Best Film Composer?

[CallaghanFilms]

This is hard; damn it.

What about Herrmann? Morricone? Mancini?


I love the work of James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer but in the end I'm running with John Williams. ****; they all kick ass. This month it;s Willaims, next month it's Zimmer

I was torn myself creatively between Zimmer and Horner. John Williams really is an entity all to himself...with him I would be in a constant state of panic, wondering if I could produce a film that was worthy to share the same theatre auditorium with his music.

I'm with John on this one. Can't really choose between the two...

About Harry Gregson-Williams. Are you kidding me?? There was no SCORE in KoH and it was probably the biggest downside of the otherwise beautiful movie. I have no idea why Scott replaced Zimmer with this Metal Gear Solid guy (who is btw from Zimmer's Media Ventures), but he could just as well not use a composer at all - not a single memorable tune, not a single powerful stand-out moment, nothing... Oh wait, there was one moment, in the "Rise a knight" scene, but... it was Goldsmith's music from 13th Warrior, for pete's sake! Unsung hero? More like hack...

I knew the score was not 100% original work...
and
I also wonder what Ridley Scott was smoking not going with Zimmer...
but
I wouldn't go so far as to call the man a hack for taking the job offered to him.

James Newton Howard.

He navagates himself through a gambit of different genres very smoothly. From action to comedy, and everything in-between, Howard is definately a "go-to guy".

Should be mentioned that a lot of the score in Kingdom of heaven is from other composers from other movies.

The only factor I can think of in the choosing of the (original and borrowed) music is the fact that apparantly there were major edits made at the "last hour". In fact I recall reading somewhere that the entire storyline ended up making an entire 180 from what Scott originally had conceptualized.

Carter Burwell (Blood Simple, Fargo)
Jon Brion (Enternal Sunshine, Punchdrunk Love)

Interesting call. Burwell definitely on his way to having a killer filmography. Brion I'll have to see...ah...I mean hear more from to decide one way or the other.

 

[reflex]

I've gotta go with Graeme Revell. I just love what he does.

 

[Ought2bCommitted]

Good choice. I like a lot of what Graeme does as well.
His score was one of the only positives in the new mess called "The Fog".

-Robert

 

[ExtremeSleuth]

i dont thats a tough question. i would probably go with john williams just because the man is a musical genius. im a musician and williams (as well as the others) are some of my musical heroes. so that's why i would go with williams

 

[Bentrandom]

I'd love to work with either Howard Shore or Clint Mansell. Probably more Clint considering I don't forsee myself really doing large sweeping epics.

 

[surf]

sorry everyone! I am the best . ok. I was joking-I am not sure about it.

 

[mmm]

John Williams is a demi-god.

Schindler, JP, SPR themes and Suo Gan (Empire of the Sun) are my favourite pieces of classical music ever. Hans Zimmer is pretty good with much of the Gladiator score and the opera from Hannibal......it is ..divine..to use classical musicians talk.

 

[Chris Messineo]

Morricone all the way.

Chris

 

[DinosaurInc]

Smith....you bastard, you beat me to Hermann!!

Got to say that from time to time I'm impressed with Ottman, Shearmur, and Beltrami.

 

[David G. Smith]

Wow, lots of great posts. But let's get old school and give it up for Max Steiner:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000070/

and Franz Waxman.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000077/

and Lalo Schifrin

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006277/

How cool are these guys?

 

[Shaun Patrick]

John Carpenter anyone...maybe not in the same realm as some of the names mentioned here...but awesome nonetheless.

 

[Ought2bCommitted]

John Carpenter anyone...maybe not in the same realm as some of the names mentioned here...but awesome nonetheless.

I LOVE John Carpenter, even his bad stuff. His music is like his movies...hit or miss.

-Robert

 

[TheMacB]

Jon Brion, Jon Brion, Jon Brion...
(Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Punch Drunk Love, Magnolia, I Heart Huckabees, Hard Eight)

 

[Brandon Rice]

No Steve Jablonsky? I loved the score from The Island... I'd go with him or Zimmer. He (Steve) has some good credits too.

 

[Luis Caffesse]

Cliff Martinez has done some fabulous work as well.
Given the right movie I think he has a great and unique sound.

 

[Daniel Skubal]

Christopher Young (Rounders), Graem Revelle (Sin City), Danny Elfman (Everything of his), Lalo Schiffrin (For the new Amittyville Horror score), John Debney, and Donn Wilkerson... might as well throw in John Williams and Hans Zimmer just for kicks.

And my favorite underground guys are Jared Hudson, Justin Durban, Scott Buckley, and Chris Bouchard

 

[Josh_Boelter]

My favorite composers would be Charlie Parker for "Bird" or Mozart for "Amadeus".

As for composers who write specifically for film, I've always liked John Williams.

 

[Ought2bCommitted]

No Steve Jablonsky? I loved the score from The Island... I'd go with him or Zimmer. He (Steve) has some good credits too.

I LOVED his score for the new Texas Chainsaw.

 

[GenJerDan]

Bill Conti.

Sure, why the hell not.

 

[action junkie]

Not a composer I really follow, but David Holmes' score for OUT OF SIGHT is great. Very low-key and jazzy. Simply cool.