By Brett Blake Those who know me well know that I’m a huge movie score fan. 2014 proved itself to be an improvement on 2013 in that regard, as there was a pretty fantastic assortment of music to come out of this year’s cinema. Was it an all-time-great year for film scoring? No, but the high points proved to be very high. As such, I’ve decided to compile a list of my ten favorites of 2014, complete with full-length tracks. In addition, I’m going to briefly exalt some singular cues from scores that didn’t make my top ten, stand-out tracks from scores that - while good - aren’t quite strong enough to be called one of the best of the year, but which still contain some incredible highlights. So on that note… The Best Cues From A Score Not On My List “The Hanging Tree” from THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 1 (vocals by Jennifer Lawrence, orchestration by James Newton Howard) What begins as a simple, folksy melody sung by Jennifer Lawrence eventually grows into a grand and rousing thematic statement as orchestrated by composer James Newton Howard. This track is the score’s unquestionable highlight, just as its corresponding scene is the unquestionable highlight of the film itself. “Main Title” from A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST (composed by Joel McNeely) Taken in its entirety, McNeely’s score for this western parody is almost too much to take, but this single cue - which embodies all the fun, pastiche-y elements of the score proper - is a ton of fun. “Technically, Missing” from GONE GIRL (composed by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) While their GONE GIRL score supports the movie enormously well, Reznor and Ross contributed only one truly stellar track, and it is this one, a moody and rhythmic piece which uses textures and ambiance in interesting ways. “The Plank” from UNBROKEN (composed by Alexandre Desplat) Desplat will be showing up a couple of times on the top ten list below, but I couldn’t let his work for UNBROKEN - and this cue in particular, which underscores as close to a cathartic moment as the movie offers - go unrecognized. It’s subtly uplifting and moving in a fashion befitting the quiet heroism of Louis Zamperini. “Alan Turing’s Legacy” from THE IMITATION GAME (composed by Alexandre Desplat) While the score itself is exactly the sort of thing Desplat could write in his sleep, this cue - underscoring the finale - works incredibly well (both in the movie and on its own); the writing for piano and flute is particularly evocative. And now… The Ten Best Scores Of 2014 10. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (Tyler Bates) Bates delivers a rock-solid action score with several prominent themes. The first of which, for the titular Guardians themselves, forms the backbone of this cue, called “The Kyln Escape.” The second prominent theme, signifying the family/emotional aspects of the characters, makes its most grand statement in this finale cue, entitled “Black Tears.” 9. THE MONUMENTS MEN (Alexandre Desplat) An old fashioned score for an old fashioned film, Desplat’s work on THE MONUMENTS MEN is a throwback of the very best kind, one that evokes the stylings of Golden Era-type Hollywood scores without being too goofy or on-the-nose. The score boasts an infectiously fun main theme… … As well as some proper suspense and dramatic underscore, encapsulated in the cue entitled “Finale.” 8. GRAND PIANO (Victor Reyes) Belonging to one of the more underrated films of the year, GRAND PIANO’s score is an impressive, stylish homage to the likes of Bernard Herrmann (particularly his collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock). Reyes’ score exists primarily in the form of a concerto which is performed throughout the course of the film, and its evocative “1st Movement” is a stellar encapsulation of the entire score. 7. MALEFICENT (James Newton Howard) James Newton Howard can usually be counted on to deliver the goods, and he certainly does here, with a score that offers sweeping orchestration and interesting themes, as well as some blistering action. “Maleficent Is Captured” is an example of JNH’s action writing at its best… … While his “Maleficent Suite” is an atmospheric exploration of some of his key thematic ideas for the film. 6. DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (Michael Giacchino) Giacchino tackles the latest APES film with a deadly-serious tone; this is a fairly dark score, with moody melodies, offbeat percussion, and driving rhythms. The action material is strong (typical for Giacchino), and is best displayed in the “Gorilla Warfare” track. As is customary with Giacchino, he ties all his thematic ideas up into a cracking end credits piece, and DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is no exception. “Planet of the End Credits” exists as the ultimate summation of what the score has to offer, and it’s a fantastic suite. 5. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (Hans Zimmer et al.) A controversial score, no doubt, but I found it to have a remarkably fresh sound from Hans Zimmer (though not as fresh as another Zimmer score which will appear later on this list). It sounds nothing like his work for the Batman or Superman movies, and while the material he created for the character of Electro isn’t his strongest, his other primary themes definitely are. For instance, his material for the Green Goblin, which is heard in the cue “Sum Total”… … Rises and falls with a kind of eerie menace before exploding into frenetic, savage action. Zimmer’s more ambient, electronic textures combine with brass fanfares to make a cue like “I Need To Know” pulsate with ethereal, contemplative, evocative, and heroic moods. But the score’s real heart lies in the theme for Peter Parker’s relationship with Gwen Stacy, which is one of the loveliest melodies Zimmer has composed in a great while, full of longing and bittersweet emotion, as heard in its fullest performance in the cue “We’re Best Friends.” 4. GODZILLA (Alexandre Desplat) Hey, it’s that Desplat guy again! This time, Desplat creates a gigantic score to accompany the gigantic scale of the action and destruction on display. The main title cue - called “Godzilla!” - is one of the best title pieces of the decade, deploying a sound that absolutely screams “monster movie,” with its fast ostinatos, eerie instrumentation, and huge brass lines. And for the finale (entitled “Back to the Ocean”), Desplat transforms the title character’s monstrous motif into a heroic piece which concludes the score in grand fashion. 3. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (John Powell) Powell’s sequel score is just as impressive as the original, as he incorporates all the key themes from that first film and adds a few more. The opening track, called “Dragon Racing,” is a fantastic recap of the key thematic material from film one, freshly arranged and performed by an energetic orchestra. The new thematic material then gets a chance to shine in one of the climactic cues, titled “Toothless Found,” which starts off moody and atmospheric but then grows to become as rousing a bit of film scoring as could be found in 2014. It’s positively swashbuckling in places, and the brass runs and fanfares that begin at around 1:54 are absolutely phenomenal and exhilarating. 2. INTERSTELLAR (Hans Zimmer) Hans Zimmer teams once again with director Christopher Nolan, and the result is Zimmer’s most original score in some time, employing an organ to convey a majestic religiosity, a component which is heard most clearly in the track “Cornfield Chase.” The piano and organ parts here are gorgeous. The “Stay” cue, which underscores the main character’s decision to leave his daughter behind and launch into space, is a stunning track, both wrenching and rousing, and with a truly optimistic undercurrent. The piece builds slowly up to a gigantic statement of the score’s main theme, which begins at around 5:35 and is one of the score’s major highlights. Also a highlight is the track “No Time For Caution,” which is used during perhaps the movie’s best and most intense sequence, and it’s a perfect encapsulation of the darker, more action-y elements of the score. The churning and pulsing rhythms (again with organ counterpoint) are enormously effective here. 1. THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (Howard Shore) Shore’s (presumably) final score for the cinematic version of Middle-Earth showcases his consistently intelligent placement, development, and usage of motifs to create a soundscape that is cohesive and thematically dense. The bulk of this terrific score is comprised of tremendous variations on themes previously established, such as in the smashing opening cue - “Fire and Water” - which weaves his theme for the dragon, Smaug, into a propulsive action showcase. One of the film’s new themes is featured in rousing fashion (amid doom-laden brass writing) in the track called “Battle for the Mountain,” and the big statements of this new theme at 1:00 and - especially - 1:44 are unabashedly heroic. This is but a prelude to “Sons of Durin,” which opens with a superb, fanfaric treatment of the theme for the Dwarf characters before launching into a masterful action piece which pulls together several of the major themes into an aggressive - but satisfying - wall of orchestral sound. And just when you think Shore has surely exhausted all of the possible action material he could have, he tops himself and brings us “To the Death,” which underscores the climax of the film’s titular battle, and is a mini-masterpiece of action/adventure writing. The section from 4:22 to 5:07, featuring choral statements both massive and gorgeous, is perhaps the finest 40-odd seconds of any score this year. Shore’s score closes with “Ironfoot,” a superb suite of some of the score’s new themes (and a couple returning ones). This is a more relaxed, contemplative, and ultimately melancholic piece than any of the above-mentioned action cues, and it represents a nice curtain call for this score. The final minute or so of the track, featuring an ethereal, sad choral rendition of Shore’s theme for Lake-Town (introduced in the previous score) is a haunting close to Shore’s work on these films. So there you have it. Please feel free to share your thoughts!
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