Soundtracks/Scores, and their effect on a film

[DeadlyDynasty]

Just curious if you guys have ever seen a movie that was good, but the soundtrack ruined it for you...or a bad film where the soundtrack made it passable?

[CuckingFunt]

Just curious if you guys have ever seen a movie that was good, but the soundtrack ruined it for you...or a bad film where the soundtrack made it passable?

Never the latter, but often the former. Though perhaps "ruin" is too strong. If the movie is good for other reasons, an annoying score probably won't make it any less good, but it can definitely get in the way.

For me, the best scores are the ones that don't call attention to themselves, but that just support/enhance the mood and atmosphere of what's happening on screen. (Which, for the record, does not mean only scores that are sparse or meek. For instance, I think Elfman is quite good at putting together scores that are plenty bombastic but that don't feel out of place.) In that sense, even a great score isn't going to elevate much of anything if what it's supporting sucks.

[DeadlyDynasty]

^
I agree with the second paragraph. There Will Be Blood is the perfect example of that...it just fits the movie to a T.

In Drive, it's quite obvious they wanted you to notice the Jan Hammer-ish 80's-like music--although I thoroughly enjoyed it, being the cheesy 80's music fan that I am.

[CuckingFunt]

In Drive, it's quite obvious they wanted you to notice the Jan Hammer-ish 80's-like music--although I thoroughly enjoyed it, being the cheesy 80's music fan that I am.

I remember the soundtrack for that one more than I do the original score. I think Refn is flawed as a filmmaker, but I love his use of existing music. The music is great in Bronson, too.

[silverblk mystix]

The soundtrack to Moonlight Mile made me remember the movie-where I would have forgotten the movie within 5 minutes without the soundtrack.

Once upon a time in America was perfect all the way around. Great movie with a masterpiece soundtrack/score.

[Lincoln]

The soundtrack to inception is probably one of the best soundtracks around imho

[CuckingFunt]

For the sake of clarity, "soundtrack" and "score" aren't interchangeable.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Once upon a time in America was perfect all the way around. Great movie with a masterpiece soundtrack/score.

+1

Ennio Morricone is the GOAT

[CubanSucks]

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: good movie with stupid modern music. I can't remember specifically what songs to complain about cause it's been so long but I remember having a "what the fuck is this shit?" reaction.

Gallipoli: weird ass 80s electro music in a WW1 movie...retarded. Especially the scene with Mel Gibson's character running to tell the general to stop the charge. Still the saddest ending I've ever seen.

[CubanSucks]

I get super goosebumps to some soundtracks:

the ending to Lawrence of Arabia right before it goes to credits with the melancholy look. 5:35
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the lighting of the beacons in Return of the King
especially when it hits at 1:57
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and my favorite, the Rohirrim charge in Return of the King
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actually, my favorite might be the showdown in The Good Bad Ugly. The whole scene is good but 1:46 and 3:47 are when the chills hit you
J0BrdMi-oyc

[DeadlyDynasty]

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: good movie with stupid modern music. I can't remember specifically what songs to complain about cause it's been so long but I remember having a "what the fuck is this shit?" reaction.

Gallipoli: weird ass 80s electro music in a WW1 movie...retarded. Especially the scene with Mel Gibson's character running to tell the general to stop the charge. Still the saddest ending I've ever seen.

Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head:lol

[silverblk mystix]

For the sake of clarity, "soundtrack" and "score" aren't interchangeable.

Edumacate me here...

You can have a soundtrack and a score in the same film right?

[Lincoln]

I think a score is just one song while soundtrack is a collection of scores

[silverblk mystix]

I think a score is just one song while soundtrack is a collection of scores

Well I thought a score was the music you hear during a scene like strings or orchestral music whereas a soundtrack were songs written for the movie by artists or borrowed from songs already out?

[ChumpDumper]

It's been awhile, but I seem to remember The Graduate almost being ruined by playing that one song over and over.

[CubanSucks]

Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head:lol

THAT'S it! WTF indeed

[CubanSucks]

It's been awhile, but I seem to remember The Graduate almost being ruined by playing that one song over and over.

I'm the exact opposite. I think Scarborough Fair made it even better

[silverblk mystix]

It's been awhile, but I seem to remember The Graduate almost being ruined by playing that one song over and over.

The Graduate might have been Simon and Garfunkle's best music ever. I thought the soundtrack was perfect. The scarborough fair song when hoffman stalks the girl at the berkeley campus was classic...

[CuckingFunt]

Edumacate me here...

You can have a soundtrack and a score in the same film right?

Score is the supporting music written specifically for the film. It's usually intended to enhance the mood/storyline of the film and is composed for dramatic effect. Danny Elfman, John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, etc., all compose original scores.

Soundtrack includes all of the other the songs used throughout the film, whether pre-existing or written specifically for the film.

Most films usually use both, but the process/goals/effect is different.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Didn't like Scarborough Fair on repeat either, but I'm not a huge fan of that song anyways. I like Sound of Silence, though.

[silverblk mystix]

Score is the supporting music written specifically for the film. It's usually intended to enhance the mood/storyline of the film and is composed for dramatic effect. Danny Elfman, John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, etc., all compose original scores.

Soundtrack includes all of the other the songs used throughout the film, whether pre-existing or written specifically for the film.

Most films usually use both, but the process/goals/effect is different.

Ok. Thanks.

Pretty much what I thought.

[CubanSucks]

I get super goosebumps to some soundtracks:

the ending to Lawrence of Arabia right before it goes to credits with the melancholy look. 5:35
mqvFik5DbAo

the lighting of the beacons in Return of the King
especially when it hits at 1:57
i6LGJ7evrAg

and my favorite, the Rohirrim charge in Return of the King
oE13VYH84Ok

actually, my favorite might be the showdown in The Good Bad Ugly. The whole scene is good but 1:46 and 3:47 are when the chills hit you
J0BrdMi-oyc

and from my favorite movie..dat feel..dat emotion :cry
0:32
BVGa_JeOebc

[silverblk mystix]

How many film scores tug the heartstrings as much as this one?

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[CubanSucks]

How many film scores tug the heartstrings as much as this one?

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that movie sucked ass, dude. I love long movies and I love Sergio Leone, but he fucking blew it on that one

[pawe]

Not a film but the HBO series Carnivale was greatly improved by the score and soundtrack.

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[oh crap]

and from my favorite movie..dat feel..dat emotion :cry
0:32
BVGa_JeOebc

:tu

great scene

[silverblk mystix]

that movie sucked ass, dude. I love long movies and I love Sergio Leone, but he fucking blew it on that one

You didn't like this movie?

I don't know of hardly anyone that didn't think it was a great,great movie.

Even the very long version was perfect IMO.

Wow.

[Monostradamus]

Cameron Crowe is the absolute worst at shoehorning all his personal favorite music into his movies even if they don't fit the particular scene one iota. Most notably in Vanilla Sky, Singles, and Elizabethtown, but really in everything he's done except for Almost Famous.

[SA210]

Mychael Danna's work on Moneyball was underrated, I think. He should of at least been nominated for an Oscar. It just went so well with the film. Easily my favorite score of last year.

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(I know the vid says "soundtrack", it's not my vid, i didn't name it)

[SA210]

But if you want a blaring grand gangster score, you can't go wrong with this shit right here.

:hat

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[oh crap]

rules of attraction had a great soundtrack, and as far as TV series go, Scrubs comes to mind, particularly the citizen cope "sideways" episode.

[Trainwreck2100]

Capt. America had a good song/score

[mojorizen7]

Ennio Morricone was brilliant,but his score to "Mission to Mars" was easily the worst fit to a film i've ever heard. The movie had its own problems,but the music was atrocious.
Its like he wrote it before hand(probably),and it was just slapped over the film without anybody giving it a sneak preview.

"Conan the Barbarian."
'82
Basil Poledouris' score is maybe the best i've ever heard and definately elevated the fuck outta this film.

Main theme kicks in at 1:05 mark....the rest of the score is also the shit.
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[Fpoonsie]

rules of attraction had a great soundtrack, and as far as TV series go, Scrubs comes to mind, particularly the citizen cope "sideways" episode.

Zach Braff simply chooses great music for any of his work, be it "Scrubs," "Garden State," "The Last Kiss," etc...

[lefty]

The soundtrack to inception is probably one of the best soundtracks around imho

Hans Zimmer = GOAT

[redzero]

Wes Anderson usually knows what he is doing.

The soundtrack for Dead Man is pretty good.

[cantthinkofanything]

Thought Giorgio Moroder's score for Scarface was close to perfect.

[CubanMustGo]

And yet, as important as the score is to film, you will almost never see the names of the musicians who perform & record it listed in the end credits (sometimes, you MAY see that the XYZ Symphony did it, but most of the time it's a studio orchestra put together for the express purpose of the recording). You'll get the name of the bus driver, the name of the guy who carries the star's rubbers around, but almost never the musicians without whom the filmwould be a hollow shell of itself. The reason is supposedly that the musician get performance royalities in lieu of credit.

The musicians themselves often don't even know what film they're working on. They get sheet music and record it in exhausting all-day sessions - the music has cues but rarely the name of the film.

Spike Lee is one of the few directors who insists his musicians get screen credit.

[leemajors]

Carter Burwell is great, works very well with the Coens.

[UZER]

Not the most accurate movie, but this theme truly captures the emotion of the movie. Different parts are used throughout the movie. The most known part starts at 3:43.....

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[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Because of the "score/soundtrack" split in the title I think Burton's Batman counts on both sides for me. The original score, which CF has alluded to in this thread, is great stuff from Danny Elfman. Burton threw in a lot of different touches and artistic styles from a variety of eras (fashion, architecture, vehicles, etc.) that made it hard to pin down exactly when or where Gotham was. Somehow Elfman's score fit it like a glove; managing to be dark and heroic but feeling like it wouldn't be out of place if you had made a Batman movie in any decade.

Then there's the Prince additions to the soundtrack which make the film sound exactly like 1988. None of it's bad music, but it seems to be a more and more jarring disconnect every time I watch the movie now.

[mrsmaalox]

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: good movie with stupid modern music. I can't remember specifically what songs to complain about cause it's been so long but I remember having a "what the fuck is this shit?" reaction.

Gallipoli: weird ass 80s electro music in a WW1 movie...retarded. Especially the scene with Mel Gibson's character running to tell the general to stop the charge. Still the saddest ending I've ever seen.

Ha, I know we've discussed this before, but I think that Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene is the only musical piece frenetic enough to portray those extremely anxious and frantic scenes; the fact that it is such a modern piece, in the background of a period piece, gives it a sense of "other worldliness" and a level of desperation that not too many people can relate to.

But I totally agree about how sad the ending is. Great movie :toast

EDIT: I forgot to mention that although the saddest ending doesn't happen to the saddest music, the saddest music I've ever heard, Albinoni's ADAGIO IN G MINOR FOR STRINGS & ORGAN, is also very prominent in this film.

[mrsmaalox]

A film's music won't ruin the experience for me, but it can enhance it greatly. Tarantino's films stand out, but my favorites are from Jim Jarmusch.

[UZER]

Alan Silvestri has some gems....Forrest Gump, Predator, Back to the Future

Bill Conti Rocky is a given, but appreciated the score in the original Karate Kid.

[CavsSuperFan]

Bad Movie…Great Soundtrack…
Top Gun
Days of Thunder

[TIMMYtoZO]

127 Hours had a fantastic score/soundtrack. The score for the amputation scene was fantastic. The score in the flash backs fit perfectly.

[Reck]

Music scores is all I hear nowadays.

Out of the top of my head, the movie with the worse soundtrack or score I have seen have to be the Matrix 2 adn 3.

[Trainwreck2100]

Tron had a sick fucking soundtrack that basically made the film into a decent one.

watching it, they mostly played variations of CLU and little of the other songs during that movie

[jeebus]

sons, for TV shows I gotta say Battlestar Galactica has the best music, which is surprising seeing as how those cheap bastards at the Sci Fi channel made it.

[Reck]

sons, for TV shows I gotta say Battlestar Galactica has the best music, which is surprising seeing as how those cheap bastards at the Sci Fi channel made it.

Lost imo.

Listen to these..

The way the crescendo takes you along for the ride is pretty amazing on the first soundtrack.

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[redzero]

Lost in Translation's soundtrack complements the film pretty well.

[JMarkJohns]

Cameron Crowe is the absolute worst at shoehorning all his personal favorite music into his movies even if they don't fit the particular scene one iota. Most notably in Vanilla Sky, Singles, and Elizabethtown, but really in everything he's done except for Almost Famous.

Only reason it worked so well in Almost Famous was it was a rockumentary of sorts, so the days music added to the scenery if the time without feeling out of place/jarring.

[Th'Pusher]

I'm likely biased as a big Elliott Smith fan, but I really enjoyed both the score and the soundtrack to Goodwill Hunting.

[CuckingFunt]

A film's music won't ruin the experience for me, but it can enhance it greatly. Tarantino's films stand out, but my favorites are from Jim Jarmusch.

I love both of them for their use of music, which has always been more impressive to me than scoring. Perhaps because my favorite scores are the ones that disappear into the fabric of a movie, while I prefer music/songs that stand out as a counterpoint or that contextualize what's happening on screen. Tarantino, Jarmusch, Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Guy Ritchie... all are fantastic at picking/placing songs. I think I own most of the soundtrack albums to most of their films.

[CuckingFunt]

sons, for TV shows I gotta say Battlestar Galactica has the best music

Breaking Bad says hi.

[Capt Bringdown]

Vangelis score for Blade Runner is for me a perfect example of how a score can really enhance a film. Hard to imagine the film without it.

I also like Tangerine Dream's work in a film called Sorcerers. They also did Risky Business, a film I don't really like, but the score is memorable.

So many examples come to mind.

[Capt Bringdown]

Vangelis score for Blade Runner is for me a perfect example of how a score can really enhance a film. Hard to imagine the film without it.

I also like Tangerine Dream's work in a film called Sorcerers. They also did Risky Business, a film I don't really like, but the score is memorable.

So many examples come to mind.

[CuckingFunt]

I love both of them for their use of music, which has always been more impressive to me than scoring. Perhaps because my favorite scores are the ones that disappear into the fabric of a movie, while I prefer music/songs that stand out as a counterpoint or that contextualize what's happening on screen. Tarantino, Jarmusch, Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Guy Ritchie... all are fantastic at picking/placing songs. I think I own most of the soundtrack albums to most of their films.

David Fincher's on that list, too.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Breaking Bad says hi.

Oh hell yes.

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[DeadlyDynasty]

Blue Velvet...this one in particular:

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[CuckingFunt]

Oh hell yes.

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I'm also in love with this one, both the song itself and how/where it's used in the show.

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But I was actually referring to the score itself. Breaking Bad uses original score very sparingly, and it's VERY seldom melodic, but it is always great. Particularly at establishing/emphasizing tension.

[CuckingFunt]

Blue Velvet...this one in particular:

Badalamenti, in general, is many kinds of awesome. Perfect fit with Lynch.

[Fpoonsie]

Did any amazing show miss the mark more than the opening for the Sopranos?

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[YouTube]

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[Leetonidas]

Hans Zimmer did quite a job on the Gladiator soundtrack imo

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Blue Velvet...this one in particular:

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Yup. I personally like the Lost Highway soundtrack, like I repeatedly say on here, and the use of him, Jobím and all the other artists make it an excellent soundtrack. An excellent mix of subtlety and aggression

[mrsmaalox]

Did any amazing show miss the mark more than the opening for the Sopranos?

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If by "miss the mark" you mean "perfect", I have to agree; The Sopranos and Six Feet Under are probably my favorite TV soundtracks. HBO does pretty darn good in that dept. Although I lost interest in True Blood a long time ago, I recently downloaded a couple of collections of music from it and they are really good. I also love the music from the newer series Enlightened.

[mrsmaalox]

I love both of them for their use of music, which has always been more impressive to me than scoring. Perhaps because my favorite scores are the ones that disappear into the fabric of a movie, while I prefer music/songs that stand out as a counterpoint or that contextualize what's happening on screen. Tarantino, Jarmusch, Scorsese, Wes Anderson, Guy Ritchie... all are fantastic at picking/placing songs. I think I own most of the soundtrack albums to most of their films.

Wes Anderson is also a favorite of mine, but I think the scoring is the strength; it's Mark Mothersbaugh's consistently spot on contributions that add so much to the "feel" of a Wes Anderson film for me. I mentioned the HBO soundtrack to the series Enlightened earlier, and Mothersbaugh is a frequent contributor there also and adds so much feeling to that show.

[Fpoonsie]

If by "miss the mark" you mean "perfect", I have to agree; The Sopranos and Six Feet Under are probably my favorite TV soundtracks. HBO does pretty darn good in that dept. Although I lost interest in True Blood a long time ago, I recently downloaded a couple of collections of music from it and they are really good. I also love the music from the newer series Enlightened.

For the most part, I love the music they chose for the show, but the theme song just didn't fit at all, IMO.

[TeyshaBlue]

Brian May's scores almost made Mad Max unwatchable. Unquestionably the worst soundtrack I've ever heard.

[TeyshaBlue]

On the other end, I friggin love Michael Giacchino. His score to The Incredibles is extra-cool.
http://www.michaelgiacchinomusic.com/soundtracks/incredibles.html

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Brian May's scores almost made Mad Max unwatchable. Unquestionably the worst soundtrack I've ever heard.

I'm fine with that as long as you don't talk bad about Flash Gordon's

[CuckingFunt]

On the other end, I friggin love Michael Giacchino. His score to The Incredibles is extra-cool.
http://www.michaelgiacchinomusic.com/soundtracks/incredibles.html

Hardly an earth shattering revelation, since it earned him an Oscar, but his score for Up is brilliant, too.

[Reck]

Yeah that Sopranos opening theme sucks.

[admiralsnackbar]

Fellini would not be nearly as effective without Nino Rota. Not always showy or even memorable writing, but always emotionally appropriate to the images on the screen.
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After watching decades of similar thrillers, Klute would seem tame without Michael Small-Goldfarb's spidery score.
h2HAFri7m4k

Gil Melle's minimalist anti-score for The Andromeda Strain added to the tension onscreen by being as creepy and alien as the title virus without resorting to any of the cliches of theatrical music (except maybe Louis and Bebe Barron's weird-ass Forbidden Planet score). Don't think I'd like the movie half as much without it.
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And I think Howard Shore's my favorite living composer -- his stuff for Cronenberg's movies (especially early stuff like Scanners and Videodrome) is totally under-appreciated script-driven experimentalism, but he has the chops to adapt to something like Lord of the Rings or even (gack!) Twillight work.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Good call on Rota...

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[ColinB]

Greenwood's score in There Will Be Blood was absolutely perfect. Can't wait to see the Paul Thomas Anderson and Johnny Greenwood duo in effect again for The Master.

9oZDKFoCqAw

Good call on Conan the Barbarian as well. A classic.

I'm also a sucker for Clint Mansell (The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, etc.)

[LA24]

Hans Zimmer = GOAT

Are you serious ? This guy is way overrated. He relies too heavily on
ghost writers. His orchestration is elementary compared to
a John Williams orchestration. Then there are the harmonic choices.
John's use of harmony/chords is just genius and clever and
makes Hans' use of harmony/chord choice laughable, like a kid playing
with notes. Hans scores are just too simplistic, trite, and have
little depth. Most composition students at USC would blow Hans
away. John William is a master of his craft. I can not say the same
for Hans.

[mingus]

The Jurassic Park score is the best score I've ever heard. E.T.'s is a close second.

[mingus]

I also like Elfman. The Nightmare Before Christmas had an unforgettable score.

[mingus]

Thomas Newman is damn good as well. He did the scores for American Beauty, Jarhead, and Road to Perdition.

[TeyshaBlue]

Hardly an earth shattering revelation, since it earned him an Oscar, but his score for Up is brilliant, too.

Wasn't really shooting for creating an earth shattering revelation, tbh. Just somebody I dig.

[z0sa]

Imagine the Shining without an hour of creepy music ...

[ace3g]

Speaking of this, Avatar had this issue, parts of the score from "The Mask of Zorro" were used (same composer). Still mad Cameron after working on this film for 14 years or so, still had to re use dinosaur sound effects (T-Rex from JP) for his creatures. This coming from a film where he created a new language...

[CuckingFunt]

Wasn't really shooting for creating an earth shattering revelation, tbh. Just somebody I dig.

Oh, no, I meant mine wasn't earth shattering.

[CubanMustGo]

Are you serious ? This guy is way overrated. He relies too heavily on
ghost writers. His orchestration is elementary compared to
a John Williams orchestration. Then there are the harmonic choices.
John's use of harmony/chords is just genius and clever and
makes Hans' use of harmony/chord choice laughable, like a kid playing
with notes. Hans scores are just too simplistic, trite, and have
little depth. Most composition students at USC would blow Hans
away. John William is a master of his craft. I can not say the same
for Hans.

That JW has not won more Oscars for his work is a crime. This year he had not one but TWO scores up for the award (War Horse, Adventures of TinTin) and so in effect was competing against himself. The winner was the guy who did "The Artist", who basically channeled silent film music and had a lot of UNoriginal work in his score.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Imagine the Shining without an hour of creepy music ...

Imagine the Shining without an hour of creepiness
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