This year 5 nominees are up for Best Original Score:

James Horner for the 3D extravaganza, Avatar.
Alexandre Desplat for the stop-motion animated film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders for the war drama, The Hurt Locker.
Hans Zimmer for the action packed film, Sherlock Holmes.
And Michael Giacchino for the latest Pixar-animated film, Up.

It’s great to see two animated films being represented in the Original Score category.  Some of the great film scores come from animated films, and at times it seems they hardly represented.  Although, Giacchino’s work for the Pixar-animated film Ratatouille was nominated two years ago.

Avatar was last year’s most anticipated film of the year.  And another James Horner score to accompany a Cameron epic had everyone a buzz about what the score would sound like.  And what was the score like? Well, the usual Horner motifs.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Parts of the score were beautiful and majestic, however I felt it didn’t match to the wonderful visuals of Cameron’s world.  Leaving the theater (almost 3 hours later) I couldn’t really remember the film music, which for such a huge film, I thought was a rather huge disappointment.

Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animated film, Fantastic Mr. Fox was a delight.  Anderson did such a great job of making this film enjoyable for all audiences.  The music is such a joy.  It felt like the rodents from the film were providing the accompanying music.  It was a clever choice on Desplat and Anderson to keep the orchestra intimate and minimal.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Anderson wanted a sort of a Peter and the Wolf feel for the film’s music. Giving each character a them and instruments associated with that character.  My favorite piece was the Ennio Morricone influenced theme for the rat in the secret cider cellar.  And the lovely march for the game Whack-Bat.

Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders’ score for The Hurt Locker among the nominees was a big surprise for me.  The is not the normal traditional score and it was designed to put you on the edge of your seat, which worked for me.  This was a great film. Very suspenseful, yet for being a war drama, there is a simplicity to it which I appreciated.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

An actual score creeps out at the end but for the majority of the film the score is more of a sound design than actual music.

Sherlock Holmes was actually one of the few films I missed last year.  I’m so bummed I didn’t get a chance to see this film, because after hearing Zimmer’s score, I bet the film was one fun ride.  Although, much of this score has that typical Zimmer sound and feel to it, I thought parts of this score was really clever.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

I love the percussion elements throughout the score.  Lot’s of fun.

And finally there is the Pixar gem, Up.  I embraced this film and the music within the first 15 minutes of the film.  How can a film pack in so much emotion in one segment?  Well Giacchino’s simple nostalgic score helped.  Although the themes were simple, Giacchino’s orchestrations made them more complex and brought the character to life.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

I love film scores that tell a story and evolve and you listen to them.  Therefore my pick for this year’s award has to go the Giacchino’s lovely work for Up. His scores are simple, yet carry a lot of emotion and add more depth to the film.  Way to go Michael Giacchino for making us listen.  I sure hope to hear more from him in the near future.

Michael Giacchino, Up

Marvin Hamlisch, The Informant!

James Horner, Avatar

Abel Korzeniowski, A Single Man

Carter Burwell, Where the Wild Things Are

Will it be Michael Giacchino’s Up or Star Trek?

Alexandre Desplat’s Coco Avant Chanel or The Fantastic Mr. Fox or New Moon?

James Horner’s Avatar?

Hans Zimmer’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes?

Randy Newman’s The Princess and the Frog?

Elliot Goldenthal’s Public Enemies?

Marvin Hamlisch’s The Informant?

We’ll find out soon enough.

I’m so excited for this film.  Beautiful cinematography, lavish costumes, spoken french, oh la la.  And no composer would be better to set music to this rich and excessive luxurious life of France than Alexandre Desplat.  I’ll be sure to get a copy of this soundtrack.  I can always count on Desplat to take me on a musical journey and this score will be no exception.

The film stars Audrey Tautou as the fashion designer Coco Chanel, and is directed by Anne Fontaine (The Girl from Monaco).  The screenplay is written by Anne Fontaine and Camille Fontaine, with the collaboration of Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons), and is loosely based on the biography L’Irrégulière by author Edmonde Charles-Roux.

Fontaine and Desplat collaborated to reflect Chanel in the music.  Desplat believed Coco Chanel had a “pair of eyes that were very particular in real life.”  And he believed actress Audrey Tautou also carried that characteristic.

“They both have the same gravity and intensity.  She is not just watching.  She’s scrutinizing and really intensively watching.  She’s grabbing a detail, a color, a shape that becomes something of her own once it goes through her filter.  So, I guess that’s the main thing that I tried to do with the score:  always keep the intensity of her character, not just the fun.  She has a lot of courage and a desire to change things.  And that’s something I like a lot – when artists show the way, a different way, another way, not just follow the flow of the river.  My music should follow this.”

I’m sure it does.  Listen to Desplast’s music featured in this U.S. trailer of the film.

Track List:

Coco Before Chanel
Alexandre Desplat
Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra

1. L’abandon (4:06)
2. Chez Chanel (2:33)
3. Coco & Boy (2:47)
4. Royallieu (2:54)
5. Couture (2:27)
6. Avenue du Bois (1:38)
7. Premier baiser (1:40)
8. Gabrielle Bonheur (1:53)
9. L’Hippodrome (2:54)
10. Arthur Capel (2:09)
11. Confession de Balsan (1:26)
12. Coco rêve de Paris (1:31)
13. L’Atelier (1:48)
14. Un seul Amour (1:53)
15. Le Chagrin de Coco (2:59)
16. Casino de Deauville (1:37)
17. Little Black Baby (Scott Joplin) (1:37) Interprété par Vanessa Wagner sur un Piano Ibach de 1908
18. Qui qu’a vu Coco (Baumaine-Blondelet/Deransart) (1:42) Extrait sonore du film, interprété par Audrey Tautou et Marie Gillain Piano: Patrick Laviosa

By the way, the score is already available on iTunes, for those who prefer a digital copy.

Woo-hoo.  Nathan Barr’s original score for the HBO series True Blood can now be pre-ordered over at the Varèse Sarabande website .  The score CD will be available and ship on or after September 8th.  I was a bit annoyed by everyone’s fascination over this vampire show, but I knew I had to give the show a chance with Creator and Executive Producer Alan Ball behind the wheel.  I love his work. I’m currently renting Ball’s other fabulous series Six Feet Under, which ran on HBO for 5 seasons and won numerous awards.

I’m not quite sure if I like True Blood, but apparently it’s good enough for me, since I’m eagerly awaiting the next disc to come in the mail.  Parts of the show are ridiculously campy and silly, but I love the show’s characters, especially that feisty Tara.  The series’ haunting score, fitting perfectly with the show’s swampy backwoods setting,  is composed and performed by Nathan Barr.  After working as an assistant to Hans Zimmer on the films As Good as It Gets and The Prince of Egypt, Barr has ended up scoring over 24 feature films including, The Dukes of Hazzard, Cabin Fever, Hostel 1 and 2, and Shutter.  This guy is so talented and I hope to see many more projects from him.  I’m glad his work was honored at the BMI Film and Television Awards this year.

Clips of the True Blood score from season one can be heard on his official website.

Track List:

1. Take Me Home Vocal by Lisbeth Scott (2:33)
2. Hairclip (1:45)
3. Bill’s Lament (1:07)
4. Gran’s Story (1:51)
5. Bill’s Entrance (1:28)
6. First Taste (1:22)
7. Tara In The Pool (1:23)
8. Tripping (1:42)
9. Tara And Mother (1:06)
10. Grieve to Grave to Groove (3:15)
11. The Tribunal (2:32)
12. Amy’s Goodbye (2:12)
13. Bill And Sookie Together (2:24)
14. Priapism (2:15)
15. More Than You Can Imagine (1:43)
16. The Cabin (5:22)
17. The Funeral (2:36)
18. Sancto Erico Vocals by Lisbeth Scott & Nathan Barr (1:39)
19. Bill And Sookie’s Reunion (1:23)
20. Jason And Amy (2:17)
21. Love Theme Piano by Lisbeth Scott (2:57)

I would love to attend the World Soundtrack Awards.  Screw the Teen Choice Awards!  Anyway, the highlight to this year’s program will feature music by composers Alexandre Desplat and Marvin Hamlisch.  The Brussels Philharmonic led by Desplat will perform music from his works including The Girl with the Pearl Earring, The Queen, The Painted Veil, Birth, The Golden Compass, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Lust, Caution.

The Brussels Philharmonic will also perform music by Academy Award winning composer, Marvin Hamlisch.  Hamlisch, who won three Oscars in 1973 for the films The Way We Were and The Sting, will receive the World Soundtrack Lifetime Achievement Award.  Hamlisch’s other notable works include the tenth James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me and the hit musical A Chorus Line.  It’s sure to be a great night of film music.

Canadian Composer Mychael Danna’s latest film score, The Time Traveler’s Wife, is set to release tomorrow.  Audio samples of the soundtrack can be heard on Amazon.com and iTunes.  Danna seems to be the right pick for this film.  I love the minimal electronic sounds that are mixed in the score.  It gives the score an eerie, ethereal feel to it.  I get a   sense that Danna has created a haunting, yet beautiful film score.  We’ll find out soon.

Danna has written several film scores since his debut in 1987 for the Canadian film, Family Viewing.  Other works include, The Sweet Hereafter, Girl, Interrupted, Shattered Glass, Vanity Fair, Being Julia, Capote, Little Miss Sunshine, and Terry Gilliam’s Tideland, partnered with his brother and fellow composer Jeff Danna.  The two wrote music for Terry Gilliam’s latest film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, set to release later this year.

The Time Traveler’s Wife, starring the go to girl for tear-jerker films Rachel McAdams, is in theaters this Friday, August 14th.

Wow, summer is going by fast.  I didn’t even realize that director Nora Ephron’s film Julie & Julia was out this week.  I don’t know how, since I hear,  “I’m Julia Child” at least 20 times a day.  I knew it was coming soon, just not this week.  Anyway, a Julie & Julia release also means a new score from the acclaimed french composer Alexandre Desplat.

The film’s soundtrack is now available on Amazon.com and iTunes and  features 16 tracks of original music and an intro to the classic song “Time after Time” by Desplat.  This score is so bright, warm and fluffy. Excuse me while I go frost some cupcakes.  Listening to parts of this score put me in such a good mood.  I hope the film will do the same.  No matter what how many negative reviews this film may get, I’ll still see it.  I’m a huge Meryl Streep fan and I think Amy Adams is adorable.  Shoot, a score by Desplat alone will get me to see the film.

Here’s the track list with few audio samples:

Julie & Julia
Score Composed, Conducted and Produced by Alexandre Desplat
(p) and © 2009 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
Score Published by Colpix Music, Inc., admin. by Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI)

1. Julia’s Theme – Alexandre Desplat

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

2. Julie’s Theme – Alexandre Desplat

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

3. Great Big Good Fairy – Alexandre Desplat
4. The French Chef Theme – Alexandre Desplat
5. Starting Out – Alexandre Desplat

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

6. What Should I Do? – Alexandre Desplat
7. Eggs – Alexandre Desplat
8. Psycho Killer – Talking Heads
9. A String Of Pearls – Alexandre Desplat
10. Mes Emmerdes – Charles Aznavour
11. Time After Time (Instrumental) – Alexandre Desplat
12. Burning The Stew – Alexandre Desplat
13. Leaving Paris – Alexandre Desplat
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
14. My Husband Left Me – Alexandre Desplat
15. Stop The Train – Henry Wolfe
16. A Bushel And A Peck – Doris Day
17. The New York Times – Alexandre Desplat
18. Bouef Bourguignon – Alexandre Desplat
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
19. Julia Hates Me – Alexandre Desplat
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
20. Last Supper – Alexandre Desplat
21. Time After Time – Margaret Whiting

Yeah, yeah, the news about a possible John Debney Iron Man 2 score has been out for quite some time now, but  now it’s official, according to the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency and Upcoming Film Scores.  Debney’s extensive and eclectic resumé, posted on the  agency’s web site, lists Iron Man 2 as a current project.  Great news for Debney and for the film.  Debney’s style is a big change from the previous film’s rock influenced score, composed by Ramin Djawadi.  Although, Debney’s score for The Replacements does have a bit of an Iron Man quality to it.  Jon Favreau is set to direct the sequel and has previously worked with Debney on the films Elf and Zathura.

I actually enjoyed the first film and I’m secretly happy to see  Scarlett Johansson join the cast.  Iron Man 2 is scheduled for a May 7, 2010 release.

Well, August is here and summer is in full force.  I hope everyone is enjoying their hot dogs and ice cream.  As for me, I’ll have my ice cream inside and listen to some good music.  Is it odd that at the moment, I’m in love with Thomas Newman’s wonderful score for the film, Little Women?  I think not.  Sure, if it snowed here in Southern California I’d probably listen to this soundtrack everyday.  But, for me, anytime is a good time to listen to Newman’s beautiful music for Little Women.

Just listen to the music during the movie’s main titles.  It’s simply beautiful.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

It perfectly evokes the time period and captures that frontier spirit.  I love the horn section and the wonderful trumpets with their triumphant and regal presence.  The soft moving melodies of the woodwinds and strings compliment the horns in this piece.

What I like about Newman’s score is how he captures the film’s emotions.  This score really needs to be heard in its entirety.  The score evolves and each composition has a different tone to them, yet they compliment each other and together create a wonderful film score that can stand on its own.  Even in the middle of the summer.

I love some of the simpler works in this score, where Newman uses traditional instruments including, a piano, flute and strings.  A technique rather far from the Newman scores we hear today.

The flute is beautifully featured in several great solos.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

The piano solo in the piece “Valley of the Shadow” is so moving in film.  Newman knows how to warm your heart during such emotional scenes.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Newman’s music shines when the film transitions into a new season (my favorite parts of the film).  I love the woodwind and harp intro in the “Spring” piece and how the beautiful main theme flourishes during the “Harvest Time.”

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Jo’s ambitions trip to New York is set to big sounding horns and a rumbling timpani, again capturing that early American spirit of pursuing your dreams.  This is one of my favorite tracks.  The later end of this piece reminds me of his Revolutionary Road theme.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Another great feature of this score is Newman’s tribute to early composers of the time, such as Francis Johnson’s tribute to the French General LaFayette’s celebrated visit to America, and a waltz by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti.  Newman’s compositions fit interchangeably within theses pieces.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Newman’s own touch is still there, of course.  I love his use of chimes and pizzicato strings.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

This score was a well deserved Academy Award nomination.  Newman was the only double-nominee that year. He was also nominated for The Shawshank Redemption and the two were his first nominations.  Little Women will definitely remain one of his finest works.  Although, I love his inventive style and the more contemporary sound of his recent scores, it would be great to hear another more traditional score.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]