Best of 2018 - Best Music in a Film
Best Music of 2018
I don't really feel like splitting this category into original song/score/soundtrack, so this is a mix of all of them. I know I'm missing Black Panther here for the Kendrick Lamar songs (so good!) but I honestly didn't think the score itself is anything special. Feel free to argue that it deserves a spot!
A Star Is Born
I'm not posting "Shallow" here because it will come up again in another category. Of course, that's the defining musical moment of the year, but there are a lot of great musical moments in this film. "Always Remember Us This Way" is Ally at her most confident, finding herself through her music, before the influence of studios and agents gets in her creative way. Lady Gaga is, of course, perfect in all the different voices she takes through the course of the film, but Bradley Cooper supports her beautifully. They sound great in duet but he also delivers a beautiful solo song himself in "Maybe It's Time." They both bring so much emotion and conviction to the performances here, making for some of the most memorable movie music in ages.
Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse
I never knew how much I needed hip hop Spider-man in my life until it showed up. The soundtrack boasts a lot of fantastic hip hop songs by a diverse group of artists, and all of them compliment the action onscreen beautifully while still working great outside the film. This is a great soundtrack to drive to, work out to, just chill in your headphones to. The original score also works seamlessly with the songs - they slip in and out to create a fantastic sonic landscape that perfectly matches the images onscreen. Also check out "Prowler's Theme" from the score, which demonstrates the energy and propulsion of the film's images through sound alone. All the elements of this film support each other fully to create something truly unique and wonderful.
If Beale Street Could Talk
On the other side of the spectrum here is a fairly traditional score by Nicholas Britell, who also scored Barry Jenkins' previous feature Moonlight. Hopefully we'll hear many more collaborations between these two, because they make magic together. "Eros" is one of the most romantic themes we've heard in ages. It underscores the shyness of Tish and the passion of Fonny as they come together for the first time, and it will make you swoon. The score flourishes in its many romantic moments, but during a bleak scene with a man recently returned from prison, it also takes on menacing tones, quietly providing more power to the startling performance onscreen. There are also some lovely non-original songs here, particularly Nina Simone's "That's All I Ask." This is one of the most gorgeous soundtracks in a very long time.
Isle of Dogs
Starting out with traditional Japanese Taiko drums, the score for this film is another propulsive, rousing, atmospheric piece from Alexandre Desplat, who has collaborated with Wes Anderson to great effect (and an Oscar) before. Like his scores for Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, he uses many unique instruments to create a sound that is both dreamlike and nostalgic, reminiscent of folk songs and decidedly modern. It's an excellent match with this film, which draws heavily from many different sources, and yet stands apart as a completely original creative vision. The use of pop songs is also spot-on (no pun intended, I swear!), as one would expect from Anderson, a maestro of curating soundtracks. "I Won't Hurt You" by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, is the only one to appear in this film, and it's as unexpected as it is fitting. It'll break your heart if you let it.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Spoilers in the video if you haven't seen the film!!
Carter Burwell and the Coen brothers are another longtime collaborative force, having made many memorable films together over the years. The composer is perfectly suited for the dark humor and Western sensibilities the filmmakers are tackling here, lending both a melancholy, bittersweet beauty to the proceedings and a twangy darkness, such as in "Seeking Alice." The original songs, performed by Tim Blake Nelson and others, are equally memorable, both hilarious and pitch black. The musical, murderous cowboy Buster Scruggs enjoying the echoes of his voice off canyon walls as he rides towards the next bloodbath makes for one of the best opening scenes of the year, and it only gets better and wilder from there.
I don't really feel like splitting this category into original song/score/soundtrack, so this is a mix of all of them. I know I'm missing Black Panther here for the Kendrick Lamar songs (so good!) but I honestly didn't think the score itself is anything special. Feel free to argue that it deserves a spot!
A Star Is Born
I'm not posting "Shallow" here because it will come up again in another category. Of course, that's the defining musical moment of the year, but there are a lot of great musical moments in this film. "Always Remember Us This Way" is Ally at her most confident, finding herself through her music, before the influence of studios and agents gets in her creative way. Lady Gaga is, of course, perfect in all the different voices she takes through the course of the film, but Bradley Cooper supports her beautifully. They sound great in duet but he also delivers a beautiful solo song himself in "Maybe It's Time." They both bring so much emotion and conviction to the performances here, making for some of the most memorable movie music in ages.
Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse
I never knew how much I needed hip hop Spider-man in my life until it showed up. The soundtrack boasts a lot of fantastic hip hop songs by a diverse group of artists, and all of them compliment the action onscreen beautifully while still working great outside the film. This is a great soundtrack to drive to, work out to, just chill in your headphones to. The original score also works seamlessly with the songs - they slip in and out to create a fantastic sonic landscape that perfectly matches the images onscreen. Also check out "Prowler's Theme" from the score, which demonstrates the energy and propulsion of the film's images through sound alone. All the elements of this film support each other fully to create something truly unique and wonderful.
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Starting out with traditional Japanese Taiko drums, the score for this film is another propulsive, rousing, atmospheric piece from Alexandre Desplat, who has collaborated with Wes Anderson to great effect (and an Oscar) before. Like his scores for Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, he uses many unique instruments to create a sound that is both dreamlike and nostalgic, reminiscent of folk songs and decidedly modern. It's an excellent match with this film, which draws heavily from many different sources, and yet stands apart as a completely original creative vision. The use of pop songs is also spot-on (no pun intended, I swear!), as one would expect from Anderson, a maestro of curating soundtracks. "I Won't Hurt You" by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, is the only one to appear in this film, and it's as unexpected as it is fitting. It'll break your heart if you let it.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Spoilers in the video if you haven't seen the film!!
Carter Burwell and the Coen brothers are another longtime collaborative force, having made many memorable films together over the years. The composer is perfectly suited for the dark humor and Western sensibilities the filmmakers are tackling here, lending both a melancholy, bittersweet beauty to the proceedings and a twangy darkness, such as in "Seeking Alice." The original songs, performed by Tim Blake Nelson and others, are equally memorable, both hilarious and pitch black. The musical, murderous cowboy Buster Scruggs enjoying the echoes of his voice off canyon walls as he rides towards the next bloodbath makes for one of the best opening scenes of the year, and it only gets better and wilder from there.
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