Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

Music always rules in Quentin Tarantino movies—remember John Travolta and Uma Thurman dancing to Chuck Berry in Pulp Fiction? The director’s latest is no exception, featuring funk from James Brown, a soulful duet between Anthony Hamilton and Elayna Boynton and an evocative score from spaghetti Western legend Ennio Morricone.

Few cases have galvanized Hollywood and the music community more than the story of three teenage boys wrongfully convicted for the murder of three Cub Scouts. The Memphis Three’s release, following 18 years of imprisonment, came after fundraising efforts by director Peter Jackson, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Dixie Chick Natalie Maines. Says actor Johnny Depp, another supporter: “I was instantly struck by how heinous a crime [it was], but also the wave of injustice that followed it.” The soundtrack to a documentary about the case captures the passion of those voices and includes Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams and Johnny’s band Tonto’s Giant Nuts delivering a dark version of Mumford & Sons’ ...

The Jack Kerouac novel’s movie adaptation, starring Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley and Kristen Stewart, captures the story’s beatnik spirit with a cool soundtrack of late-’40s jazz and blues. Along with songs by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker, the collection includes Slim Gaillard’s finger-snapping classic “Hit That Jive Jack.”

Director Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up spin off features an eclectic mix of songs old (Paul McCartney’s quirky “Lunch Box/Odd Sox” and Yoko Ono’s whimsical “Yes, I’m Your Angel”) and new (Norah Jones’ “Always Judging” and Fiona Apple’s provocative “Dull Tool”). Also included is Paul Simon’s poignant “Rewrite,” the perfect ode to a midlife crisis.

The movie adaptation of the enduring musical is one of the holiday season’s most anticipated treats. Its soundtrack—due out Dec. 25—is the proverbial icing on the Christmas cake, with star Anne Hathaway delivering a stirring “I Dreamed a Dream” and Hugh Jackman tackling “Suddenly,” written especially for the film.