My Fifty Favorite Movies Equated to Albums
(in alphabetical order; disregarding soundtrack albums; and with the movies current as of February 10, 2020)
1. After Life (directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu, 1998) = I Am a Bird Now by Antony and the Johnsons
2. Alien (directed by Ridley Scott, 1979) = Punish, Honey by Vessel
3. The Americanization of Emily (directed by Arthur Hiller, 1964) = Petra Haden and Bill Frisell by Petra Haden and Bill Frisell
4. Before the Rain (directed by Milcho Manchevski, 1994) = The Ghost of Cain by New Model Army
5. The Chocolate War (directed by Keith Gordon, 1988) = Upstairs at Eric’s by Yaz
6. City of Hope (directed by John Sayles, 1991) = Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen
7. Crossing Delancey (directed by Joan Micklin Silver, 1988) = Solitude Standing by Suzanne Vega
8. Dazed and Confused (directed by Richard Linklater, 1993) = Cheap Trick at Budokan by Cheap Trick
9. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (directed by Julian Schnabel, 2007) = Disintegration by The Cure
10. East of Eden (directed by Elia Kazan, 1955) = One Fair Summer Evening by Nanci Griffith
11. The Eclipse (directed by Conor McPherson, 2009) = The Lion and the Cobra by Sinead O’Connor
12. Elling (directed by Petter Næss, 2001) = The Happiness Project by Charles Spearin
13. The English Patient (directed by Anthony Minghella, 1996) = Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1 by Jill Scott
14. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (directed by Michel Gondry, 2004) = Give Up by The Postal Service
15. The Eye (directed by Danny and Oxide Chung Pang, 2002) = Fever Ray by Fever Ray
16. Fantastic Planet (directed by René Laloux, 1973) = Tilt by Scott Walker
17. Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein (directed by James Whale, 1931 and 1935) = Dead Man’s Party by Oingo Boingo
18. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (directed by Mamoru Hosoda, 2006) = Chorus by Erasure
19. Groundhog Day (directed by Harold Ramis, 1993) = Dysnomia by Dawn of Midi
20. Happy Accidents (directed by Brad Anderson, 2000) = Fear of Music by Talking Heads
21. A History of Violence (directed by David Cronenberg, 2005) = Bone Machine by Tom Waits
22. Holy Motors (directed by Leos Carax, 2012) = The Pianist by Fabrizio Rat
23. The Iron Giant (directed by Brad Bird, 1999) = Before and After Science by Brian Eno
24. Jesus of Montreal (directed by Denys Arcand, 1989) = Psychocandy by The Jesus and Mary Chain
25. Local Hero (directed by Bill Forsyth, 1983) = A Walk Across the Rooftops by The Blue Nile
26. Lost in Translation (directed by Sofia Coppola, 2003) = Tin Drum by Japan
27. Manhattan (directed by Woody Allen, 1979) = Christmas and the Beads of Sweat by Laura Nyro
28. Marty (directed by Delbert Mann, 1955) = An Innocent Man by Billy Joel
29. Mister Lonely (directed by Harmony Korine, 2007) = Melody Mountain by Susanna and the Magical Orchestra
30. Mother (directed by Albert Brooks, 1996) = Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson
31. The Muppet Movie (directed by James Frawley, 1979) = She’s So Unusual by Cyndi Lauper
32. My Winnipeg (directed by Guy Maddin, 2007) = Paper Anniversary by Christine Fellows
33. Office Space (directed by Mike Judge, 1999) = Entertainment! by Gang of Four
34. Pain and Glory (directed by Pedro Almodóvar, 2019) = The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows by Damon Albarn
35. Ponette (directed by Jacques Doillon, 1996) = Infamous Angel by Iris DeMent
36. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (directed by Ronald Neame, 1969) = Alas, I Cannot Swim by Laura Marling
37. The Quiet Earth (directed by Geoff Murphy, 1985) = Nothing by System Error
38. Reprise (directed by Joachim Trier, 2006) = Antologie by Solveig Slettahjell
39. Robot Stories (directed by Greg Pak, 2003) = With U by Holy Other
40. Running on Empty (directed by Sidney Lumet, 1988) = Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
41. A Serious Man (directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, 2009) = Songs of Leonard Cohen by Leaonard Cohen (alt. Abraxas by Santana)
42. Show Me Love (directed by Lukas Moodysson, 1998) = A Kiss in the Dreamhouse by Siouxsie and the Banshees
43. Small Change (directed by François Truffaut, 1976) = Groovy Neighborhood by Pianosaurus
44. Son of the Bride (directed by Juan José Campanella, 2001) = Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison
45. The Thing (directed by John Carpenter, 1982) = Halber Mensch by Einstürzende Neubauten
46. 3-Iron (directed by Ki-duk Kim, 2004) = Playing the Piano by Ryuichi Sakamoto
47. Twelve Monkeys (directed by Terry Gilliam, 1995) = Musick to Play in the Dark Vol. 1 by Coil
48. The Whole Wide World (directed by Dan Ireland, 1996) = I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers
49. World of Tomorrow and World of Tomorrow Episode Two (directed by Don Hertzfeldt, 2015 and 2017) = Surface Image by Vicky Chow
50. You Can Count On Me (directed by Kenneth Lonergan, 2000) = The Trinity Sessions by Cowboy Junkies
— December 27, 2021