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 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.

Steven Price

Steven Price was originally a music editor, most notably on the last two Lord of the Rings films (The Two Towers and The Return of the King). He did additional arrangements on Nigel Godrich's score for director Edgar Wright's film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and collaborated with Basement Jaxx on his first score for Attack the Block. Wright subsequently hired Price to score The World's End, the capper of the so-called "Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy" starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (the previous two being Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz). Price's score is a mixture of trip hop-ish beats and standard orchestra, with extremely apt usage of a choir sample from "The Corrosion" by Sisters of Mercy, the favorite band of Pegg's character, Gary King (the actual song plays during the end credits). Price also wrote the score for Alfonso Cuaron's masterfully directed film Gravity; the music basically serves as the film's sound effects. Although it is necessarily abrasive or atmospheric for much of its run time, Price does write some triumphant tunes for the film's final 15 minutes based on tried and true chords that nevertheless prove effective in the film. It's hard to hear if Price has a distinct style, and indeed he is probably still finding his voice. Here's hoping that his music continues to develop and mature, especially if he keeps getting prestigious assignments.

Gravity
The Hunt
Suicide Squad