Best Orchestral Soundtracks

[chagzuki]

Don't get me wrong, I like John Williams. I just think he's a tad overrated.
I saw Revenge of the Thingy on DVD about a week ago (God it was crap!) but I can't remember any of the music from it. Maybe he's running out of ideas!

I guess he is just banging it out now, though of course in immaculate style. Well he is 70+. But what an amazing contribution to cinema.

[sonarman]

I saw J.W at the Barbican. The place was full of Star Wars nerds. You could hardly hear the music through the rustling of anoraks.

[arguru]

'Total Recall' soundtrack

[Jbravo]

Ennio is wayyyyy too syrupy for my taste. Once upon a time in america is nice, but it's still like overdosing on saccharine

[kl3in]

Don't get me wrong, I like John Williams. I just think he's a tad overrated.

I know a few people that would have your head on a stake for saying that. Star Wars and Superman puts Williams in a different leauge than most others imho. Nobody could have written those but Williams. Nobody. I'm sure that out of the 250+ movies he's scored during his career, he hasn't always been at the top of his game, but to say he's overrated is incomprehensible to me.

[nutsadamus]

The Man Who Would be King and Lawrence of Arabia, both scored by Maurice Jarre. No accident that two of my most favorite movies also have my two favorite soundtracks, although they don't have nearly the same impact without the visuals.

I think Maurice also did the soundtrack to Witness which I also admire for its minimalist and understated score, but there are a few cues in there that make my spine tingle.

Speaking of overated, I never much liked the Vangelis stuff, even the much heralded Blade Runner. Kind of ruins the movie for me in fact.

[kl3in]

Speaking of overated, I never much liked the Vangelis stuff, even the much heralded Blade Runner. Kind of ruins the movie for me in fact.

Ouch. You're entitled to an opinion, but that just hurts, man. Vangelis' music in Blade Runner is 50% of the reason it's one of my all-time favourite movies. Vangelis isn't one of those indisputable giants so it's easier to understand how some could love or hate his work. Seriously though, to hear someone say Vangelis' music in Blade Runner ruins the movie is just painful. I need a f*cking tissue here.

[bduffy]

Ennio is wayyyyy too syrupy for my taste. Once upon a time in america is nice, but it's still like overdosing on saccharine

If you get a chance, check out "The Thing" (1982 version) - you might be pleasantly surprised by his work in that. Damn fine film too.

[Ildon]

I'm not a big fan of Elfman's music (I'm more a fan of Elfman as a person), but I'm a huge fan of Batman and I loved his Batman score. He really did the movie and the character justice with that soundtrack.

*hums theme*

[Jbravo]

Ennio is wayyyyy too syrupy for my taste. Once upon a time in america is nice, but it's still like overdosing on saccharine

If you get a chance, check out "The Thing" (1982 version) - you might be pleasantly surprised by his work in that. Damn fine film too.

Yes it's a great film. Never imagined he did the music for that. I'll keep an ear out next time

[bduffy]

Ennio is wayyyyy too syrupy for my taste. Once upon a time in america is nice, but it's still like overdosing on saccharine

If you get a chance, check out "The Thing" (1982 version) - you might be pleasantly surprised by his work in that. Damn fine film too.

Yes it's a great film. Never imagined he did the music for that. I'll keep an ear out next time

I was surprised; I assumed that Carpenter did the soundtrack, especially as it opens with a very cool bass doing a "doon-doon"...."doon-doon"...and a very cool multitap delay.

[tetraplan]

Ennio is wayyyyy too syrupy for my taste. Once upon a time in america is nice, but it's still like overdosing on saccharine

If you get a chance, check out "The Thing" (1982 version) - you might be pleasantly surprised by his work in that. Damn fine film too.

Yeah, that's pretty good.
Carpenter's done some great tracks for his own films, too.
Other stuff I like: the music for The Quiet Earth, especially in the final scene and end credits (by -fires up IMDB- one John Charles).
The music for an incredibly dark and gritty police film with Sean Connery. Um, -IMDB again- that would be The Offence. Music by Harrison Birtwistle, also dark and gritty.
The score for The Shining. Ligeti's stuff in 2001.
And so on.
Oh, and the great and wonderful score of Solaris, on that rare beast of a synth called the ANS, by Artemyev. Dark Ambient avant la lettre.

//edit
Oh, orchestral scores. Well, strike everything except Ligeti, that particular Morricone one and the John Charles one. Won't edit the rest out because it's still good.

Groet, Erik

[tee boy]

Hmmm, obviously there are the classic score, like Psycho etc. But modern scores (say post 1990), I liked these (off the top of my head):

Thomas Newman - American Beauty, Meet Joe Black
Elliot Goldenthall - Interview with the Vampire, Alien 3
Chris Young - The Gift
Wojciech Kilar - Dracula
Hans Zimmer - Gladiator
John Horner - Braveheart

[sonarman]

Let's not forget Jerry Goldsmith's 'Planet of the Apes' soundtrack. Even better, the funky 'Escape from the Planet of the Apes'.

[Grimes]

Although some of them may not fit under "orchestral", here are my current faves:

Hans Zimmer - Batman Begins (great atmosphere)
Hans Zimmer + Lisa Gerrard - Gladiator
Peter Gabriel - Last Temptation of Christ
RZA - Ghost Dog
Vangelis - Alexander
Vangelis - Blade Runner

There's a lot of other ones out there in a similar vein - Kingdom of Heaven, Man on Fire, Dead Man Walking, 1492, Crouching Tiger, Thin Red Line, etc.