James Newton Howard Archives - The Playlist

‘Raya & The Last Dragon’: Don Hall & Carlos López Estrada & The Film’s Producers Talk Creating Disney’s New Animated Adventure Fantasy

Griffin Schiller — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 20:44:49 +0000

Walt Disney Animation Studios is gearing up for their 59th animated feature, the upcoming action-adventure fantasy “Raya and the Last Dragon.” Directed by Don Hall (“Big Hero 6”) and Carlos López Estrada (“Blindspotting”), with veteran Disney artists Paul Briggs and John Ripa credited as co-directors, “Raya and the Last Dragon” takes place in the fantasy world of Kumandra, where long ago humans and dragons lived together in harmony.

Continue reading ‘Raya & The Last Dragon’: Don Hall & Carlos López Estrada & The Film’s Producers Talk Creating Disney’s New Animated Adventure Fantasy at The Playlist.

James Newton Howard Says He Worked With Terrence Malick On An Unreleased Film Called ‘Grace Abounding To The Chief Of Sinners’

Rafael Motamayor — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 14:53:09 +0000

A new Terrence Malick film is always a cause for excitement because of how spread out they are released, with anything between a year and 20 years between projects. But Malick, like any other filmmaker, has a long list of unproduced projects, one of which involved a score written by James Newton Howard titled “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.”

READ MORE: Terrence Malick’s ‘The Last Planet’ Is Now Titled ‘The Way Of The Wind’

In a new interview with RogerEbert.com about his score for Paul Greengrass‘s “News of the World,” Howard talked about working with Malick.

Continue reading James Newton Howard Says He Worked With Terrence Malick On An Unreleased Film Called ‘Grace Abounding To The Chief Of Sinners’ at The Playlist.

‘News Of The World’: An Old-Fashioned Western With A Contemporary Heart [Review]

Jason Bailey — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 16:50:32 +0000

Texas, 1870. The splendidly named Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) travels from town to town as a “newsreader,” which is exactly what it sounds like – he selects the most interesting recent items from newspapers and magazines, and reads them aloud to locals for a dime, so that they may hear “the great changes that are happening out there.” He’s a mixture of reporter and storyteller, and something like a folklorist as well; Kidd was also a preacher once upon a time, and that’s not too surprising either.

Continue reading ‘News Of The World’: An Old-Fashioned Western With A Contemporary Heart [Review] at The Playlist.

‘A Hidden Life’ Composer Talks Unproduced Malick Film Described As A “Parallel Story Between Jerry Lee Lewis & Jerry Falwell”

Charles Barfield — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 20:23:45 +0000

For a certain contingent of film fans (those that write for and read this site, for example), the release of a new Terrence Malick film is almost like a holiday. Sure, they’re not always great, but every Malick film is like a peek into the psyche of one of the best filmmakers of all time. And therefore, it’s an event. Plus, like any good event, the release of a new film doesn’t happen all the time, so each still feels special.

Continue reading ‘A Hidden Life’ Composer Talks Unproduced Malick Film Described As A “Parallel Story Between Jerry Lee Lewis & Jerry Falwell” at The Playlist.

Listen: Jessie J’s “Crazy About You” From ‘Silver Linings Playbook,’ Wilco Re-Records Tune For ‘This Is 40’ & More

The Playlist Staff — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:23:00 +0000

Listen: Jessie J's "Crazy About You" From 'Silver Linings Playbook,' Wilco Re-Records Tune For 'This Is 40' & More

Continue reading Listen: Jessie J’s “Crazy About You” From ‘Silver Linings Playbook,’ Wilco Re-Records Tune For ‘This Is 40’ & More at The Playlist.

James Newton Howard Reteams With M. Night Shyamalan To Score ‘After Earth’

The Playlist Staff — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:39:19 +0000

James Newton Howard Reteams With M. Night Shyamalan To Score 'After Earth'

Continue reading James Newton Howard Reteams With M. Night Shyamalan To Score ‘After Earth’ at The Playlist.

Watch: Florence + The Machine’s “Breathe Of Life” Video From ‘Snow White & The Huntsman’ Plus Soundtrack Details

The Playlist Staff — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:02:45 +0000

Watch: Florence + The Machine's "Breathe Of Life" Video From 'Snow White & The Huntsman' Plus Soundtrack Details

Continue reading Watch: Florence + The Machine’s “Breathe Of Life” Video From ‘Snow White & The Huntsman’ Plus Soundtrack Details at The Playlist.

Danny Elfman Out, James Newton Howard In To Score ‘The Hunger Games’

The Playlist Staff — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:44:00 +0000

Danny Elfman Out, James Newton Howard In To Score 'The Hunger Games'

Continue reading Danny Elfman Out, James Newton Howard In To Score ‘The Hunger Games’ at The Playlist.

James Newton Howard Scoring ‘Green Lantern’

The Playlist Staff — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 10:04:05 +0000

James Newton Howard Scoring 'Green Lantern'

Continue reading James Newton Howard Scoring ‘Green Lantern’ at The Playlist.

Exclusive: Danny Elfman Out, James Newton Howard In Talks To Take Over ‘Green Hornet’ Score

Oliver Lyttelton — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:59:00 +0000

Between the delayed release date, the lukewarm reaction to the first trailer and reports of walk-outs during the film’s panel at Comic-Con, “The Green Hornet” isn’t exactly looking like the rosiest apple in the bowl right now. But with the film’s January release date getting ever closer, we’ve just had a piece of news that at least marks a step up in terms of the film’s music.

Way back in January, it was announced that Danny Elfman would be composing the score for Michel Gondry’s superhero epic, news that we were disappointed in; like BFF Tim Burton, Elfman has been going around in circles for the past decade, and hasn’t produced anything memorable for a long time.

Continue reading Exclusive: Danny Elfman Out, James Newton Howard In Talks To Take Over ‘Green Hornet’ Score at The Playlist.

Review: ‘Salt’ Is Flavorless, Could Use Some Pepper

Drew — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:22:00 +0000

“Salt,” the new Phillip Noyce-directed spy thriller, features Angelina Jolie as a covert CIA operative named Evelyn Salt who is accused of being a Russian spy. For the next ninety minutes or so, we watch as she dashes, ducks, climbs out of buildings, detonates bombs and engages in high-speed pursuits, all in an incredibly guilty-looking attempt to clear her name. The biggest problem with “Salt” lies in its unflagging intent: it’s so interested in the chase that it never gives us a reason to be emotionally invested… or even curious.

Continue reading Review: ‘Salt’ Is Flavorless, Could Use Some Pepper at The Playlist.

Preview Hans Zimmer’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Score

Kevin Jagernauth — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:37:00 +0000

With Guy Ritchie’s bros-befores-hos take on “Sherlock Holmes” just a couple of weeks away, a sneak peak of Hans Zimmer’s score has hit the web. The always strong composer has been particularly noteworthy lately, with his brilliant score for “The Dark Knight” (with James Newton Howard) and memorable themes for the “Pirates Of The Caribbean” franchise being particularly noteworthy.

The two-and-a-half minute excerpt below, promises more strong work from Zimmer. Alternating between bracing and jaunty, it seems to capture the general vibe Ritchie’s film is going for.

Continue reading Preview Hans Zimmer’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Score at The Playlist.

‘The Dark Knight,’ ‘Wall-E’ & ‘Juno’ The Big Movie-Related Grammy Winners

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 03:11:00 +0000

The Grammy Awards— that mostly inessential and ineffectual music awards ceremony and show — were given out tonight and movie fans will want to take note of the three film-related categories.

Perhaps to right the wrong of the Academy Awards snub, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s “The Dark Knight” score won Best Soundtrack Score. Peter Gabriel’s “Down To Earth” song from “Wall-E,” bested both Amy Adams, John C. Reilly, and John Mayer for the Best Song award and the twee mix of Moldy Peaches/Kimya Dawson songs from “Juno” took the Best Compilation Soundtrack prize.

Continue reading ‘The Dark Knight,’ ‘Wall-E’ & ‘Juno’ The Big Movie-Related Grammy Winners at The Playlist.

The Playlist’s Best Soundtracks, Scores & Movie Music Moments Of 2008

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:13:00 +0000

2008 is still on the brain. Everyone always says (whines): why don’t you talk about music in films anymore!? Why don’t you talk about music anymore?!

We say: give us a good film with good music and you’ve got yourself a deal (and talking about it simply for the sake of talking about it is lame), but that was harder to come by in 2008 than you’d expect. Example, one of the best soundtracks released in 2008, “Sunshine” by Underworld and John Murphy was an after-thought and was actually from the Danny Boyle movie released in 2007.

Continue reading The Playlist’s Best Soundtracks, Scores & Movie Music Moments Of 2008 at The Playlist.

‘Dark Knight’ Featurette: The Sound Of Anarchy

Rodrigo Perez — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:57:00 +0000

Welcome back and happy new year. We watched “The Dark Knight” over the holiday break, and man, we must admit it’s a gripping and thoroughly engrossing crime drama and as we’ve noted recently, yes, it’s Oscar hopes are still very much alive. However, the element that makes the film that extra special, is the amazing atonal music by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, and you really appreciate how it remarkably builds the tension and urgency to a fever pitch on a second viewing.

Continue reading ‘Dark Knight’ Featurette: The Sound Of Anarchy at The Playlist.

Hans Zimmer Speaks Out About ‘Dark Knight’ Oscar Score Controversy

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:46:00 +0000

“The Dark Knight” score was disqualified by Oscar AMPAS technicalities and geeks and snobs jeered equally. Then the Oscars did an about face, reversed their decision, and made the Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard-written score eligible for Academy gold once again and everyone collectively cheered.

Patrick Goldstein who broke the story that the score decision was to be reversed, spoke to Zimmer on the phone yesterday.

As you’ll recall one of the reasons the score was initially disqualified is because there were Academy had initially disqualified the score, saying there were too many composers listed on the music cue sheet.

Continue reading Hans Zimmer Speaks Out About ‘Dark Knight’ Oscar Score Controversy at The Playlist.

Who Will Be Nominated For Best Score And Best Original Song At The Oscars

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:20:00 +0000

Ok, so now that Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s riveting “The Dark Knight” score is officially back in contention again, the game has changed all over again.

Who’s going to score nominations in the two Oscar music categories for Best Score and Best Original Song?

Let’s start with the Best Song category. This year there’s no Eddie Vedder original “Into The Wild” soundtrack, there’s no “Dreamgirls,” or “Enchanted” to eat up all the multiple nominations and no Sondre Lerche songs for “Dan in Real Life” and certainly no indie-hopeful like “Once” and the songs by Glen Hansard and Market Irgolva.

Continue reading Who Will Be Nominated For Best Score And Best Original Song At The Oscars at The Playlist.

Wow, The Academy Reverses Decision To Disqualify ‘The Dark Knight’ Score

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 03:08:00 +0000

Crazy. Much like Jonny Greenwood’s “There Will Be Blood” score last year, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s somber and atonal score to the “The Dark Knight” was disqualified last month due to regular AMPAS bullshit and technicalities (the cue sheet evidently listed five composers and apparently somewhere between 30% and 40% of the score was not written by Zimmer and Howard).

‘TDK’ fans freaked out, flipped over tables in outrage and even threatened David Edelstein’s life again just cause they could.

Continue reading Wow, The Academy Reverses Decision To Disqualify ‘The Dark Knight’ Score at The Playlist.

Hold On Variety, ‘Defiance’ Is Nowhere Near As Bad As You Made It Out To Be

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:22:00 +0000

We just got back from “Defiance” and let it be known that the film is nowhere near as bad as the early Variety review had led us all to believe, or at least strongly suggested. We’re not really fans of Edward Zwick, he hasn’t made a great film since “Courage Under Fire” in 1996 (not amazing, but very underrated) and before that the Academy Award-winning, “Glory” in 1989.

Variety called it “flat” and “unexceptionally told back in mid November, but that’s exceptionally harsh and cold.

Continue reading Hold On Variety, ‘Defiance’ Is Nowhere Near As Bad As You Made It Out To Be at The Playlist.

‘Dark Knight’ Music, Jonny Greenwood’s ‘There Will Be Blood’ Score Nominated For 2008 Grammy Awards; ‘Wall-E,’ ‘Juno’ & ‘Walk Hard’ Also Grab Nods

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:49:00 +0000

Nobody gives a flying fuck about the Grammys, right? The antiquated music awards have been out of touch for some time now, but we guess they’re trying to slowly become more of the zeitgeist and may have made some steps forward by nominating Lil Wayne eight times this year for The Carter III (homeboy, we dig you, but drop the autotune already).

But we digress, we don’t really care about the Grammys anyhow, but there are a few categories that we do keep tabs on.

Continue reading ‘Dark Knight’ Music, Jonny Greenwood’s ‘There Will Be Blood’ Score Nominated For 2008 Grammy Awards; ‘Wall-E,’ ‘Juno’ & ‘Walk Hard’ Also Grab Nods at The Playlist.

Why So Serious? ‘Dark Knight’ Score Disqualified for Oscar Consideration

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:26:00 +0000

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has decided that the “The Dark Knight” score is ineligible for Oscar consideration because its music cue sheet listed five names as composers, not exactly uncommon practice because it ensures all personal involved in a film’s music composition and design get the royalties they deserve (the same happened on “Batman Begins”)

Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard did the bulkf of the work, but the names also included, Alex Gibson (music editor), Mel Wesson (music designer) and Lorne Balfe (composer), the latter three all signed an affidavit that would ensure that Zimmer and Howard’s work formed the basis of the score.

Continue reading Why So Serious? ‘Dark Knight’ Score Disqualified for Oscar Consideration at The Playlist.

Giveaway: Four Copies Of Hans Zimmer’s ‘Dark Knight’ Score

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:56:00 +0000

Say what you will about “The Dark Knight,” maybe it’s hokey, unbelievable, amazing, better than “The Godfather,” etc. One thing’s for sure, the score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard is pretty amazing and was actually influenced by the likes of Kraftwerk, the Damned and clanging industrial noises.

We said in an early preview of the discordant music, rather breathlessly, “the cacophonous score is totally submerged in pounding, texturally crunchy percussive ruptures and searing apocalyptic cellos stained with gloom and dread.

Continue reading ~~Giveaway: Four Copies Of~~ Hans Zimmer’s ‘Dark Knight’ Score at The Playlist.

First Listen: ‘The Dark Knight’ Discordant Score By Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:54:00 +0000

There’s been a lot of talk of the atonal and “industrial” score that Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard came up with for “The Dark Knight,” and they weren’t kidding. The cacophonous score is totally submerged in pounding, texturally crunchy percussive ruptures and searing apocalyptic cellos stained with gloom and dread. Not to mention the whisping eerie sounds emanating from speakers like apparitions.

“I just wanted to come up with things that nobody had ever heard before … in a very psychological way,” Zimmer told Reuters recently.

Continue reading First Listen: ‘The Dark Knight’ Discordant Score By Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard at The Playlist.

Hans Zimmer Almost Scrapped The “Too Dark” ‘Dark Knight’ Music Because Of Heath Ledger Death

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:33:00 +0000

Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer was so broken up about the news of Heath Ledger’s death after finishing “The Dark Knight,” he almost scrapped the theme he had written for Ledger’s Joker because he felt it was too dark and morbid the estimable musician, who composed scores for “Gladiator,” and “The Thin Red Line” to name just a few, told Parade magazine.

“It was so inconceivable. For a moment I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I should throw out all the music I’ve written for the Joker and just start over again.’ Which is just exactly the wrong thing to do.

Continue reading Hans Zimmer Almost Scrapped The “Too Dark” ‘Dark Knight’ Music Because Of Heath Ledger Death at The Playlist.