[Closed] Now Playing XLVII

Great choices. I wish someone would rerecord his work THE CANYON, there's nothing wrong with Robert Shaw's original performance but the recording is awful. At least the magnificent ITAIPU was rerecorded.

Memoirs of a Geisha - John Williams (composer)

I like all his music since the turn of the century, but this is my favourite.

John Williams. Ralph Vaughan Williams.

In the mood it is not, repeat, NOT possible to get better! FACT!

My brain can't handle John Williams playing a theme by John Williams.

We have just been visited by the god of chunder.

Reclaim - Inon Zur

Nice, Thomas Newman-ish romantic score.

Nah! I agree with Thor.

NP: Angry Birds Transformers - Kenny Meriedeth & Vince DiCola

This is a lot more enjoyable that I thought it would be when I say that this had been released.

St Vincent - Theodore Shapiro

A bit boring really.

Like most of his work anyway (Except for that one time in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty )

I didn't think Walter Mitty particularly elevated itself above the rest of Shapiro's oeuvre, but I did enjoy parts of his score to Aardman's The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists (or whatever the name of that movie is).

He seems to be one of those competent composers who always knows what they're doing but rarely picks assignments that let him shine, like Christophe Beck or Christopher Lennertz or even John Debney. I find it kind of hard to make damning statements like "all their work is boring" about these guys, because it doesn't seem like they deserve it, but it does seem rather a waste. I guess someone has to score all those comedies, though. And Beck didn't exactly make much of his big opportunity on Edge of Tomorrow this year.

I mentioned Edge of Tomorrow, and frankly, no other ones really come to mind for me - Beck did fine on Frozen and his Percy Jackson movie, which are the only ones that really gave him much room. Lennertz has several very entertaining parody and video game scores amongst all the comedies. I agree that Debney hasn't been too impressive lately (his score for The Call is one of my absolute least favorites ever, by anyone), but he did do Dream House a few years ago and that was a pretty strong score, I thought. And all those you mention are pretty good. I never said Debney hadn't had any chances - just that he doesn't get enough lately. That's why I say it's a bit of a shame to see him scoring romantic comedies all the time. And it's the same with Shapiro, although for me he doesn't yet have the career highlights that the other three do (Debney, Beck and Lennertz). They're all good composers, but they're too workmanlike in their project choices (or maybe they just take what they're given).

There's a Shapiro score I'd DIE to hear outside of the movie, but it wasn't released even in not-so-legal form, as far as I know - Prince of Central Park. I remember it having an exquisite theme.

I thought that one was even more boring! The ones that really stand out for me are the two he did for David Mamet, State and Main and especially Heist (though admittedly it's highly derivative).

That one was Christophe Beck. You might be forgiven for mistaking the two though.