10. Revolutionary Road
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFoE14QtLnc This soundtrack not only captures overall mindset of the film, but is an interesting blend of the more classic Thomas Newman style and his slightly more modern approach to scoring. It is spatial and contemplative, through airy tones and light melodies that accompany the films eccentricities well. Despite the film being very bleak and at times outright depressing and strenuous on the viewer, the score never fails to engage. The score is at times itself very sad, but in a subtle way as to not influence the emotionality to the point of feeling forced. Formally, the score feels similar to earlier Newman works, but as it was for a 2008 release, Newman has had plenty of time to experiment with post processing and apply that to his classic instrumentation. While this may seem like a strange choice for this list to some, to me it is Thomas Newman doing some of his most refined work.