John Powell is definitely the next composer to look out for. He is going to be huge; his music will be played at film concerts in the future. X3 was a wonderful score that held together, the best it could, a film that was very disorganized and chaotic. His two showcase cues with the Phoenix theme were six of the best minutes of film music this year, thus far. Powell can tackle any genre it seems. His score for Gigli is simply beautiful. His score to Rat Race is exciting and thematic, and "Helicopter Chase" will probably remain at the top of his best compositions. Mr. and Mrs. Smith had some very fine moments, always worth listening to. Powell can handle romantic comedies, sci-fi, action, and drama. He can do any genre and do it well, which is exactly what Williams did early in his career. Also, it helps that Powell, I believe, studied classical music and is very, very well trained. I have no idea why he was at Media Ventures. Along with Williams, Newton Howard, Silvestri, and Elfman, Powell is the only other composer whose work I will look forward to and get excited over. We've had five solid scores this year so far, and Powell has written three of them (X3, Ice Age 2, United 93). I have high hopes for "Happy Feet."
