Overview of 2015 Scores Part 2 of 3

Read Part 1 here.

20. The Good Dinosaur (Mychael and Jeff Danna)

Although the Danna Brothers’ Pixar score ranks behind those from Michael Giacchino and Thomas Newman as well as Randy Newman’s better efforts, it still aptly accentuates the breathtaking landscapes and straightforward relationships of the film. While the quantity of themes is impressive—the score features tunes for Arlo, Arlo’s home, Arlo’s family, Spot, and the T-Rexes—many of them sound just a little too similar.  The family theme, first heard in “Make Your Mark,” imparts nobility with its reverent chords, while “Run with the Herd” features galloping statements of the T-Rex-theme, the home theme, and Arlo’s theme. The Dannas’ characteristic use of exotic instrumental colors adds zest to the harmonically pleasing tunes, even if the effect fails to reach the admittedly lofty heights that Thomas Newman periodically reaches using similar musical ingredients. Perhaps the score’s only crime is not being as spectacular or memorable as other similar scores; it’s certainly pleasant with a well-structured dramatic arc.
(The Good Dinosaur Film Review)

19. Disneynature: Monkey Kingdom (Harry Gregson-Williams)

Gregson-Williams in electronic thriller mode is hit (Spy Game) or miss (The Number 23), but his orchestral scores almost always evince the composer’s command of melody and color. Exotic, ethereal voices and frisky, frolicsome rhythms abound in this score—sometimes in the same cue (“A Magical Kingdom”). “Maya” introduces a winsome little tune on pan flute—amidst all of the Tony Scott scores, one can forget that HGW is so good at writing these softer, appealing themes. “Top of the Trees” starts a pleasant groove—the delicate flute flourishes are a particularly nice touch. There’s an unexpected but lovely waltz in “The Lily Pond,” while “Termites” and “Retaking the Rock” boast lush strings fit for long shots of some natural vista. The latter cue features a touch of action as well, though it’s not top-tier Gregson-Williams material. As the adjectives in this long-winded paragraph reveal, this is a feel-good score, but it doesn’t have any truly spectacular moments or strong melodies.

18. Bridge of Spies (Thomas Newman)

Faced with the unenviable position of filling in for John Williams, Thomas Newman more than acquitted himself with his dignified music for this lauded Spielberg film. While Newman doesn’t abandon most of the elements that constitute his musical voice—the vivid instrumentation, prickly rhythmic ostinatos, and passages of tranquil harmonic bliss—he molds these elements into a more classically dramatic approach in the best Williams tradition. Resonant Russian choral tunes and a sincere, almost ballad-like main theme form the staunch foundation for the score, culminating in the impressive trifecta of “Glienicke Bridge,” “Homecoming,” and “End Credits” (which also make up more than half of the score’s running time). The first cue in this trio offers a master class on how to steadily build suspense without relying on dull drones or humdrum percussion patterns, the second explores heartfelt Americana, and the end credits showcase Newman’s invigorating choral writing. The first half of the score remains rather restrained, but I suppose that’s only reflecting the nature of the film itself.

17. The Hunt (Steven Price)

Although I wasn’t the biggest fan or Price’s Gravity, he did establish a distinct voice. The Hunt takes the most appealing aspects of Price’s musical style and spreads them out over 2.5 hours of mostly standalone cues, each one aurally portraying different species or aspects of the natural kingdom. Price starts the album with the best cue right off the bat—“A Game of Strategy” features an energizing anthem at once lyrical and heroic, reminiscent of Gravity’s penultimate cue. Price’s signature electronic manipulations of the orchestra don’t grate as they did in Gravity, but instead galvanize the theme, the sounds meshing with the counters of the melody organically. “The Blue Whale” is another highlight, orchestra and choir moving from ethereal wonder to almost transcendent majesty; string patterns play off each other, adding to the music’s kinetic energy. However, aside from five or six other cues, much of the rest of the lengthy score, while competent, fails to approach the stirring vibrancy of these two highlights.

16. Fifty Shades of Grey (Danny Elfman)

Given the movie’s sensationally lurid subject matter, Elfman wisely decided not to get too kinky with the music and risk camping up the images. (Or maybe they were still campy; I’m certainly not about to watch the film to find out.) A more lush variation on his recent documentary scores, the score relies on patterns, textures, and motifs rather than on overt, hummable themes. “Shades of Grey” sets the tone with bubbling electronics, sighing flute, and Elfman’s characteristically skittering strings. “The Red Room” finds Elfman getting a little funky with the electronics, recalling his music for Dead Presidents and the main titles for To Die For. Electric guitar creates an atmosphere of slowly simmering preparation and release in “Ana and Christian” (similar to the finale of The Kingdom), while voices denote sensual ecstasy in “Counting to Six” (and reaching ironically angelic heights in the non-Elfman composed “Bliss”). Elfman threads the conclusive “Variations on a Shade” (the best track) with an almost pop-ish beat on drum kit and electronics, orchestra churning under aspiring parallel notes from violins and bass guitar. The lack of a strong melody is a bit of a shame, but Elfman, as is his wont, still creates appealing music with just a touch (in this case) of cheekiness.

15. Jurassic World (Michael Giacchino)

Although this score shows that Giacchino isn’t quite John Williams’s successor, it does offer further proof that he is one of the most talented composers working today. After a welcome arrangement of Williams’s fantastic Jurassic Park theme (“Welcome to Jurassic World”), Giacchino mostly sticks to his own material, with snatches of Williams’s “island” fanfare and even the Lost World theme adding a kick to the proceedings. Giacchino shrewdly writes his new themes so they reflect the tone of Williams’s themes. The Indominus Rex theme’s low horns echo the ominous cast of the Velociraptor theme; the delicate family theme recalls the sparkling, childlike lullaby of “Remembering Petticoat Lane;” and the resplendent Jurassic World melody effortlessly flows into Williams’s Jurassic Park theme in “Nine to Survival Job.” However, it’s best not to compare the score to Williams’s near-peerless original as you’ll admittedly come away disappointed. Giacchino’s action material isn’t quite up to his usual standards, relying more on staid repetition of short musical fragments. Despite this minor reservation, choice moments, such as the brutal choral chanting in “Our Rex Is Bigger Than Yours” inject ample thrills, while Giacchino applies and develops his new themes—the arrogant, militaristic melody for InGen is particularly admirable—with remarkable aplomb.

14. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (James Newton Howard)

From the first to the third entry in Cookie Monster’s favorite franchise, James Newton Howard’s scores have gotten better, even if they haven’t quite reached the apex of his capabilities. The final entry continues the trend by being slightly better than its immediate predecessor, featuring the most sustained, thrilling, and rich action cues in the series. It’s not all blood and thunder, with “Your Favorite Color Is Green” developing a folk melody into a liturgical hymn and a spoiler-titled track pushing a solo female vocal into near-operatic peaks. The two “Attack” cues (Sewer and Rebels) surge with dynamic syncopated ostinatos, sumptuous fanfares worthy of the composer’s Disney scores, and staccato choir outbursts—a far cry from the stripped down action cues in the first Hunger Games. To cap off the series, Howard sends off Rue’s heartbreaking theme with a gorgeous threnody followed by cascading waves of strings joined by triumphant brass and choir. The score is still far from Howard’s best, but he did manage to gradually introduce the lush compositional mannerisms that made so many (like me) fall in love with his music.

13. Pixels (Henry Jackman)

While not as John Williams-esque as Jackman proclaimed in various interviews, Pixels still mostly eschews the 8-bit video arcade palette the composer had so adroitly employed in Wreck-It Ralph in favor of florid orchestral and choral gestures. The score’s primary weakness is its relatively anonymous theme. First heard in “The Arcaders,” the melody’s ascending shape, strumming electric guitar backing, and triumphant, brassy orchestration—all reminiscent of the superior Big Hero 6 theme—do mark it as an unmistakably Jackman composition. The score is all about the action cues, and the composer provides all the bells and whistles (though there aren’t many actual bells and whistles, if any). “Call to Cavalry” marches ahead with forthright determination towards a descending rendition of the main theme amidst swirling strings, while portentous choir threads its way through “Centipede,” “Shoot ‘Em Up,” and “Mothership.” In the climactic “Roll Out the Barrels,” Jackman deftly weaves various harmonic variations of the theme throughout the action, ending with a noble brass version that sounds like the song “City of Lights” from The Brave Little Toaster. Finally, Jackman concedes to the film’s video game villains with the addictive, all too brief “Arcaders ’82,” even if does contain a healthy dose of modern electronics alongside the retro samples. With a longer, more sophisticated them and a better dramatic arc, this could have been one of the scores of the year; as it is, it’s still a lively, energetic composition.

12. Ant-Man (Christophe Beck)

Beck’s swaggering, animated music deftly combines tropes from superhero scores and heist scores to pleasing effect. The odd-metered rhythm of the main theme provides the jazzy heist element (even more pronounced in the surf-guitar cue “Tales to Astonish!”) while the actual melody furnishes the requisite brassy heroism. “Scott Surfs on Ants, “Into the Hornet’s Nest,” “Flight of the Bumblebee,” and “Ants on a Train” offer the best moments of snazzy action while “Small Sacrifice” plays the main theme in a warmhearted guise. The similarly warm theme for the Wasp balances all the stylish licks, though it too plays in action mode in “Your Mom Died a Hero.” “First Mission” features a grin-inducing cameo of Alan Silvestri’s Avengers theme and even more pleasantly surprising statements of Henry Jackman’s Falcon motif from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Such respectful references to other Marvel scores alongside the lively heist elements make for an attractive score, even if it ultimately fails to reach the raw entertainment value of Alan Silvestri, Brain Tyler, and Patrick Doyle’s contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

11. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (Jack Wall)

Jack Wall’s scores for Myst III and IV were the first game scores I loved, so I always look forward to any new work of his. Wall’s electronics-heavy, high-octane music here is, on the surface, the polar opposite of his lush, lyrical work on the Myst games. Indeed, cues such as “Chasing Secrets,” “Cloud Mountain,” and “P.A.W.W.S” bristle with synthesized momentum and power anthems; “Ramses Station” almost sounds like something you’d hear on a dance floor. (No, not a ballroom one, though someone should try it and see what happens). However, “Prologue/Black Ops” and “I Live (Orchestral Version)” feature the explosive, dramatic mixed choir writing that were a staple of his Myst scores, with “Ego Vivo” showcasing the voices in a more liturgical mode. “Liberty Road” surges with triumphant orchestral action, complete with flute and brass flourishes, excited strings, and a stirring melody that Basil Poledouris would be proud to call his own. Several tongue-in-cheek jazz, blues, country, swing, and Caribbean songs (for the game’s zombie mode) are delightful bonuses. More entertaining to Wall’s work for Black Ops 2, this score impresses with its mix of propulsive action and robust melody.

Read Part 3 here.

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.

Christophe Beck

Canadian Christophe Beck studied under the brilliant Jerry Goldsmith. His first major assignment was for Joss Whedon's classic TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer; while Beck did not compose all the music for every episode, he was the primary composer for seasons 2, 3, and 4. In film, Beck has mainly composed for frivolous comedies such as Cheaper by the Dozen, Garfield, A Cinderella Story, Ice Princess, The Pink Panther remake, Fred Claus, Tower Heist, This Means War, Movie 43, and RIPD. Foremost among his comedy assignments in terms of popularity is The Hangover trilogy. However, Beck has also branched out with scores like Elektra, the first Percy Jackson film, and RED. Recently, he has scored a few prestigious Disney films: The Muppets, the animated short Paperman, Ant-Man, and Frozen. For this last film, Beck delivered a solid score and worked on the arrangements of the songs composed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (2011's Winnie the Pooh, The Book of Mormon, and the Finding Nemo musical at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom). Especially enchanting in Frozen's score is Beck's arrangement of the song "Vuelie," which plays under the film's opening studio logos and title.

Ant-Man
Frozen (Songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez)
Paperman