Five new movies are opening wide this week:
Opening today is the thriller Jack Reacher directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, David Oyelowo and Robert Duvall. The film’s music is composed by Joe Kraemer who previously scored the director’s 2000 film The Way of the Gun. La-La Land Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score digitally earlier this week. The release date for the physical version is set for early January. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details.
Also opening today is the comedy drama This is 40 written and directed by Judd Apatow and starring Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Iris Apatow, Maude Apatow, Melissa McCarthy, Jason Segel, Robert Smigel, Charlyne Yi and Albert Brooks. The film’s original score is composed by Jon Brion (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). A soundtrack album featuring one score track by the composer, as well as the film’s songs by artists including Norah Jones, Fiona Apple, Graham Parker and Lindsey Buckingham (all produced by Jon Brion), Wilco and Ryan Adams has been released on Capitol Records. To check out the track list and learn more about the film and music, visit our previous article.
Already in theaters since this past Wednesday is the comedy The Guilt Trip directed by Anne Fletcher and starring Barbra Streisand, Seth Rogen, Yvonne Strahovski, Colin Hanks and Adam Scott. The film’s original score is written by Christophe Beck (The Hangover, The Muppets). No soundtrack album has been announced. The movie follows an inventor who invites his overbearing mother on a cross-country trip as he tries to sell his new product while also reuniting her with a lost love. To learn more about the Paramount Pictures productions, visit the official movie website.
Also already in theaters for the past few days is Pixar Animation’s 3D re-release of Monsters, Inc.. The film is directed by Peter Doctor and featuring the voice talent of John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly and Frank Oz. The film’s music is composed by Randy Newman who received two Academy Award nominations for his work on the animated feature and won the award for the original song If I Didn’t Have You. The soundtrack album featuring both score and song is available to download on Amazon. To find more about the film, visit Disney’s official movie website.
The final wide release of the week is the documentary Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away directed by Andrew Adamson (The Chronicles of Narnia, Shrek). The movie stars Erica Linz and Igor Zaripov as the main characters and incorporates acts from the seven Cirque du Soleil shows running in Las Vegas in 2011. The film features music by Benoit Jutras who has been involved in the stage show. Stephen Barton (Jennifer’s Body) has written additional music. No soundtrack has been released. To find out more about the film, visit the official movie website.
Now playing in limited release is the political thriller Zero Dark Thirty directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Mark Strong, Edgar Ramirez, Chris Pratt, Kyle Chandler, Nash Edgerton and Jennifer Ehle. The film’s score is composed by Alexandre Desplat (The King’s Speech, Argo). Madison Gate Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score. To listen to the full score and check out the details of the album, visit our soundtrack announcement article.
Also opening in limited release is the drama The Impossible directed by J.A. Bayona and starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Tom Holland. Fernando Velazquez who previously scored the director’s The Orphanage has composed the film’s music. Lionsgate Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music in the US and Quartet Records has released the album overseas. Check out our previous article for more information. Visit Entertainment Weekly for a short video featuring footage from the recording sessions. Also check out interviews with Velazquez in the LA Times, Variety and Film Music Magazine.
Another limited release this weekend is the drama Not Fade Away directed by David Chase (The Sopranos) and starring John Magaro, Jack Huston, Will Brill, Bella Heathcote, James Gandolfini, Brad Garrett and Christopher McDonald. While the movie doesn’t feature any original score, a soundtrack album featuring the film’s songs by artists including James Brown, The Rolling Stones, The Twylight Zones, Bo Diddley, Elmore James, The Sex Pistols and The Rascals has been released on ABKCO Records. For more information on the release, check out our soundtrack announcement.
Also opening in select cities is the drama Amour directed by Michael Haneke and starring starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert. No original score is featured in the movie. A soundtrack album featuring the lassical music featured in the film performed by French pianist Alexandre Tharaud who also stars in the film is now available on Virgin Classics. To listen to audio clips and the full album details, check out our previous article. Amour is nominated for the Golden Globe in the Best Foreign Language Film category and has just been shortlisted with eight other films for the Foreign Film category at the Academy Awards.
The final limited release of the week is the drama On the Road directed by Walter Salles and starring Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Steve Buscemi, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Alicia Braga, Danny Morgan and Elisabeth Moss. The film’s music is composed by Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain, Babel). A soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music, as well as several songs as several songs featured in the movie by Coati Mundi, Ella Fitzgerald, Son House and Slim Gaillard has been released on Verve Records. Check out our previous news article for audio clips and more information.
