Lurker > scarletspeed7

#2 - Game of Thrones: Season 8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1frgt0D_f4

While your mileage may CERTAINLY vary with this season based on how much you like Daenerys Targaryen (or Starbucks), one undeniably brilliant aspect of this show was still firing on all cylinders: the music. Ramin Djawadi has been the standard bearer for television music for almost a decade now, carrying the baton passed to him from Michael Giacchino before. The emotionally satisfying conclusion to the series (musically speaking) was the perfect cap to his amazing work, especially through the last few seasons. In one moment, Djawadi takes us to pulse-pounding action, and in the next he reels back and plays sparse with the instrumentation. Somehow, this score is always perfectly positioned to reinforce or subvert expectations. Ultimately, in the darkest moment of the series, Djawadi came through and delivered big time, saving the day completely.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#3 - Joker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxRHyRXqkSc

Imagine being assigned the uneviable task of taking on the duties of scoring the world of Gotham City after Hans Zimmer's score defined it for the last decade. The music of this film kept me on my toes, never comfortable, always anticipating what was coming next. The main theme itself is surreal and nightmarish, like a funeral march down a spinning alleyway. It works so wonderfully, painting an image totally in sync with Phoenix's Arthur Fleck. Ultimately, a powerful work by Hildur Gudnadottir, enlivened by excellent, careful selections of preexisting music throughout the film.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#4 - Borderlands 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueFmUkAazGs

I was floored by the sudden change in musical quality in Borderlands. The surprising addition of Jesper Kyd in a central role to this soundtrack ended up making all the difference in the world for the title. BL3 was always going to have a tough act to follow, and it was known early on that leaving Pandora would be a key component to the progression of the series. Kyd had a tough tightrope to walk: create a score that tied together while giving these new world an entirely different coat of paint, giving them their own musical hues that differed from what came before. I think Kyd succeeded admirably, creating some haunting moments of science fiction brilliance, from the Meridian Outskirts to the swamps of Jakobs Estate.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#5 - Alita: Battle Angel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsTTFAtNPVI

A strangely sweet little tale that I found a slight fondness for, Alita is uplifted by Tom Holkenborg's score immeasurably. Regardless of your feelings for the film itself, it can't be ignored that the orchestration of its music ended up being a wonderful hidden gem on the year. The tracks that hit home the hardest contain a sorrowful and angelic quality to them, perfectly embodying the iconography the movie is trying to create with its lead protagonist. Ultimately, a soundtrack worth a listen, even if the movie didn't hit home for you.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#6 - Anthem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n1Y2pjEw3w

It's such a shame that the bed was so completely shat by BioWare here, because for my money, Anthem has one of the coolest soundtracks of the year. There are some really unusual components to the score, a flavor I don't think I've quite felt elsewhere. The idea of exploration is so wonderfully and beautifully captivated, and a wild, untamed world is embodied by this score. Ultimately, the score here feels like it's own entity, not bound by the conventions of previous BioWare titles in any way. The fact that hardly anyone has HEARD this score makes me very sad. Of course, experiencing it as its meant to be experienced probably means that you have to slog through a terrible game, so I don't blame anyone on not taking me up on that dubious challenge.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#7 - The Handmaid's Tale: Season 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw_9Bw5DGZY

I found this particular season to be a downturn in overall quality, but The Handmaid's Tale consistently churns out some phenomenal, moving tracks thanks to the amazing ear of Adam Taylor. Building both long, sorrowful moments of tragedy as well as tense, frightening moments of stress and terror, HT, especially this year, was especially buttressed by the music taking the reins in big moments and elevating good scenes to memorable ones. That's the job of a great score, and that role is performed admirably on this Hulu original. Tracks like Turning Point have quickly become major points of replay for me, as I can't help but be captivated with the breathless elegance and simplicity of Taylor's work.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#8 - Kingdom Hearts III
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyPzh1EPVrk

While I may be lukewarm on the game itself, Kingdom Hearts' most recent installation provided one of the more enjoyable scores of the year. A larger budget and better orchestration took the series to the next level of scope in terms of presentation, and it felt as if most, if not all, of the stops were pulled out to make sure the music remained faithful to the first two titles while still evolving forward. There were also a lot of unusual tracks that really subverted my expectations for a KH score, much like the piece posted above. KH3's score is one I've returned to often over the course of the year, and that's impressive given just how much I don't want to return to the game itself.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#9 - 1917
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5fQplTA7GE

The movie may not be out yet, but the score has been online for months, and Sam Mendes' latest outing, no matter the quality, is given epic treatment by the Audiomachine score. Regardless of what the actual film will be like, 1917's score captures the theater of war in some beautiful orchestrations. Powerful rhythms and arpeggiations seem to be the order of the day for this beautiful piece of cinematic symphony. The evolution from the Hans Zimmer school of thought in movie scoring is something to behold.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

The Top 10 Scores and Soundtracks of 2019!

#10 - Cadence of Hyrule
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh1hqY2qXO0

In a brilliant mishmash of roguelike, rhythm, and Zelda, Cadence of Hyrule highlighted a blend of Zelda source material with the Crypt of the Necrodancer's tonally memorable style. The result ended up being one of my personal favorite scores of the year. In a game that is designed to be wholly reliant on strong music, right down to the mechanics, Cadence of Hyrule ends up clearing the bar with room to spare. The variety of remixes span genres and instrumentations while still hewing close to the core of the musical themes that have become such a staple to the Zelda franchise, in effect breathing entirely new life into a franchise that has managed to constantly innovate and stay relevant. The ultimate result is toe-tapping, rhythm becoming the main focus of these pieces that are usually written to be melodious and memorable.


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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

As we chug along to the conclusion of the year, it's time to look back at everything that made 2019 the best 2019 since about four thousand years ago. And who better to objectively chronicle all that was wonderful in this arbitrary calendar metric than me, someone who has watched some things and played some games?

No top ten list is complete without ten items, so in the spirit of complete tennishness, I will be ranking the Top Ten lists of 2019 Top Tens:

10) Top 10 Scores and Soundtracks of 2019
9) Top 10 Comic Books of 2019
8) Top 10 Wrestlers of 2019
7) Top 10 Returning TV Shows of 2019
6) Top 10 Returning Characters of 2019
5) Top 10 Video Games of 2019
4) Top 10 New Characters of 2019
3) Top 10 Films of 2019
2) Top 10 New TV Shows of 2019
1) Top 10 Things to Look Forward To in 2020

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Pokewars posted...

Good. Let the world burn. The best one (Fisto) is out anyway.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jar_Jar_Binks

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Well, if the interest is there, and people are willing to put up with me running this again, I'm all for trying the alternative approach.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I have to assume they desperately need the time to finish editing.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

https://youtu.be/BqIrm4H9-7I?t=7

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

The Arrowverse can end now.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

These are some insanely poor attempts to obfuscate and cover up the truth.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Snake5555555555 posted...

Wild-west style means we wouldn't have to worry much about modern continuity right? Not that it would be a problem really, just want to know.

I think you could choose post-2011 New52/Rebirth or pre-2011 New Earth versions.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

ChichiriMuyo posted...

Getting there. I'm on seven meds and had my first PT two days ago, but I'm improving faster than any of the nurses thought I could.

Edit: also, most of the meds are 0 refills, so maybe a month, maybe less

That sounds like a huge positive. Best of luck in your recovery.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Snake5555555555 posted...

I like the sound of the new style a lot!

I guess I should ask, who is in for a new draft (I'm pushing X-Men to the back of the list for now, so it would be Justice League), and what do people think of drafting, having 3 days to put together their pitches, and having three days to vote?

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

So, Quinton (still getting used to saying that), are you going to post a list of characters we should rank out of?

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

ChichiriMuyo posted...

I'm sorry I didn't respond, I've been hospitalized the last week

I'm really sorry to hear that! I hope you are doing better and whatever has been ailing you is at least somewhat improved!

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

What I'm considering, for a different version of this, is to leave the draft portion exactly as is. Cut the fight portion, and turn the pitch portion into a wild west-style post-whatever-you-want situation. And then everyone ranks two divisions, and the winners of the two divisions get voted on.

I think this would work much better, keep the excitement level there, and allow us to have more drafts with more variety more often.

EDIT: I think some of this is just the growing pains of figuring out what works and what doesn't, and while I'm bummed this variation fell apart, I think a different version would work much better.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

You're just back to bide the time between seasons of The Boys, it's okay.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Yeah, I don't know what I'll do. I think given that almost half of people didn't respond, the desire for this particular project has clearly waned. I thought the drafting portion was a lot of fun, I just need to figure out something for post-draft. But the draft itself was clearly a success.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

ChaosTonyV4 posted...

dude it straight up says "deleted by user"

Holy shit, lmao.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Please leave watching movies to someone else.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I would be on board again!

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

https://t.co/7zWqCMeNAs?amp=1

Now this is big.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I'd put Ted DiBiase before Waltman because the actual NWO did.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

How big is Batista's script for his HOF speech?

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

https://t.co/WGh21cuZTe?amp=1

Get ready for a fourth BioShock title.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Oh, man. RIP. What a phenomenal actor.


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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Maxwell Lord is so much cooler than a lame old Donald Trump. He created the top tier Justice League International just for his own publicity purposes. And he created the even more top tier Justice League Antarctica. He was a soulless corporate tycoon back in 1986. He way predates the modern Trump dialectic. He's all about the Michael Douglas Wall Street greed.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Also calling the utterly amazing Max Lord a not-Donald Trump really shows how ignorant you are of the greatest Justice Leaguer of the 1980s.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Maxwell motherfucking Lord, baby! It's HAPPENING!

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

In any event, the real question is why am I weirdly attracted to your so-called anti-heifer.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Which is why the fights were part of this.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I think I might rework this concept, but I definitely have no interest in trying to run a contest where the pitch is not really a pitch anymore.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Even so, I have 8 teams missing.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I'm trying to decide if I should even post another round since I only got three rosters.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

For some reason I thought Preston pinged me at first.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Don't forget tomorrow at noon is the deadline!

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Zigzagoon posted...

Eristhenes

OMG <3

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Amanda WallerAzraelBatgirlBrutaleCatmanCluemasterCount VertigoDeadshotDeathstrokeFifty SueHector the LionHuntressIsis the CatJesse CusterLashinaNeronOraclePoison IvyRiddlerSolomon GrundyTally ManTrishTwo-FaceVicki ValeWhisper a'Daire

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

It changes all the time now.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I mean, they butchered the character of Cassandra years ago by removing the mute aspect of the character, just like they neutered Barbara Gordon by removing the paralysis.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Had a couple people ask to extend the deadline, so we'll start the round on Sunday, noon.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Your pick is a piece not from this decade.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Like don't get me wrong, these days I actually have lost my passion for BOTH NXT and AEW, but that's the bottom of the barrel reason why.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful