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Being a HUGE Elfman fan, I was bit surprised when I was once again taken by another composer’s score over this past week.
I rented the movie “Signs”, having never seen it at the theater. I am very familiar with M. Night Shyamalan’s work, “Unbreakable” and “Sixth Sense”, but I think this is some of his most masterful work yet. I believe he is truly the Hitchcock of our current generation.
And I couldn’t take my ears off James Newton Howard’s gripping score. A very weird, three-note arpeggio motif through the whole thing. And I know Danny can write great action cues, but in this score, the cues titled “The Hand of Fate”, with parts 1 and 2, are absolutely stunning. The eerie strings and pulsating violin/viola make for a very edge-of-the-seat experience, the whole while maintaining a backing of that three-note motif. And the brass punch here is just mesmerizing.
It amazes me more people don’t talk much of his work. I would easily rate him up there with ANY of the top scoremasters.
Discussion?
if only there was James Newton Howard’s Music For A Waterworld of… yea this is stupid, but Howard’s music is pretty damn top notch, Dinosaur and his other disney scores are definitley up on my list of all time faves even if they do resemble Horner from time to time…
The score for “Signs” is definitely incredible. I get goosebumps at “The Hands of Fate Pt. 1” and “Asthma Attack” is also a gorgeous piece of music.
I never really paid attention to his work until “Signs.” Since then I look for his name in upcoming movies–bought the “Dreamcatcher” score even though it wasn’t that spectacular, but it was JMH, so what the hey.
I know his early work was in the Elton John Band back in the 1970’s. Like Danny, he has a rock background. Funny, I was just watching “Falling Down” the other day never realizing it was his score. Pity there was no CD release for that.
William
And by JMH, I meant JNH… That was a typo.
William
yes i agree, howard is a brilliant composer. signs is one of my favorite scores, along with atlantis and dinosaur. all beautiful music!
Restoration!!!!
Snow falling on Cedars!!!
The SIxth Sense!!!Yes, James Newton Howard is one of my fav. composers. There is alot of other ones on my list too, but acually JNH is probably the one right below Elfman.
Knight (Haven’t seen or heard Dreamcatcher yet, is it good?)
He also played synthesizers on some Randy Newman albums.
I would love to see him get the break that Shore has gotten to score a big live action adventure movie.
His scores for Dinosaur, Unbreakable, and Signs are a few of my favorites over the last couple of years. Also, he made the cover of Keyboard Magazine one month (great interview with him about his equipment and composing), and they posted an MP3 of “The Egg Travels” from his synth mockup score on their site that has to be heard to be believed (it’s almost identical to the full orchestral version)!Nat
I love “Signs,” but for sheer listening pleasure, his score for “Dave” is light, airy, and tremendous fun.
I like the opening sequence the best, where the music comes in all quiet, and then: BAM! you’ve got music and words flying everywhere. So, it does a fantastic job of capturing the element of surprise.
From now on, I say violins are the musical personification of cornfields! (Well, at least in this movie, anyways). So, how could you resist watching Signs for so long? Pish!
The Opening sequence harkens back to the best Hitchcock and Herrmann main titles. And just like the Williams’ music and the opening sequence to “Catch me if you Can” (like the Saul Bass sequences) it just goes to show you that the old ways to do things might not be outdated.
Nat
“The Opening sequence harkens back to the best Hitchcock and Herrmann main titles.”
Marine? North by Northwest? The Man Who Knew Too Much? The Trouble With Harry?
Psycho.
jerry goldsmith scored “psycho 2”
In style, not in content – simple is sometimes best.
Nat
I really didn’t like Psycho 2. Of course nothing could match the brilliance of Hitchcock’s original, but it didn’t even hold up as a moderately entertaining sequel. Even Goldsmith’s score was mediocre.
Psycho 3 is also really bad, but it is at least entertaining in its crapiness. Carter Burwell’s score isn’t among his best (although, I think it was only his second or third film score after Blood Simple).
Psycho 4 was alright, easily the best of the sequels. It’s also the only one to feature Herrmann’s original theme, adapted by Graeme Revelle.
I’m not sure where I was going with this.
The Signs soundtrack is tremendous… I used the Main Titles and The Hand of Fate Part 1 to score a short zombie movie I did last year…
If anyone cares to download it…
http://www.untamedaggression.iofm.net/films_twatting_zombies.html
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