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John Powell kicks ass


Morlock

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Powell defines mediocrity in film music? You sure we're talking about the same composer here?

He's not wrong.

What CLASSIC scores has Powell done?

What does that mean?

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What has he done that can stand alongside the best of JW, Goldsmith, Herrmann, Rozsa, etc?

I don't think Desplat, Giacchino, Elfman, Young, Marianelli, Arnold, Silvestri, etc have yet to write anything that stands along the maestros' best. I had no idea these were all mediocre composers...

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What has he done that can stand alongside the best of JW, Goldsmith, Herrmann, Rozsa, etc?

I don't think Desplat, Giacchino, Elfman, Young, Marianelli, Arnold, Silvestri, etc have yet to write anything that stands along the maestros' best. I had no idea these were all mediocre composers...

You think Powell has written music as popular and influentual as Silvestri or Elfman?

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So music now has to be as popular and influential as Silvestri's, Elfman's or Williams' in order to be good?

Not at all. But Silvestri and Elfman are already a step down from Williams, Goldsmith and Herrmann, and Powell is a step down from that, isnt he basically third rate?

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So music now has to be as popular and influential as Silvestri's, Elfman's or Williams' in order to be good?

Not at all. But Silvestri and Elfman are already a step down from Williams, Goldsmith and Herrmann, and Powell is a step down from that, isnt he basically third rate?

With a few exceptions, i don't think Silvestri is better. Elfman sometimes.

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Elfman and Silvestri are normally reliable composers who produce solid work that supports the film well and makes for a good listen on CD. But both have occasionally had scores that rise above that. And it's those few scores that cemented their reputation and enhanced their careers.

Powell is also a reliable composer who has produced consistently effective and entertaining music, but didnt really have that smash hit that he will be remembered for. A Batman or BTTF.

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Stefan, i don't rate scores by their general popularity. BATMAN i don't find that great and just say for the record that there are select Powell cues (from BOURNE, MR. & MRS. SMITH, ICE AGE 3, KUNG FU PANDA, HANCOCK, HTTYD) i rate more highly.

I wish Silvestri would write an animation score as inspired as MARS NEEDS MOMS...

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What has he done that can stand alongside the best of JW, Goldsmith, Herrmann, Rozsa, etc?

I don't think Desplat, Giacchino, Elfman, Young, Marianelli, Silvestri, etc have yet to write anything that stands along the maestros' best. I had no idea these were all mediocre composers...

Well said.

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Well, I have to agree that batman is possibly the most overrated orchestral score ever. But I realize I'm an minority.

I saw the film a year or two ago and felt no need to own the soundtrack afterwards. I'm with you.

My problem with Powell is an odd one - he has such a strong style which is tied to either animation or textural/percussion material, that it seems difficult for him to break out and do something more mainstream.

Even X-Men 3 feels oddly restrained. Maybe it's that he doesn't do concert suites or 'theme' tracks on his CDs (and that some recent ones have a billion tracks) and it makes it feel less like music.

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How to Train Your Dragon is probably as close as he's likely to get. Not a bad effort, though.

Even though its Co-wrote with HGW, Chicken Run is closer IMHO.

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What has he done that can stand alongside the best of JW, Goldsmith, Herrmann, Rozsa, etc?

I don't think Desplat, Giacchino, Elfman, Young, Marianelli, Arnold, Silvestri, etc have yet to write anything that stands along the maestros' best. I had no idea these were all mediocre composers...

You think Powell has written music as popular and influentual as Silvestri or Elfman?

To be honest, I find Powell a more interesting composer than Silvestri.

And this is where we seem to differ Steef, I don't find popularity as a measure of quality. It's a tough world out there if every composer is expected to write something like Star Wars to be considered a good composer. Does the fact that most people in the public have never heard a note of The Red Violin make Corigliano a mediocre composer?

Also, popularity has a lot to do with the kind of films the composers are scoring. Considering Powell has mostly been scoring mediocre films and animated stuff, I don't think he ever had a big chance to resonate with the mainstream audience. And yet his stuff for Bourne was quite popular and influential in its own way. But that's irrelevant to me. Good music is good music, and you don't have to be the next John Williams to make it to my list.

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  • 1 month later...

Part 2 of the FSM interview is now up (for subscribers, obviously). In it, Tim Burden talk about John's film scoring hiatus, infamous The Spitfire Audio interview, online fanbase (just a bit) and, most extensively, about his concert works (past, present and future). Good listen.

Karol

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I like composers who talk about themselves. It's nice to know something about them as actual humans. Too bad JW is too "shy" to ever give interviews like this....

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  • 1 month later...

Well according to Hans-Zimmer.com Powell is returning too but apparently Hans can't confirm it yet, so we'll have to wait and see.

However, according to that very same page most of the second score seems to be written in heavy collaboration with both composers' assistants. I have the theory that this was due to rewrites of the score at the last minute as I seem to recall some early clips of the movie with different music. One of the cues that's pure Powell though is Po Finds the Truth which I always thought was pure Zimmer.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

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