Top film scores of 2014 (so far)?

I’d be curious as to hear what is standing out for everyone else here, perhaps you’ll turn me on to something I’d have missed otherwise? 🙂
Also, what are you most anticipating before year’s end?

2014 Favorites (so far):

01. Belle (Rachel Portman)
02. The Giver (Marco Beltrami)
03. Interstellar (Hans Zimmer)
04. Noah (Clint Mansell)
05. Maleficent (James Newton Howard)
06. November Man (Marco Beltrami)
07. The Two Faces Of January (Alberto Iglesias)
08. Calvary (Patrick Cassidy)
09. Monuments Men (Alexandre Desplat)
10. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (Michael Giacchino)
11. Transformers: Age Of Extinction (Steve Jablonsky)
12. How To Train Your Dragon 2 (John Powell)
13. A Walk Among The Tombstones (Carlos Rafael Rivera)
14. A Million Ways to Die In The West (Joel McNeely)
15. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Alexandre Desplat)
16. Fury (Steven Price)
17. Frontera (Kenneth Lampl & Darren Tate)
18. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (James Newton Howard)

2014 Still Anticipating:

01. Exodus: Gods And Kings (Alberto Iglesias)
02. Inherent Vice (Jonny Greenwood)
03. Pawn Sacrifice (James Newton Howard)
04. The Homesman (Marco Beltrami)
05. A Most Violent Year (Alex Ebert)
06. The Imitation Game (Alexandre Desplat)
07. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (Howard Shore)
08. Unbroken (Alexandre Desplat)
09. Big Eyes (Danny Elfman)

from the ones you mentioned and what I already had a chance to listen to:

– Belle
– Calvary

i liked the giver too, yes and maleficient

i did like

– face of love/Zarvos
– heaven is for real /glennie-smith
– the butler/ Rodrigo Leao
– liberator/Dudamel
– transcendence/Danna

too…

The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Belle, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Divergent, Transformers 4: Age of Extinction, Godzilla, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hercules, Into the Storm, Maleficent, Need For Speed, The Purge: Anarchy, The November Man, Walking With Dinosaurs, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. I listen to some of those literally everyday.

I would say the one you are missing from you list is X-Men DOFP. I think that one is my favorite of the year. I am hoping for great things from Interstellar though. 😀

2014 Favorites (so far):
13. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Alexandre Desplat)

Not much new things for this one after previous collaboration with Wes Anderson but it’s still a enjoyable score!~

oh, i forgot another portman score:
still life 🙂

1. How To Train Your Dragon 2 (John Powell)
2. Maleficent (James Newton Howard)
3. The Life and Times of Scrooge (Tuomas Holopainen)
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Brian Tyler)
5. Penny Dreadful (Abel Korzeniowski)
6. Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry (Olivier Deriviere)
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Michael Giacchino)
8. Fargo (Jeff Russo)
9. A Million Ways To Die In The West (Joel McNeely)
10. Calvary (Patrick Cassidy)

Looking forward to The Hobbit 3, Hunger Games 3, Big Eyes, The Judge and Interstellar. (I probably forgot a few)

Just watched Lucy, and now I really appreciate the score. It’s great.

No particular preferences, therefore, alphabetically ordered.

Favorites (so far):

August: Osage County � Gustavo Santaolalla
Calvary � Patrick Cassidy (although the chord progression is kind of Zimmerish)
Enemy � Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans
How to Train Your Dragon 2 � John Powell
Snowpiercer � Marco Beltrami
The Grand Budapest Hotel/The Monuments Men � Alexandre Desplat
The Raid: Berandal � Aria Prayogi, Joseph Trapanese & Fajar Yuskemal

Most anticipated:

A Relative Stranger/Knight of Cups � Hanan Townshend
Belle � Rachel Portman (still had no chance to listen to it)
Black and White � Terence Blanchard
En chance til/Serena � Johan S�derqvist
Im Labyrinth des Schweigens – Niki Reiser
Inherent Vice � Jonny Greenwood
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter � The Octopus Project
L’enfant du Sahara � Ennio Morricone
Little Accidents/The Humbling � Marcelo Zarvos
Lost River � Johnny Jewel
Rosewater/The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies � Howard Shore
The Imitation Game/Unbroken � Alexandre Desplat
Get on Up/The Judge � Thomas Newman (regarding the first: still had no chance to listen to it)
The Loft � John Frizzell
The Wait � Angelo Badalamenti
True Story � Marco Beltrami
Une nouvelle amie � Philippe Rombi

@tyler

I forgot about August Osage country. That was great.

And I am looking forward to the soderqist too…

Hmph. Can I vote for none of the above? I have listened to all at least once, and kept none. I have seen most of them in film. I cannot remember even having heard most in their films. Another dismal and terrible year for film score, so many missed opportunities. **runs away**

Another dismal and terrible year for film score, so many missed opportunities. **runs away**

you’re definetly listenening to the wrong ones :p

Favorites so far:

1. Grand Piano (Victor Reyes)
2. Deep in the Darkness (Matthew Llewellyn)
3. House of Cards Season 2 (Jeff Beal)
4. Into the Storm (Brian Tyler)
5. McCanick (Johann Johannsson)
6. The Monuments Men (Alexandre Desplat)
7. Belle (Rachel Portman)
8. A Million Ways to Die In The West (Joel McNeely)
9. Deliver Us From Evil (Christopher Young)
10. Noah (Clint Mansell)
11. Dead Within (Joshua Bradford, Clayton Worbeck)
12. 22 Jump Street (Mark Mothersbaugh)
13. Under the Skin (Mica Levi)

Most Anticipated:
1. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (Howard Shore)
2. Rosewater (Howard Shore)
3. Inherent Vice (Jonny Greenwood)
4. Black and White (Terence Blanchard)
5. The White City (Heather McIntosh)
6. The Judge (Thomas Newman)

Hmph. Can I vote for none of the above? I have listened to all at least once, and kept none. I have seen most of them in film. I cannot remember even having heard most in their films. Another dismal and terrible year for film score, so many missed opportunities. **runs away**

It’s certainly not been a *good* year for film music, but it hasn’t been especially bad either (see 2008, 2010) and the best is likely yet to come.

EDIT for final review:
1. Grand Piano (Victor Reyes)
2. Inherent Vice (Jonny Greenwood)
3. Stonehearst Asylum (John Debney)
4. A Million Ways to Die in the West (Joel McNeely)
5. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (Howard Shore)
6. Deep in the Darkness (Matthew Llewellyn)
7. Mr. Turner (Gary Yershon)
8. Into the Storm (Brian Tyler)
9. The Boxcar Children (Kenneth Burgomaster)
10. Jessabelle (Anton Sanko)

Just saw "The Two Faces Of January" and thought Alberto Iglesias’ score was quite good! Now let’s see what he can do for "Exodus"!

Pretty disappointed with Thomas Newman’s output lately, as he is probably my favorite composer — but his music for "Get On Up" and "The Judge" just wasn’t memorable or moving.

Thought "Gone Girl" was a pretty great movie but Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s music didn’t stick with me although I’m sure it must have been part of the overall effectiveness of the movie itself.
Same for James Newton Howard’s "Nightcrawler" — really liked the movie, but don’t recall the music although I’m sure it worked.

Transcendence (Mychael Danna)
La Belle et la B�te (Pierre Adenot)
Deep in the Darkness (Matthew Llewellyn)
Non-Stop (John Ottman)
Enemy (Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Alexandre Desplat)
Godzilla (Alexandre Desplat)
Noah (Clint Mansell)
Vy 3D (Anton Garcia)

May as well add Shore’s final Hobbit entry due to arrive in December. That’s guaranteed to please.

Fury

Haven’t seen Ridley Scott’s "Exodus: Gods & Kings" yet, but I’ve given Alberto Iglesias’ score a fair listen; I don’t know… I reserve judgment until I can see how it complements the movie, but it all seems rather generic to me with no strong thematic through line. I’d be interested to hear some your learned thoughts on the subject. I still miss Zimmer’s collaborations with Ridley personally.

I didn’t watch that many movies the last two years. Especially none of the new movies. I watch a lot of series. But this year I liked "Chef" from Jon Favreau quite a lot.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Favoured scores (amended):

Transcendence (Mychael Danna)
La Belle et la B�te (Pierre Adenot)
Deep in the Darkness (Matthew Llewellyn) *
Non-Stop (John Ottman) **
Enemy (Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Alexandre Desplat)
Godzilla (Alexandre Desplat)
Noah (Clint Mansell)
Vy 3D (Anton Garcia)
Une Promesse (Yared)
Map to the Stars (Shore)
The Boxtrolls (Marianelli)

* the film itself is dreadful; and I was overly charitable about the score.
** it’s the assertive, well rounded main title that really got my attention, the remaining score, however, doesn’t live up to that promise.

Almost, but no cigar:

The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (Shore): too much of a good thing? There is a good deal of attractive music to be had within but its lost in all the Sturm ind Drang that wears down the listener.

The Homesman (Beltrami): it’s an intriguing effort that’s intended to subtly underline an already affecting drama, which The Homesman is definitely not.

Interstellar (Zimmer): as I’ve commented elsewhere, this is a very successful pastiche effort from Zimmer. I can’t, however, give him much credit beyond competently synthesizing the work of his betters. And I certainly can’t ignore its misuse as a bludgeon in the film proper; so definite marks off.

Exodus (Iglesias): as usual with a Scott film the score is a compromised effort. Where the score works best is in its reflective material. The contributions of Gregson-Williams and Jusid are abominable.

Amended list… 😉

The Amazing Spider-Man 2
How To Train Your Dragon 2

Just realised this:

2010 – How To Train Your Dragon
2011 – Rio
2012 – The Amazing Spider-Man
2013 – Planes

2014 – How To Train Your Dragon 2, Rio 2, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Planes 2 😀