As Martin Scorsese once said, “Music and cinema fit together naturally. Because there’s a kind of intrinsic musicality to the way moving images work when they’re put together. It’s been said that cinema and music are very close as art forms, and I think that’s true.” Indeed, the right piece of music — whether it’s an original score or a carefully selected song — can do wonders for a sequence, and today we’re looking at the 35 films that best expressed this notion this year.
From seasoned composers (e.g. Ennio Morricone, John Williams, Carter Burwell, and Michael Giacchino) to accomplished musicians (e.g. Jonny Greenwood and Johnny Jewel), as well as a smattering of soundtracks (e.g. Mistress America, Magic Mike XXL, and Tangerine), each musical example perfectly transported us to the world of the film. (It’s worth noting that we would include Paul Grimstad and Ariel Pink‘s work from Heaven Knows What, but unfortunately the soundtrack isn’t available at the time.)
Check out our rundown of the top 35, which includes streams to each soundtrack in full, and let us know your favorites in the comments below.
35. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Daniel Pemberton)
34. Cinderella (Patrick Doyle)
33. Entertainment (Various)
32. Tomorrowland (Michael Giacchino)
31. Far From the Madding Crowd (Craig Armstrong)
30. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Joe Kraemer)
29. Tangerine (Various)
28. Lost River (Johnny Jewel)
27. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (The Octopus Project)
26. The Revenant (Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto, and Bryce Dessner)
25. Ex Machina (Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow)
24. Spotlight (Howard Shore)
23. Beasts of No Nation (Dan Romer)
22. The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Various)
21. Macbeth (Jed Kurzel)
20. Magic Mike XXL (Various)
19. The Duke of Burgundy (Cat’s Eyes)
18. Anomalisa (Carter Burwell)
No embed available, but stream here.
17. Jupiter Ascending (Michael Giacchino)
16. Brooklyn (Michael Brook)
15. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (John Williams)
14. Love & Mercy (The Beach Boys and Atticus Ross)
13. Steve Jobs (Daniel Pemberton)
12. Inside Out (Michael Giacchino)
11. Slow West (Jed Kurzel)
No embed available, but stream here.
10. Chi-Raq (Various)
9. Mad Max: Fury Road (Junkie XL)
8. Mistress America (Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips)
7. Sicario (Jóhann Jóhannsson)
6. Queen of Earth (Keegan DeWitt)
5. Eden (Various)
4. It Follows (Disasterpeace)
3. Junun (Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, and The Rajasthan Express)
2. The Hateful Eight (Ennio Morricone)
1. Carol (Carter Burwell)
What was your favorite score or soundtrack of the year?