# Any big Thomas Newman fas out there? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-big-thomas-newman-fas-out-there/384872 "2006-12-20T03:03:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-big-thomas-newman-fas-out-there/384872/1 "2006-12-20T03:03:40Z")
I’m just wondering what people think his best work is. I want to get all of his best stuff. I really like the music he did for Six Feet Under, Lemony Snicket’s, Road to Perdition, American Beauty, etc. I want to know which other soundtracks people find to be worthy. Also, if there are any other people you feel are in the same style as Newman, I’d like to know. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-big-thomas-newman-fas-out-there/384872/2 "2006-12-20T04:36:05Z")
_raises hand_ You listed most of the ones I like. I also like Little Women, Mad City, Finding Nemo, Green Mile and a fairly rare one called Those Secrets. The score for Phenomenon is supposed to be really good, but those only copies are studio so the odd times they do pop up they’re very expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Incognito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guy_incognito/32/3920_2.png) [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-big-thomas-newman-fas-out-there/384872/3 "2006-12-20T15:14:33Z")
You can’t forget the soundtrack for “Shawshank Redemption” in this list. I can’t recall how many times snippets from this soundtrack have shown up in trailers for other movies. I swear, parts of this soundtrack give me goosebumps. I think that he also did the title track and maybe some other music for HBO’s miniseries “Angels in America”. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-big-thomas-newman-fas-out-there/384872/4 "2006-12-20T16:08:19Z")
I’d add **Erin Brockovich** to the list of worthwhile scores he’s written, plus 1 of his 7 Oscar nominations is for _Unstrung Heroes_ (unseen by me). In a family of Oscar-winning music composers (father Alfred, uncle Lionel, cousin Randy), he still hasn’t won himself (and neither has his nominated brother David). ---
**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-big-thomas-newman-fas-out-there/384872/5 "2006-12-20T16:59:35Z")
> [@](#): > > You can’t forget the soundtrack for “Shawshank Redemption” in this list. I used to put the song Zihuatanejo on repeat every night to go to sleep. Then “any other name.” Both of those have an unbelievable calming effect on me. ---
**Author:** ![Grendel\_s\_Father](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grendel\_s\_Father](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grendel_s_Father)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-big-thomas-newman-fas-out-there/384872/6 "2006-12-20T17:35:15Z")
“The Horse Whisperer” is probably my favorite soundtrack of his, along with the already mentioned “American Beauty” and “Little Women”. On the somewhat quirkier, “American Beauty”-ish side, “Scent of a Woman” and “Jarhead” are also excellent. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-big-thomas-newman-fas-out-there/384872/7 "2006-12-20T19:50:06Z")
Another fan here. I thought the American Beauty soundtrack was a marvel of economy. I’m familiar with a lot of the others. I don’t know anyone else who sounds like Thomas Newman, but one of my all-time favorite soundtracks is \*\*The Man In The Moon \*\* by James Newton Howard. It’s short and sweet. Looking him up on IMDB I see he has a gazillion soundtracks to his credit. He also did the theme for **E.R.** ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-big-thomas-newman-fas-out-there/384872/8 "2006-12-20T21:05:32Z")
[QUOTE=gitfiddle] I used to put the song \*\*Zihuatanejo \*\*on repeat every night to go to sleep. Then “any other name.” Both of those have an unbelievable calming effect on me. [/QUOTE] (bolding mine) Is _that_ how that is spelled!? I’ve seen that film more times than I can count and I never knew how to spell it!