Favorite Soundtrack/Film Composer

[Drum Eater]

Ordinary is an awesome song! The only thing I didn't like, as far as film music goes, is that it wasn't incorporated into the film except for the credits. I mean, with "Into the West" in LOTR they only used the song on the credits but the theme was throughout the film. But I guess it is pretty hard to compare the music of LOTR and Spider-Man. Totally different, and both very good!

 

[Johnboy]

My Favorite Soundtracks:

The Dark Crystal; Great Music Score that is overlooked.
Harry Potter.
The Lord of the Rings.
Labyrinth: Funky soundtrack especially with David Bowie's songs.
The Princess Bride: A really beautiful and enchanting soundtrack.
Akira.
Ghost in The Shell.
Blade Runner.
The Fifth Element.
Titanic ( Don't laugh, the soundtrack is awesome).
Armageddon.
Total Recall.
The Secret of NIMH.
The Last Unicorn.
The Wizard of Oz.
Return to Oz: Great music score.
E.T.
Star Wars.
The Empire Strikes Back.
Spider-Man.
Batman Soundtrack with Prince Songs.
Batman Danny Elfman Score.
X-Men.
Die Hard.
John Carpenter Soundtracks.

 

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

I mean, with "Into the West" in LOTR they only used the song on the credits but the theme was throughout the film.

I love the way they incorporated "Into the West" into the movie as a theme. It seemed like an absolutely natural and necessary part of the score, making for some neat foreshadowing and really strengthening the scenes in which it appeared. The Pip and Gandalf chat, Sam's heroic "i-can't-carry-it-for-you-but-I-can-carry-you," the Grey Havens... They were brilliant without it but breathtaking with it.
Erin

 

[AndyWan Kenobi]

I love the way they incorporated "Into the West" into the movie as a theme. It seemed like an absolutely natural and necessary part of the score, making for some neat foreshadowing and really strengthening the scenes in which it appeared. The Pip and Gandalf chat, Sam's heroic "i-can't-carry-it-for-you-but-I-can-carry-you," the Grey Havens... They were brilliant without it but breathtaking with it.
Erin

I really like it when they can do that kind of thing well. There are sometimes, though, when I'm not too fond of the song being the same as a theme from the movie. For example--I was never really crazy about the love theme from "Superman" being set to words. "Can you read MY MIIIIIND?!?" Ugh. Also, I adore the music from "The Princess Bride," but I always skip the version with lyrics at the end of the film (and CD). Those are more a case of words being tacked onto a beautiful theme, though. In LOTR, it was much more organic, which worked out nicely.

 

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

Yeah, it's not entirely clear which came first, the music or the words, with "Into the West." Musically, it sort of finishes what "In Dreams" started, and at the same time it seems they really wanted to incorporate Frodo's vision at the end of the book into end-credits lyrics so the last thing you hear as you're leaving the theater leaves you with a deep sense of fulfillment and spirituality. "May It Be" and "Gollum's Song" were fine, but I think they really nailed it the third time around. I actually rather like the ending song for "Princess Bride," but I know what you mean. Tacked-on lyrics can really bring a great theme down.
Erin

 

[AndyWan Kenobi]

I actually rather like the ending song for "Princess Bride," but I know what you mean. Tacked-on lyrics can really bring a great theme down.
Erin

Well, when I first heard it, I was still relatively unfamiliar with the trend in having a song over the end credits of a movie, so I just didn't understand what the heck was going on. I guess it set me up not to like it. Same thing at the end of Kevin Costner's "Robin Hood"--Bryan Adams and the guys were out in the woods playing some song that seemed to come out of nowhere. Though I do actually like that one now...

 

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

I always thought the end-credits radio-ready song for Disney animated feature was unnecessary. Didn't it start with "Beauty and the Beast?" I always like the version in the movie better and think the pop version is rather superfluous. There were three with "Lion King," and I didn't mind so much since Elton John wrote them; I figured he ought to have the right to sing them. Still, I don't think they were necessary, especially "Circle of Life;" the movie version absolutely blows his rendition out of the water.
Erin

 

[Drum Eater]

I agree on the "Into the West" opinions here. It was absolutely perfect to use that theme in the score as well. Howard Shore didn't overuse it, though, which easily could have been done. And Annie Lennox was amazing at the end, as well, so it added to the theme instead of taking away from it. I just love LOTR.

I saw King Arthur last night...Hans Zimmer did an amazing job on that score! Anybody else heard it? Reminds me of Last of the Mohicans.