The Film Scorer

Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey Score Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

The Mission Impossible franchise has been going strong for nearly thirty years, so it's a bit surreal to see it apparently come to an end, with Tom Cruise hanging up the mantle as Ethan Hunt. To celebrate the final entry, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, the film's composers Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey join the show! Naturally, the three of us spend most of the interview talking about Mission: Impossible, including spending a year straight exclusively scoring the film, how score fits into the broader film making process in a project of this scale, the difficulty in scoring the two major set pieces, and how and when to utilize Lalo Schifrin's iconic main theme.

The last point was a particularly interesting one to me, as I've seen quite a few people wondering about it as well given that they don't quote the full theme often at all. Trust me, it's all intentional and done for good reason!

I also want to point out how prevalent the theme of teamwork is in this interview. Naturally, it's become a main thematic motif throughout the film series, with Cruise's Ethan Hunt willing to essentially do anything possible to save his team (and, in turn, save the world). Would Max or Alfie hold onto a biplane as it speeds thousands of feet in the air? Not sure. But they will spend a lot of timing raising up their colleagues and team members. Something I can definitely get behind.

One note: Alfie's voice is the first you'll hear and Max provides the first longer answer.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is currently in theaters, and Max and Alfie's score (as well as much of their other work) is available on all major platforms.

Scoring Squid Game with Jung Jae-Il (Parasite, Mickey 17)

Ahead of the premiere of the third and final season of Squid Game, I chat with the show's composer, Jung Jae-Il (Parasite, Mickey 17). Obviously Jae-Il and I spend much of the conversation talking about Squid Game, including the palette, the differences in score and approach between the seasons (due to different games and loads of character deaths), and the closure that season 3 brings. Along the way we cover things like 90s British death metal, the piano as his natural language, the social themes of the projects he scores, and plenty more.

Season 3 of Squid Game premieres on Netflix on June 27, and Jae-Il's score is forthcoming. However, much of Jae-Il's other music, including scores and solo work, is available physically and on all major platforms.

We also used a translator here (although Jae-Il's English is very good), whose voice you will hear throughout the interview.

Leo Birenberg & Zach Robinson (Cobra Kai, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man)

Composers Leo Birenberg & Zach Robinson join The Film Scorer Podcast to round out the unofficial (and accidental) trilogy of duo interviews (joining Meg Remy & Grace Glowicki and Aaron May & David Ridley). Leo and Zach are fresh off of scoring the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai as well as the first season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, so it's no surprise that we spend much of our conversation talking about those two scores (and Cobra Kai as a whole). In doing so, we cover things like the importance of putting their own stamp on a score (including making individual Cobra Kai fights seem unique and making their Spider-Man distinct from the many other entries), the daunting nature of creating a Spider-Man score in the wake of Daniel Pemberton's masterpieces, and the bittersweet nature of finishing Cobra Kai. For reference, of the two, Leo is the first to speak.

Leo & Zach's scores are available on all major platforms, as are their other various other scores. There's also a compilation album of "greatest hits" from Cobra Kai seasons 4, 5, and 6 coming out later this year via Mutant. Cobra Kai is currently on Netflix while Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is on Disney+. You can find out more about Leo & Zach on their respective websites (Leo; Zach).

Adolescence with Aaron May and David Ridley

For my second of three consecutive duo interviews, I chat with composers Aaron May and David Ridley. While they've been composing together for a while, their biggest project is also their most recent - the viral Netflix series Adolescence, from director Philip Barantini and starring Stephen Graham. It's not surprise, then, that we spend a lot of our chat talking about the series, including working in the single take, real time format, understanding that the series might not need score at all, and the genesis of the child vocalization that forms an integral part of their score's palette. Dave has also scored all of Phil's projects, with Aaron also scoring all but the first two, so we discuss this long term director combination as well as how the two work together (and work separately).

This is one of the more tangential conversations I've had - Aaron and Dave warned me beforehand that it might happen, but I certainly instigated it! I should have known it was coming when we lost track of time before recording talking about East Anglia and the British ritual/folk year. Shame that wasn't recorded too...

Aaron and Dave's score is available on all major platforms, as are their other scores and their debut solo albums (each released in 2023). Adolescence is currently on Netflix, and there are rumors that a second season may come (though this would at least be a surprise to me). You can find out more about Aaron and Dave on their joint website.

The "Best" Film Scores of 2024

Although we're now a couple months into 2025, I finally present you with the "best" film scores of 2024. As usual, there are some very mainstream scores in here that most observers would agree with and there are a few left field choices. If you're a longtime listener, that shouldn't surprise you. As with all of these lists, although I say they're the "best", what I really mean is these are my favorites. Who's to say what's really the best? Surely not me.

If you can't control yourself, look below to see what scores I picked, though you'll miss out on the why of it all. And make sure to check out my conversation with David Rosen (from Piecing It Together) to see what we think are the best film scores of the decade (so far).

• Evil Does Not Exist – Eiko Ishibashi
• Smile 2 – Cristobal Tapia de Veer
• Megalopolis - Osvaldo Golijov
• AGGRO DR1FT – AraabMuzik
• Dune 2 – Hans Zimmer
• The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
• Challengers – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
• Le Comte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo) - Jerome Rebotier
• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - John Paesano
• A Different Man – Umberto Smerilli

The Best Film Scores of the 2020s (So Far) (with Piecing It Together)

It's a bit worrying to realize that we're now over halfway through the 2020s - where has the time gone? Well, I suppose we all know one collective reason why it feels like a blur... But rather than lament the passage of time, I've decided to celebrate what's been released during the last five years; specifically, celebrating the "best" film scores of the decade, so far.

Joining me in this endeavor is David Rosen, a fellow podcast host and film composer. Dave and I have "known" each other virtually for a few years now and this gave us a good reason to hop on video for a little while. I'll also give a shout out to Dave's primary podcast, Piecing It Together, where he and various guest hosts look at what past films (the puzzle pieces) have inspired the films of today (the puzzle). It's a pretty cool show, even if I've always been too hesitant to hop on and join for an episode.

If you don't want to listen, you can see each of our lists below (though you'll miss out on the why of the choices, which is most of the fun). My list isn't presented in any particular order while Dave's is presented in descending order, saving the best for last. Don't be shy, feel free to chime in (whether commenting on this episode, dm, or calling me out publicly) with some of your favorite scores of the decade too.

Nick's List:

• Blonde – Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
• Drive My Car – Eiko Ishibashi
• Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson
• The Batman – Michael Giacchino
• Dune (Parts 1 and 2) – Hans Zimmer
• The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
• The Green Knight – Daniel Hart
• The Personal History of David Copperfield – Christopher Willis
• Cryptozoo – John Carroll Kirby
• Smile 2 – Cristobal Tapia de Veer

Dave’s List:

10. Challengers – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

9. Gretel and Hansel – Rob

8. The Last Duel – Harry Gregson-Williams

7. Minari – Emile Mosseri

6. The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg

5. Smile 2 – Cristobal Tapia de Veer

4. Conclave – Volker Bertelmann

3. A Different Man – Umberto Smerilli

2. Windfall – Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans

1. Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson

Dead Lover with Meg Remy (aka U.S. Girls) and Grace Glowicki

In an absolute coincidence, during International Women's Month Meg Remy (U.S. Girls) and Grace Glowicki join me on The Film Scorer Podcast! Our primary focus is the film Dead Lover, for which Grace is director, co-writer, and lead actress and Meg provided most of the score. As such, we talk about the film itself, the music (and how Meg and Grace worked together on it, trying to find a unifying style), and the benefit of having a female director and composer working together on a female-centric film.

The reason I say that Meg provided most of the score is because of the unusual approach they took to music on the film. Dead Lover is set in a sort of kaleidoscopic Victorian England that constantly jumps around in palette, tone, and style, and with added influences like German Expressionism and silent film. So Meg wrote original music, but also started pulled old music she'd written 15-20 years ago sitting unused on hard drives and scouring public domain music as well. While the final music is incredibly diverse, jumping from opera to 70s prog doom, they manage to unify it and make it all work.

Meg's score release is forthcoming (I believe), but her other music is available on all major platforms. Dead Lover is currently on the festival circuit, including at SXSW on March 9. You can find out more about Meg/U.S. Girls on her website.

Rihards Zalupe Scores Flow

Rihards Zalupe joins The Film Scorer Podcast! Rihards' latest score is for the Oscar and BAFTA nominated animated film Flow, which he co-composed with the film's writer and director Gints Zilbalodis. As such, Rihards and I spend much of our conversation talking about the score, including creating themes or specific sonic palette choices for each of the film's different animal main characters, co-composing a score with the film's director (which was also Gints' first time working with a composer on one of his films), and how Cat has become one of Latvia's national heroes.

Rihards' score, and much of his other music, is available on all major platforms. Flow is available on demand or streaming on HBO Max. You can find out more about Rihards on his website.

Awards Season 2025: Best Original Scores at the BAFTAs and the Oscars

The BAFTAs air on February 16 and the Oscars on March 2. I'd never consider myself a big awards season guy, but I love that it's the one time of year where film music is widely celebrated and has a little spotlight, if only briefly. As such, here's a little peek into the six nominated scores between the two awards.

I've also done interviews on two of the six nominated scores (The Wild Robot and The Brutalist) and also interviewed Volker Bertelmann a little while back about his BAFTA and Oscar winning score for All Quiet on the Western Front, so seek those out as well

BAFTAs:

• Nosferatu – Robin Carolan
• Emilia Perez– Camille and Clément Ducol
• Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
• The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers
• The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg

Oscars:

• Wicked  – John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
• Emilia Perez– Camille and Clément Ducol
• Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
• The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers
• The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
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Film Score Recap: April Through June 2024

Although we've just entered 2025, this series is deep in the middle of 2024. The months of April, May, and June released some of my favorite scores of the year (feel free to guess which) as well as arguably the most popular score of the year in Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's Challengers, and plenty more scores, both big and small. I also noticed that I've interviewed almost a third of the composers mentioned during this period - I still get surprised now and again with just how many folks I've interviewed!

Keep your eye on The Film Scorer website for reviews and articles covering some of these scores, including detailed writeups and lists.

April: https://thefilmscorer.com/the-best-film-scores-of-april-2024/ 

For a full list of the scores discussed in this episode, see below:

• Challengers - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
• Confidenza - Thom Yorke
• Horizon: An American Saga, Chapter 1 - John Debney
• The Dead Don't Hurt - Viggo Mortensen
• Le Comte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo) - Jerome Rebotier
• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - John Paesano
• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Tom Holkenborg
• Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver - Tom Holkenborg
• Young Woman and the Sea - Amelia Warner
• The Rooster - Stefan Gregory
• The Swimming Diaries - Donna McKevitt
• Evil Does Not Exist - Eiko Ishibashi
• The First Omen - Mark Korven
• All You Need Is Death - Ian Lynch
• I Saw the TV Glow - Alex G
• The Glassworker - Carmine Di Florio and Usman Riaz
• Back to Black - Nick Cave and Warren Elli
• Sasquatch Sunset - The Octopus Project
• Civil War - Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury
• We Grown Now - Jay Wadley
• Unfrosted - Christophe Beck
• The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - Christopher Benstead
• If - Michael Giacchino
• Hit Man - Graham Reynolds