Awards Season is upon us as mainstream and indie films vie for Hollywood’s most coveted honors from the Screen Actor’s Guild, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to name a few. This also means it’s time for the Annual Awards Nerdism blogathon, hosted by Stevee Taylor at Cinematic Paradox.
The subject is Making a Case for Movies that Probably Won’t Get Any Awards Recognition. So in the name of Taylor’s blogathon, here is a movie that probably won’t get major love in terms of award nominations in the Music categories but I think it should: Skyfall.
Best Original Score
I haven’t bought any movie soundtracks in a long time and composer Thomas Newman’s work on “Skyfall” will change that. There are moments during this latest James Bond film where the music had just as much as, if not more, of my attention than the action taking place on screen -- not in a poor sound mix or unwise choice by the music supervisor or sloppy timing with the editing kind of way but in a "oooh, I’m feeling the intensity of these tunes so much that I want to download them from iTunes" kind of way. The score and the imagery -- complete with great performances, pacing, editing (and everything else happening on screen) complemented each other in a way that is rarely noticeable in the average film.
The score in many films are either so ordinary that I forget that it even exists or these tracks have something going for them but not enough to justify playing in an audio-only listening session. In other words, they aren’t useful in any other medium outside of the movie that they represent. Newman offers audiences -- both movie fans and music aficionados alike -- a film score that can stand on its own with or without James Bond in the picture.
Yes, the “Skyfall” soundtrack may not be expected to serve as nothing more than a suspenseful supporting foundation for which M16’s dangerous missions can be carried out. Maybe that’s why this movie makes for a good “Best Original Score” nominee -- the underlying music carves out its own role as a character operating on equal playing field with 007 himself. That is why I think “Skyfall” is deserving of an award nomination in the music category.
Best Original Song
“Skyfall” by Adele may become my most favorite James Bond theme song, to date. Until now, I favored “Another Way to Die” by Jack White and Alicia Keys, on the “Quantum of Solace” soundtrack but Adele takes the cake -- for almost the same reasons that I’m making a case for Thomas Newman’s score. I say almost because although the song does fit within the movie well, it’s more enjoyable when played as a standard music track on iTunes or YouTube or Pandora, etc. than during the “Skyfall” movie’s opening title sequence. Adele’s voice lends to the music but both elements are beautifully in sync, setting a nice tone for the film’s plot.
It would be easy for anyone who is not familiar with, or aloof to, the James Bond character and “Skyfall” to assume that the Adele’s song is about a couple dedicated to each other, even in times of turmoil. After watching the movie, however, all I can think about is how much this song can be interpreted to reflect a bond between 007 and M -- their sentimental values as well as their unshakeable, yet unspoken, will to protect and support each other, as it relates to the roles and responsibilities that they have taken on at M16.
Have YOU seen “Skyfall” yet?
If YOU were a voting member in a film-industry related organization, in what category would YOU nominate “Skyfall” for an award?