Three new movies are opening nationwide this weekend:
Opening in most theaters is the animated feature Strange Magic directed by Gary Rydstrom, produced by George Lucas and featuring the voices of Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, Sam Palladio, Meredith Anne Bull, Alfred Molina, Elijah Kelley, Bob Einstein and Peter Stormare. Marius de Vries (Moulin Rouge, Kick-Ass) serves as the film’s musical director and has also composed the original score. Hollywood Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the songs from the film performed by the voice cast. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details and to learn more about the movie.
Also opening wide is the thriller The Boy Next Door directed by Rob Cohen, produced by Jason Blum and starring Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, John Corbett and Kristin Chenoweth. The film’s original music is composed by Randy Edelman who previously scored such films as Dragonheart, xXx and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor for Cohen and Nathan Barr (True Blood, The Americans). Back Lot Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the score earlier this week and Varese Sarabande will release a physical version next month. Click here for the full album details. Lisbeth Scott provided the vocals on the score and also wrote an original song for the movie. Check out our previous article for more information.
The third wide release is the action comedy Mortdecai directed by David Koepp and starring Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Jeff Goldblum and Paul Bettany. The film’s original music is composed by Geoff Zanelli (Disturbia, Hitman, The Odd Life of Timothy Green) and Mark Ronson. Lionsgate Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the score and two original songs written by both composers. La-La Land Records will release the soundtrack on CD. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full details. Also visit ASCAP’s We Create Music blog, Film Music Magazine, Film Music Media and Examiner for interviews with Zanelli about his work on the film.
Opening in limited release before expanding nationwide next week is the thriller Black Sea directed by Kevin Macdonald and starring Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, David Threlfall, Konstantin Khabenskiy, Sergey Puskepalis, Michael Smiley, Grigory Dobrygin, Sergey Veksler and Sergey Kolesnikov. Ilan Eshkeri (Stardust, 47 Ronin, Still Alice, Layer Cake) has composed the film’s original music. Back Lot Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the film’s original score digitally earlier this week. Check out our previous news article for the full album details and to learn more about the movie.
Opening in New York and Los Angeles before expanding to more cities is the documentary Red Army directed by Gabe Polsky about the Soviet Union and the most successful dynasty in sports history: the Red Army hockey team. The film’s original music is composed by Christophe Beck (Frozen, Edge of Tomorrow, The Muppets, The Hangover) and Leo Birenberg have composed the film’s original music. Milan Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composers’ score earlier this week. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details and for more information about the Sony Pictures Classics release.
Also opening in select cities is the indie drama Cake directed by Daniel Barnz and starring Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, Anna Kendrick, Sam Worthington, Mamie Gummer, Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Chris Messina, Lucy Punch and Britt Robertson. The film’s original music is composed by Christophe Beck who previously scored Barnz’s Phoebe in Wonderland. No word on a soundtrack release, but three tracks from the composer’s score are available on his official website. Cake follows a woman in a chronic-pain support group who begins to investigate the suicide of a fellow group member and develops an unexpected relationship with the woman’s husband. The drama premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival and is being released by Cinelou Films. Visit the official movie website to learn more about the film.
Also opening in limited release is the music drama Song One written and directed by Kate Barker-Froyland and starring Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn, Mary Steenburgen and Ben Rosenfield. Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Lewis have composed the film’s original songs and score. Lakeshore Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the songs performed by the film’s cast, as well as tracks by Nina Simone, Felice Brothers, Sharon Van Etten, America, Ben Rosenfeld, Dan Deacon earlier this month. Check out our previous news article for the full album details and to learn more about the Entertainment One production.
Another limited release this week is the drama The Humbling directed by Barry Levinson and starring Al Pacino, Greta Gerwig, Kyra Sedgwick, Dianne Wiest, Dylan Baker, Charles Grodin and Nina Arianda. The film’s original music is composed by Marcelo Zarvos (Enough Said, The Affair, Ray Donovan) who previously scored Levinson’s last couple of films including What Just Happened, You Don’t Know Jack and The Bay has composed the film’s original music. No soundtrack album has been announced yet. The Humbling is based on a novel by Phillip Roth and tells the story of over-the-hill stage actor and his struggle to find his passion for life again. The drama premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival and is being released by Millennium Entertainment. Visit the official movie website for more information.
Also opening in select markets is the documentary Manny directed by Ryan Moore & Leon Gast, narrated by Liam Neeson and featuring appearances by Manny Pacquiao, Freddie Roach, Mark Wahlberg, Jeremy Piven, Jinkee Pacquiao, Larry Merchant, Bert Sugar, Alex Ariza and Jimmy Kimmel. Lorne Balfe (Penguins of Madagsacar, Megamind, The Bible) has composed the film’s original music. No word on a soundtrack release, but visit YouTube to listen to a couple of audio clips from the composer’s score. Manny tells the story of 10-time boxing world champion, congressman, and international icon, Manny Pacquiao. To learn more about the documentary, visit the official movie website.
Also opening in select cities is the romantic comedy We’ll Never Have Paris directed by Simon Helberg & Jocelyn Towne and starring Helberg, Melanie Lynskey, Maggie Grace, Jason Ritter, Alfred Molina and Zachary Quinto. The film’s original music is composed by Alexis & Sam (Lila & Eve). No soundtrack album has been released. We’ll Never Have Paris follows a neurotic man who follows his ex-girlfriend to Paris to win her back. The comedy premiered at last year’s SXSW Film Festival and is being distributed by Orion Releasing. For more information about the film, visit the official movie website.
