Top 5 Best Casting Decisions in Movies

In my last post, I talked about the worst movie casting decisions ever (read that here: http://bit.ly/1PXWNdt).  Today, I am taking a look at some of the best casting decisions in movies.  These actors and actresses were the perfect fit for their role.  Without them, these movies would not be as good as we know they are.

 

#5:  Jake Gyllenhaal (Lou Bloom – Nightcrawler)

Without Gyllenhaal, this movie would just be another film swept under the rug without any serious consideration. Gyllenhaal’s snub at the Oscars for not even being nominated for Best Actor is absolutely ridiculous.  He carried the movie on his back and turned it into one of the greatest films of 2014.  Gyllenhaal plays a sociopath who will, literally, do anything for a good news story, legal or not.  The movie is a great critique of the 24-hour news cycle we live in today and would not be what it is without Jake Gyllenhaal.  Here is a great featurette describing Gyllenhaal’s character Lou Bloom: http://bit.ly/1ECVPzo.

 

#4:  Andy Serkis (Gollum – Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)

This man is responsible for the ever-increasing use of motion capture in Hollywood today.  His breakthrough role as Gollum completely changed cinema.  Serkis has been in so many historic franchises (Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes, King Kong, Avengers, and soon to be Star Wars) but his best job was Gollum.  I have a hard time believing that anybody could have done as great of a job as the deranged creature as Serkis.  It takes a lot of skill to do this:  http://bit.ly/1DWcgCe

 

#3:  Sean Connery (James Bond – James Bond franchise)

Sean Connery was the original James Bond that turned the Ian Fleming novel’s into the hit movie franchise it is today. He was in the first seven Bond films and solidified him as a cultural mainstay.  Nobody could have started off the franchise better and it will be a long time before anybody is a better “Bond.”  Anybody who has seen Skyfall or plans to watch Spectre this summer needs to god back and watch some of the original James Bond films with Sean Connery.

 

#2:  Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark – Iron Man franchise, Avengers)

The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe rode on the success of Iron Man and the success of Iron Man rode on Robert Downey Jr.  If he didn’t do a great job as Tony Stark (Iron Man’s alias), we would not be lining up to go see Avengers 2 this May. He is responsible for building the second most successful movie franchise of all-time (and it’s poised to surpass Harry Potter a month after the release of Age of Ultron).  Although the decision to cast Downey Jr. was an extremely controversial one after his documented history with narcotics, Marvel made a great choice.  He skyrocketed from a B-list celebrity to one of the biggest names in Hollywood.  It also helps that Tony Stark looks and acts just like Robert Downey Jr. in real life. This was one of the best casting decisions ever made.

 

Honorable Mention

Sigourney Weaver (Ellen Ripley – Alien franchise)

Humphrey Bogart (Rick Baine – Casablanca)

Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal Lecter – Silence of the Lambs)

Benedict Cumberbatch (Alan Turing – The Imitation Game)

 

 

#1:  Heath Ledger (The Joker – The Dark Knight)

Heath Ledger thrust himself into this role when he was selected by Christopher Nolan to portray The Joker in the Batman Begins sequel.  He played the perfect psychotic movie villain that even had some psychological on Ledger when filming was done.  From the laugh to the facial features, he absolutely nailed this performance.  I mean wow just look at how great he is at playing insanity incarnate http://bit.ly/1DPXXFi.  Ledger completely dedicated himself to the role of the Joker and it is pretty evident when you watch the movie.

Top 5 Christian Bale Roles

Sorry that I have not been posting as frequently.  I am currently recovering from a collapsed lung and just have not had a lot of energy recently.  I should be able to be back to posting pretty regularly withing a day or so.  I hope you enjoy the Top Five Christian Bale Roles

With a mother who performed in the circus and a father that was a commercial pilot, who ever thought Christian Bale would become one of the biggest actors of his generation.  Arguable the best active method actor, Bale still plays a huge role in Hollywood.  While he may be annoying to work with (see my list of the hardest actors to work with: http://bit.ly/1IDTiUK), here are Bale’s best five acting roles:

 

#5:  Trevor Reznik (The Mechinist-2004)

Considering how buff we know Bale is now, this picture shows the crazy lengths he will go to in an effort to get into character.  In The Mechinist, Trevor Reznik is an engineer that suffers from long-term insomnia and hasn’t slept in over a year.  He is blamed for a workplace incident that results in a coworker losing an arm.  We see the insomnia’s effect on him as delusions and hallucinations plague his life.  While it can be a tough movie to watch, The Mechinist was one of Bale’s best performances.

 

#4:  Irving Rosenfeld (American Hustle-2013)

From Trevor Reznik to Irving Rosenfeld, Bale has shown that he is not concerned for his weight when it comes to acting. Shortly after filming The Dark Knight Rises, he began working on gaining weight for his role in American Hustle.  Bale does a great job of portraying a man who has found himself forced to commit fraud and break the law to support himself.  When he meets Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), he wants to start his life over and leave New York, but he cannot bring himself to leave his wife (Jennifer Lawrence) and his son.  Who ever thought that he would look like this: http://bit.ly/1hsiliD 

 

#3:  Dicky Eklund (The Fighter-2010

Bale won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in The Fighter.  In a movie based on the true story of “Irish” Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), he plays Ward’s half-brother, Dicky Eklund, who helps train Ward into the boxer he is.  Bale once again showed his method acting as he stayed in character during the entire filming process.  The Fighter was another movie where Christian Bale had to drop a ton of weight for his character.  It is definitely a must-see movie and one of the best sports movies created.

 

#2:  Batman (Dark Knight Trilogy-2005-2012)

Christian Bale was the perfect choice for Batman when Christopher Nolan decided to make a realistic depiction of the superhero.  He convinced everybody that a man could dress up as a bat and run around stopping crime.  In the three movies, he has everybody convinced that he is Bruce Wayne, not Bale.  While everybody focused on Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight, Bale’s performance goes under the radar as he plays an effective Batman.

 

Honorable Mention

Dan Evans (3:10 to Yuma-2007)

Alfred Borden (The Prestige-2006)

 

#1:  Patrick Bateman (American Psycho-2000)

Successful businessman by day, ruthless serial killer by night, Patrick Bateman is a take off of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The movie does a great job of showing us inside the mind of a murderous sociopath.  This movie skyrocketed Bale into the mainstream and made him a hot commodity.  While the movie touches on some darker matter and includes a few graphic scenes, American Psycho is a solid movie that is a good horror-comedy flick.  It is, by far, Bale’s best performance (just watch the opening monologue http://bit.ly/1mSd1s).

 

As a method actor, Christian Bale has given us many great performances.  He is willing to do just about anything for a role. This picture shows what he is capable of doing in only a few MONTHS:

and there is no way that I could leave you guys without a link for his outburst on the set of Terminator: Salvation (warning: it’s pretty explicit:  http://bit.ly/120lkeo).

 

Which actor or director should I do next?  Comment and let me know!

Top 5 Christopher Nolan movies

Christopher Nolan is the greatest contemporary director in Hollywood today (http://bit.ly/1NZyz1d).  He has been known for his psychological thrillers and crazy plot twists.  While he has developed a cult of fan boys, my stance is pretty simple:  I am a fan of good movies and Nolan makes good movies.  With his lowest rotten tomato score being a 76, he can back up the claim that he has some of the greatest work of the last 15 years.

 

#5:  The Prestige (2006)

The Prestige focuses on two rival magicians that are willing to risk their entire lives to see the other one fail.  Featuring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, and Scarlett Johansson, The Prestige has a star-studded cast that play perfectly off of each other.  This movie is known for its triple plot twist at the end of the movie.  Viewers left the theaters and were in shock.  They tried to wrap their head around how they couldn’t see the twists coming but were amazed at the same time.

 

#4:  Memento (2000)

This is the movie that put Christopher Nolan on the map.  The movie follows a detective (Guy Pearce) who cannot form new memories.  He leaves a huge list of clues behind as he tries to piece together who murdered his wife.  The psychological thriller has multiple plot twists and keeps viewers on their toes.  It is one of the best debut movies for directors and remains a huge cult classic.

 

#3:  The Dark Knight (2008)

Wow it hurts to put The Dark Knight at number three but that’s how great Nolan is.  This movie moved him from a solid director to one of the best directors today.  Heath Ledger gave one of the greatest acting performances of all-time with his role as the Joker (just watch how perfect this scene is:  http://bit.ly/1DPXXFi).  Nobody had ever done something like this before and Jared Leto will have a difficult time matching it in Suicide Squad.  Marvel may have beaten DC with the shared universe, but DC still has the best superhero movie ever with The Dark Knight.

 

#2:  Inception (2010)

This movie created the modern trailer.  Almost every preview you see for movies now follows the sequence and includes the “bwah”s that were first shown in Inception.  This mind-bender is a must-see for everybody, movie fan or not.  Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tom Hardy’s chemistry mixed perfectly together as they helped create one of the best movies of all-time.  The dedication to realism is insane (instead of using green screens, he built a 150-foot hotel wing put on a rotation machine in this scene:  http://bit.ly/1FI2R4Y).  Nolan’s attention to detail makes the movie seem even more realistic and crazy.

 

Honorable Mention:

Insomnia (2002)

Batman Begins (2005)

 

#1:  Interstellar (2014)

This movie is perfect.  It is a complex scientific movie that completely holds up when tested (unlike Gravity which fell apart as soon as somebody looked at it).  The movie stars Matthew McConaughey as a pilot in the future that teams up with three astronauts in an attempt to find a new planet for humanity to colonize.  As time goes on, they feel pressured as Earth’s natural resources begin to run out.  The movie is a technical masterpiece (check out the wormhole scene: http://bit.ly/1FI3Sdf) and explores so many scientific theories. It is a must see and was the most polarizing movie of last year.

 

Which director/actor should I do next?  Let me know who you want to see.

Top 5 Smartest Movie Villains

Everybody loves a criminal mastermind.  It is so much more entertaining to watch the movie hero struggle against somebody who seems to have everything perfectly planned out.  While the cinema universe is loaded with brilliant villains, I have narrowed it down to the top 5 smartest ones out there.

#5:  John Kramer/Jigsaw Killer (Saw franchise)

Okay, so I have admittedly never seen any of the Saw movies (horror movies aren’t exactly my favorite movies).  I have, however, read up on the intricacies of Kramer’s traps in the series.  As disgusting as it is, he knows what he is doing.  The Jigsaw Killer seems to take every possible scenario into account when scheming.  While I will not be watching Saw any time soon, I do have to credit the creators with sculpting a brilliant movie villain.

#4:  Keyser Soze (The Usual Suspects)

Keyser Soze is the infamous villain from The Usual Suspects who has thought of every possible cover.  There are rumors that float from police precinct to precinct.  We hear Kevin Spacey’s character add to the mythos and describe him.  By the end of the movie, we are given a huge plot twist that shows just how conniving Soze can be.

#3:  The Joker (The Dark Knight)

Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker was legendary.  It will be a LONG time before anybody can come close to that level of acting (http://bit.ly/1OQR4Xf).  It seemed like he was always one step ahead of the Gotham Police and Batman.  He allows himself to be captured just to simply see his plan come together.  The Joker in The Dark Knight is definitely a psychopathic genius who just wants to laugh as he watches the world burn.

#2:  HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)

You can’t outsmart a super computer.  HAL 9000 is humanity’s worst nightmare.  As an all-knowing computer program that can detect human emotions, HAL is virtually unstoppable.  Tack on his monotone voice and the beautiful score of the movie and you get one of the most dangerous, intelligent movie villains.  I would hate to be stuck competing against HAL 9000.

Honorable Mention:

The Emperor (Star Wars)

Auric Goldfinger (James Bond franchise)

Khan (Star Trek franchise)

Hans Gruber (Die Hard)

#1:  Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)

This guy gives everybody the chills.  Anthony Hopkins gives the greatest villain performance out there.  Almost every other actor of villains on this list studied Hopkins’ performance in preparation. Lecter is a brilliant psychiatrist that also happens to murder and eat people (just look how menacing he can be: http://bit.ly/1uvOxHl).  When a new serial killer is on the loose, the police turn to Hannibal in desperation.  He uses their desperation against them and is the ultimate sociopath and criminal mastermind.

I couldn’t imagine being matched up with any of these guys.  Who do you think is the smartest movie villain?

Top 50 Movies of All-Time (#10-1)

Here we go! The final part of my Top 50 movies of All-Time series.  Make sure to catch up on the 40 movies leading up to this!

Honorable Mention:  http://t.co/v85d8L17a9

#50-41:  http://t.co/J9gALKkZpc

#40-31:  http://t.co/S3IgVOVBG3

#30-21:  http://bit.ly/17ZYgPc

#20-11:  http://bit.ly/1ATYtu6

Without further ado, here are the top 10 movies out there:

#10:  American Hustle (2013)

David O. Russell struck gold for the second year in a row with American Hustle.  After being nominated for Best Director with Silver Linings Playbook the year before, Russell earned another nomination during the 86^th Academy Awards.  This movie set the record for most Oscar nominations ever with 10 but somehow managed to not win a single one.  Loosely based on a true story, American Hustle is an amazing movie with a star-studded cast:  Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jeremy Renner.  It doesn’t get much better than American Hustle.

#9:  Argo (2012)

The winner of Best Picture during the 2013 Oscars, Argo was a brilliant historical movie telling the unknown story of six embassy workers that escaped during the Iran Hostage Crisis.  They were able to seek refuge with the Canadian ambassador, but the Iranians started getting suspicious.  Portraying CIA agent Tony Mendez, Ben Affleck helps orchestrate a plan to film a fake movie in Tehran in an attempt to bring everybody back to the United States.  The movie is highly suspenseful and keeps you on the edge of your seat.  While I may not be a huge fan of Affleck, he did a great job directing and starring in Argo.

#8:  Star Wars (IV):  A New Hope (1977)

This movie completely changed American cinema.  When George Lucas released his first Star Wars movie, everybody thought it was going to be a complete joke until they went to the theater.  Audiences around the world were stunned by the visual effects that were decades ahead of its time.  We would not have the visual masterpieces we have today without Lucas’ willingness to take a risk with Star Wars  As a huge part of pop-culture, there is no question as to why New Hope cracked the top 10.

#7:  Schindler’s List (1993)

This Steven Spielberg classic brought the story of Oskar Schindler to the masses.  Few people knew the lengths Schindler went to in order to protect Jews during the Holocaust.  A revered businessman, Schindler risked everything he had and saved over 1000 Jewish lives.  Liam Neeson gave a spectacular performance in the black-and-white movie that shows some of the most brutal actions ever done by human beings.  Here is a brilliantly created scene where Schindler is discussing the true meaning of power with a Nazi general:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5lQA3bipHc  Schindler’s List is a must-see for anybody who calls themselves a movie expert.

#6:  Whiplash (2014)

Although I gave Birdman the movie of the year when giving out my movie awards, Whiplash has grown on me over the last few months.  J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller give two of the best performances I have ever seen (aside from Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance in Nightcrawler)—Teller even taught himself how to become an expert at the drums just to take the role.  Look at the beautiful chemistry as Simmons berates Teller in an effort to get him to improve:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnuImW1dWAk  While it only won three Oscars, Whiplash is definitely one of the better movies from 2014.  That final scene was far and away the most intense final scene I have ever seen in my life.  Who ever thought a movie about a jazz band could become one of the best movies out there?

#5:  The Dark Knight (2008)

The second installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy shocked audiences everywhere.  Heath Ledger’s role as the Joker is the best portrayal of a super villain in existence.  The movie took superhero flicks to a new level by showing the moral quandaries Batman is faced with, primarily:  how long is too long before killing somebody is right if it saves the lives of thousands of others?  We watch the transformation of the shimmering “White Knight” of Gotham, Harvey Dent, descend into madness.  The Dark Knight is the best superhero movie out there and Marvel will have to try pretty hard to ever top DC’s Batman masterpiece.

#4:  Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

The final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy is the perfecting ending to the second best trilogy out there.  As the winner of the Oscar for Best Picture, Return of the King left the show with an armload of Oscars.  While it felt like it was going to end like five different times, the action in Return of the King makes it one of the top five movies in existence.  For those of you who don’t agree, let’s see if Aragorn can change your mind:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGUNvIFTQw  If  you haven’t already, make sure to check out the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

#3:  Star Wars (V): The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Usually the sequel is not better than the original, but The Empire Strikes Back blew that generalization out of the water.  After a victory in New Hope, the rebels find their backs against the wall as Darth Vader and the rest of the empire unleashes everything they have to put them down.  It is the first time we meet Yoda, the first time Luke fights Darth Vader, and it has the greatest movie plot twist of all-time.  I wish I could travel to the past just to see everybody’s reactions when Vader said, “No, I am your father.”  It still sends shivers down my spin whenever I see it.  Even after removing the nostalgia factor from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back still stands up as the third best movie out there.

#2:  Inception (2010)

Nobody left the theater and had nothing to say about Inception.  Christopher Nolan’s pet project that he had been working on since 2004, Inception solidified Nolan as one of the greatest directors out there today.  Nobody thought that he could follow up The Dark Knight with a movie even more interesting, but he proved them wrong.  A visual, technical, and creative masterpiece was a refreshing original movie in an industry filled with reboots and sequels.  Since Inception, almost every trailer has followed this format with the same music and “bwah””s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66TuSJo4dZM  Nolan’s dedication to his craft has never been more evident except in…

#1:  Interstellar (2014)

There is not a person out there who thought Interstellar was just “okay.”  This movie was either terrible or the best movie out there and I guess you can see where I land on it.  After witnessing Gravity’s success despite being filled with scientific holes, Nolan one-upped the sci-fi movie by delivering even better visuals, a hypothetically perfect scientific explanation, and managing to get great performances from actors who have been known to cheese it up a little bit (I’m looking at you McConaughey).  Even if you thought the movie was trash, it still dwelled on your mind days after you saw it.  I still can’t get it out of my head!  Interstellar was out of this world and had the best visuals I have ever seen in any movie.  I mean look at this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu4sinVuK14  That wormhole scene is one of the most beautiful technical pieces out there.  The fact that it did not get more love at the Oscars is nothing short of criminal.  Nolan took a huge risk with Interstellar and it paid off by giving him the distinction of having created the best movie ever.

How far off was my top 50?  What are your favorite 10 movies?  Let me know how much you agree or disagree.

Top 5 Movie Trailers of All-Time

Movie trailers are the main reason people hear about upcoming movies.  I don’t know about you guys, but I love watching the previews before movies almost as much as I love watching the movie.  Here are the five most interesting captivating trailers of all-time:

#5:  Man of Steel Nokia Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejXjZ-k6Myc

Before the release of the Nokia trailer, Man of Steel‘s trailers had been pretty subpar.  This one, however, gave us our first real look at the action in the movie.  Russell Crowe’s voice over draws us in before the action hits.  It is also the first time we get to see an extended look at Henry Cavill as the new Superman.  While the movie may have not been the greatest superhero movie ever, this is definitely one of the greatest superhero movie trailers ever.

#4:  World War Z Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcwTxRuq-uk

I have not read the book, so when I first saw the trailer for World War Z, I was completely sucked in.  Most zombie movies fall under the horror genre, but this one is definitely an action movie.  Plus, how cool was the scene where the zombies threw themselves against the wall and began scaling it?  After seeing that, I was immediately hooked.

#3: The Dark Knight Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ5U8suTUw0

When Batman Begins ended and we saw the Joker card, fans of the caped crusader could not wait for Christopher Nolan’s next movie.  Fans were rewarded when this trailer for The Dark Knight dropped in theaters.  It was the first time we got to see Heath Ledger as the Joker and hear his maniacal laugh.  We also got to see a reference to the central plot point of Bruce Wayne’s struggle to maintain his identity as Batman and a rich celebrity.  The Dark Knight is one of the best superhero movies ever created, and its trailer is the best superhero trailer out there.

#2:  Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h-pnKtjDqg

While the art of making a movie trailer has completely changed over the last 10 years, The Two Towers‘ trailer came out in 2002 and was extremely successful.  Peter Jackson created one of the greatest trilogies of all-time (potential future post) when he turned The Lord of the Rings into a movie franchise.  While each of the Lord of the Rings  were amazing, The Two Towers trailer got all Tolkien fans pumped for the second installment of the franchise.

#1:  Inception Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66TuSJo4dZM

This trailer completely changed the way they are created.  Nolan’s second entry on this list added the “bwah”‘s that are heard in every single action trailer now.  The spinning hotel room, intense action scenes, slow-mo van scenes, and beautiful snowy mountain landscape took a movie that nobody was really interested and turned it into one of the most talked about movies of 2010.  The movie definitely lived up to the hype and was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.

Top 5 Movie Soundtrack Composers of All-Time

Movie soundtracks can be one of the most underrated parts of a movie.  Few people realize the difference a good soundtrack can make a movie versus a bad one (imagine watching the fellowship march through the mountains in Lord of the Rings without that epic music).  I decided to show my appreciation of these unsung heroes with a list of the top 5 composers in movie history.

#5: Howard Shore

Best Known For:  Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Speaking of that epic Lord of the Rings Music, Shore was slingshot into the mainstream after his work with Peter Jackson to create one of the most memorable soundtracks of all-time.  Along with the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit franchises, Shore has composed the music for The Aviator and Ed Wood, two other movies known for their great soundtracks.  Although he has been working on movies since the 1970s, he is finally getting the recognition he deserves here in the 2000s.

#4: Bernard Herrmann

Best Known For:  Psycho

The man behind the Twilight Zone theme and Taxi Driver, Herrmann has helped create some of the most haunting recognizable scores.  Not to mention, who doesn’t imagine the shower scene in Psycho every time they hear that high pitch horror track.  Alfred Hitchcock originally wanted the famous shower scene without music before he heard Herrmann’s track.  He launched himself to popularity with his first soundtrack–Citizen Kane.  Considered one of the greatest movies every created, Citizen Kane‘s soundtrack is one of the many great aspects of the movie.

#3: Alan Silvestri

Best Known For:  Back to the Future

Silvestri’s accomplishments stretch far beyond the Back to the Future trilogy.  Forrest Gump, The A-Team, The Polar Express, and multiple movies from the Avengers Marvel Cinematic Universe are only some of the musical masterpieces penned by Silvestri.  He has shown his broad diversity covering all genres of movies.  Silvestri is definitely one of the best musical composers of all-time.  Starting his career in the 1970s, Silvestri continues to compose great soundtracks to this day.

#2:  Hans Zimmer

Best Known For:  The Dark Knight

Considered the best modern musical composer, Zimmer has created a plethora of great scores.  Pairing up with Christopher Nolan, Zimmer has created the scores for The Dark Knight trilogy, Insterstellar, Inception, and The Prestige.  He has experienced great success outside of Nolan as well.  He won an Oscar for his work on The Lion King and has been behind the scenes for many great movies:  Gladiator, Castaway, Man of Steel, Black Hawk Down, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Bee Movie, and Sherlock Holmes.  He started his musical career assisting the The Buggles with the first MTV music video “Video Killed the Radio Star” and his career has shot off from there.  He is by far currently the best in the business.

#1: John Williams

Best Known For: Star Wars

Williams has been at the helm of some of the greatest movie franchises to ever be produced.  Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park , Harry Potter, Jaws, Superman, and Schindler’s List are just the tip of the iceberg.  Williams has been creating music for movies since the mid-1950s.  While he has slowed down his pace, Williams is far and away the greatest composer ever.  His work is unrivaled.  Almost anybody could hear some of his work and immediately recognize the movie.  It will be a long time before somebody tops Williams as the greatest of all-time.