The Film Scorer

It's a bit worrying to realize that we're now over halfway through the 2020s - where has the time gone? Well, I suppose we all know one collective reason why it feels like a blur... But rather than lament the passage of time, I've decided to celebrate what's been released during the last five years; specifically, celebrating the "best" film scores of the decade, so far. Joining me in this endeavor is David Rosen, a fellow podcast host and film composer. Dave and I have "known" each other virtually for a few years now and this gave us a good reason to hop on video for a little while. I'll also give a shout out to Dave's primary podcast, Piecing It Together, where he and various guest hosts look at what past films (the puzzle pieces) have inspired the films of today (the puzzle). It's a pretty cool show, even if I've always been too hesitant to hop on and join for an episode. If you don't want to listen, you can see each of our lists below (though you'll miss out on the why of the choices, which is most of the fun). My list isn't presented in any particular order while Dave's is presented in descending order, saving the best for last. Don't be shy, feel free to chime in (whether commenting on this episode, dm, or calling me out publicly) with some of your favorite scores of the decade too. Nick's List: Blonde – Nick Cave and Warren Ellis Drive My Car – Eiko Ishibashi Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson The Batman – Michael Giacchino Dune (Parts 1 and 2) – Hans Zimmer The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg The Green Knight – Daniel Hart The Personal History of David Copperfield – Christopher Willis Cryptozoo – John Carroll Kirby Smile 2 – Cristobal Tapia de Veer Dave’s List: 10. Challengers – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross 9. Gretel and Hansel – Rob 8. The Last Duel – Harry Gregson-Williams 7. Minari – Emile Mosseri 6. The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg 5. Smile 2 – Cristobal Tapia de Veer 4. Conclave – Volker Bertelmann 3. A Different Man – Umberto Smerilli 2. Windfall – Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans 1. Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson

In an absolute coincidence, during International Women's Month Meg Remy (U.S. Girls) and Grace Glowicki join me on The Film Scorer Podcast! Our primary focus is the film Dead Lover, for which Grace is director, co-writer, and lead actress and Meg provided most of the score. As such, we talk about the film itself, the music (and how Meg and Grace worked together on it, trying to find a unifying style), and the benefit of having a female director and composer working together on a female-centric film. The reason I say that Meg provided most of the score is because of the unusual approach they took to music on the film. Dead Lover is set in a sort of kaleidoscopic Victorian England that constantly jumps around in palette, tone, and style, and with added influences like German Expressionism and silent film. So Meg wrote original music, but also started pulled old music she'd written 15-20 years ago sitting unused on hard drives and scouring public domain music as well. While the final music is incredibly diverse, jumping from opera to 70s prog doom, they manage to unify it and make it all work. Meg's score release is forthcoming (I believe), but her other music is available on all major platforms. Dead Lover is currently on the festival circuit, including at SXSW on March 9. You can find out more about Meg/U.S. Girls on her website.

Rihards Zalupe joins The Film Scorer Podcast! Rihards' latest score is for the Oscar and BAFTA nominated animated film Flow, which he co-composed with the film's writer and director Gints Zilbalodis. As such, Rihards and I spend much of our conversation talking about the score, including creating themes or specific sonic palette choices for each of the film's different animal main characters, co-composing a score with the film's director (which was also Gints' first time working with a composer on one of his films), and how Cat has become one of Latvia's national heroes. Rihards' score, and much of his other music, is available on all major platforms. Flow is available on demand or streaming on HBO Max. You can find out more about Rihards on his website.

The BAFTAs air on February 16 and the Oscars on March 2. I'd never consider myself a big awards season guy, but I love that it's the one time of year where film music is widely celebrated and has a little spotlight, if only briefly. As such, here's a little peek into the six nominated scores between the two awards. I've also done interviews on two of the six nominated scores (The Wild Robot and The Brutalist) and also interviewed Volker Bertelmann a little while back about his BAFTA and Oscar winning score for All Quiet on the Western Front, so seek those out as well BAFTAs: Nosferatu – Robin Carolan Emilia Perez– Camille and Clément Ducol Conclave – Volker Bertelmann The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg Oscars: Wicked  – John Powell and Stephen Schwartz Emilia Perez– Camille and Clément Ducol Conclave – Volker Bertelmann The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg  

Although we've just entered 2025, this series is deep in the middle of 2024. The months of April, May, and June released some of my favorite scores of the year (feel free to guess which) as well as arguably the most popular score of the year in Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's Challengers, and plenty more scores, both big and small. I also noticed that I've interviewed almost a third of the composers mentioned during this period - I still get surprised now and again with just how many folks I've interviewed! Keep your eye on The Film Scorer website for reviews and articles covering some of these scores, including detailed writeups and lists. April: https://thefilmscorer.com/the-best-film-scores-of-april-2024/  For a full list of the scores discussed in this episode, see below: Challengers - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Confidenza - Thom Yorke Horizon: An American Saga, Chapter 1 - John Debney The Dead Don't Hurt - Viggo Mortensen Le Comte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo) - Jerome Rebotier Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - John Paesano Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Tom Holkenborg Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver - Tom Holkenborg Young Woman and the Sea - Amelia Warner The Rooster - Stefan Gregory The Swimming Diaries - Donna McKevitt Evil Does Not Exist - Eiko Ishibashi The First Omen - Mark Korven All You Need Is Death - Ian Lynch I Saw the TV Glow - Alex G The Glassworker - Carmine Di Florio and Usman Riaz Back to Black - Nick Cave and Warren Elli Sasquatch Sunset - The Octopus Project Civil War - Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury We Grown Now - Jay Wadley Unfrosted - Christophe Beck The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - Christopher Benstead If - Michael Giacchino Hit Man - Graham Reynolds