Three new movies are opening nationwide this weekend:
Opening in most theaters is the animated feature Hotel Transylvania directed by Genndy Tartakov and featuring the voice talent of Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, CeeLo Green and Jon Lovitz. The film’s music is composed by Mark Mothersbaugh who previously scored Sony Pictures Animation’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The film’s original song Problem performed by Becky G feat. will.i.am is now available to download on iTunes. No full soundtrack album has been announced yet. To learn more about the film, visit the official movie website.
Also opening wide is the sci-fi thriller Looper directed by Rian Johnson and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels, Noah Segan and Piper Perabo. The film’s score is composed by Nathan Johnson who previously worked with the director on Brick and The Brothers Bloom. Cut Narrative has released the soundtrack album digitally and limited edition CD version featuring music not included on the digital release is available on La-La Land Records. For audio clips, check out our previous article. Also click here for a behind-the-scenes look at creating the score and check out a video interview with the composer at the film’s world premiere in Toronto. Finally, also visit Film Music Magazine for an audio interview with both director and composer on the music for the project.
The final wide release of the week is the drama Won’t Back Down directed by Daniel Barnz and starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Holly Hunter, Lance Reddick, Rosie Perez and Oscar Isaac. The film’s music is composed by Marcelo Zarvos (The Words, The Door in the Floor). Lakeshore Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score earlier this week. Check out our soundtrack announcement for audio clips and more information. Also click here for a recent audio interview with Zarvos from Film Music Media about his recent film projects.
Opening in around 125 cities before expanding nationwide next weekend is the musical comedy Pitch Perfect directed by Jason Moore and stars Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Alexis Knapp, Adam DeVine, Freddie Stroma, Hana Mae Lee, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Skylar Astin. The film’s score is composed by Christophe Beck (The Hangover, The Muppets) and Mark Kilian (Tsotsi). A soundtrack album featuring the songs from the film performed by the film’s cast, as well as a score suite has been released earlier this week by Universal Music Group. Check out our previous news article for the full album details, audio samples and video clips from the film.
Also opening in limited release is the documentary The Other Dream Team directed by Marius Markevicius about the journey of the 1992 Lithuanian basketball team, whose athletes became symbols of Lithuania’s independence movement and triumphed at the Barcelona Summer Olympics in partnership with the Grateful Dead. Dustin O’Halloran (Like Crazy) has composed the film’s score. No soundtrack album has been released. The film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and has been picked up for domestic distribution by Film Arcade. To learn more about the documentary, visit the official movie website.
Finally arriving in the US after a release overseas a few years ago is the fantasy adventure Solomon Kane directed by Michael J. Bassett and starring James Purefoy, Max von Sydow, Mackenzie Crook and Philip Winchester. The film’s music is composed by Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean, Constantine). A soundtrack album was planned to be released in 2010 by the composer’s own label, but no updates have been published since then. Several tracks from the score are available on YouTube. To check out the film’s trailer, click here. Solomon Kane is being released by the Weinstein Company’s new Radius label and is also available on VOD.
Also opening in select cities is the indie drama Bringing Up Bobby directed by Famke Janssen and starring Milla Jovovich, Spencer List, Rory Cochrane, Marcia Cross and Bill Pullman. The film’s score is composed by Tom Holkenborg aka Junkie XL (DOA: Dead or Alive). No soundtrack album has been announced. Jovovich stars as a European ex-con artist who moves her son to a conservative neighborhood in Oklahoma in an effort to build a better future. For more information about the film, visit the official movie website.
