Now the world don't move to the beat of just one drum...

I was reading about Hans Zimmer yesterday. Aside from the music he directly composed, the list of films he had a hand in scoring is very impressive, so it's no wonder he had his first Oscar at age 32. He got me thinking...

Focus: Music is an incredibly important part of film and television. The mental association of a piece of music with what you see on the screen can contribute more heavily to the identity of the work than any other facet (i.e. Batman, Superman, Star Wars)

Post your favorite themes, soundtracks or scores from movies, TV or theater. You don't have to be discriminating. Something like this and something like this are equally valid.

 

The Talented Mr. Ripley and Kill Bill (particularly #2) soundtracks are eminently listenable, even without the movie.

The Requiem for a Dream soundtrack wins major points for appearing in every dramatic movie trailer to come out since the original movie.

 

'Silence of the Lambs' put Tom Petty's 'American Girl' in this category of light-hearted songs being played over incredibly fucked up scenes. I've actually had more than one woman tell me they have trouble listening to the song because of that movie.

 

Flash Gordon Theme by Queen:


IMO the best soundtrack ever written specifically for a movie since it also included:
The Hero:

 

Is this before or after you asked if they were a great big fat person?

Focus - One of the best movie soundtracks has to be The Crow. Whoever put all those songs together is a genius worthy of recognition, there isn't a song on that soundtrack that isn't haunting and very fitting the mood of the movie.

 

I think Tarantino's choice of music in his films is downright awesome. Dick Dale's Miserlou in the opening of Pulp Fiction couldn't have been better. I'll never hear "Stuck in the Middle With You" the same way again. The little tune that Daryl Hannah whistles in Kill Bill? That's my ringtone. The theme music opening from "Police Woman" when Beatrix Kiddo is about to open the 55 gallon drum of whoop-ass on one of her former co-workers was priceless.

 

My personal favorite, outside of Star Wars and LOTR, which stand in a class of their own as far as I am concerned, is Jurassic Park. John Williams is the man.

 

While a great score, I spent so much of listening to it thinking 'Hey I remember when he used almost the exact same thing in Gladiator'

That said, Gladiator's score was majestic.

Say what you will about anime fanbase inclinations, but in the film End of Evangelion, the use of Kumm Sussor Todd (a song the head of the project had written for the movie) is haunting... especially when you listen to the lyrics

Explanation:

Spoiler

Its being played over the simultaneous turning-almost-everyone-into-goo with the psychological breakdown of the main character.

The song is all about suicide but it seems so... HAPPY!

The scene it shows up:

 

There we go.

I think Basquiat had a well-put-together soundtrack

 

The music to the movie Once was incredible. It was smart of them to find musicians who could half-act rather than actors who can half-play music.

The score to Legends of the Fall. Jesus Christ it is outstanding. The piano theme to that movie is perhaps my favorite composition for a movie of all-time.

Boondock Saints had some awesome music that I never heard of. The director is a prick, but the song his band came up for that is for when

Spoiler

Rocco shoots up the diner

is awesome and fits perfectly.

High Fidelity's choice of music is part of what makes me enjoy that film so much. 13th Floor Elevators, The Kinks, Bob Dylan's underrated "Most of the Time", Beta Band, Velvet Underground, and the awesome Jack Black cover of "Let's Get It On".

 

Which in turn sounded very similar to the soundtrack to The Rock. Zimmer's stuff is serviceable, but he's not very original. John Williams, on the other hand, has incredible range in his soundtracks. He stands head and shoulders over Zimmer simply because of his willingness to try different sounds. (e.g. Jaws and Catch Me If You Can.) The only direct similarities I've ever spotted in his work are between two brief bars in the themes to Harry Potter and Schindler's List.

Focus: The film-noir-jazz-meets-barbarian-drumbeat soundtrack of Sin City is one I feel matches the themes of the movie perfectly.

 

To name a few:

The late Michael Kamen, who did the original scores for Die Hard and Lethal Weapon.

Wojec Kilar did the unbelievably powerful and unforgettbale music of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Danny Elfman: Batman (the original, most awesome one), Beetlejuice, Nightmare before Christmas (he's the voice of Jack as well), etc.

John Debney was robbed of an Oscar for Passion Of The Christ. Probably the best music score of the decade.

James Horner: for the both touching and kick-ass celtic score of Braveheart (and to amuch less cooler note, Titanic).

 

The score by James Horner in "Alien" completely sets the mood for the entire movie.



And who could forget T2?



Last but not least, another from John Williams.

 

The Last of the Mohicans had one of the best scores I can remember, and it played brilliantly during the movie -- the battles, chases, etc.


(the youtube is a montage of clips from the movie as well as Native Americans in general, but the song is the right one)

It was also used in a Nike Football commercial that was great, too.

 

Ennio Morricone

 

I wouldn't call myself a big fan of Radiohead, but Jonny Greenwood's work on There Will Be Blood had so, so much to do with why the film was as epic as it was. I have never been so unsettled by a cinematic score.