David Coscina

Goldsmith had an uncanny ability to evoke Asian melodies quite authentically. His Tora Tora Tora has got one of my favorite Japanese themes of all time. It's amazing how he really got the essence of the cultural musical attributes in that and other similar scores. I really like Memoirs of a Geisha but to me, it sounds like a mishmash of Tan Dun and Takemitsu, The latter is fine but the former is Chinese and there is a world of difference between the musics between cultures. Believe me, any Chinese or Japanese person will tell you so.

Giacchino is an exceptional composer. Thus far he's provided music for a few video games and the ALIAS t.v. show.
As for why you should care about him, you don't have to. You're just missing out on some really great music. Don't think just because he's scored video games that he's got no compositional chops. The stuff I've heard for Medal of Honour and Secret Weapons Over Normandy easily bests most mainstream film scores I've heard from 2004. In fact, Giacchino demonstrates a propensity for great melodic writing, and deft orchestrational skills. I'm quite certain he'll be the next big thing to hit Hollywood and it will be well deserved.
Of Beltrami, Ottman, Tyler, Shearmur, and the current crop of youngish composers, Giacchino tops my list for most skilled and talented composer. Just wait for Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES. That'll prove it!

Steef may not be but I am. I have also heard Shore's LOTR live and I thought his orchestrations worked well. I do think Shore has been influenced by the mid-20th century composers some of whom liked to work with lower ranges, such as Penderecki- in fact, listen to any Polish composer from the mid 50's on and you hear a lot of low string writing that sounds, well, muddy, because of the overtones. However, I don't think many people would claim that Penderecki or Gorecki or Kilar are poor orchestrators.
Marcus, I'm not arguing that Shore is on the same level as Williams in terms of the pure mechanics of composing- frankly, nobody is. But Williams does tend to draw from a certain period of Western music (late romantic) although he has diverge on great scores like Sleepers, War of the Worlds, Images, Close Encounters. The way he puts his music together frankly astonishes me. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't influenced by him in my own music. But I think equating Shore with poor musicianship is perhaps a little naive. His music knowledge is extremely deep- please refer to a great interview he gave in the book THE SCORE by Michael Schelle.
Incidentally, what have you composed? I'm not being confrontational I'm sincerely curious.
-D

It's as cool and exciting as film music would get in the past 10-15 years. At least in mainstream big films.
Karol