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The 50 Best Film Scores Of The 21st Century So Far

http://theplaylist.net/50-best-film-scores-21st-century-far-20160818/

Here is the top 10:
1. “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (2007) – Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
2. “There Will Be Blood” (2007) – Jonny Greenwood
3. “Under The Skin” (2014) – Mica Levi
4. “Requiem For A Dream” (2000)– Clint Mansell & The Kronos Quartet
5. “In the Mood for Love” (2000) – Michael Galasso & Shigeru Umebayasi
6. “Upstream Color” (2013) – Shane Carruth
7. “Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind” (2004) – Jon Brion
8. “Birth” (2004) – Alexandre Desplat
9. “The Dark Knight” (2008) – Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard
10. “The Social Network” (2010) – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross


Don't forget the honorable mentions at the bottom of the Page 5

There are simply too many terrific film scores in the 21century to mention on this list and we could have easily gone to over 100 picks. But bickering and fighting aside about our favorites, here goes with trying to give some more love to composers and scores. It’s not a full score which sort of disqualifies it here, there’s soundtrack cuts and what not, but Boris and Sunn O)))’s smoldering avant garde doom metal in Jim Jarmusch’s “The Limits Of Control” is sludgy hot fire. Super group, David Wingo & Explosions In The Sky’s plangent and uplifting score to David Gordon Green’s “Prince Avalanche” just missed the cut, but only because they’re both represented elsewhere on the main picks. Another close cut and already represented on the list is Terence Blanchard’s tragic score to Spike Lee’s phenomenal four-part Katrina documentary, “When The Levee Breaks.” Superstar composer Alexandre Desplat was up for multiple options, “The Grand Budapest,” “Thirty Dark Zero,” “A Prophet,” “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button” and more, but we decided ultimately to go with his haunting breakthrough in “Birth” (“The Ghostwriter” also had a lot of support).

and it goes further. Check it out.
 

Window

Member
....No Lord of The Rings? Also heavily weighted towards English language films. Playlist lists are usually better than this.
 
The Lord of the Rings is not even top 10? Trash list

Edit: Not even on the list, why in the hell would they make a list like this and leave out one of the most iconic and recognizable film scores of the 21st century???
 

Ridley327

Member
Real happy that It Follows and especially The Duke of Burgundy made the list.

Under the Skin getting to number 3 is also awesome. That score definitely sticks with you.
 

LayLa

Member
Weird that the top three are all indie-ish musicians, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Micachu of Micachu & The Shapes, and the Radiohead guitarist. I guess Clint Mansell at number 4 has outgrown his Pop Will Eat Itself past at this point though!
 
Lord of the Rings not making the list is a fuckin joke lol

But at least they got jesse James and social network in top 10. Still what a wack exclusion

And also they should swap dark knight with interstellar or inception
 

Randdalf

Member
No Lord of the Rings?

No Harry Potter?

No Star Wars?

No Up?

Just wut?

Hans Zimmer anywhere near the top 10?
 
Is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford a good movie? Never got to watch it

It's a modern classic IMO. Some people say it's too slow, I call it brooding and contemplative. Amazing movie with an amazing soundtrack.


This list is missing a lot of pretty obvious, widely praised scores. I don't know what to say about that. When you have like 50 honorable mentions, just go all the way and make a top 100.

And animated movies stay getting treated like the mutant cousin in the attic, smh
 
This is a solid list. I don't like Hans Zimmer, but the rest is amazing. They could place number 1 in the Zimmer spot and then give the number 1 to The Following's score by Disasterpiece.
 
tGWtDT's "Under the Midnight Sun" is a favorite track of mine so I'm glad it was included.

Very strange list though. I think it may have been made by the same people who did the action film list that got a thread recently.
 

weekev

Banned
Lists are generally not really great ideas for something like this but whoever made the list clearly has very different tastes to me. I thought Jesse James was terrible, i couldnt make it through the whole film.
Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars exclusions really odd too.

edit reread title, film scores makes Lord of The Rings in particular an even stranger ommission.
 

Randdalf

Member
How To Train Your Dragon is omitted as well. Feels like this list is excluding traditional film scores for no good reason.
 

Geek

Ninny Prancer
No Lord of the Rings?

No Harry Potter?

No Star Wars?

No Up?

Just wut?

Hans Zimmer anywhere near the top 10?

The list appears to favor bands and musicians (Daft Punk, Johnny Greenwood, Trent Reznor, RZA, Karen O, Explosions in the Sky) over, I guess, more traditional orchestral film scores from John Williams, Michael Giacchino, Howard Shore types
 

Mimosa97

Member
Lmfao at Amelie not being in the Top 10.

Edit : Ok I see it's not even in the Top 50. Tiis list feels like it was made by a teenager.
 

Window

Member
A very odd list overall but still some interesting choices which I wouldn't have considered or known about. That's the best one can gain from listicles I guess.
 

Yen

Member
Agree with their high placement of Upstream Colour. Personally would have had The Fountain in my top 10.
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Wow I agree with a lot on this list and number one is absolutely deserved. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford's score is tremendous and spell binding; a modern masterpiece. What truly makes it truly one of a kind is how the music works so incredibly well and is interwoven with the story, the cinematography, and every other aspect of the movie in a way only the greatest movies ever. All the elements are so finely crafted to begin with and combined to create something so damn beautiful and human.

I would compare the interplay of music and visual imagery with the astounding work Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone did together, especially their Magnum opus, Once Upon A Time in the West. It's that damn good and an incredible movie in all.
 
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