There are certain movies that, for one reason or another, gain a sort of cult status and enter the hipster elite's canon of "life altering films." But the cult movie is a not a new idea. From Sixteen Candles to Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the 1980s were awash in culture-defining movies. But does anyone remember the soundtrack? Sure, mention The Breakfast Club and "Don't You" by Simple Minds gets stuck in your head for the next two days, but that's only one song. Try to name three more and it gets a little tricky.

More recently, the movie soundtrack has become the venue for indie bands to enter into the mainstream without upsetting their ultra-cool followers for "selling out."

Buying the soundtrack completes the moviegoing experience by letting the listeners re-live the emotions from the film in their own, real life. It prolongs that escape from reality that we all hope to experience when we go to the movies.

Here's a short, must-have list of life-defining soundtracks (and my favorite tracks from each, in case money is tight):

Garden State (2004)

This harbinger of the majorly important soundtrack became more important than the movie itself. Of course, the movie was pretty important too. It only defined an entire generation of college students and recent graduates who had no idea what was happening in their lives or what they were going to do next. But aside from that, by handpicking each song for his movie, writer and director Zach Braff staked his place as an indie music god. The Shins became a household name (at least in the homes of teenagers and college kids everywhere) and no one can hear that "oooo-ooooo-oooOOoo" chorus and not instantly picture Natalie Portman wearing a helmet or a bunch of school kids holding hands while crossing the street. Natalie Portman's character sums in up perfectly with her famous line, "You gotta hear this one song. It'll change your life, I swear."

Key Tracks: "New Slang," The Shins; "Such Great Heights," Iron & Wine

Once (2006)

This Irish musical told a pitch-prfect love story, literally. Telling its tale with a soundtrack of pop-folk songs, it totally flipped the script on the whole idea of musicals. The two leads weren't actors, they were musicians. They wrote the songs, fell in love (on-and-off screen), and formed a band (also on- and off- screen). While the movie was great, it was really all about the soundtrack. Their ballad "Falling Slowly" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, surprising everyone, and cementing their place in music and film history. Their band, The Swell Season, just released a new album, "Strict Joy" and so the story lives on. Except for real. And except that they broke up. But still.

Key Tracks: "Falling Slowly," Glen Hansard & Marketa Irgolva; "If You Want Me," Marketa Irglova

Juno (2007)

Diablo Cody broke new ground when she wrote Juno. Suddenly everyone was saying, "That's one doodle that can't be undid, home skillet," and then Cody won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. But Cody's inventive writing style wasn't the only thing that staked a place for Juno as independent favorite of the year. Juno's collection of quirky tracks helped its hipster status. Indie goddess Kimya Dawson of The Moldy Peaches pretty much dominated the soundtrack, which rose to #8 on the Billboard 200 in its first week. But it was Ellen Page and Michael Cera's rendition of "Anyone Else But You" that made cool kids everywhere weep for want of awkward love.

Key Tracks: "Sea of Love," Cat Power; "I'm Sticking with You," The Velvet Underground

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

While it was already in the running for cult favorite of the year with its puppet work and endearing (while a bit dark) message, Spike Jonze sealed the deal when he commissioned friend Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to write all original music for the soundtrack. And as if this wasn't enough for music afficionados, she formed an all-new band for the project called Karen O and the Kids that included members of The Raconteurs and The Bird and the Bee, among others. With music chops like these, hipster kids everywhere with their Max tattoos won't be able to resist downloading the soundtrack off of iTunes. And for everyone else, Karen O and the Kids capture the rollercoaster of childhood emotions perfectly and transport listeners right back to that place where monsters run free. With snow days looming ahead, who wouldn't want to throw this soundtrack on their iPod and go build an igloo?

Key Tracks: "All is Love" & "Animal," Karen O and the Kids

These are films that define a generation, blur the line between real love stories and made-up ones, institute a new style of dialogue, and capture that moment in our lives when nothing mattered and we roamed freely in our imaginations. They all offer us an escape from our own reality. But when we go back to our real world, we know that only one thing will help our lives make better sense: a great soundtrack.