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Post by Toph on Mar 10, 2013 8:30:26 GMT
Is it just me, or are there no truly memorable movie scores anymore?
It seems like the late seventies through the early ninties was the golden age for movie scores.
I mean the ones that you walk away and find yourself humming weeks, months... years after the movie. The scores that stand out as strongly, if not stronger than the movies themselves.
And not only do they work so strongly on their own, I sometimes feel the movies wouldn't be *as* effective or memorable without them.
Movies like Star Wars (The main theme and the imperial march are as memorable as it gets)
Indianna Jones
Back to the Future
ET
Superman
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Jurassic Park
Honestly... I sorta feel that Jurassic Park was the last movie that had that same impact, with such a memorable and wonderful score that really emboldened the film the same way that those earlier ones did. (I still get that same tingle everytime I hear it that I did when I was a kid. It's just so exciting. even on it's own)
This is not to say that there are no good movie scores anymore. Many of them are good... just not nearly as memorable as those I mentioned.
Transformer (Live Action) for instance. Great score (Better than the movie honestly), but I couldn't tell you what it sounded like. Avatar... good score, but ultimately forgettable. They do what they're ment to, and that's it. Lord Of The Rings... absolutely beautiful music, but even as haunting and beautiful as it is... it just doesn't really stick.
I'm still trying to figure out if Harry Potter is as memorable as the 80s greats, or if it's only memorable right now because it's friggin' everywhere for over ten years.
So... is it in my head, or are we really passed the golden age of film scores?
Also, what are your favorites? Mine are:
Jurassic Park- Absolute favorite, and IMO just as classic as the giants. Like I said earlier, I still feel like that same little 13 year old, staring up in wide-eyed awe at the brachiosaurus for the first time, every time I hear it.
Indianna Jones- Just a super fun score. Makes me happy every time I hear it.
Back to the Future- Same. Also has a nice triumphant air, too.
Star Wars- Not much on this franchise at all, but even I'll admit the music is fun.
Superman- Nice, heroic, makes me feel like I can do anything.
ET- Another movie I'm not overly fond of, but I do love the music.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind- Not much to say, but it's a classic.
Transformers (animated)- It's a really nice techno track.
Transformers (Live Action)- Honestly the music is better than the film. Wanted the CD, but was only able to find the songs.
The Lion King- Was a favorite as a kid... really introduced me to music world wide, and gave me my love for african music.
Harry Potter- Not fond of the franchise, but the music is beautiful.
LotRs- Haunting and beautiful. Found myself humming along to the call back during Gollum's scene in The Hobbit.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home- I just absolutely love the main theme for it.
Honorable mentions:
Anastasia
Disney's Tarzan
The Little Mermaid
Brave
Wall*E
Beauty and the Beast
Aladdin
...lots of Disney stuff, really. Disney's always been really good with scores and songs.
There are others, but those are what's off the top of my head.
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Jim
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Posts: 4,930
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Post by Jim on Mar 10, 2013 10:24:07 GMT
I think you're largely right, though there's always going to be an element of the music you heard at a more receptive age holding undue influence. Jurassic Park is an often-overlooked gem of a soundtrack, captures the sense of wonder beautifully.
I can think of a few since then which have become at least a bit iconic, though I like them to different degrees. The Matrix, the LOTR movies (especially the first two). I don't get the love for the Titanic score, it always struck me as dreadfully generic, but people do seem to recognise and love it.
There are a few modern(ish) soundtracks which I go back to often - The Dust Brothers' score to Fight Club, Jonny Greenwood's music for There Will Be Blood, Basement Jaxx's Attack The Block OST, David Holmes' Out of Sight and Ocean's Eleven. Star Wars Episode I had many flaws, but the score wasn't one of them - I actually think it's really rather good and has Williams playing around and showing some interesting range.
Quite a few of my favourites are from the seventies - love a good John Carpenter score, esp. Assault on Precinct 13. The Taking of Pelham 123 is a classic by David Shire. The Andromeda Strain is a mad electronic-jazz thing. Lalo Schifrin's work on Bullitt and Enter the Dragon.
For me, Star Trek's I, II and VI have the best soundtracks from that series, II being James Horner's career peak.
I do often find myself in the mood for the hair-raising stuff as well - The Map Room from Raiders of the Lost Ark is a great one, The Ecstacy of Gold from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly another (also love Morriccone's Untouchables, esp Strength of the Righteous and Al Capone's theme). Wonder if I can get The Death of Optimus Prime played at my funeral? Always gets me... (failing that, maybe Scotty playing Amazing Grace on the bagpipes)
-Jim
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 10, 2013 13:54:43 GMT
I've really enjoyed the soundtracks to Tron: Legacy and Dredd 3D recently. I agree with you Jim about Star Wars Episode 1, that is a fantastic score.
Andy
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 10, 2013 17:46:21 GMT
Aside from Musicals the only soundtracks I have or have really listened to are TFTM and TF2007 and Tron Legacy is the only score.
I love Legacy, when we went to Botcon 2 years ago Disney turned part of one of their parks into an outdoor Tron themed nightclub, it was great and they had a recreation of the arcade from the film. I already loved the soundtrack but that sealed it.
The 2007 TF soundtrack is a pretty decent collection of songs. At least the first half, it descends into some really quite random stuff that wasnt even in the film towards the end.
TFTM 20th Annivarsary soundtrack with the added instrumental music is fantastic.
It's not a soundtrack album, but if you like Disney song Brian Wilson did a re imagining album (In the Key of Disney) that has some fantastic stuff on it. Kiss the Girl and Colours of the Wind I particularly like.
Lilo and Stitch hada fantastic soundtrack and score too. Dont know if the score is available but the soundtrack I should pick up, even if it means owning a Gareth Gates song.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Mar 10, 2013 18:25:46 GMT
I love a good movie soundtrack. The LOTR trilogy can't be beaten - I have them on CD, and I also have the sheet music, and like to play around with them on a piano keyboard. The original James Bond music in Dr No, and The Pink Panther, are also right at the top of the table.
The Transformers live-action movie score was definitely the best thing in that film.
As for films from my youth - the instrumental music in Labyrinth, particularly the 'Hallucination' track, would be my number one.
Other soundtracks I have on CD that I enjoy listening to - The Shadow, Stargate, Mission Impossible II, King Arthur, Kingdom of Heaven, First Knight, The Rock and various Hallmark TV movies (Gulliver's Travels, Merlin, Arabian Nights). Oh, and Babylon 5.
Martin
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 15, 2013 19:16:48 GMT
I enjoy a lot of scores and instrumental work by Lalo Schifrin myself. Bullit and of course the Mission Impossible theme are splendid works.
Andy
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Post by legios on Mar 16, 2013 21:53:45 GMT
I'd have to agree that the scores for the live-action Transformers films are marvellous, and have given me vastly more joy than the films themselves ever did. I'm actually quite partial to the GI Joe score as well - I must get around to picking that up from iTunes at some point as I do rather like it. Soundtrack wise I felt that Tron:Legacy, whilst not being entirely my genre of music, did have a very strong Soundtrack. I have a great love of Moriconne's work on the Dollars trilogy and Once Upon a Time in The West.
In terms of Soundtracks, as opposed to scores, I do have a tendency to lean in a non-Western direction at the moment. A lot of Yokko Kanno's work for Macross Plus gets listened to with somewhat alarming regularity - as does some of her work for the Ghost in the Shell TV series. ( I seem to be cursed to find myself stumbling over bits of her work I haven't heard before and being tempted to buy Soundtrack releases because of them. The most recent being the ending song to Turn A Gundam. Not see Turn A and not likely to, but "Moon" is a lovely track and I am tempted to obtain the OST just for that track)
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 7, 2013 9:45:15 GMT
I am rather partial to the late great Jerry Goldsmith.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jul 27, 2013 21:32:37 GMT
Just been listening to the Batman Forever soundtrack. It's not subtle is it?
Andy
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Post by blueshift on Jul 27, 2013 21:51:31 GMT
Just been listening to the Batman Forever soundtrack. It's not subtle is it? Andy What a great film. |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jul 27, 2013 21:52:02 GMT
Worst of the Batman films.
Andy
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Post by blueshift on Jul 27, 2013 21:53:39 GMT
Worst of the Batman films. Andy I liked it! Also vaguely on topic, the single from the film was one of the three CDs I owned as a child! EDIT: In case you were wondering, the other CDs were 'I'll lie for you (and that's the truth)' and 'Space Sound FX' |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jul 27, 2013 22:07:41 GMT
I hated it. Tommy Lee Jones played the Joker not Two Face and Val Kilmer was miscast horribly felt like a James Bond rather than a Batman.
Andy
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Post by blueshift on Jul 27, 2013 22:17:32 GMT
I hated it. Tommy Lee Jones played the Joker not Two Face and Val Kilmer was miscast horribly felt like a James Bond rather than a Batman. Andy Little Blueshift found it a thrilling cinema experience. I am sure I would be disappointed if I watched it today, but I did really like it at the time. Not Batman and Robin though. That was the first time I realised that new films could be awful. |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jul 28, 2013 10:07:58 GMT
Batman Forever was (and I think still is) my favourite of that series of Batman films, though I watched it as a non-fan with no preconceptions about how the characters should be played.
Can't remember what the soundtrack was like... oh, except for the song that played when the Riddler was choosing his name, costume, etc.
Agree with Matt about Batman and Robin. Only time ever I've considered walking out of a cinema for how bad it was. I wasn't bored - it was just embarrassingly terrible.
Martin
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 28, 2013 10:08:54 GMT
Loved Batman Forever at the time. Still have a soft spot for it. It's better than the Burton films or the last Nolan one.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jul 28, 2013 13:08:49 GMT
Still hold Batman and Batman Returns above the others, Michael Keaton's portrayal of Batman/Bruce Wayne is my favourite take on the character since the post Adam West days.
The two Danny Elfman scores for Batman and Batman Returns are still fantastic to listen to. The Forever one is fun, but it's a bit too in your face at times and the reuse of certain passages and phrases is a bit lazy at times.
Andy
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Post by Bogatan on Jul 28, 2013 16:06:50 GMT
Forever would have been fine if they had kept Keaton. At least thats how I remember it.
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Jul 28, 2013 17:32:31 GMT
Tommy Lee Jones is playing the Joker not Two Face in it. that's the worst part of it I think. I could have stomached Kilmer if they'd gotten that bit right.
Andy
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Post by Bogatan on Jul 28, 2013 17:39:34 GMT
Tommy Lee Jones is playing the Joker not Two Face in it. that's the worst part of it I think. I could have stomached Kilmer if they'd gotten that bit right. Andy You might be right, but like Martin I went in to the Batman films with no prior knowledge so Two Face has never bothered me. I just knew I liked Keaton in the first two and didnt like Kilmer so much. Rewatched now I might feel different but then my Batman knowledge is no better now so I'd only be comparing to the Nolan films. |
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Post by blueshift on Jul 28, 2013 18:40:59 GMT
Tommy Lee Jones is playing the Joker not Two Face in it. that's the worst part of it I think. I could have stomached Kilmer if they'd gotten that bit right. Andy You might be right, but like Martin I went in to the Batman films with no prior knowledge so Two Face has never bothered me. I just knew I liked Keaton in the first two and didnt like Kilmer so much. Rewatched now I might feel different but then my Batman knowledge is no better now so I'd only be comparing to the Nolan films. I had never heard of Two-Face before the film and I enjoyed it. I felt it was a valid interpretation of the role and certainly made sense with what was presented in the film. |
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 28, 2013 20:54:53 GMT
With regards to the scores, the Elfman one for the 89 movie still holds up quite well (far more than the film itself, for me). Quite partial to the Goldenthall Forever score.
-Ralph
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Stomski
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!! But don't worry. It won't happen again.
Posts: 6,121
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Post by Stomski on Jul 29, 2013 10:58:21 GMT
Movies like Star Wars (The main theme and the imperial march are as memorable as it gets) Indianna Jones Back to the Future ET Superman Close Encounters of the Third Kind Jurassic Park Was it intentional that you only mentioned John Williams scores in this part of your original post? |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 31, 2014 22:25:19 GMT
Muppets Most Wanted Soundtrack was acquired at the weekend.
Andy
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Mar 31, 2014 22:38:00 GMT
Muppets Most Wanted Soundtrack was acquired at the weekend. Dance, monkey, dance! Martin |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Mar 31, 2014 22:39:34 GMT
You want a cockatoo,
I'll give it to you,
You want a Kangaroo,
I'll give it to you!
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 1, 2014 8:14:01 GMT
I am number One, you are number Two.
-Ralph
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Apr 2, 2014 0:15:28 GMT
Pacific Rim soundtrack downloaded for £3.99. On endless loop all evening.
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 6, 2014 17:26:33 GMT
Muppets Most Wanted soundtrack was a reasonable £8 in Asda so I thought: "Why not?". Listened to it twice while walking along the canal. Great fun. The booklet has the lyrics.
Did The Lego Movie get a soundtrack? I never saw it.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 6, 2014 17:37:55 GMT
Yes it did.
Downloaded it via iTunes.
It has the Batman song on it.
Andy
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