Movie Composer James Horner Dies In Plane Crash 66
necro81 writes: James Horner, the Oscar-winning composer for the soundtracks of dozens of movies, died Monday while piloting his aircraft in California. Horner, who had a long collaboration with directors James Cameron and Ron Howard, was behind the music for major blockbusters like Avatar, Titanic, Braveheart, Apollo 13, and A Beautiful Mind. Other scores notable to the /. crowd include Star Trek II, Sneakers, Deep Impact, Aliens, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Willow, and *Batteries Not Included.
Ahhh (Score:1)
Deep Impact > Armageddon
Post Accident Analysis (Score:1)
The plane crashed ... but his heart went on.
Offtopic (Score:1)
Deep Impact > Armageddon
Syfy Original Movies > Armageddon
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Deep Impact > Armageddon
Syfy Original Movies > Armageddon
The Asylum movies > Armageddon
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Robert Duvall as an astronaut > the entire crew of armageddon.
wtf people (Score:4, Funny)
The content link is a google search?
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Bonus: if it turns out to all be a hoax, the linked-to Google search will, months or years from now, reflect that.
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The content link is a google search?
It beats the usual link to a add-supported blog badly rehashing the rehash of a news story, that also manages to distort the facts so they fit the views of the editor.
Will his funeral feature a penny-whistle solo? (Score:5, Funny)
Too soon? Am I going to hell for that remark? :(
Battle for the Mutara Nebula (Score:1, Insightful)
The man wrote the score to Star Trek II, which includes the epic Battle for the Mutara Nebula. That alone is enough to get him a mention on Slashdot.
Star Trek II (Score:3)
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The man wrote the score to Star Trek II, which includes the epic Battle for the Mutara Nebula. That alone is enough to get him a mention on Slashdot.
Why is this modded down? This is exactly why this story is here! Have we really lost our nerd culture around here?
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KRULL (Score:2)
Music for Krull [wikipedia.org] was also composed by Horner. Given the fantasy theme I think this is also "notable to the ./ crowd".
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also Battle Beyond the Stars. early in his career he worked for roger corman.
Willow? (Score:2)
>> Other scores notable to the /. crowd include ...Willow...
Um...what are you trying to say, exactly?
Battle Beyond the Stars (Score:2)
Can't believe they keep ignoring his first score. Sure it wasn't a popular movie but his soundtrack work there has some of the basic themes heard in Star Trek 2, 3 and Aliens.
Also, some of his Aliens work that didn't make Aliens ended up in Die Hard (near the end where Karl shows up and gets gunned down)l
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Well let's not ignore the score. Well maybe, but please ignore the movie.
Gone too soon (Score:4, Interesting)
I was very upset to hear this last night. My favorite composition from him was Casper's Lullaby [youtube.com] -- beautiful, haunting, and simple. They are what inspired me to learn piano in my 20s.
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I would have gone with Lillian's Heart Attack [youtube.com]. I was very disappointed when the trailer for Darkman used this but the movie used Danny Elfman's music.
Was he stealing from Goldsmith at the time? (Score:2)
Just wondering.
Does anyone pay attention to the music in films (Score:2)
I generally don't pay much attention to the music (of course I'm aware it's there) when I'm watching a film.
But seeing as he's done the tunes for a few that a I really like I might try digging out a few soundtracks, or watching with the picture off.
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While he's largely a TV guy, I'm a big fan of Bear McCreary. He did Battlestar Galactic and likely several other sci-fi shows you watch.
Oh for sure. I mean, it only took the opening scene of BSG to get me pretty hooked and the music just added to the awesome factor. Then it just got better!
And there seem to be many trolls saying this isn't news for nerds and yada yada. But they likely did not watch Wrath of Khan in a theater at first release. I was just closing in on being a teenager. Sometimes the music gets stuck in my head I have so many neurons dedicated to its storage! Hah.
Seriously though, we'll never know now his future composit
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A good film score does not distract from the film, it adds to it. You should only notice if it is not there. In film score class I watched Jaws without the music and it would not have been a good movie without the background music to set the mood.
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Interesting, I've often felt the opposite. That, a good soundtrack should not be noticeable. If you're watching a scene unfold but the music is distracting and takes your attention away from the action, then that's definitely a bad thing.
Castaway had no soundtrack, at least while he was on the island. I have more respect for Tom Hanks being able to bring about the proper emotion without the audience being led by the nose as in a typical movie.
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>> Does anyone pay attention to the music in the films
I certainly do. In fact, I often "watch" my favorite movies with the video OFF so I can just concentrate on the audio. If you've never tried this, a starter list might be: Once Upon a Time in the West (Morricone), 2001 (various classical), Conan the Barbarian (Poledouris) and The New World (one of Horner's scores).
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That harmonica
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You might think you don't, but you actually do. Even if you're not aware of it.
Sound is actually a critical part of a motion picture - more so than the picture itself! Many studies have been conducted (and you can do it yourself, too) - with the sound muted (turn
Re: Does anyone pay attention to the music in film (Score:2)
I'm sure his music was competent but it wasn't memorable. The masters can make them both. I could hum the tune of Jurassic Park, Superman, or Indiana Jones any day, but Avatar, Krull, or Wrath of Khan? No, sorry - no recall. I have a handful of movie soundtracks in my collection and Horner isn't on any of the labels. Sad news, still.
He was ... (Score:2)
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That's kinda ironic considering Horner died piloting his own plane and Harrison Ford recently had that minor crash in his own plane.
Avatar 2 (Score:2)
The Rocketeer (Score:2)
Very sad. He's composed some of my favorite film scores over the years, but the score that I always loved was for "The Rocketeer [youtube.com]" (Main Title). I asked my parents to buy it for me on cassette tape, but could never find it in a local store. (Oh pre-internet days!)
RIP Mr. Horner.
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Yes, it is news that matters for nerds.
Farewell Mr. Horner (Score:3)
I cannot even begin to measure how much impact this man's work has had on my life. Last night I went through Youtube and found a bunch of sound tracks he did and I just cannot believe how many distinctive themes he has burned into my mind. Listening to some of these I could almost see the movie playing in my mind. Truly iconic work.
Farewell Mr. Horner.
No love for Krull? (Score:2)
Maybe I'm the only one that actually liked it
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That's two of the big ones gone (Score:1)
He will be missed. (Score:2)
Listened to him growing up (Score:2)
While my friends listened to "Smells Like Teen Spirit," I listened to the soundtrack to Glory.
Wait, has his death actually been confirmed? (Score:2)
A story on CNN [cnn.com] merely says he is feared dead, apparently because it is not known for certain that he was on the plane. (He owns it.)
The Hollywood Reporter cites Horner's assistant Sylvia Patrycja, as confirmation of his death.
Obviously this doesn't look good, but let's not say we're sure until we actually are sure.
Sad News (Score:1)