Notably good film scores, anyone?

[Moses]

My apologies, for I can't be too descriptive about this, but I'm bored of the scores for most of today's popular films and am wondering if anybody can enlighten me to a great bank of odd-metered or harmonically intricate soundtracks for films and shows you've watched.

All would save a young composer from his murderous creative rut. Thank you.

[Daryl O'Buka]

Thomas Newman's score to the Road to Perdition is particularly atmospheric, Ghosts, Cathedral, and Just the Fella are just sumptuous. Probably not to everyones taste, but there you are. The simplicity of his melody, his  harmony, his instrumental choices and lush orchestration, I think he's a very creative composer.

[Fredrick zinos]

Alexander Nevsky. Prokofiev. He wrote the book on writing for films. For a while worked for Disney Studios back in the days when they did a lot of work in Compton.. Peter and the Wolf.

[Alex Dunn]

Hi Moses,

I thought I'd offer you my personal favourite film composer - Gabriel Yared. He wrote the original soundtrack music for two incredible Antony Minghella films, 'The English Patient' and 'Cold Mountain'. 

James Horner once slagged him off for never having written a 'proper' film soundtrack. I think that sort of sums up Yared's style. It's not your usual Hollywood stuff. He never goes in 'all guns blazing' but, when he goes for a climax (which is usually only once in the whole film) it usually makes you cry! 

Alex :)

[Ethan Hitch]

I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but perhaps some Hans Zimmer. His "Pirates" films are nice and the Angels and Demons soundtrack is good too. Although the entire film score for Angels comes from the main theme of 160 BPM, it is a great score and maybe could help you.

[Chris Alpiar]

Wow Jon I will have to check tgat out, Duke is one of tge heavist composers of any genre once you start analyzing, its infinitely deep. I had the extreme luck of being around and playing for Herb Pomeroy during my stay at Berklee in 90-94 and through him and a few other professors (Bill Scism, Ted Pease) I had epiphanies about Duke and how he truly parallels the depth and intensity of any of the greatests - Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Ravel, Beethoven, etc - Dukes writing stands with them, completely :)