Settling the Score

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Join Jon and Andy as they explore the world of film music, one score at a time. Each episode is an in-depth discussion of a classic film score: what makes it tick, how it serves the movie, and whether it's, you know, any good. It's a freewheeling, opinionated conversation with an analytical bent, richly illustrated with musical examples. No expertise required. The series began by tackling “100 Years of Film Scores," the AFI's list of (purportedly) the 25 greatest scores in American cinema h...

Episode List

#73 – 2026 Oscars Special

Mar 12th, 2026 2:55 PM

Jon and Andy camp out on Hollywood Blvd. for another marathon episode on this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Original Score. Is it possible there are some trends in film scoring that have us excited? Do we completely understand them? And, should we have been listening to all this music in our sleep?

#72 – Beetlejuice

Jan 14th, 2026 8:05 AM

Come on down as Jon, Jon, Jon and Andy, Andy, Andy haunt Danny Elfman's score to the 1988 supernatural comedy Beetlejuice! How did Elfman's background stand him in good stead for this particular brand of craziness? Which of his formative musical influences shine through this score? And, what’s a painless way to buy an ’84 Ford?

#71 – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Oct 23rd, 2025 7:05 AM

Join Jon and Andy as they check into Alexandre Desplat's score for the 2014 Wes Anderson creation The Grand Budapest Hotel. How does Desplat's music align with Anderson's idiosyncratic perspective? What instruments give it its very particular zing? And, how might Wes Anderson edit this podcast differently?

#70 – Elevator to the Gallows

Jul 24th, 2025 7:05 AM

Listen as Jon and Andy take a long, meandering stroll through and around Miles Davis’ score for the 1958 crime drama Elevator to the Gallows. How did this French film wind up looming large in the history of American jazz? What special mood does Davis find, and what special note helps him describe it? And, what would you give to hear Miles imitate Marlon Brando?

#69 – The Fugitive

May 6th, 2025 7:05 AM

Follow along as Jon and Andy do a hard-target search of James Newton Howard’s score to the 1993 man-on-the-run thriller The Fugitive. How do this film and its music match this cultural moment? What technical rule does Howard break, and why doesn’t it matter? And, wait a minute, does this plot actually make any sense?

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