It can only ever really be a banana shaped pie. I think SOW did quite well, all things considered. I never knew of Sally Hawkins before Blue Jasmine and, frankly, when I first heard her speaking with an English accent it was a little surprising. But hey, I'm glad she's a well spoken Brit - much better than some trophy you can light your match with.
I gather that lots of composers have used orchestrators!
Congratulations to M. Desplat. I liked the music for The Shape of Water, but it didn’t have the same importance to the film as Zimmer’s (and whoever else’s!) did to Dunkirk. The latter seems to have done well in the sound categories, if I recall correctly. That’s decent recognition considering how many people seemed to hate it.
I'm fine with 'The Shape Of Water' but I'd also have been happy with Dunkirk winning for best score. Brilliant music which as part of the overall sound design, really enhanced the film.
The SHAPE OF WATER score was a huge bore, basically. I will never ever be able to understand Desplat's appeal. But it's rather inoffensive. Not outright bad, and not outright good. It certainly didn't detract from the great film.
But I can list about 200 scores that were all more interesting last year.
I will never ever be able to understand Desplat's appeal. But it's rather inoffensive. Not outright bad, and not outright good. It certainly didn't detract from the great film.
But I can list about 200 scores that were all more interesting last year.
This is my view of Desplat's drama scores at least - which are fast losing appeal to me. I could think of 10 composers who could provide better scores for the material that Desplat works with. Young been first on that list.
It's generally a very pretty score, but nothing we didn't already hear in BENJAMIN BUTTON. I actually found it's strong French soundscape to be quite distracting, while watching the film. If I'd heard a throwaway line of the mute girl dreaming of living in Paris or hailing from France, that would have lent some sense to it, but it was baffling to me otherwise. Outside of my bias towards John Williams and his POST score*, NONE of the actual nominees this year sounded remarkable to me. It seemed like EVERY composer nominated was leaning heavily on their past works or just going through the motions.
I'm fine with 'The Shape Of Water' but I'd also have been happy with Dunkirk winning for best score. Brilliant music which as part of the overall sound design, really enhanced the film.
Dunkirk was one of those very rare cases where the actual musical accompaniment was almost driving me crazy. For me the score didn't work in the film at all , it was just plain annoying.
Interestingly, on disc it is a much better experience for me. I guess it is so because for the CD they created suites instead of the chopped nature the music had in the film.
So I definitely wouldn't have given it the Oscar. As for Desplat's score, it is nice and hummable but nothing special. He can do - and did - better.
I love this film. I don't think I ever heard anything else by Desplat. I thought the score was OK in its context, but it is nothing that I would buy or listen to.
It's generally a very pretty score, but nothing we didn't already hear in BENJAMIN BUTTON. I actually found it's strong French soundscape to be quite distracting... It seemed like EVERY composer nominated was leaning heavily on their past works or just going through the motions.
My thoughts exactly. I get that he was asked to provide the emotional underpinning and French whimsy with almost zero reference to the supernatural, but to me that just isn't as exciting as when a composer is allowed to do both. To me what's wonderful about Desplat, and most composers for that matter, is when they find the emotional AMID the otherworldly (for example JNH's M. Knight scores--I kept wanting this one to be Lady in the Water). But even a Deplat retread is supremely deserving for the craft involved. And I suspect 90% of the people who voted couldn't tell you this was the same composer of Benjamin Button (as well as the same score lol)
