Two new movies are opening in wide release this weekend:

Opening in most theaters is the action thriller Taken 2 directed by Olivier Megaton and starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen and Rade Šerbedžija. The film’s music is composed by Nathaniel Mechaly who previously scored the 2008 original film. A soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score, as well as songs by artists including Phoebe Killdeer and the Short Straws, Kasbah Rockers and College & Electric Youth has been released digitally earlier this week. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full details. Also visit Film Music Magazine for an interview with Mechaly about his work on the sequel.

Also opening wide is the stop-motion animated 3D film Frankenweenie directed by Tim Burton and featuring the voices of Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and Winona Ryder. The film’s score is composed by Danny Elfman. Walt Disney Records has released two soundtracks, including an album featuring the composer’s score. To find out more about the album, check out our previous article. Also available is the album Frankenweenie Unleashed, which features the original song Strange Love written by Karen O, as well as tracks by Neon Trees, Passion Pit, Grouplove, Kimbra, Plain White T’s and Imagine Dragons. Click here to learn more about the release. Also check out our article featuring video footage from the score’s recording sessions and an interview with Elfman.

Opening in limited release is the satirical comedy Butter directed by Jim Field Smith and starring Jennifer Garner, Yara Shahidi, Olivia Wilde, Hugh Jackman, Ty Burrell, Alicia Silverstone, Ashley Greene, Rob Corddry and Kristen Schaal. Lakeshore Records has released two different soundtrack album. The score album features the original music composed by Mateo Messina (Juno) and audio clips are available in our previous article. A separate soundtrack includes such artists as Fitz and the Tantrums, Jonsi, Raphael Saadiq, Imani Coppola featuring Tim Myers, Hugo and The Constellations. More details can be found here.

Also opening in limited release is the indie comedy The Oranges directed by Julian Farino and starring Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester, Catherine Keener, Adam Brody, Alia Shawkat, Allison Janney and Oliver Platt. Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Time Machine) and Andrew Raiher has composed the music. Relativity Music Group has released a soundtrack featuring one track from the score, as well as tracks by Treefight For Sunlight, The Submarines, Frazey Ford, Jon Allen, Schuyler Fisk, Zee Avi and The Grand Nationals. To check out audio clips and learn more about the album, check out our soundtrack announcement.

Another limited release this weekend is the drama The Paperboy directed by Lee Daniels and starring Matthew McConaughey, Zak Efron, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack and Scott Glenn. Mario Grigorov who has previously collaborated with the director on the  2009 indie hit Previous and 2005′s Shadowboxer.. No soundtrack album has been announced. The movie, which follows the 1995 novel by Pete Dexter and centers around two brothers who team up to investigate a possible miscarriage of justice surrounding a death row inmate convicted of killing the local sheriff premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May and has been picked up by Millennium Entertainment for a theatrical release. Check out our previous article for more information on the film and visit the official movie website to learn more about the film.