# Movie Soundtracks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 23, 2002, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588 "2002-12-23T20:32:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/21 "2002-12-24T04:44:14Z")
**yosemitebabe** ’s first post is perfect. I agree with most everything she says there. For my own personal favorites, I’m most into James Horner and Thomas Newman (who never ceases to amaze me, either). I’ve gotten to the point where I will buy a score either of these men have composed without ever having seen the film or heard the music. Some favorites from them: **Horner** - _Sneakers_, _Apollo 13_, _Aliens_, _Braveheart_, _The Spitfire Grill_, _The Rocketeer_ **Newman** - _Meet Joe Black_, _Red Corner_, _The Shawshank Redemption_ I also love Peter Gabriel’s score for _The Last Temptation of Christ_ and the Dust Brothers’ score for _Fight Club_, both already mentioned. Michael Kamen and Orbital’s combined work for _Event Horizon_ is quite good. I’m no John Williams fan, but his scores for _Born on the Fourth of July_ and _Presumed Innocent_ are actually quite good. I know compilations weren’t part of the OP, and they’re not usually my cup of tea, but the compilation soundtracks for _Strange Days_, _City of Angels_, and _Godzilla_ (surprised me as much as anyone!) are really pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/22 "2002-12-24T04:46:51Z")
Sorry for the double-post… I forgot this. If you can find it (it’s somewhat rare), the full-length recording of Danny Elfman’s music for _Good Will Hunting_ is well worth the trouble. I also quite like his music for _Dolores Claiborne_. Neither of these are typical Elfman music (such as we’re used to hearing in _Batman_ or _Edward Scissorhands_), and hard to recognize as his work. ---
**Author:** ![Shadez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Shadez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadez)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/23 "2002-12-24T05:11:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Carnage \* > \*\*Jurassic Park > O Brother Where Art Thou > The Rock > \*\* I’ll have to second the O Brother Where Art Thou vote. Heck, I did a paper on the music in the movie.😃 /Shadez ---
**Author:** ![Alatariel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Alatariel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alatariel)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/24 "2002-12-24T05:27:43Z")
If you like off-beat, non-neo-romantic soundtracks (boy that’s a mouth full) try the \* original\* \*\* Planet of the Apes\*\* sountrack. It’s hard to believe that Goldsmith did this one with its odd percussion and slightly atonal music. It’s definitely off-beat but worth a listen. Ooops, I just saw \*\*Yosemitebabe \*\*recommended the soundtrack, so I’ll second it. ---
**Author:** ![Lure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@Lure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lure)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/25 "2002-12-24T05:55:11Z")
Don’t know if this embraces your soundtrack vision.Tho they’re labelled soundtrack,it’s more like songs from the movie,but I enjoy Oliver,Bound For Glory,and the aforementioned Grease. I’d like to get a copy of songs from Scorceses’ Mean Streets.We both seem to have embraced the same music as teens. ---
**Author:** ![moonchilde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3e96dc/32.png) [@moonchilde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonchilde)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/26 "2002-12-24T06:31:50Z")
Kudos to some wonderful name. Also to add, Philip Glass, Angelo Badelemanti (sorry I butchered the spelling…he’s the composer for David Lynch), some of Tangerine Dream. For a non-musical movie (the Tommy’s, Jesus Christ Superstar, etc), I would add The Big Chill, City of Angels, and Risky Business, just off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/27 "2002-12-24T07:21:10Z")
Max: tempting offer! I’m sure our combined soundtrack collections would be a wonder to behold! 😉 By the way, I’m too lazy to look it up, and I’m out of the loop—who composed “Red Dragon”? And yes, some of the other composers mentioed are very good. Basil Polidoris and his “Conan” score is gorgeous, and I’ve loved some of Philip Glass’s stuff. Angelo whats-his-name did a wonderful moody job for “Twin Peaks”. Oh yeah, Alatariel has seconded “Planet of the Apes”: I hear tell that Goldsmith used pots and pans for part of the percussion sounds. A pretty unique score. Since I am a hardcore Goldsmith fanatic, I have to say that he’s done other scores equally weird, and that “Planet of the Apes” has Goldsmith _all_ over it. (Once you get past the pots and pans!) I do remember when I first heard it (lo, many years ago) I completely did not get it. It didn’t seem like the Goldsmith I knew and loved. But I gave it a few more listenings, and eventually realized that it was _freaking GENIUS._ I cannot emphasize this enough—freaking GENIUS. Same thing happened with “The Omen” and (believe it or not) “Under Fire”. They all left me cold at first, but since they were Goldsmith, I thought I’d better give them more time to sink in. I soon uncovered their brilliance. ---
**Author:** ![Wyld\_Stallyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Wyld\_Stallyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wyld_Stallyn)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/28 "2002-12-24T14:38:38Z")
Scarface (which is featured as the fare on the Flashback 95 radio station in GTA III). Requiem for a Dream (created by Clint Mansell, listen to it in the dark for full disturbance) A Clockwork Orange The Last Action Hero (if you, as I, love early 90’s hard rock) ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/29 "2002-12-24T16:28:52Z")
**Local Hero** great movie, and Mark Knopfler’s soundtrack fits the movie like a glove **Shakespeare in Love** repetitive at times, but I love the medieval stuff **Last of the Mohicans** just the kind of music for watching Daniel Day-Lewis sprint through a rugged, haunting landscape ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/30 "2002-12-25T01:42:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yosemitebabe \* > \*\*Max: tempting offer! I’m sure our combined soundtrack collections would be a wonder to behold! 😉 By the way, I’m too lazy to look it up, and I’m out of the loop—who composed “Red Dragon”? > > \*\* Red Dragon was done by Elfman. Very cool stuff. I also meant to mention Elfman’s Planet of the Apes (2001). Sure the movie may not have been that great but the score was way cool, with much jungle influence. [sub]1004 posts? I missed my own thousand post party! Aren’t I supposed to get kissed or something?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Incognito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guy_incognito/32/3920_2.png) [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/31 "2002-12-25T02:10:03Z")
You guys have already mentioned a couple of my favorites already. Newman’s soundtrack to “The Shawshank Redemption” sees a lot of play in my CD-ROM drive, as does Peter Gabriel’s “Passion” (Last Temptation of Christ) soundtrack. I’d like to add one more, if I may. How about Vangelis’ soundtrack for “Blade Runner”? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/32 "2002-12-25T04:46:11Z")
the soundtracks to BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA and MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN ---
**Author:** ![QuaHKN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f14d63/32.png) [@QuaHKN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuaHKN)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2002, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588/33 "2002-12-25T05:24:21Z")
The soundtrack to “West Side Story” includes some neat arrangements not included on the Broadway cast recording. I highly recommend it. Also, “The Red Violin” and “Shine” soundtracks are highly excellent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-soundtracks/144588.md?page=1)