What Is The Best Film Score Of 2014

[Bespin 8,472]

What is according to you, the best film score of 2014 among this list?

 

The scores of this list won an award for "Best Score", as voted by either one or more of these organizations:

• The International Film Music Critics Association Award
• The Online Film Critics Society Award
• The Los Angeles Film Critics Association

 

Let's discuss these choices made by Critics!

 

Note : That year the Oscar went to...

 

The Grand Budapest Hotel Alexandre Desplat

[Thor 7,451]

My favourite film score of 2014 is THE UNKNOWN KNOWN (Danny Elfman).

 

My favourite of the poll options is INTERSTELLAR.

 

Finally, here's my podcast episode about the best scores of 2014 (in English), for anyone interested: http://celluloidtunes.no/celluloid-tunes-25-the-10-best-scores-of-2014-9th-international-edition/

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Interstellar is an absolute mess. Zimmer's score is noise.

[Edmilson 7,367]

2014 was a great year for film scores, perhaps the best of the decade. The year had:

• Godzilla (Desplat)
• Maleficent (JNH)
• How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Powell)
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Shore)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (Bates)
• The Monkey King (Young)
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Giacchino)
• Interstellar (Zimmer)
• The Imitation Game (Desplat)

Among others.

 

I think my favorite score from that year is a tie between Maleficent and HTTYD2, with Interstellar in a close second place. However, Desplat's score for Grand Budapest Hotel worked great in that movie. His Oscar was well deserved.

[Bespin 8,472]

I love when the results are not monolithic!!!

 

For ym part, the only CD I have in my collection for now among this list, is MALEFICENT (and I never listened to it yet).

 

Altought I'm not a fan of Alexandre DESS-PLAW, his score for the Grand Budapest Hotel was perfect for the tone of the movie, and the score is quite funny to listen! But like many of the scores he has written, some repetitive parts can quickly become alienating.

 

So, another year, when I can't vote... for now!

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

Maybe sacrilegious - as much as I love HTTYD, I could never get into any of the sequels - either the scores or the movies. 

 

I am going with Grand Budapest - a score which works wonders in the movie to give it its kooky jaunty tone as well as an expected doze of heart.

 

This cue, since I first saw the movie, has been etched in my memory forever.

 

 

And this one too - even though it is not from Desplat - 

 

 

Sometimes beyond technical virtuosity, you do prefer music that moves you and the music of Grand Budapest certainly moved me. 

[mstrox 6,637]

Of the ones you listed, Interstellar.

 

I also prefer the last Hobbit score to Interstellar.

 

Thor, Unknown Known premiered in 2013.  It did not beat Desolation of Smaug for me, but had it premiered in 2014 it would have topped Battle of the Five Armies and Interstellar on my list.

[Nick1Ø66 4,687]

Yes, of those listed, Interstellar (which was also the best film of 2014). Though Battle of the Five armies was the best score that year (as were its siblings the two years prior).

[Chen G. 3,940]

17 hours ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

Though Battle of the Five armies was the best score that year (as were its siblings the two years prior).

 

I was reticent to say this for the previous two, but I really love the kind of "leitmotif-soup" approach that Shore takes with this (and The Return of the King before it). Reminds me of the third act of Siegfried...

 

There aren't really many film scores (if any at all) that do that.

[Thor 7,451]

1 hour ago, mstrox said:

Thor, Unknown Known premiered in 2013.  It did not beat Desolation of Smaug for me, but had it premiered in 2014 it would have topped Battle of the Five Armies and Interstellar on my list.

 

I tend to follow the rules we set in IFMCA -- i..e the wide release, which was January 16, 2014. The earlier 2013 screenings were all film festivals.

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

My 2014 selection:

• Interstellar (my selection in the poll)
• The Theory of Everything (number one for me)
• Transformers: Age of Extinction
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
• The Imitation Game
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Edge of Tomorrow
• Ex_Machina
• The Winter Soldier
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Hercules
• Kingsman
• Godzilla
• Exodus: Gods and Kings
• The Hobbit 3

[MaxTheHouseelf 324]

19 hours ago, Bespin said:

For ym part, the only CD I have in my collection for now among this list, is MALEFICENT (and I never listened to it yet).

@BespinYou should definitely do so! It has some beautiful string writing, percussion hits hard, woodwinds got their solo moments and are not mashed together with other sections etc. 

 

Maleficent is probably the best sounding orchestral recording I know. Hard to describe but each instrument got it's space (panning/mixing is extremely well done I think).

 

Just a really enjoyable listen IMO.
 

 

I voted for Interstellar, but Maleficent is a close second

[Bespin 8,472]

Are you ready for 2015 now?

[bollemanneke 3,334]

Wait, more votes for Interstellar than HTTYD2?

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

The Imitation Game was the best score.

[Bespin 8,472]

59 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

Wait, more votes for Interstellar than HTTYD2?

 

I suspect Zimmer to have created several accounts on this forum to promote himself.

[Bespin 8,472]

I'm still hesitating between Powell and Newton Howard... not easy!

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

Choose Powell, it's more fun!

[Bespin 8,472]

But Maleficent is a strong score, one of JNH's best!

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

I know, but the HTTYD are strong scores too, ones of this century's best!

[Bespin 8,472]

Even Interstellar is among what Zimmer can do best.

 

It's a tie.

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,429]

Well it was certainly a great year.

I've changed my previous top 10:

1. HTTYD2
2. Cosmos: A Space Oyssey
3. The Theory of Everything
4. Rio 2
5. Interstellar
6. Transformers: Age of Extinction
7. A Million Ways to Die in the West
8. Maleficient
9. The Hobbit 3
10. Maps to the Stars

Honorable mention to: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Imitation Game, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Edge of Tomorrow, Ex_Machina, The Winter Soldier, Hercules, Kingsman, Godzilla, Exodus: Gods and Kings, The Case Against 8, Night at the Museum 3

[Bespin 8,472]

Maleficent. 

[bruce marshall 1,314]

On 27/07/2021 at 1:52 PM, bollemanneke said:

Wait, more votes for Interstellar than HTTYD2?

Both are great!

 

Good year.for scores.

Also love IMITATION GAME and DAWN...APES!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

I wanted to vote for INTERSTELLAR. I happen to love that score. For me, it's Zimmer's best, by a country mile.

In the end, and for sheer uniqueness, and the "out there" quality (like the film), I went with UNDER THE SKIN.

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

1 minute ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

I wanted to vote for INTERSTELLAR. I happen to love that score. For me, it's Zimmer's best, by a country mile.

In the end, and for sheer uniqueness, and the "out there" quality (like the film), I went with UNDER THE SKIN.

 

Did you just use love and Zimmer in the same sentence? 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

Yes, I did. You are not misreading that.

INTERSTELLAR was, is, and, probably, will be, my favourite Zimmer score.

[bruce marshall 1,314]

Fart, unlike Shark, is capable of overcoming blind prejudice, and accepting German born film composers as fully formed human beings.

😎

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

Does not compute.