[Note: This was a rather ambitious post with a lot of embedded content. Please excuse awkward spacing and timing lags.]
Considering it's March of 2010, I guess I should clarify that I've made a list of the best soundtracks from last decade, 2000-2009. I started a draft of this at least six months ago but of course it fell into the netherworld of unfinished posts. As late as it is, here are 25 soundtracks from the last decade that I remember fondly, and I use the word "soundtrack" loosely since some of these movies had great songs that weren't actually on the soundtrack album. Also, note that these are soundtracks, not original scores.
First, here are some that I am setting aside because they fall into the following advantageous categories. Consider them in a class by themselves:
Musicals - Across the Universe, Dreamgirls, Moulin Rouge!, Chicago, Rent, Mamma Mia!
Biopics - Walk the Line, I'm Not There, Notorious, Ray
Documentaries - Dave Chappelle's Block Party, Tupac:Resurrection, Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony, Young @ Heart
Now, on to the list of 25, in alphabetical order with the exception of this first selection:
1. City of God (2002) - Was there any doubt my favorite soundtrack of the decade wouldn't come from my favorite movie of the decade? I've listened to this hundreds of times over the years and it never gets old. Antonio Pinto and Ed Córtes struck a perfect balance of soul, romance, funkiness, danger, and fun in their original score for City of God, but the supplemental songs really rounded out the album, such as "Convite para Vida" by Seu Jorge, "Na rua, na chuva, na fazenda" by Hyldon, and "Nem Vem Que Não Tem" by Wilson Simonal. Take a few minutes and enjoy a free trip to Brazil:
