Thursday Movie Picks: Unforgettable Film Scores

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A weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves

Hello and welcome back to the Thursday Movie Picks series. Thanks to Brittani over Rambling Film who suggested the theme, this week we are asked to pick three to five unforgettable musical scores. Since it was Damien Chazelle's birthday last Sunday — and I completely forgot to write the appreciation post I wanted to write in January 2019 — I decided to go with scores from his films, three unforgettable scores composed by Justin Hurwitz. 

First Man (2018) - Review

Plot: Set between 1961 and 1969, this biographical drama of astronaut Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) follows the journey that made Armstrong the first man to walk on the moon. 

This is a terrific character study of a quiet, introverted man haunted by death of his daughter who saw in landing on the moon his only chance at finding peace. Gosling's performance is downright superb as he conveys feelings and emotions mostly through subtle facial movements. Equally excellent is Hurwitz's score that carries the emotional intensity to perfection. I'm still not sure how this did not win Best Score. 

La La Land (2016) - Review

Plot: Aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) and dedicated jazz musician Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) meet while pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles, the city known for destroying hopes. 

A moving love letter to Hollywood, La La Land is a charming, inspiring film that pushes you to pursue your dreams, even when the outcome may not be exactly what you want. The performances are terrific, the cinematography gorgeous and the ending heartbreaking, but the score is was stuck the most with me of the film. It doesn't simply accompany the film, it makes the film. 

Whiplash (2014) - Review

Plot: Andrew (Miles Teller) is a young man with a dream, becoming one of the greatest jazz drummers of his generation. In order to achieve that, not only he has to be better than his fellow students but he has to impress his instructor (J.K. Simmons).

This is a tense and exciting drama about not giving up and pursuing one's dreams, it has great performances — a surprisingly good one from Teller and an excellent, Oscar-worthy one from Simmons — but what stuck with me the most is the score. Simply magnificent. 

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