At the Movies: The Best Scores!

[Charger]

I can't even remember much about 2001...not among my favourite movies that one...

For my 4th pick I'll have some HANS ZIMMER.

Bunch movies that I could have picked here but I decided to go with BLACK RAIN!

One of Ridley Scott's most underrated works that in my mind is actually among his best...certainly better than anyhing he's done in 2000->

Anyways the score is a fantastic mixture of 80s american and old japanese influences. And the use of music in the film is just suberb.

[Zzzptm]

My 5th pick is close to home. Filmed in North Texas and some buddies of mine got to be extras, it's True Stories!



David Byrne basically films Texas as a one-man show. It's one of my favorites, a time capsule of where I lived back in 1986 with a wonderful set of songs done by a great set of performers. My favorite song is "Papa Legba" sung by Pops Staples, who I didn't know about at the time, but have since gone after his other work with joy and excitement. He's a legend.

(My buddies from a local Boy Scout troop show up at 1:03 in this video, that's my brush with movie fame there!)

That's where I lived and those were the people doing their things in Texas at that time. Yup!

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Pick number 4

The Blues Brothers



A blues heavy soundtrack including songs by legends such as Cab Caloway, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, but more importantly it's such a good film anyway. Having said that... I need to watch it again, it's been way too long!

[Charger]

^^^
I was thinking about that but since it doesn't really have much of a score, just individual songs (not even written for the movie) I thought it wouldn't quite fit the topic...?

[Zzzptm]

I think it fits, part of the job of the songs is to propel the story, so I'd say it's a soundtrack as opposed to something like a jukebox musical that uses the plot to string together the songs.

That does remind me of a few films from the 1940s that had next to no plot, and served as vehicles for a star like Cab Calloway or Louis Jordan to do 8-10 numbers and throw a few zingers in between. The idea of a "concert film" had not yet arrived due to a lack of good live recording gear.

There were also documentaries on music, like Spheeris' "The Decline of Western Civilization" that showed bands playing their tunes and sold albums as soundtracks, but since the songs weren't there to advance a plot, I'm not considering those proper movie soundtracks.

But in the case of The Blues Brothers, tunes like The Old Landmark, Shake a Tail Feather, and Think do an excellent job of propelling the plot forward with music and dance.

[Charger]

You have fair point...but I still didn't want to include non original songs on my list here....


For 5th I'm going with a JERRY GOLDSMITH score...

There honestly could be several movies but I'm going with a less obvious choice.

THE MUMMY

The action comedy brought back great old adventure movies like the old Indiana Jones films and added bit more humor and great visual effect AND most importantly here a great musical score by the master Jerry Goldsmith.
His useage of strings both build atmosphere and adds haste and bit of quip. I'd say this is probably one of his most underrated scores!

[Zzzptm]

^ Totally great music for that film! Loved it all.

And now I reveal the stark truth that I was a parent in the late 80s/early 90s

THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989)



I loved this movie as much as my daughter did, maybe more... but the songs were so fun to sing along with! Alan Menken's score and Howard Ashman's lyrics are amazing and nearly 40 years later, I still want to sing along with "Part of Your World", "Under the Sea" and "Les Poissons". But best of all is Pat Carroll's show-stopper "Poor Unfortunate Souls". When I taught, I loved having a rotating chair so I could do Ursula's moves as I sang! Pure fun, and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Pick Number 5

Baby Driver



2017 heist film by Edgar Wright starring Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Kevin Spacey. Elgort plays Baby who is a getaway driver, he listens to music to drown out his tinnitus. The music he listens to is the backdrop to the film, it's a juke box of classic songs from many genres.

[Charger]

For my 6th pick I'll go with a fantastic score by another great composer mr. DANNY ELFMAN!

This was something I was thinking long and hard on do I want to include it here or save it for the future movie themes list, but I decided to go with it here as there's so much more great musical pieces in the film than just the fantastic theme.

Ofcourse I'm talking about the one and only true BATMAN by Tim Burton.

The gothic almost cyberpunkish atmosphere of the film is only elevated by Elfman's brilliant score.


Not going with the theme here but another great piece:

[Zzzptm]

Elfman's score for Batman was an essential ingredient to the film's excellence.

My favorite Elfman pure score is Men in Black (1997).



Sheer unease and strangeness conveyed via the orchestra, Elfman's a master composer for sure.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Pick number 6

If we're talking favourite Danny Elfman scores (and I was picking this anyway!), let's go with...

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Love most of this songs in this modern classic.

[Charger]

Glad to see more love for mr. Elfman! And MIB was close one for me! Great score!

[Zzzptm]

And Nightmare Before Christmas is another excellent choice. Elfman is the master of moody 'n' scary.

Betcha Elmer Bernstein is one of his inspirations!

[Charger]

7th pick from me is another one from ENNIO MORRICONE

He's got plenty to choose from but I went with THE THING

One of THE best movies ever made also has a great soundtrack. Most of the music is (maybe bit unlike Morricone) subtle and barely audible in the background but it works brilliantly in adding the suspense, which in this movie is turned up to 11.

[Zzzptm]

My number 8 will be...

THE SEVEN SAMURAI



The main theme gets me, every time, when it's played slow and loud to show the bravery of the self-sacrificing samurai.

The film's composer, Fumio Hayasaka, passed away the next year due to tuberculosis, aged 41. His influence on Japanese film scores, however continues on, fitting tribute to his genius.