An element which can truly make or break a picture is the soundtrack. The music can set the mood by escalating a romantic moment, adding speed and power to a car chase or adding tension before a big scare. I am personally very big on soundtracks, even as a kid I had made a tape with the Beverly Hills Cop theme on one side, Fletch on the other and would drive around town as it were the soundtrack to the movie of me -OK I may have issues-. As I got older I grew to appreciate grander sounds and became more aware of the greatness of some movie scores. I often get chills during moments where oorchestrated excellence is choreographed perfectly within a scene. Composers like John Williams (Superman Returns Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade , Revenge of the Sith) and Iva Davies (Master and Commander) have helped take films which were visually pleasing and made them auditorially stimulating as well. If you are like me, then I recommend checking out Beethoven Radio. It’s an online radio station that only plays classical music, but dedicates time of the day for featuring famous movie scores. At 11:00am EST you can listen to Film at Eleven and again at 2:00pm EST the Two O’Clock Matinee airs. Each one is about 30 to 45 minutes long and you can hear some great favorites. You can also send in requests, which I do all the time. So if you want to hear Jaws, The Lord of the Rings or Waltz 2 from Jazz Suite by Shostakovich -tell tail of a Stanley Kubrick film- you can do just that.
What are some of your favorite soundtracks or scores and which do you prefer in movies?
Update: Also check out Streaming Sound Tracks (dot)com thanks dRob.
