I want metformin side effects hair loss to introduce you all to a new bi-monthly feature: For Your Consideration. Ironically titled, FYC takes a look at movies that were notoriously, criminally, and unfairly ignored by the Oscars. We’re not going to just be talking about Best Picture snubs, but movies that were overlooked in other categories as well. This isn’t an excuse to complain or open old wounds, but rather, to appreciate the work by others that the Academy couldn’t. I want to kick FYC off by discussing five movies that didn’t make the cut for the Best Original Score Oscar.
For Your Consideration Vol. 1:
5 Scores that Didn’t Get the Nom
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The Fountain
Darren Aronofsky’s long-time composing partner, Clint Mansell, delivers a masterfully ambient score to the 2006 film. The music is almost hypnotic in its repetitive use of the theme, but it’s never boring. What I love about music like this is how it’s used with the movie; the score grabs a hold of you and guides you throughout the film. It works effectively as a transition from scene to scene, similar to The Dark Knight where you are pushed forward to the next moment. It’s also no secret that Mansell can create powerful, thematic music; take his work on Requiem for a Dream, for example. I’d argue that the music featured in The Fountain is as powerful as the story, and while you may disagree that The Fountain is a brilliant and beautiful movie, you can’t discard Mansell’s work – unless of course, you’re the Academy.
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The Great Escape
The Great Escape has one of the most famous, instantly recognizable, and referenced themes of all time. Throwing back to the classic westerns of the time, the legendary Elmer Bernstein provides a score that brings whimsy to the would-be serious World War II story about prisoners of war that plot to escape from a Nazi camp. Starring Steve McQueen and other heartthrobs of the ‘60s, obviously, it can’t all be foreboding and serious, but the music never lets you forget that there are dangers in and outside of the fence that surrounds the camp. The music may get a little melodramatic at times, but what movie of the era didn’t? What I love about the music is how prominent and embedded the cues of the theme are even today. The instant you hear the first couple of measures, no matter what you’re watching, you quickly understand that what you’re witnessing is an escape or a scheme; it’s powerful in that respect, because it has the ability to create images and emotions so easily and prominently. It may not have been nominated for the Oscar, but this score has far outlived its contemporaries, which is more important.
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Lady in the Water
I’ve already written about this score here, but it’s so good that it can’t be ignored in the first outing of FYC. James Newton Howard’s score for Lady in the Water is the best musical composition to come out of 2006, but this classic soundtrack was sorely ignored by the Academy. JNH’s score is an attempt to make the story of the movie timeless, and just like The Last Airbender (which is absolutely brilliant), though admittedly not to such an extreme extent, the score will end up being more everlasting than the movie itself.
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Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park is one of the pinnacles of my childhood, and no doubt one for any dinosaur-loving kid growing up in the early 90s. Everything in the film just works so well, and without John Williams’ music trumpeting throughout the film, it’s hard to imagine that what we see on screen – those creatures that are brought to life – could seem more believable. There’s something about the march that greets the helicopter when it hits the island, the building cello piece that accompanies the first time we see the brachiosaurus, and the woodwind raptor theme that quickly becomes as terrifying as the cries from the animals themselves that properly capture Spielberg’s magic. Rarely, do we hear music that perfectly underscores the events of a film, and truly becomes a character itself. I’d say that the music featured in Jurassic Park contains some of the most recognizable scored pieces to grace theater surround sound systems, on par with other Williams’ themes, like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, Superman, and Jaws. Say what you want about John Williams and his inspirations, but the man can compose brilliant music.
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The Incredibles
Arguably, the greatest James Bond score ever composed belongs to Michael Giacchino’s The Incredibles. The Incredibles provides nothing but iconic, jazzy riffs all the while running a 100-mile dash. I was stunned to find out that Brad Bird’s Disney-Pixar superhero film had a brilliant espionage-styled score, because it’s rare to find amazing non-fusion jazz scores that don’t make your ears bleed. Giacchino’s world is classy and old school; an awesome throwback to big bands and swing-music. Also, it’s so different from anything else that Giacchino has done, but honestly, Michael’s so musically phenomenal, flexible, and ambitious that I really shouldn’t be surprised that he’d knock it out of the park. It was a crime that this was ignored by the Academy, because it was among the best that year, but at least, Up didn’t get robbed.
Have a great score in mind that you’d like to see featured in a future For Your Consideration? Let us know in the comments below.
