6 Soundtracks That Are Better Than The Movie

I don’t consider myself much of a music aficionado. I’m a sucker for bad 80’s jams and have been known to associate with more than a few tasteless pop songs. But for my list here of soundtracks better than their films, I think I have complied a reasonable and acceptable six titles. Most of the choices feature more contemporary music so take a look and see if you agree or disagree with my choices.

Project X // Soundtrack Highlights: “Pursuit of Happiness” Steve Aoki Dance Remix | Kid Cudi / “Heads Will Roll” A-Trak Remix | Yeah Yeah Yeahs / “Pretty Girls” (Benny Benassi Remix) | Wale

I don’t know what this says about me, but this was the first soundtrack to come to my mind for this list. Back when I caught the screening for Project X, Jess seemed to find less fault in the film than I did. I was never able to get into the flick. The characters were crap, the story line was paper thin and it never showed me anything that the trailers hadn’t already. It was like I sat through a 90 minute party montage that didn’t make me feel immersed in it but instead had me wishing I wasn’t sitting in a theater. What I’m getting at is that I thought it kind of sucked. What Project X got right though was the music. The soundtrack is filled with awesome dance tracks and party vibe songs. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but I’m sure feeling it.

Also, not to keep ripping on Project X, but this Adidas commercial gave me bigger party envy.

Savages // Soundtrack Highlights: Artists M. Ward, Peter Tosh, Jeff Lyne, and Bob Dylan

Oh, Savages. Talk about a let down. First thing’s first, can we stop casting Blake Lively in …anything? She brings down almost every film she’s in. Just get Amber Heard instead. She’s blond, white, sexy and a hell of a lot more talented than Lively. But Blake can’t get all the blame, Savages true problem is that it’s just boring. I’m not sure where the disconnect happened but for a film with so much violence and flash about 80% of it fell flat on screen. Oliver Stone’s contrasted, color soaked images just couldn’t help in the end. Of course, the soundtrack is the exception. I could write my own little piece here but my buddy Nick said it right in his review:

“The highlight of the film is its fantastic soundtrack. The soundtrack is almost too perfect with artists like M. Ward, Peter Tosh, Jeff Lyne, and Bob Dylan helping to bring you into the film’s world of deceit, weed, and murder. All of these songs fit perfectly with the bland dialogue being spoken by the uninteresting characters on screen and are used to a greater dramatic effect then just a clichéd montage.”

The Twilight Saga// Soundtrack Highlights: Artists Death Cab for Cutie, Iron & Wine, Grizzly Bear, Muse and Passion Pit.

I guess I don’t need to explain very much on the caliber of the Twilight films. I mean, I’m sort of cheating with this inclusion anyway because I’ve only seen about ten minutes of the first film but let’s just say…I’m going out on a limb that these movies aren’t very good. The music can also be a little hit or miss but I remember hearing about some of the selections from the soundtracks and being a little surprised. Death Cab for Cutie and Iron & Wine are winners for sure, even if the soundtrack in question feature some of their more popular singles but there we’re also original songs by artists like Bon Iver as well.

Wicker Park // Soundtrack Highlights: Artists Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins, Mates of State and The Postal Service

Wicker Park is probably long forgotten by most but for some reason (I’m sure it didn’t have anything to do with my love of Josh Harnett’s face) I own it on DVD. I rewatched it semi-recently and was disappointed in my young self for the purchase. In all honesty, the film isn’t that terrible, it’s just unoriginal and mediocre. Revisiting the music was a nice treat, though. The soundtrack featured a lot of artists I had grown to love. The songs mirror the love/obsession themes in the film and slightly elevates the movie.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist // Soundtrack Highlights: Artists Vampire Weekend, The Submarines, We Are Scientists, Band of Horses

I don’t really care how many others were smitten with Nick and Nora, I just wasn’t getting it. Maybe it was that the jokes weren’t landing or that I just couldn’t feel the duos’ chemistry, but not even Ari Graynor could save it for me. Thankfully, a movie with playlist in the title did a nice job living up to it with it’s soundtrack. The listing as a whole plays together very well and featured a lot of artists that felt right at home with the film’s New York setting.

The Man With the Iron Fists // Soundtrack Highlights: Artists The Black Keys, RZA, Kanye West, Talib Kweli and Wu-Tang Clan

When Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth are backing your martial arts film, I expect better, RZA. Turns out they were just helping a friend, which I suppose isn’t too egregious. The movie was all over the place and wasn’t so much all out bad as it was in need of some restraint. Fortunaly, the film has a pretty badass soundtrack to help you through. Although not his original intention, RZA ended up scoring the film himself and featuring loads of other talented artists.