Movie Scores I WANT

I've been spending some time over there at filmtracks.com listening to clips, and I have to say I'm seriously drooling over The Lady in the Water by James Horner - it sounds incredible. Soundtrack.net has a special promotion with :30 of each track. At first the main theme didn't sit well but after a few listens it's growing on me fast. I'm especially impressed with "The Blue World." A shame that it ends with several pop songs (I never like the pop songs, they take space away from more film music) but oh well. At least it's Bob Dylan. Lady in the Water is going to the top of my "to buy preferably used and cheap over Ebay" list. But who knows, maybe I'll buy my first new CD of the year. There is no desire to see the film, however.

Don't boys' choirs rock?

Otherwise I'm paying close attention to those auctions for Sommersby already running over $20 used and I wish, oh wish, for a chance to pick up an affordable copy of Black Beauty (difficult to find for less than $40). [For all at filmtracks.com you'll find audio clips on the left, about halfway down the page.] Both were films I teared up at and as always, if I become emotionally involved in a film the chances are high that it has a fine soundtrack. Did I mention I have a penchant for Danny Elfman (and expensive OOP CD's)? And I have a weakness for trumpet solos, such as the Sommersby title track. Maybe I'll just compromise and get Elfman's second compilation CD, Music for a Darkened Theater, Volume 2 which has arrangements from both films.

Ok, so getting away from Elfman... Long on my list have also been Willow (James Horner) (take a listen, you might recognize the march theme, though the clip I want to hear more of is "Bavmorda's Spell is Cast" as it descends into darkness); Vertigo (Bernard Herrman); Raiders of the Lost Ark (John Williams), "The Map Room" is incredible; LOTR, Return of the King (Howard Shore) just because I already own the first two; Anne of Green Gables (Hagood Hardy) for purely sentimental reasons, not to mention I'd love to own the DVDs.

Also I've read good things about The Gospel of John (Jeff Danna) and the clips are promising, but would need to watch the movie to make an executive decision... Anyone seen it and have an opinion? I feel the same way about Seven Years in Tibet (John Williams) but that's going to take some coaxing as I am not a Brad Pitt fan (ok, I liked Legends of the Fall but that's it, and I'm sure that the music had an influence); also Anna and the King (George Fenton); possibly Tombstone (Bruce Broughton) which was a movie I really enjoyed, but can't find any audio clips online so I guess I'll have to rent it again; possibly Gods and Generals (John Frizzell/Randy Edelman); The Magnificent Seven (Elmer Bernstein), we have the DVD and the music is very good.

Any other soundtrack-philes out there?