1. Judgement Night O.S.T. (1993)
The best crossover compilation i know, hiphop & rock together never sounded that good again, except for Beastie's 'Sabotage', - for me it is the best soundtrack i know (for one of the worst movies i know)

=> Faith No More & Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. - Another Body Murdered


2. Pulp Fiction (1997)
Quentin always had a good taste in music for his movies - and this o.s.t. is the best example

=> Dusty Springfield - Son Of A Preacher Man


3. Blues Brothers (1980)
Wan't to turn your party on?

=> Theme From Rawhide


4. The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Air's best work after Moon Safari

=> Playground Love


5. Trainspotting (1996)
Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?

=> Blur - Sing


6. Spawn (1997)
And again some crossover

=> The Prodigy & Tom Morello - One Man Army


7. Danny The Dog (2004)
Massive Attack moody. Priceless.

=> Danny The Dog


8. City Of God (2003)
Mixed some Caipirinha - turn this soundtrack on

=> Antônio Pinto & Ed Côrtez - A Transa


9. Hanna (2011)
Need to say more?

=> Tom, Ed & Stephanie - Hanna's Theme (Vocal Version)


10. Lost In Translation (2003)
Sofia Coppola again - good music again.

=> The Jesus & Mary Chain - Just Like Honey

Amon Tobin: Chaos Theory


Behaviour (Michael McCann): Deus Ex: Human Revolution


Various Artists: The Matrix Reloaded (CD2)


Air: The Virgin Suicides


Various Artists: Beat Street


Daft Punk/Hans Zimmer: Tron:Legacy

Paul Hertzog: Kickboxer


Philip Glass: Koyaanisqatsi

Drive

A Real Hero

Point Break

L.A. Guns Over the Edge

Kick Ass & 28 Weeks Later

In a Heart Beat

Fight Club missing here yet?

p.s. while we're on the subject what is this strange track listing IMDB shows, any idea?
http://www.imdb.com/...7523/soundtrack
I remember only the Pixies song that was on the end credits and did not make it on any release.

Seven posts already and nobody mentioned Clint Mansell???

This is a question that should be split into two categories: Original soundtracks containing popular music, and original soundtracks containing original scores.

It's difficult to compare original score in films and compilations of popular music in films that are just f*ckin' bangin'.

I'll do a quick top 5.

Original Score:

Donnie Darko - Admittedly, there are a number of absolutely awesome popular music tracks thrown in this film and it is difficult to ignore that. However, the original score in this film resonated so heavily with the subject matter that even recalling the shortest of musical segments sends chills down my spine. The sadness and exuberance of facing the inevitability of death and embracing one's own mortality at life's most curious and agonizing stage is succinctly tied into the simple plinking piano at the opening of the film.

28 Days Later - Anyone who has seen this will remember the crescendo of the repeating guitar riff. The intensity of it is impressive in and of itself for the climax of the film. Fuck yes Danny Boyle. Fuck yes.

Requiem for a Dream - Clint Mansell is a fantastic electronic producer, and getting the Kronos Quartet to perform the score for this was a phenomenal move. The variation on a theme has rarely produced more haunting results.

The Social Network - What is Trent Reznor going to do after Nine Inch Nails? This is what many people were asking after the "Wave Goodbye" tour, or at least, you know, me. The answer to that question is composing academy award-winning film scores, apparently. This score resonated with me because it highlighted a transitional period for my own life, and overall it resoundingly highlighted and supported every scene in the movie with necessary emotional responses from the given cues in the music. It is clever, it is nearly flawless, and I continue to listen to it to this day.

American Beauty - This is one of the more creative scores I've heard that most effectively churns emotions in the viewer in interesting ways without being distracting. Sounds inspired by tropical places are mixed in with more traditional arrangements to give some scenes lively humor, and at the opposite end the heavy emotion is cleverly carried by familiar string/piano compositions.

Honorable mention: The Virgin Suicides - A couple of you above listed this one, and with good reason. I agree The Pumisher that it is Air's 2nd best work, and most of the score was just fantastic. It's a great film, but just not one of my favorites, which is likely why it didn't make my top 5.

Awesome Compilations:

Hackers - This is the album that was responsible for getting me into electronic music. The only artist that (surprisingly) was not accounted for on this who's who of 90's electronic music was the Chems. Someone did their homework in coming up with the music for this film. Later viewings of the film produce nothing but laughs at the rather ridiculous and unbelievable portrayals of "hackers" and "hacking," but watching it as a teenager, I just felt so damn cool. And Angelina Jolie and Johnny Lee Miller are fantastic eyecandy.

The Matrix - MORE PRODIGY! And this is also the film that introduced the world to The Propellerheads, who only produced one album and then hopped off into obscurity. But what a tremendous fight scene--the bass in Spybreak! propels that segment of the film with a sleek fury few action films ever achieve. Overall, though, this had some big names that were used rather well, and it highlighted my favorites for the end of the 90s. The film captured some of the best of the popular sounds that were coming out at the end of that decade, at least from the States, and as long as I ignore the sequels to this film I will forever cherish this as one of the bookends of my teenage years in high school.

Trainspotting - This is arguably where Underworld got its big break. I remember reading an interview with director Danny Boyle where he stated that people ask him whether the film made that Underworld track or whether that Underworld track made the film. His answer was that it was both, and this is a rare example of where two things come together in surprising harmony. Anyone who has seen this film remembers that last moment, where Renton walks toward the audience, away from his troubled past, with optimism and hope, carried by the fuel of the Underworld track. In addition, this seems to be a rather awesome selection of popular music from the U.K. from the preceding decade or so. Love Iggy Pop.

Go - If you haven't seen this, by all means, do. This has some of the most clever editing in a film I have seen to date, though it does have some flaws. Nonetheless, this film's success comes from stitching together the stories of a rather large cross section of two-dimensional characters in a tremendously intelligent way that is absolutely enjoyable to watch. The popular music selections work very well, and none of the choices feel forced, which is an unfortunate side effect sometimes of grabbing tracks that people know and shoving them into the film simply because a producer says "do this because it will make money." In particular, Air's "Talisman" during the three-way is a complete win.

Dazed and Confused - This has some of the best from the 1970s in it. Sometimes it feels a little too much like a music video and it gets distracting, but you don't really take the film seriously so it works. The film's opening credits with Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" work rather well--it's too cool for school, and you can't say no to Matthew McConaughey. "That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I keep gettin' older, they stay the same age." Creepy has never seemed so normal.

Honorable mention: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Great tracks that underscore moments that are both drugged-out and heavily and wonderfully nostalgic.

"And that, I think, was the handle—that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting--on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave...

So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark -- that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back."

Pulp Ficton
Bladerunner
Trainspotting

Tron Legacy is the most disappointing soundtrack ever, maybe it was cos i was expecting something different but on first listen it was ok, when i watched the film there some parts that were crying out for some blistering daft punk bangers and i all i heard was moody strings.

From the top of my head

Movies
Blade Runner
The Virgin Suicides


Les Ailes Pourpres
Hackers
Lost In Translation

Games

The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time
Journey
Super Mario Galaxy 1&2
Lance Hayes - Forza Motosport 3
Wipeout XL

props to Pooter for Go. The film and soundtrack rock! BT!

Some great selections by everyone above.

For what its worth, I finally saw the movie "Lost in Translation" and thats one gem of a movie. I don't have the soundtrack, but the pairing of the music while watching the film, is fantastic.

As for some stuff to add...

Anything by Danny Elfman typically turns out great.

Danny Elfman - Beetle Juice Theme

Then you got your laundry list of John William soundtracks...

John Williams - Star Wars "The Asteroid Field"

Your obligatory Quentin Tarantino movie Soundtrack

Kill Bill Vol 2: Ennio Morricone "A Silhouette of Doom"

Stanley Kubrick, of course.

A Clockwork Orange - Opening Theme

and for nostalgia sake....

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure: Extreme "Play With Me"


Some Video game soundtracks that are excellent:

Sonic the Hedgehog. Including 2, 3 and Sonic and Knuckles Sonic 2: Metropolis Zone

Street Fighter Music Street Fighter 4 - Vega's Theme

and all the Rockstar games typically nail it too ( Grand Theft Auto/ Red Dead Redemption/ Max Payne)

GTA SA : James Brown "Funky President"

RDR UN - Kreeps "Bad Voodoo"

Max Payne - Main Theme

MadPooter, on 27 June 2012 - 12:27 AM, said:

You have a point there. for me scores are more the classical way like John Williams, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer or Howard Shore. But then again, after reading your post, i think the soundtracks to The Virgin Suicides, Danny The Dog or Hanna are also scores even if they we're made by popular music acts.

what soundtrack i really forgot in my list:

Into The Wild (2007)
Great movie and great music by Eddie Vedder

=> Society

@Bosco: Yes, Lost in Translation holds a special place in my heart, particularly to a certain English girl I hooked up with in D.C.

MadPooter, on 27 June 2012 - 6:08 PM, said:

I hear that. There is just something magical about love away from home.

Ah, yes--The Saint soundtrack. Also a very good one! I forgot about that one.

Also, the A Life Less Ordinary soundtrack was also a good one.