Barry Gray

Barry Gray composed almost exclusively for producer Gerry Anderson, the mind behind Fireball XL5, Stingray, Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds, and other "Supermarionation" TV shows. (For the unacquainted, Supermarionation refers to elaborate marionettes, not some lost Super Mario Bros. game taking place in the venerable plumber's native country.) Hearing Gray's music, however, one wonders why the composer didn't get more assignments. His title song for Captain Scarlet sounds a bit cheesy by today's standards, but its melodic strength surpasses the caliber of many "melodies" from some of today's most popular composers. Gray's music for Thunderbirds brims with confidence, intrepid optimism, and the spirit of adventure. Themes for vehicles like Zero-X and Airship One are catchy and invigorating. The main theme itself deserves a lofty position in the marching band repertoire (and in fact is performed  on-screen by the band British Royal Marines at the end of the film Thunderbirds Are Go). The melody perfectly encapsulates the thrilling, sanguine nature of the Thunderbirds' adventures. Gray may not have branched out much beyond Anderson, but the quality of the music proves the composer had no shortage of talent.

Thunderbirds Are Go*
Thunderbird 6

Tyler Bates

Tyler Bates frequently collaborates with director Zack Snyder, having scored the films Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen, and Sucker Punch (the last with Marius de Vries). James Gunn of Guardians of the Galaxy fame also employed Bates for his films Slither and Super. Bates notoriously plagiarized Elliot Goldenthal's masterful score for Titus in 300; Warner Brothers was even forced to put a disclaimer on the film's DVD and website stating that portions of Goldenthal's score had been used without attribution. One can argue all day about whether this was Bates's fault or Snyder's/the producers for asking Bates to adhere too closely to the temp track. Listening to the two scores, however, it becomes clear that Bates's track is a pale imitation of Goldenthal's "Victorious Titus."

Plagiarism aside, I don't really care for Bates's musical style. The Philip Glass music in Watchmen rises above the rest of Bates's score, trumping it not only in terms of pure musical aesthetic value, but also in its effectiveness against the scene of Dr. Manhattan on Mars. Guardians of the Galaxy is by far the best score I've heard from Bates, featuring a few of effective tracks ("Black Tears," "The Ballad of the Nova Corps," and "Groot Spores") and a theme that sounds like Alan Silvestri's theme from The Avengers in Brian Tyler mode. But Bates lacks Tyler's and Silvestri's orchestral acumen; the action tracks contain rather monotonous unison string rhythms, lacking excitement and propulsive drive. As far as Marvel Studios scores go, it's better than Ramin Djawadi's score for Iron Man, but that's faint praise indeed.

Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Alex North

Alex North was one of the most revered composers in his day--no less personages than the maestros John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith have showered adulation upon North's music. His scores strike a delicate balance between original, challenging modernism and robust, emotional themes. Notable works of his include A Streetcar Named Desire, Cleopatra, John Ford's Cheyenne Autumn, The Agony and the Ecstasy, and Good Morning Vietnam. His vigorous score to Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus received an elaborate 6-CD release from Varese Sarabande, including interpretations of the film's love theme from esteemed composers such as Lalo Schifrin, Alexandre Desplat, John Debney, Brian Tyler, Patrick Doyle, and more. Kubrick notoriously rejected North's score to 2001: A Space Odyssey, opting instead to use classical music; Jerry Goldsmith was infuriated by this decision and released a re-recording of North's score.  Dragonslayer, one of his later triumphs, features a complex, challenging, and unconventional score that eschews all the cliches of fantasy scoring. It may not be the easiest listen, but its genius is unmistakable. North received a Lifetime Achievement Oscar in 1986 and died in 1991.

Death of a Salesman
Dragonslayer
Viva Zapata

Mark Mothersbaugh

Like Danny Elfman, Mothersbaugh started his musical career as the lead singer of an offbeat band. Mothersbaugh, Jerry Casale, and Bob Lewis founded Devo in the 1970s; the New Wave rock band/performance art group hit it big with "Whip It" and earned a mention in the groundbreaking graphic novel Watchmen. As a composer, Motherbaugh was written scores for the Rugrats TV series and films such as Thirteen, Ramona and Beezus, Safe, and Hotel Transylvania. He wrote the scores for director Wes Anderson's earlier films, including Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. (Anderson has since used Alexandre Desplat for his scores for Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest Hotel, though Mothersbaugh did write a percussion march for Moonrise Kingdom.) In 2011, Mothersbaugh scored Pixar's short film Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation and some of the studio's Mater's Tall Tales shorts. He has also scored the films of comedic genius writer/directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street, The LEGO Movie, and 22 Jump Street. From the opening logos of 21 Jump Street, Mothersbaugh assaults the audience with a deliberately overblown, blood-pumping, macho power anthem; the action scenes in this brilliantly, almost painfully hilarious film use this Remote Control-inspired theme with its extremely basic chord progression to excellent effect. His score for The LEGO Movie riffs on other well-worn musical tropes, from heavenly choirs to Morricone Western vocalizations, before resolving in a tender, emotionally serious finale. Mothersbaugh's music may not have the distinction or originality of Elfman's (an admittedly high bar), but it can still be quite entertaining.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
The Lego Movie
The Lego Ninjago Movie
Thor: Ragnarok
21 Jump Street
22 Jump Street

Overview of 2013 Scores Part 3 of 3

For reference, I don’t think there’s actually that much difference in quality among scores #10-#2. They’re all within a hair of being superb.

10. Saving Mr. Banks (Thomas Newman)

The score for Saving Mr. Banks is Thomas Newman squarely in his comfort zone, but what a comfort zone it is. He combines his always-unique and distinctive instrumentation with lush orchestral themes, recalling some of his best scores: Shawshank Redemption, Meet Joe Black, Lemony Snickett’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Angels in America. While not quite as superlative as these stellar works, this score is still ripe with signature Newman moments. “Travers Goff” opens the score with an expansive string melody, but Newman’s characteristically driving piano soon enters. This melody is reprised in “Beverly Hills Hotel” and expanded upon in “Ginty My Love.” “Walking Bus” contains colorful instrumentation, recalling A Series of Unfortunate Events in particular, while “Jollification” takes this quirkiness further, becoming American Beauty-esque. “Leisurely Stroll” brings wonderful string swells to the forefront, reminiscent of Finding Nemo. Repeated piano notes propel “Whiskey” and Newman twists his style into a quasi-jazz cue for “Mrs. P.L. Travers.”  “Mr. Disney” is Newman’s idiosyncratic take on a fanfare, with a more majestic take in “The Magic Kingdom.” Finally, “Saving Mr. Banks (End Title)” closes the score with an eloquent orchestral melody. The score is not quite the perfection Newman has achieved with other scores, but it’s close.

9. Oz: The Great and Powerful (Danny Elfman)

Sure, the main theme bears an uncanny resemblance to “O Canada!” and the witches’ theme is straight out of Elfman’s tried-and-true toolbox. But the composer still manages to concoct a delicious fantasy score with indelible moments, from the majestic “Main Titles” and the dynamic “Preparation Montage” (Elfman is ever the master of the montage) to the wondrous “Bubble Voyage” and the heartbreakingly tender “China Town.” The playful composer even contributes a wacky “Munchkin Welcome Song,” recalling a similarly titled opus from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Unfortunately, much of the final battle music is not on the CD. But the frenetic, almost impossibly frenzied final 45 seconds of the penultimate track, “Time for Gifts,” is pure film music pleasure of the highest order, almost like a condensed version of the “Main Titles” from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (sans electronics). I for one am glad that Elfman and director Sam Raimi made up (though Christopher Young would probably have done a good job as well). Coming up for Elfman (pun very much intended) is Fifty Shades of Grey, which should be…interesting.

8. Iron Man 3 (Brian Tyler)

I wrote a bit about the score to Iron Man 3 here; more than half a year after that post, I can now say that Tyler wrote probably my favorite theme of the year for this film. It’s an unabashedly muscular, heroic, robust anthem, the kind that Man of Steel should have had (in terms of memorability, effectiveness, and grandeur, not necessarily in terms of musical style). Plus, it’s pliable enough to play morosely in “Isolation” and funky in the rocking throwback end title track “Can You Dig It?” Much of the score before the lengthy finale is actually rather subdued and doesn’t use the main theme much. That’s primarily why this score isn’t placed higher. But once the climax kicks in (comprising the tracks “Dive Bombers,” “Battle Finale,” “Stark,” “Heat and Iron,” and “Hot Pepper”), the score finally comes into its own as a massive action opus. One of my favorite moments is the build-up from 1:20-1:27 in “Stark.” Like the entire score, it’s simple, yet stunningly compelling.

7. The Book Thief (John Williams)

The Book Thief was a surprise assignment for the world’s reigning maestro, but certainly a welcome one. Far from Star Wars and Indiana Jones in nearly every aspect but quality, the score still retains Williams’s peerless compositional voice. While he doesn’t embark on any new avenues, his painstakingly precise writing is as sublime as ever. Choice moments are legion: The tender introduction of the main theme in “One Small Fact” preceding a surging restatement of the same, the rich string writing in “The Train Station,” the emotionally overwhelming simplicity of the oboe tune in “Max and Liesel,” and the effortlessly flowing recapitulation of the theme in “Learning to Read.” By the time the “Finale” and the suite “The Book Thief” roll around, Williams has more than proven his mastery—as if he needed to at this point. Even more than Lincoln, however, this score requires attention and patience to appreciate the subtleties of its craft. Less engaging passages do exist, and there isn’t quite the sense of freshness of War Horse or The Adventures of Tintin, and these reasons are why this score isn’t higher up on my list. But John Williams is still the man.

6. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Howard Shore)

Howard Shore’s middle score to the most drawn-out trilogy in history improves upon its predecessor, but still lags behind the scores for The Lord of the Rings. The main problem is the shortness, obscurity, and relative un-memorability of Shore’s new themes. They certainly aren’t lacking in quantity: we have several Bilbo themes, a Gandalf the Grey theme, a handful of Erebor/Thorin themes, themes for Mirkwood, the Wood Elves, Tauriel, Bard, Laketown, Smaug, and more. The jaunty tune for Laketown is neat, and I like the mesmerizing instrumentation and percussion of Smaug’s primary theme (apparently he has more than one theme), even if I can’t recall the actual melody. My two favorite themes are the ones having to do with Tauriel, the female version of Link for those uninitiated with Peter Jackson’s version of Middle-Earth. Her fluttering theme works great as an action fanfare in “The Forest River,” a track that proves that Shore has improved his action writing since The Lord of the Rings. The theme for her relationship with Kili (Aragorn Jr.) is simple yet enchanting. Time will tell if There and Back Again will allow Shore to return to the heights of the Original Trilogy. (Mr. Williams welcomes you to the club, Mr. Shore.)

5. Thor: The Dark World (Brian Tyler)

Brian Tyler’s main theme for the second Thor film isn’t as original or good, frankly, as Patrick Doyle’s themes for the original or Tyler’s own theme for Iron Man 3. But somehow, Tyler uses this basic theme to craft the most entertaining, solid start-to-finish score for a Marvel Studios film. The main theme is an almost overblown, epic fantasy tune complete with furiously chanting choir and simple harmonies. Yet Tyler includes orchestral flourishes and clever motifs to keep the tune from becoming yet another Remote Control remnant. The theme actually has three distinct parts; the second part is often used as a love theme and the third (girded by a gliding electronic tone) is used for traveling to Asgard and especially heroic moments. “Into Eternity” includes a heartfelt, tragic rendition of the first part of the theme, and “Asgard” features yet another theme that isn’t really used in the film itself (it plays in the credits right after the first bonus scene). Loki’s sinuous, serpentine theme underscores his obviously deceitful nature, but also plays in a heroic action setting in “Convergence.” And Tyler’s incorporation of Alan Silvestri’s Captain America theme in “An Unlikely Alliance” makes for one of the most delightful film music moments of the year. The entire score almost never lets up, enthralling fantasy-action moments filling it up to the brim. Now, if only Marvel could get Brian Tyler to score Guardians of the Galaxy instead of that other Tyler….

4. Planes (Mark Mancina)

Mark Mancina hadn’t scored a major film since “Imagine That” in 2009, and Planes marked a very welcome return. The film allows Mancina to write plenty of action, an area where he has always excelled. Cues such as “Start Your Engines,” “Running on Fumes,” “Get Above the Storm,” and “Skipper to the Rescue” certainly reveal Mancina’s musical history as one of the earliest of Hans Zimmer’s protégés. But his command of the orchestra is stronger than many of those from the Zimmer school, and the music is slightly reminiscent of Mancina’s rollicking action cues for Tarzan. “Dusty & Ishani” uses Indian instrumentation that is almost certainly not authentic, but is nevertheless extremely attractive and well written. The theme for Skipper is a noble anthem that Mancina transforms into an outright chorale in the moving “Skipper’s Theme (Volo Pro Veritas).” However, it is the stirring main theme that serves as the score’s highlight; Mancina can add another notch to his belt for great themes. The noble, soaring trumpet melody has five phrases; the third and fourth are my favorite, as they seem to convey a sense of yearning as-yet unrequited. The drums and guitar add an appropriate sense of energy without going over the top. Best heard in “Dusty Soars,” “First Place,” and “Planes,” this is my second favorite theme of the year (behind Iron Man 3).

3. Escape from Tomorrow (Abel Korzeniowski)

There are two weaknesses to this score: first, it’s too short at 20 minutes. Second, two of the tracks consist of meandering electronic textures. But Korzeniowski composed 15 minutes of singular elegance for this offbeat film about a family’s breakdown at the Disney parks. And indeed, the music would be perfect as background music for the parks themselves. The end of “Fantasy Girl” has a stately, brassy optimism characteristic of the music played at Epcot. “Gates of Tomorrow” and the two “Magic Kingdom” tracks feature gorgeous themes while “The Grand Finale” closes the score with resplendent, soaring flourishes. “Fireworks” is the kind of crazy track I like. (Yes, there is crazy music I don’t like; see “Martian Mambo” from John Powell’s Mars Needs Moms.) It opens with a complicated string line before expanding into a portentous action track, complete with chimes.  Then, an unsettling children’s choir enters, keening an eerie five-note ostinato. Speaking of children’s choir, they return for a final song, “Imaginate!” lampooning “It’s A Small World” with subtly twisted lyrics and malignantly jaunty woodblock accompaniment. The composer, choir director, or conductor even manages to make the kids sing in a slightly demented tone. One only wishes that Korzeniowski had been allowed to develop his musical ideas further.

2. Kick-Ass 2 (Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson)

When I saw this movie in the theaters and the Kick-Ass theme started playing under the studio logos, I grinned inside (I admit to being on the phlegmatic side outwardly). Henry Jackman’s reaching, heroic melody for the wannabe superhero has become one of my favorite themes, and the best parts of this sequel score use this theme. Margeson appears to have actually written most of this score, and I honestly think his new themes for Hit-Girl and the Motherf*cker (the former Red Mist) are just okay. At least he keeps them both in same musical ballpark as the themes from the first film; the first two notes of Hit-Girl’s theme are the same as the first two of Big Daddy’s, and the Motherf*cker’s theme is backed by an electric guitar line that is also a more simplified version of Big Daddy’s theme. “Mindy’s First Date” display’s Hit-Girl’s theme in its emotional guise, while “Dave’s Field Test” uses it heroically. “Cemetery Attack/Hit-Girl is Back” and “Warehouse Showdown” are the best action tracks, often using a persistent electronic beat under the Kick-Ass and Motherf*cker themes. “Hit-Girl’s Farewell” recalls the sublime blend of grandeur, triumph, and coolness of “Flying Home” from the first film, but the orchestral arrangement sounds thinner. “Justice Forever” is a highlight (it’s the track that plays under the Blu-ray/DVD menu), electric guitar and electronics building to a brassy fanfare of the Kick-Ass theme, moving on to a full orchestral statement of the theme that precedes an eruption of drums and a stirring string line. “Main Titles,” which plays under the logos, starts out with a soft orchestral statement of the theme as a bass pulse grows and grows, becoming massive as more bubbling electronics enter and the theme transitions to synthesizer. It’s pure musical heaven. Another one of my favorite tracks is the sadly unused “Last Resort,” in which a gargantuan statement of the Kick-Ass theme starts on electric guitar before exploding into orchestra and choir as the theme ascends to its zenith. As a whole, this score is more cohesive than the original, but with fewer highlights. However, it’s still the most flat-out fun, consistently entertaining score I heard this year.

1. Romeo and Juliet* (Abel Korzeniowski)

Korzeniowski was a last-minute replacement for the famed James Horner on this score. But unlike the score for Ender’s Game (where Horner was replaced by Steve Jablonsky), the score for Romeo and Juliet likely exceeds what Horner would have done based on his recent track record. Korzeniowski’s simple themes are bolstered by exquisite orchestrations and opulent bursts of heavenly beauty. Although it is a close companion to the composer’s score for W.E. with its lush strings, piano, and semi-minimalistic writing, a sense of inevitable tragedy permeates the score and provides it with its own character. “Forbidden Love” starts with a tender build-up laden with anticipation before the celestial main theme pours out from the strings. The end of “First Kiss” is rapturous in its emotional intensity, while “A Thousand Times Good Night” explores the wondrous main theme further with piano lines that are both pounding and euphoric. Similarly masterful piano writing imbues “Juliet’s Dream” with romantic aching. “Fortune’s Fool” and “From Ancient Grudge” hint at the kind of furious action Korzeniowski excels at (and has sadly only really been able to explore in his score for Battle for Terra) while keeping within the score’s partially minimalistic idiom. The two “Crypt” cues are more subdued until the end, leading into the divine final cue, “Eternal Love.” Here, a solo female voice sings an elegy for the doomed lovers before leading into a final beatific statement of the main theme. Korzeniowski’s sumptuous score is a splendid achievement and my favorite score of the year; it just hits the spot for me.  In fact, while listening to it again for review purposes, I really fell in love with it even more and upgraded it to asterisk status (just below the absolute highest rating of two asterisks). While Korzeniowski excels at these romantic scores, I hope he will be allowed to explore more styles and genres.

Overview of 2013 Scores Part 2 of 3

20. After Earth (James Newton Howard)

Howard can usually be counted on to write superb scores for the films of M. Night Shyamalan, but for the first time, we have to settle with a merely OK one. The middle of the score is undoubtedly the weakest, filled with mostly uninteresting atmospheres. But the beginning and especially the last three cues (“Ghosting,” “I Wanna Work With Mom,” and “After Earth”) hint at the kind of music that made me fall in love with JNH’s scores 14 years ago. No one can do mystic grandeur quite like Howard can, but there are only traces of that beauty in this score.

19. Rush (Hans Zimmer)

After writing an underwhelming score for Man of Steel, Zimmer partially redeemed himself with his score for Ron Howard’s Rush. The score harks back to his “glory decade” of 1988-1998, with effective, memorable themes, propulsive action music, and moments of haunting simplicity. It starts out with entertaining, rock-based cues before moving on to the more serious action and intense emotion of cues such as “Nürburgring,” “Lost But Won,” and “My Best Enemy.” Though it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Zimmer’s best, it’s still his best score since Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.

18. Monsters University (Randy Newman)

Newman’s score for Pixar’s first prequel is almost completely different from his score for Monsters, Inc. Eschewing the jazz angle he employed for the first film, Newman writes a noble tune for the university, new themes for Mike and Sulley, and marching band music, complete with drum corps. I happen to love the sound of marching band drums, and the upbeat cue “Rise and Shine” uses them to brilliant, rip-roaring effect (despite the end of the melody resembling John Williams’s theme for 1941). The score lacks the emotion of the original (namely Boo’s theme) and the action music is a little haphazard, but it definitely has its highlights.

17. Frozen (Christophe Beck, songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez)

This was my first time hearing a feature score from Christophe Beck (I had only heard Paperman previously), and his score for this remarkable Disney film is solid, yet I can’t say there are any particular highlights. What brings it up are the songs—especially “For the First Time in Forever” and “Let It Go” (the Idina Menzel version), with “Love is An Open Door” and the melody for “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” not far behind. Though not on par with the best of Alan Menken, they are still surprisingly potent. My favorite track, though, is “Vuelie,” a choral track using the melody by Forde Fjellheim; its use under the film’s opening logos and title seems to herald a magical event.

16. Jack the Giant Slayer (John Ottman)

Ottman has never been one of my favorite composers, but this score proves he’s come a long way from the bland noodlings of X2. Ottman writes a commendably adventurous theme, though it still suffers a bit from his characteristic nebulosity. His action music is fine and frenzied, though somewhat diminished by references to other composers’ music. “Logo Mania,” underscoring what I presume is the logos, is my favorite cue of the score (much like the logo music for Frozen, Charlotte’s Web, A Beautiful Mind, and Kick-Ass 2).

15. Turbo (Henry Jackman)

Creating a score that merges full-bodied orchestral optimism with techno and dubstep beats may seem like a disaster from the pen of any film composer not named Elliot Goldenthal. Yet the versatile Henry Jackman manages to create a highly entertaining score that doesn’t skimp on either the orchestra or the electronics. The sheer delight and enthusiasm of the orchestral themes in cues like “And It Looks Like the Winner Is” combine with the high-octane beats of tracks such as “Indy 500” and “Supersnail.” “Turbo,” the final track, features a confluence of the two qualities in a score that is brought down only by its slight themes. It’s no Wreck-It Ralph, but it’s still impressive. Turbo-tastic!

14. The Croods (Alan Silvestri)

Alan Silvestri has three great themes in this colorful score: the Croods family theme, the cave painting theme, and a theme based on the film’s song “Shine Your Way” (though the attribution of these themes in the film itself is somewhat arbitrary). The song features a bridge that matches the structure and shape of the cave painting theme; both are laden with the poignancy that Silvestri habitually delivers in scores such as Forrest Gump, Contact, Stuart Little, and The Abyss. The family theme is more malleable, often molded into a more lighthearted guise and featuring an opening horn statement drawn right out of Back to the Future III. The major weakness of the score is that, until the third act, Silvestri barely uses any of these themes, opting for the cartoony, stop-and-go type of music that Randy Newman, the old scoundrel, is so inveterately fond of.

13. Star Trek Into Darkness (Michael Giacchino)

Giacchino’s score reflects the wall-to-wall action in the film and, to be truthful, the composer has written better action music. But he has set such a high standard for himself that one can forgive him for writing something less than sublime. His anthemic main theme is fully established now, and he pushes Spock’s yearning theme into darker corners. The Klingons are treated to vigorous choral blasts in “The Kronos Wartet” while John Harrison (one need only read the back of the Blu-ray or DVD to find out his true identity) gets a slithering, percolating winner of a theme.  Unfortunately, the complete “Ode to Harrison” track is not available on the CD. Instead, we get a hideous track called “The Growl” (thankfully not composed by Giacchino) that is a disgrace to electronic music. “Warp Core Values” and “Buying the Space Farm” provide ample doses of pathos, and the frantic “San Fran Hustle” includes the rather infamous fight music from the original TV series composed by Gerald Fried. There are no chances in the film for wonder and awe, which is a shame as I know Giacchino could write grand cues for such moments. But as it is, he delivers a great action score.

12. Now You See Me (Brian Tyler)

Let’s get this score’s weakness out of the way: it’s incredibly repetitive. Yet the prolific Tyler composes an invigorating, stylish main theme that’s more magical than the rather flat movie it accompanies. Churning low strings, a catchy ostinato in higher strings, economic use of electric guitar, a mystically yearning melody, and top-notch drum-kit work performed by Tyler himself combine to create an irresistible theme. Some of the action tracks, like “Battle of the Cards” and “Bridge Pursuit,” do feature more varied work, highlighting more of the composer’s impressive percussion writing and performance. If you don’t like the main theme, you won’t like the score. But I did. (Sorry, no pithy comment).

11. Epic (Danny Elfman)

The opening track, “Leafmen,” recalls some of Elfman’s more sprightly work on Charlotte’s Web and Black Beauty. An acoustic guitar backs a patented Elfman jig before introducing the main theme. The strengths of this score are the beautiful, ethereal moments found in cues like “Tara’s Chamber,” “Tara’s Gift,” and “False Start” as well as the thrilling action of “Pursuit,” “Escape,” and “Epic Final Confrontation.” Elfman uses choir better than probably any other Hollywood film composer alive, and choral passages are liberally strewn throughout the score. There’s nothing as striking as Alice in Wonderland or Edward Scissorhands, but there’s still much to feast on. As expected, Elfman puts his theme through the wringer, playing it in various settings to reflect different moods and developments in the story (I assume; I haven’t seen the film and don’t plan to). My appreciation for Elfman continues to grow after every score of his I hear; even if a score isn’t a divine masterpiece, it always has moments of quality.

Overview of 2013 Scores Part 1 of 3

I’m probably listening to the wrong scores, but in 2013, I can’t claim to have heard any scores that I classify as desert-island scores. If you look at my ranking of my top scores of 2012, you’ll notice that I listed five scores with asterisks (almost the best) and one score with two asterisks (the cream of the crop). This year, sadly, only one score I listened to merited one asterisk and none deserved two asterisks, though there were plenty (14 to be exact) that almost made it there. (Though looking back at the 2012 list, I would probably take away the asterisk from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and move Wreck-It Ralph ahead of Rise of the Guardians and maybe even Frankenweenie). Come to think of it, this year’s crop of films wasn’t so hot either, though again, I’m probably seeing the wrong films.

There were some scores this year with spectacular, moving cues, but only one of them as a whole reached the apex of sublimity. After having a stellar 2012, Michael Giacchino and Danny Elfman decreased their output, and James Newton Howard wrote his first score for M. Night Shyamalan that was not absolutely magnificent. More positively, Mark Mancina made a glorious return to film scoring, Abel Korzeniowski penned two exquisitely wondrous scores, and Brian Tyler is starting to score films that actually don’t suck.

A few brief notes on scores I heard in the film only: Oblivion (Anthony Gonzalez and Joseph Trapanese) was mostly nondescript, sounding like an inferior cousin to Daft Punk and Trapanese’s Tron Legacy. The Wolverine (Marco Beltrami) was one of the lesser scores for the X-Men franchise, consisting of haphazard action music and dull, meandering underscore. Beltrami’s Carrie was better, with a surprisingly touching theme for the title character and some unsettling electronic effects. Elysium (Ryan Amon) was indistinguishable from lesser Remote Control scores, apart from a neat, ascending string effect.  The World’s End (Steven Price) was mostly overwhelmed by the song selections; the most memorable music moments are the uses of the choir passage from the Sisters of Mercy song “The Corrosion.” David Arnold’s score to Hot Fuzz remains the best score for a Cornetto Trilogy film by far. Pacific Rim (Ramin Djawadi) was barely passable, with an earworm of a main theme. But the action music is loud without being interesting, and the theme for Mako sounds almost exactly like the theme for the kaiju. It’s better than Djawadi’s abominable scores for Iron Man and the Clash of the Titans, but that doesn’t make it good, or even average.

This year may have been a mixed bag, but there are still some good moments to be found. Here are some thoughts on the 27 scores I listened to this year (Part 1 will cover 27-21, Part 2 will have 20-11, and Part 3 will comprise 10-1):

27. Man of Steel (Hans Zimmer)

Even without making any comparisons to John Williams’s score to the 1978 film, this score lacks depth, appeal, and dramatic complexity. While the score in the film is not quite as obtrusive as Inception’s score, it still does not do the loud, simplistic film it serves any favors. The action music is deplorably cacophonous; the quieter, piano-based music fares better, but is still extremely repetitive with little variation.

26. Captain Phillips (Henry Jackman)

Director Paul Greengrass apparently created a nightmare for the whole scoring team for this film. He rejected cues left and right, tracked in music from other films, and had a serious case of temp track love. Hans Zimmer was brought in to write a few cues, and it’s difficult to say how much of Jackman’s score remains in the film or album. The final score sadly doesn’t rise above average, though the pulsating action music is not actively obnoxious. It is definitely a lesser entry in Jackman’s otherwise impressive career, but that may not be his fault.

25. GI Joe: Retaliation (Henry Jackman)

Jackman didn’t use any material from Alan Silvestri’s guilty-pleasure score for the original, choosing instead to go heavily electronic. The sounds he uses do create a sense of macho-ness, and the simple main theme is admittedly quite catchy. His music for the ninja sequence in the mountains is more orchestral and fluid, and is my personal favorite part of the soundtrack. Jackman’s experience in the underground electronica world serves him well here, even if the final product is not as good as Silvestri’s score for The Rise of Cobra.

24. Gravity (Steven Price)

Most of this score is necessarily unpleasant and grating—someone on the Internet (I forgot who) characterized it as the THX logo music blaring for an hour. While it is admirable how Price was able to create and manipulate the acoustic and synthetic sounds, it’s still far from an easy listen. The final three cues, however, use an “epic” yet simplistic power anthem to close out director Alfonso Curaon’s remarkable cinematic journey.

23. Toy Story of Terror (Michael Giacchino)

For this half-hour special, GIacchino took over scoring duties from Randy Newman, who scored the three Toy Story features (Mark Mothersbaugh and Henry Jackman scored the shorts). Giacchino’s score matches the pleasant yet anonymous music Newman wrote for the features, but without using any of the themes. It is not until the track “Iguana Be Kidding Me” that Giacchino introduces a stirring, martial theme of his own. Overall, though, it is not one of the talented composer’s better works.

22. Red 2 (Alan Silvestri)

Perhaps to reflect the geriatric nature of the film’s heroes, Silvestri uses dated-sounding synthesizers alongside the orchestra (though it’s certainly not as dated-sounding as his score for Flight of the Navigator). There aren’t any strong or memorable themes, but Silvestri keeps the energy and momentum up for the most part. The best track is probably “Paris Chase,” where one can hear unmistakable Silvestri-isms that make his action writing so relentlessly exhilarating.

21. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (James Newton Howard)

JNH improves a bit upon his score for The Hunger Games, this time creating a melancholy vocal melody for Katniss and some truly propulsive action cues with “The Fog” and “Monkey Mutts.” There’s nothing that matches the outright pathos of “Rue’s Farewell” from the first score, though “The Tour” and “The Arena Crumbles” come close. Although I have come to appreciate the scores for these films, I still think Howard could take them even further; his exemplary track record proves that he can.