Edward Scissorhands - Danny Elfman

Edward Scissorhands was a very strange an unique movie. I wonder if Johnny Depp regrets doing the movie.  He's definitely come a long way in terms of acting.  I can't help but mention Winona Ryder is also in the movie... albeit as a blond.  Danny Elfman was a good choice to score the movie.  The main theme played throughout the movie has a mystic and fairytale sound to it.

Favorite: Track #15 - The Grand Finale

Never Let Me Go - Rachel Portman

I came across this score after looking at the discography of Rachel Portman.  I've enjoyed all her scores ever since hearing The Cider House Rules.  I have no idea what the movie is actually about, but the score seems very haunting.  Maybe one of these days I'll watch the movie.

Favorite: Track #01 - The Pier

Jurassic Park - John Williams

Since Jurassic Park was recently released on blu-ray, it's fitting that I would recommend the score. The main theme brings out the excitement and prestige of the movie. Slowed down it brings a a dramatic flare.  If you're bored, check out youtube and search for Jurassic Park slowed down.

Favorite: Track #07 - Welcome to Jurassic Park

William Shakespear's Romeo & Juliet - Craig Armstrong

I was never a fan of reading William Shakespear's Romeo & Juliet. And I didn't like the 1996 movie either. The only thing I did like from the movie was the score. There were 2 CD's released for the movie, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture and William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet: Music from the Motion Picture, Volume 2. While the first CD contains soundtrack music to the movie, Volume 2 contains the music score with some dialogue from the movie.

Favorite: Track #09 - Kissing You (Love Theme from Romeo + Juliet) Instrumental

The Thin Red Line - Hans Zimmer

Composed by Hans Zimmer, The Thin Red Line was a movie about the battle of Guadalcanal.  The movie had a ton of big name actors.  The track Journey to the Line starts off slowly. It slowly builds and then peaks with strong brass instruments which got my adrenaline running.

Favorite: Track #03 - Journey to the Line

Forrest Gump - Alan Silvestri

Forrest Gump... a movie about a man that isn't normal... or is it movie about a man that is more normal than most people? Forrest Gump might not have the social skills or brains as most people, but he more than makes up for it with his heart.  It's something that most people don't see and it took his one true love years to realize that what she's been searching for has always lied with him.  It's something that I hope that someone will one day see in me.  The movie might be out there, but it's a movie after all. Composed by Alan Silvestri, it's a sweeping score with plenty of piano and strings.  The main theme is something to remember.  The track I Never Thanked You is touching during the scene were Lt. Dan is at peace with the demons, yet the words thank you never makes it out of his mouth to Forrest.

Favorite: Track #13 - I Never Thanked You

Heaven & Earth - Kitaro

This is the only soundtrack that I have composed by Kitaro. I had never heard of him until seeing the movie Heaven & Earth. His music captures you from the very beginning of the movie.

Favorite: Track #04 - Saigon Reunion

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - The Score - Christopher Beck

The TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a series that I loved watching.  It was based on a movie which starred Kristy Swanson as Buffy.  In the TV series, Sarah Michelle Gellar took on the role as Buffy.  The series also starred Alyson Hannigan who is now on the hit series How I Met Your Mother.  The track Magic Snow Music comes at the end of the episode Amends. (Season 3 Episode 10)

Favorite: Track #10 - Magic Snow Music (from "Amends")

The Village - James Newton Howard

The Village, another movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan and also scored by James Newton Howard.  The combination seems to be a good one as I like the scores for each of his collaborations with Shyamalan.  The featured violinist is Hilary Hahn.  The violin is played throughout each track.  Haunting and eerie yet beautiful.

Favorite: Track #05 - Will You Help Me?

The Last Of The Mohicans - Trevor Jones & Randy Edelman

I'm not exactly which composer composed which track for this score. In any case there are multiple tracks that I really like.  The Glade Part II is played during the night time scene where Daniel Day-Lewis character Hawkeye is talking with Madeline Stowes character Cora.

Favorite: Track #04 - The Glade Part II

How To Make An American Quilt - Thomas Newman

The How To Make An American Quilt CD includes 14 tracks scored by Thomas Newman and 6 tracks by various artists such as Bing Crosby and Patsy Cline.  I originally came across this soundtrack after seeing the movie, but I only saw the movie because Winona Ryder was in it.

Favorite: Track #01 - Quilting Theme

The Last Airbender - James Newton Howard

Known for directing The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan fell really short with The Last Airbender. The character development seemed non existent. Halfway through the movie, you could really care less about the characters and whether they were going to survive or not. The emotion for those characters were never there. The music on the other hand, scored by James Newton Howard plays with lots of emotion that is very distinct in the track Flow Like Water.

Favorite: Track #12 - Flow Like Water

Dax Johnson - A Moment In The Life Of Me

From the album Random And The Purpose, A Moment In The Life Of Me is a track that I can listen to over and over.  Every note, you can feel the emotion flowing from the fingers of Dax Johnson to the piano keys.  Listening to this track on long drives just seems to make the time disappear.  Still triggers memories of the past for me, but it'll be a song that I could never stop listening to.

Message In A Bottle - Gabriel Yared

Gabriel Yared most notable for composing the score to The English Patient. Message In A Bottle was a movie based on a book by Nicholas Sparks. If you've been reading this blog, it seems like I like most of the scores to any movies that were based on Nicholas Sparks book.  The score has a nice "reflective" feeling to it.

If you knew that your life was slowly fading away, what would you want to say to the one you loved?
Would you say them out loud, even if they are not ready to hear it?  Would you want to write the words down?  Sometimes writing the words you want to say is easier than actually saying it.  Nobody wants to say goodbye to the one you care so deeply about.  Letting go is part of moving forward.

Favorite: Track #06 - Images Of The Past

Searching For Bobby Fischer - James Horner

Scored by James Horner, Searching For Bobby Fischer is a movie about a boy who out of curiosity develops the love of the game of chess. A love of the game that gets lost due to the pressures from his father.  One would think the child would learn from his father.  In the end the father learns something from the child.

Favorite: Track #13 - End Credits

Source Code - Chris Bacon

I have never heard of composer Chris Bacon before. I had watched Source Code and the movie itself wasn't too good. It left a lot of questions.  What if you could rewind time and relive a moment... do you think you could change the outcome of that moment?  The following track had a smooth melody for a particular scene which really caught my ear.

Favorite: Track #15 - Frozen Moment

Field of Dreams - James Horner

Field of Dreams composed by James Horner. The movie may be far fetched, but it's a touching movie. What would you do if you heard voices to tell you to build a baseball field on your farm in the middle of all your crops? People tend to say things in the heat of the moment that they don't really mean. A moment that they wish they could take back. Making amends is something that puts people at ease. In the end, life is too short to let yourself be burdened from something in the past.

Favorite: Track #12 - The Place Where Dreams Come True