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Why doesn´t Williams do Peter Pan? :-(


TIEfighter

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I have just seen the trailer to the new Peter Pan Film which will be released in december, and i thought it would be cool for Williams to go back to one of his (IMO) best soundtracks and also compose the music to this Pan-Adventure. However, went to imdb.com and saw that James Newton Howard will do the whole music. :folder::);) It´s not that i don´t like Howard (Signs was absolutely great), but I think it would have been wonderful to hear Williams´ old themes in new variatons etc.

What do you think?

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Williams would never be able to use themes from Hook , since that music is owned by a different studio then the one producing Peter Pan.

I'm sure J.N. Howard will do a great job.

Stefancos- who probably won't see the film in cinema.

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Howards' score will definitely not disappoint. He is an outstanding composer who just needs the right material.

Ted, who loves JNH

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I didn´t want to say Howard isn´t a great composer or that he won´t be able to do a great score, I just would have preferred a hook-like Williams score somehow...but well, maybe Howard won kind of a "hook-alike contest" :folder:

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Also, Howard has already produced a great score with Hogan (My Best Friend's wedding), which is generally a good omen. (See Goldsmith and Schaffner, Horner and Howard, Williams and everyone, and even Howard and Shyamalan)

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It would have been neat to hear some of Hook under the trailer at least. Most of the music I couldn't put a finger on. But I'm also a big Howard fan although I do believe he needs a good project to compose good music. I'm not too fond of his recent Disney fare such as Atlantis and Treasure Planet. I still respect the technique involved but don't find his thematic material all that compelling. But Signs and Unbreakable are two of my favorite scores of his from the 2000's thus far. I also think he'll do quite well on this project.

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We know though that he can be like Williams if he wants (Treasure Planet), in a good way. I know nothing about the new film, but maybe he'll use Hook as inspiration, or something like that.

~Conor

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He combines impressive versatility and assiduous craftmanship, but I don't really feel that James Newton Howard has a distinctive voice. His melodies are just bland, bland, bland. Assuming that Peter Pan will be highly melodic score, I wish that composers with track record of writing classic themes (without giving the rest of the score short shrift) could have been given this kind of material: Basil Poledouris, Trevor Jones, Patrick Doyle. Anybody else think these guys don't score enough pictures?

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Dave, Dinasaur, My best friend's wedding and Signs are anything but bland.

And how many classic themes has Jones come up with? Poledouris has a couple as does Doyle, but Howard could certainly match that with the Fugitive, Dave and signs.

I don't know about Jones, but Poledouris and Doyle definatly need more and better projects. A second rate TV movie or Bridget Jones's Diary type doesn't lend itself to great music.

I think any composer would be lucky to get this material, which is so colorful that it seems hard to get wrong, from Korngold to Williams.

Even Debney's score, which I don't like has the perfect feel- it's just missing the melodies.

As pirate scores are few and far between, I'm happy for the two this year. And giving one to Howard, who is as good as almost anyone else now-a-days and one to Zimmer, who has already written great pirate material, is very fitting. Although Silvestri would have been a great choice as well. (Put one big IMO on all of that)

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And how many classic themes has Jones come up with?

The Dark Crystal, Dominick and Eugene, The Last of Mohicans (which most film music afficiandos seem to detest, unfortunately), Cliffhanger. Merlin and Cleopatra have pretty good main themes, too.

Signs has a memorable and eminently nimble three note motif, I'll grant it that much. Memorable in part because it forms the basis for the entire score, although that feat in itself is nothing special -- Goldsmith has been doing that routinely for years (as have countless composers since the inception of the film score).

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Granted everyone is entitled to their own opinion, especially when it comes to music and more specifically, film scores. But to say that James Newton Howard's score for "Signs" is bland or any other insult for that matter is just plain ignorant. John Williams is my all-time favorite composer, hands down, but "Signs" has earned its way into being one of my favorite scores of all time. If you don't own it, buy it. Maybe you just remember the repetitive three-note motif, which is fine. Personally, I think it works brilliantly the way it's used. But there is a depth to that score that is so rare. There is some truly, truly beautiful music, particularly the asthma attack scene and the ending. There is great action, suspense music. And the opening credits would make Bernard Herrmann jealous!

You can insult me. You can even insult my mother. But don't you ever, ever insult the soundtrack from "Signs."

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And how many classic themes has Jones come up with?

The Dark Crystal, Dominick and Eugene, The Last of Mohicans (which most film music afficiandos seem to detest, unfortunately), Cliffhanger. Merlin and Cleopatra have pretty good main themes, too.

I have never heard anyone mention The Dark Crystal, Dominick and Eugine or Cliffhanger. Call them good scores- but I don't think classic applies.

The Last of The Mohicans does apply- but I was never sure which composer wrote the finale. If it's Jones- than fine, but I was under the impression that it was Edelman. And that motif is the classic one, not the one on all the compilations.

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And how many classic themes has Jones come up with?

The Dark Crystal, Dominick and Eugene, The Last of Mohicans (which most film music afficiandos seem to detest, unfortunately), Cliffhanger. Merlin and Cleopatra have pretty good main themes, too.

Signs has a memorable and eminently nimble three note motif, I'll grant it that much. Memorable in part because it forms the basis for the entire score, although that feat in itself is nothing special -- Goldsmith has been doing that routinely for years (as have countless composers since the inception of the film score).

From Hell, although not a classic, definitely on par with themes James Newton Howard pulled off for Sixth Sense, Signs or Unbreakable.

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I have just seen the trailer to the new Peter Pan Film which will be released in december, and i thought it would be cool for Williams to go back to one of his (IMO) best soundtracks and also compose the music to this Pan-Adventure. However, went to imdb.com and saw that James Newton Howard will do the whole music.  :sigh:  :P  :( It´s not that i don´t like Howard (Signs was absolutely great), but I think it would have been wonderful to hear Williams´ old themes in new variatons etc.

What do you think?

At least you'll be able to compare Williams' musical imagination of Hook with that of Howard's. Then it'll be safe to say whether Howard can do a great job. I think he can already sense the raring eyes of JW's fans waiting for the final score... ;)

Anyways, since Elfman is burned out, of all I can think of Howard is a good choice.

Roman.-)

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