Age: 79
male
Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer, conductor and orchestrator noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. He won three Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings, one for the song "Into the West", an award he shared with Eurythmics lead vocalist Annie Lennox and writer/producer Fran Walsh, who wrote the lyrics. He consistently collaborates with director David Cronenberg, having scored all but one of his films since 1979, and collaborated with Martin Scorsese on six of his films. Shore has also composed concert works including one opera, The Fly, based on the plot of Cronenberg's 1986 film, which premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on July 2, 2008; a short piece named Fanfare for the Wanamaker Organ and the Philadelphia Orchestra; and a short overture for the Swiss 21st Century Symphony Orchestra. Shore has also composed for television, including serving as the original musical director for the American sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1980. In addition to his three Oscars, Shore has won three Golden Globe Awards, four Grammy Awards, three Genie Awards, and nine Canadian Screen Awards. Description above from the Wikipedia article Howard Shore, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
In a version directed by Cronenberg, Top Gun could have explored darker, more psychological themes instead of operating on action-adventure. It could have gone deeper into the nature of war and how it affects the soldiers, as well as the relationship between the characters. The movie may have focused more on the character Maverick, and his internal struggle to be the best pilot and face his fear and vulnerability. It could also have explored the traumas of the characters who have experienced war and death on the battlefield.
