Henri Mancini
Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)
Henry Manciniin his fifth Pink Panther film, its theme music and much of the soundtrack draw heavily from the disco trends of the late 1970s. The Pink Panther Theme itself was reworked to include a more dancy bassline, electric piano and guitar solo. (Wikii)
I don’t especially think this is a notable inclusion to most people’s Mancini Collection. Not one of his best (to say the least).
John Powell
How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
AllMusic loved it ***** rating. 
I prefer - perhaps due to the martial arts styled Chinese themes and rich interludes.
John Powell and Hans Zimmer
Kung Fu Panda
12/4 Edit…it would probably help to include the cover. 
I’d say, all things considered, I’m not such a fan of action movie soundtracks, especially the kind that seem geared toward cinematic emphasis coupled with surround sound. That’s not to say there’s not some strong and memorable title themes, more so the overall soundtrack content lacking as an enjoyable listen without the visuals.
John Powell
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
Benjamin Wallfisch & Sarah Schacher
Preadtor: Badlands (2025)
I’ve posted quite a few Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross soundtracks. IThis doesn’t do much for me & I’m not a fan of the Immigrant Song cover.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Rockers (1979)
The soundtrack for Rockers was developed concurrently with the film’s production, evolving from director Theodoros Bafaloukos’s initial vision of a documentary on Jamaica’s late-1970s reggae scene into a hybrid narrative that embedded authentic music performances to drive the story of oppressed musicians reclaiming agency through reggae culture. (Grokipedia)
Song selection prioritized tracks that captured the era’s vibrant yet gritty reggae landscape, curated by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell.
Now to something completely different:
These two abbreviated soundtracks defy any attempt of classification. At times they sound like Hollywood vintage blockbusters, mostly like naive soviet family movies (which the second one was actually meant for, ´Rikki Tikki Tavi´ is a figure from Rudyard Kipling´s ´Jungle book´ collection), sometimes avantgardistic, like Philip Glass had met Bartok, Mahler and Wagner.
Alfred Schnittke is mainly known for his polystylistic ideas, developing a unique style of serious classical music in the second half of 20th century. It is fair to say his symphonies and concertos were mainly inaccessible. His film scores are highly enjoyable, IMHO. He was one of the most prolific movie composers of the Soviet Union.
Shigeru Umebayashi & Nathaniel Mechaly
The Grandmaster (2013)
I know I posted some works by Shigeru Umebayashi a few years ago. This is based on the life story of Ip Man; best known as a master in Wing-chun and the teacher of Bruce Lee.
I am a huge fan of Bernard Herrmann. This is one of his finest works, leaning towards avantgardistic classical compositions, far away from blockbuster conventions:
Yes, we all know the scary sounds of the murder and knife scenes. But it is a mystery to me, why the entirety of the composition is rarely performed or recorded in its original form. That is the only modern recording I found on Qobuz. That is an advantage over Herrmann´s 1960 recording, because the latter has a specific sound quality that makes it identifiable as a classic soundtrack, while the modern one sounds more like a ballet or concert piece. The first half is pretty static, and just as in the movie, you never know where the composition is heading to.
I have this version released last year (buysoundtrax.com)
I’m not an expert in these things, but I find it an enjoyable listen.
I have 2 versions…1 tells me it’s the original (dbl CD w/Vertigo), although the liner notes and back cover are a bit confusing. Music composed & conducted by Bernard Herrmann - Recorded in Hollywood 1960, it says on the back. The liner notes say the score had to be recorded in Europe and conducted by Muir Mathieson due to a musicians strike in the US.
The other version is by Danny Elfman & Steve Bartek from the 1998 remake film, so not true per se to the original, but it remains faithful in tempo and has much of the ambience.
Otherwise, I’m not familiar with teh nuances of various recordings.
Various Artists
Better Call Saul (2015)
I have this album specifically for the garage belter of a main theme by Little Barrie. Otherwise, it’s a diverse:
Benedetto Ghiglia
4 Dollari di Vendetta (1966)
An early spaghetti western soundtrack that to me is more of a document showing the genres early beginnings, rather than being a key or great album.
Kenji Kawai
Ip Man (2008)
I like the series of martial arts movies…so…
Ghost in the Shell (1998)
As per the review is built upon ambient type percussion & at its best sounds open and large!
Sparse, concentrated Horner score. Instead of grand orchestral gestures, it’s fewer notes, fewer instruments… piano, percussion, chimes… every note counts. It’s quite intense really, it’s distilled music.
