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Jul 21

5 Soundtracks that are Better than their Movies

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Ever since the revival of soundtracks in the mid 90’s, the debate has become a tired one, always boiling down to the same few choices. It’s either a soundtrack that accumulates the latest and coolest tracks of the day, such as Trainspotting, or else one of Tarantino’s collections of disparate tunes that somehow manage to gain a new, hip meaning when he assembles them together. Scores rarely get a look in.

But that’s not to deny the importance of the soundtrack. Indeed, what would Scorsese’s film be without the barrage of rock n’ roll tracks. Or films like Gattaca, The End of the Affair, and The Piano would arguably be half as powerful if Michael Nyman’s compositions were removed. Yet there are strange occurrences in which the film’s makers, disappointing in their delivery, still manage to throw together the right songs and help slightly elevate the film’s lagging quality.

Below are five of the best examples I can find of film’s whose soundtracks suggest something far greater than the sub-par flicks themselves.

PLATOON

While it’s hard to hate Oliver Stone’s violent Vietnam flick, it’s a rather predictable film that stands in the shadow of Apocalypse Now and most other films. Further proof is the soundtrack, entitled Platoon- and Songs from the Era, which again attempts to mimic its predecessor’s incorporation of 50 and 60’s rock n’ roll, but to a much inferior effect. The hazy The End perfectly sets the tone of Coppolla’s masterpiece. Stone, on the other hand, counters with a famous death scene playing over Adagio for Strings (Stone obviously lifted it after it being used much more appropriately in The Elephant Man), and in typical Stone fashion, the moment is instantly overblown by the director’s allergy to subtlety. The soundtrack contains classics by artists such as Smokey Robinson, Jefferson Airplane, and surprise, surprise, The Doors (though admittedly this was probably not Stone’s idea).

CONTROL

This may seem like a strange choice. Control is a biopic of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, so can a soundtrack full of Joy Division songs, and others that inspired the band, be out of place? Joy Division, in their brief existence, created two of the most influential and atmospheric records of all time. Their music is dark, distinct, and generates visions of concrete cages and isolated individuals attempting to break free. Oh, and it rocks. Control, while magnificently shot, is just another boring biopic, attempting to glorify a trivial tale of a lead singer’s rise and demise. Not that the singer’s life isn’t tragic, but Control’s kitchen-sink imagination wraps the film in a shroud of banality.

YOUNG ADAM

This little British film barely made a splash, despite fine performances from Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, and Peter Mullan, a glum adaptation of an existentialist novel. The real surprise is that the film’s makers managed to bag Talking Head frontman David Byrne as its composer. Talking Heads have long been finished as their music became increasingly frivolous, and Bryne became obsessed with South American music. However, the Young Adam soundtrack shows another side of him, a dreamy, moody, Lynch-esque soundtrack based on violins and double-bass that suggests a different, better film when heard separately. The soundtrack culminates in one of Byrne’s most haunting songs ever, Great Western Road, a song that’s both tragic and deliciously theatrical.

LOST IN TRANSLATION/ MARIE ANTOINETTE

Lost in Translation is one of these bafflingly successful indie films. Sure, it has decent lead performances, but it’s always concerning that the general public will confuse a film with nothing to say with a film full of abstract profoundness (check out In the Mood for Love instead). While trying to lighten the mood with casual racism (I’ve been to Tokyo, and the showers are not that short), the film attempts to heighten its pretension through a dreamy soundtrack of My Bloody Valentine-inspired shoegazing classics. Marie Antoinette, her follow-up film, is another baffling attempt at showcasing Sofia Coppolla’s iPod tracklist. Despite being a period film about the French royal, it includes tracks from post-punk geniuses Gang of Four, Goth rockers The Cure, punk revivalists The Strokes, and a few tracks by electronic visionary Aphex Twin. Coppolla’s soundtrack is an attempt to claim that Marie Antoinette was the first “modern” teen, which is a typical example of Generation X’s inability to engage with history and customs outside their navel-gazing bubble of cynicism.

VANILLA SKY

Cameron Crowe’s schmaltzy flicks may have been an amusing diversion at some, with Jerry Maguire’s phrase invention and Almost Famous’s glossy nostalgia, but that all ended in 2002. Crowe has been associated with music, starting his career as a music journalist, and the previously mentioned flicks had a romance/ 70’s rock feel to them. But when Crowe attempted to handle something different, something more substantial, everything fell around him. Vanilla Sky was an atrocious wreck of a film. Not only was the plot silly, it didn’t help that the performances, led by Xenu’s best bud Tom Cruise, were completely over the top either. But it was the direction that ruined the film, a messy assembly of scenes having little or no coherence, acting like a series of music videos.
Crowe also is desperate to show us his music knowledge. In one scene Cruise’s character tries to impress a girl by choosing a Jeff Buckley song- a moment that has no function except to show off. Later, the plot makes some reference to Cruise setting his ideal life in his favourite album covers- again another idea for the director to display his vast “knowledge”. In accordance with his dissonant direction, the film is laden with disparate and inappropriate music, most of it good alone, but irritating as a compilation. We get Radiohead’s Everything in its Right Place setting the mood, yet more sentimental songs dominating the middle, and then in some amateur effort to display confusion by confusing us, blasts Good Vibrations during a tense scene. It’s irony gone terribly, terribly wrong.
Most annoying of all is the film ending with the use of Icelandic atmospheric post-rockers Sigur Ros, whose Nothing Song is one of their best, riding a fine line between melancholy and ecstasy. The film uses it as an attempt to elevate the conclusion to a preposterous plot, and needless to say the band subsequently regretted its use.

Agree? Disagree? Have some suggestions of your own? Feel free to add your two cents in the comment box.

By Eoin O’Faolain

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112 Responses to “5 Soundtracks that are Better than their Movies”

  1.  John Book Says:

    ‘Power of One’ great soundtrack, bad movie

  2.  Colonial Williamsmith Says:

    Wild Wild West. Not the one with all the rap on it, but the instrumental score released by Varese Saraband. The opening theme alone is the epitome of the western music style. Bernstein’s work almost had me convinced the actual movie wasn’t all that bad which says a LOT.

  3.  Dougal Says:

    Interesting list, but a bit of a misleading title perhaps, as you seem to be unsure whether to write more about the inappropriateness of the soundtrack or whether the it actually better than the film.

    You write that the vanilla sky song list is ‘irritating as a compilation whereas the young adam score ’suggests a different, better film when heard separately’ - do you prefer the soundtracks or not?

    I guess when you write Aphex twin in Lost in Translation, you mean Squarepusher.

  4.  eoin ofaolain Says:

    Whoops, Dougal, thanks for spotting that. I was almost sure there was one of AT’s ambient tracks in the movie, but it’s not on the CD.

    In terms of Vanilla Sky, the music is only irritating in relation to their presence in the film, the way they gel with the scenes.
    As a collection of songs on a CD, it’s not a bad selection of indie songs, so yes, it is far better than the film.

  5.  eoin ofaolain Says:

    Actually, Dougal, looking back on the article I refer to Aphex Twin in the Marie Antoinette s/t, not Lost in Translation.

  6.  Apathygrrl Says:

    Queen of the Damned! QUEEN OF THE DAMNED!!! That soundtrack kicks ass! Best part of that god awful movie was the music.

  7.  AgentCool Says:

    Klaus Badelt’s score for the 2002 version of ‘The Time Machine’ is truly magnificent and, had it supported a better film, would have surely received an Oscar nod.

  8.  Lestat Says:

    Lost Highway. No question that this movie’s soundtrack is A+, while the movie itself is lost in the dreams of the director.

  9.  Lukus Says:

    I think that ‘The Mission’ is the biggest instance of a soundtrack/score surpassing the film that it accompanies. I mean, the score is the best thing ever… the movie’s, well, not.

  10.  Onno Says:

    Garden state.

    I saw the trailer like 50 times, had the brilliant soundtrack constantly in my cd player, and expected to be in for a treat. Boy, was I wrong!

    Ps. Sorry for my English, it’s not my first language.

  11.  Tim Says:

    You forgot one of the biggest. Dangerous Minds (1995) no one would have even heard of this film if it weren’t for “Gangsta’s Paradise” being such a huge hit. (personally I preferred Weird Al’s Amish Paridise more)

  12.  steven Says:

    Mortal Kombat, great mix of classic techo with some great orchestral parts.

  13.  Sara Munoz Says:

    How could you forget PURPLE RAIN? Prince & the Revolution at their heyday created some of the most groundbreaking and influential pop of the 1980’s (that still holds up today) in the Oscar-winning soundtrack… to the biggest self-indulgent, excruciatingly acted (and written, and directed), misogynistic piece of poo of the decade.

  14.  Ceca Says:

    For me: Cruel Intentions, The Crow, The Crow: City of Angels and some TV shows like the OC and One Tree Hill.

  15.  Mike Says:

    This guy is an idiot.

  16.  Mega Says:

    Empire Records was a flimsy little movie with an infectious soundtrack that tends to live in my car’s cd player for weeks at a time.

  17.  Rachel Says:

    Next Stop Wonderland had a fantastic soundtrack, with new and classic Brazilian bossa nova & samba. The movie was not great.

  18.  Sara Says:

    I think that Control is a wonderful movie (and so the soundtrack!) so I really don’t agree with this list.

  19.  Zeppo Says:

    I agree with Mike. This guy is more intent on bringing down oft-fave movies than comparing movies with soundtracks. There are a ton of movies I’m sure people didn’t even go see but still bought the soundtrack.

  20.  Paul Leemick Says:

    Good article.

    I can’t believe I just read a comment by someone who thinks “the Mission” sucks.

  21.  Jagger Says:

    Judgment Night (1993) is another terrible film with an excellent (if dated) soundtrack. When the rap-rock genre was beginning to gain popularity thanks to Public Enemy and Anthrax, this soundtrack paired together some of the biggest names in both categories for an album full of original compositions (Slayer & Ice T, Hemet & House of Pain, Living Colour & Run DMC, etc.) This disc didn’t leave my player for months.

  22.  Ariel Says:

    In no particular order.
    1. “Singles” - Great 90’s grunge and alternative, so-so movie.
    2. “Last Action Hero” - Terrible movie, decent rock soundtrack.
    3. “Lost Highway” as someone else mentioned above.
    4. “Who Made Who” - The AC/DC filled soundtrack to the Stephen King clunker “Maximum Overdrive”
    5. And yeah, definitely “Purple Rain” - The album is still amazing, the movie is laughably campy.

  23.  Jason Says:

    Eoin:

    You must have read my mind when you wrote the blurb on Lost In Translation and Marie Antoinette. Actually, you’ve done better to capture the reality of her films (including ‘Virgin Suicides’ and her short film ‘Lick the Stars’ (one of the dumbest lines in that film is “What is Lick the Stars spelled backwards?…Kill the Rats!” I dunno, maybe that’s the case to someone who can’t spell. As you suggested, an iPod playlist should not in itself make a film good (and quite frankly, the best parts of the overrated ‘Lost in Translation” were the scenes Bill Murray improvised.).

    Anyway, one soundtrack that I thought was much better than the film was “Cool World.” Eclectic group of artists (David Bowie, Ministry, Moby, Thompson Twins).

  24.  Lurker Says:

    “Naval-gazing?” I like to watch sailors, too!

  25.  MPESQ Says:

    Cocktail!

  26.  Kattz Says:

    Has everyone forgotten “Flashdance” ? Great soundtrack, worst excuse for a movie, ever!

  27.  eoin ofaolain Says:

    Zeppo, care to give some examples? I chose these four films because the films AND their soundtracks are well regarded (the exception being Young Adam, which I chose because the soundtrack is simply fantastic), even though I think their soundtracks are far superior.

    I don’t agree with Lost Highway because I felt the music worked in perfect tandem with the film. It’s dark, atmospheric, sometimes violent, sometimes dreamy. Sure, it’s pretty abstract but I couldn’t imagine a better film to feature such a collection of songs.

    Tim’s point on Dangerous Mind is a good one- nobody recognises the name of that film until you start humming Gangsta’s Paradise!

    Lol, lurker, good catch.

  28.  CalvinHobbesLocke Says:

    Have to disagree with Vanilla Sky for the simple reason that you absolutely CANNOT have “Solsbury Hill” in your soundtrack. That horse has ben beaten to death a long time ago.

    For another suggestion, how about “Streets of Fire”?

  29.  GilmourW Says:

    Streets of Fire — Walter Hill had a terrific concept for this film (a James Dean type of story set within an 80’s backdrop with strong 50’s influences. As it was subtitled, A Rock and Roll Fable). But the acting was awful and the story was poorly executed. It had great potential, but fell far short of it. The music however was amazing (though it remains relatively obscure to this day). Songs such as “Tonight is What it Means to Be Young” and “Nowhere Fast” are solid 80’s style rock tunes, while “I Can Dream About You” and “One Bad Stud” are great throwbacks to the 50’s era.

    The Wall — Not really a soundtrack (the film was based on the Pink Floyd album. A true soundtrack was planned but never issued). It was a directorial mess that could have been a classic musical/rock opera. Instead, it turned out to be one long drawn out music video. I love Pink Floyd, and I love the album. I even enjoy the movie, but it was simply not created for consumption by the general public. If you are not a fan of the album and the band, then the movie makes no sense at all. My expectations were high for this film. Though I was mildly disappointed, I still watch the DVD from time to time.

  30.  eoin ofaolain Says:

    CalvinHobbesLocke, have you ever seen the recut fan trailer of The Shining to make it look like a gentle romantic drama? All they do is add Solsbury Hill and the film completely change!

  31.  Zeppo Says:

    There have been plenty of good examples already mentioned, but the mid to late 90’s is a perfect example (when studios realized how to market soundtracks) with movies like Waiting To Exhale, Set It Off, and Space Jam. And let’s not forget Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Two stupidly campy movies that helped usher in the dreaded “Music Inspired By.”

  32.  Zeppo Says:

    I’d also like to add nearly all non-Pixar animated movies since “Shrek” have had a “Let’s throw a nostalgic song for the parents that the kids find catchy” song (sometimes more than once, like “Madagascar”). It takes me out of the movie every time, and I imagine myself in a corporate office wondering what it must be like to be the guy whose job it is to reach for the lowest common denominator.

  33.  Rick Says:

    Not to say in any way that it is a bad filmn, but the “Slap Shot” soundtrack, with its tacky 70s songs punctuating the superficial lives of the characters, is what comes to mind firat when I think about the film. Alas, many of the songs are no longer on the soundtrack and the film suffers as a result.

  34.  Lulz Says:

    How about City of Angels? The soundtrack not only sold well, it was a great listen. Tracks by then-contemporary artists like Paula Cole and Goo Goo Dolls as well as classics from Jimi Hendrix made the album a great pop album. But man, did the movie suck.

  35.  matthew Says:

    Vanilla sky was such an abortion, you could have had a soundtrack filled with Vanilla Ice and still made this list. I like your choices, but this list could go on and on.

  36.  Kenna McHugh Says:

    I am sorry folks but you’re not going back far enough. What about Max Steiner? This man rocks, may he rest in peace.

    Christopher Strong — box office dud, great music
    A Summer Place — if it wasn’t for the music, this film…
    Winter Meeting — box office dud, great music

    Not to mention all his stock music used in endless films.

  37.  Terry Says:

    Woman on Top, wonderful soundtrack, crap film, inversely proportional to each other

  38.  Frank Says:

    Dead Presidents!

  39.  eoin ofaolain Says:

    Good examples, Zeppo, especially re: animated movies. And why does it always seem to be disco songs from the 70’s?

    As for the 90’s movies you gave examples of, the problem is that most of them are actually not good soundtracks at all. Most of them are marketed around one or two hit singles (like Batman Forever’s U2 song), and the rest is filler material.

  40.  Jeremy Says:

    Star Trek: The Motion Picture. One of the all-time great film scores attached to one of the biggest overwrought snorefests ever to hit the big screen.

  41.  Tarah Says:

    I think the Can’t Hardly Wait, Empire Records and Mallrats soundtracks are worth a mention.

  42.  dc Says:

    Crocodile Dundee - the film’s score was atmospheric and really quite stirring. I think it’s an underrated movie, and the soundtrack really stands out.

  43.  SCY Says:

    The soundtrack for Alien 3 comes to mind. Great score, mediocre film. Michael Douglas so-so 1989 film Black Rain had a great soundtrack mixing styles with Hans Zimmer’s great score. Tangerine Dream did some nice work for Firestarter, and Legend, but the movies stunk. Roadhouse, with Patrick Swayze, has a great soundtrack featuring the late Jeff Healey, but the movie could turn off most; I like it because it’s so completely sleazy!

  44.  sjc Says:

    Two quick choices: The Crow and Batman Forever. Both are excellent soundtracks, one to a half decent movie, the other to Batman Forever.

  45.  Briggs Says:

    I agree on “Marie Antoinette,” but I think “Lost in Translation”’s content is as great as its soundtrack. It’s a subtle, moving film.

  46.  Matt Says:

    James Horner’s score for “Krull” is amazing even though the movie is a cheese-fest.

    Also I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with those who put “The Mission” and “Lost Highway” on the list. Great movies AND great soundtracks.

  47.  Ann Says:

    xXx would be my pick. A Bond wanna-be movie with a kick-ass contemporary metal and hip-hop soundtrack.

  48.  Dan Says:

    A Life Aquatic. I normally love Wes Anderson films (and their soundtracks), but this movie put me to sleep.

  49.  K. L. Estes Says:

    Conan. The. Barbarian !

  50.  Tom Says:

    The soundtrack to Richard Stanley’s “Hardware” on Varese Saraband (orig.) is AS GOOD as Hardware which is a cult fave and long overdue for a region 1 DVD release.

    A great listen.

  51.  T-Man Says:

    “Xanadu” - The movie was a bomb, but the soundrack was a hit! It went double platinum and contained five Top 20 singles, including “Magic” which went to #1. Now it’s a hit Broadway musical.

  52.  D.Y. Says:

    lost in translation is a bad film because it’s not about anything? i guess the same thing can be said for rosellini’s ‘voyage to italy’ and david lean’s ‘brief encounter.’ brilliant.

  53.  George Hurlburt Says:

    Comments presumptuous in regard to filmakers’ intentions, unclear in many cases, irrelevant where clear, unwelcome in any case.

  54.  eoin ofaolain Says:

    Interesting suggestion, Dan. Life Aquatic has a great soundtrack, but I think the movie, while not as good as Rushmore and Royal Tenenbaums, is still decent enough.

    However, I’d say Darjeeling Ltd’s soundtrack is better than the film.

  55.  Libbyluwho Says:

    T-Man…thanx so much for mentioning Xanadu! One of the best soundtracks in my opinion, because I grew up listening to it!Did you notice the best song in the movie somehow didn’t make it onto the soundtrack? The bandstand/80’s rock combo with Fee Waybill? Man…that’s a great song, and a shame to not include it!

    I will say that I love Lost in Translation as a movie and a soundtrack. i found it to be a moving film, and liked the leads on screen chemistry. I love Sofia Coppola’s song choices. I also like Marie Antionette….it’s pretty dull, as nothing really even happens in the film, but I actually think the soundtrack fits it. No one has mentioned a problem with A Knight’s Tale and it being a period piece set to contemporary music, so why should the use of contemporary music affect Marie Antionette? I looked up the soundtracks to both Lost in Translation and Marie Antionette and downloaded many songs from iTunes! I may not know a lot about movies or music, but I know what I like…and this list and the comments about it is really all opinion anyway.

  56.  jen Says:

    thee words: City of Angels. Craptastic, sobby story with some of the greatest and most influential songs, Alanis Morrisette “Uninvited,” U2 “If God Will Send His Angels,” Sarah Maclachlin “Angel,” and one of the most beautiful songs ever to be written, Goo Goo Dolls “Iris” which served as its theme song. Damn them, I could have used it for my movie.

  57.  eoin ofaolain Says:

    Brief Encounter is a very different film, that plays on the restrictions of social classes and builds the tension between the two leads. Lost in Translation makes some half-baked attempt at portraying alienation and lazily hints at sexual tension.

  58.  Libbyluwho Says:

    I totally disagree about the sexual tension thing in Lost in Translation. I think the whole point was that there was no sexual side to the feelings that were between the 2 leads. The love they developed went deeper than the superficiality of sexual attraction. They were like soul mates, or at the very least best friends who bonded over a brief period.I also think that your insight at the alienation was off as well. I think the blatent part, the alienation of being in Japan was meant to symbolize the more subtle alienation felt by the 2 leads with the people in their lives. Bill Murray’s wife, that he barely spoke to, and even hen they did, they spoke of trivial things like carpet swatches. His kids wouldn’t even come to the phone. Scarlett Johanssen’s husband, who was really never around. That was the alienation I think Coppola was really trying to show, and the movie being set in Japan was just the more blatent example of it. Again….my opinion, no disrespect intended.

  59.  eoin ofaolain Says:

    Thanks for your comments, Libby. It’s always good to have thought out disagreements instead of unsupported insults.

    I will say though that there’s nothing subtle about the leads’ alienation with their partners and old lives. In fact it’s so obvious that the film becomes a bore for me.

  60.  Chris Miller Says:

    Flash Gordon. An amazing original score by Queen. A steaming turd of a movie.

  61.  Suzanne Says:

    I can’t believe no one’s mentioned “Velvet Goldmine” …probably because the movie was so awful that not enough people saw it to comment on the movie / soundtrack dichotomy…

  62.  BlueAztec Says:

    Zodiac. Didn’t like the movie, loved the soundtrack.

  63.  Bobby Says:

    Wow, there’s a few films that immediately spring to mind on this topic:
    “Oh Brother Where Art Thou”, a meandering Cohen Brothers opus that’s a George Clooney vanity project, but terrific folk and gospel soundtrack
    “Until the End of the World” I love Wim Wenders, but this Epic-sized speculative-future film got out of control. But the contributions to the soundtrack by REM, Leonard Cohen, and others is to die for.
    “Absolute Beginners”, unwatchable flick from the 80s but with stellar songs by David Bowie and especially Ray Davies.

  64.  Maitland Says:

    “Next Stop Wonderland”
    Boring romantic comedy, but the soundtrack is probably the best sampler of Bossa Nova, both current and classic artists. Anyone who wants to check out Bossa Nova but doesn’t know where to start should buy this.

    “Trainspotting”
    Homeless heroin addicts aren’t funny & charming in a black humor kind of way. An awful film about awful people. I hated it. However, the soundtracks provide a great survey of 90s Britpop.

    “Last Action Hero”
    Ditto on this one just for the Alice In Chains song. It’s one of their best, and I can’t believe it wound up here instead of on one of their albums proper.

  65.  Mike G Says:

    You gave a total misreading of ” Vanilla Sky.” Crowe’s intention was to do a “cover song” of a favorite film of his (1997’s “Abre Los Ojos”) and with that he succeeded beautifully. I suggest you watch the original film and then re-watch Crowe’s version, as it offers a thought-provoking take on vanity and the inherent dangers of a technological utopia. Sure, it was a pet-project for both the director and star, but as far as recent big-budget, A-list Hollywood films go, you’d be hard-pressed to find one more bold and uncommercial as this.

    And as far as Crowe supposedly showing off his music “knowledge”… how is this different from any of his other films? It wouldn’t be a Cameron Crowe film if a good portion of the scenes were not infused with his favorite music. Is it as effective as Scorsese’s similar penchant for using popular music in his films? No… but that doesn’t make it a bad thing.

  66.  Paul Says:

    Three best-selling soundtracks from movies that had limited or no release:

    THAT’S THE WAY OF THE WORLD- Movie about the music business, songs by Earth, Wind, and Fire.

    THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS- Stevie Wonder. Somewhere there’s a documentary about, well, plants with a killer soundtrack.

    THE PICASSO SUMMER- The music from this fantasy film was included on the SUMMER OF ‘42 soundtrack, so it sold like crazy. The movie was shown late night only once that I know of on the CBS late movie. It’s about a couple who find themselves interacting within Pablo Picasso’s paintings.

    Worst movie with a good soundtrack- JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL.

  67.  dustin.eiszen Says:

    Cruel Intentions & Romeo + Juliet.

  68.  Gisela Says:

    You’re so wrong about Sofia Coppola.
    With her films, she manages to show us a different world where there’s no need to talk and talk and talk… with a few looks and short words you can know what the characters want to comunicate. Lost in Translation is a masterpiece, but is a small movie that not everyone can understand and appreciate as well.
    Yes, the soundtrack is great, but the film is even better.
    Marie Antoinette is not as good as Lost… but is a decent story, and you can have a good time watching it.
    So I recommend you to take a deeper look in the filmography of Coppola. You’re missing something…

  69.  Ulasses Brient Says:

    Can I jump on that Sofia Coppola hate train too, can I? Can I?

  70.  eoin ofaolain Says:

    Mike G, it doens’t matter if Vanilla Sky is a cover version, it’s a bad cover version. As a film trying to deal with vanity AND the dangers of a technological utopia it fails spectacularly, it gets confused in what it’s trying to achieve, and becomes an utter mess, offering very little to say about either theme.

    Yes, you’re right, Crowe always tries to show off his music taste, and while that was integrated into a story like Almost Famous, here the music offered little

  71.  QueenVictoria Says:

    queen of the damned for sure. but i do love stuart townsend!

  72.  Adam Says:

    Batman & Robin! Smashing Pumpkins’ “The End Is The Beginning Is The End” worked wonderfully on the recent Watchmen trailer. And how could anyone forget R. Kelly’s “Gotham City”???

  73.  MT Says:

    Disagree! (Vanilla Sky)

    I thought this movie was deeply moving and was shocked to hear that Sigur Ros regretted the use of “Nothing Song” in its conclusion! The music matched the heart-rending conclusion perfectly, and helped express a subtlety of sadness that (in my opinion) makes Vanilla Sky a thought provoking, insightful film about the importance of relationships and most importantly (as is stated in the conclusion of the movie) the consequences of even the smallest actions.

  74.  Mike C. Says:

    Combustible Edison’s score/album for “Four Rooms” should be on this list.

  75.  Marsh Says:

    Garden State, with the exception of the last song about the road, was a great soundtrack. The movie wasn’t as good.

  76.  thomas Says:

    THE HOURS (2002)
    i never got thru that boring ass film. but each one of the 5 times ive popped it in the DVD player I end up shutting off the TV and just leaving the audio playing. Glass is a genius.

    enjoy.

  77.  Camila Says:

    “Duets” cannot go unmentioned. The whole point of the movie are the songs, for the stories are well drawn, well acted (hats off for Giamatti, as usual) but run of the mill and predictable.

  78.  Diana Says:

    How to make an american quilt
    Braveheart

  79.  Greg Says:

    “Lost Highway”. Movie was to artsy and didn’t actually “make sense” while soundtrack was absolutely awesome.

  80.  CharlieMurdock Says:

    The soundtrack to “Spawn” was tremendous, movie, not so much.

  81.  extreme81 Says:

    When did Platoon become a bad movie? Besides that, you are absolutely spot-on about Sophia Coppola’s “directing”(have the actors talk really quiet but blast the pretentiously “hip” soundtrack).

  82.  Aaron K Says:

    The shower wasn’t made that low in Lost in Translation. The hight was adjustable. It was just stuck and Bill Murray couldn’t raise it any higher.

  83.  John Says:

    Garden State, The Last Kiss, and Juno…great soundtracks, mediocre at best movies

  84.  Paul Says:

    hey thanks for all these comments everyone, Eoin is a specialist at these types of big entries he does for screenhead.

  85.  nick Says:

    Eoin O’Faolain is awesome

  86.  Geir Says:

    Jerry Goldsmiths score for The 13th Warrior is another good example of a mediocre movie with a great score by a great composer.

    Also Da vinci code, even if I like the movie, many doesnt. But Zimmers score is very nice.

  87.  Zapp Brannigan Says:

    Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The movie itself just “meh” but it had the most thunderously mind-blowing music ever put on film. Especially that “blaster beam” instrument - you’ll know it when you hear it.

  88.  Neil Says:

    The scores for sci-fi flicks Futureworld, Jurassic Park and Outland are IMO better than the films themselves. Also, the music for Raise the Titanic is nice and haunting, much more memorable than the movie. I would also nominate the 1978 version of the Thirty Nine Steps which is not bad, but the catchy theme music by Ed Welch is even better.

  89.  JT Says:

    Cutthroat Island

    I’m surprised that hasn’t even been mentioned. I would have to say it was a highly classic film score attached to one of the biggest flop of the ’90s. It’s easly the best contemporary orchestral pirate film score, trumping the Pirates of the Caribbean scores with ease. I challenge you to find a more epic, swashbuckling album released within the last twenty years.

  90.  Matthew Says:

    Godzilla. What a bad, bad film. But that soundtrack - way better than bad!

  91.  Alex Says:

    The Chronicles of Narnia. I was watching it, liked it, didn’t know why, then realized it was the score.

  92.  marci Says:

    Heaven’s Prisoners- unwatchable movie-good but short blues soundtrack.

  93.  UNK L Says:

    I love the STIGMATA soundtrack but I could live with out ever seeing that movie again!
    Great job on this list!

  94.  UNK LANCIFER AGAIN Says:

    I should say Greg Araki’s SPLENDOR comes to mind as well. (I kinda like that movie though)

  95.  Gene Says:

    You Said. “While it’s hard to hate Oliver Stone’s violent Vietnam flick, it’s a rather predictable film that stands in the shadow of Apocalypse Now and most other films”

    Huh? Predictable? Platoon won best Pic and it’s one of the most tense and disturbing films ever made. It doesn’t stand in the shadow of many films at all. And though I loved Apocalypse Now, I loved Platoon even more.

  96.  UNK LANCIFER AGAIN Says:

    HACKERS? I think there was like 3 soundtracks for that movie that not that many people saw or liked.

  97.  Jeremy Says:

    PLATOON is a MASTERPIECE of american cinema. The music only enhances the pain and power of its subject. Watch it again before you make stupid comments. VANILLA SKY however, is a piece of fresh horse dung.

  98.  Matthew Says:

    This unedited, confused piece irritated me. Oliver Stone and Sofia Coppola have consistently shown that they have a broad knowledge and understanding of music as used in their movies.

    I believe Lost in Translation to be one of the best movies of its time and appropriately popular with critics and audiences alike. Marie Antoinette was unfairly trashed largely because of its use of anachronistic dialogue and music - as if other period pieces have production teams which manage to go back in time and figure out exactly how things were back then.

    Comparing Platoon with Apocalypse Now in such a way makes it glaringly obvious how little the writer understands what he is talking about.

    I will say that I have found Cameron Crowe’s use of rock songs overbearing and inappropriate, but possibly least of all in Vanilla Sky - a film which received a good deal of flak from people who didn’t like the original in the first place. I enjoyed it.

    There must be dozens of Hollywood blockbuster clunkers with scores by luminary composers such as Howard Shore, Mark Kamen, Max Steiner, Dmitri Tomkin or Ernest Korngold which could have easily made for a more substantial, but possibly less interesting, list.

  99.  NONSENSE POOPIEPANTS!! ITS LINKS TIME! - There be Nonsense Here Says:

    [...] 5 soundstracks that were better than the movie (screenhead) [...]

  100.  Sherlock Holmes Says:

    Blues Brothers 2000 - great soundtrack - wretched movie. The soundtrack features the Stax Rhythm section, Paul Shaffer, Blue Lou Marini, Alan Rubin, Matt Guitar Murphy, Anton Fig, Tom Hall, Eric Clapton, BB King, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks, Steve Winwood, Isaac Hayes, Koko Taylor, Jonny Lang, Blues Traveller, Lou Rawls, Clarence Clemons, Bo Diddley, Dr John, and on and on…

  101.  david bordwell Says:

    Haha oh dear. To the writer: stop where you are. Before you hurt yourself.

  102.  dickie Says:

    Can’t agree with you that Control, Lost In Translation, and Marie Antoinette should be on your list, Eoin. All three are very good in my opinion, and pair well with the music. Like Trainspotting, I think of those movies when I hear the music now, and it gives me the urge to watch them.

    You are dead on about Vanilla Sky and Platoon. I’ve never seen Young Adam though, so you slide this time. :)

  103.  jean-huy Says:

    how about “The Bodyguard” with Whitney Houston & Kevin Costner. The movie was absolutely horrible, but the soundtrack, with tracks mostly sung by Houston who is, or at least, was great a great singer at the time.

  104.  Maurice Says:

    Above The Rim was an awful movie. But the Soundtrack to that movie was fantastic. That’s when Death Row Records was good cause they had Dre producing the tracks.

  105.  Hardshe Says:

    You’re a fucking idiot.

  106.  Tom Says:

    This post got me looking through my cds to see what soundtracks I bothered to pick up. Other than the ones that are great on both the movie and soundtrack front (American Graffiti, Swingers, Resevoir Dogs, etc.), I was trying to think where the Farrely Brothers movies would rank up there - Dumb and Dumber is an outstanding alt rock soundtrack, the movie is superb for what it shoots for, but would never be considered a “great” film. Have the same reaction for Clueless. Also would throw out Go, Eddie and the Cruisers and Reality Bites for so-so movies with solid soundtracks. Honorable mention to Million Dollar Hotel, because I love the mood of the album but never saw the movie…

  107.  Luis santos Says:

    I think that Streets of Fire, from 80´s decade has a great soundtrack and great songs….

  108.  Decibelle Project Says:

    I think that idea of the article was to illustrate how a good soundtrack doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with a good film, as many people seem to think nowadays. Indeed, I have lost count of how many times I have heard people say stuff like “Hey, check out this new film! It’s got music by !” - and I always find it weird that people judge a movie by just one of its components, most times without even having heard the soundtrack in question - the “strength” of the band/artist/composer’s name seems to be enough.

    Music and its proper use can truly make or break a film. In some cases, it is difficult to imagine a film without its music, eg. I can’t think of “Terminator” without immediately imagining the metallic percussion and haunting music of Brad Fiedel’s theme and “Amelie” owes much of her charm to Yann Tiersen’s inspired score. It all comes down to personal preference, of course, but I think everyone has similar examples from film/music combinations they like.

    However, like the article suggests, some filmmakers are trying to create such associations preemptively, by splicing together a “cool” soundtrack in the hopes that it will draw attention to their otherwise mediocre film. I wholeheartedly agree with Eoin O’Faolain’s take on the Sofia Coppola films and their soundtracks - while I like and respect the artists and the individual songs, their use in the films, as well as the films themselves, can be summed up in one word - “pretentious”.

    If I had to point a finger at the original culprit who started this trend, my money would be on the Bond films. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, it seemed that the most important things regarding the iconic spy’s movies were a) who will be his female co-star (read “Bond girl”), and b) who sings the opening credits song. I remember how each and every Bond theme song became an instant hit right before the corresponding film’s release, then faded into (justified, most of the time) obscurity immediately after. This is not absolute, of course - some Bond theme songs are classics, but others are totally forgettable (eg. “Die Another Day” by Madonna). Thankfully, things have taken a turn for the better with the Bond “reset” in Casino Royale.

    Last but not least, I’d like to mention Darren Aronofsky’s “?” (Pi) as an example of a film soundtrack that is not only fab on its own, but it is also used to great effect in the movie. The soundtrack featured some of the best electronic music artists of the previous decade (Aphex Twin, Orbital, Massive Attack to name but a few) as well as original compositions by Clint Mansell (previously of Pop Will Eat Itself) and when played on its own, it’s a fantastic collection of contemporary electronic music. In the film, it accentuates the timelessness of the images (contemporary setting shot in black & white) and the confusion of the flawed genius that is the main character.

  109.  Luke Says:

    What’s your source on the statement on Sigur Rós regretting their inclusion on the soundtrack? Just curious.

  110.  Luke Says:

    Heh, should learn to google before I post, found under articles on their website:

    “i wasn’t too happy with our presence in the movie,” states georg holm, the band’s bass player, hours before sigur ros mesmerised dublin audiences some weeks back. “i didn’t like the movie, either. i thought the track itself and how it was utilised worked really well, but the other songs on the soundtrack were a bit weird. i think it was cameron crowe doing his 10 favourite tracks and putting them into a film.

    “that said, it raised our profile in america, i don’t regret that, but there are two sides to the story. i wouldn’t do it again, i don’t think. we’d synchronise music to film, but it would have to be a movie i was particularly interested in.”

  111.  eoin ofaolain Says:

    Cheers for finding that info, Luke. Although it’s kind of ironic, as their music turned up in the Life Aquatic two years later!

  112.  anon Says:

    I am in love with you for this line:

    “Coppolla’s soundtrack is an attempt to claim that Marie Antoinette was the first “modern” teen, which is a typical example of Generation X’s inability to engage with history and customs outside their navel-gazing bubble of cynicism.”

    Pay attention, fans of the film. Fine if you like it, but understand this is a major reason why people don’t. It’s not the anachronistic use of music per se, it’s what she’s saying with it. Whether or not you feel the music aesthetically suits the film is going to be pretty subjective (I personally found it clumsy, though I too love most of the music individually), but when someone offers up a fantastic, succinct analysis like the above, it should at least provoke thought and prompt debate at a similarly insightful level. If it doesn’t, I’m afraid YOU’RE the ones missing out on something, not someone who is not swayed by any supposed charms this film holds.

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