal projects was a delight to listen in and out of the theater.

 

1917 by Thomas Newman - 4/5

The Newman family doing work. This score was highly effective in film. However like the Joker, offers not much outside of the theater. As fantastic as the film was, there just weren't many moments that needed music.

 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by John Williams - 5/5

I haven't heard a sub 5 star score from Williams in years. This one was no different. Incredible last effort from the maestro. Just pure symphonic fun. The new themes were strong ones, but suffers from bad mixing within film so can't fault Williams if you didn't hear them.

 

Who do I want to win?

Star Wars. This is a no brainer. Within this group, it's the most thematic/complex score with high listen value in and outside of the theater. The respect alone should win him the gold.

 

Who will actually win?

Joker or Little Women. Sadly the academy never works way I want them to. Little Women is objectively a better score than Joker too. But given the gender significance of the potential win, it will win the gold. Congratulations ladies!

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

2 hours ago, Balahkay said:

TROS definitely deserved the nom.  If Disney had promoted the score more and made more of a to-do about this being Williams last SW film after 40+ years, he could have a chance to win.  Disney really dropped the ball on this one when I think he could have had a good chance at winning.  The winner will likely be Joker, though.

 

They could spend millions on an oscar campaign and would still lose. Out of past 16 winners, 15 have gone to Best Picture nominees.

 

It is simply a fact - you basically need a best picture nom to win best score. No amount of oscar campaign money will change that.

[Tydirium 1,166]

Why, though?

[Arpy 4,145]

Desplat will win again! 

[Edmilson 7,367]

Well deserved nomination, even if it was not surprising. I hope it's no the last of the maestro, though. With Spielberg doing WSS, I hope Williams really gets into some Book Thief scenario this year. 

 

If that doesn't happen, well, Spielberg is a hard working person, and I guess he will chose his next movie after he completes WSS. Whether it'll be Indy 5, a smaller drama like The Post or a more traditional epic like War Horse (Kidnapping of Edgard Mortara?), and of course considering JW will be in good health, I guess we'll hear a new score from him in 2021 or 2022, at most.

 

7 hours ago, Obi said:

Unfortunately yes. But it's always better than Alan Silvestri (Nominated once for Cast Away).

 

 

Silvestri's single nomination for Best Original Score was in 94, for Forrest Gump (lost to The Lion King). In the year of Cast Away, the nominates were Zimmer for Gladiator, Williams for The Patriot, Morricone for Maléna, Rachel Portman for Chocolat and Tan Dun for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, which ended up winning the award.

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I'd say if Indy 5 wasn't happening, Disney would've moved it from the July 2021 slot during the release date shuffle a few months back, so Spielberg must be confident. Apparently production start is May at Pinewood (a booking which wouldn't come cheap). Koepp's comments don't inspire much confidence though.

 

It'd be great if someone approached Williams with a small scale drama later this year, especially if it's a book adaptation that interests him. I think that's why he did Book Thief. 

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

10 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

In other words: Most film scores just get nominated because the films are popular. Only Williams gets regular nominations simply based on the quality of his work.

 

Fact - Alexander Desperatelat has 11 Best Score nominations. And 9 of them came for Best Picture nominees and 2 for Best Animation nominees.

 

Do you think if Desperatelat were not doing oscar bait after oscar bait, would he ever rack up so many nominations?

 

For comparison, in Williams' past 11 noms, only 3 were Best Picture nominees and 0 were Best Animation nominees.

[Jon Turner 21]

This score was some of his best work in the SW saga, and considering the consistently excellent quality of his music even in the prequels, that's saying a lot.

[Edmilson 7,367]

1 hour ago, crumbs said:

It'd be great if someone approached Williams with a small scale drama later this year, especially if it's a book adaptation that interests him. I think that's why he did Book Thief. 

 

I checked again and again the schedule of movies coming out this year, and none of them seems to be another Book Thief or Angela's Ashes for that matter . But then again this kind of more intimist movie doesn't appear on the media with months of antecedence, so who knows. It would be a great, welcoming surprise.

[mrbellamy 6,270]

22 minutes ago, crumbs said:

It'd be great if someone approached Williams with a small scale drama later this year, especially if it's a book adaptation that interests him. I think that's why he did Book Thief. 

 

Didn't he even seek it out himself?

 

That was a fun day, just to log on to JWFan and randomly find out a new score was coming in like two months.

[David Story 57]

This is actually a unique achievement that deserves special recognition. A bit like the Ring cycle in music or Mount Rushmore in sculpture. It's not 9 separate films but one huge project that spans the decades.

[filmmusic 1,822]

1 hour ago, David Story said:

This is actually a unique achievement that deserves special recognition. 

Something like this?

 

9 little oscars maybe? 

[_deleted_ 203]

22 hours ago, JoeinAR said:

Thomas Newman is the next John Williams.

 

The Academy won't let JW win. They'll instead push the "X is the next John Williams" narrative and the world, already drenched in the corrosive noise of Zimmer and Friends, will be more than happy to accept this new reality. 

[Arpy 4,145]

I have a sneaking hope that, like Morricone's win for Hateful Eight back in 2015, the academy might honour Williams this time.

 

 

[Edmilson 7,367]

Yeah, but Hateful Eight was Morricone's first American movie since Mission to Mars in 2000, I think, after years doing European stuff nobody watched. 

 

It was his reunion with an acclaimed, beloved filmmaker in the movie industry which had always been inspired by his music. 

 

TROS is a Williams new Star Wars score, 2 years after the last one. I don't know if people on Hollywood care as much as we do about this whole narrative of "it's the final part on an epic nine part musical project that spans four decades compared to Wagner's Ring cicle" as much as we do. Not even Howard Shore was nominated for BOTFA.

 

[EDIT] On the other hand...

 

 

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

He is 8 noms from beating Walt Disney...will he work enough years to achieve it ?

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He'd need a couple years with double nominations to get close, methinks. I don't see him scoring two films in a year anytime soon, unless Spielberg follows up Indy 5 with a small drama next year (which is possible).

[Arpy 4,145]

Quote

BREAKING NEWS!

 

Acclaimed Director Steven Spielberg has announced he's making eight Indiana Jones sequels back-to-back in a bid to beat out James Cameron's ludicrous Avatar series. Spielberg talking with E! host Sarah Peltz had this to say when asked about composer and collaborator John Williams's return: 

 

"Look, Johnny needs eight more Oscar nominations and I think we can squeeze them out of him!"

 

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The Indiana Jones cinematic universe! We can cover all timelines, from before Raiders to the unexplored period between Crusade and Crystal Skull!

 

The final movie takes place in modern times, with a genetically cloned Indy sent undercover to prevent Kim Jong-Un from launching a nuclear missile at the US.

[Holko 9,491]

Ford can play young himself now with deaging!

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Wouldn't be surprised if they went that route with Indy 5. I think Scorsese using that tech on Irishman would reverberate with Steven and his mind would be racing about how to play with the same character in different timelines.

 

If nothing else, I fully expect a prologue set around WW2 which introduces the eventual villain (set in the early 70s). My money is on Mark Rylance either playing the villain or Indy's brother.