Best filmmusic composer

[Proletariat]

Danny Elfman, hands down.

Batman 1 & 2
Beetlejuice
Edward Scissorhands
Sleep Hollow
Simpsons theme
on and on and on and on

[drone]

Angelo Badalamenti did most of David Lynch's movies:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000823/

Pretty good stuff. Not saying he's the best, but putting his name put there.

[Bijo]

Why don't you try the links I provided?

Another name in the cast list.

Jennifer Connelly ... Young Deborah Gelly

Excellent.

[Gregoshi]

I'm with the John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith crowds, though I can't say I've liked much from Williams in the past 5-10 years. His first 30-35 years were brilliant though.

Howard Shore's LotR score is absolutely brilliant but I can't comment on any of his other works. Trevor Jones has done some nice stuff. My jury is still out on Hans Zimmer - I sense that I really should like his stuff, but there's always something that holds me back. He deserves a closer listen on my part though. Danny Elfman's stuff I like but much of it sounds too similar.

I'd have to put William's original Star Wars trilogy (Hope, Empire, Jedi) and Shore's LotR trilogy as the most musical and pleasing to listen to from beginning to end of the soundtracks I have.

[doc_bean]

I find it a bit weird that Williams biggest claim is the star wars soundtrack when its main theme is so obviously inspired by Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries (Ignore the comments on the video please).

Star wars theme


Note that I said inspired, it's a still a very long way from plagarism.

[Fragony]

Whoever wrote the music for Amelie Poulin.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Whoever wrote the music for Amelie Poulin.

Yann Tiersen, I believe.

[Subedei]

Ennio Morricone.

The ectasy of gold

Seconded, good choice!!!!

[Sigurd]

I agree with The initial post...
John Williams ... a classic composer. He will go down in history as one of the big ones.

[Bijo]

I find it a bit weird that Williams biggest claim is the star wars soundtrack when its main theme is so obviously inspired by Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries (Ignore the comments on the video please).

Star wars theme


Note that I said inspired, it's a still a very long way from plagarism.

It is true he knows Wagner-like music well. Ahhhh, thanks for posting these links: it has been a while since my ears rejoiced hearing music :) What beauty it is indeed... *wipes away a tear*

[Bijo]

Danny Elfman, hands down.

Batman 1 & 2
Beetlejuice
Edward Scissorhands
Sleep Hollow
Simpsons theme
on and on and on and on

I must admit Elfman is a good one, but there are better ones. I particularly enjoy the Simpsons theme.

And the music of Batman is very well done. It has been inspiring to me in the past.

[Husar]

Ride of the Valkyries always reminds me of SimCopter since it would often play there(at the time I had no idea what it was called), makes me wonder whether anyone else knows that game where you could be a helicopter pilot in SimCity 2000cities(yes, you could import your own).
I want a modern version of that.

[Pannonian]

Not a composer as such, and not really film music either, but something interesting nonetheless. A traditional story (earliest recorded mention late-Tang) with different traditional melodies attached (depending on the regional variation), but given its defintive form in 1958 as the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto. The concerto has a definite filmic feel to it, and was probably much influenced by the western film music composers of the 1930s-50s. The story has been made into films a number of times since, most notably by Tsui Hark.

The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto wiki entry
The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, 1st movement
A scene from The Lover, Tsui Hark's film adaptation of the story

[Fragony]

You guys really have to check out 'In the mood for love', a truly great korean romantic movie. The music is supurb, and if anyone could please tell me who that guy is who sings that spanish song. Think it's the same guy who sings in Hable con ella <----watch that one as well

[Pannonian]

You guys really have to check out 'In the mood for love', a truly great korean romantic movie. The music is supurb, and if anyone could please tell me who that guy is who sings that spanish song. Think it's the same guy who sings in Hable con ella <----watch that one as well

That film's Chinese, not Korean. Wong Kar-Wai's "Ashes of Time" featured far better use of music.