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Who Is Composing Which Scores This Summer (And Beyond)?? The ScoreKeeper Knows!!

Hans Zimmer is the best composer. by ssr12	May 9th, 2006 06:16:09 PM
Joh Williams and James Horner are great too.
you're joking, right? by filmicdrummer17	May 9th, 2006 06:26:40 PM
All three of those guys are so ridiculously self-plagarizing...Neither Horner nor Zimmer has turned out a decently inventive, or even good, score in years. IMO, the best composers out there right now are Giacchino, Newton Howard, and Thomas Newman.
Doesnt surprise me at all. by moondoggy2u	May 9th, 2006 06:27:39 PM
Hans Zimmer: will compose for food.
Holy shit! THAT IS TOTAL BLASPHEMY! by iamnicksaicnsn	May 9th, 2006 06:28:51 PM
Hans Zimmer for the FUCKING SIMPSONS??? FUCK THAT!! And Danny Elfman's the man, when he's on fire he can create some of the most beautiful music... Long live Oingo Boingo!
as an addendum... by filmicdrummer17	May 9th, 2006 06:30:43 PM
John Williams is still the master of evoking, and of creating mood and atmosphere, but has long since lost his touch for writing memorable themes that made him such a superstar in the 70s-80s.
filmic by Holodigm	May 9th, 2006 06:37:38 PM
you hate on williams zimmer and horner for re-using their stuff, but yet you praise thomas newman? he's just as bad as williams in that category. not to say i don't like newman, i like him a hell of lot, but to imply he's not repetitive is retarded. compare american beauty to pay it forward. compare the six feet under theme to road to perdition. he re-uses like a motherfucker.
holodigm by filmicdrummer17	May 9th, 2006 06:40:57 PM
Good point about Newman--you certainly caught me in a hypocrisy. I think just the difference is that while Newman will often reuse musical ideas, he is amazingly consistent at delivering a kick-ass score. It's really just a case of personal preference for me. If you'd like to replace him in that top 3 list with Danny Elfman or someone else, be my guest.
composers by Britshit	May 9th, 2006 06:46:47 PM
I think Lisa Gerrard is hugely underrated in the composer category, i've never failed to love her work, Layer Cake had an incredibly diverse soundtrack, also the work on Heat's endtheme has always been one of my favourites, Ali i think aswell?. Still John Williams...Jaws, Jurassic Park, Star Wars.....the man is part of film history
Ha! by ssr12	May 9th, 2006 06:52:56 PM

Neat. Can't wait for this summer's KEY GRIP ALERT by Karl Hungus	May 9th, 2006 06:54:49 PM
Or, maybe, an ASSOCIATE PRODUCER'S ROUND-UP. Or, perhaps, a SOUND EFFECTS EDITOR'S ROLL CALL. Or, even, a 2nd UNIT DIRECTOR'S JAMBOREE. Or, what about, a COSTUME DESIGNER'S CATWALK? Or, hell, a SET DECORATOR'S CAVALCADE?
What about David Holmes by Vern	May 9th, 2006 06:55:20 PM
He's trying some new shit out. OUT OF SIGHT, STANDER, the OCEAN'S pictures (especially the second one had a great score). I guess he did ANALYZE THAT also but come on, I'm not gonna watch that. I would say RZA too but it's starting to seem like GHOST DOG was a fluke. I like those orchestra guys too but nobody ever gives credit to the people who are exploring other territory. Anyway if you guys are talking greatest living composers, how about ENNIO FUCKING MORRICONE. You can't top him. And for number two I gotta go with Lalo Schifrin. ENTER THE DRAGON, DIRTY HARRY, MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE, THE BIG BRAWL, BULLITT... damn, you talk about memorable theme songs, this is the guy. As for John Williams, I think he repeats himself too much these days but I gotta admit both MUNICH and WAR OF THE WORLDS were really good, I didn't know it was him for sure until I checked the credits.
filmic by Holodigm	May 9th, 2006 06:56:09 PM
sorry about calling you retarded, that was harsh. also, not to be a pest about it, but you can even cite elfman as being repetitive. with a couple exceptions, he always has that motif of arppeggios spiraling down. ang lee asked elfman for a specifically "non-elfman" score for hulk, which i think he for the most part succeeded highly at. but yet in the intro my friend and i could still hear that downward spiral, and we laughed our ass off. but like newman, i love the guy. i guess you could say the same for most composers - admittedly, i know i couldn't come up with original music after 50 films. i dig gregson-williams a lot, but he certainly re-uses. the only two i can think of offhand that don't (and are still alive) are newton howard and giacchino, but i certainly attribute giacchino's uniqueness to still being a relative newcomer. i almost said howard shore until i remembered how hobbit-y the small-town theme for history of violence was.
John Williams should have done Superman Returns by ssr12	May 9th, 2006 06:56:53 PM
I wonder if Brian Singer even bothered to call Williams to offer it to him. Having his pal Ottman score it is so stupid. Nobody could have done it better than Williams, who is still working and available and there is no reason that he did not do it.
Whose scoring the Transformers? or Casino Royale? by R.C. the "Wise"	May 9th, 2006 06:57:27 PM
???
Howard Shore is a chameleon by jbum	May 9th, 2006 06:59:48 PM
Some composers (Zimmer and Elfman to name two) often plagiarize themselves. Howard Shore's scores, on the other hand, display a remarkable amount of variety. The guy's a chameleon. Compare the following, all by Shore: Crash (The Cronenberg film) Ed Wood LOTR Mrs. Doubtfire He's the musical equivalent of director Robert Wise (another chameleon).
to clarify: by filmicdrummer17	May 9th, 2006 07:01:23 PM
Hey Vern, you're absolutely right about Morricone (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is one of my all-time faves), but point i was making up top was about the best composers currently working, as in, who can be relied on TODAY to put together something great. Obviously, I mean no disrespect to Williams, as he IS a part of film history. Holodigm- yeah, I almost thought Howard Shore, too, and the LotR scores may be my favorite of all-time, but when you've been in the industry and for a few decades and that's all you're known for, you can't exactly lay claim to being one of the best out there, can you? Sorry if my frequent trafficking of this talkback bothers anybody- this is actually a subject I'm pretty passionate about.
Vern by Holodigm	May 9th, 2006 07:03:54 PM
i couldn't finish stander, so i can't say about that. but to me, while his style kicks ass, ocean's was just an extension of his out of sight score. and when i was watching analyze that, i was like "what the fuck? is that david holmes music? what the hell is it doing here?" it didn't fit at all, which i blame partly on holmes and partly on the producers. holmes should have known better than to stick to his same old stuff, but at the same time i'm sure that's what the producers were looking for. so who knows. good point about morricone, i forgot he was alive. single greatest composer ever. also, good point about williams. around '02 it was getting painful for me to listen to his scores because they were all the same damn thing. i wanted to cry after his harry potter score (especially harry potter 2). but catch me if you can was his best score in an age, and i personally believe that scoring that movie reinvigorated his passion for film composing. since then i haven't been disappointed with him. harry potter 3 was fan-fucking-tastic, memoirs of a geisha had a wonderful score, and his spielberg work has been very good as well (yes i even liked his work on the terminal...just nothing else about the movie). i should stop typing and get back to studying.
re:shore by Holodigm	May 9th, 2006 07:07:44 PM
i don't think it's so much that's all he's known for as lotr just totally eclipsing all the other work he's ever done. like being the first music guy on snl - props for that. i dig some of his cronenberg stuff, and as minimalist as it is, i can't get enough of his score to after hours (his first scorsese collaboration if i'm not mistaken). funny - if goldsmith, silvestri, and berenstein (elmer) were still alive, i wonder where this conversation would go. now elmer - THAT'S a guy who was all over the place
Bernstein by filmicdrummer17	May 9th, 2006 07:10:13 PM
Absolutely--there are so many scores of his that I love, but the ones that jump out right now are Magnificent Seven, Great Escape, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Dammit, I've gotta study, too. Finals week is a killer.
bernstein by Holodigm	May 9th, 2006 07:15:29 PM
i just looked up his filmography - damn, he really is everywhere. who else would go from robot monster to ten commandments to mag7 to mockingbird to animal house/blues bros./airplane to ghostbusters to bringing out the dead? i just took the final today for my scorsese class, and their work together really got me to appreciate just how good he is.
William's first Jurassic Park score was brilliant by iamnicksaicnsn	May 9th, 2006 07:16:57 PM
That's the last memorable one I can think of...
The less Elfman does, the better... by ZeroCorpse	May 9th, 2006 07:31:56 PM
His scores have sucked ever since Batman. Always the same, with little variation. There's a reason Ed Wood is the best Tim Burton movie- Danny Elfman didn't score it.
forecast, that's a pretty accurate statement by Holodigm	May 9th, 2006 07:32:39 PM
that's what he does, get the job done. i really dug goldenthal's work on frida, and his heat stuff i love as well, but that could be just because i love everything about heat. also, britshit, that end theme you're thinking of isn't lisa gerrard, and it's not elliot goldenthal either. it's a moby song, "God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters". his best, in my opinion.
zerocorpse - hole in your elfman theory by Holodigm	May 9th, 2006 07:34:23 PM
scissorhands was after batman. one of the best scores ever. i was actually wishing he wouldn't compose anything new for big fish and instead just reuse his scissorhands score. oh well. not like the movie was good anyway.
Williams produced solid scores last year by performingmonkey	May 9th, 2006 07:37:02 PM
Pity that Revenge of the Sith and WOTW sucked more balls than a ball sucking cocksuckers uncle who likes the taste of pubes that get stuck between his teeth during fellatio. And like Elfman was EVER going to do the Simpsons movie. He knows as well as we do how shit it will turn out, and he doesn't want his name attached to that (besides, Burton isn't directing).
Good God, No! Not another Hannibal movie. by mattw	May 9th, 2006 07:46:14 PM
Please just let it die. Also, the Pirates Of The Caribbean score was awesome.
As a big Elfman fan, I hate to agree with ZeroCorpse by finky089	May 9th, 2006 07:53:10 PM
But, for the most part Elfman's best work is that which came before 1990. Beetlejuice, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Back to School, Edward Scissorhands. Midnight Run. Incredible. And for the most part, music that was unlike anything else at that time (and since, really). It set his work apart from all the other film composers. Exceptions to the "pre-1990" guideline are thescores for Nightmare B4 Xmas, Sleepy Hollow, parts of Mars Attakcs! With stuff like Spiderman, Red Dragon, MIB, or even the Hulk (BO flop, but that says nothing about the score) there was such potential for more of that true Elfman sound. But it's gotten pretty bland in the last decade and a half. We need an Elfman revival.
the pirates score worked very well by Holodigm	May 9th, 2006 07:55:23 PM
but it's a shining example of re-use. supposedly it was composed by badelt, but the clear component in the sound is that it was produced by Zimmer. half the score was straight out of gladiator, and the other half was a painful plagiarization of the rock. granted - he's plagiarizing himself, so i don't care. but that was the first glaring instance of re-use that i had ever seen. heard?
Holodigm Scissorhands came out in 1990 by finky089	May 9th, 2006 07:56:06 PM
But, good call on the Moby piece. When I saw Heat (damn, over ten years ago??) it was what first turned me on to Moby.
my bad Holodigm by finky089	May 9th, 2006 07:57:38 PM
since 1990 is STILL after Batman came out in '89. It's the end of the day and my mind's kinda shot.
finky, don't worry by Holodigm	May 9th, 2006 08:33:00 PM
i'll be right there with you in a few hours - i have to study for a final AND write a script. and instead i'm in here and watching house. i'm fucked.
Howard Shore is slipping. by Thumper2k1	May 9th, 2006 08:39:18 PM
Just check out a history of violence. I fully expected Frodo to be walking out of the woods because Shore was constantly reusing LOTR tracks.
House--for which there is no talkback by filmicdrummer17	May 9th, 2006 08:42:12 PM
not sure what to make of the new Foreman. he makes me laugh, though.
Transformers and Casino Royale by bmsatter	May 9th, 2006 08:43:41 PM
Just looked it up on IMDB....Steve Jablonsky is doing Transformers and David Arnold is doing Casino Royale.
Jablonsky is Michael Bay's bitchboy. by chickychow	May 9th, 2006 09:00:02 PM
I realize its pure fantasy but how cool would a John Williams-composed Transformers score be (assuming the movie is worth watching)? And Hans ZImmer is the shit, don't be hatin'.
No love for Williams' Harry Potter? by Anakin Whoopass	May 9th, 2006 09:03:01 PM
Much better overall than his Star Wars prequel output, IMO. WIth the prequels I think JW did the best he could with what he had to work with, and most of the problems are editorial.
zimmer is the least composer by watashiwadare	May 9th, 2006 09:12:21 PM
be sure to mention all the staff underlings who do they work for him.
Gabriel Yared, Clint Mansell, Terrence Blanchard by Koola_Norway	May 9th, 2006 09:20:27 PM
You know, this is a nice talkback, props to ScoreKeeper for his pieces that makes us talk about composers (seems like there's a lot of interest among AICNers). So I want to put some focus on Yared, Mansell and Blanchard. Those guys have been doing varied and wonderful stuff for a long time. 25th Hour is an underrated film with a magnificent score (with homages to Morricones Once upon a time in America-themes...). Yared delivers every time for Minghella, and Mansell/Aronofsky is arguably one of the more fascinating comp/dir collaborations out there. On a side note; Who's scoring "Marie-Antoinette" for Coppola? New Order? :)
a story about friendship by Monkey Butler	May 9th, 2006 09:43:18 PM
With music by Randy Newman. "It's a story 'bout friendship, with music by me. In the end the bunny's family dies but the bear becomes his new family. Something like that."
Williams, Newman, Howard, Giacchino and POWELL! by Dr. A. Ravenwood	May 9th, 2006 10:10:56 PM
First off, screw the haters. Taking the time to recognize composers on a site about film is awesome. What's "Jaws" without 'dun-dun-dun-dun'...? Or "Raiders" without the march? I have to agree with pretty much everyone else: Williams is a genius and the last of a breed - when he goes, we have a few to carry the mantle, but we'll probably never see another composer with the ability to create scores that are instantly part of the lexicon of film. The zeitgiest. In the article, when mentioning Giacchino, the guy forgot to mention that he also did (a stellar job) on "M:i:III." I also agree that Newton-Howard is incredible. There are a couple of cues on "Signs" that give me chills everytime I hear them. And not getting (at the very least) a nomination for his work on "Kong" is absurd. It's an awesome score for a three hour film scored in five weeks and he never even met Jackson until the premiere!!! Also, Cliff Martinez did great work on "Traffic," "Narc," and "Solaris" - the latter I ran out to buy before finishing watching the film on DVD! Newman, great... a bit repetitive, but nowhere near as bad as Horner who literally lifts ENTIRE CUES and puts them in different films! I love "Braveheart," and "Sneakers" borders on brilliance, but the guy should be banned forever from scoring stages by now. The guy that really does it for me now is John Powell - He came out of the Zimmer school (Media Ventures), but don't let that put you off - His first score, for "Face/Off," while full of Zimmer-mimicry is still very good in places. In the last few years, the guy has knocked me out - starting with "The Bourne Identity," and then he really kicked my ass with "The Bourne Supremacy"! Then came "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" - it's light, fun and absolutely sells that film. A composer friend of mine very near considered throwing in the towel after hearing it because he said it was simply, "too good." I've seen "United 93" twice. Great, great film IMO... but what finally led me to shed some tears, was the last piece of music in the film... a child vocalizes with a choir and it's heart-wrenching. If you don't know his stuff, you're missing out, and if you're a score collector... he ought to be in your collection. Curious to hear what he's come up with for "X3."
Face/Off WASN'T Zimmer? by Holodigm	May 9th, 2006 10:40:38 PM
that's a genuine surprise. but he definitely did a good job on supremacy. the solaris soundtrack is one of my favorites, but i've never explicitly listened to any other scores by cliff martinez, which is my fault. i'm glad you brought up signs, because i was thinking about it and decided not to. signs was definitely shyamalan at his most hitchcockian, and i was floored by how well newtown howard channeled bernard herrmann. here's one i'll throw out there - david julyan?
Lincoln by Forestal	May 9th, 2006 10:49:57 PM
"John seems to be taking a well needed break until Spielberg needs him for his upcoming Abraham Lincoln film." Wasn't Indy IV supposed to be Spielberg's next film?
Badelt and Time Machine by Ktak	May 9th, 2006 11:24:31 PM
I'm glad to see some recognition of one of my favorite scores from 2002, regardless of what you might think of the movie itself. And while we're talking great movie composers, how about John Barry? I don't think I'll ever watch a new James Bond movie without wondering how the score would have turned out in Barry's hands. Even movies I'd rather forget (Raise the Titanic, Howard the Duck?) benefitted from his talents. A friend of mine here in Japan is a piano teacher, and Barry's Somewhere in Time theme is still a very popular recital piece after al these years.
ScoreKeeper is Giacchino! `Nuff said. by ManOfStool	May 9th, 2006 11:49:43 PM
I`m sure of it! Anyone else onto him?
Hans Zimmer is a chameleon when it comes to scores... by ScarranHalfBreed	May 10th, 2006 12:34:42 AM
His score for the Simpsons will probably surprise you. He can be an incredible composer when he's not cirbbing off his own stuff, and he'll be under considerable pressure by the fans when scoring this. And Elfman not doing a Spider-Man film is a little bit like John Williams not doing a Star Wars film.
RED OCTOBER by Cumlauncher	May 10th, 2006 01:03:26 AM
Man where the fuck is Basil Paledouris these days? That's a scoremeister! Conan, Red October and such, oh and Alan Silvestri is awesome also!
I don't like this.... by jollysleeve	May 10th, 2006 01:11:09 AM
I don't like hearing that different people will be scoring sequels to movies. Danny Elfman won't be doing Spiderman 3? I'm find with that. What I'm NOT fine with, is the idea that we probably won't be hearing any of the themes that were established in the first two movies. Yes, this shit does bother me. I have similar worries about the upcoming Pirates movies.......... I know that sometimes when there are established musical themes in a series, a new composer will be given license (or flat-out instruction) to use the original themes. (Harry Potter 2 and 4, and Superman 2, for example). But I gather those cases are the exceptions.
So where are Basil Poledouris, Lalo Schifrin, and other by watashiwadare	May 10th, 2006 01:22:31 AM
all those real composers apparently out of work! Poledouris, Bruce Broughton, David Shire, Craig Safan, John Scott, Trevor Jones, Peter Bernstein, and why does Bret Ratner's X Men 3 get John Powell instead of Ratner's usual choice Lalo Schifrin?
In defense of Elfman by Bryan	May 10th, 2006 02:00:04 AM
I can't deny that he's been stretched thin over the years. I don't think his Spider-Man scores are very strong, for example. But I think he's underrated just because he created such a unique style that he's easy to recognize. That's not the same as "every score sounds exactly the same." Even Batman and Batman Returns sound very different from each other. What about the weirdly rockin theme for Dead Presidents? The off kilter main theme for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? The more old school (with theremin) Mars Attacks? And I wasn't a big fan of the oompah loompah songs, but again, a totally different style, more reminiscent of early Oingo Boingo. His songs for Corpse Bride weren't as good as Nightmare Before Christmas (his best score, if you ask me) but what about that gorgeous piano theme? I wouldn't write him off yet. p.s. I thought Schifrin WAS doing X-Men 3. I read that a long time ago and was really looking forward to it. That's really disappointing to hear otherwise.
on Michael Giacchino by Mr. Fist	May 10th, 2006 02:00:21 AM
I have been a fan of his since his score for the first Mdeal Of Honor game, and I have to say, it's about damn time that he's becoming famous and doing higher and higher profile films. His acclaim is long overdue. If you can find it, download the theme to Secret Weapons Over Normandy, (still one of my favorite pieces of game music ever). BTW, anyone who claims that his early work is just a John Williams retread is wrong as hell. It IS inspied by his music, yes, but he very much does his own thing with it. As far as i'm concerned, everything he's done so far is gold.
Oh, and... by Mr. Fist	May 10th, 2006 02:05:40 AM
I totally agree about Basil Poledouris. I still listen to the Robocop score on a regular basis. Thank John C. McGinley he's coming back with Bunyan & Babe. (God, I hope that movie doesn't blow.)
Oh, come on... We need Jan Hammer to come back! by ZeroCorpse	May 10th, 2006 02:57:00 AM
You know it. Every new movie would be SO much better if Jan Hammer scored it. Imagine how King Kong would have been if they'd gone with the Hammer, and how about the upcoming Knight Rider movie? Hmmm..?
Poledouris by kwisatzhaderach	May 10th, 2006 03:09:07 AM
Conan The Barbarian has to be one of the all-time great film scores, absolutely awesome. And RoboCop and Red October are awesome too. The art of film-scoring seems to be dying...along with the art of filmmaking in my view.
For the last 8 years, Beltrami has been doing one thing by SalvatoreGravano	May 10th, 2006 03:55:34 AM
Namely, making up juvenile track titles for his bland, dull, lifeless, Insta-Forgettable compositions ("Mole Asses" - ha! Wilde, be my muse!). He's little better than Zimmerocopier and all his Media Venture spermazoids with German and double names.
Danny Elfman Spiderman scores were great! by Wonderboys	May 10th, 2006 04:33:18 AM
ditto
And I cant wait John Powell's X-Men 3 by Wonderboys	May 10th, 2006 04:35:47 AM
Powell its a great composer (his Bourne Supremacy score is great), and its far better than Ottman, that btw, I feel its not a great composer (nor editor) and Im too a little afraid of his score for Superman Returns...
Bernard Herrman by head_cheese	May 10th, 2006 04:41:08 AM
Sorry, just wanted to mention his name. While I'm at it Ry Cooder, Kenji Kawai, Vangelis, Adolph Deutsch, Jon Brion, Eric Serra, John Carpenter, Goblin, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Dust Brothers and Dun Tan.
Elliot Goldenthal by _pi_	May 10th, 2006 05:00:06 AM
The most interesting composer working today. What's he doing?
No one's mentioned Henry Mancini? by judderman	May 10th, 2006 05:46:51 AM
Pink Panther? Romeo and Juliet? Baby Elephant Walk? Peter Gunn? Moon River? I'm glad to see someone finally noting that Elfman's scores haven't been all they could have been in the last decade or so. And for the record: I think James Horner's best score was Sneakers. I also think that Bernstein doesn't get the credit he deserves for making Ghostbusters great, and that Hans "I've got a bigger synthesiser than you" Zimmer can go jump in a septic tank.
Um...about PotC and in regards to Beltrami... by BV	May 10th, 2006 06:04:44 AM
Badelt and over SIX other composers scored PotC...or rather, I should say, MIMICED the temp track (Bram Stoker's Dracola, and Gladiator, almost note for note, in some places). It was pretty pathetic. Speaking of Mimic...Marco Beltrami was Jerry Goldsmith's protege, as I recall, so he's probably the best choice for composer anyone could possibly hire for the remake. Just my 2 cents.
*DracUla by BV	May 10th, 2006 06:06:23 AM
I've never tried a Dra-Cola. I wonder if it's caffeine free...
Scorekeeper by kentrel	May 10th, 2006 06:11:46 AM
Another nice article, are you going to be a regular contributor now?
Soundtrack Bonanza by Drexl	May 10th, 2006 07:23:44 AM
Finally! AICN starts talking
I love the main theme from PotC by ZakChase	May 10th, 2006 07:31:00 AM
You know, the one that plays when we first see Jack Sparrow sailing into port on his little sinking boat. Yeah, it's mostly cribbed from "Gladiator," but it still gets me all goose-pimply. I hope it's not ditched for the sequels.
John Barry and the 1976 Kong... by jasper Stillwell	May 10th, 2006 07:47:43 AM
...a really underrated score and is the best thing (apart from a semi-naked Jessica Lange and a pre-Dude Jeff Bridges) in the movie. As i understnd it was written in part before the movie was filmed and the effects completed. Hence a score that offers more emotion, scale and weight than the film itself actually delivered. Check it out. Oh and keep Elfman away from the superheroes...it's been done already.
Zimmer and all his underlings are the best! by ssr12	May 10th, 2006 07:58:35 AM

Zimmer did fine with "Wallace & Gromit" by Bastian	May 10th, 2006 09:18:52 AM
So there shouldn't be a problem with delivering a decent Simpsons score.
Film music, fuck yeah! by Darkman	May 10th, 2006 09:36:38 AM
Really glad that Elfman is doing a silly comedy again; "Nacho Libre" feels like a throwback to the kind of films he did when he started out. One composer that gets almost no respect whatsoever: David Newman. Don't know him? SERENITY, GALAXY QUEST, THE PHANTOM and Danny DeVito's films are good places to start. His music never fails to impress. And to 5_day_forecast, I heard YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE in "Kronos Unveiled" from THE INCREDIBLES. Not sure where HELLBOY came from.
Great Column by R H S C	May 10th, 2006 10:12:16 AM
Scorekeeper: maybe you could post this quarterly or something? BTW check out Jerry Goldsmith's score for "Basic Instinct", particularly the haunting main theme. Good stuff. Howard Shore has been doing consistent work for years. Check out his score for "The Fly". Danny Elfman is overused & tired. Whatever happened to a good electronic score? Remember Tangerine Dream and the soundtrack to 'Sorcerer'? 'Blade Runner' by Vangelis? Maurice Jarre did a great score for 'Jacob's Ladder'. Matching images to music seems to be a lost art. Stanley Kubrick and Ken Russell were good at that. Speaking of Ken Russell, the score for his film 'Altered States' by John Corigliano is another underrated classic. I have 'The Shining' soundtrack on LP. Amazing stuff, particularly the Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind tracks. There are so many amazing composers and compositions from the last 50 years that have never been used. A lot of talent is untapped while Hollywood cuts checks to the bland, recyclable Zimmers, Newton Howards and Little Jack Horners.
Basil Poledouris hasn't scored a Hollywood movie... by Osmosis Jones	May 10th, 2006 10:19:44 AM
...in SIX YEARS. Come back, Basil, we need you!
Zimmer and PotC1 by Mickey The Idiot	May 10th, 2006 10:37:44 AM
Wasn't Zimmer one of the six composers drafted in to sort that out when the movie's score was on collision course with its release date? So, this ain't necessarily new to him - and no wonder so much of it sounded like Gladiator.
You know who's a good composer? by MrBoinfoint	May 10th, 2006 10:48:28 AM
Whoever that guy was that did the score for Immortal Beloved and 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould. Ludwig something...
Ry Cooder- yeah! by finky089	May 10th, 2006 10:56:20 AM
Agree with the many guys above, SCOREKEEPER, make this a semi-regular contribution. I love film scores and based on reding many of the talkbacks above, now have a few new guys to check out.
"reding" - the new, hip way to write "reading" by finky089	May 10th, 2006 10:58:18 AM
this is why I would totally lobby for an auto-spellcheck feature in Talkbacks.
Great colunm, great TB. Make this a regular feature! by Fat Chooch	May 10th, 2006 11:44:33 AM
Good to see some late love for the '70s - '80s euro-electronica scores. I own over a dozen Tangerine Dream discs and I'll put their stuff up against almost any latter-day "trance" mixes. On a TD tangent, I was kind of suprised that Christopher Franke never made any kind of major film soundtrack (a few cheapies, but nothing A-level). I thought his work on Babylon 5 was a great part of what drove that series, particularly in the first and second seasons. Speaking of TV, that where many of the aforementioned greats either got their starts or dabbled into at one time or another (Williams, Goldsmith, Schifrin, etc.) Giaccino seems to be the latest to make the jump to features successfully. My question to everyone is: Who's next? Who will be the next TV show composer to make a big impression in feature films? Personally, I'd like to see Sean Callery get a shot somewhere...
Whatever Happened to Vangelis? by SamuelLappDance	May 10th, 2006 12:08:09 PM
The guy delivers two of the most amazing and most memorable scores of the past quarter-century ("Chariots of Fire" and "Blade Runner") and then all but falls off the Hollywood map. Great Talkback this time, dudes and dudettes. As far as Williams is concerned, no one in the history of cinema had a more inspiring run than he did from 1975 to 1984. "Jaws," "Star Wars," "Close Encounters," "Superman," "Empire," "Raiders," "E.T.," "Jedi," and "Temple of Doom?" That's an absurd amount of genius! And don't sleep on his scores for Oliver Stone. You can have a ridiculously good cry to his music from "Born on the Fourth of July," and "JFK" was great writing, too. And his "Episode I" work was insanely good, as was "Jurassic Park," "Schindler's List," that great throwback work he did on "Catch Me If You Can." Oh, damn, boy! And the "Harry Potter" soundtracks. Even "Hook" had some terrific moments. Re: Hans Zimmer. I think he's just worked on too many films. He used to be really interesting and distinctve everytime out in the late '80s and early '90s. "Rain Man," "Black Rain," "Driving Miss Daisy," "Green Card," "True Romance." Some really different work that has been lifted a LOT since then in commercials and sports retrospectives and such. Man, if I were him, I wouldn't go anywhere near "The Simpsons."
SAMUEL (re: Vangelis) by Joseph Merrick	May 10th, 2006 12:28:15 PM
Vangelis Papathanasiou is still composing. He's released an album or two over the last few years, and scored Oliver Stone's ALEXANDER in 2004.
Thank you, ScoreKeeper, Drexl, and... er.. Cumlauncher, by Flim_	May 10th, 2006 01:30:49 PM
for keeping the faith alive. Poledouris is pretty much the only composer I can think of who doesn't ape his own work (repeating yourself, incidentally, is really easy to do). It's been a while since we heard from him. Drexl, you made all my points for me. I unfortunately hopped on here a bit late to fully opine, but that's cool. I hope this thing becomes a regular feature, and I'm shocked at the number of people who actually listen to score, and are keen about it. Kudos to you all! I love you! If I were in charge, and I certainly should be, I would give Giacchino a job scoring the Bond films, since David Arnold is such an unconfident composer. Mind you, that would be after I called John Barry, and he undoubtedly turned it down. MI:III is the best score of the last two years, at least. Check out the cue 'Shang Way High' to see what I mean about the Bond thing, and check out 'Hunting for Jules' to hear the best cue from the best scene of the best film so far this year. I can't believe they did a 45 second tracking shot with Tom Cruise running AT HIS ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM through a crowded alleyway!! What a scene!! I could only hope to score as well as that cue someday. Anyway, I'm gushing, so I must go.
Ask and Ye Shall Receive by SamuelLappDance	May 10th, 2006 01:32:17 PM
Thanks, Mr. Merrick!
Zimmer on The Simpsons by Flim_	May 10th, 2006 01:35:03 PM
The Simpsons isn't going to be that much of an original score. He's got fifteen seasons of source material to draw from, and if he has to do anything much, it'll be singing numbers or taking the piss out of entire genres with single cues. His scoring work on TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE was very good, and he won an Oscar for his musical numbers in THE LION KING. This dude likes to do this sort of thing, and it will turn out well. I just read what I wrote, and felt ill. This, from a guy who is a notorious Zimmer basher, THE THIN RED LINE and BACKDRAFT notwithstanding.
TEAM AMERICA by Flim_	May 10th, 2006 01:36:49 PM
I can be forgiven for mistaking Harry Gregson-Williams for Hans Zimmer, can't I? Bloody Media Ventures Group...
Who's scoring the New Harry Potter film by holidill	May 10th, 2006 02:04:47 PM
I think Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix comes out next summer. Any idea whose scoring that one?
Harry Potter by Flim_	May 10th, 2006 02:15:18 PM
Patrick Doyle did a really good job with the last one, but since it's a new director... Who knows? Hopefully they stick with Doyle, he really suits the series, I think.
Odd thus far there's no love for... by Fat Chooch	May 10th, 2006 03:16:06 PM
... Marc Shaiman. I still feel like dancing anytime the Mamooshka scene from The Addams Family plays. And I still get a hearty laugh out of his decision to use gospel in the cattle stampede sequence of City Slickers. And let's not forget the South Park movie, either.
Badelt's score was one of the only bright spots... by Novaman5000	May 10th, 2006 03:19:01 PM
in Time Machine. What a waste of good music.
And what about Jon Brion? by Novaman5000	May 10th, 2006 03:21:29 PM
I loved Eternal Sunshine's score. Huckabees was good too.
And Gregson Williams' MGS work is top notch... by Novaman5000	May 10th, 2006 03:22:29 PM
I know, I know, it's not a FILM, but fuck it, it's awesome.
great to have scorekeeper on board by drjones	May 10th, 2006 03:47:19 PM
YANN TIERSEN rocks in a very sympathic folky, cozy, old french way. you may know his scores from AMELIE or GOODBYE LENIN. he's not an exquisite film composer, though. angels in america, road to perdition, six feet under opening theme, american beauty ....thomas newman is a magician.
Klaus Badelt and Jon Brion by Flim_	May 10th, 2006 03:51:48 PM
At his best, Badelt is unremarkable (See 16 BLOCKS, K-19 THE WIDOWMAKER) At his worst, Jon Brion is ripping off Zimmer, or just wanking off (See MAGNOLIA, PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE). Gregson-Williams has done some of the worst scores I've ever heard, though I think he has some talent. MAN ON FIRE is on my worst-ever list, but THE CHRONICLES OF THE LONGEST TITLE EVERNIA showed that he can actually sit down and focus... For a time. It was a bit weak in parts.
HANS ZIMMER IS A HACK! by washisdead	May 10th, 2006 04:17:40 PM
of himself! he reuses themes more than james horner!
A compilation film about film scores by finky089	May 10th, 2006 04:37:36 PM
I'd love to have a "That's Entertainment"-type set of films that focused exclusively on film scores. How badass would that be? Highlights of the best or most prominent film scores/cues over the last 50-75 years (more time to be spent on the last 30 years, though) and talk about the guys who wrote them and the ideas they had when writing them.
Klaus Badelt & Hans Zimmer by Cadillac Jones	May 10th, 2006 07:45:13 PM
Don't be hatin' Badelt because he sounded like Zimmer, hate Jerry Bruckheimer. I don't care who Bruckheimer gets, he ALWAYS makes the ENTIRE film fit his "secret patented ingredients" package; IE that every film is the same all-around. Try and find a difference in the score for The Rock, Con Air & Armageddon; they're interchangable. Klaus Badelt just "got with the program" which likely while Alan Silvestri was replaced.
Whoopsy by Cadillac Jones	May 10th, 2006 07:49:08 PM
Klaus Badelt just "got with the program" which IS likely WHY Alan Silvestri was replaced on PotC. Dang - need caffiene.
Who cares if Zimmer reuses - it sounds cool you idiots! by ssr12	May 10th, 2006 07:59:28 PM

Great Column. Make it a regular thing. by one9deuce	May 11th, 2006 02:01:35 AM
There is nothing like a great score to elevate a film's impact. Sometimes I wonder if we are going to get some great themes again. There hasn't been any instantly recognizable themes for a film in a while in my opinion. Plenty of great scores though. John William's Harry Potter theme is the only thing that comes to mind, and while his first Harry Potter score is good, the Prisoner of Azkaban score is great. There is one composer that I haven't seen mentioned on here that I think did some outstanding work, and that is Don Davis on The Matrix films. Some great work on one great and two mediocre films. I agree with a lot of talkbackers here: John Barry's King Kong (1976) score, Bruce Broughton's Silverado and Tombstone scores, Basil Poledouris' Conan the Barbarian and Robocop scores. A lot of great work.
R H S C by one9deuce	May 11th, 2006 02:03:50 AM
You wrote: "There are so many amazing composers and compositions from the last 50 years that have never been used. A lot of talent is untapped" Can you give me some examples? I would like to listen to some of the music you are referring to in your post.
Broughton and Barry by Drexl	May 11th, 2006 05:39:47 AM
I recently bought the '76 King Kong score. Fantastic stuff. I love the music when Lange falls down the cage on the ship which holds Kong. He picks her up, then lets her go and as she climbs back up both the scene and music ominously hint at the finale. That scene makes Kong '76 worth watching. Tombstone's been mentioned! If there's one absolutely brilliant moment in Tombstone it has to be the opening where you have the old black and white footage, the voice-over talkin' about the Cowboys and then WHAM widescreen shot, The Cowboys on horses, ready to brutally kill and destroy. Broughton's music could re-start hearts in that scene. Great stuff!
Speaking of Broughton... by Flim_	May 11th, 2006 09:30:25 AM
One simply must mention SILVERADO. What a great score!! Oh, and THE MONSTER SQUAD! Broughton doesn't get enough play these days. Barry is quite simply one of the best ever. Even his scores for wank movies are good... MERCURY RISING, SOMEWHERE IN TIME (I think the movie is waaaay to schmaltzy, but the score is great), THE SPECIALIST, MOONRAP.. RAKER (shudder), and last, but certainly least, RAISE THE TITANIC, which has an absolutely momentous score, and is a completely rubbish movie. And his scores for good movies? Fugedabowdit! DANCES WITH WOLVES, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS, THE BLACK HOLE, INDECENT PROPOSAL, ZULU, HOWARD THE DUC... Whoops. I guess the only bad thing he ever did was to suggest to the Broccoli Brood Brain Trust in charge of the Bond franchise that they use Eric Serra to score GOLDENEYE. Shudder. Don't get me wrong, Serra is great at what he does, but he was completely wrong for Bond. I just wish they'd bring back Barry for Bond. Oh well...
This is fucked by BendersShinyAss	May 11th, 2006 10:45:25 AM
Why would they bring in Hans Zimmer for the Simpsons? Why would they bring in Elman?? I've never been disapointed with Alf as the series scorer -- and I think this is just plain rude. As for Elfman being replaced with Chris Young. This is just funny to me. Elfman left the film because Raimie kept pushing him to score the movie with Chris Young temp music. Elfman got pissed off, as you would. In the end Raimie not only liscenced the temp music chris young had written (Totally cheapening the film) I bet you good cash right now that Raimie will want chris young to adapt Elfman's theme. I've always hated the spiderman flicks. YES I blame Raimie and YES I HATE that he's done them ALL. Oh well. I have a soft spot for Evil dead.
Ottman on superman by BendersShinyAss	May 11th, 2006 10:55:15 AM
As excited as I am about Superman, I am Terrified of what Ottman will do with the music. Since the man is cutting the film, I have to assume he also cut the trailer. In that he made good use of Horner, Williams score, and some other mystery piece (I'm hopeing it was Ottman's) in any case, why is the composer also editing the film? And why does John Williams music always get re-used by lesser composers for sequels? Take Jurrasic Park 3. That film could have been better (maybe?) had the music at least been fully original! Even Superman 2 would have been better had they just brought in Goldsmith or Elmer Bernstein or someone to write a new theme. alls I'm saying is, I HATE how Williams Themes get re-used for sequels. I mean, Even When williams does infact compose his own sequels, he uses the original themes sparingly. Jurrasic park 2. Jaws 2. shit, even the star wars prequels were over 80% original!
Agree with Benders by bmsatter	May 11th, 2006 11:10:41 AM
Most people think they want to hear themes from a prior film when it comes to sequels. To some degree its necessary but in order to truly make it a gret sequel it needs to be scored on its own terms. Williams didn't bring in the Raiders March on Last Crusade until the end credits. All the new themes in Last Crusade made it a fresh new story in the spriit of the films we already know and love. All the new themes in Last Crusade were excellent. Check out other Williams scores and you'll see he uses the previous movie's theme pretty sparingly. Hearing Williams superman theme in the trailer already bugs me. I wonder in the film if it's going to completely take me out of it. We shall see.
How cool to have a Film music talkback by BendersShinyAss	May 11th, 2006 11:12:12 AM
Harry Gregson Robertson, after Narnia, is no longer worthy of composing any more 'big' films. Klause Biddleeny or what ever his name is, can come up with some good ideas, but he CAN'T hold them! Remember Cliff Eidleman? That dude like composed 1 film. star Trek 6, and then he disappeared as if beamed up off the Earth. Same with the dude who wrote "The last starfighter". One of the greatest themes EVER! Alan Silvestri was a hot favourite of mine when i was a kid, with Back to the future, Romancing the stone and Predator. He made an amazing comback with Mummy Returns - only he used the same theme repeatedly like 780 time in a row. good if your high on speed but I wouldn't know I only smoke crack. I mean pot. I mean i've given up. Hey, at least i don't drink. man I could go a cone right about now. Oh and Lilo & Stitch. Silvestri wrote a monster tune for that little flick. David Newman is one of those silent types who I fear will never get his just recognition. James Newton Howard tends to fall back into his Waterworld style a lot these days, but thats kinda cool! Atlantis was probably the greatest score EVER written. Give that man a star trek film. He's got the same muse Goldsmith and Horner use. Remember Bruce Broughton. Man I hate his shit. Yet, why do I still whistle his themes? I'm going to bed
yeah this is the best talkback ive seen.... by Westonian	May 12th, 2006 11:10:49 AM
I think williams is still really good. I watched Munich again yesterday and the moods he sets are amazing. Its his best i think since schindlers list. Spielberg owes him alot. James Newton Howards score for king kong wasnt that great i thought.....but his score for the Village has to be my all time favorite. Anyone else like that score? Hilary Hahns violen work is great in it too.
ZIMMER SUCKS ASS! by casinoskunk	May 12th, 2006 01:04:46 PM
media ventures can bite my butthole! John Powell is #1!
screw Randy "Under the Gun" Newman by beamish13	May 12th, 2006 04:09:51 PM
Untalented lounge singer hack...
John Debney for TRANSFORMERS bar none... by Monkey_King	May 12th, 2006 05:45:48 PM
...save for Mark Mancina. heh heh
Fuckin' Randy Newman... by Flim_	May 13th, 2006 09:53:01 AM
Fat man with and his kids and dog, Drove in through the morning fog. Hey there Rover, come on over. Red headed lady, Reaching for an apple, Gonna take a bite, nope, nope. She gonna breathe on it first,wipe it on her blouse. She takes a bite. Chews it once,twice,three times, four times, stops! Saliva workin', takes a hard long look at Randy... five times. Fat old husband walking over. Yeah, They're walking down the road Left foot,Right foot Left foot,Right foot Left foot....
Film Composers have the most underappreciated jobs. by deadguy76	May 14th, 2006 05:02:42 AM
Directors and Cinematographers get plenty of attention. It's about time film composers have their respect. Thanks for making this post, music is important to film! Oh and thanks head_cheese for the Bernard Herrmann shout out. Claudio Simonetti did some solo work you might want to check out. Oh yeah, Angelo Badalamenti rocks. I don't think anyone mentioned his name. Hey Novaman5000, check out Indigo Prophecy. It's got some great music.
Sequels to JW scores sometimes turn out good. by minderbinder	May 15th, 2006 07:42:51 AM
Don Davis did a good job on JP3. And the scores for Harry Potter 2 and 4 were good, I particularly liked what Patrick Doyle did. For awhile they were saying Williams would be back for 5, but latest rumor is OOTP will be done by a guy named Nicholas Hooper, I think he did TV stuff with Yates. Personally, I hate Zimer, I think his work generally sucks and can't think of a score of his I liked (maybe Prince of Egypt?). Pirates should be too much different, the first one was a last minute hack by Zimmer's entire company. There are SEVEN additional composers listed in the credits, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were more.
Speaking of Zimmer... by Flim_	May 15th, 2006 02:52:00 PM
I have just listened to the score for THE DA VINCI CODE, and I must say that I think it's his best work since THE THIN RED LINE, though I'm not a big fan of GLADIATOR, which some people dig. It's probably his best full work since CRIMSON TIDE. Very, very good stuff.

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