Article by Adam Poncharoensub
It’s been over a year since Todd Phillips’ Joker movie took the world by storm. Dare I list it accolades again? It’s currently the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time, the first R-rated movie to earn $1 billion, and it also happens to be most profitable comic-book movie ever. Critics and fans loved it, and Joaquin Phoenix earned himself a well-deserved Oscar for Best Actor. Easily one of the biggest moments in cinema, the Joker juggernaut clearly isn’t stopping any time soon. One other oft-missed accolade was that composer Hildur Guðnadóttir won an Oscar for her score on Joker. That same incredible score just got nominated for two Grammy Awards.
Similar to its many accolades, it’s really tough to list out all the great things about Joker. From the script, to the performances, and the direction, there are so many elements in that movie that just work so beautifully. The film is a cinematic triumph in so many ways. However, the score is a standout element. The direction complemented by the intense score make this one of the most unsettling movies I’ve ever seen. Therefore, that Oscar for Best Score was well-deserved, so hopefully it looks like it has a great chance of nabbing further accolades, now that it’s been nominated for two Grammys. The first is for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, and the other is the Best Arrangement, Instrumental, or A Cappella for Bathroom Dance. Yes, that Bathroom Dance… you know the one.
Here are the categories and the nominations:
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
- Ad Astra – Max Richter, composer
- Becoming – Kamasi Washington, composer
- Joker – Hildur Guðnadóttir, composer
- 1917 – Thomas Newman, composer
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – John Williams, composer
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
- “Bathroom Dance”
Hildur Guðnadóttir, arranger (Hildur Guðnadóttir)- “Donna Lee”
John Beasley, arranger (John Beasley)- “Honeymooners”
Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly Of Shadows)- “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Alvin Chea & Jarrett Johnson, arrangers (Jarrett Johnson Featuring Alvin Chea)- “Uranus: The Magician”
Jeremy Levy, arranger (Jeremy Levy Jazz Orchestra)
Unfortunately, it has some stiff competition in the Best Score Soundtrack category, as Ms Guðnadóttir is going against the great John Williams for his score on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. That John Williams, a legend who always delivers, even though for me, that score was kinda forgettable. For the second category, I’m not totally familiar with the nominations, so I can’t comment.
Let’s wish Hildur Guðnadóttir good luck, and hope that she manages to nab yet another prize for her incredible score.
The 63rd Grammy Awards ceremony will be held on January 31, 2021.
Check out Tyler Harris’ review of Joker here and alternatively, check Sharna Jahangir’s review here.