By Brett Blake As we hit the end of the decade, it seems fitting to look back at the highlights of those years. Before I unveil a list of my favorite films from 2010 through 2019, I wanted to build up to that with a bit of an appetizer, and as a huge movie score fan, picking out my favorite scores from that period seems like a good way to ease into the retrospective. First, however, a brief word about the scores of 2019. Honestly, I don’t think it’s been a very good year for the medium, and even the scores that truly excited me could be boiled down to a few choice selections. I have high hopes for the upcoming STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER score from John Williams, but other than that, I have no qualms sharing my favorites of the year right now (albeit in a more brief form than I usually do). In no particular order... • AVENGERS: ENDGAME (Alan Silvestri) -- “The Real Hero” • HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD (John Powell) -- “The Hidden World Suite” • GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (Bear McCreary) -- “King of the Monsters” • SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (Michael Giacchino) -- “Far From Home Suite” • AD ASTRA (Max Richter, Lorne Balfe, Nils Frahm) -- “Says” • US (Michael Abels) -- “Anthem” • CAPTAIN MARVEL (Pinar Toprak) -- “I’m All Fired Up” • CHILD’S PLAY (Bear McCreary) -- “Theme from Child’s Play” • DARK PHOENIX (Hans Zimmer) -- “Reckless” Okay, let’s move on to my favorites of the decade. Some honorable mentions: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (John Powell), STEVE JOBS (Daniel Pemberton), GODZILLA (Alexandre Desplat), SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (John Powell), THE WITCH (Mark Korven), THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (Michel Legrand), THOR: RAGNAROK (Mark Mothersbaugh), FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (James Newton Howard), LA LA LAND (Justin Hurwitz), THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (John Williams), PASSENGERS (Thomas Newman). And now, my ten favorites, in alphabetical order. Be sure to check the links embedded in the text for additional cues from each score! EVIL DEAD (Roque Baños, 2013) The finest horror score of the decade, featuring deeply chilling choral and string writing which conjure up a truly hellish and nightmarish atmosphere. Do not listen at too high a volume! THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (Howard Shore, 2013) While the HOBBIT trilogy may not be at the same level of quality as THE LORD OF THE RINGS, Shore’s music for this second installment is just as dense, thematic, and rich as his work for those earlier movies. INSIDE OUT (Michael Giacchino, 2015) Possibly Giacchino’s best score to date, featuring two terrific, catchy main themes that beautifully underline the emotional undercurrents of the story. He also employs some evocative and ethereal instrumentation and orchestration at strategic points. INTERSTELLAR (Hans Zimmer, 2014) Potentially Zimmer’s masterpiece. With piano and organ at the forefront, Zimmer gets directly at the heart of what is Christopher Nolan’s most sentimental film in a powerful way. The feeling of awe and scale he creates is extremely impressive, too. THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (Daniel Pemberton, 2015) A delightful homage to jazzy, snazzy espionage scores of the 1960s, Pemberton announced his presence to the film score world with this thoroughly entertaining pastiche. His influences are clear, but he somehow puts them together in a fresh package. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION (Joe Kraemer, 2015) In the running for the finest pure action score in many years, Kraemer goes BIG and blows up the classic MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE theme into countless variations. It’s a score packed with personality, as well, which (unfortunately) is a rarity for action music. SKYFALL (Thomas Newman, 2012) Newman fuses together the characteristically big James Bond “sound” with his own skills for exotic texture and moody ambiance, which gives the film a unique flavor that has one foot in the past and another in the present. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (John Williams, 2015) Williams’ return to the world of STAR WARS is nothing short of a triumph. It establishes a collection of very strong new themes that sit seamlessly alongside of the roster of his original melodic ideas, and it also delivers the scale that a STAR WARS episode needs. TRON: LEGACY (Daft Punk, 2010) Heavily electronic and intensely moody. While there is a primary theme, this score is much more interested in evoking a particular sort of half-mysterious/half-introspective feeling, which it does very well. WAR HORSE (John Williams, 2011) One of the finest scores Williams has ever written, and featuring a handful of superb themes, WAR HORSE is intensely emotional, charting a musical journey from innocence, through hardship, and finally to powerful catharsis.
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