Three new movies are opening nationwide this weekend:
Opening in most theaters is the comedy Neighbors directed by Nick Stoller and starring Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Dave Franco. The film’s original music is composed by Mike Andrews (The Heat, Bridesmaids, Bad Teacher, Donnie Darko). Atlantic Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the songs from the film by artists including Flo Rida, Missy Elliott feat. The Black Keys, Fergie, Nappy Roots, K’naan, Theophilus London, Icona Pop, Ke$ha and more. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details.
Also opening wide is the animated feature Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return directed by Daniel St. Pierre & Will Finn and featuring the voice talent of Lea Michele, Martin Short, Hugh Dancy and Megan Hilty Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Kelsey Grammer, Oliver Platt, Patrick Stewart and Bernadette Peters. The film’s original songs are composed by Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance, Tift Merritt, Jim Dooley & Mike Himelstein. The movie’s original score is composed by Toby Chu (Covert Affairs, Burn Notice). Sony Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the songs and selections from the score. Check out our previous news article for the full album details.
The third wide release of the week is the family comedy Moms’ Night Out directed by Andrew & Jon Erwin and starring Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, Patricia Heaton, Alex Kendrick, Abbie Cobb, Andrea Logan White, Kevin Downes, Robert Amaya, Harry Shum Jr. and Trace Adkins. The film’s original music is composed by Marc & Steffan Fantini (Criminal Minds, Army Wives) and was recorded with a 78-piece orchestra in Bratislava, Slovakia. No soundtrack album has been announced. To learn more about the film and to check out the movie’s trailer, visit our scoring assignment announcement.
Opening in Los Angeles and New York before expanding to more markets within the next couple of weeks is the comedy Chef written and directed by Jon Favreau and starring himself, alongside Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt, Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey, Jr. The film’s music supervisor is Mathieu Schreyer. Milan Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the songs from the movie by artists including Pete Rodriguez, Courtney John, Louie Ramirez, El Michels Affair, The Martinis, Liquid Liquid, as well as a cue by composer Lyle Workman (Superbad) who composed additional music for the project. Check out our previous article for the full album details.
Also opening in limited release is the indie comedy The Double co-written and directed by Richard Ayoade and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn, Noah Taylor, Yasmin Paige, Cathy Moriarty, Phyllis Somerville and James Fox. Andrew Hewitt (The Brass Teapot) who previously scored the director’s first feature Submarine has composed the film’s original music. Milan Records has released a soundtrack featuring the composer’s score, as well as songs from the film by Kyu Sakamoto and Jacky Yoshikawa & His Blue Comets and Danny & The Islanders. Click here to check out the full album details. Also visit Film Music Magazine for a recent interview with Hewitt about his work on the film.
Also opening in select cities is the indie drama Palo Alto directed by Gia Coppola based on a short stories collection by James Franco who stars in the film alongside Emma Roberts, Jack Kilmer, Nat Wolff, Zoe Levin, Claudia Levy, Chris Messina and Val Kilmer. The film’s original music is composed by Dev Hynes and Robert Schwartzman. Domino USA has released a soundtrack album featuring the music from the film. The release also features songs by Coconut Records, Mac Demarco and Nat & Alex Wolff. To check out the full album details, check out our soundtrack announcement.
Another limited release is the indie comedy drama God’s Pocket directed by John Slattery and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks and John Turturro. Nathan Larson (Boys Don’t Cry, Our Idiot Brother, Silent House) has composed the film’s original score. No word on a soundtrack release. God’s Pocket centers on the uncovering of the truth about a young man’s death that he is trying to keep buried. The film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and was picked up for domestic distribution by IFC Films. To learn more about the dramedy, which will also be released on VOD on May 14, visit the official movie website.
Also opening in limited release is the horror comedy musical Stage Fright written and directed by Jerome Sable and starring Allie MacDonald, Douglas Smith, Brandon Uranowitz, Minnie Driver and Meat Loaf. Sable and Eli Batalion have written the original music and lyrics. Aram Mandossian serves as the music producer. No word yet on a soundtrack release Stage Fright follows a starry-eyed teenager with Broadway dreams who sneaks out of the performing arts camp where she works to audition for the summer showcase and lands the lead, only to find herself in the middle of a bloodbath when rehearsals begin. The musical premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and is being distributed by Magnolia Pictures’ Magnet Releasing. To learn more about the film, which is now also available on VOD, visit the official movie website.
Also opening in select markets is the dramatic thriller The Devil’s Knot directed by Atom Egoyan and starring Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Amy Ryan, Mireille Enos, Stephen Moyer, Alessandro Nivola and Dane DeHaan. Mychael Danna (Life of Pi, Moneyball, The Ice Storm) who regularly works with the director has composed the film’s original music. No soundtrack album has been announced yet. The Devil’s Knot is based on Mara Leveritt’s bestselling book West Memphis Three and tells the true story of three teens who were wrongly convicted of murdering three boys in 1993 in West Memphis, Arkansas. The movie premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival and is being released by Image Entertainment in theaters and on VOD.
Another limited release this weekend is the documentary Fed Up directed by Stephanie Soechtig and narrated and executive produced by Katie Couric. The film’s original score is composed by Michael Brook (The Fighter, Into the Wild, The Perks of Being a Wallflower). No word on a soundtrack release. Fed Up follows the controversial topic of childhood obesity and how, despite major changes in the dietary guidelines by the U.S. government instituted, many kids will live shorter lives than their parents. The documentary premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it was picked up for U.S. distribution by the Weinstein Company’s Radius label. To learn more about the film, visit the official movie website.
