2013's Best Film Scores

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 8:59pm

List here...I had no idea Mike Patton was doing film scores.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 9:15pm

Favorites:
Tindersticks- Bastards (dir. Claire Denis)

David Wingo & Explosions in the Sky (dir. David Gordon Green)

Cliff Martinez- Only God Forgives (dir. Nicolas Winding Refn)

Cliff Martinez & Skrillex- Spring Breakers (dir. Harmony Korine)

Jon Hopkins- How I Live Now (dir. Kevin MacDonald)

Shane Carruth- Upstream Color (dir. Shane Carruth)

Thomas Newman- Side Effects (dir. Steven Soderbergh)

And nobody will see this until next year but Mica Levi's score for Under the Skin is one for the books. The creepiest, unnerving score in ages.

I also think the compilation of songs for a soundtrack such as The Bling Ring is pretty crucial to everything that film is about. Having not seen Inside Llewyn Davis and just buying the soundtrack and listening to it, I feel like I do get why these songs and why those specific singers.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 9:52pm

Wow. I was not expecting to line up that much with anyone else's list. I'd swap out Les Revenants for Stoker and be very happy.

I will be very curious to see if Only God Forgives can get any traction in Original Score like The Village did almost a decade ago. The music is sensational. It's the only reason the film even comes close to working at all. I saw the film (hated it) and immediately bought the soundtrack. All of those films are longshots for the Oscar, but Only God Forgives is the showiest.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 10:00pm

Cliff Martinez is a genius and while I like the movie in a 'this is failed art film' kind of way/fascination (Gosling being an unfortunate void the film struggles to overcome in the first half while Vithaya Pansringarm and Kristin Scott Thomas are Committed with a capital C), the score for Only God Forgives easily transcends the film.

And oh goodness, Tindersticks is such a worthy Denis companion. The nasty streak is so palpable. I love the film too and can only explain it as Denis Does Chinatown for Digital Age.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo7i_pHEWNg

[Roscoe]

Posted: 12/12/13 at 8:50am

I was very taken with the electronic score for GRAVITY, I'm sorry it seems to have been almost completely overlooked.

[tazber]

Posted: 12/12/13 at 9:06am

Roscoe, Gravity just scored (pun intended) a Golden Globe nom.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 12/12/13 at 9:26am

Taz -- nice. GRAVITY is one of the few recent filmscores I actually listen to.