Like most people, I maintain a spreadsheet containing a list of all the movies I’ve watched over the last 4 1/2 years. i'm drawing from that list to bring you a list of ten movies that i've seen that have soundtrack albums that i really like.

1. Boogie Nights (movie | soundtrack)

   movie: loved it. music: disco. 70s groove rock. 80s cheese. great party music. the deal: maybe i've lost perspective. maybe i like the movie too much. nevertheless, i love the soundtrack album (even though it happens to feature songs by both night ranger and rick springfield). both volumes. i've even bought extra tracks featured in the movie but not on the albums (i'm a compleatist, i needed "sunny" by boney m). even more, when i put all the tracks on the girl's ipod i reordered them to play in the same order as they appear in the movie. yes, i'm insane. bonus track: "feel the heat" as performed by dirk diggler and reed rothchild. the heat will rock you. also, don't forget, the heat will roll you.

2. City of God (movie | soundtrack)

   movie: loved it. music: dreamy and often funky brazilian. has one of the saddest, simplest songs that i can't understand any of the words to. the deal: wicked raw movie shot on location in some of the poorest places in the world. music the soundtrack album really stands on its own. so much of the music as used in the film is textural. i had to watch it twice to notice my favorite song (mentioned above). it's not like it's one of those tracks in the background that happens to be playing on someone's radio; it's used as score. the scene just happens to be so intense that the music is like foley. bonus track: the soundtrack also has two volumes of remixes. each sold separately. each interesting in their own way.

3. The Royal Tenenbaums (movie | soundtrack)

   movie: loved it. music: score by the guy from devo and mostly disaffected 70s new york and london rock
   the deal: wes anderson gets a lot less credit for his song selection than quentin tarantino does. i'm not sure why that is. sure, tarantino is more likely to use the theme from hong kong phooey and we all know that that would be friggin' hilarious. but wes anderson seems to actually get inside his characters heads for the music that he chooses. this record is rich. the score alone is worth the price of admission. bonus track: "look at me" by john lennon

4. Monsoon Wedding (movie | soundtrack)

   movie: loved it. music: all-over the map indian and pakistani music. from acoustic film music to indian techno
   the deal: the movie is pure sweetness and heartbreak and joy. the soundtrack album delivers the same. the album features the bridal shower song from the movie, "Mehndi/Madhorama Pencha". i have no idea what the lyrics mean or what the words are but i sing along every time i hear it.
   bonus track: "aaj mausam bada beiman hai (today the weather plays tricks on me)" by mohammad rafi

5. Rushmore (movie | soundtrack)

   movie: loved it.
   music: score by the guy from devo and 60s british invasion.
   the deal: wow. it's like a movie all by itself. my theory is that wes anderson made this as a mix-tape when he was 17 and frustrated in the ways of love. there's just too much pathos invested in each track for this to be simple accompaniment to a moving picture. i've never been been that into the who, but "a quick one while he's away" is worth the eight minutes, if you've seen the movie that's all you'll be able to think of while hearing it.
   bonus track: "nothing in this world can stop me worryin' bout that girl" by the kinks.

6. 54 (movie | soundtrack)

   movie: among the worst movies i've ever seen.
   music: disco. straight up. ok, not that straight.
   the deal: i can't think of anything to say about this movie. it was the turd that wouldn't flush for two hours. in 15 years, when mike myers is trying to get roles wherein people take him seriously as an actor, someone will trod this pos out and they'll give the role to a serious actor like seann william scott.

   except for those weird mashups and remakes they made just for the movie. the soundtrack album (both volumes) is great party music, the song selection is impeccable. really iconic songs like "i need a man" by grace jones, "vertigo/relight my fire" by dan hartman and "spank" by "jimmy 'bo' horne" - as big a disco fan as i am, i'd never heard these songs before. then again, i am lazy. bonus track: "contact" by edwin starr. yes, the guy that did "war" (as in "huh, what is it good for?") is responsible for one of my desert island songs and it's not "war", it's a disco song.

7. Garden State (movie | soundtrack)

   movie: it was what it was. maybe it wasn't so much for me.
   music: hip introspective rock for navel-gazers. like me.
   the deal: man, why is this record so cheap? i spent like $8 on it. it's almost like some record companies are trying to promote some relatively smaller bands with a movie. wait a minute...

   my two favorite tracks on it are "in the waiting line" by zero 7 and "lebanese blonde" by thievery corporation. the former reminds me of the movie. the latter just rules. bonus track: "the only living boy in new york" by simon & garfunkel

8. 24 Hour Party People (movie | soundtrack)

   movie: loved it.
   music: late 70s punk and early 80s electronic
   the deal: what a great telling of an interesting micro-moment in music history. the scene where joy division records the drum for "she's lost control again" was eye-opening and wonderful for me.

   i have a real soft spot for joy division. i have another soft spot for the earliest new order (before they forgot about ian curtis). and to think, before i saw this movie i knew almost nothing of happy mondays. bonus track: "she's lost control again" by joy division. i swear, i've heard like 30 different versions of this song. this is version 31 for me.

9. Jackie Brown (movie | soundtrack)

   movie: loved it.
   music: quentin tarantino
   the deal: No self-respecting list of post-modern soundtracks would be complete without a quentin tarantino movie. Sure, i liked the Pulp Fiction soundtrack a lot, but Jackie Brown is the record i'd put on at a party when i want to seem cool and knowing. bonus track: "Longtime Woman" by Pam Grier

10. Dead Presidents (movie | soundtrack)

    movie: not so much.
    music: 60s and 70s r&b the deal: the movie was all over the place. it suffered from a serious identity crisis. it's a story of someone who is dealing with life in the 60s (a movie by itself), lives through hell in viet nam (a movie by itself), engages in a serious heist (a movie by itself). unfortunately, there was not the space to accomplish any of those three missions with any clarity in this one flick.

    the soundtrack album (both volumes), on the other hand, stands on its own. it's great r&b, it's powerful music. sure, it has james brown, but you'll remember it for curtis mayfield; from a live version of "we people darker than blue" to "if there's hell below" to "right on for darkness". it's also unique for two great isaac hayes songs (i believe they were released specifically for this movie): "the look of love" (originally popularized by dusty springfield) and "walk on by" (originally popularized by dionne warwick). bonus track: "if you want me to stay" by sly and the family stone.

yes, there others that i like and maybe even others that i like better. i didn't even have time to go into Saturday Night Fever (movie | soundtrack).

as always, the comment board is open.