Howl – Carter Burwell (2010)
Howl is in many ways a cinematic ode to poetry. The film makes a deliberate choice as to when and whether to use music in its two portrayals of the titular poem. Allen Ginsberg’s public debut of “Howl” at the Six […]
Best Film Scores of January 2020
Although January 2019 had some very solid scores, it was still a fairly muted start to the year. This January is different. Instead, it’s seemingly filled with too many good scores too count (and unfortunately, far too many to cover). […]
Cat-Women of the Moon – Elmer Bernstein (1953)
The opening credits of Cat-Women of the Moon misspells then-fledgling composer Elmer Bernstein’s name. Despite this early blip in his career, Bernstein went on to become one of film’s great composers. The film generally gives Bernstein little room to work, […]
2020 Academy Award Nominations – Best Original Score
The Oscars are upon us, the keynote event of the 2020 film award season. However, at this point the best original score category feels like a retread of this season’s prior awards competitions. Of this year’s five nominees, three have […]
Tokyo Drifter – Hajime Kaburagi (1966)
Seijun Suzuki is one of film’s most stylish directors. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his magnum opus Tokyo Drifter, where Suzuki’s bombastic and bizarre indulgences flow unimpeded. Rather than try to balance this out, prolific composer Hajime Kaburagi […]
Chinatown – Jerry Goldsmith (1974)
A warm air blows through Los Angeles county; through the orange groves, the valley, the city, and everywhere in between. It is inevitable, undeterrable. It is Jerry Goldsmith’s score for Chinatown, led by the trumpet playing of the legendary Hollywood […]
Best Film Scores of 2019
After listening to nearly 700 scores released in 2019, I present the definitive list of the best film scores of the year.
Best Film Scores of December 2019
What is there to say about John Williams’ score for The Rise of Skywalker? It marks a true end of an era, not only the end of the Skywalker trilogy of trilogies but also, by all accounts, the conclusion of […]
The Most Underrated Film Scores of 2019
It’s that time of year, when everyone comes out with their ‘best of’ lists. After listening to nearly 700 film scores released in 2019, I’m ready. Up first are the most underrated scores of the year. These are ones that, […]
2020 Golden Globe Nominations – Best Score
This year’s Golden Globes showcase a more varied and intriguing field than 2019’s, leading to a less-clear frontrunner. While the nominations have some familiar faces and inevitably cater to the more mainstream of film and film music (the nominated composers […]
The King – Nicholas Britell (2019)
Despite the ever-present strife and squalor in The King, Nicholas Britell’s score brings a sense of majesty to Hal’s transition from prince into King Henry V. The clearest example of this is during Prince Hal’s coronation. As grandiose images of […]
The Nightmare Before Christmas – Danny Elfman (1993)
Scores for Christmas films tend to be filled with the same cliched, seasonal sounds. Danny Elfman creates an alternative Christmas classic in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Rather than jingling bells and children’s choirs, Elfman creates the soundtrack to a kooky […]