As you may have noticed, I didn’t bother posting all the awards madness this past season. (I can hear the cheers from here!) My Oscar obsession demanded that I cover those particular nominations, but I’ve spared you a blow-by-blow accounting of all the precursor awards. So let’s do a little wrap up.
First, two sets of awards that might be of interest. As many of you know, I’m a member of the International Film Music Critics Association. Our 2010 nominees are being announced today and can be found on the IFMCA website. In addition, Roger Hall over at AmericanMusicPreservation.com recently bestowed his 23rd annual Sammy Awards, named for four-time Oscar-winning lyricist Sammy Cahn. The awards primarily focus on vintage scores, though there are a few contemporary scores in the mix as well.
As for the precursors, below are all the score awards that I could find. If I’ve missed any, feel free to leave a comment below.
- Alliance of Woman Film Journalists - THE SOCIAL NETWORK—Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
- Annie Awards – HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON—John Powell
- Austin Film Critics - TRON: LEGACY—Daft Punk
- BAFTA - THE KING’S SPEECH—Alexandre Desplat
- Boston Society of Film Critics - THE SOCIAL NETWORK
- Broadcast Film Critics Association – THE SOCIAL NETWORK
- Central Ohio Film Critics – INCEPTION—Hans Zimmer
- Chicago Film Critics – BLACK SWAN—Clint Mansell
- Denver Film Critics - TRON: LEGACY
- Golden Globes – THE SOCIAL NETWORK
- Grammy Awards – TOY STORY 3—Randy Newman (Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media)
- Hollywood Film Awards – INCEPTION
- Houston Film Critics – INCEPTION
- International Press Academy (Satellite Awards) – INCEPTION
- Las Vegas Film Critics – THE SOCIAL NETWORK
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association – THE GHOST WRITER (Alexandre Desplat) and THE SOCIAL NETWORK (tie)
- New York Film Critics Online – BLACK SWAN
- Phoenix Film Critics Society – INCEPTION
- San Diego Film Critics Society – NEVER LET ME GO—Rachel Portman
- St. Louis Film Critics Association – THE SOCIAL NETWORK
- Washington, D.C. Film Critics – INCEPTION
Does any of this mean anything in the great scheme of life? Nope. But for us award junkies, it’s second nature.
I think all those voters who chose Inception were at some point ‘incepted’ to think they enjoyed the score enough to deem it best score of the year. ;0
I thought it was an excellent score. I wouldn’t have a problem with it winning the Oscar (though I don’t think it will). Maybe I was “incepted” too. :)
Hooray for the LA Film Critics! THE GHOST WRITER was the one that stood out for me this year.
After soaking up news about all the award nominees so far this year, I’m wondering why MACHETE didn’t make the Oscar top ten! Oh well, maybe the sequels, MACHETE KILLS and MACHETE KILLS AGAIN, will have a chance. Hahaha.
Oddly enough, the LA Film Critics usually pick some very bizarre titles. (Elliot Goldenthal’s BORSTAL BOY anyone?) They also showed a penchant for Zbigniew Preisner year after year in the early ’90s, even ignoring Williams’ SCHINDLER’S LIST for a Preisner trio in 1993. So go figure. They’ve been much more mainstream over the last decade or so. I wish there’d been more love for THE GHOST WRITER as well.
Nice to see that where Alexandre Desplat wins it is for the excellent THE GHOST WRITER rather than the run of the mill The King’s Speech. Still, his Harry Potter score was his best work of the year, but doubtless gets overlooked for being written for the latest instalment in a franchise.
Good also to see some recognition for what I think is the best work Rachel Portman has ever done. NEVER LET ME GO is a stunning score. Likewise good to see TRON LEGACY acknowledged, a surprisingly rich score for a film I have absolutely zero interest in seeing.
But where all this love for THE SOCIAL NETWORK score comes from mystifies me. I’ve tried several times and am unable to even listen through the album, so tedious is it. I find it bizarre that it has tied with INCEPTION so far with six wins each. The best score and one of the worst neck and neck. There’s no accounting for taste.
I think the love for the SOCIAL NETWORK score comes from two factors: 1) rabid love by critics for the film and 2) the appearance of being “hip” by hanging their hats on Reznor. I actually like the film a lot and think the score works really well in context. It’s a bit much after awhile on CD for me. Would I prefer some other titles? Sure. I’m expecting it take the Oscar too. But almost anything can happen there at this point. The KING’S SPEECH sweep may pull in Desplat. Since I like that score very much, I won’t have a problem with that. :) (Of course, I’m still secretly hoping for a John Powell upset.)
oh well, the “hipsters” had their way
Uncle Oscar, clueless as ever…