Decision to Leave (BBC4, Sat 9:00PM) offers an atmospheric score by Cho Young-wuk (Cliff Walkers, Pandora, The Tiger) who regularly collaborates with director Park Chan-Wook. The movie follows a detective investigating a murder who begins to suspect the dead man’s wife may know more than she initially lets on and finds himself trapped in a web of deception and desire.
War of the Worlds (Film4, Sat 9:00pm) is Stephen Spielberg's dramatisation of the HG Wells classic starring Tom Cruise. There are no prizes for guessing that this was scored by John Williams (Schindler' List, Jurassic Park, Star Wars).
The Theory of Everything (BBC2 10:00pm) score was composed by Jóhann Jóhannsson (I Am Here, Arrival, Last and First Men). The soundtrack is characterized by its minimalist and emotionally evocative compositions. Jóhannsson used piano, strings, and electronic elements to create a score that complements the intimate and personal aspects of the Stephen Hawkins story. Johannsson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category.
The popular and rousing soundtrack to The Greatest Showman (C4, Sun 5:45pm) includes songs sung by members of the cast including Zac Efron, Hugh Jackman and Loren Allred. The soundtrack reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first soundtrack to achieve this feat since "Frozen" in 2014. Several songs from the soundtrack, including "Rewrite the Stars" and "A Million Dreams," were later released as remixes or covers by various artists, contributing to the soundtrack's continued popularity.
A Knight's Tale (Film4, Mon 6:25pm) features a score composed by Carter Burwell (Fargo, No Country for Old Men, Being John Malkovich). Given the film's setting in medieval Europe, Burwell incorporated elements of medieval music into the score. This includes the use of period instruments and musical styles to create an authentic atmosphere. One of the unique aspects of the film's soundtrack is its blend of medieval music with contemporary rock and pop songs. The score includes both traditional orchestral compositions and modern tracks, creating a distinctive and unconventional musical experience. The film notably features a jousting scene set to David Bowie's song "Golden Years." This anachronistic use of a modern song adds a layer of humor and energy to the film.
The Equalizer (Film 4, Tue 9:00pm) kicked off a successful reboot for the 1980s TV show with Denzel Washington in the leading role. The score was composed by Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek, Man on Fire, The Martian). Gregson-Williams has collaborated with director Antoine Fuqua on multiple projects, and their partnership often results in impactful and fitting scores for the films they work on together.
The soundtrack to A Star is Born (BBC1, Wed 10:40pm) included the song "Shallow" which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 91st Academy Awards in 2019. In the below video, Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson and Lukas Nelson talk about creating the sound for the lead character: Jackson Maine.
Blade II (Quest, Thu 9:00pm) sees Wesley Snipes return a half-human/half-vampire - Blade. The film was scored by Marco Beltrami (Scream, The Faculty, Sixth Sense). Marco Beltrami has become particularly well-known for his contributions to horror films. In addition to "Scream," he has worked on the scores for horror franchises like "Resident Evil," "The Omen," and "A Nightmare on Elm Street."
Toe-tapping dance hit Footloose (Film4, Fri 9:00pm) has a soundtrack featuring the title song from Kenny Loggins and Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For a Hero. The song Footloose was nominated for Best Original Song at the 1985 Academy Awards alongside other popular 80s fare such as Ghostbusters and Phil Collin's Against All Odds but lost out that year to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Loved You."