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Home Page
James Newton Howard
(1951-)
$composer Photo
Filmtracks Statistics:
Average Filmtracks Rating: 3.4
Average Viewer Rating: 3.36
Number of Reviews: 70
Number of Votes: 86,467
Number of Comments: 1,391
Reviews in Filmtracks'
Top 100 Traffic Ranks:
#80. Batman Begins
Reviews in Filmtracks'
Top 100 Voting Ranks:
#29.  Lady in the Water
#32.  Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
#35.  The Last Airbender
#47.  Maleficent
Filmtracks Editor's Recommendations:
Restoration
Lady in the Water
The Last Airbender
Maleficent
Decorative Nonsense
Primary Composer Picture
James Newton Howard in the late 1990's

"Composing is a natural fit. As far as the creative process goes, I'd rather do this than anything else, by far. Something different happened to me when I started to write music to images. It was a feeling of excitement and connection and a sense of being in the right place that I never had before."
- James Newton Howard in 2000

Born in 1951, James Newton Howard's youth was rooted in the study of classical music. With a grandmother who performed the violin with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Howard began lessons on the piano that would eventually culminate in a classical education at Santa Barbara's Music Academy of the West (with Reginald Stewart and Leon Fleischer) and at the USC School of Music. Though always fond of orchestral strings, Howard was drawn into the world of pop rock during the 1960's and 1970's. After performing keyboards with the Southern California band "Mama Lion" in the early 70's, Howard produced a few solo albums featuring the advancing technologies of Yamaha keyboards. It was during that time that Howard made a living as a session keyboard artist, often programming synthesizers for the likes of Diana Ross, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, and others.

Reviews Icon
FILMOGRAPHY & REVIEWS AT FILMTRACKS
(see legend below for abbreviations and codes)
 TitleFR VRVTCT RD TRDates Notes
2025:
The Lost Bus
2024:
(none)
2023:
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes***2.852330|||2,01511/23
Pain Hustlers (co-wrote)**
2022:
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore****3.733253|||||1,93804/22
2021:
Jungle Cruise****3.753150||||1,98709/21
Raya and the Last Dragon***3.203081|||2,00405/21
2020:
News of the World (AW)***3.232581|||2,08703/21
2019:
A Hidden Life****3.503270||1,98909/20
2018:
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald****3.815450||||1,64612/18
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms****3.583700|||1,78911/18
Red Sparrow***3.143202|||1,71103/18
2017:
Roman J. Israel, Esq.***
Detroit*
2016:
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them****4.171,1213||||1,22201/17multiple albums
The Huntsman: Winter's War****3.683262|||1,56005/16
2015:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2****3.373781|||1,57201/16
Concussion***
2014:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1****3.423841|||1,48901/15
Nightcrawler**
Pawn Sacrifice**
Cut Bank
Maleficent*****4.141,4859|||64808/14
2013:
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire***3.144045|||1,09712/13
Parkland**
After Earth***3.269632|||1,05406/13
2012:
The Bourne Legacy**2.733833||83408/12
Snow White & the Huntsman***3.307453|||96606/12
The Hunger Games (co-wrote)***3.168013|||94804/12
2011:
Green Lantern**2.404894||1,48807/11
Water for Elephants****3.684551||1,61806/11
Larry Crowne**
Gnomeo & Juliet (co-wrote)***3.114330||1,64702/11
The Green Hornet**
2010:
The Tourist (co-wrote)***3.083491||1,57401/11
Love and Other Drugs
Salt***3.146185||1,18707/10
The Last Airbender*****4.162,81112||||40806/10
Inhale**
Nanny McPhee Returns***2.923451||1,79008/11all albums
2009:
Duplicity**2.873820||1,37103/09
It's Complicated (co-wrote)***
Confessions of a Shopaholic**
2008:
Defiance (AW)****3.591,1935||66012/08
Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love (co-wrote)
The Dark Knight (co-wrote) (AW)**2.765,423133||||17407/08 - 04/10multiple albums
The Happening***3.231,3753||83306/08
Mad Money (co-wrote)*
2007:
The Great Debaters (co-wrote)***
Charlie Wilson's War***3.203340||1,74210/10
I Am Legend****3.576080|||1,44805/10
The Last Mimzy (co-wrote)***
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep****3.618784|||75212/07
Michael Clayton (AW)*2.195334|81211/07
The Lookout***
2006:
Blood Diamond (AW)****3.701,09418||39212/06
Lady in the Water*****4.183,03147|||11807/06
RV**
Freedomland**
2005:
King Kong (AW)****3.612,307139|||22212/05
Batman Begins (co-wrote)**2.956,494384||||8006/05 - 09/11
The Interpreter***3.1147911||74604/05 - 10/11
2004:
Collateral (co-wrote)**2.66970|||2,18501/22multiple albums
The Village (AW)****3.933,219220|||13307/04 - 09/11
Hidalgo****3.461,34328||31303/04 - 04/09
2003:
Peter Pan***3.372,49281|||12612/03 - 04/23multiple albums
Dreamcatcher**2.241,60030||42103/03 - 09/20multiple albums
2002:
Treasure Planet****3.451,99214||40312/02 - 02/09
De Entre los Zapatos (Amongst the Shoes) (co-wrote)short film
The Emperor's Club***3.113413||1,21209/03 - 02/09
Unconditional Love**
Signs***3.473,35594|||35309/02 - 02/09
Big Trouble*
2001:
America's Sweethearts***
Atlantis: The Lost Empire****3.706,13445||16805/01 - 01/09all albums
2000:
Vertical Limit****3.344140||1,77707/10
Unbreakable***3.282,76621||26111/00 - 11/07
Dinosaur****3.694,63015|||22005/00 - 11/24multiple albums
1999:
Wayward Son (co-wrote)
Snow Falling on Cedars****3.671,5636|29911/99 - 08/07
Mumford**
The Sixth Sense***3.475,2843||13408/99 - 06/08
Stir of Echoes**
Runaway Bride****
1998:
A Perfect Murder**3.273031||1,82501/12
1997:
The Postman****3.733320||1,69807/10
Devil's Advocate****3.551,3741||31211/97 - 06/07
My Best Friend's Wedding (AW)***3.234500|22702/98 - 03/06all albums
Fathers' Day**
Liar Liar (co-wrote)***3.178072|89506/99 - 02/08
Dante's Peak (co-wrote)***3.032261||1,63907/10 - 09/21multiple albums
1996:
One Fine Day***
Space Jam***
The Trigger Effect**
Primal Fear***
The Juror***
Eye for an Eye***
1995:
Restoration*****3.997624|72003/00 - 04/07
French Kiss***
Waterworld****3.742,4903||18606/98 - 01/19multiple albums
Outbreak***3.263180||96706/98 - 11/15all albums
Just Cause***
1994:
Junior****
Wyatt Earp****3.669203|||68606/03 - 12/13all albums
Intersection****
1993:
The Saint of Fort Washington***
The Fugitive (AW)**3.121,4523|||46012/00 - 09/10all albums
Dave****3.603211||1,64502/12 - 03/13all albums
Falling Down**3.233400||50006/97 - 02/15multiple albums
Alive****3.301180||2,22603/22
1992:
Night and the City
Glengarry Glen Ross**
Diggstown**
A Private Matter (TV)***
American Heart
1991:
The Prince of Tides (AW)****3.723950||1,61302/12
Grand Canyon**
My Girl***
The Man in the Moon****3.566671|71801/00 - 08/06
Dying Young****
Guilty by Suspicion****
King Ralph***
1990:
Descending Angel (TV)**
Three Men and a Little Lady***
Marked for Death*
Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture (TV)**
Flatliners****3.233400||50006/97 - 02/15multiple albums
Revealing Evidence: Stalking the Honolulu Strangler (TV)**
Pretty Woman***
Coupe de Ville***
The Image (TV)
1989:
The Package***
Major League**
Tap (co-wrote)**
1988:
Everybody's All-American
Go Toward the Light (TV)**
Some Girls**
Off Limits**
1987:
Russkies**
Five Corners*
Campus Man**
Promised Land***
1986:
Nobody's Fool**
Tough Guys*
8 Million Ways to Die**
Wildcats**
1985:
Head Office*
(reviews listed with a "co-wrote" indicate that either the composer wrote the score with another person or that more than one composer worked separately to provide a score for the production)
Legend:
Status:
N
- indicates a new review that has been published in the last 180 days
R
- indicates an older review that has been significantly revised in the last 180 days
Awards: AW - or a golden year indicates that the music won or was nominated for a major award
Ratings: FR - Filmtracks Rating ("Varied" indicates a split rating with no overall designation)
VR - Viewer Rating (overall average)
VT - Vote Total (for viewer ratings)
Comments: Comment Total (the number of messages posted in the review's comment area)
Review Depth: ||||| - Massive Review (over 4,000 words)
|||| - Very Long Review (between 2,200 and 4,000 words)
||| - Long Review (between 1,200 and 2,200 words)
|| - Average Review (between 800 and 1,200 words)
| - Short Review (under 800 words)
Traffic Rank: Popularity Rank (lower numbers indicate more cumulative reads; new reviews take time to climb the ranks)
Dates: 1st - indicates the month and year during which the review was first published
2nd - indicates the month and year of the review's most recent significant revision (if any)
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