Original Score Nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards
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One surprise at this year’s Oscar nominations for best score: The Hurt Locker by Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders. The rest were no-brainers, although I wouldn’t mind seeing some more surprises. Here are the nominees in full:
Music (Original Score)
- “Avatar” James Horner
- “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
- “The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
- “Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
- “Up” Michael Giacchino
Who is your favorite and why?
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Comments
i’m in looooooove with Hans Zimmer’s Sherlock Holmes! 
it makes the movie more alive and makes such an excitement when people see the movie.. 
I’m not shocked by these noms. It was slow year all around.
The big surprise for me is that after years and years of 80 orchestrators and 10 additional composers on everything (and interestingly, one close call with the Academy over TDK), Hans suddenly “did everything himself” on SHERLOCK. I call bullshit. :-/
Name Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 11:16 am
That’s cuz he’s got rid of the big orchestra for Holmes. It’s a very stripped down mainly acoustic score. It’s a new direction for him and I’m sure he’s done a lot of this one himself, but he does credit Lorne Balfe with additional music.
Jai Meghan Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
But that’s what I mean. First of all, it is not a “new” direction for Hans. He’s been up to these tricks for years. In fact, this score is completely derivative of many that have come before – including a handful of his own. It’s a good thing he gave Balfe credit. I just wonder what the ratio is of Zimmer:Balfe that we are actually hearing.
Jim Lochner Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Someone told me much of the score is computer-generated orchestral samples and not even performed by a real orchestra. Is this true?
Jorn Tillnes Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Haven’t heard it myself, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Probably a healthy mix.
Jorn Tillnes Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Lorne Balfe did some music for it and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were other names involved in making the music.
I feel it is a very original sound. Definitely nothing like hans’ previous works. People say it sounds like the Jack Sparrow theme, but all it’s got in common is some “quirkyness” which is a broad method of comparison. Different harmonies, different instrumentation, different melodic structure, different rhythm. And I would also venture to suggest that Hans did more on it than Balfe. Anyhow, it’s a fantastic fresh score, and in my opinion fully deserving of the oscar.
Jai Meghan Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Of course it sounds fresh to most people — It’s NOT Hans. If the Academy rule is 50% or 60% or whatever it is (someone who knows, please clarify this), then I think you have to know how much of the score was truly written by Hans Zimmer. The fact of the matter is that Hans has painted himself in the corner of the “unknowing” by all these years hiring ghostwriters. I would know. I WAS one.
The problem is that we don’t know Lorne’s work. Can anyone name a score that they could safely say, “Oh, duh! That’s Lorne Balfe!”? The answer is “no”, we can’t. He’s been Hans’ “additional music” guy for almost ten years. Maybe longer. Hans’ work is so ambiguous that it is hard for me to justify any nominations by the academy when everyone in the industry knows how he works. It’s not illegal, it’s just Hans. He does what he does, the way that he does it… but the Academy needs to start taking that into consideration when they nominate him for something. It’s no accident that the rules were bent for him last year when he got them to throw him a bone on The Dark Knight. He’s a powerful guy.
Jai Meghan´s last blog ..It’s Official: SCOREcast is Culturally Relevant 
Jorn Tillnes Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Well… “It’s NOT Hans”. Of course it isn’t! When has it ever been “just” Hans? Most scores of his are a team-based score. The academy’s rule doesn’t mean anything anymore. Remember The Dark Knight? Zimmer put down 5 composers, got disqualified but then got eligible for an Oscar yet again. Still the Academy use this rule when they feel like it without any consistency.
The academy needs to come down hard on themselves and play it their way. They either have rules or they don’t. They can’t be fickle about this, but they prove again and again that their rules can be bent or broken at any time. It’s not Hans fault, it’s the academy.
Talocan Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Well Hans always mentions on his CD’s who are his additional composers. It’s not like he is hiding it.
It’s fair cause that means studios may hire some of those additional people in the future for smaller productions.
I don’t know if they also get more royalties if ‘their’ additional songs are being used for production purposes but that would seem logical too.
And someday the most lucky and best will go “solo” to and become big like Steve Jablonsky for instance.
Name Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 8:00 am
I didn’t realize you were once a part of Media Ventures. You lucky, lucky man. You obviously know what you’re talking about far more than I do, so I will concede to your better judgment. Respect.
For me, UP should get it, but I’d love to see HURT LOCKER snatch it. You can read my review on this very site
The Hurt Locker by Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders
IMO the best score of this year is Avatar. James Horner used new elements and created a brilliant score
Fantastic Mr. Fox is nice but I think Desplat’s New Moon is much better.
The Hurt Locker is a surprise, that’s right
Sherlock Holmes is an interesting score but in my opinion Zimmers score for Angels and Demons is much better
Up is a very good score but imo not the best one of this year
The two best scores in this list for me are Avatar and Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes has a slight advantage because it was used very good in the movie. I loved the fact that the score was so in-your-face.
From a compositional point of view Avatar is better. It has a lot of nice and new elements. Shame the opening tracks of the soundtrack aren’t that great but the second half is brilliant.
I don’t know why everyones praises Up. Saw the movie and the score fits great there but as a standalone listening it doesn’t do anything with my emotions.
So if either Avatar or Sherlock wins I’m happy
2 snubs come to mind
Debbie Wiseman for Lesbian Vampire Killers
Alan Silvestri for A Christmas Carol
Up And Avatar instead of Lesbian Vampire Killers and Robert Zemeckis’ A Christmas Carol? That’s nuts.
Jorn Tillnes Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
I am shocked that “A Single Man” isn’t nominated, but that’s me.
Who knows the name of the orchestral symphony or whoever it was who recorded it… that played during the 2010 oscar academy awards? Im looking for the name of a song they played during the ending credits. If someone knows please help. Or at least let me know where can I find this info. Thankss
Soundtrack Seek
I’m sure you’re not gonna be surprised at this one, but for me it’s UP, up, and away! As I said in my blog post, I think there were better Desplat scores to nominate, though FMF is certainly an enjoyable, if short, score. I think my thoughts on AVATAR are better left unsaid, though its nomination is no surprise. Jury’s still out on SHERLOCK HOLMES. I haven’t listened to it enough. HURT LOCKER was a total shocker, but it’s riding the wave of the film’s inexplicable popularity. I just don’t get it. (Though I think the score is a refreshing, if unlistenable to most people who aren’t willing to really sit and pay attention to what’s going on it it, change of pace. (Wow, that’s a mighty convoluted sentence! LOL)
Jim Lochner´s last blog ..2009 Academy Award Nominees
Reply
Jorn Tillnes Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Somehow I am not surprised
. Hurt Locker was painful to listen to, I haven’t seen the movie yet though so it might be perfect for it. Still a big surprise.
Reply
Jai Meghan Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
I completely agree. I saw the film last year at an early screening in Hollywood. I don’t get the big deal over this movie. Renner does a terrific job in it, but the rest of the film was lost on me. The score is sound design at best, and I’ve heard that Marco is just as surprised as everyone that it received a category nomination.
Reply
Jim Lochner Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
It’s nice to see I’m not the only one who doesn’t get the big deal on this film. LOL I think Beltrami and Sanders succeed at exactly what they were trying to do. Am I going to sit and listen to it for pleasure? No. But it is interesting in a cerebral way to see what they were doing with it. I bet he’s surprised at the nomination. He wasn’t the only one.
Jim Lochner´s last blog ..Life Upon the Wicked Stage