Movie Music U.K. Music Awards 2003
Unlike other score awards on the Internet, the Movie Music UK Score Awards are limited to those films which have opened in the UK between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2003 - meaning that scores for films which opened in the USA in 2002 (such as Frida, The Hours, Catch Me If You Can, Far From Heaven, Spirited Away, Star Trek Nemesis, The Four Feathers, Treasure Planet, Gangs of New York, The Pianist, About Schmidt, Adaptation, 25th Hour etc.) but did not reach the UK until 2003 are eligible for this year's awards.

Similarly, scores for films which have opened in the USA but had not played in theatres in Britain before the closing date (such as The Last Samurai, House of Sand and Fog, The Missing, Big Fish, Angels in America, Looney Tunes Back in Action, Beyond Borders, Radio, Open Range, Mona Lisa Smile, Something's Gotta Give, The Cooler, Girl With a Pearl Earring etc.) are not eligible for the 2003 awards, and will be included in next year's list. For a full list of eligible films, please see the list at the bottom of this page.


SCORE OF THE YEAR

At the end of it all, Howard Shore's finale to his three-picture masterpiece, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", was destined to take top spot, not only for its sheer overwhelming brilliance, but for the sheer audacity Shore showed in writing what amounted to a single, nine-hour score spread over three years. A multitude of thematic content, devastating emotional impact, choral majesty - it was all there, and Return of the King proved to be a fitting musical accompaniment to the best FILM of the year too. Both Matrix sequels, "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions", were hugely disappointing movies, but Don Davis once again managed to push the musical envelope by combining avant-garde orchestral compositional techniques with monumental choral writing, over a bed of pulsating techno and electronica. His epic action sequences were some of the highlights of the year, resulting in *both* his sequel scores being in the running for the best of 2003. After failing to impress for several years, John Frizzell (with additional music by Randy Edelman) composed arguably the finest score of his career for "Gods & Generals", the sequel to the 1992 epic Gettysburg. Employing large orchestral forces and more than a hint of Appalachian style, Frizzell captured the sound and scope of the American Civil War, as well as the romance and drama of the people who fought and died during it. And, finally, Edward Shearmur's score for the spy spoof "Johnny English" was 2003's biggest surprise and guiltiest pleasure - a pastiche of David Arnold's pastiche of John Barry's James Bond sound, which overflowed with energy and good humour, and cemented Shearmur in my mind at least as the man who should take over the 007 franchise when Arnold moves on.


COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

By writing two of 2003's five best scores, as well as music for the spin-off "Animatrix", and the diabolical action movie "Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever", Don Davis is an easy choice for Composer of the Year. To date, The Matrix series has been the defining project of his career, and the sleek, modern, intelligent sounds he composed for Neo, Trinity and Morpheus look to have set a benchmark for high-brow science fiction for years to some. Howard Shore, similarly, has seen his work on The Lord of the Rings become a career turning point for him, and his score for the third instalment, "The Return of the King" a high point in the series. Shore wrote two other scores in 2003 - the stark "Spider", and the Irish-inflected "Gangs of New York", which features selections from his classical work "Brooklyn Heights". Both Brian Tyler and Harry Gregson-Williams were prolific in 2003, both in terms of quality and quantity. Tyler broke into the forefront of the composing circle with his work on "Darkness Falls", "The Hunted", the TV series "Children of Dune, and by replacing Jerry Goldsmith on the ill-fated "Timeline", while Gregson-Williams also contributed quality scores to three high profile movies, ranging from the animated adventure "Sinbad: The Legend of the Seven Seas", to the brutal Irish political thriller "Veronica Guerin". Finally, John Frizzell, had one of the most productive years of his career, with five scores, including one of the year's best ("Gods & Generals") and several box-office hits to his name

Of the others, it was a quiet year for the big boys - John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner and Danny Elfman had just one movie each - while Hans Zimmer continued to be busy enough, but was just a little lacklustre in terms of creative output. The busiest composers included Klaus Badelt, who scored five movies, including the massive hit "Pirates of the Caribbean"; Christophe Beck, whose five efforts look to be ushering in his transition from being "the guy who does Buffy the Vampire Slayer" to full-fledged film composer; Mark Mothersbaugh, who bounced across genres scoring five massively different films - the majority of which, sadly, flopped. John Powell scored four movies, including one of 2003's biggest bombs in "Gigli", as did James Newton Howard (whose best was "Peter Pan"), Trevor Rabin (about whom I can write nothing positive, so I'll remain silent), Graeme Revell (who surprised everyone with the infectious "Out of Time"), and promising youngster Theodore Shapiro (who had a minor hit with "Old School").


NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Young French composer Philippe Rombi burst onto the international scene in 2003 with his deliciously creepy score for the thriller "Swimming Pool", one of several collaborations with director François Ozon. Seemingly a natural successor to the likes of Herrmann and Donaggio, Rombi's exquisite touch and sinister lyricism was easily the discovery of the year. Newcomer Ben Charest brought life and energy to the unique French animation "Belleville Rendez-Vous" (aka "The Triplets of Belleville"), marking him as a name to watch in European cinema in future. Steve Jablonsky finally stepped out of Hans Zimmer's shadow and announced himself to the world as a solo composer with his cinematic debut, a remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", while guitarist David Torn dropped his ugly 'splattercell' pseudonym and contributed an effective debut score for the occult thriller "The Order" (aka "The Sin Eater"). Finally, while not a newcomer in industry terms, director Robert Rodriguez added yet another arrow to his auteur's bow by composing the scores for both "Spy Kids 3D" and "Once Upon A Time in Mexico" - this in addition to writing, directing, producing, photographing and editing them too!

Other new names in 2003 worth watching included Icelandic composer Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson ("In The Cut"), English folk music duo Kate Rusby and John McCusker, Riccardo Del Fra, "Daft Punk" front man Thomas Bangalter, Drew Neumann ("The Wild Thornberries"), Jacques Davidovici, Eban Schletter ("Dumb and Dumberer"), Reynaud Pion and Paul Englishby.


BEST SCORE - DRAMA OR ROMANTIC DRAMA

Special mentions should also go to TERENCE BLANCHARD for 25th Hour, SIMON BOSWELL for The Sleeping Dictionary, CARTER BURWELL for Adaptation, MYCHAEL DANNA for Antwone Fisher, RICCARDO DEL FRA for La Trilogie, PATRICK DOYLE for Calendar Girls and Secondhand Lions, CLINT EASTWOOD for Mystic River, CLIFF EIDELMAN for The Lizzie McGuire Movie, GAVIN FRIDAY and MAURICE SEEZER for In America, Oscar winner ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL for Frida, Oscar nominee PHILIP GLASS for The Hours, HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS for Veronica Guerin, HILMAR ÖRN HILMARSSON for In The Cut, DAN JONES for Max, WOJCIECH KILAR for The Pianist, JOEL McNEELY for Holes, RICHARD G. MITCHELL for To Kill A King, RACHEL PORTMAN for Nicholas Nickleby, Oscar nominee JOHN WILLIAMS for Catch Me If You Can, and GABRIEL YARED for Cold Mountain.


BEST SCORE - COMEDY OR ROMANTIC COMEDY

Special mentions should also go to CHRISTOPHE BECK for American Wedding, CARTER BURWELL for Intolerable Cruelty, TEDDY CASTELLUCCI for Anger Management, JOHN DEBNEY for Bruce Almighty, ROLFE KENT for Freaky Friday and Legally Blonde 2, DAVID NEWMAN for How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, MICHAEL NYMAN for The Actors, JOHN POWELL for Gigli and Two Weeks Notice, MARC SHAIMAN for Down With Love, ALAN SILVESTRI for Maid in Manhattan, CHRISTOPHER YOUNG for The Country Bears, and HANS ZIMMER for Matchstick Men.


BEST SCORE - ANIMATION

Special mentions should also go to BENOÎT CHAREST for Belleville Rendez-Vous, RICHARD GIBBS for 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, CARL JOHNSON for Piglet's Big Movie, YOKO KANNO for Cowboy Bebop, MARK MOTHERSBAUGH for Rugrats Go Wild, DREW NEUMANN for The Wild Thornberries Movie, and JAMES NEWTON HOWARD for Treasure Planet.


BEST SCORE - THRILLER, ACTION OR ADVENTURE

Special mentions should also go to KLAUS BADELT for Ned Kelly, RANDY EDELMAN for Shanghai Knights, DANNY ELFMAN for Hulk, CHRISTOPHER GORDON for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, RICHARD HARTLEY for Don Quixote, JOHN OTTMAN for Trapped, JOHN POWELL for Agent Cody Banks, GRAEME REVELL for Out of Time, RYUICHI SAKAMOTO for Femme Fatale, ERIC SERRA for Bulletproof Monk, ALAN SILVESTRI for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - Cradle of Life, DAVID TORN for The Order, and BRIAN TYLER for The Hunted.


BEST SCORE - FANTASY, SCIENCE FICTION OR HORROR

Special mentions should also go to MARCO BELTRAMI for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, JOHN FRIZZELL for Ghost Ship, JERRY GOLDSMITH for Star Trek: Nemesis, JOE HISAISHI for Dolls, TREVOR JONES for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, RANDY MILLER for Firestarter II: Rekindled, JAMES NEWTON HOWARD for Dreamcatcher, JOHN OTTMAN for X-Men 2, GRAEME REVELL for Below, BRIAN TYLER for Timeline, and HANS ZIMMER for The Ring.


BEST SCORE - DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Special mentions should also go to JONNY GREENWOOD for Bodysong, DANIEL HULSIZER for Spellbound, ALBERTO IGLESIAS for Comandante, ROBERT LANE for Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer, and JOHN LUNN for Bugs!.


BEST SCORE - FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Special mentions should also go to THOMAS BANGALTER for Irreversible, BENOÎT CHAREST for Belleville Rendez-Vous, RICCARDO DEL FRA for La Trilogie, PASCAL ESTÉVE for L'Homme du Train, ANNETTE FRADERA for Perfume de Violetas, LUCIANO GODOY for Intacto, JOE HISAISHI for Dolls, ANGEL ILLARAMENDI for Son of the Bride, KENJI KAWAI for Dark Water, ANTONIO PINTO and ED CORTÉS for City of God, JOHN SURMAN for Respiro, and PUJIAN WANG for Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.


BEST SCORE - TELEVISION

This award relates to scores films which premiered on British TV during 2003, regardless of whether they played theatrically, were released on VHS or DVD, or premiered on TV elsewhere in another year. It is the BRITISH release date that counts, and the fact that the first time it was seen anywhere in the UK was on TV.

Special mentions should also go to NEAL ACREE for Gale Force, ELIA CMIRAL for Bones, ERIC COLVIN for Monte Walsh, NORMAND CORBEIL for Hitler: The Rise of Evil, JEFF DANNA and MYCHAEL DANNA for The Matthew Shepard Story, DON DAVIS for Hell Swarm, CLIFF EIDELMAN for An American Rhapsody, MURRAY GOLD for The Second Coming, STEVE GUTHEINZ for Trois II: Pandora's Box, ROBERT LANE for Charles II: The Power and Passion and Henry VIII, JULIAN NOTT for Death in Holy Orders, JOHN OTTMAN for Point of Origin, and DEBBIE WISEMAN for P.O.W.


BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Special mentions should also go to Golden Globe nominees BONO, GAVIN FRIDAY and MAURICE SEEZER for "Time Enough For Tears" from In America; Oscar nominees BONO, THE EDGE, ADAM CLAYTON and LARRY MULLEN for "The Hands That Built America" from Gangs of New York; PATRICK DOYLE and BETH NIELSEN CHAPMAN for "I Find Your Love" from Calendar Girls; BERNARD FANNING for "Shelter For My Soul" from Ned Kelly; Oscar nominees ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL and JULIE TAYMOR for "Burn It Blue" from Frida; and Golden Globe nominee STING for "You Will be My Ain True Love" from Cold Mountain.


BEST SINGLE CUE

Special mentions should also go to MYCHAEL DANNA for "Oor Es Mayr Eem" from Ararat; DON DAVIS and JUNO REACTOR for "Burly Brawl" from The Matrix Reloaded, and for "Matrix Reloaded Score Suite" from The Matrix Reloaded; JOHN DEBNEY for "Main Title/Buddy's Journey" from Elf; JOHN FRIZZELL for "Gods & Generals" from Gods & Generals; ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL for "Bullet Frenzy" from S.W.A.T.; HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS and PETE ST. JOHN for "Bad News" from Veronica Guerin; JOHN OTTMAN for "Suite from X2" from X-Men 2; GRAEME REVELL for "Out of Time Theme" from Out of Time; PHILIPPE ROMBI for "Theme from Swimming Pool" from Swimming Pool; EDWARD SHEARMUR for "For England" from Johnny English, and with HOWARD GOODALL for "Theme from Johnny English" from Johnny English; BRIAN TYLER for "Evil Rises" from Darkness Falls, and for "Summon the Worms" and "Inama Nushif (Montage)" from Children of Dune.


BEST RE-RELEASE OR RE-RECORDING

Special mentions should also go to CLÉMENT FONTAINE for Georges Delerue's The French Revolution (Disques Cinemusique); LUKAS KENDALL for Jerome Moross's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Leonard Rosenman's The Cobweb/Edge of the City, Miklós Rózsa's Knights of the Round Table/The King's Thief, and Miklós Rózsa's Plymouth Adventure (FSM); JOHN MORGAN and BILL STROMBERG for Max Steiner's All This and Heaven Too, and Dimitri Tiomkin's Red River (Marco Polo); ROBERT TOWNSON for Elmer Bernstein's Hawaii: The Deluxe Edition, Aaron Copland's Something Wild, Jerry Goldsmith's Magic, James Horner's Commando, Alan Silvestri's Predator, and Franz Waxman's The Story of Ruth (Varése Sarabande); and TAYLOR WHITE for Lee Holdridge's The Dreamer of Oz (Percepto).


BEST COMPILATION


BEST UNRELEASED SCORE

Other unreleased scores badly in need of a release include CRAIG ARMSTRONG for The Magdalene Sisters, CHRISTOPHE BECK for American Wedding, TEDDY CASTELLUCCI for Anger Management, CLIFF EIDELMAN for The Lizzie McGuire Movie, CHRISTOPHER GUNNING for The Boy David Story, HILMAR ÖRN HILMARSSON for In The Cut, DAN JONES for Max, WOJCIECH KILAR for The Pianist, ROLFE KENT for Freaky Friday, DAVID NEWMAN for How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, JOHN POWELL for Agent Cody Banks, and HANS ZIMMER for The Ring.


COMPLETE LIST OF ELIGIBLE SCORES (AND THEIR COMPOSER)


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