What would have been your Oscar choice for Best Original Score? (90's)

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

The JWFan Oscars continues this time in the 90's with two forgotten scores by the Academy: Hook and The Phantom Menace, what a shame...

The idea is again to organise the JWFan's own Academy Awards with the same nominees and every John Williams scores even the ones that weren't nominated.

[Jay 37,281]

Interesting, the 1996 musical or comedy is only the second time in all 3 polls where I've never listened to any of the 5 nominees at all, and I've never seen any of those films either

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

How THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION didn't win Best Original Score, is one of the greatest crimes against cinema, ever perpetrated by AMPAS.

[Jay 37,281]

It's definitely my favorite score out of those 5 choices

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

3 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

How THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION didn't win Best Original Score, is one of the greatest crimes against cinema, ever perpetrated by AMPAS.

If we're going with crimes against Thomas Newman, I'd say American Beauty is the biggest as, aside from being a superb score, it had a significant cultural impact both in terms of movies and elsewhere (sure it was sampled quite frequently and one of the iPhone ring tones is basically one of the main themes...), notwithstanding that Shawshank is a superb score. Then again, I adore his Little Women score too, which would be a worthy winner.

 

I don't begrudge Alan Menken his many wins in the 90s, Beauty and the Beast is a great score and the songs are some of the finest. Belle is the benchmark by which I measure all introductory songs from musicals and, I'd say that The Bells of Notre Dame from Hunchback is one of the few that comes close in times of storytelling and introducing the characters through music. From a pure score perspective, Pocahontas (which won) is even finer, but purely for the underscore, Hunchback is perhaps his best ever and the songs (aside from the unnecessarily comedic A Guy Like You) are excellent.

 

I don't begrudge Titanic for James Horner, but I'd rather he won for Braveheart or Apollo 13 (as I mentioned elsewhere, I think two nominations split the vote) and Jerry Goldsmith had won for LA Confidential, one of his best latter scores and for one of the few films where there was an even tiny chance of an Oscar nod. Hard to disagree he was robbed for Mulan in 1998 either. Then again, surprised nobody voted for The Prince of Egypt, probably my favourite HZ animated score (even above the Lion King). The burning bush sequence is especially wonderful and Stephen Schwartz's songs are pretty great too.

 

It's a shame Anne Dudley won for The Full Monty, not because of any lack of talent, but mostly because there was very little underscore and it's not far fetched to suggest that votes focussed on the (non-original) songs. I seem to remember that the music they played for when she went on the stage sounded like Rocky (and was, hilariously, conducted by Bill Conti who was probably seething). Hardly her most enduring contribution to film or TV. Elfman deserved a win for Men in Black, even if just for the brilliantly funky main theme (the body of the score is, to be fair, a bit uneven - the sequels are a bit more uniformly enjoyable). Good Will Hunting would have been a worthy dramatic score winner too.

 

Randy Newman got pretty short changed, Avalon is one of his best dramatic scores, although Pleasantville would have been a very worthy winner too, one of his more overlooked efforts. Surprising he didn't win for Toy Story, although he was utterly robbed not winning best song (I know that's a different topic!) for When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2 (or That'll Do from Babe: Pig in the City, which is utterly lovely and beautifully performed by Peter Gabriel, whose voice makes a perfect proxy as a more in tune, less gruff, Newman). Then again, as I've said before, I still think A Bug's Life is his most best, most enjoyable and consistent Pixar score. A swathe of memorable themes, dynamic and exciting. I always loved the song, even if it's a bit of a prototypical Newman shuffle (exactly what people who don't really know his broader work think all Randy Newman songs sound like).

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

31 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Hard to disagree he was robbed for Mulan in 1998 either.

Shakespeare in Love robbed everything that year: Goldsmith for Original Musical, Spielberg for Best Picture and Robert Rodat for Best Screenplay come on!

[Jay 37,281]

A travesty

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

+ 1. it's a film that hasn't stood the test of time, unlike SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

[Jay 37,281]

That film is incredible

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

2 minutes ago, Jay said:

That film is incredible

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

49 minutes ago, Raiders of the SoundtrArk said:

Shakespeare in Love robbed everything that year: Goldsmith for Original Musical, Spielberg for Best Picture and Robert Rodat for Best Screenplay come on!

Haha yes. I mean it’s a fun film but. Yeah. 

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

2 minutes ago, Tom Guernsey said:

Haha yes. I mean it’s a fun film but. Yeah. 

Think it would be nice for the Academy to vote again something like one or two decades after the ceremony to see if they have the same idees of the movies

[Thor 7,463]

My selections in the poll are easily viewable, so I won't repeat them here.

 

But interesting to compare them to my favourite scores of each year:

 

1990: EDWARD SCISSORHANDS - Danny Elfman (not nominated)

1991: HOOK - John Williams (not nominated)

1992: ALIEN 3 - Elliot Goldenthal (not nominated)

1993: JURASSIC PARK - John Williams (not nominated)

1994: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION - Thomas Newman (nominated, but didn't win)

1995: WATERWORLD (not nominated)

1996: THE ROCK - Hans Zimmer & co (not nominated)

1997: TITANIC - James Horner (nominated, and WON!)

1998: THE THIN RED LINE - Hans Zimmer (nominated, but didn't win)

1999: THE MUMMY - Jerry Goldsmith (not nominated - but I voted for AMERICAN BEAUTY in the poll anyway, because - as has been noted - it's one of biggest oversights in Oscar history for such a cornerstone score)

[Edmilson 7,384]

Newman should've won in 94 for Shawshank Redemption and nominated in 99 for The Green Mile (I love both of his Darabont scores). Zimmer should've won two Oscars in 98, for The Prince of Egypt (my favorite animation score from him) and TTRL, which works amazingly well in the movie.

[bruce marshall 1,314]

No love for Yared.

I'm the only one who voted RIPLEY and COLD MOUNTAIN.

[Thor 7,463]

9 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

No love for Yared.

I'm the only one who voted RIPLEY and COLD MOUNTAIN.

 

They're fine, but just don't reach up in that company. It's important to stress that just because we highlight some favourites, doesn't mean that we don't like other candidates in the categories. Some years, like 1994, are insanely tight because they're ALL gems in some way or another.

[bruce marshall 1,314]

15 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

How THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION didn't win Best Original Score, is one of the greatest crimes against cinema, ever perpetrated by AMPAS.

It wasn't even better than VAMPIRE!

5 minutes ago, Thor said:

 

They're fine, but just don't reach up in that company. It's important to stress that just because we highlight some favourites, doesn't mean that we don't like other candidates in the categories. Some years, like 1994, are insanely tight because they're ALL gems in some way or another.

Well, RIPLEY was certainly superior to TPM!😡

[Thor 7,463]

16 minutes ago, bruce marshall said:

Well, RIPLEY was certainly superior to TPM!😡

 

1999 was a very tough year. So many great movies and scores came out that year, that people have been making articles and podcasts about it. TPM is great, but ANGELA'S ASHES is my favourite of the noms - by far. But I voted for AMERICAN BEAUTY because it's such an apparent oversight. THE RED VIOLIN is fine too, and CIDER HOUSE RULES at least has that great theme (that is repeated a little too often, in typical Portman fashion). RIPLEY doesn't quite reach up in that competition, at least not for me - even if the score is good.

 

But so many other great scores from 1999 that weren't even nominated: SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS, THE NINTH GATE, POSTMEN IN THE MOUNTAINS, DEEP BLUE SEA, CLEOPATRA, THE GREEN MILE, THE STRAIGHT STORY, EAST-WEST, A MAP OF THE WORLD, DURANGO, TARZAN, THE INSIDER, THE 13TH WARRIOR, THE MUMMY, BICENTENNIAL MAN, ANNA AND THE KING, SHANGHAI VICE, NANA, IL QUATRO RE, WILD WILD WEST, IN DREAMS, FIGHT CLUB, THE MATRIX, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, SLEEPY HOLLOW, PLUNKETT & MACLEANE, UNA HISTORIA RECIENTE, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, TAAL, TOY STORY 2.....just to mention some.

[Tom Guernsey 2,280]

18 minutes ago, Thor said:

 

1999 was a very tough year. So many great movies and scores came out that year, that people have been making articles and podcasts about it. TPM is great, but ANGELA'S ASHES is my favourite of the noms - by far. But I voted for AMERICAN BEAUTY because it's such an apparent oversight. THE RED VIOLIN is fine too, and CIDER HOUSE RULES at least has that great theme (that is repeated a little too often, in typical Portman fashion). RIPLEY doesn't quite reach up in that competition, at least not for me - even if the score is good.

 

But so many other great scores from 1999 that weren't even nominated: SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS, THE NINTH GATE, POSTMEN IN THE MOUNTAINS, DEEP BLUE SEA, CLEOPATRA, THE GREEN MILE, THE STRAIGHT STORY, EAST-WEST, A MAP OF THE WORLD, DURANGO, TARZAN, THE INSIDER, THE 13TH WARRIOR, THE MUMMY, BICENTENNIAL MAN, ANNA AND THE KING, SHANGHAI VICE, NANA, IL QUATRO RE, WILD WILD WEST, IN DREAMS, FIGHT CLUB, THE MATRIX, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, SLEEPY HOLLOW, PLUNKETT & MACLEANE, UNA HISTORIA RECIENTE, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, TAAL, TOY STORY 2.....just to mention some.

That's the problem with all such awards, "please choose the best thing that was released during this arbitrary period of time". 

[bruce marshall 1,314]

It's all in fun

 

Oscars don't mean much

1980

EMPIRE

TESS

ALTERED STATES

 

the best year ever?

Certainly, the best noms Oscar came up with.

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

1974

CHINATOWN,

THE GODFATHER PT. II,

MURDER ON THE ORIENT

EXPRESS,

SHANKS,

THE TOWERING INFERNO.

Any score could have won that.

 

[bruce marshall 1,314]

SHANKS?

[Dr. Strangelove 3]

My favorite Randy Newman score out of all the great work he did in the 90s wasn't even nominated: Awakenings.

[Oomoog the Ecstatic 314]

The only Disney score of these I care about. Definitely a winner.