Two new movies are opening in wide release this weekend:

the-purgeExpected to top the weekend box office is the horror thriller The Purge directed by James DeMonaco, produced by Michael Bay and Jason Blum and starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey. The film’s original score is composed by Nathan Whitehead. Back Lot Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score earlier this week. For the full album details, visit our soundtrack announcement. Also check out ASCAP’s We Create Music Blog, Film Music Media and Blumhouse Production’s official blog for interviews with the composer.

internshipAlso opening wide is the comedy The Internship directed by Shawn Levy and starring Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Rose Byrne and Max Minghella. Christophe Beck (The Hangover, The Muppets) who has previously collaborated with Levy on such films as Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther and Date Night has composed the film’s original score. No soundtrack album has been announced at this point. The comedy follows two salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world and who talk their way into a coveted internship at Google. To learn more about the 20th Century Fox release, visit the official movie website.

much-ado-about-nothingOpening in limited release is Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing based on William Shakespeare’s play and starring Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Fran Kranz, Reed Diamond, Tom Lenk and Sean Maher. Joss Whedon has also composed the film’s original music. Bellwether Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the filmmaker’s original score. To listen to audio clips and to check out the full soundtrack details, visit our previous article.

rapture-paloozaAlso opening in limited release is the comedy Rapture-Palooza directed by Paul Middleditch and starring Craig Robinson, Anna Kendrick, John Francis Daley, Rob Corddry, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, Thomas Lennon, Ana Gasteyer, John Michael Higgins and Tyler Labine. The film’s original score is composed by Joachim Horsley. No soundtrack album has been released. To check out interviews with Horsley about his work on the project, visit ASCAP’s We Create Music Blog and Go See Talk. To learn more about the comedy, which is being released by Lionsgate and is now also available on VOD, visit the official Facebook movie page.

finding-joyAnother limited release this week is the indie comedy Finding Joy directed by Carlo De Rosa and starring Josh Cooke, Liane Balaban, Barry Bostwick, Lainie Kazan, Tyler Bunch, Kiki Harris, Arielle Hoffman, Carmen Lopez and Fredrick Bam Scott. Jeff Cardoni (CSI: Miami, Wilfred) has composed the film’s score. The composer has also released his music digitally earlier this week. Visit Amazon to download the album and to listen to audio clips. Finding Joy follows a self-absorbed writer who rediscovers himself, his offbeat family, and what it means to be happy when he meets a spirited young woman who asks him to write her obituary. To learn more about the film, visit the official movie website.

violet-and-daisyAlso opening in select cities is the indie fantasy drama Violet & Daisy directed by Geoffrey Fletcher and starring Alexis Bledel, Saoirse Ronan, Danny Trejo, James Gandolfini, Cody Horn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. The film’s original score is composed by Paul Cantelon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly The Other Boleyn Girl). No soundtrack album has been released. To listen to audio clips from the score, visit the composer’s official website. Violet & Daisy follows two teenage assassins who believe they’ve landed a straightforward assignment but soon find themselves thrown off their game when their latest target isn’t who they expected. The movie premiered at 2011’s Toronto Film Festival and is being released by Cinedigm.

tiger-eyesAnother limited release this weekend is the indie drama Tiger Eyes directed by Lawrence Blume and starring Willa Holland, Amy Jo Johnson, Cynthia Stevenson, Tatanka Means, Elise Eberle and Russell Means. The film based on the bestselling novel by Judy Blume centers on a 17 year-old girl who is abruptly relocated by her grieving mother to  the strange “atom bomb” town of Los Alamos, New Mexico. Nathan Larson (Boys Don’t Cry, Silent House) has composed the film’s original music. No word on a soundtrack release. Tiger Eyes is being released by Freestyle Releasing. To learn more about the drama, visit the official movie website.

wish-you-were-hereAlso opening in limited release is the Australian drama Wish You Were Here directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith and starring Joel Edgerton, Teresa Palmer, Felicity Price and Antony Starr. Tim Rogers who is best known as the front man of the Australian rock band You Am I produced the film’s music and composed three original tracks and Rosie Chase has written her first major feature score for the project. Wish You Were Here premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and has been picked up by Entertainment One Films for a domestic release. To learn more about the thriller, which follows four friends who lose themselves in a carefree South-East Asian holiday, visit the official movie website.

syrupAlso opening in select cities is the comedy Syrup directed by Aram Rappaport and starring Amber Heard, Shiloh Fernandez, Kellan Lutz and Brittany Snow. The movie is based on the novel by Max Barry about young ladder-climbers in the corporate soda industry. Andrew Holtzman and Peter Bateman have composed the film’s original music. No soundtrack album has been announced. Syrup is being released by Magnolia Picture and is also available on VOD. To learn more about the comedy, visit the official movie website.

as-cool-as-i-amOpening in New York City is the coming-of-age drama As Cool as I Am directed by Max Mayer and starring Claire Danes, James Marsden Sarah Bolger, Jon Tenney, Peter Fonda, Jeremy Sisto, Alanis Morissette, Thomas Mann, Anika Noni Rose and Mario Batali. The movie’s original music is composed by Christopher Lennertz (Identity ThiefRevolution) who has previously scored the director’s indie drama Adam. No word yet on a soundtrack release. As Cool as I Am follows a Montana teen girl who deals with her self-centered parents trying to recapture the youth they feel they missed. To learn more about the film, which is being released by IFC Films and is also available on VOD, visit the official movie website.