# IndieWire's 20 Best Movie Scores of the Decade



## Reid Rosefelt (Jul 27, 2019)

This list very much reflects IndieWire's focus on the art of the independent film--not music. I don't know what musical knowledge the people who contributed to the list possess. (There are definitely at least one Jonny Greenwood fan in the bunch)

They are film critics judging the scores by how they think the music increased the quality of the films.

In my opinion, they are driven and influenced by the snobbism and politics of NY film critics, where you have to include a gender/ethnic mix in any list and there is extra credit for films that practically nobody has seen. Not many blockbusters on this list.

There are films I would never have even considered and there are some omissions I personally find stunning.

PHANTOM THREAD (Jonny Greenwood)
CAROL (Carter Burwell)
THE REVENANT (Sakamoto Ryuichi, Alva Noto & Bryce Dessner)
THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross)
INTERSTELLAR (Hans Zimmer)
THE HANDMAIDEN (Jo Yeong-wook)
UNDER THE SKIN (Mica Levi)
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (Nicholas Britell)
CLOUD ATLAS (Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, and Reinhold Heil)
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (Jonny Greenwood)
GOOD TIME (Daniel Lopatin)
SWISS ARMY MAN (Andy Hull and Robert McDowell)
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin)
JANE EYRE (Dario Marianelli)
FIRST MAN (Justin Hurwitz)
BELLE (Rachel Portman)
A GHOST STORY (Daniel Hart)
THE TREE OF LIFE (Alexandre Desplat)
THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER (Scott Walker)
MUDBOUND (Tamar-kali)


Your thoughts on their choices?









The 20 Best Movie Scores of the Decade


From Jonny Greenwood’s “Phantom Thread” score to Jonny Greenwood’s “You Were Never Really Here” score, here’s the best movie music of the 2010s.




www.indiewire.com


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## Neifion (Jul 27, 2019)

On the list, the only two I saw were Interstellar and The Social Network. I wasn't particularly fond of either. My favorites this decade were Cecil Corbel's score for Studio Ghibli's The Secret World of Arriety, RADWIMP's score for Kimi no Na Wa (Your Name), and Thomas Newman's score for Saving Mr. Banks.


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## jeremiahpena (Jul 27, 2019)

As far as films go, I don't think it's that snobby of a list. I've seen all but two of them (and many are favorites). But the scores are hit and miss for me. I'll talk about the ones I've seen. Everything is personal opinion of course.

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Mudbound: I can't remember anything about this score, so it didn't make much of an impact.

The Tree of Life: There's just so much classical music in this that the score has no room to breathe.

A Ghost Story: I love this movie and I love the music and how completely integral it is. A fantastic marriage of music and visuals, definitely would keep this on the list.

First Man: Works great in the film but doesn't really stand up on its own IMO.

Jane Eyre: Really good score that underpins the film without being melodramatic, but I'm not sure about one of the bests of the decade.

Beasts of the Southern Wild: The poppy chamber sound is a cool approach although it feels a little too simple sometimes. I prefer Dan Romer's later Maniac score.

Swiss Army Man: I love this music/movie. A wildly original sound, almost all a capella, and surprisingly heartfelt. Would stay in my best of the decade!

Good Time: Despite being very abrasive it seemed to stay out the way most of the time until the final scene when the music really hit me. I don't really enjoy it outside of the film but it's a good match in context.

You Were Never Really Here: Now we're onto Jonny Greenwood. Their two picks are his scores I don't like as much from this decade. My favorites are Inherent Vice and Norwegian Wood (but I haven't seen Norwegian Wood so I can't judge it in context of the movie). YWNRH seems quite scattered to me (although maybe that's intended) and despite a few nice moments doesn't really coalesce.

Cloud Atlas: Another favorite, and solid music. It's not as good as their earlier Perfume score, but I listen to it a lot. I'm on the edge with this one.

If Beale Street Could Talk: Beautiful and hypnotic. It feels like a dream in the movie. Definitely my favorite of the 2019 Oscar score nominees, but probably wouldn't quite make my best of the decade.

Under the Skin: This is a stellar (pun intended) piece of work, one of the most alien scores I've ever heard for a very alien movie, and the track "Love" is amazing. Would stay on my list.

The Handmaiden: Another one I don't remember most of, aside from two montage scenes with an exhilarating combinations of music and visuals. I sometimes pull it up on Amazon Prime just to watch those scenes on their own. Do 2 great scenes make a great score? I'm not sure. Another edge case.

Interstellar: I watched this movie 4 times in theaters for the visceral experience, of which the music may be the biggest piece. It feels iconic and would easily stay on my list.

The Social Network: It's good in the movie but I just don't enjoy it that much.

The Revenant: I'm pretty meh on this movie and music.

Carol: Yes, yes, yes. This is my favorite movie, which probably colors my opinion of the music, but I love it. Just one example of some amazing score moments is the track "To Carol's" which works so perfectly as it takes over the sound in the scene and then overlaps with the radio. So dreamlike and beautiful. I just have to link the scene in question. 

Phantom Thread: Again not my favorite Jonny Greenwood. I do like it more than YWNRH, but it wouldn't make it to the list.

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Here's some scores not mentioned that I would have, in no particular order.

It Follows (Disasterpeace): Nothing else sounds like this and it's the most effective horror score of the past decade.

How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell): Not much needs to be said. 

Norwegian Wood (Jonny Greenwood): I haven't seen this. Maybe it's not good in the movie, but I'm obsessed with the music so why not.

Inception (Hans Zimmer): Even more iconic than Interstellar, and hugely influential. And it's great even without the cultural impact. I also love how loud it's mixed, almost music-video levels which fits nicely for this movie in particular.

Mad Max: Fury Road (Tom Holkenborg): The overpowered percussion-led orchestra sound taken to its logical conclusion, and with no more fitting of a movie. An outlier, as I haven't actually liked any Junkie XL scores since this one.

Sicario (Johann Johannsson): Overwhelmingly bleak and with great tension building.

Gravity (Steven Price): The musical equivalent of anxiety. It also has to fill the gap left by the silence of space and it does so fantastically.

Monsters (Jon Hopkins): I think this is the best ambient score of recent times. Big shoutout to the final scene which is completely carried by the music.

Song of the Sea (Bruno Coulais): I'm running out of things to say now, but some fantastic music for one of my favorite animated movies.

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An honorable mention to Arrival (Johann Johannsson): I love the musical approach to representing linguistics and that which is incomprehensibly different than us (one of my favorite sci-fi topics, such as Solaris, Embassytown, Annihilation/Southern Reach, etc.). But it's overshadowed by the bookended use of On the Nature of Daylight.

And for fun, an anti-list-item, The Cloverfield Paradox. Maybe it's just because the movie is so bad, but the in context it doesn't work at all. On its own though, it's extremely enjoyable music!


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## CT (Jul 28, 2019)

I like a lot of these, but lists are so boring! And often snobby in one way or another, I agree.


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## rhizomusicosmos (Jul 31, 2019)

jeremiahpena said:


> Carol: Yes, yes, yes. This is my favorite movie, which probably colors my opinion of the music, but I love it. Just one example of some amazing score moments is the track "To Carol's" which works so perfectly as it takes over the sound in the scene and then overlaps with the radio. So dreamlike and beautiful. I just have to link the scene in question.



Wow, very nice. I always like the blurring between diegetic and non-diegetic elements in film soundtracks.

Is Burwell influenced by Philip Glass or is there some of Glass's music at the end of that clip?


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## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 1, 2019)

rhizomusicosmos said:


> Wow, very nice. I always like the blurring between diegetic and non-diegetic elements in film soundtracks.
> 
> Is Burwell influenced by Philip Glass or is there some of Glass's music at the end of that clip?


I think Burwell composes in a wide variety of styles.


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## NoamL (Oct 20, 2019)

Here's my top twenty in no particular order. It's only movies that I've seen so it skews to mainstream / high grossing films (but there's a ton of high grossing movies that would never make this list). Each score elevates the movie, is worth studying, and hasn't aged horribly IMO.

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (John Williams)
JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (Henry Jackman)
THE MUMMY (Brian Tyler)
KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD (Daniel Pemberton)
THE AVENGERS (Alan Silvestri)
ANNIHILATION (Geoff Barrow & Ben Salisbury)
SKYFALL & SPECTRE (Thomas Newman)
THE HITMAN'S BODYGUARD (Atli Orvarsson)
THE HATEFUL EIGHT (Ennio Morricone)
SICARIO (Johann Johansson)
BIG HERO 6 (Henry Jackman)
WRECK IT RALPH (Henry Jackman)
INCEPTION (Hans Zimmer)
NOW YOU SEE ME (Brian Tyler)
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS (Hans Zimmer)
RANGO (Hans Zimmer)
MAN OF STEEL (Hans Zimmer)
EDGE OF TOMORROW (Cristophe Beck)
PACIFIC RIM (Ramin Djawadi)
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 1/2/3 (John Powell)


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## Heledir (Oct 26, 2019)

Since the score to a Korean movie was included in the list, let me just show some love for another Korean score for a moment:

From the film The Throne - or Sado (사도) in Korea. 





It's based on a true story but spoilers I suppose.

It's about the aforementioned Sado, the crownprince, who went a bit insane, committed a crime, and got locked up in a ricebox until he died. Daddy the King then named him Sado posthumously, which means something to the effect of 'remembers with sorrow.'


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