Intrada Soundtrack Forum

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Jim Lochner
http://www.filmscoreclicktrack.com

This thread's title threw me off a bit, as I assumed that it was about composers who truly got screwed. Not just by being passed over for awards, but REALLY getting buggered, like Alex North's score being entirely dumped from 2001 or Jerry Goldsmith's effort eventually being cut from LEGEND. Not getting an award for a score that was given the chance to live and breath in a film seems, to me at least, not to be as bad a thing as one who's complete effort is wholly dumped in favor of something else (or, as with Michael Small's score to CHINA SYNDROME, it's worse, as nothing replaces the written score at all.) There are plenty of others that I can think of, like the chop job on ALIEN or RAMBO III, but I don't want to change the direction of this thread too much.

I'm just saying... what say you?

Matt

Here are my picks for Best Original Score for the past 20 years, with my own additions and rules applying:

1990
Dances with Wolves (John Barry)
Edward Scissorhands (Danny Elfman)
Joe Versus the Volcano (Georges Delerue)
Memphis Belle (George Fenton)
Quigley Down Under (Basil Poledouris)

TV: L'Enfant des Loups (Serge Franklin)

1991
Backdraft (Hans Zimmer)
Beauty and the Beast (Alan Menken)
Fried Green Tomatoes (Thomas Newman)
The Rocketeer (James Horner)
Star Trek VI - The Undiscovered Country (Cliff Eidelman)

TV: O Pioneers! (Bruce Broughton)

1992
1492 - Conquest of Paradise (Vangelis)
Dracula (Wojciech Kilar)
Far and Away (John Williams)
The Last of the Mohicans (Trevor Jones / Randy Edelman)
Medicine Man (Jerry Goldsmith)

TV: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Verdun, 1916 (Joel McNeely)

1993 (Drama)
The Age of Innocence (Elmer Bernstein)
Needful Things (Patrick Doyle)
Schindler's List (John Williams)
Shadowlands (George Fenton)
Tombstone (Bruce Broughton)

1993 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
Addams Family Values (Marc Shaiman)
Ed Wood (Howard Shore)
Much Ado About Nothing (Patrick Doyle)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (Danny Elfman)
Rudy (Jerry Goldsmith)

TV: The Simpsons: Cape Feare (Alf Clausen)

1994 (Drama)
Forrest Gump (Alan Silvestri)
Frankenstein (Patrick Doyle)
Legends of the Fall (James Horner)
The Shawshank Redemption (Thomas Newman)
Stargate (David Arnold)

1994 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
Black Beauty (Danny Elfman)
The Lion King (Hans Zimmer)
Little Women (Thomas Newman)
Maverick (Randy Newman)
Only You (Rachel Portman)

TV: Babylon 5 - Signs and Portents (Christopher Franke)

1995 (Drama)
Braveheart (James Horner)
Crimson Tide (Hans Zimmer)
Cutthroat Island (John Debney)
First Knight (Jerry Goldsmith)
Murder in the First (Christopher Young)

1995 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
The American President (Marc Shaiman)
Casper (James Horner)
Pocahontas (Alan Menken)
Toy Story (Randy Newman)
Unstrung Heroes (Thomas Newman)

TV: Star Trek - Voyager: Heroes and Demons (Dennis McCarthy)

1996 (Drama)
The Ghost and the Darkness (Jerry Goldsmith)
Independence Day (David Arnold)
Michael Collins (Elliot Goldenthal)
Portrait of a Lady (Wojciech Kilar)
Twister (Mark Mancina)

1996 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
Dragonheart (Randy Edelman)
Emma (Rachel Portman)
Evita (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Alan Menken)
James and the Giant Peach (Randy Newman)

TV: Babylon 5 - Severed Dreams (Christopher Franke)

1997 (Drama)
Fly Away Home (Mark Isham)
Hoodlum (Elmer Bernstein)
Oscar and Lucinda (Thomas Newman)
Titanic (James Horner)
Wilde (Debbie Wiseman)

1997 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
Addicted to Love (Rachel Portman)
Anastasia (David Newman)
As Good As It Gets (Hans Zimmer)
Mouse Hunt (Alan Silvestri)
Princess Mononoke (Joe Hisaishi)

TV: Into Thin Air - Death on Everest (Lee Holdridge)

1998 (Drama)
American History X (Anne Dudley)
Great Expectations (Patrick Doyle)
Life is Beautiful (Nicola Piovani)
Les Misérables (Basil Poledouris)
What Dreams May Come (Ennio Morricone)

1998 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
Antz (Harry Gregson-Williams / John Powell)
Mulan (Jerry Goldsmith)
Pleasantville (Randy Newman)
The Prince of Egypt (Hans Zimmer)
Shakespeare in Love (Stephen Warbeck)

TV: Babylon 5 - Sleeping in Light (Christopher Franke)

1999 (Drama)
Anna and the King (George Fenton)
The Cider House Rules (Rachel Portman)
The Red Violin (John Corigliano)
Snow Falling on Cedars (James Newton Howard)
Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace (John Williams)

1999 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
For the Love of the Game (Basil Poledouris)
Galaxy Quest (David Newman)
Kikujiro (Joe Hisaishi)
Message in a Bottle (Gabriel Yared)
Toy Story 2 (Randy Newman)

TV: Animal Farm (Richard Harvey)

2000 (Drama)
East-West (Patrick Doyle)
Gladiator (Hans Zimmer / Lisa Gerrard)
Quills (Stephen Warbeck)
Sunshine (Maurice Jarre)
Thirteen Days (Trevor Jones)

2000 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
Chicken Run (Harry Gregson-Williams / John Powell)
Chocolat (Rachel Portman)
Dinosaur (James Newton Howard)
The Family Man (Danny Elfman)
Malèna (Ennio Morricone)

TV: On the Beach (Christopher Gordon)

2001 (Drama)
A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (John Williams)
Enemy at the Gates (James Horner)
Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within (Elliot Goldenthal)
The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Howard Shore)
Pearl Harbor (Hans Zimmer)

2001 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
Atlantis - The Lost Empire (James Newton Howard)
Moulin Rouge! (Craig Armstrong)
The Mummy Returns (Alan Silvestri)
Rat Race (John Powell)
The Tailor of Panama (Shaun Davey)

TV: Band of Brothers (Michael Kamen)

2002 (Drama)
Far From Heaven (Elmer Bernstein)
The Hours (Philip Glass)
The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Howard Shore)
Road to Perdition (Thomas Newman)
Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones (John Williams)

2002 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
Chicago (Danny Elfman / Fred Ebb / John Kander)
Frida (Elliot Goldenthal)
Lilo and Stitch (Alan Silvestri)
Spirited Away (Joe Hisaishi)
Treasure Planet (James Newton Howard)

TV: Dinotopia (Trevor Jones)

2003 (Drama)
Gods and Generals (John Frizzell / Randy Edelman)
The Last Samurai (Hans Zimmer)
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Howard Shore)
The Matrix Revolutions (Don Davis)
The Missing (James Horner)

2003 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
Big Fish (Danny Elfman)
Finding Nemo (Thomas Newman)
Johnny English (Edward Shearmur)
Looney Tunes - Back in Action (Jerry Goldsmith)
Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas (Harry Gregson-Williams)

TV: Children of Dune (Brian Tyler)

2004 (Drama)
Arsène Lupin (Debbie Wiseman)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (John Williams)
The Passion of the Christ (John Debney)
Troy [Unused Score] (Gabriel Yared)
A Very Long Engagement (Angelo Badalamenti)

2004 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
Deep Blue (George Fenton)
Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events (Thomas Newman)
The Polar Express (Alan Silvestri)
Shrek 2 (Harry Gregson-Williams)
Two Brothers (Stephen Warbeck)

TV: Salem's Lot (Christopher Gordon / Lisa Gerrard)

2005 (Drama)
Fateless (Ennio Morricone)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Patrick Doyle)
A History of Violence (Howard Shore)
Memoirs of a Geisha (John Williams)
Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (John Williams)

2005 (Comedy / Musical / Adapted / Otherwise)
Corpse Bride (Danny Elfman)
Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children (Nobuo Uematsu)
Howl's Moving Castle (Joe Hisaishi)
The Legend of Zorro (James Horner)
Wallace and Gromit - The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Julian Nott)

TV: Colditz (Richard Harvey)

2006
The Departed (Howard Shore)
Eragon (Patrick Doyle)
The Good German (Thomas Newman)
Lady in the Water (James Newton Howard)
The Nativity Story (Mychael Danna)

TV: Planet Earth (George Fenton)

2007
Angel (Philippe Rombi)
Eastern Promises (Howard Shore)
The Last Legion (Patrick Doyle)
Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End (Hans Zimmer)
Spider-Man 3 (Christopher Young)

TV: As You Like It (Patrick Doyle)

2008
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (James Horner)
Defiance (James Newton Howard)
Fool's Gold (George Fenton)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (John Williams)
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Joe Hisaishi)

TV: Family Guy (Ron Jones)

2009
Agora (Dario Marianelli)
Drag Me to Hell (Christopher Young)
Un Homme et son chien (Philippe Rombi)
Lesbian Vampire Killers (Debbie Wiseman)
Up (Michael Giacchino)

TV: Battlestar Galactica (Bear McCreary)

I would imagine after reading the thread subject, that probably all the females go into this category, am I right?

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Erik Woods
host and producer CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO PODCAST


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Aside from the usual roster of screwees, I often think of some fine work from great composers that gets overlooked completely or doesn't win. I don't remember if Dave Grusin was nominated for ON GOLDEN POND, but there's a score worthy of attention, and perhaps with all the other awards attention the film received, the score kind of got overlooked. I believe he won a few years later for THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR.

Many great comedy scores have been ignored. Consider Hamlisch's TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN or BANANAS. Consider Grusin again for MURDER BY DEATH, John Morris for THE IN-LAWS or any of the many Mel Brooks scores he composed. Or consider a number of outstanding scores to horror films like Goldsmith's PSYCHO II or his OMEN sequel scores which were just as effective as THE OMEN. Generally speaking, the score nominations are attached to films that are nominated in several other categories, the high profile contenders. Unfortunately, this results in a lot of fine scores being ignored because they're attached to bad movies, or movies that might be good but that don't fit the Oscar mold. Something like MEDICINE MAN or THE RIVER WILD never had a chance regardless of how wonderful both those scores truly are.

This is an endlessly debatable subject, and as we continue into an age where mediocrity is rewarded, it ain't gonna get any better, kiddies.

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