Eminent Film Scores (or Soundtracks)
These are my favorite film scores (and soundtracks); in no certain order.
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- DirectorBrian G. HuttonStarsRichard BurtonClint EastwoodMary UreAllied agents stage a daring raid on a castle where the Nazis are holding American brigadier general George Carnaby prisoner, but that's not all that's really going on.By Ron Goodwin
- DirectorJohn MiliusStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerJames Earl JonesMax von SydowA powerful warrior seeks to avenge the genocide of his people and the murder of his parents at the hands of a snake cult.By Basil Poledouris
- DirectorMichael MannStarsDaniel Day-LewisMadeleine StoweRussell MeansThree trappers protect the daughters of a British Colonel in the midst of the French and Indian War.By Randy Edelman and Trevor Jones
- DirectorJames ClavellStarsMichael CaineOmar SharifFlorinda BolkanDuring the Thirty Years' War of 1600s, a band of Protestant mercenaries peacefully coexist with German Catholic villagers in a hidden idyllic mountain valley untouched by war.By John Barry
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerGrace JonesOlivia d'AboConan leads a ragtag group of adventurers on a quest for a princess.By Basil Poledouris (amazingly, almost as good as his score for 1982's "Conan the Barbarian")
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsEllen BurstynJared LetoJennifer ConnellyThe drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep..By Clint Mansell
- DirectorCy EndfieldStarsMichael CraigJoan GreenwoodMichael CallanDuring the Civil War a group of Union soldiers, a Confederate and a civilian escape the stockade using a hot-air balloon and end up on a strange Pacific island.By Bernard Herrmann
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMartin SheenMarlon BrandoRobert DuvallA U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.By Carmine Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola
Also "The End" by The Doors - DirectorAndrey KonchalovskiyStarsJon VoightEric RobertsRebecca De MornayTwo escaped convicts and a female railway worker find themselves trapped on a speeding train with no brakes and nobody driving.By Trevor Jones
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyWhen an alien spacecraft of enormous power is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk resumes command of the overhauled USS Enterprise in order to intercept it.By Jerry Goldsmith
- DirectorLeonard NimoyStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyTo save Earth from an alien probe, Admiral James T. Kirk and his fugitive crew go back in time to San Francisco in 1986 to retrieve the only beings who can communicate with it: humpback whales.By Leonard Rosenman
- DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsMel GibsonAnthony HopkinsLaurence OlivierFed up with their Captain's harsh discipline, a sailing ship's crew decides to take action.By Vangelis (particularly the end credits)
- DirectorTerence YoungStarsSean ConneryClaudine AugerAdolfo CeliJames Bond heads to the Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme.By John Barry
Particularly the title song incredibly sung by Tom Jones - DirectorGregory JacobsStarsEmily BluntAshton HolmesMartin DonovanTwo college students share a ride home for the holidays, but when they break down on a deserted stretch of road, they are preyed upon by the ghosts of people who have died there.By Clint Mansell
- DirectorTom LaughlinStarsTom LaughlinDelores TaylorClark HowatEx-Green Beret hapkido expert saves wild horses from being slaughtered for dog food and helps protect a desert "freedom school" for runaway.The incredible opening song "One tin Soldier" by Jinx Dawson and Coven
- DirectorGary RossStarsJennifer LawrenceJosh HutchersonLiam HemsworthKatniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.The magnificent end credits song "Abraham's Daughter" by Arcade
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsCharlton HestonRoddy McDowallKim HunterAn astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.By Jerry Goldsmith
- DirectorRalph NelsonStarsJames GarnerSidney PoitierBibi AnderssonIn Apache territory, a supply Army column heads for the next fort, an ex-scout searches for the killer of his Indian wife, and a housewife abandons her husband in order to rejoin her Apache lover's tribe.By Neal Hefti
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsJames StewartDean MartinRaquel WelchMace Bishop (James Stewart) masquerades as a hangman in order to save his outlaw brother, Dee (Dean Martin), from the gallows, runs to Mexico chased by Sheriff July Johnson's (George Kennedy's) posse and fights against Mexican bandits.By Jerry Goldsmith
- DirectorJ. Lee ThompsonStarsGregory PeckOmar SharifTelly SavalasA bandit kidnaps a Marshal who has seen a map showing a gold vein on Indian lands, but other groups are looking for it too, while the Apache try to keep the secret location undisturbed.By Quincy Jones and the opening song "Old Turkey Buzzard" by Jose Feliciano
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsJohn WayneJorge RiveroJennifer O'NeillAfter the Civil War, Cord McNally searches for the two traitors whose treachery caused the defeat of McNally's unit and the loss of a close friend.By Jerry Goldsmith
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsClint EastwoodEli WallachLee Van CleefA bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.By Ennio Morricone
- DirectorPhedon PapamichaelStarsElizabeth RiceThomas DekkerKelly BlatzA small Maryland town is gripped by a curse which causes residents to take their own life one after another.The incredible opening song "This Voice" by Ane Brun
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsRoy ScheiderRobert ShawRichard DreyfussWhen a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.By John Williams
- DirectorDavid AyerStarsBrad PittShia LaBeoufLogan LermanA grizzled tank commander makes tough decisions as he and his crew fight their way across Germany in April, 1945.The melancholic and epic score by Steven Price is a highlight.
- DirectorJohn FordHenry HathawayGeorge MarshallStarsJames StewartJohn WayneGregory PeckA family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the 19th century, including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads.The score by Alfred Newman is magnificent.
- DirectorJon TurteltaubStarsNicolas CageDiane KrugerJustin BarthaA historian races to find the legendary Templar Treasure before a team of mercenaries.The score is modern with thrilling orchestrations intermingled with HEAVY progressive guitar riffs. It was composed by, believe it or not, Yes' guitarist/songwriter Trevor Rabin. Like "Conan the Barbarian," "Last of the Mohicans" and "Where Eagles Dare," this is a soundtrack worth owning; it's that superlative.
- DirectorBilly Bob ThorntonStarsMatt DamonPenélope CruzHenry ThomasTwo Texas cowboys head to Mexico in search of work, but soon find themselves in trouble with the law after one of them falls in love with a wealthy rancher's daughter.Score and soundtrack are by Larry Paxton, Marty Stuart and Kristin Wilkinson.
- DirectorZack SnyderStarsJackie Earle HaleyPatrick WilsonCarla GuginoIn a version of 1985 where superheroes exist, the murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach on the trail of a conspiracy that will change the course of history.The hypnotic score is by Tyler Bates mixed with a quality soundtrack (e.g. "The Sound of Silence," "All Along the Watchtower," etc.)
- DirectorStephan ElliottStarsEwan McGregorAshley JuddPatrick BerginA private eye shadows a female serial killer of men all over the U.S. without her knowing as he, strangely enough, occasionally acts as her guardian angel.This is an underrated, stylishly-made thriller with haunting aspects and a superb rockin' score by Marius De Vries and a soundtrack that includes "Home of the Whale" by Massive Attack amongst others.
- DirectorDon SiegelStarsClint EastwoodShirley MacLaineManolo FábregasWhen a former Civil War soldier saves a nun from a gang of bandits, they team up to help the Mexicans in their war against the French.More brilliance from Ennio Morricone
- DirectorBrian G. HuttonStarsClint EastwoodTelly SavalasDon RicklesA group of U.S. soldiers sneaks across enemy lines in WWII France to get their hands on a secret stash of Nazi treasure.The fun, eccentric (for a war flick) theme song “Burning Bridges” by The Mike Curb Congregation.
- DirectorCarroll BallardStarsAlex MichaeletosCampbell ScottHope DavisAn orphaned cheetah becomes the best friend and pet of a young boy living in South Africa.The diverse score by George Acogny & John Debney includes the expected tribal percussion-oriented pieces, but also reverent, reflective pieces, which are moving.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonFranco CirinoStarsRock HudsonSylva KoscinaSergio FantoniIn 1944, during a sabotage mission, the sole surviving U.S. paratrooper is saved by a group of Italian orphans who later aid him in blowing up a vital enemy dam.Ennio Morricone again
- DirectorJimmy HaywardStarsJosh BrolinMegan FoxJohn MalkovichIn exchange for his freedom, bounty hunter Jonah Hex must track down a terrorist with a superweapon.An incredible metalized score by Marco Beltrami and none other than Mastodon.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJamie FoxxChristoph WaltzLeonardo DiCaprioWith the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.A great amalgamated soundtrack/score, which includes cuts by Ennio Morricone, like the excellent “Hornets’ Nest,” the imaginative "The Braying Mule" (aka "Two Mules for Sister Sara") and the moving “Ancora Qui.”
- DirectorNick GomezStarsChristina RicciClea DuVallGregg HenryIn 1893 Massachusetts, Lizzie Andrew Borden is put on trial for murdering her father and stepmother with an ax.Music by Tree Adams mixed with an excellent edgy soundtrack, albeit anachronistic. It’s diverse, creative and thoroughly entertaining.
- DirectorDavid Robert MitchellStarsMaika MonroeKeir GilchristOlivia LuccardiA young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.Music by Rich Vreeland
- DirectorBert I. GordonStarsTommy KirkJohnny CrawfordBeau BridgesDelinquent teen-agers ingest a substance and grow thirty feet tall, then proceed to take over a small town.by Jack Nitzsche. Tarantino later used the theme song "The Last Race" for his "Death Proof" (2007).