I’ve decided to start visiting years past, from before I actively listened to film music, and come up with retrospective best-of lists. Not only is it a good way to revisit missed classics and get a feel for the year in film music, it’s interesting to see how contemporary lists played out (for better or worse). Therefore, this best-of list for 2017 (and each year prior) will have been created with the benefit of hindsight.
2017 turned out to be quite an interesting year. Often, my choices for best score differ significantly from those in the mainstream awards, but the awards favorites ended up being some of my favorites as well. It also featured the film debut of Tamar-kali, who’s since wowed the world with her score for Shirley, and a rare modern score from one of modern classical’s greatest composers – Philip Glass. I also found the latter half of the list difficult to decide on, which explains the large amount of “honorable mentions.” All in all, a very solid year for film music!
- Phantom Thread by Jonny Greenwood
- The Shape of Water by Alexandre Desplat
- Dunkirk by Hans Zimmer
- Good Time by Oneohtrix Point Never
- Loving Vincent by Clint Mansell
- A Ghost Story by Daniel Hart
- Mudbound by Tamar-kali
- Jane by Philip Glass
- A Cure for Wellness by Benjamin Wallfisch
- Félicité by Kasai Allstars
Honorable Mentions: Delete Beach by Mica Levi; War for the Planet of the Apes by Michael Giacchino; Rat Film by Dan Deacon; Bushwick by Aesop Rock; The Blackcoat’s Daughter by Elvis Perkins; All the Money in the World by Daniel Pemberton (Interview); I Am Not Your Negro by Alexei Aigui; and Star Wars: The Last Jedi by John Williams.