"Brutal but never felt exploitative. Restrained where it needed to be. A realistic depiction of mental illness and inner turmoil and with one of the best soundtracks of the year."

"I used to have a huge collection of film soundtracks. I don’t get enthusiastic about them any more, though, because now most soundtracks are just a collection of rock songs, half of which don’t even appear in the movie. This is a real classic. It has a great min theme which brings the movie right into your head. All the tracks hold up – it’s so damn effective. It took me ages to get hold of a copy, and, Jeez, I almost wept when I finally did."

"Out of all the soundtracks, this is the best. It’s from a Tony Scott movie – he directed True Romance – and it’s a very lush, elegant score. You don’t need to know the film to enjoy the soundtrack: It works in its own right."

"It’s just a totally preposterous record. The drums are like Animal from the Muppets along with samples from videos of cheerleaders and stuff that sounded like ’70s cop movie soundtracks all mashed up together. There’s something fantastically unmusical about it, which I totally love."

"A hilarious, twisted, gorgeous love story between a teenager, Bud Cort, and an old lady, the magnificent Ruth Gordon. Indelibly directed by Hal Ashby, it features one of the best soundtracks ever—all classic Cat Stevens. Still can’t hear “Trouble” without seeing a hearse drive off a cliff."

"Intense soundtracks can feel intrusive and distracting, but these feel like perfect uses of (nice ‘n’ loud!) familiar songs in film. I’m so moved to happiness by the way the characters’ boiling-over thoughts, hopes, and dreams seem to be broadcast out of their internal lives and into this remarkable world created by Wong Kar-wai."

"How Yorgos Lanthimos sneaked Olivier Messiaen and Luc Ferrari into an Oscar-winning film is one of modern cinema’s greatest mysteries. Mr. Lanthimos doesn’t get enough credit for his soundtracks, which often work brilliantly counter to the proceedings in his films. The use of music in “The Favourite” deserves a whole essay in itself. The acting isn’t bad, either."