Settling the Score: a Movie Score Podcast

Every time you find yourselves here, Settlers, it's because you chose to come back. The boys share their theories for what the "work" actually is, draft their top Lumon employees, and continue their anti-temp crusade.

It's the most wonderful time of year, and the best way to spread holiday cheer is settling scores for all to hear. Happy holidays, settlers!

That's right settlers, it's time to try defying gravity on this one as the bros take a trip to discuss one of their favorite musicals, and the unique twists John Powell added for its adaptation to the silver screen.

It's been 40 years since the infamous words were first uttered: "I'll be back." The boys are back, discussing the seminal, stripped-down sci-fi film that put James Cameron (and Arnold) on the map.

Ev's score: 9.1 / Al's score: 8.9 / Ky's score: 9

Musical term: 13/16 time signature

Instrumental Instrument: MIDI

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00:00 Like we said...We'll be back

00:46 Diving into The Terminator

02:08 James Cameron's Vision

05:03 Casting Choices and Time Travel

07:10 Brad Fiedel's Iconic Score

16:46 Synthesizers and MIDI

20:15 Settling the Score

It's Ky vs Emperor Hans on this one as we travel back to Ancient Rome just in time for the follow up to Ridley Scott's epic. It's not all splendor and glory though as we uncover the deception and brutality hidden in this classic score.

Musical term: Waltz (music)

Instrumental Instrument: Duduk

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00:00 Ridley Scott's Return to the Coliseum

02:52 Historical Accuracy and Inspirations

08:18 The Cinematic Cavalry Charge Draft

12:04 The Brutality and Themes of Gladiator

15:39 Hans Zimmer's Iconic Score

18:35 The Duduk and Its Role in the Score

20:20 The Duality of Gladiator's Score

22:37 Hot takes on Hans Zimmer

23:12 Gladiators of the Caribbean?

25:19 Why this score cuts deep

33:08 The Waltz of the Gladiators

35:13 Settling the Score

Halloween is upon us, and the night is dark and full of terrors. It’s time for our yearly roundup of the sounds that scared us in 2024!

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Settling is out there! Al is setting off the balloons for this one as the bros take a long awaited adventure to Paradise Falls.

Musical term: Thematic transformation

Instrumental Instrument: Muted Trumpet

00:00 We're back!

00:11 Hans Zimmer and the Great Baltimore Disaster

02:22 Dedicating the Episode

04:37 Analyzing the Emotional Impact of 'Up'

06:56 Pixar's Journey and Giacchino's Contribution

13:18 Musical Themes and Leitmotifs in 'Up'

17:59 Emotional Evolution of the Film

20:00 Partnership and Adventure

23:10 Hope and Thematic Transformation

25:36 Musical Techniques and Analysis

27:39 Nostalgia and Instrumentation

29:52 Scoring the Score

If you like what you hear, follow us on Spotify and opt-in to get notified when we drop future episodes. Better yet, get in touch and keep up with our score-settling antics on TikTok or Instagram

Rule number one...never leave a fellow settler behind. We're going uncorked on this one as the bros bring on a special guest and Crashers extraordinaire to help settle their first ever R-rated comedy.

Al's score: 6.8

Ky's score: 8.0

Chuck's score: 7.6

Musical term: Pentatonic scale

Instrumental Instrument: Irish bouzouki

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Ev takes the boys back to the “best year in film”, when Sam Mendes’ directorial debut captured the zeitgeist of late 90s suburban America. It swept the awards circuit then...but how does it hold up 25 years later?

Ev's score: 8.6 / Al's score: 8.5 / Ky's score: 8.6

Musical term: Vertical Time

Instrumental Instrument: Tabla

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The boys set out to make some core memories by diving into Michael Giacchino’s emotional :) score for Inside Out.

Ev's score: 8.3 / Al's score: 8.7 / Ky's score: 8.5

Musical term: Pastiche

Instrumental Instrument: Glass bowls

If you like what you hear, follow us on Spotify and opt-in to get notified when we drop future episodes. Better yet, get in touch and keep up with our score-settling antics on TikTok or Instagram.