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James Newton Howard, under-appreciated?

Really, I'm beginning to think so. I've been ripping my CD collection into VBR MP3's. I've finished soundtracks, so I can easily see how many of his I have, and when I drift through the tracks I get sorta weepy.

James Newton Howard is a composer that when he is on, he's evocative. Even when he's composing for third-rate movies, like Jackson's King Kong. You listen to the finale bits, Beauty Killed the Beast IV and V, and the Enya crap aside...wow. The submarine piece in his score for Atlantis...wow.

This has been a back-burner question for me because I keep wondering who will come along to take the place of John Williams, John Barry, and Jerry Goldsmith. Sure, they're not all dead, but sometimes I wonder. Have you listened to Williams' bits for Munich and War of the Worlds? The occasional moment, yes, but that makes him less than Howard because Howard's moments are getting longer.

Maybe I miss Goldsmith. That there was a composing god if ever there was one. Remember this and this and this? Wow!

Has Barry written anything worth a hoot since Prances with Puppies? I think not.

And I've already cried over Williams.

So that leaves...who? Howard is doing well. There's also Howard Shore, who can compose some really great creepy shit, though I think hit LOTR crap is over-rated (well, then again, LOTR was over-rated, so it fits). I'm excited by Michael Giacchino. His score for The Incredibles was...incredible! A crime was committed the day it didn't at least get an Oscar nomination. There's also Marco Beltrami. Even when he's scoring for crap he's fun (because, well, it's fun crap), and his Hellboy score wasn't crap at all (because Hellboy wasn't crap, it was great).

One day, one of these fellows -- or someone else -- will do something amazing. And they'll we'll all go, "Hey, remember when Williams was this good? Was he ever this good?"

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