Film Music Reporter

Weekly Film Music Roundup (July 11, 2014)

Posted: July 11, 2014 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music News
Tags: A Long Way Down, Boyhood, Dario Marianelli, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Justin Small, Keegan DeWitt, Land Ho!, Laurent Eyquem, Michael Giacchino, Ohad Benchetrit, Rage, Road to Paloma, Tokarev

Only one new movie is opening nationwide this week:

Expected to top the weekend box office is the sci-fi adventure sequel Dawn of the Planet of the Apes directed by Matt Reeves and starring Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smith-McPhee, Enrique Murciano and Kirk Acevedo. The film’s original music is composed by Michael Giacchino (Up, Star Trek, Lost) who previously collaborated with the director on Cloverfield and Let Me In. Sony Masterworks has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music. Check out our previous article for the full details and click here to listen to audio clips. Also visit Reddit for a recent AMA with Giacchino and Reeves about their work on the film.

Opening in limited release is the indie drama Boyhood written and directed by Richard Linklater and starring Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater and Ethan Hawke. The film doesn’t feature an original score. Nonesuch Records has released a soundtrack album including the songs featured in the movie by artists such as Coldplay, Vampire Weekend, Bob Dylan, Arcade Fire, Wilco, The Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley, The Flaming Hips, Jeff Tweedy, The Hives, Cat Power and Paul McCartney & Wings. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details. Read the rest of this entry »

‘John Wick’ to Feature Music by Tyler Bates & Joel Richard

Posted: July 11, 2014 by filmmusicreporter in Film Scoring Assignments
Tags: Joel Richard, John Wick, Marilyn Manson, Tyler Bates

Tyler Bates and Joel Richard have composed the music for the upcoming action thriller John Wick. The film marks the directorial debut of stunt coordinators Chad Stahelski & David Leitch and stars Keanu Reeves, Bridget Moynahan, Willem Dafoe, Jason Isaacs, Adrianne Palicki, Alfie Allen, Dean Winters and Michael Nyqvist. The movie follows an ex-hitman who is pursued by an old friend who was contracted by a crime boss to kill him. Derek Kolstad has written the screenplay. Basil Iwanyk (The Town, Clash of the Titans) is producing the project for Thunder Road Pictures, alongside Mike Witherill (Frontera) for MJW Films. The thriller also features songs that Bates wrote with Marilyn Manson and Ciscandra Nostalghia. Read the rest of this entry »

‘Scoring for Crime, Death and Resurrection’ Composer Panel at Comic-Con Announced

Posted: July 11, 2014 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music Events
Tags: Brian Reitzell, Christopher Young, Comic-Con, Daniel Licht, James Levine, Jeff Russo, Steve Jablonsky

The line-up of the composer panel Behind the Music with CW3PR: Crime, Death and Resurrection at Comic-Con has been announced. The sixth edition of the event will feature a number of film and television composers discussing their work and will also feature surprise sneak peeks from upcoming projects, followed by a fan-led Q&A with exclusive giveaways. Panelists at this year’s panelists include two recent first-time Emmy nominees: Jeff Russo (Hostages) who was nominated for his music for FX’s Fargo and James Levine (Glee, Major Crimes, Nip/Tuck) who received the honor for his music on FX’s American Horror Story. Other participants include Golden Globe nominee Christopher Young (Spider-Man 3, Deliver Us from Evil), Steve Jablonsky (Transformers series, Ender’s Game), Daniel Licht (Dexter, The Red Road) and Brian Reitzell (Hannibal, 30 Days of Night). Read the rest of this entry »

Andrew Hewitt to Score William Monahan’s ‘Mojave’

Posted: July 10, 2014 by filmmusicreporter in Film Scoring Assignments
Tags: Andrew Hewitt, Mojave, William Monahan

Andrew Hewitt has signed on to score the upcoming thriller Mojave. The film is written and directed by William Monahan (London Boulevard, screenwriter of The Departed & Kingdom of Heaven) and stars Garrett Hedlund, Oscar Isaac, Mark Wahlberg, Louise Bourgoin, Walton Goggins and Fran Kranz. The movie follows a near-suicidal artist who escapes into the desert to take an existential crisis head-on, only to encounter a doppelganger-like antagonist in the form of a brilliant, homicidal drifter. Monahan is also producing the project with William Green (Ali G Inda House) of Atlas Independent. Read the rest of this entry »

Niki Sherrod Promoted to Senior VP, Music, Warner Bros. Pictures

Posted: July 10, 2014 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music Events
Tags: Niki Sherrod, Warner Bros. Pictures Music

It was announced today that Niki Sherrod has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Music, Warner Bros. Pictures. She has served as Vice President, Music, Warner Bros. Pictures since 2006 and will continue to oversee the selection, production and execution of music for a range of Warner Bros. Pictures and report to Paul Broucek, President, Music. During her tenure at the studio, she has worked on such films as Project X, Gravity, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, and this year’s animated hit film The LEGO Movie. Sherrod is currently overseeing the music for upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures releases including This is Where I Leave You, Heart of the Sea, Get Hard, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Focus.

2014 Emmy Nominations Announced

Posted: July 10, 2014 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music News
Tags: Emmy Awards, Emmy Nominations

The nominations for the 66th Emmy Awards were announced this morning. Here are the music-related categories:

Outstandig Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score):

Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey – Standing Up in the Milk Way – Music by Alan Silvestri
Downton Abbey – Episode 8 – Music by John Lunn
Game of Thrones – The Mountain and the Viper – Music by Ramin Djawadi
House of Cards – Chapter 26 – Music by Jeff Beal
True Detective – Form and Void – Music by T Bone Burnett Read the rest of this entry »

Soundtrack Details for Luc Besson’s ‘Lucy’

Posted: July 9, 2014 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music Albums
Tags: Eric Serra, Luc Besson, Lucy, score, Soundtrack

The details of the soundtrack album for Luc Besson’s sci-fi action thriller Lucy have been revealed. The album features the film’s original music composed by Eric Serra who regularly works with the director and has scored such features as The Professional, The Fifth Element and La Femme Nikita. Also included is the original song Sister Rust performed by Blur frontman Damon Albarn, as well as tracks by The Crystal Method and Raury. The soundtrack will be released overseas in early Europe. A different soundtrack featuring Serra’s score will be released digitally on July 22, 2014 by Back Lot Music and is now available for pre-order on Amazon, where you can also listen to audio clips. Lucy starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman follows a woman who accidentally is caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic. The thriller will be released nationwide on July 25 by Universal Pictures. Read the rest of this entry »

‘Hercules’ Soundtrack Details

Posted: July 9, 2014 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music Albums
Tags: Brett Ratner, Fernando Velazquez, Hercules, score, Soundtrack

Sony Classical will release the official soundtrack album for Brett Ratner’s Hercules. The album features the film’s original music composed by Fernando Velazquez (The Impossible, Mama, Devil, The Orphanage). The soundtrack will be released digitally on July 22, 2014 and physically on August 5. To pre-order the CD, visit Amazon. Hercules stars Dwayne Johnson in the title role as the Greek demigod who has his life as a sword-for-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord. Ian McShane, Rufus Swell, Joseph Fiennes, Peter Mullan and John Hurt are co-starring. Read the rest of this entry »

Ken Thorne (1924-2014)

Posted: July 9, 2014 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music News
Tags: Ken Thorne

Ken Thorne has passed away at age 90. The British composer scored numerous features and television movies and shows over a career spanning more than four decades, including the sequels Superman II and Superman III directed by Richard Lester and starring Christopher Reeve. He received an Academy Award for his adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s music for the 1966 film version of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He also was honored with an Emmy Award nomination for the original song For a Love Like You from the 1995 TV drama A Season of Hope. In addition, he was Grammy-nominated alongside John Lennon, George Harrison and Paul McCartney for his score for 1965’s Help!. Thorne’s other feature credits include the 1976 comedy The Ritz and the 1967 war comedy How I Won the War starring Michael Crawford & John Lennon, both for Richard Lester, 1968’s Inspector Clouseau starring Alan Arkin, 1985’s The Protector starring Jackie Chan and 1984’s Lassiter starring Tom Selleck. Read the rest of this entry »

‘Rich Hill’ Score Album Details

Posted: July 9, 2014 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music Albums
Tags: Nathan Halpern, Rich Hill, score, Soundtrack

Copticon Music will release a score album for the documentary Rich Hill. The album features the film’s original music composed by Nathan Halpern (Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present). The soundtrack will be released digitally on August 1, 2014 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Check out audio clips after the jump. Rich Hill is directed by Tracy Droz Tragos & Andrew Droz Palermo and follows the lives of three teenage boys and their families living on the edge of poverty in the town of Rich Hill, Missouri, as they deal with daily challenges of growing up. The documentary premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it received the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, and was picked up by The Orchard for a domestic release on August 1 in select theaters and on August 5 on VOD. Read the rest of this entry »