Gnome in Plaid 219 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 The "composers you dislike" thread gave me this idea. What composers, in your opinion, have only produced one good score among an otherwise lackluster career? Before you say Shore's LOTR, I'll say he's ineligible on account of Naked Lunch, The Cell, Edge of Darkness, Eastern Promises, and Mrs. Doubtfire. Here goes: Marc StreitenfeldI loved American Gangster. The main Frank Lucas theme is brilliant, and the atmospheric parts of the score fit the film perfectly. After that, I had insanely high hopes for Streitenfeld: this was only his second score, and it seemed like the sky was the limit. In reality, American Gangster appears to be the limit. If you ask me, nothing he's written since even qualifies as mediocre; really, Robin Hood and Prometheus are stock RCP scores, and Welcome to the Rileys and The Grey were dreadful. It's like he used up all his ideas on one score, although that one score was good enough to buy him quite a bit of good will with me. Jeff GraceI'll preface this by saying that I'm just generally unfamiliar with his output, but I Sell the Dead and Stake Land were eminently forgettable. The Innkeepers, though, might be the best horror score in recent memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,037 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Has the guy who did The Last Starfighter ever done anything else of note? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,626 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 NopeHere's some othersEdward Sheamur :Sky CaptainHenry Jackman :Kick AssJavier Navarrete: Pan's LabyrinthStu Philips :Battlestar Galactica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indy4 155 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 John Williams: John Goldfarb, Please Come Home Once 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricard 2,244 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 KM's examples are right on.Has the guy who did The Last Starfighter ever done anything else of note?He also did the wonderful Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins the following year, which made me think he would join Horner, Silvestri etc as part of the new batch. Sadly he stayed as a "two-hit wonder", just like Arthur B. Rubinstein with War Games and Blue Thunder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 7,990 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Javier Navarrete: Pan's LabyrinthI actually rather enjoyed his score to Joe Dante's The Hole. It was obviously temped with a lot of Goldsmith and Pan's Labyrinth. But it's all enjoyable. Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Javier Navarrete: Pan's LabyrinthI actually rather enjoyed his score to Joe Dante's The Hole.Inkheart is pretty good, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck 154 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Ernest Gold - Exodus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Marc StreitenfeldI loved American Gangster. The main Frank Lucas theme is brilliant, and the atmospheric parts of the score fit the film perfectly. After that, I had insanely high hopes for Streitenfeld: this was only his second score, and it seemed like the sky was the limit. In reality, American Gangster appears to be the limit. If you ask me, nothing he's written since even qualifies as mediocre; really, Robin Hood and Prometheus are stock RCP scores, and Welcome to the Rileys and The Grey were dreadful. It's like he used up all his ideas on one score, although that one score was good enough to buy him quite a bit of good will with me.Jeff GraceI'll preface this by saying that I'm just generally unfamiliar with his output, but I Sell the Dead and Stake Land were eminently forgettable. The Innkeepers, though, might be the best horror score in recent memory.If you love American Gangster you should have no problem loving Body Of Lies. I agree about Jeff Grace, but his one score for me is The Last Winter. Although Meek's Cutoff is kind of a decent atmospheric background filler.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRunnVm803Q Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Jeff who? Who are these people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Jeff Grace was an additional composer on The Lord Of The Rings crocodile 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricard 2,244 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Howard Shore: The FlySeriously: Santaolalla for whatever he won two Oscars.Other 2-3 hit wonders may include Jack Nitzsche (One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest, Starman), and Brad Fiedel (Terminator, T2).Also: Anton Karas for The Third Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Colin Towns, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. Brad Fiedel (Terminator, T2).And True Lies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,179 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Edward Sheamur :Sky Captain And The Count of Monte Cristo, which I find much more satisfying. Arthur B. Rubinstein with War Games and Blue Thunder. What about Nick of Time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Before you say Shore's LOTR, I'll say he's ineligible on account of Naked Lunch, The Cell, Edge of Darkness, Eastern Promises, and Mrs. Doubtfire. Here goes: MRS. DOUBTFIRE, really? I'd go as far as saying the score actively hurts the film, and turns up the already saccharine elements (Robin Williams's worst tendencies) up to 11. Compared to Corigliano's rejected score, EDGE OF DARKNESS isn't much to write home about either. I'd replace those with ED WOOD, CRASH, SCANNERS or DEAD RINGERS. Brad Fiedel (Terminator, T2). And True Lies. And above all, TERMINATOR, which is still the best TERMINATOR score. All done on the cheap on a Prophet V, Oberheim System, Emu Emulator II, Kawai grand piano and an electric violin, but brilliantly effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,179 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I'd replace those with ED WOOD, CRASH, SCANNERS or DEAD RINGERS. Or Se7en, which is marvellously effective in the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,327 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Ed Wood is impressive. It showed how high Burton can soar without Elfman. Gruesome Son of a Bitch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Bruce Healey, AKA the guy who did Fantasmic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,179 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Philip Sainton, because Moby Dick was in fact his only film score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,626 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Seriously: Santaolalla for whatever he won two Oscars.from the perspective of a "film score fan", Santaolalla is a Zero hit wonder though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,233 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Edward Sheamur :Sky CaptainAnd The Count of Monte Cristo, which I find much more satisfying.Shearmur's K-Pax was nice. Ernest Gold - ExodusWhat about It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World? Greatest comedy score of all time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uni 306 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Has the guy who did The Last Starfighter ever done anything else of note?Dammit! Second post, someone stole the first example that came to mind. . . .KM's examples are right on.Has the guy who did The Last Starfighter ever done anything else of note?He also did the wonderful 'Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins' the following year, which made me think he would join Horner, Silvestri etc as part of the new batch. Sadly he stayed as a "two-hit wonder", just like Arthur B. Rubinstein with War Games and Blue Thunder.I wouldn't classify him even as a two-hit wonder; Remo Williams wasn't nearly as great as Last Starfighter. The twangy Korean motivic stuff was interesting, but the main theme was too stodgy 'n' structured, and turned into an 80s hipster beat for much of it. I remembered seeing the movie when I was younger, but was extremely disappointed when I picked up the score. Starfighter, on the other hand, was a standout score from the mid-80s.Rubinstein, on the other hand, was a two-hitter. Both those scores are terrific, and I was always disappointed he didn't do more.Javier Navarrete: Pan's LabyrinthStu Philips :Battlestar GalacticaDefinitely. As epic as Galactica is, you'd think Stu had some better stuff in him. But Buck Rodgers bordered on disco silliness, and Knight Rider never showed anything better than its own main theme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 The Knight Rider theme is brilliant and was way ahead of its time. It still sounds uber cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,327 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 It's a cool theme but it sounds very retro cool to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck 154 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Charles Bernstein - A Nightmare On Elm Street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Never have I spent more on a soundtrack one hit wonder than when I bought the Intrada BSG albums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Charles Bernstein - A Nightmare On Elm Street.CUJO and WHITE LIGHTNING are quite good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck 154 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Okay then.Jerome Moross - The Big Country.Billy Goldenberg - Duel.Mark McKenzie - The Greatest Miracle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricard 2,244 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Brad Fiedel (Terminator, T2).And True Lies.Absolutely.Arthur B. Rubinstein with War Games and Blue Thunder.What about Nick of Time?Not in the same level, IMO.Ed Wood is impressive. It showed how high Burton can soar without Elfman.My favorite Shore score after The Fly.Seriously: Santaolalla for whatever he won two Oscars.from the perspective of a "film score fan", Santaolalla is a Zero hit wonder thoughVery true.Ernest Gold - ExodusWhat about It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World? Greatest comedy score of all time!I remember watching a theatrical re-release and realizing how that score literally carried the whole film. Utterly brilliant.Remo Williams wasn't nearly as great as Last Starfighter. The twangy Korean motivic stuff was interesting, but the main theme was too stodgy 'n' structured, and turned into an 80s hipster beat for much of it. I remembered seeing the movie when I was younger, but was extremely disappointed when I picked up the score. Starfighter, on the other hand, was a standout score from the mid-80s.Oh, Remo definitely had a different flavor, but it was an excellent score, which worked really well in the film and featured two great main themes (the '80s beat' you dislike and the beautiful motif for master Chiun). And it's from 1985, one of the best years in film music! Charles Bernstein - A Nightmare On Elm Street.CUJO and WHITE LIGHTNING are quite good.Sure, but the Nightmare theme has become a classic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uni 306 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 The Knight Rider theme is brilliant and was way ahead of its time. It still sounds uber cool.It's still cool, sure. But the scoring for the show itself never got to that level. It was more Buck Rogers-type silliness (except, of course, when the theme inserted itself into the action).Remo Williams wasn't nearly as great as Last Starfighter. The twangy Korean motivic stuff was interesting, but the main theme was too stodgy 'n' structured, and turned into an 80s hipster beat for much of it. I remembered seeing the movie when I was younger, but was extremely disappointed when I picked up the score. Starfighter, on the other hand, was a standout score from the mid-80s.Oh, Remo definitely had a different flavor, but it was an excellent score, which worked really well in the film and featured two great main themes (the '80s beat' you dislike and the beautiful motif for master Chiun). And it's from 1985, one of the best years in film music! Meh. Just not my cup of tea, I suppose—though there are those who would look askance at both of us for cheering on War Games and Blue Thunder. As always, to each his own!On the other hand, you are 100% on the money when you cite '85 as an indisputably landmark year, both for movies and their scores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,626 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 There's some other composers who aren't "one hit wonders" but write a few promising scores then fail to live up to expectations the long termDavid Arnold is an example if you don't care about his Bond scores (Star Gate,ID4,Godzilla....???)Now Alexandre Desplat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Now Alexandre DesplatYou're deriving all of your hate for this guy from his relatively lame HP scores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,626 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I had a feeling when I listened to Golden Compass that he couldn't really handle an epic fantasy score. Godzilla is also not great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicist 4,643 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Even those have some good cues though to make them KM-proof some sugary plum fairy stuff or a droll bassoon scherzo on top might have done the trick. Dixon Hill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,323 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 KM, you need to listen to Monuments Men stat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,626 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I have, i liked it and gave me some hope but it faded again with GodzillaAnd Monuments Men is not the same type of movie I'd like Desplat to be better atHere's another one:Nobuo UematsuSo he has a couple of classic Final Fantasy scores (not all of it in there is great, but some of the themes are) , but he composed only 4 video game scores in the past 15 years, and he could have become a good film composer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,323 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Nobuo UematsuSo he has a couple of classic Final Fantasy scores (not all of it in there is great, but some of the themes are) , but he composed only 4 video game scores in the past 15 years, and he could have become a good film composer???http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuo_Uematsu#Discography Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Mark 3,626 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Well, the main ones I could find wasBlue DragonLost OdysseyFantasy LifeThe Last Storyl looks like there's some obscure 3DS titles I missed. so the point still stands. He's reduced to scoring obscure 3DS games nobody played? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck 154 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Klaus Badelt???Harald Kloser??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnome in Plaid 219 Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Marc StreitenfeldI loved American Gangster. The main Frank Lucas theme is brilliant, and the atmospheric parts of the score fit the film perfectly. After that, I had insanely high hopes for Streitenfeld: this was only his second score, and it seemed like the sky was the limit. In reality, American Gangster appears to be the limit. If you ask me, nothing he's written since even qualifies as mediocre; really, Robin Hood and Prometheus are stock RCP scores, and Welcome to the Rileys and The Grey were dreadful. It's like he used up all his ideas on one score, although that one score was good enough to buy him quite a bit of good will with me.Jeff GraceI'll preface this by saying that I'm just generally unfamiliar with his output, but I Sell the Dead and Stake Land were eminently forgettable. The Innkeepers, though, might be the best horror score in recent memory.If you love American Gangster you should have no problem loving Body Of Lies.I agree about Jeff Grace, but his one score for me is The Last Winter. Although Meek's Cutoff is kind of a decent atmospheric background filler.I liked the basic texture of Body of Lies with its ersatz A-pop strings, but there's no memorable thematic material the way there was with American Gangster, and execution isn't sophisticated enough to stand on its own without it.The Jeff Grace piece was really interesting - I'll have to check it out.Before you say Shore's LOTR, I'll say he's ineligible on account of Naked Lunch, The Cell, Edge of Darkness, Eastern Promises, and Mrs. Doubtfire. Here goes: MRS. DOUBTFIRE, really? I'd go as far as saying the score actively hurts the film, and turns up the already saccharine elements (Robin Williams's worst tendencies) up to 11.Compared to Corigliano's rejected score, EDGE OF DARKNESS isn't much to write home about either.I'd replace those with ED WOOD, CRASH, SCANNERS or DEAD RINGERS.I quite enjoyed Mrs. Doubtfire, though that could just be nostalgia speaking. I actually enjoy Corigliano's and Shore's Edge of Darkness versions equally. Somehow I always forget about Ed Wood and Dead Ringers - two great scores. Scanners is hands-down my least favorite Shore though.Charles Bernstein - A Nightmare On Elm Street.CUJO and WHITE LIGHTNING are quite good.Sadat is really good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Klaus Badelt???The Time Machine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Russell Garcia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnome in Plaid 219 Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Klaus Badelt???The Time Machine?The quieter moments of 16 Blocks are pretty solid. Shame that never got a release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omen II 1,235 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Charles Bernstein - A Nightmare On Elm Street.CUJO and WHITE LIGHTNING are quite good.Sadat is really good too.Mr Majestyk is majestic too if you like something with a bluegrass flavour. Can I suggest we let Chuck Bernstein leave early from detention this evening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Charles Bernstein - A Nightmare On Elm Street.CUJO and WHITE LIGHTNING are quite good.The latter is my one hit from him, excellent score.Klaus Badelt???The Time Machine?The quieter moments of 16 Blocks are pretty solid. Shame that never got a release.Yeah it's an underrated film too. Badelt has plenty of great scores, just not for Hollywood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Klaus Badelt's a good one. My one hit from him is the sublime RESCUE DAWN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,233 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 The Time Machine is a nice score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkissimo 1,973 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 It's a bit too Kumbaya, New Agey for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,233 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 The ending is, yeah. I usually only listen to the first cue anyway. It's quite a nice little theme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Klaus Badelt's a good one. My one hit from him is the sublime RESCUE DAWN.No love for The Promise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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