From Guardians Of The Galaxy to Godzilla, and Noah to Paddington, our pick of 2014's finest film soundtracks and scores.
After Gravity blew your eardrums out of the airlock in 2013 with its seamless mix of sound effects and music, it was hard to imagine a film wowing just as much the year after, but 2014 was a year in which movie soundtracks became, if anything, even more intricate, from films about the nature of being a musician to those that replicated the noise of human existence for alien senses.
Before 2014 becomes a distant ringing in the ears, here are the top 14 movie soundtracks of the year.
1. Under the Skin (Mica Levi)
Once you've heard Mica Levi's soundtrack to Under the Skin, everything else sounds both disappointing and even more exciting. I say 'soundtrack' because, like the best movies, Jonathan Glazer's sci-fi understands that sound and music are two halves of the same hastily-conceived metaphor.
After Gravity blew your eardrums out of the airlock in 2013 with its seamless mix of sound effects and music, it was hard to imagine a film wowing just as much the year after, but 2014 was a year in which movie soundtracks became, if anything, even more intricate, from films about the nature of being a musician to those that replicated the noise of human existence for alien senses.
Before 2014 becomes a distant ringing in the ears, here are the top 14 movie soundtracks of the year.
1. Under the Skin (Mica Levi)
Once you've heard Mica Levi's soundtrack to Under the Skin, everything else sounds both disappointing and even more exciting. I say 'soundtrack' because, like the best movies, Jonathan Glazer's sci-fi understands that sound and music are two halves of the same hastily-conceived metaphor.
- 1/7/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
A great film score complements without burrowing too far into the ideas, wrestles with genre without locking the picture into a fixed identity, amplifies actors and actress’ choices without spilling the beans. A composer’s job is a balancing act. More and more, movie music finds itself backing off too far, devolving into incidental muzac, or going too far, where full-blast orchestral sounds pummel us like the Transformers’ energon punches. There’s a sweet spot, and the best film scores of the year ride it for an entire runtime. I shouldn’t be surprised that my favorite film scores of the year line-up closely with my favorite films of the year. As someone who goes to the movies with his ears as wide open as his eyes, I found myself captivated by 2014’s audio-visual offerings. Below, what I’d consider the "best" of the year (along with a few runner-ups,...
- 12/29/2014
- by Matt Patches
- Hitfix
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Hans Zimmer and The Magnificent Six
Columbia, Madison Gate
“My name is Richard Parker. I have no idea what’s going on.” The cryptic video message from Peter’s dad, a storyline first teased in The Amazing Spider-Man, continues in the sequel to Sony’s reboot of its cash cow franchise. Of course, Papa Parker isn’t confused over the connections between his family and the machinations of OsCorp, nor does he hint at why The Amazing Spider-Man 2 might link Peter’s powers with the fate of his enemies. Neither does Marc Webb, for that matter. The universe of Webb’s second superhero flick in 4 years doesn’t expand so much as it has more stuff thrown at it. More villains, more plot threads, and more music.
And when it comes to The Amazing Spider-Man 2‘s score, “more” is key. After James Horner’s unremarkable work in the 2012 reboot,...
Hans Zimmer and The Magnificent Six
Columbia, Madison Gate
“My name is Richard Parker. I have no idea what’s going on.” The cryptic video message from Peter’s dad, a storyline first teased in The Amazing Spider-Man, continues in the sequel to Sony’s reboot of its cash cow franchise. Of course, Papa Parker isn’t confused over the connections between his family and the machinations of OsCorp, nor does he hint at why The Amazing Spider-Man 2 might link Peter’s powers with the fate of his enemies. Neither does Marc Webb, for that matter. The universe of Webb’s second superhero flick in 4 years doesn’t expand so much as it has more stuff thrown at it. More villains, more plot threads, and more music.
And when it comes to The Amazing Spider-Man 2‘s score, “more” is key. After James Horner’s unremarkable work in the 2012 reboot,...
- 5/16/2014
- by David Klein
- SoundOnSight
As a musician my greatest fear always is not knowing where the music comes from. I'm always afraid that somebody's going to turn off the tap.
Right now there's no composer in Hollywood who's more in-demand than Hans Zimmer. His rousing scores can be heard in everything from dramas 12 Years a Slave and Rush to blockbuster epics such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy.
Hans Zimmer's 10 best movie soundtracks
Digital Spy spoke to the Oscar-winning musician about his recent work, scoring superhero epics Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Batman vs Superman, and staying tight-lipped on Christopher Nolan's Interstellar.
You've said in the past that you didn't think you were the right choice to score 12 Years a Slave - what made you change your mind?
It's easy - I don't think Steve McQueen understands the word no. That's the flippant way of saying it.
Right now there's no composer in Hollywood who's more in-demand than Hans Zimmer. His rousing scores can be heard in everything from dramas 12 Years a Slave and Rush to blockbuster epics such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy.
Hans Zimmer's 10 best movie soundtracks
Digital Spy spoke to the Oscar-winning musician about his recent work, scoring superhero epics Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Batman vs Superman, and staying tight-lipped on Christopher Nolan's Interstellar.
You've said in the past that you didn't think you were the right choice to score 12 Years a Slave - what made you change your mind?
It's easy - I don't think Steve McQueen understands the word no. That's the flippant way of saying it.
- 5/12/2014
- Digital Spy
While the average audience member might not automatically process this, the overall sound of a film is pivotal to our enjoyment. When it comes to composers, it's almost as if they're engineering their own films away from the filmmakers, with elevated action, moody drama and swooning romance. What's unique is hearing the music of the film, then heading home and hearing it on your own. The mark of a great composition is that it complements the movie perfectly, but on an independent listen, it creates new images all its own inside your head. This week we're tackling maybe the year's most ambitious soundtrack, the multi-composition score for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. There's much to discuss, and some of it may be vaguely spoilery, though we'll try not to mention any plot details. Who's Responsible? The soundtrack makers and billed as Hans Zimmer And The Magnificent Six, a cute nod to...
- 5/2/2014
- cinemablend.com
A lot of people like to give Hans Zimmer problems about his recent musical history, and why not? The composer most recently recycled his cue Time from Inception to give Solomon Northrop a theme in 12 Years A Slave, and the resemblance was more than passing. Still, every great composer borrows from their own work from time to time, and Mr. Zimmer had access to six more creative minds in order to complete his latest gig on The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Judging by the results of the concert they played after the New York premiere, it looks like the results are an impressive leap forward. Yahoo had the live stream of last night.s show, which is still available to watch in all of its 24 minutes of glory. The show opened up with Jamie Foxx introducing Maestro Zimmer, who took the stage with his "supergroup," The Magnificent Six. Among the members...
- 4/30/2014
- cinemablend.com
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