MOVIE soundtracks fall into one of two camps - those you're not supposed to notice during the movie, and those that stand out loud and proud.

Badalamenti's soundtrack for A Very Long Engagement, which reunites director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and his Amlie star Audrey Tautou, falls into the former. A long way from the coquettish Amlie soundtrack, this is a by-the-numbers offering. Individual themes for the different characters? Check. Sombre tones for the First World War trenches? Check. Anything to stand out anywhere along the way? Hmm, forgot that one.

Ocean's Twelve has a strut in its stride. How much you like this comes down to how much you think 60s and 70s Euro jazz is cool. It makes the crossover from movie screen to hi-fi with some panache, David Lloyd cherry-picking a fistful of Euro artistes and adding his own dance vibes. Jules et Jim never sounded so funky.

Updated: 09:05 Thursday, February 17, 2005