Continuing with the series, today comes Part 4. Again, this is not a comprehensive list, just of things I have seen. Let me know what I have missed or need to hear below! For parts 1, 2, and 3, click here, here, and here.
Sugar Storm, from Gone Girl
Empty Places, from Gone Girl
Pound for pound, track for track, the score for Gone Girl may be the best yours truly has heard all year, out of what I’ve seen of course. There will be more than a few that make their way in this particular post, and these are only but a few. The best scores always seem to be done by composers who are totally attune to what the movie calls for at that particular moment. With Sugar Storm and Empty Places, their “appearances” mark a tranquil and calm point in the movie, though what is really cool is how the distortions near the end are heard ever so slightly, signaling that not all is what it seems.
Appearances, from Gone Girl
Just Like You, from Gone Girl
Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor really do have a tremendous feel for making one feel at ease, and then ever so slowly making the person feel uneasy with the modular “jaggedness” interspersed as the tune goes on. Like Empty Places and Sugar Storm, both of these pieces come relatively early in the movie, and though they does sound peaceful, there is an element of artificiality within them that the electric sounds and even the piano has.
Technically, Missing, from Gone Girl
At Risk, from Gone Girl
Repetition, repetition, repetition. In both of these tracks, the usage of it adds to a steady tension, and in the case of Technically, Missing, astonishment. These tracks just like the others totally encapsulate the scene at that particular time (these two scenes are unforgettable, for better or worse). There are more tracks that could have been highlighted from Gone Girl, but let’s stop at six, shall we?
Story of Wick, from John Wick
John Wick is a wonderful looking action movie, pulling bits and pieces from spaghetti Westerns, traditional martial arts, and other familiar styles. Its score seems to pay homage to those styles as well, while still creating its own, electric-heavy feel. Take the Story of Wick. The sound present here feels like what I imagine Wick’s psyche is like: Delicate but driven with a purpose.
The Drowning, from John Wick
LED Spirals/Shots Fired, from John Wick
The score of John Wick is composed by Tyler Bates and Joel J Richard. However, they do receive help from a man known as “Le Castle Vania” in the tracks above. In many of the movie’s big set pieces, they are set to Vania’s influence. These scenes take the life of the tracks they accompany, pulsating with energy and grace, just like John Wick himself. Seriously, take a look at this snippet, where Shots Fired appears:
The shots actually map to the beat! That is indeed awesome, and paraphrasing the great reviewer Polarbears16, John Wick is so cool he makes reloading look elegant (paraphrasing). Everything about John Wick is so fluid and kinetic. Yours truly (sadly) still hasn’t seen The Raid 1 or 2 yet, but the action in this may just be the best of the year.
Who You Talking to Man, from John Wick
One of the few songs in the official soundtrack that features lyrics, this song fits Wick like a tight T-shirt. Filled with angst, a little bravado, and a strumming guitar, if Wick needed a theme, this would be it.
Nightcrawler, from Nightcrawler
Pictures on the Fridge, from Nightcrawler
This title track opens Nightcrawler, and immediately, it makes the viewer feel like they are getting ready to embark on a journey. And not just an traditional, point A to point B journey, but a deeper, complex, and ultimately internal journey into the psyche of a man. Heard again in a different variant later in the film, when more of Lou Bloom’s mindset and how he operates comes to an uneasy light, as if he has become illuminated with a certain eerie vibe.
Lou and Rick on a Roll, from Nightcrawler
Two pieces wrapped into one really. Like morning and night. The first third acts like the calm before the storm for the dynamic duo, while the rest of the thirds give off an adventure, a “time to go to work” feeling with the dynamic guitars and fast paced drums. Just business as usual with this nightcrawler and his cameraman.
The Shootout, from Nightcrawler
The name of the title is pretty self-explanatory as to when this track comes about in the film; to say anymore could be considered a spoiler. To talk briefly on it though, it is a mesmerizing track yet somewhat disturbing as well which may be the point, as Lou Bloom is an odd individual to say the least. Yours truly gets a “higher plane” feeling with this one, like someone has reached nirvana after much meditation.
S.T.A.Y., from Interstellar
Just like director Christopher Nolan, composer Hans Zimmer is one of the, if not the, most visible people working his particular craft in cinema today. Interstellar is a very ambitious and grandiose film, one of the biggest in recent memory, and yet at the core it is really basic and rooted in common themes like love, aspiration, and family.
Many of the tracks, especially Stay and S.T.A.Y, encompass both ends of the spectrum. They hint at the promise and excitement of newfound territory, but also the potential to lose everything most basic and dear to one man. Zimmer is a master at knowing when to accentuate the organs and somber strings, and when to rely on a less is more approach.
No Time for Caution, from Interstellar
One of the more awe-inspiring scenes of the year is made that much more so thanks to this particular piece. Its sound carries a real sense of importance and dread, with a very steady organ and staccato strings. However, this version isn’t exactly how it is heard in the theaters unfortunately, which is a bit of a bummer here. Still, it is a marvelous track and one that is damn near flawless within the movie.
That concludes a very, very lengthy Part 4! Until Part 5…
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Photo credit goes to wbjc.com
All music credits go to the men and women who composed them, and YouTube for acquiring the license to make them available.
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MMJ 
Again man, a great idea and very well executed. I’ll be watching those movies differently the second time around definetely!