Coldplay, Lana Del Rey tune up season's soundtracks
Awards season is upon us, and movie studios are gunning for trophies wherever and however they can nab them. Luckily for these movies, the gift of song is on their side. While flicks such as Top Five and The Gambler boast soundtracks of familiar tunes, these recent and upcoming releases are packing star-studded performances and original melodies that could catapult them into the Oscar race.
Annie
Soundtrack out now; in theaters Friday
From comic strips to Broadway, movies to community theaters, Annie's infectious grin has beamed across media for nearly 90 years. This month, she returns to the big screen in a glossy, modern update of the 1977 musical, starring Quvenzhané Wallis as the pint-sized heroine and Jamie Foxx as Benjamin Stacks (a variation on Daddy Warbucks). Along with added references to Twitter and MTV, the movie features fresh spins on some of the musical's beloved tunes, such as Miss Hannigan's lament Little Girls (sung by Cameron Diaz), and new songs co-written by Sia, including the Golden Globe-nominated Opportunity.
Try this track:You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile, Sia
Inherent Vice
Soundtrack out now; in select theaters now
Like fellow rocker-turned-composer Trent Reznor, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has cooked up some of the most inventive scores of the past decade, from his chilling work on 2007's There Will Be Blood to the uneasy The Master in 2012. He teams with auteur director Paul Thomas Anderson for a third time on Inherent Vice, an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's stoner detective novel starring Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin. Greenwood's atmospheric score transports us back to eccentric, '70s-era Los Angeles, as do offbeat favorites from Can, Minnie Riperton and Les Baxter.
Try this track: Spooks, Johnny Greenwood
Into the Woods
Soundtrack out now; in theaters Dec. 25
Fans of Stephen Sondheim's whimsically dark musical have been clamoring for a film adaptation, and their wishes will be granted come Christmas. Rob Marshall (Chicago) brings a familiar cast of fairy-tale characters to the multiplexes in Disney's awards contender, with fan-favorite songs such as No One Is Alone and Children Will Listen still intact. While Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick and Johnny Depp have all shown off their pipes onscreen before in films such as Mamma Mia!, Pitch Perfect and Sweeney Todd, respectively, A-listers Emily Blunt and Chris Pine will be put through the ringer their first time out, thanks to the vocal acrobatics and rich, often witty lyrics of Sondheim's music.
Try this track:On the Steps of the Palace, Anna Kendrick
Unbroken
Soundtrack out today; in theaters Dec. 25
Angelina Jolie's new drama tells the inspirational true story of Louis Zamperini (newcomer Jack O'Connell), a former Olympian and American soldier captured and tortured in Japanese prison camps during World War II. Naturally, his tale of triumph and survival is accompanied by a fittingly uplifting song over the end credits: Miracles, a lofty anthem penned for the movie by Coldplay. Aside from the British pop-rockers' contribution, the rest of the soundtrack is comprised of the score by perennial favorite Alexandre Desplat, who composed music for other 2014 films such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Godzilla and The Imitation Game, which earned him his seventh Golden Globe nomination.
Try this track:Miracles, Coldplay
Big Eyes
Soundtrack out Dec. 23; in select theaters Dec. 25
Elusive pop siren Lana Del Rey lost out on an Academy Award nomination last year for The Great Gatsby ballad Young and Beautiful, but she could find herself an Oscar nominee this season for either of her two Big Eyes offerings: the take-charge I Can Fly and the film's haunting title track. Tim Burton's biopic of artist Margaret Keane, starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz, includes original compositions by Danny Elfman, as well as oft-heard tracks from Miles Davis, Red Garland Trio and The Lively Ones.
Try this track:I Can Fly, Lana Del Rey
Selma
Soundtrack out in January (date TBD); in select theaters Dec. 25
The Martin Luther King, Jr., drama has packed a wallop with its resonant depiction of the civil rights movement and a commanding performance by David Oyelowo. Nominated for four Golden Globes, including best drama and director (Ava DuVernay), Selma has also earned recognition for its original song Glory, a Globes nominee by John Legend and rapper Common that references everything from Rosa Parks' bus strike to the protests in Ferguson, Mo. The soundtrack also features three new songs by jazz pianist/composer Jason Moran and classics from the likes of Otis Redding and The Impressions.