Ear Candy: Best Sound, Score, Songs of 2010
Friday, January 21, 2011 at 11:04PM I really am trying to get a move on with my Film Bitch Awards. If you're new to The Film Experience that's this site's annual awards. We've been doing it for (gulp) 11 years... Each year I promise myself to spend more time listening to the movies since my eyes are so greedy and always want to watch watch watch. But movies are not only eye candy. They can also provide significant aural pleasure.
Some films that sound gooooooooood
So I've now announced the nominees in all the sound categories. mixing, editing, original song, original score and my own special category "best adapted or song score" which is a highly necessary category given that so many films now use a mix-tape approach rather than relying on one person to provide the music. This weekend we'll try to wrap all the other "standard" i.e. Oscar categories -- as well as do final Oscar predictions -- since that's all gotta be out of the way before Oscar nomination morning. (I don't expect my lineups to match Oscar's much in sound and score but they rarely do so I won't be hurt too much on Tuesday.)
Come back and let me know what you think of the soundscapes of movies like Black Swan, I Am Love, Salt, The Social Network, The Ghost Writer, Burlesque and many more in the comments. (My ears are not as well trained as my eyes but each year I think I listen a little better. Progress)
After the Oscar nomination brouhaha winds down late next week, we'll hit the "fun" categories like Diva, Villain, Best Action Sequence. You know how we do.
Reader Comments (16)
Well I'm currently obsessed with the Black Swan score, so I like that you chose that. In fact I'm listening to it as I type this!
I have to say, I'm impressed that you can single out excellent sound editing and sound mixing in certain films...I wouldn't know where to begin. Looking forward to the "fun" categories! Especially my favorite-best scenes. I already have a few in mind. Side note-I found it hard to navigate through to look at other categories (even though nothing is really up yet), until I noticed it was in the drop down menu at the top. Took me awhile to find that one out haha.
I think I've gotten the knack of Sound Mixing/Sound Editing - it's really quite simple when you think about it. I think "Lebabon" is a missed "sound editing" contender. So evocative.
Is the "Inception" sound editing bio correct? I don't quite get the link between that film and "horror tropes" and boo machines. Maybe I'm remembering wrong?
Love the inclusion of "Mother" in the score category. My top five for that would be Dragon/Illusionist/Inception/Monsters/TRON: Legacy with Social Network/Mother/The Tree just outside the five. Such a brilliant year for scores.
LOVE IT:
- “HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON” in score (Powell's Scottish pipes and Celtic coloring was so enchanting. 'Forbidden Friendship' was probably my favorite track) and sound fx editing (grunts, growls, snickers and sneers galore)
- “THE SOCIAL NETWORK” for sound (oh, that nightclub sequence)
- your entire adapted score/song lineup (cool to see “SCOTT PILGRIM” in the mix)
SINS OF OMISSION:
- “BLACK SWAN” for sound mixing
- “KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT” (‘Same High’) for song
- “127 HOURS” for sound fx (tendons and bone being sawed through)
INTERESTING/ SURPRISING:
- “MOTHER” for score
- “THE ILLUSIONIST” for sound (and over “Dragon” & “TS3”!)
- “SALT” in both sound categories
And wonderful, fascinating commentary as always!
In terms of AMPAS’s sound categories, I’m most curious to see if “BLACK SWAN" can muscle its way alongside the noisy blockbusters and animated fair. It’s not usually that branch’s cup-of-tea but it’s so memorable and with the film’s popularity, you never know…
My personal picks:
ORIGINAL SCORE:
BROTHERHOOD, Brenting & Mechlenburg
THE GHOST WRITER, Desplat
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, Powell
INCEPTION, Zimmer
THE SOCIAL NETWORK, Reznor & Ross
ORIGINAL SONG:
BURLESQUE, “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me Yet”
BURLESQUE, “Welcome to Burlesque”
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, “Sticks & Stone”
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, “Same High”
TANGLED, “I See the Light”
SOUND MIXING:
BLACK SWAN
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
I AM LOVE
INCEPTION
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
SOUND EFFECTS EDITING:
127 HOURS
BLACK SWAN
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
INCEPTION
TRUE GRIT
No Country Strong noms? Did it aplied to FILM BITCH awards?
Can't wait for the "fun" categories. They're my favorites! "Best Line Reading" is my absolute favorite one. I look forward to it every year.
Btw, All 5 of my "Best Original Song" nominees would've come from Tangled. Alan Menken is God.
Glenn -- thanks for the catch. that was a mistake. using template tables and didn't proofread. that was some other film last year ;)
Rob -- i didn't see country strong... but from what i've heard i do like the songs.
Let me just say that Winter Bone's score is the reason why it has become my favorite film of 2010. It has been a long time since I've heard vocal music placed so perfectly in a dramatic score. I know the film isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I would like to think there's no denying the power of those hymns and folk songs that serve to further insulate the Dolly clan from the rest of the world.
Three thoughts on score:
-Any idea where to find the theme from Mother? I just saw it last night and agree that it is enchanting.
-I actually think "True Grit" may rely too heavily on the hymns (or rather 'hymn' because I'm only hearing "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms"). By my count, that one song is the basis for thirteen of the twenty 'original' songs on the soundtrack.
-As for 'Dragon,' I'm still trying to figure out why a film about Vikings uses Celtic music and Scottish accents... if I forgive that, I like the score, but why oh why?
It could easily be an (almost) all Desplat year: The Ghost Writer, The King's Speech, Un Prophete and Harry Potter 7.1... The guy is so prolific and every time he does something different. Can he PLEASE get an Oscar this year?
No "If I Rise" from 127 Hours in Best Original Song category?... I reallly love this one!
By the way, you did really good choices in sound categories!
The scores I've listened to from this year are: Tron:Legacy, Inception, The Social Network and Remember Me. My favorite is for Tron:Legacy and I'm seriously hoping to see it getting a nomination. The Remember Me score is very good, but I guess nobody's talking about it because the film was generally dismissed. But you should give it a go.
I am missing The Town in Sound-Editing,Sound-Mixing. The gun fights felt so real and my pulse raced every time a shot was fired.
Black Swan and Inception have amazing scores. Social Network and 127 Hours are good too.
I've had the difference between sound editing and mixing explained to me by pros; I've worked in an editing and mixing lab; and you're the still the only one who explains the difference clearly, even just through the reasons for your noms. Which are brill, by the way. Glad to see so much love How to Train Your Dragon! Score nods for I Am Love, Mother and Scott Pilgrim are A-Plus standouts. Well done!