Music for films

Picking the best movie soundtrack was the focus on a recent broadcast of the public radio program "Sound Opinions." The show's hosts and guests liked "Rushmore," "The Harder They Come" and "Amelie," among others. (They were less excited about "Juno.")

Here are some of my favorite soundtracks. First, here are two rules: I have to own the soundtrack, and I am disqualifying concert films ("Stop Making Sense") and music documentaries ("The Kids Are Alright"). With that out of the way, here we go:

• "Apollo" — Brian Eno sends us to the moon

• "Being John Malkovich" — Two Bjork tracks plus Carter Burwell's best work equal genius

• "Blade Runner" — Vangelis (!) wrote things that you people wouldn't believe

• "Brazil" — alternately manic and beautiful; opening is still used in trailers for other movies

• "City of Lost Children" — before "Amelie," gloomy symphonies for this Jeunet & Caro film

• "Desperado" — the swagger matches the titular character; Salma Hayek (oof!) sings sweetly

• "Married to the Mob" — from New Order to the Feelies, a fun sampler from the late '80s

• "Monsoon Wedding" — romantic representation of India past and present

• "Powaqqatsi" — Philip Glass and world music go together better than you might think
  

• "Return to Waterloo" — Ray Davies in fine form; still need to watch the movie
  

• "Say Anything" — throwaway tracks redeemed by Peter Gabriel and the Replacements

• "Taxi Driver" — pulsates like the blood boiling in Travis Bickle's brain

• "Trainspotting" — grooves that make it easier to plunge into the filthiest toilet in Scotland