Indie and alternative films with great soundtracks

by ben_terzza | created - 05 Jul 2011 | updated - 25 May 2015 | Public

I wish there was more films with these kind of soundtracks and scores. Any suggestions to the list would be cool I know some of the films aren't great but most of them have a soundtrack including or scored by artists who are alternative or indie/rock and its still quite rare these days only a few releases each year etc

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1. Garden State (2004)

R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

67 Metascore

A quietly troubled young man returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.

Director: Zach Braff | Stars: Zach Braff, Peter Sarsgaard, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm

Votes: 223,120 | Gross: $26.78M

Possible best soundtrack ever ?? The Shins , Nick drake , iron and wine etc etc

2. 500 Days of Summer (2009)

PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

76 Metascore

After being dumped by the girl he believes to be his soulmate, hopeless romantic Tom Hansen reflects on their relationship to try and figure out where things went wrong and how he can win her back.

Director: Marc Webb | Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Geoffrey Arend, Chloë Grace Moretz

Votes: 556,988 | Gross: $32.39M

More of a mainstream indie soundtrack but still decent !

3. High Fidelity (2000)

R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

79 Metascore

Rob, a record store owner and compulsive list maker, recounts his top five breakups, including the one in progress.

Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Todd Louiso, Jack Black

Votes: 189,606 | Gross: $27.29M

Filled with classic and lesser known singles

4. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

R | 110 min | Comedy, Drama

76 Metascore

The eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.

Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller

Votes: 312,928 | Gross: $52.36M

Stones,Nico,elliot smith etc etc amazing !

5. Winter Passing (2005)

R | 98 min | Comedy, Drama

56 Metascore

An editor offers actress/bartender Reese $100,000 for her late mom's letters from her novelist dad. She heads home from NYC to get them and finds her dad living in the garage while two strangers live in the house.

Director: Adam Rapp | Stars: Ed Harris, Zooey Deschanel, Will Ferrell, Darrell Larson

Votes: 8,899 | Gross: $0.10M

Shins chillin acoustics !

6. Lost in Translation (2003)

R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama

91 Metascore

A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.

Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris

Votes: 487,954 | Gross: $44.59M

7. Slacker (1990)

R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama

69 Metascore

A day in the life of Austin, Texas as the camera roams from place to place and provides a brief look at the overeducated, the social misfits, the outcasts and the oddballs.

Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Richard Linklater, Rudy Basquez, Jean Caffeine, Jan Hockey

Votes: 23,447 | Gross: $1.23M

8. Old Joy (2006)

Unrated | 76 min | Drama

84 Metascore

Two old pals reunite for a camping trip in Oregon's Cascade Mountains.

Director: Kelly Reichardt | Stars: Daniel London, Will Oldham, Tanya Smith, Robin Rosenberg

Votes: 8,813 | Gross: $0.26M

Yo la tengo soundtrack

9. Junebug (2005)

R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama

80 Metascore

A dealer in "outsider" art travels from Chicago to North Carolina to meet her new in-laws, challenging the equilibrium of this middle class Southern home.

Director: Phil Morrison | Stars: Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivola, David Kuhn, Alicia Van Couvering

Votes: 23,424 | Gross: $2.68M

another yo la tengo soundtrack

10. Juno (2007)

PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Drama

81 Metascore

Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, an offbeat young woman makes a selfless decision regarding the unborn child.

Director: Jason Reitman | Stars: Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman

Votes: 548,775 | Gross: $143.50M

awesome music awesome

11. Into the Wild (2007)

R | 148 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama

73 Metascore

After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.

Director: Sean Penn | Stars: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden

Votes: 657,527 | Gross: $18.35M

Eddie veddar of pearl jam seriously swell acoustic licks !

12. Blue Valentine (2010)

R | 112 min | Drama, Romance

81 Metascore

The relationship of a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.

Director: Derek Cianfrance | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, John Doman, Faith Wladyka

Votes: 211,182 | Gross: $9.74M

grizzly bear soundtrack !

13. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

R | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

62 Metascore

With a plan to exact revenge on a legendary shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.

Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchett

Votes: 210,808 | Gross: $24.01M

wes anderson never misses a beat with his soundtracks

14. Almost Famous (2000)

R | 122 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

90 Metascore

A high-school boy in the early 1970s is given the chance to write a story for Rolling Stone magazine about an up-and-coming rock band as he accompanies them on their concert tour.

Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand

Votes: 293,090 | Gross: $32.53M

15. I'm Not There (2007)

R | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Music

73 Metascore

Ruminations on the life of Bob Dylan, where six characters embody a different aspect of the musician's life and work.

Director: Todd Haynes | Stars: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw

Votes: 61,161 | Gross: $4.02M

16. Rushmore (1998)

R | 93 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

87 Metascore

A teenager at Rushmore Academy falls for a much older teacher and befriends a middle-aged industrialist. Later, he finds out that his love interest and his friend are having an affair, which prompts him to begin a vendetta.

Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Seymour Cassel

Votes: 197,814 | Gross: $17.11M

17. Ghost World (2001)

R | 111 min | Comedy, Drama

90 Metascore

Two eccentric best friends graduate high school and respond to a man's romance-seeking newspaper ad as a gag, only to find their lives becoming increasingly complicated.

Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Steve Buscemi, Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Brad Renfro

Votes: 126,743 | Gross: $6.22M

18. Trainspotting (1996)

R | 93 min | Drama

83 Metascore

Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out despite the allure of drugs and the influence of friends.

Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd

Votes: 724,960 | Gross: $16.50M

19. Amélie (2001)

R | 122 min | Comedy, Romance

70 Metascore

Despite being caught in her imaginative world, Amelie, a young waitress, decides to help people find happiness. Her quest to spread joy leads her on a journey where she finds true love.

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Lorella Cravotta

Votes: 793,662 | Gross: $33.23M

20. Once (I) (2007)

R | 86 min | Drama, Music, Romance

90 Metascore

A modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week in Dublin, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story.

Director: John Carney | Stars: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Hugh Walsh, Gerard Hendrick

Votes: 121,226 | Gross: $9.44M

21. Submarine (2010)

R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

76 Metascore

15-year-old Oliver Tate has two objectives: to lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to extinguish the flame between his mother and an ex-lover who has resurfaced in her life.

Director: Richard Ayoade | Stars: Craig Roberts, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine, Noah Taylor

Votes: 96,451 | Gross: $0.47M

22. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

PG-13 | 94 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

84 Metascore

Two 12-year-olds, who live on an island, fall in love with each other and elope into the wilderness. While people set out on a search mission, a violent storm approaching them catches their attention.

Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray

Votes: 366,565 | Gross: $45.51M

23. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

PG | 87 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

83 Metascore

An urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation.

Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman

Votes: 269,827 | Gross: $21.00M

24. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

R | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

62 Metascore

With a plan to exact revenge on a legendary shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.

Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchett

Votes: 210,808 | Gross: $24.01M

25. Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

PG-13 | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Music

79 Metascore

Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.

Director: Malik Bendjelloul | Stars: Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore

Votes: 72,849 | Gross: $3.97M

26. Drive (I) (2011)

R | 100 min | Action, Drama

79 Metascore

A mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks

Votes: 703,633 | Gross: $35.06M

27. Django Unchained (2012)

R | 165 min | Drama, Western

81 Metascore

With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington

Votes: 1,692,187 | Gross: $162.81M

28. Waltz with Bashir (2008)

R | 90 min | Documentary, Animation, Biography

91 Metascore

An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.

Director: Ari Folman | Stars: Ari Folman, Ron Ben-Yishai, Ronny Dayag, Ori Sivan

Votes: 60,368 | Gross: $2.28M

29. Sleep Furiously (2008)

Not Rated | 94 min | Documentary

64 Metascore

A poetic and profound journey into a world of endings and beginnings; a world of stuffed owls, sheep and fire.

Director: Gideon Koppel

Votes: 384

Aphex twin

30. Children of Men (2006)

R | 109 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

84 Metascore

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have somehow become infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.

Director: Alfonso Cuarón | Stars: Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Caine

Votes: 528,930 | Gross: $35.55M

dubstep and ambient

31. Hanna (2011)

PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

65 Metascore

A sixteen-year-old girl who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.

Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Vicky Krieps

Votes: 206,777 | Gross: $40.26M

32. Forrest Gump (1994)

PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, Romance

82 Metascore

The history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field

Votes: 2,253,653 | Gross: $330.25M



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