Category: Film Music News

Weekly Film Music Roundup (May 8, 2015)

Two new movies are opening nationwide this weekend;

hot-pursuitOpening in most theaters is the action comedy Hot Pursuit directed by Anne Fletcher and starring Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Vergara and Michael Mosley. The film’s original music is composed by Christophe Beck (Frozen, Ant-Man, Edge of Tomorrow, The Hangover) who previously collaborated with Fletcher on her last feature The Guilt Trip. No soundtrack album has been announced, but Sony Music has released the original song Two of a Crime by Miranda Lambert from the film. Visit Amazon to download the track. To learn more about Hot Pursuit, which is being released by Warner Bros. Pictures, check out our previous news article.

the-d-trainAlso opening wide is the comedy The D Train written and directed by Andrew Mogel & Jarrad Paul and starring Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Kyle Bornheimer and Adria Tennor. Andrew Dost has composed the film’s original music. Lakeshore Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the fun. member’s score, as well as tracks by INXS, The Vapors, Quarterflash, Mr. Mister, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and the original song A Million Stars performed by Dost, Andy McCluskey (OMD), Rob Kroehler (Ladylike), Jack Antonoff (fun.).Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details and to listen to audio clips.

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‘Ricki and the Flash’ to Feature Original Song by Jenny Lewis & Johnathan Rice

ricki-and-the-flashJenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice have written the original song Cold One for Jonathan Demme’s comedy drama Ricki and the Flash. The song is performed by Meryl Streep who stars in the film alongside Kevin Kline, Mammie Gummer, Audra McDonald, Sebastian Stan and Rick Springfield. The movie directed by Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) and scripted by Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) follows a guitar heroine who made a world of mistakes as she followed her dreams of rock-and-roll stardom and gets a shot at redemption and a chance to make things right as she faces the music with her family. 

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Elliot Goldenthal’s ‘Symphony in G-Sharp Minor’ to Be Released

symphony-in-g-minorZarathustra Music will release an EP featuring Elliot Goldenthal‘s concert work Symphony in G-Sharp Minor. The Academy Award-winning composer whose film scores include Frida, Interview with the Vampire, Heat, Batman Forever, Alien 3 and Public Enemies composed the piece, which was commissioned by the Pacific Symphony and marks his second collaboration with the orchestra following the oratorio Fire Water Paper. The symphony premiered last year  at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, CA. The EP featuring the symphony’s  two movements Moderato con moto and Rondo agitato will be released on May 12, 2015 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon and iTunes.

Weekly Film Music Roundup (May 1, 2015)

age-of-ultronThe only wide release this weekend is Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Age of Ultron written and directed by Joss Whedon and starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johannson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany and Cobie Smulders. The film’s original music is composed by Brian Tyler (Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Furious 7) and Danny Elfman (Spider-Man, Batman). Hollywood Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composers’ score earlier this week. Check out our previous article for the full album details. Also visit Film Music Magazine and Philharmonia’s Soundcloud channel for audio interviews with Tyler about his work on the project.

far-from-the-madding-crowd far-from-the-madding-crowdOpening in limited release is the period drama Far from the Madding Crowd directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starring Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge and Michael Sheen. Craig Armstrong (Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo & Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby, Love Actually) has composed the film’s original music. Sony Classical has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details and to learn about the Fox Searchlight release and click here to listen to audio samples from the score.

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James Horner to Compose Music for Disney’s ‘Pandora: The Land of Avatar’ Theme Park Attraction

pandoraJames Horner revealed in an interview with HeyUGuys that he will be composing the music for Pandora: The Land of Avatar at Disney’a Animal Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The theme park attraction is designed by Walt Disney Imagineering in partnership with James Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment and will feature the wonders of Pandora, giving parkgoers the chance to “fly with banshees and explore a rich natural environment with mountains that float and interactive plants that glow at night.” Horner has composed the score for James Cameron’s 2009 movie and will return to score the sequel, which is scheduled to be released in 2017. Check out the full interview after the jump. 

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Abel Korzeniowski Wins BAFTA TV Craft Award for ‘Penny Dreadful’

baftaAbel Korzeniowski was honored with his first BAFTA TV Craft Award for his music for Showtime’s Penny Dreadful at the the British Academy Television Craft Awards today at The Brewery, City of London. Producer Pippa Harris accepted the award on the composer’s behalf. A soundtrack album featuring selections of Korzeniowski’s score for the first season of the series is available on Varese Sarabande. The show also won awards for Production Design and Make Up & Hair Design. The other composers nominated in the Original Music category were John Lunn for Downton Abbey, Martin Phipps for The Honorable Woman and Richard Spiller for Life and Death Row – Execution.

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Weekly Film Music Roundup (April 24, 2015)

Two new movies are opening nationwide this weekend:

age-of-adalineOpening in most theaters is the romantic drama The Age of Adaline directed by Lee Toland Krieger and starring Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Kathy Baker, Amanda Crew, Harrison Ford and Ellen Burstyn. The film’s original music is composed by Rob Simonsen (Foxcatcher, (500) Days of Summer, The Spectacular Now). Lakeshore Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score, as well as the end credits song Start Again. Check out our previous article for the full album details and to listen to audio clips. Also visit Film Music Magazine for an interview with the composer about his work on the project. Lakeshore Records has also released a separate soundtrack featuring the songs from the movie by artists including Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane & more. Click here for the full album details.

little-boyAlso opening wide is the drama Little Boy directed by Alejandro Monteverde and starring Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin James, Ben Chaplin, Michael Rapaport, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Ted Levine, David Henrie, Eduardo Verastegui and Jakob Salvatri. Stephan Altman and Mark Foster, from Foster the People, have composed the film’s original music. Milan Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the movie’s score earlier this week. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details, to check out audio samples and for more information about the Open Road Films release.

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Weekly Film Music Roundup (April 17, 2015)

Three new movies are opening nationwide this weekend:

paul-blartOpening in most theaters is the comedy sequel Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 directed by Andy Fickman and starring Kevin James, Raini Rodriguez, Neal McDonough and Shirley Knight. The film’s original music is composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams (Over the Hedge, Bee Movie, Click, Blended, Veep). No soundtrack album has been announced. Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 follows the security guard as he travels to Las Vegas to attend a Security Guard Expo with his teenage daughter and inadvertently discovers a heist. The comedy is being released by Sony Pictures. To learn more about the film, visit the official movie website.

monkey-kingdomAlso opening wide is Disneynature’s documentary Monkey Kingdom directed by Mark Linfield and Alastair Fothergill. Walt Disney Records has released the original song It’s Our World performed by Jacquie Lee from the film earlier this week. Click here to download the track. Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek series, The Chronicles of Narnia, Kingdom of Heaven, Man on Fire, The Equalizer) has composed the film’s original score. No word yet on a release of the composer’s music. For more information about the documentary, check out our scoring assignment announcement from last year.

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World Soundtrack Awards 2015 Young Composers Contest Announced

wsaAs in previous years, the World Soundtrack Academy will give out the SABAM Award for Best Young International Composer to young international film music talent during this year’s World Soundtrack Awards (WSA) during the 42nd Film Fest Gent in Belgium. Three finalists will be invited for a three-day visit in Ghent where they will have their compositions performed by the Brussels Philharmonic and conducted by Dirk Brossé during the 15th World Soundtrack Awards, which takes place on October 25, 2015 and will also honor composers Alan Silvestri and Daniel Pemberton. They will also have the opportunity to meet with film music professionals and compete for a €2,500 prize.

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Alexandre Desplat to Receive BMI’s Icon Award

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) has announced today that Alexandre Desplat will be honored with the organization’s Icon Award for outstanding career achievement at this year’s BMI Film & Television Awards. The composer has received eight Academy Award nominations over the last decade for such films as The King’s Speech, The Queen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Philomena, The Imitation Game, Argo and received his first Oscar earlier this year for Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. He also received a Golden Globe and two Grammys and was nominated multiple times for both awards. His other film credits include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Tree of Life, Godzilla and Unbroken.

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