THE TOP FORTY COUNTDOWN 2005: PART TWO

By Scott Bettencourt

First off, a correction: in last week's first part of this series, we (well, I) erroneously reported the agency representation for Alexandre Desplat and Graeme Revell. Both composers are in fact currently represented by Kraft-Engel. The original column has since been corrected, and vacuum-sealed for maximum freshness.

2004 RANKING: 31
AGE: 38
BIRTHPLACE: London, England
REPRESENTATION: Gorfaine/Schwartz
BACKGROUND: Eton College, Royal College of Music, apprentice to Michael Kamen
ONGOING FILMMAKER RELATIONSHIPS: Neal Moritz, Iain Softley, Roger Kumble, Peter Howitt, McG
FAN FAVORITE: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
TYPECAST IN: Female action comedy
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Charlie's Angels--125 (U.S. gross in millions)
2. Miss Congeniality--105
3. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle--100
4. Blue Streak--68
5. The Count of Monte Cristo--54
6. K-PAX--50
7. Reign of Fire--43
8. Cruel Intentions--38
9. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow--37
10. Johnny English--27

Shearmur had three films in release in 2005 -- Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!, Wimbledon and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow -- and while none of them was a boxoffice hit, Sky Captain is likely to do a great deal to increase his profile in the film scoring world, much more than his actual boxoffice hits like Charlie's Angels and Miss Congeniality did. His music for 2003's Johnny English showed he could parody David Arnold's contemporary Bond action sound with enough skill to be a likely replacement should Arnold ever leave the series, while Sky Captain demonstrated his gifts by evoking another and highly respected style of action adventure scoring, the John Williams symphonic approach. Sheramur's Sky Captain music would fit snugly into the Williams/Lucas universe but never sounds like he's merely imitating Hollywood's number one composer. Though his only upcoming project at the moment is the supernatural thriller The Skeleton Key, his third film for director Iain Softley, his Sky Captain soundtrack, tuneful and genuinely rousing, could hardly be a better demo disc for big scale, old fashioned adventure projects.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Skeleton Key

2004 RANKING: 14
AGE: 49
BIRTHPLACE: New York, New York
REP: CAA
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: Fargo
RELATIONSHIPS: Joel & Ethan Coen, Michael Caton-Jones, Spike Jonze, John Lee Hancock, Bill Condon
BACKGROUND: Harvard (architecture, animation), punk rock
FAN FAVORITE: Fargo
TYPECAST IN: Offbeat comedy-drama
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. The General's Daughter--102
2. Conspiracy Theory--75
3. The Rookie--75
4. Three Kings--60
5. A Knight's Tale--55
6. The Jackal--54
7. Doc Hollywood--54
8. Wayne's World 2--47
9. O Brother Where Art Thou--43
10. The Ladykillers--39

Burwell had three high profile films in release last year, but none of them seemed to find the audience they were seeking. The Alamo was a rare, megabudget traditional Hollywood project for the composer, and though it was a literate and highly entertaining effort, the film was considered one of the biggest boxoffice flops of the year, and ironically some critics scolded Burwell for writing too traditional a score. The Coen Brothers' Ladykillers remake gave Burwell more scoring room than some of their later projects like Big Lebowski and O Brother Where Art Thou, but the soundtrack album featured only gospel source pieces, and the film, amusing and stylish as it was, was yet another boxoffice flop. His score for Kinsey was emotional yet distinctly Burwell-ian, and while the film earned some excellent reviews it surprisingly received only one Oscar nomination, and despite its salacious subject matter never reached a big audience. Burwell had a promising assignment on his schedule -- Serenity, Joss Whedon's feature version of his cult favorite sci-fi Western Firefly -- but the composer and director ultimately didn't see eye to eye and Burwell was replaced by David Newman, leaving him with no assignments currently on the horizon.

2004 RANKING: 15
AGE: 42
BIRTHPLACE: Luton, England
REP: First Artists Management
1 GRAMMY
RELATIONSHIPS: Scott Rudin, Eon Productions, John Singleton, Michael Apted
BACKGROUND: Pop music producer
FAN FAVORITES: Stargate, Tomorrow Never Dies
TYPECAST IN: Action
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Independence Day--306
2. Die Another Day--160
3. Godzilla--136
4. 2 Fast 2 Furious--127
5. The World Is Not Enough--126
6. Tomorrow Never Dies--125
7. Stargate--71
8. Shaft--70
9. Changing Lanes--66
10. Zoolander--45

Arnold has been maintaining a surprisingly low profile of late, and his only film last year was the amusing but wildly uneven Stepford Wives remake, a change-of-pace assignment for which he wrote a broadly comic but effective score ­ as usual, Arnold tended to go for the big gesture rather than the gentle nuance, but this style was perfectly in keeping with the film's campy, broad-as-a-barn approach -- though Joel McNeely received an prominent Additional Music credit, so it's hard to know how well the final score reflected Arnold's intentions. Presumably Arnold will do the next James Bond film, which may be Casino Royale, but until then his fans will have to be satisfied with the John Singleton's drama Four Brothers (his fourth film for the director), and a rock biopic about the late Rolling Stone Brian Jones.

WHAT'S NEXT: Four Brothers, The Wild and Wycked World of Brian Jones

2004 RANKING: 30
AGE: 52
BIRTHPLACE: Uddingston, Scotland
REPRESENTATION: Air-Edel
2 OSCAR NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: Sense and Sensibility, Gosford Park
ONGOING FILMMAKER RELATIONSHIPS: Kenneth Branagh, Alfonso Cuaron, Regis Wargnier, Mike Newell, Emma Thompson
BACKGROUND: Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, actor, stage composer
FAN FAVORITES: Henry V, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
TYPECAST IN: Oscar bait
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Bridget Jones's Diary--71
2. Sense and Sensibility--43
3. Gosford Park--41
4. Secondhand Lions--41
5. Donnie Brasco--41
6. Dead Again--38
7. Carlito's Way--36
8. Calendar Girls--30
9. Great Expectations--26
10. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein--22

Doyle has barely been heard from in the U.S. since two minor successes in 2003, Calendar Girls and Secondhand Lions, but later this year he has his highest profile project yet, being the first composer besides John Williams to take the reins of a Harry Potter score -- a daunting but enviable project for any composer, especially one who's had too few opportunities lately to really cut loose musically. Besides Potter he has a wide variety of upcoming projects, including a Mary Poppins-ish fantasy starring Emma Thompson, a Regis Wargnier adventure about the hunt for the missing link, and the directorial debut of actor Richard E. Grant.

WHAT'S NEXT: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Nanny McPhee, Man to Man, The Galindez File, Wah-Wah

2004 RANKING: Not ranked
AGE: 51
BIRTHPLACE: Konin, Poland
REP: Greenspan Artist Management
1 OSCAR
BEST PICTURE NOMINEES: Finding Neverland
BACKGROUND: Studies in law and politics, theater composer, European cinema
FAN FAVORITE: Finding Neverland
TYPECAST IN: Arthouse drama
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Unfaithful--52
2. Finding Neverland--51 (as of 4/3/05)
3. Lost Souls--16
4. Washington Square--1

Just as there's a subgenre of film often called the "Miramax movie" -- middlebrow entertainment with a literate patina, or as one critic described them, arthouse films for people who don't like arthouse films -- there's also a comparable subgenre of "Miramax scores," charming, tuneful and painless, many of which have gone on to win Oscars -- Il Postino, Life is Beautiful, Emma, Shakespeare in Love and now Finding Neverland. Kaczmarek said in post-Oscar interviews that he made a special effort to get this assignment, but while the Academy Award will certainly be a big boost to his career, it is hoped that the effective but bland sentiment of his Neverland score won't typecast him, as his resume shows an impressive variety of styles -- the classically styled period drama of Total Eclipse and Washington Square, the gorgeous main title from Bliss, the fresh and moving The Third Miracle, and uncliched demonic horror for Lost Souls.

WHAT'S NEXT: Untitled Kurt Russell/Dakota Fanning Project

2004 RANKING: 33
AGE: 51
BIRTHPLACE: Johannesburg, South Africa
REP: Kraft-Engel
BACKGROUND: Rock guitarist for the band Yes, Media Ventures
RELATIONSHIPS: Jerry Bruckheimer
FAN FAVORITE: Armageddon
TYPECAST IN: Action
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Armageddon--201
2. National Treasure--171 (as of 4/3/05)
3. Bad Boys II--138
4. Remember the Titans--115
5. Enemy of the State--111
6. Gone in 60 Seconds--101
7. Con Air--101
8. Deep Blue Sea--73
9. Coach Carter--66 (as of 4/3/05)
10. Kangaroo Jack--65

Between its silly trailer and goofy premise, National Treasure looked to be one of the fall's biggest flops, and instead turned out to be the surprise hit of the season, and Trevor Rabin's second highest grosser amongst an already hit laden resume. The composer managed to work in some quirky, Thomas Newman-esque stylings amidst the usual "Jerry Bruckheimer Sound," though for a film concerning the exploration of American history some musical reflection of this subject matter might have been appreciated, but Bruckheimer isn't the kind of producer to encourage such rich musical subtext (imagine what an Americana composer like Broughton could have done with the assignment). Rabin had another, more modest hit early his year with the surprisingly enjoyable teen sports drama Coach Carter, but as with most youth oriented films these days the composer was mostly used to fill up the space between the songs. Rabin has two change-of-pace projects which may demonstrate his range if they ever get off the shelf -- the Patricia Highsmith thriller Mr. Ripley's Return and the World War II adventure The Great Raid.

WHAT'S NEXT: Mr. Ripley's Return, The Great Raid

2004 RANKING: 28
AGE: 33
BIRTHPLACE: Montreal, Canada
REP: Kraft-Engel
1 EMMY, 2 NOMINATIONS
RELATIONSHIPS: Audrey Wells, Shawn Levy
BACKGROUND: USC film scoring program (under Jerry Goldsmith), TV composer
FAN FAVORITE: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
TYPECAST IN: Youth comedy
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Cheaper by the Dozen--137
2. American Wedding--104
3. Garfield--75
4. Bring It On--68
5. Without a Paddle--58
6. Just Married--56
7. A Cinderella Story--51
8. The Tuxedo--50
9. Big Fat Liar--47
10. Under the Tuscan Sun--43

Typecast as a comedy composer, and especially a youth comedy composer (such as the currently in release Ice Princess), Beck seemed poised to break out of that mold, and return to the Buffy turf that first brought him attention, with the Daredevil spinoff Elektra, but that sleekly photographed, eminently disposable B-movie came and went making barely a ripple. Following some "additional music" for Miss Congeniality 2, he returns to girl tales with the Hilary Duff vehicle The Perfect Man, and replaces David Newman (who, coincidentally, took over as composer on Buffy creator Joss Whedon's upcoming Serenity) as composer on the Steve Martin Pink Panther updating, following in the daunting footsteps of Hollywood's most popular comedy composer, Henry Mancini.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Pink Panther, The Perfect Man

2004 RANKING: 21
AGE: 53
BIRTHPLACE: New York, New York
REP: First Artists Management
1 OSCAR NOMINATION
1 EMMY, 4 NOMINATIONS
2 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS
BEST PICTURE NOMINEE: Quiz Show
RELATIONSHIPS: Jodie Foster, Irwin Winkler, Paul Haggis, Wayne Kramer
BACKGROUND: Jazz & classical trumpeter (for San Francisco Opera Orchestra, bands), Windham Hill recording artist
FAN FAVORITE: Fly Away Home
TYPECAST IN: Drama
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. Save the Last Dance--91
2. Blade--70
3. Miracle--64
4. Rules of Engagement--61
5. Kiss the Girls--60
6. Don't Say a Word--54
7. Varsity Blues--52
8. The Net--50
9. Men of Honor--48
10. Racing Stripes--48 (as of 4/3/05)

Though he's yet to have the kind of hundred million dollar plus smash that keeps most composers' careers going, Isham continues to be in great demand and employed on a wide variety of projects. His most recent release was the moderately successful children's fantasy Racing Stripes, and the rest of the year features the kind of variety that any composer would envy -- comedy for both families (the Will Ferrell/kids soccer film Kicking & Screaming) and grownups (Curtis Hanson's In Her Shoes, with Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette) as well as the gritty dramas Crash and Running Scared. Perhaps never having that career defining blockbuster is what's kept Isham's career so unusually unpredictable.

WHAT'S NEXT: Running Scared, In Her Shoes, Crash, Kicking & Screaming

2004 RANKING: 25
AGE: 46
BIRTHPLACE: Winnipeg, Canada
REP: First Artists Management
RELATIONSHIPS: Atom Egoyan, Mira Nair
BACKGROUND: University of Toronto, Canadian cinema
FAN FAVORITE: Ride With the Devil
TYPECAST IN: Female oriented period drama
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. 8mm--36
2. Bounce--36
3. Girl, Interrupted--28
4. Hearts in Atlantis--24
5. Antwone Fisher--21
6. Vanity Fair--16
7. Monsoon Wedding--13
8. The Ice Storm--8
9. Being Julia--7
10. Kama Sutra--4

Danna's last minute departure from Ang Lee's Hulk may have slowed his momentum as a composer for megabudget Hollywood projects, but he always seemed an unlikely fit for that type of film, and last year he found two projects more suitable for his offbeat style and gentle sensibility. Vanity Fair received mixed reviews but was one of Danna's strongest efforts, his music achieving impressive prominence in the film, while the Oscar nominated Being Julia was much less score dominated but Danna's contribution was always apt and enjoyable.

WHAT'S NEXT: Aurora Borealis, Where the Truth Lies

2004 RANKING: Not ranked
AGE: Unavailable
BIRTHPLACE: Riverside, New Jersey
REP: Gorfaine/Schwartz
RELATIONSHIPS: J.J. Abrams
BACKGROUND: Julliard, UCLA, game composer, TV composer (Alias, Lost)
TYPECAST IN: Superhero adventure
FAN FAVORITE: The Incredibles
TOP GROSSING FILMS:
1. The Incredibles--261 (as of 4/3/05)

Following years of popular work scoring the TV hit Alias as well as such games as The Lost World and the Medal of Honor series, Giacchino broke into feature scoring with an unusually impressive debut effort, giving The Incredibles a delightful pastiche of 60s musical styles that beautifully matched writer-director Brad Bird's elegant retro visuals. Giacchino's work was one of the most popular and critically acclaimed scores of the year (and maybe the only contemporary animated film without a single song on the soundtrack), and if there's any complaint to be had it's that Giacchino could have been a little more upfront about acknowledging the influence of John Barry's classic James Bond scores. Barry may not have been the only influence but he was certainly the most prominent (Barry was the original composer for the film and the trailers even used his On Her Majesty's Secret Service theme, which was homaged, to say the least, in Giacchino's score), and Giacchino's dramatic sense and musical talent are impressive enough that one would hate to see him spend his career denying the influence of composers who have clearly inspired him, as one A-lister is notorious for.

WHAT'S NEXT: Sky High

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