Three new movies are opening nationwide this week:
Already in theaters since Wednesday is the animated film sequel Despicable Me 2 directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud and featuring the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Ken Jeong, Steve Coogan and Benjamin Bratt. Pharrell Williams has written the movie’s original songs and themes and Heitor Pereira (The Smurfs) has composed the film’s original score. Back Lot Music has released a soundtrack album including both songs and score. Check out our previous article for the full album details and to listen to audio clips. Also click here for a video featurette on the music and visit Trailer Addict for a video interview with Pereira at the film’s red carpet premiere in Hollywood and ASCAP’s We Create Music blog for another interview with the composer.
Also opening wide is Walt Disney Pictures’ western The Lone Ranger directed by Gore Verbinski, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, Ruth Wilson and Helena Bonham Carter. The film’s original score is composed and produced by Hans Zimmer. Walt Disney Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score earlier this week. A CD version is set to be released by Intrada Records later this month. Click here for the full details of the score album. Hollywood Records has also released a soundtrack featuring songs inspired by the film by artists including Ben Kweller, Iggy Pop, Shane MacGowan, Lucinda Williams and The White Buffalo. Read the rest of this entry »
Milan Records will release a soundtrack album for the horror film Beneath. The album features the film’s original score composed by Will Bates of Fall On Your Sword (Another Earth, Lola Versus, We Steal Secrets). Also included are additional tracks by Graham Reznick and Shilpa Ray. The soundtrack will be released both digitally and physically on July 16, 2013 and is now available for pre-order on 
Sony Music will release a soundtrack album for the superhero action comedy sequel Kick-Ass 2. The album features the songs from the film by artists including Union J, Glasvegas, James Flannigan, Lemon, Danko Jones, Eg White & Chlöe Howl, The Bees, Ozma, The Go! Team and Hanni El Khatib. The soundtrack will be released on August 13, 2013 and is now available for pre-order on 
Varese Sarabande has announced the details of the soundtrack album for Neil Blomkamp’s sci-fi action drama Elysium. The album features the film’s original score composed by Ryan Amon. The soundtrack will be released on August 6, 2013 and is now available for pre-order on 
Varese Sarabande will release a score album for the family movie The Smurfs 2. The album features the film’s original music composed by Heitor Pereira (Despicable Me, Beverly Hills Chihuahua). The soundtrack will be released on July 23, 2013 and is now available for pre-order on 
Walt Disney Records will release a soundtrack for Pixar’s animated short The Blue Umbrella. The single features the film’s music composed by Jon Brion (Magnolia, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) featuring vocals by Sarah Jaffe. Also included is an instrumental version of the Blue Umbrella suite. The two-track single will be released on July 9, 2013 and is now available for pre-order on 
Mark Mothersbaugh has been tapped to score the upcoming comedy Last Vegas. The film is directed by Jon Turteltaub and stars Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline as four best friends in their late-60’s, who decide to escape retirement and throw a Las Vegas bachelor party for the last single member of their group. Mary Steenburgen, Jerry Ferrara, Romany Malco and Roger Bart are co-starring. Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love, Cars, Bolt) wrote the screenplay and Laurence Mark (Jerry Maguire, I, Robot, Dreamgirls) and Amy Baer are producing the project. 
La-La Land Records has released a new soundtrack edition for the 1992 thriller Patriot Games directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones, Anne Archer and Sean Bean. The album features the remastered and expanded original score from the film composed by James Horner. Also included are a number of source cues by W.A. Mozart, J.P. Sousa and more. The 2-CD set is limited to 3000 copies and features more than 50 minutes of previously unreleased music from the Paramount Pictures production. To listen to audio clips and to order the soundtrack, visit 
George Fenton is currently scoring the upcoming sci-fi drama The Zero Theorem. The film is directed by Terry Gilliam and stars Christoph Waltz, David Thewlis, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw, Matt Damon, Lucas Hedges, Peter Stormare and Melanie Thierry. The movie follows an eccentric computer genius plagued with existential angst as he works on a mysterious project aimed at discovering the purpose of existence. Pat Rushin wrote the screenplay and Dean Zanuck (Road to Perdition, Get Low) is producing the Mediapro Studios production with Nicolas Chartier (The Hurt Locker, Killer Joe, The Company You Keep) of Voltage Pictures. Fenton has previously scored Gilliam’s 1991 drama The Fisher King. 
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) continues its support for Sundance Institute’s Film Music program which has just launched its new collaboration with Skywalker Sound to host the Sundance Institute Music and Sound Design Labs at Skywalker Sound in 2013 and 2014. The Music and Sound Design Lab for documentaries ran June 3 through June 10, and the session for feature films will run from July 10 through July 25. This is the first time Sundance Institute and Skywalker Sound are collaborating to support independent filmmakers and film composers and marks a significant expansion of the Institute’s former Composers Labs to include sound design. At the Lab, Fellows work with a variety of Creative Advisors, a group of film composers, sound designers, filmmakers and film industry professionals. 