Hey! . Just thought it might be fun to list our favorite movie scores. (First one is all-time favorite)
1.). Maurice Jarre: Lawrence of Arabia (OK, favorite film too. )
2.). Philip Glass: The Hours
3.). John Williams: E.T: The Extra Terrestrial
4.). Jerry Goldsmith: Poltergeist (1982)
5.). Danny Elfman: Batman. (1989)
You can’t just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!
Haven’t thought about The Hours in a while, but it was a great score. I do prefer Batman Returns to Elfman's first go around: we get the main themes and so much more elaboration upon those and new ones as well. Returns is one of my favorites for sure.
As with many such questions .. my answer would likely change from day to day, depending on a number of factors.
Additionally, there are many individual themes from a lot of movies which I enjoy moreso than their scores, as a whole.
So, this list is of five scores that I personally enjoy listening to -- and often -- in their entirety .. almost as orchestral works, unto themselves. They're in no particular order; as said, any order I'd assign is likely to change often, anyway.
• The Blue Max .. Jerry Goldsmith
• The Natural .. Randy Newman
• Ice Station Zebra .. Michel LeGrand
• The Big Country .. Jerome Moross
• The Sea Hawk .. Erich Wolfgang Korngold
I don't pay so much attention to scores (in fact, I just unloaded a bunch of soundtrack CDs, on eBay, which I never listen to). But I've still managed to notice some favourites, and especially note which composers I like the best. But not being well-versed in soundtracks, I hesitate to name a "Top 5". Having said that...
Superman: The Movie is my all-time #1, no question. I have it on vinyl, and a couple of CD editions. Love it so much. Star Wars is up there, too, and really nearly anything that John Williams has done can get an honorable mention.
Danny Elfman may be my number 2 guy, as his Batman score was a revelation to me back in '89. And yeah, Returns is probably even better, though it naturally built on what he accomplished in Batman '89. I love that his work is so distinctive, though for a while there it got a little same-y, which he then fought off, only to start sounding unfortunately more generic for a while.
Randy Newman's Toy Story score is one I'm quite fond of.
But my favourite film composer right now is easily Michael Giacchino, particularly his Star Trek score. I can't believe that next year, he's doing Batman, Jurassic World, and Thor!
Yeah, if I could've opened it up to 10 scores, Williams would definitely be on there; and Superman: The Movie is among my favorites of his, as well.
For Elfman, my personal favorite of his scores 'overall' would probably be Edward Scissorhands. Though -- as I'd mentioned above -- there's many individual themes of his that I love .. especially the main motif from Dick Tracy, "What's This" from Nightmare Before Christmas, etc.
Giacchino -- I'd probably select Speed Racer, of his movie work .. but my favorite of all his scores is still the first one I'd ever heard, from wayy back when he was scoring video games, rather than films:
I got to meet him at a signing event in Burbank, in the late-00s. Very cool guy.
1) The Natural - Randy Newman
2) Koyaanisqatsi - Philip Glass
3) The Untouchables - Ennio Morricone
4) Krull - James Horner
5) E.T. (wasn't crazy about the movie, I just sit back and listen) - John Williams
Hon. Mentions if I had to stretch it to ten:
- Return to Oz (the score was too GOOD for that fever-nightmare) - David Shire
- The Final Conflict - Jerry Goldsmith
- The Mission - Ennio Morricone
- Superman - John Williams
- The [First] Great Train Robbery - Jerry Goldsmith
Last edited by EricJ on December 23rd, 2021, 9:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ben wrote: December 23rd, 2021, 2:53 pm
He thought so, too, and proceeded to reuse them for every alternate movie since…!
Although you may be confusing it with "Battle Beyond the Stars", which Roger Corman proceeded to reuse in every alternate low-budget New World fantasy movie since.
I got a chuckle out of Ben's comment .. because it's true, to an extent.
Krull's score refines several motifs that Horner introduced in Battle Beyond The Stars and Star Trek II .. but (IMO) it's elevated beyond both, thanks to its hauntingly beautiful love theme:
.. though, I'm also fond of the many variations of Krull's bombastic main theme .. especially "Ride of the Firemares"..!
I do also appreciate An American Tail .. but I enjoy Horner's score for An American Tail II: Fievel Goes West a tiny bit more, if only for the 'Aaron Copland'-inspired riffs that pepper and play against the themes from the first film.
I also like the fact that Tanya's "Dreams to Dream" song is expanded from a minor passage heard only in the track "The Marketplace" from the first film .. yet it stands just as tall as "Somewhere Out There", IMO.
"The Girl You Left Behind" is a rousing 'Copland'-style number; I love it .. and I love Tanya's exuberant energy, in that scene!
Note that I speak in praise mainly of Horner's score for AAT2:FGW. The movie itself -- though enjoyable, in parts -- not so much!
. Just thought it might be fun to list our favorite movie scores. (First one is all-time favorite) 
)
.. because it's true, to an extent.