Film Music Reporter

Three new movies are opening wide this weekend:

Opening in most theaters is the fantasy epic John Carter directed by Andrew Stanton and starring Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe, Lynn Collins, Thomas Haden Church, Samantha Morton, Dominic West, Mark Strong, James Purefoy and Bryan Cranston. The film’s music is composed by Michael Giacchino. Walt Disney Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details including audio clips and visit our soundtrack preview article for more music. A separate article featuring interviews with Giacchino about his music for the film will be published shortly.

Also opening wide is the family comedy A Thousand Words directed by Brian Robbins and starring Eddie Murphy, Ariel Winter, Kerry Washington and Allison Janney. John Debney who previously worked with the director on the sci-fi comedy Meet Dave has written the score for the movie. No soundtrack album has been announced. A video from the orchestral score’s recording sessions can be checked out on YouTube. To learn more about the film, visit the official movie website.

The final wide release of the week is the horror thriller Silent House directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lan and starring Elizabeth Olsen, Adam Trese and Eric Scheffer Stevens. The film’s score is written by Nathan Larson (Boys Don’t Cry, Our Idiot Brother). No soundtrack album is available. The movie tells the story of a family who returns to their longtime summerhouse after it was violated by squatters in the off-season. To find out more about the Open Road Films release, visit the official Facebook movie site.

Opening in limited release is the comedy drama Salmon Fishing in the Yemen directed by Lasse Hallstrom and starring Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor and Kristin Scott Thomas. Academy Award-winning composer Dario Marianelli (Atonement) has composed the score for the film. Lakeshore Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score digitally last week and a physical version is set to come out later this month. For audio clips from the album and more details, visit our previous news article.

Also opening in limited release is the comedy Friends with Kids written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt who also stars in the film alongside Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns. The film’s score is written by Marcelo Zarvos (The Good Shepherd, Remember Me). No plans for a soundtrack album have been announced at this point. The movie about a group of friends whose lives are changed as the couples in the group begin to have children. For more information about the Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions release, visit the official movie website.

Also receiving a release in select cities from Sony Pictures Classics is the Israeli drama Footnote written and directed by Joseph Cedar on the rivalry between a father and son, both eccentric professors in Talmudic Studies. Amit Poznansky has composed the film’s score, which has been released by Milan Records. Audio clips and the full soundtrack details can be checked out in our previous article. Footnote was among the five movies nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category at this year’s Academy Awards.

The final limited release of the week is the British romantic comedy The Decoy Bride directed by Shereen Folkson and stars Alice Eve, David Tennant, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Urie and Federico Castelluccio. The film’s score is written by Julian Nott (Wallace & Gromit). No soundtrack album is available, but three tracks from the composer’s score can be checked out on his official website. To learn more about the comedy and to watch the film’s trailer, visit IFC Films’ movie website.