Three new movies are opening nationwide this weekend:
Expected to top the weekend box office is the film adaptation of the YA novel The Maze Runner directed by Wes Ball and starring Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Aml Ameen and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. The film’s original music is composed by John Paesano (Dragons: Riders of Berk, When the Game Stands Tall, Crisis). Sony Classical has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music. Check out our previous news article for the full album details and to listen to audio clips. Also visit We Are Movie Geeks to check out an interview with Paesano.
Also opening wide is the is the thriller A Walk Among the Tombstones directed by Scott Frank and starring Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour and Boyd Holbrook. Carlos Rafael Rivera has composed the film’s original music. Varese Sarabande has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music earlier this week. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details and for more information about the Universal Pictures release. Also visit YouTube for a short video featurette about Rivera’s music for the thriller.
The third wide release of the week is the comedy drama This Is Where I Leave You directed by Shawn Levy and starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard, Kathryn Hahn and Jane Fonda. The film’s original score is composed by Michael Giacchino (Up, Lost, Star Trek, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes). WaterTower Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the songs from the film by artists including Alexi Murdoch, Coldplay, INXS, Saint Raymond, Cyndi Lauper, The Psychedelic Furs and Distant Cousins. Check out our previous article for the full details and to listen to audio clips.
Opening semi-wide in around 600 theaters is the horror comedy Tusk written and directed by Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Cop Out) and starring Justin Long, Genesis Rodriguez, Michael Parks and Haley Joel Osment. Christopher Drake (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Justice League: Doom) has composed the film’s original music. No soundtrack album has been announced yet. Tusk follows a podcaster who sets out to interview an eccentric, reclusive old seafarer, only to find himself a plaything in the gruesome plot of a deranged killer. The comedy premiered last week at the Toronto Film Festival and is being released in the U.S. by A24 Films. To learn more about the film, visit the official movie website.
Opening in limited release is the drama Tracks directed by John Curran (The Painted Veil, Stone) and starring Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver. The film’s original music is composed by Garth Stevenson (Red Knot, Young Lakota). Lakeshore Records will release a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score later this month. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details and for more information about the film, which is being released in the U.S. by the Weinstein Company.
Already in theaters since this past Wednesday is the thriller The Guest directed by Adam Wingard and starring Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Brendan Meyer, Sheila Kelley, Leland Orser, Lance Reddick and Chase Williamson. Steve Moore has composed the film’s original score. J-2 Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the songs from the film by such artists as Stevie B, Love and Rockets, Annie, Survive, Mike Simonetti, Gatekeeper, Sisters of Mercy and Clan of Xymox. Check out our previous news article for the full album details and to listen to audio clips.
Also opening in limited release is the comedy drama Hector and the Search for Happiness directed by Peter Chelsom and starring Simon Pegg, Toni Collette, Rosamund Pike, Stellan Skarsgård, Jean Reno and Christopher Plummer. Singer/songwriter Dan Mangan has written the film’s original music with violinist Jesse Zubot. No word yet on a soundtrack release. Hector and the Search for Happiness follows a quirky psychiatrist who has become increasingly tired of his humdrum life and embarks on a global quest in hopes of uncovering the elusive secret formula for true happiness. The dramedy already opened in several territories overseas and is being released domestically by Relativity Studios.
Another limited release this week is the sci-fi drama The Zero Theorem directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Christoph Waltz, David Thewlis, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw, Matt Damon, Lucas Hedges, Peter Stormare and Melanie Thierry. The film’s original music is composed by George Fenton (Groundhog Day, Dangerous Beauty, Anna and the King) who previously collaborated with the director on The Fisher King. Milan Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s scores, as well as the song Creep by Argentine jazz singer Karen Souza earlier this year. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details. The movie is being released in the U.S. by Amplify and Well Go USA.
Also opening in select cities is the documentary Keep On Keepin’ On directed by Alan Hicks and produced by Quincy Jones (The Color Purple). Pianist Justin Kauflin and Dave Grusin (The Graduate, The Goonies, The Firm) have composed the film’s original score. No soundtrack album has been announced yet. Keep On Keepin’ On centers on the mentorship between jazz-legend Clark Terry and Kauflin, a blind piano prodigy, during a pivotal moment in each of their lives. The documentary premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and has been picked up by the Weinstein Company’s Radius label for domestic distribution.
Opening in select theaters and on VOD today is the thriller Reclaim directed by Alan White and starring John Cusack, Ryan Phillippe, Rachelle Lefevre, Jacki Weaver and Luis Guzman. The film’s original music is composed by Inon Zur (Prince of Persia, Dragon Age, Crysis video games). Silva Screen America has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score, as well as the original song Fighting the World performed by Mike Harris and written by Maddie White and three songs by Edgardo Monserra. For the full soundtrack details and to learn more about the thriller, check out our previous news article.
Another limited release this weekend is the indie drama Fort Bliss written and directed by Claudia Myers and starring Michelle Monaghan, Ron Livingston, Manolo Cardona, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Pablo Schreiber, Dash Mihok, Oakes Fegley, Freddy Rodriguez and John Savage. Asche & Spencer (Monster’s Ball, Stay, Machine Gun Preacher) have composed the film’s original music. No word on a soundtrack release. Fort Bliss follows a U.S. Army medic and single mother who returns home from an extended tour of duty in Afghanistan to discover the bond with her five-year-old son has been broken. To learn more about the drama, which is being released by Phase 4 Films, visit the official movie website.
Also opening in limited release is the sci-fi thriller The Scribbler directed by John Suits and starring Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Eliza Dushku, Gina Gershon, Sasha Grey, Garrett Dillahunt, Michael Imperioli and Billy Campbell. The film’s original music is composed by Alec Puro (The Art of Getting By, The Fosters, Higher Ground). No soundtrack album has been released. The Scribbler follows a young woman confronting her destructive mental illness using “The Siamese Burn,” an experimental machine designed to eliminate multiple personalities. The thriller is being released in select theaters and on VOD by XLrator Media.
Also opening in select theaters is the indie comedy Space Station 76 directed by Jack Plotnick and starring Patrick Wilson, Liv Tyler, Matt Bomer, Marisa Coughlan, Kylie Rogers, Kali Rocha, Jerry O’Connell and Keir Dullea. Steffan & Marc Fantini (Criminal Minds, Moms’ Night Out) have composed the film’s original music. No soundtrack album has been announced yet. Space Station 76 follows a group of people – and several robots – living on a space station in a 1970s version of the future. The comedy premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and is being released by Vertical Entertainment.
