Great soundtracks to lousy films s/d

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I was listening to the "One From the Heart" soundtrack (Tom Waits with Crystal Gale) today and I had forgotten how good it was. But the film (despite its defenders) is an absolute self-indulgent mess that rightfully bankrupted Francis Ford Coppola and marked the beginning of his steady post Apocalypse Now decline. So it made me think about soundtracks you like to movies that you hate.

Other Contenders
Committed - terrible Heather Graham romantic comedy featurng a two-disc soundtrack of classic country on the first and Calexico instrumentals on the second.
Love and a .45 - shitty post-Tarantino wannabe from the 90's but a great soundtrack with Flaming Lips, Mazzy Star, Jesus and Mary Chain.
You're a Big Boy Now - Another bad Coppola film, this one his swinging youth flic from the 60's, featuring some of the Lovin Spoonful's best.

― jacobo Rock, Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

Deep Throat Part II!

― Jeff W (zebedee), Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:15 (twenty years ago)

Less Than Zero

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:23 (twenty years ago)

Doctor Doolittle

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:24 (twenty years ago)

Hitch

― jmeister (jmeister), Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:37 (twenty years ago)

that 'Committed' soundtrack does sound great, and practically a steal on Amazon for $51.99!!

― jonviachicago, Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:39 (twenty years ago)

Harold and Maude.

― The Mad Puffin, Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:40 (twenty years ago)

"Harold And Maude"?!?!? I love that movie! And I only like Cat Stevens in its context!

My vote: Liquid Sky

― sleeve (sleeve), Thursday, 23 June 2005 18:56 (twenty years ago)

Man, One From The Heart was about as good as its soundtrack.

"City Of Women", though.

― Zed Szetlian (Finn MacCool), Thursday, 23 June 2005 18:59 (twenty years ago)

Depends on whether you think Cronenberg's "Crash" is a lousy film or not. The score (Howard Shore) is fantastic.

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 23 June 2005 18:59 (twenty years ago)

Vampyros Lesbos and any number of Italian films from the '60s and '70s featuring Ennio Morricone scores.

― Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith) (Gear!), Thursday, 23 June 2005 18:59 (twenty years ago)

i don't know...i'm pretty sure those waits gayle ballads worked just as hard as those awful disolves and teri garr in general to get me to leave that film after a half hour.

the 1st and only film ive ever walked out on

― b b, Thursday, 23 June 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)

Heh heh, "Crash" was the first film I ALMOST walked out on! (And would've, if I wasn't with friends. Never thought a movie could be so repellant, implausible, and unbelievably boring all at the same time - an amazing achievement, in fact. Plus a waste of Holly Hunter and Rosanna Arquette. And I'd loved/liked/admired everything Cronenberg had done up to that point! (But at least the animated short that accompanied "Crash" was kinda amusing.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Thursday, 23 June 2005 19:36 (twenty years ago)

I've never seen the Tony Danza film 'Glam' but I love the Mouse on Mars soundtrack.

― paul c (paul c), Thursday, 23 June 2005 19:38 (twenty years ago)

Howard Shore's "Crash" is an incredible piece of music.

― milton parker (Jon L), Thursday, 23 June 2005 21:09 (twenty years ago)

Less than Zero seconded. Harold and Maude was a good answer too.

― k/l (Ken L), Thursday, 23 June 2005 21:15 (twenty years ago)

Playing by Heart.
maybe not great soundtrack, but pretty good compared to how lousy the film was. very evocative of place (L.A.)/mood

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Thursday, 23 June 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

I really like most of the "Judgement Night" soundtrack. "Fallin'" by De La Soul and Teenage Fanclub is one of my favourite tracks by either group. Crap movie though.

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Friday, 24 June 2005 00:02 (twenty years ago)

S: Some/most James Bond theme songs, The SNDTRK to Modern Girls

― Jimmy Mod Is Great At Getting Us Into Trouble (ModJ), Friday, 24 June 2005 00:42 (twenty years ago)

That Blue Note doc from about ten years ago was pretty weak, but the soundtrack is a great compilation.

― C0L1N B... (C0L1N B...), Friday, 24 June 2005 00:46 (twenty years ago)

Vangelis "1492"
Serge Gainsbourg/Jean Claude Vannier "Cannabis"
Philip Glass "Candyman"

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Friday, 24 June 2005 03:01 (twenty years ago)

The Blue Note doc from Germany? I forgot about that -the movie itself was really lame.

― k/l (Ken L), Friday, 24 June 2005 03:22 (twenty years ago)

Candyman, lousy?

― Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith) (Gear!), Friday, 24 June 2005 04:02 (twenty years ago)

there was a point when all i listened to was the lost in translation soundtrack. bah.

― jonathan - stl (jonathan - stl), Friday, 24 June 2005 04:42 (twenty years ago)

i do like the movie though. so i guess thats cheating.

― jonathan - stl (jonathan - stl), Friday, 24 June 2005 04:49 (twenty years ago)

Valley Girl

― C0L1N B... (C0L1N B...), Friday, 24 June 2005 04:58 (twenty years ago)

Magnolia

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Friday, 24 June 2005 09:23 (twenty years ago)

blow up

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Friday, 24 June 2005 09:28 (twenty years ago)

wicker park

― startak (startak), Friday, 24 June 2005 09:30 (twenty years ago)

There are at least four really great songs on the The Kinks' soundtrack to "Percy", the instrumentals are rubbish but not as rubbish as the film itself

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 24 June 2005 09:39 (twenty years ago)

"Walker" by Joe Strummer >>>>>>> "Walker" by Alex Cox

― kit brash (kit brash), Friday, 24 June 2005 10:08 (twenty years ago)

Gregg Araki, I'm calling you out!

― Ian Riese-Moraine eats nation-states for breakfast! (Eastern Mantra), Friday, 24 June 2005 11:49 (twenty years ago)

Oh, and I suppose Lost in Translation has a decent soundtrack despite it being a bit cliche. Loathe the film, though.

― Ian Riese-Moraine eats nation-states for breakfast! (Eastern Mantra), Friday, 24 June 2005 11:50 (twenty years ago)

Suspiria, in a way.

― hi dere, Friday, 24 June 2005 11:59 (twenty years ago)

startak OTM. can't say i've ever suffered through the movie though, i just imagine it to be horrid.

― jonviachicago, Friday, 24 June 2005 12:35 (twenty years ago)

How about GARDEN STATE? I had blocked out how much I so completely and utterly despised that film. I think it made me start disliking the Shins.

― Jacobo Rock, Friday, 24 June 2005 13:53 (twenty years ago)

Suspiria, in a way

Woo, Goblin! Seconded, though the movie has its charms- certainly it's the best of Argento's straight-up horror films (some argument can be made for Deep Red if you're talking giallos too, though).

Practically every Fabio Frizzi score works- he's responsible for The Beyond and Zombi 2/Zombie, but also a lot of terrible crap. Never turned in a bad soundtrack, though they can get a bit same-y.

And speaking of someone who's soundtracked scores of truly wretched films: Ennio Morricone. Literally hundreds of films, including some brilliant or at least interesting scores for total failures (pointless Lolita remake, I am looking at you).

And Akira Ifukube's wonderful kaiju music pops up in even the worst of the Godzilla films, so he kind of counts...

*removes dork hat*

― Telephonething, Saturday, 25 June 2005 00:47 (twenty years ago)

I'm a little ashamed of this, but the "Not Another Teen Movie" soundtrack has some neat nu-metal covers of '80's songs -- and I nmostly hate basically every band on the thing.

Also, the movie "Basquiat" is okay to good. The soundtrack is a classic.

― Lyra Jane (Lyra Jane), Saturday, 25 June 2005 01:48 (twenty years ago)

liquid sky seconded! i can't believe some electroclash outfit hasn't taken on that "rhythm box" song (or if they have i wish someone would tell me)

the '79 "dawn of the dead" has a great soundtrack of lean loose-limbed funk.

― g e o f f (gcannon), Saturday, 25 June 2005 04:18 (twenty years ago)

Vanilla Sky. Lousy film, some good tunes on the soundtrack like REM's All The Right Friends, Sigur Ros and Dylan and that.

― Stew (stew s), Saturday, 25 June 2005 10:50 (twenty years ago)

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