Music, whether or not the viewer realizes it, is always a critical key to the success of a film. Sometimes the contribution is more overt, as in lyrically-driven movies like Hustle & Flow and Walk the Line, while other films such as Brokeback Mountain simply rely on an outstanding score to deliver the goods and propel the action.

Our winner in this category, and rightfully so, is Hustle & Flow, which takes the top spot by virtue of an outstanding soundtrack that is made up of songs that occur as part of the movie's plot. The film tells the story of a hardworking Memphis pimp named DJay who harbors aspirations of becoming a rap performer. As the movie progresses and DJay comes ever closer to achieving his dream, the viewer is treated to a variety of fine hip hop music, with songs like "Whoop That Trick" and recent Academy Award nominee "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" setting the standard. Thanks to the soundtrack the accompanies Hustle & Flow, the movie is infused with a frenetic energy that is impossible to resist.

We move from the hip hop streets of Memphis to...the country streets of Memphis with Walk the Line, the biopic about the late Johnny Cash. The beauty of the performances in this film is that the actors all sang their tunes and played their own musical instruments. Joaquin Phoenix does a marvelous job of emulating Cash without sounding like a precise duplicate, and Reese Witherspoon turns the role of June Carter into something resplendent. I've heard director James Mangold interviewed about the film and have always appreciated that he says his hope for Walk the Line was to capture an energy and excitement that occurred during a very specific period of music history, and he does so using songs like "Folsom Prison Blues", "Cry, Cry, Cry", "Walk the Line", "Jackson", and "Ring of Fire". And that's only scratching the surface. It's an exciting film that will certainly have you tapping your toes.

Brokeback Mountain's strength is a score by Argentina-born Gustavo Santaolalla. It's a little unique in that everything is simply done on acoustic guitar, but is a perfect compliment for a love story about two cowboys who must keep their relationship a deep secret. The soft, peaceful songs bring to mind the mountains and streams, and truly evoke a state of mind unique to the film itself.

As for The 40 Year-Old Virgin, it makes the list almost solely on the finale alone. As Andy, our hero of the title, finally sheds his innocence and discovers the joy of sex, he breaks into song and a trippy finale set to Age of Aquarius ensues. There are also some great moments with Michael McDonald's Ya Mo Be There, Asia's Heat of the Moment, and the theme from The Greatest American Hero. It's a great soundtrack for a hilarious, intelligent film.

Sin City jumps into the top ten thanks to its atmospheric, dark score from director Robert Rodriguez along with Graeme Revelle and John Debney. The title music is already very recognizable and with a sequel in the works for Summer of 2007, should become fairly ubiquitous.

George Clooney did something clever in his direction of Good Night, and Good Luck. As the film's plot unfolded, a band and singer in the same studio where Edward R. Murrow was filming would perform tunes that thematically related to the action. Jazz singer Dianne Reeves is the woman behind these vocal stylings.

Although Last Days is a fictional imagining of the final moments of Kurt Cobain's life, director Gus Van Sant avoids using any of Nirvana's actual music. Instead, star Michael Pitt performs some of his own Cobain-inspired songs, such as That Day and Death to Birth. Wedding Crashers, the biggest comedy of 2005, makes great use of modern bands such as Death Cab for Cutie, Bloc Party, Jimmy Eat World and The Long Winters (there's also an uproarious rendition of Hava Nagilah that is not to be missed). As for Oldboy, the soundtrack's combination of orchestral, electronica, pop, hip-hop, and alternative is outstanding. If you don't mind a little blood and gore (and an ending that tends toward the super-disturbing), it's a movie not to be missed. Roll Bounce tied for the tenth spot and Vaughan Mason and Crew's "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" is indeed one of the most infectious songs you'll ever hear.

Just missing the top ten was Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, which carries on with the marvelous John Williams tradition of brilliant orchestral arrangements. Others that are just outside the cut are Rent, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and It's All Gone Pete Tong. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

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