Oscar Score Nominations and Winners: Now Discussing the Year 1967

Sorry, just justifying my claims about JP. The reason I don't like it is it is Williams in full American-symphony mode. It's nauseatingly sentimental and sickenly saccharine. It turn off Williams when he enters this mode. It's in most of his scores, but only really evident in a few; namely ET, JP and parts of the first two HP scores.

 

I love Hook. Beauty and the Beast deserved it though. The whole fight scene in the castle between the villagers and the objects is pure fun, one of my favorite parts of the score. Far And Away is another favorite of mine.

 

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - Cliff Eidelman's best work. Really captured the Star Trek spirit. Made for a nice sign off score for the original cast.

Agreed. I loved the opening credits theme...it always gets me psyched for the upcoming action.

 

1990

Avalon - Randy Newman
Dances With Wolves - John Barry
Ghost - Maurice Jarre
Havana - David Grusin
Home Alone - John Williams

WINNER: Dances With Wolves by John Barry


A well deserved win this year. It's one of my all time favorite scores. The John Dunbar theme is very moving.

Avalon is a good score too, but I wouldn't have nominated it.

Ghost is very strange. The love theme is absolutely perfect. The rest is kinda funky. Makes for a unique listening experience and I like it. Glad it was nominated.

Havana I must say I've never heard. But I'm sure since it's Grusin isn't mainly a piano orientated score.

Home Alone is a solid score from John Williams. Playful and sad. Good nomination. Gotta love "somewhere in my memory." Thanks to Leslie Bricusse (lyricist) bringing more life to the theme.


Scores not nominated include Stanley and Iris by John Williams, Quigley Down Under by Basil Poledouris, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by John Duprez, Back To The Future III by Alan Silvestri, Robocop 2 by Leonard Rosenman, The Russia House by Jerry Goldsmith, Presumed Innocent by John Williams, Joe Versus the Volcano by Georges Delerue, The Godfather Part III by Carmine Coppola, Gremlins 2: The New Batch by Jerry Goldsmith, The Grifters by Elmer Bernstein, Total Recall by Jerry Goldsmith, and DuckTales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp by David Newman.

Others of note...

The Hunt For Red October by Basil Poledouris. My second favorite Poledouris score I think. Great score to a great movie.

Dick Tracy by Danny Elfman. I think this really captured the spirit of the serial hero. The main theme is good and the love theme is beautiful.

Flatliners by James Newton Howard. Often overlooked in my opinion. The main theme almost brings a tear to my eye.

The Witches by Stanley Myers. Very catchy main theme. Another score that's often overlooked.


There was one score that I thought was completely snubbed this year though.

Edward Scissorhands by Danny Elfman. How could they overlook this? I know it's better than Avalon and I'm sure I'll soon learn it's better than Havana. Is it better than Dances with Wolves, no. But a nomination it should have gotten. It's a beautiful score. Of course Danny Elfman wasn't really taken seriously by the Academy in his early days.

 

I ADORE Home Alone. One of William's absolute finest scores. Got the nomination it deserved. It was also where I heard "O Holy Night" for the first time - now easily my favourite Christmas song

 

Homa Alone, Red October, and Edward Scissorhands are all great scores. I do remmeber listening to Dances with Wolves, and hearing that epic theme. Nice to see you again, halibut.

 

A Now to...

1989

Born On The Fourth Of July - John Williams
The Fabulous Baker Boys - David Grusin
Field of Dreams - James Horner
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - John Williams
The Little Mermaid - Alan Menken and Howard Ashman

WINNER: The Little Mermaid by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman


Great year for movie scores. The winner was well deserved out the nominations. I get into the jig Menken plays during the birthday celebration. Menken and Ashman truly were one of the greatest musical teams ever in terms of music. I'm glad they won for Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.

Born On The Fourth of July is a great score by John Williams. The trumpet solo is awesome. It deserved the nomination.

The Fabulous Baker Boys is yet another Grusin score where he loves the piano. Of course it really works for this film obviously. I think it's a good score, but it steps over too many great scores to get the nomination.

Field of Dreams is a solid work from James Horner, but not his best work that year.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was good. My favorite part is when Junior gets to the invisible bridge. The music really captures the moment well. But I think I would have picked something else in place of this score.


Scores not nominated this year include Back To The Future II by Alan Silvestri, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier by Jerry Goldsmith, The Burbs by Jerry Goldsmith, She-Devil by Howard Shore, My Left Foot by Elmer Bernstein, and Puppet Master by Richard Band.

Four scores that could have been nominated include...

Driving Miss Daisy by Hans Zimmer. Though it's not a complicated score, it still hits you as it should.

The Abyss by Alan Silvestri. Really beautiful. The best part comes at the end but the soundtrack is great all around.

Steel Magnolias by Georges Delerue. Very uplifting music with a southern charm.

Cinema Paradiso by Ennio Morricone and Andrea Morricone. I think this was Morricone's last great work. Truly beautiful.



Three scores that were snubbed.

Glory by James Horner. Much better than Field of Dreams in my opinion. Great use of a choir. Charging Fort Wagner is one of those perfect tracks you hear about. If it was nominated, it might have defeated The Little Mermaid. I'm shocked that they thought Field of Dreams was Horner's best score that year.

Henry V by Patrick Doyle. It's his best work period. St. Crispins Day, The Battle of Agincourt is greatness. I can't believe they neglected this one.

Batman by Danny Elfman. His best score ever in my opinion. The Academy just had no interest in Elfman during his prime sadly. The score is great from top to bottom. It perfectly capture the Dark Knight. This could have defeated the Little Mermaid.

 

For 1990, I would have liked to see The Hunt for Red October nominated, as well as The Russia House, which I think is one of Jerry Goldsmith's best and most underrated scores. It has such a great main theme, and so does Red October, and brilliant underscore it was unfortunate that it was not recognized. I highly recommend that people check it out and listen to some track samples - visit the Film Critics Thread. I probably would've picked it to win and would have been Goldsmith's second Oscar (he probably deserved more than just one - for The Omen).

For 1989, I would have liked to see John Williams get at least one Oscar for his Indiana Jones work and I would've chosen him for Best Score. I would have also chosen his Raiders score over Vangelis' Chariots of Fire, but that is because I keep these Indiana Jones scores in such high regard. I'll discuss that more about the Raiders snub when you get to 1981. I loved the Little Mermaid's songs, but I think that Last Crusade is the superior score, especially with Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra, the Grail Theme, Keeping Up With the Joneses, Escape from Venice, and of course, Raiders March. I would've liked to see Batman nominated as well.

 

Batman and Glory got snubbed!
Glory has one of the best themes ever created. It has been used in a million trailers and is still being used and its over a decade old!

Danny Elfman created the batman theme and was the first person ever to do so. (that is if you dont count...da na na na BATMAN!) HLAS i dont think i can agree with you in saying that it is his best because there are many other greats. most notably Edward Scissorhands.

Overall, 89 was a great year for music!

 

How about Patrick Doyle's breakthrough score for "Henry V"?

 

1988

The Accidental Tourist - John Williams
Dangerous Liaisons - George Fenton
Gorillas In The Mist - Maurice Jarre
The Milagro Beanfield War - David Grusin
Rain Man - Hans Zimmer

WINNER: The Milagro Beanfield War by David Grusin.

This was a "meh" year fror scores. Though there were some good ones. I've only heard part of the Milagro, so it's hard for me to judge whether it deserved the win. Hans Zimmer did okay with what little music there was for Rain Man. John Williams and Maurice Jarre were likely nominated mainly because of who they were. I've seen Liaisons but can't remember the music. I've also seen Gorillas, not much to say.


Scores not nominated include Coming To America by Nile Rodgers, High Spirits by George Fenton, Scrooged by Danny Elfman, Die Hard by Michael Kamen, The Seventh Sign by Jack Nitzche, Big Top Pee Wee by Danny Elfman, and Akira by Shoji Yamashiro.

Scores that could easily have been nominated include...


Beetlejuice by Danny Elfman - I guess the word is that he borrowed too much of the main theme from some European rag. Oh well. It's still great music. The Academy had no interest in Elfman during the early years by not nominating Beetlejuice, Batman, or even Edward Scissorhands. Very sad.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? by Alan Silvestri - This was a nice score. Very representative of the era the movie takes place in.

The Adventures of Baron Muchausen by Michael Kamen - Just like Elfman, the Academy had little interest in Kamen's early works. The Waltz between Venus and the Baron is beautiful music.

The Land Before Time by James Horner - Very playful and emotional score by Horner. Really tugged on your emotions as a kid watching Little Foots mother die.

Willow by James Horner - Great adventure music. Bad Martigans action music really gets you pumped and the main theme is great. Elora Danons subtle theme is tranquil too. Also you gotta give props to the local music that plays during the fair and the credits. Nice jig.

Hellraiser II: Hellbound by Christopher Young - Well this one had little chance of being recognized by the Academy but it's Youngs best work. Great horror music. Just the opening track sends shivers down your spine. This is the music that Raimi wanted for Spider-Man 2 that caused the controversy between he and Elfman.

 

I haven't heard Grusin's score, but I love Zimmer's Rain Man score. I, of course, would have picked TLC as the best of 1989. I didn't see Dances With Wolves until just a few years ago. I really like much of John Barry's work, and that was a wonderful score as well. As mentioned above, I agree that Eidelman's score for The Undiscovered Country is excellent, and deserves recognition.

 

James Horner was snubbed this year. He should have been nominated for Land Before Time and Willow.

 

Hellbound should have been nominated,outstanding work.

 

1987

Cry Freedom - George Fenton and Jonas Gwangwa
Empire of the Sun - John Williams
The Last Emperor - Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, and Cong Su
The Untouchables - Ennio Morricone
The Witches of Eastwick - John Williams

WINNER: The Last Emperor by Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Byrne, and Cong Su.

Not a bad nomination list this year. It wasn't the greatest year for film music but I feel they picked all the right ones for the nominations. Williams had two solid scores which may have split his vote. But he didn't have to win this one. Ennio Morricone did well with the Untouchables and the nomination was well deserved. I'm glad George Fenton was recognized in the 80's. Even if he seems to work better on collaborations. The Last Emperor is a wonderful score all three composers did a great job. It's very moving.

There wasn't much competition this year. But here are some that weren't nominated. The Chipmunk Adventure by Randy Edelman, Predator by Alan Silvestri, Spaceballs by John Morris, Project X by James Horner, The Running Man by Harold Faltermeyer, Hellraiser by Christopher Young, The Brave Little Toaster by David Newman, and Masters of the Universe by Bill Conti. Not all were quality films, but they had good scores.


Two that possibly could have gotten a nod include...

Robocop by Basil Poledouris - Very nice work to a great action flick. I love the main theme.

The Princess Bride by Mark Knopfler - Underrated in my opinion. Simple yet effective. The love theme is perfect and the filler music isn't that bad. It might have been unique enough to get a nod.

 

In regards to 1988, Horner's The Land Before Time score should definitely have been nominated. One of my favorite scores ever.

 

I'm a big fan of Empire Of The Sun, especially "Exsultate Justi". I saw The Witches Of Eastwick back in the theater when it came out, but all i can remember about the score is just a general good impression of a Williams' score.

 

Supposedly the long out-of-print Witches of Eastwick soundtrack will be re-released soon. I definitely want to get that one.

Empire of the Sun is pretty good, as well. I absolutely love "Cadillac of the Skies".

Not familiar with any other 1987 scores, unfortunately.

 

Witches of Eastwick is in-print again. And supposed to get a wider release than the store I linked to within a couple months, I think.


Empire of the Sun is on my see/hear list...




ttbk

 

I enjoyed the score for The Last Emperor. At some points it was very moving.

 

Wow, the year I was born. Seems so long ago, yet? not.

Cry Freedom is a pretty average score in an exceptional film. Probably just the Academy trying to make their statement against Apartheid.

The Last Emperor is the deserved winner.

 

1986

Aliens - James Horner
Hoosiers - Jerry Goldsmith
The Mission - Ennio Morricone
Round Midnight - Herbie Hancock
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - Leonard Rosenman


WINNER: Round Midnight by Herbie Hancock...


Yeah that's right. Not the Mission nor Aliens. Round Midnight was the far superior score in their eyes that year. Of course only time would tell if they were right. Which they weren't. Nice that it was nominated, the fact that it beat Aliens and The Mission is outrageous. Even Hoosiers and Star Trek IV had better scores. Strange year this was. I personally would have picked Aliens as the best that year. But if the Mission had one, I would have been happy. It's one of Ennio Morricone's best. In fact Aliens is one of Horners best. In fact Star Trek IV is one of Rosenman's best. In fact Round Midnight is one of Hancocks.....er his only best. And Hoosiers...was good for Goldsmith. Not his best though.

The Mission made AFI's top 25 scores of all time. Of course if the Good the Bad and the Ugly were able to make that list, it would have replaced the Mission.

The music from Aliens nailed the action spots. Especially when Ripley is driving the tank. Not to mention the music that plays at the end when they escape the planet that has played in every trailer ever since.


Scores not nominated this year include Top Gun by Harold Faltermeyer, Big Trouble In Little China by John Carpenter, Labyrinth by Trevor Jones and David Bowie, Peggy Sue Got Married by Jerry Goldsmith, Castle in the Sky by Joe Hisaishi, Back To School by Danny Elfman, The Boy Who Could Fly by Bruce Broughton, The Great Mouse Detective by Henry Mancini, and Poltergeist II: The Other Side by Jerry Goldsmith.


The only score that might have been snubbed was An American Tail by James Horner. But they were nominated for songs that year so that's fine.

 

Horner had a good year in '86. Aliens deserved its nomination but I'm not sure if it deserved to win. An American Tail had a great score as well and should have received a nomination, not just for Best Song (which is the weakest part of the score, IMO).

It's amazing how well the score for Aliens turned out considering it was written in just a couple weeks and then tweaked almost as much as The Phantom Menace's score in post-production. But despite all that, Horner managed to turn out one of my favorite action scores.

 

1985

Agnes Of God - Georges Delerue
The Color Purple - Quincy Jones, Jeremy Lubbock, Rod Temperton, Caiphus Semenya, Andraé Crouch, Chris Boardman, Jorge Calandrelli, Joel Rosenbaum, Fred Steiner, Jack Hayes, Jerry Hey and Randy Kerber
Out Of Africa - John Barry
Silverado - Bruce Broughton
Witness - Maurice Jarre

WINNER: Out of Africa by John Barry

Out of the nominated scores, Out of Africa was the most deserving. Great job by John Barry. It's not my favorite Barry work, but it's good enough to win the award. The main theme is very beautiful.

Agnes of God is alright for the content of the movie. Another emotional epic.

The Color Purple is great. Some of the tracks kinda move me. Especially at the end. Nice to see it nominated.

Silverado... I'm not a big fan of this one. Not saying it's bad, I just like other Broughton works better. In fact I think one of his other works should have been nominated this year.

Witness is good. His best work this year.

Other scores not nominated included Clue by John Morris, Once Bitten by John du Prez, Legend by Tangerine Dream, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome by Maurice Jarre, and Ladyhawke by Andrew Powell.


Scores that I think could have been nominated...

The Goonies by David Grusin - I love the score to this. Even the inclusion of Don Juan by Max Steiner. It's all great. The opening chase music to the emotional moments. Grusin did the movie justice.

Young Sherlock Holmes by Bruce Broughton - I think this score is better than Silverado. How can you beat the Pyramid chanting music?

Pee Wee's Big Adventure by Danny Elfman - Great job by Elfman. Underrated score in my opinion.

Cocoon by James Horner - Another underrated work. It's so sad.

Back To The Future by Alan Silvestri - Snubbed. Snubbed. Snubbed. There may not have been much music, but there was enough for a nomination and the main theme was awesome.

 

Nobody had anything to say about 1985? Was it that bad of a year for scores?


Anyways, 1984

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - John Williams
The Natural - Randy Newman
A Passage To India - Maurice Jarre
The River - John Williams
Under The Volcano - Alex North

WINNER: A Passage To India by Maurice Jarre

Good choice for the win. One of Jarre's greatest scores. Kinda playful in nature.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom of course was also a great score by John Williams. Must have been a close race. Williams did a wonderful job bringing Indiana to hell.

The Natural is another awesome score. I could easily have seen this one winning with the iconic baseball into the lights music.

Never heard Under the Volcano.

The River I have heard part of when it was on the tele. From what I heard though it was alright. Wouldn't mind hearing the complete version soon. It's one of the few Williams scores I don't own.


Scores not nominated this year include...

The Terminator by Brad Fiedel - Great score. Though T2 has better arrangements and is better overall.

The Karate Kid by Bill Conti - Nice job by Conti. He never had too many hits after Rocky, but this one was solid.

Police Academy by Robert Folk - So the movie may not be the best quality (though funny) but the score was excellent.

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock by James Horner - Of the two Horner scores Star Trek movies, this one I'm okay with not being nominated. It's just more of the same anyways.

Beverly Hills Cop by Harold Faltermeyer - I don't think there was enough score to be nominated but the main theme is iconic enough. His best work.

Ghostbusters by Elmer Bernstein - Everyone remembers the song, yet if you heard the music you would instantly know it's Ghostbusters. Great job by Bernstein.

A Nightmare On Elm Street by Charles Bernstein - For what he had to work with he did a superb job in creating a scary score. Even if you had synthesized scores, this one is awesome. Gives me goosebumps.

Gremlins by Jerry Goldsmith - I thought this could have been nominated. It's very unique. The main theme is catchy and the filler music is spooky.

The Neverending Story by Giorgio Moroder and Klause Doldinger - Wonderful. This could have been nominated also. Sometimes keyboards really do work.

Once Upon A Time In America by Ennio Morricone - Shocked that this wasn't nominated. The main theme almost brings a tear to my eye everytime it plays during the movie. It's so sad. One of Morricone finest scores.