James Newton Howard

Sound

Biography

American composer, orchestrator, and music producer James Newton Howard is an eight-time Academy Award nominee.  He is best known for his frequent collaborations with director M. Night Shyamalan. He is well known for his highly emotional and powerfully subtle music, supplying his talent to an array of films such as The Fugitive, The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village, the two Christopher Nolan Batman films; Batman Begins and The Dark Knight with Hans After Howard left the University of Southern California, he toured with Elton John as a keyboardist during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Howard also arranged strings for several of Elton's songs during this period including on the hits "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word", as well as playing additional keyboards and synthesizers on several of Elton's studio albums, including "Rock of The Westies" (1975), "Blue Moves" (1976), "21 At 33" (1980), and "The Fox" (1981). After his tenure with John, Howard toured briefly with Crosby, Stills and Nash before moving into film music in the mid-1980s. Howard scored the blockbuster Pretty Woman (1990). He received his first Academy Award nomination for his score for Barbra Streisand's drama The Prince of Tides (1991). Howard achieved four more best original score Oscar nominations, for the Harrison Ford action feature The Fugitive (1993), the Julia Roberts romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), M. Night Shyamalan's The Village (2004) and most recently, Michael Clayton (2007). In addition, Howard received Best Song nods for scoring the Western epic Wyatt Earp (1994), Kevin Costner's Waterworld (1995), and Primal Fear (1996).   Howard scored Space Jam (1996), Dante's Peak (1997) (theme only - score was composed by John Frizzell), and Collateral (2004). Howard has  scored three Disney films which are Dinosaur (2000), Treasure Planet and Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Howard also earned an Emmy nomination in 1995 the theme and pilot to the television drama, ER. He also won an Emmy for the them to Gideon's Crossing.  He went on to win a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score for the feature King Kong. He went on to receive Oscar nominations for the features Michael Clayton (2007) and Defiace (2008).

Ratings

Music Composing
882 ratings

Filmography

Music Composing

116 titles
83MovieNerd Score

The Hunger Games

Movie

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. The world will be watching.

Overall83
Story80
Acting81
Cinematography81
Concept90
Entertaining86
Uniqueness89
Family Friendly70

Restoration

Movie

An aspiring young physician, Robert Merivel found himself in the service of King Charles II and saves the life of someone close to the King. Merivel joins the King's court and lives the high life provided to someone of his position. Merivel is ordered to marry his King's mistress in order to divert the queens suspicions. He is given one order by the king and that is not to fall in love. The situation worsens when Merivel finds himself in love with his new wife. Eventually, the King finds out and relieves Merivel of his position and wealth. His fall from grace leaves Merivel where he first started. And through his travels and reunions with an old friend, he rediscovers his love for true medicine and what it really means to be a physician.

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Miscellaneous Crew

126 titles
83MovieNerd Score

The Hunger Games

Movie

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. The world will be watching.

Overall83
Story80
Acting81
Cinematography81
Concept90
Entertaining86
Uniqueness89
Family Friendly70

Mumford

Movie

As a relative newcomer to an Oregon town that bears his name, Dr. Mumford seems charming and skillful to his neighbors and patients. His unique, frank approach to psychotherapy soon attracts patients away from the two therapists already working in the area. Soon he is treating a variety of conditions, ranging from the obsession of one man with erotic novels to an unhappily married woman and her compulsive shopping. Mumford befriends a billionaire computer mogul and a cafe waitress and attempts to play matchmaker. He also begins to fall for a patient who suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome. Together with an attorney (Martin Short) whom Mumford had rejected as a patient because of his narcissism, the rival therapists conspire to find skeletons in Mumford's closet, hoping to destroy his reputation. Meanwhile, Mumford's inherent likability causes his life to become intertwined with much of the rest of the town.

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Restoration

Movie

An aspiring young physician, Robert Merivel found himself in the service of King Charles II and saves the life of someone close to the King. Merivel joins the King's court and lives the high life provided to someone of his position. Merivel is ordered to marry his King's mistress in order to divert the queens suspicions. He is given one order by the king and that is not to fall in love. The situation worsens when Merivel finds himself in love with his new wife. Eventually, the King finds out and relieves Merivel of his position and wealth. His fall from grace leaves Merivel where he first started. And through his travels and reunions with an old friend, he rediscovers his love for true medicine and what it really means to be a physician.

Overall—
Story—
Acting—
Cinematography—
Concept—
Entertaining—
Uniqueness—
Family Friendly—