Who is your favorite film composer? - Page 2

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

Horner, Williams and Goldenthal are *I think* the only classically trained composers working in film today, and while I'm not sure about Goldenthal, Horner and Williams still work by putting pencil to paper, not on computer.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

Ennio Morricone - Il Tramonto (The Sundown) and Wendy Carlos - Rocky Mountains are my two favorite score pieces.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

Don't forget the charming beauty of Joe Hisaishi in My Neighbor, Totoro; Kiki's Delivery Service and Porco Rosso.

I, too, prefer "old" John Williams -- up to the mid-to-late 1980s.. but don't forget, those who mention Basil Polidoras, The Hunt for Red October, with all those marvelous male chorus bits.

There's a lot of marvelous film-music out there.. there's also a lot of drek.

Leo

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

I haven't seen Lalo Schifrin mentioned. His work on Cool Hand Luke is exceptional. I also love his moody music in THX-1138 and the Dirty Harry films.

Jerry Goldsmith and John Berry are my other two favorites. Two of my favorites from Goldsmith are Logan's Run and Planet Of The Apes.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

I'm glad to finally see someone mention Eliot Goldenthal. For one thing, his score to Titus is a rare, attention-drawing score that works, plus it's way cool and loads of fun.

A personal favorite nobody will EVER mention is Dick Hyman. Look him up, you may be surprised how much stuff you have seen he has been involved in, especially Woody Allen fans.

My favorite "Classic" composer, the great Ennio.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

I haven't heard all of Goldenthal's work outside their films, but man is he a character!

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

In no particular order...

John Williams Pretty much the man's entire catalog.

Jerry Goldsmith I would have to say that his score for Poltergeist is my favorite of his but I love all his scores in varying degrees.

Mark Mancina Mainly for his score for Speed, it has real movement to it and adds greatly to the films excitement.

Alan Silvestri My three fave scores of his are for Back to the Future, Predator (that one always gives me chills with it's pounding presence) and Judgement Night.

James Horner Three favs are Braveheart, Field of Dreams (one of the most gentle and magical scores ever composed) and Titanic.

Basil Poledouris Probably my fave score of his is for The Hunt for Red October.

Bernard Herrman Nuff said.

Trevor Jones I adore his score for Arachnophobia, particularly the quieter moments, it makes me want to live in the country lol. Very peacful sounding score.

Michael Kamen The man's music for the Die Hard films were as much a part of their greatness as the actors, screenplay etc.

Patrick Doyle I'd take a bullet for his score for Dead Again. From the first chords that slam into your cranium with the newspaper headline reading MURDER! to the softer notes, it's operatic, beautiful and ramps up the Hitchcockian tension almost by itself.

For the record, my least favorite composer right now is Marco Beltrami. I fucking hate his music for films and he almost single handedly ruined H20 Halloween 20 Years Later and Live Free or Die Hard for me. His scores are so bland and devoid of any power that it's almost ridiculous.

They went from Michael Kamen to...HIM!? I mean I know Michael is gone (RIP) but damn.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

Horner may be my favorite composer, but my favorite film score is "Independence Day" by David Arnold. It cemented my love of film music.

I was never a fan of the Golden Age, or anything of the sort. I don't connect to it, plain and simple.

Favorite Horner scores are:

Courage Under Fire, Bicentennial Man, Searching For Bobby Fischer, The Perfect Storm, Aliens, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, The Man Without A Face, both 'Zorro' scores....hell, too many to list.

Not the big 80's classics, because I find that while they are full of zest and big excitement, I don't find nearly as much heart in them compared to his later efforts.

Other favorites include:
RoboCop (Basil Poledouris, though I hate the third film's score because the once elegant and powerful main theme was turned into a cheesy marching band-like arrangement)

Last of The Dogmen, The Visitor (pilot episode), Tomorrow Never Dies (David Arnold)

Star Trek: First Contact, The Burbs (Jerry Goldsmith)

(Heat, Batman Forever (Elliot Goldenthal, who ruined the main theme for "Forever" when he arranged it for 'Batman & Robin', turning it into a cheap Saturday Morning Cartoon version of his great theme...appropriate, but it still wasn't a good choice)

Edward Scissorhands (Danny Elfman)

The Simpsons Movie, The Dark Knight (Hans Zimmer, and these are the only two Zimmer scores I can say I genuinely like, the latter because in a pleasant surprise, the music didn't sound like a synthetic brass/string version like 'Batman Begins' did. The music was better off with real musicians playing it this second time around. Wasn't nearly as cheesy.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

Easily my favorite would have to be John Williams. Just way too many to list.

James Horner is second. I love Aliens, ST:II,III, Field of Dreams and Glory.

Bernard Herrmann-Absolutely love Vertigo

Danny Elfman- Batman, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands.

Right now my favorite score of all time is LOTR. It's simply incredible!

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

This is a favorite topic of mine, and many of my favorites have already been listed.

I don't have a favorite composer for the same reasons I don't have a favorite movie

I do love recent stuff by John Murphy, Clint Mansell, and Michael Giacchino.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

The first name that springs to mind is Michael Kamen, and in particular the score for The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. This is in regular rotation on my iPod.

Also love Howard Shore.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

Score for score, nobody beats Jerry Goldsmith

Second place would go to James Horner, with Barry & Williams probably tieing for 4th. I haven't heard enough Morricone to give him a place yet, but when you write something like "the Mission", you're a genius.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

Composer Maurice Jarre has just died at age 84

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Film composer Maurice Jarre dies

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

John Barry. I think it goes back to being such of fan of The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland from 1972. He did great work on that. And they were playing the theme from Midnight Cowboy frequenctly on the radio when I was young...one of the "songs of my childhood". Barry is a nostalgic favorite.

Next choice would be Jerry Goldsmith. His music is in most of my favorites. Recently I watched the revamped Legend with his scoring added and it was a delight!

Finally, John Williams. For his wonderful incidental music for Gilligan's Island. Oh, and his film scores.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

Sad to hear. I've always liked her Jacobs Ladder score.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

Maurice Jarre is a 'he'

My favorite Maurice Jarre scores are The Tin Drum and Witness

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

#1 is Jerry Goldsmith. Did the score for my abs favr film, Chinatown. Later worked that influence into LA Confidential. Also did the score for my favr opening credits, Total Recall.

Others, no part. order:

Ennio Morricone - Once Upon a Time in America, some of the moodiest music ever recorded in film. Also, The Thing, really captures the feeling of isolation & paranoia in the film.

Anton Karas - Yup, was a one-off composer but the score for The 3rd Man etches itself in your mind, I recently got it from itunes - a great tune to drive to.

Vangelis - Blade Runner. 'Nuff said.

John Williams - Consistently good. My favr by him will always be the opening titles of Superman.

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

I submit Erich Wolfgang Korngold to the list.
His rousing scores to "Captain Blood","The Adventures of Robin Hood", and "The Sea Hawk" makes him another worthy choice in my book!

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

I just saw The Banquet -- or Ye Yan (2006) -- and it occurred to me, while watching, that no one had mentioned Tan Dun.

Maybe not the same style of "musical greatness" as Williams, Horner, Shore, or even Elfman, but powerfully effective, lyrical, haunting, and lovely. (See also Hero and Crouching Tiger.)

Re: Who is your favorite film composer?

Trevor Rabin - Even though i mostly recall his scores in action movies, when i see his name on the opening credits, i feel the movie is going to be a enjoyable "popcon" movie.

Don Davis - The House on Haunted Hill and The Matrix

Hans Zimmer - to much to list but i am listening to Chevaliers De Sangreal which is the final scene of The Da Vinci Code and it is very moving.

James Horner - Gotta love the Bishop Countdown score from ALIENS

Clint Mansell - Love the "Death is the Road to Awe" score from The Fountain