10. “Montage” – “Swiss Army Man”
When a director, or directors, break through in the music-video world, they often retain a certain musicality to their work — think of Spike Jonze or Michel Gondry, or even David Fincher (in a very different way). And Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka Daniels) are very much in that tradition — their extraordinary debut “Swiss Army Man” is so closely entwined with its score, by Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull and Robert McDowell, that it sometimes feels like it’s almost a musical. It’s full of memorable moments — including a strangely beautiful appropriation of the “Jurassic Park” theme and a similar take on “Cotton-Eyed Joe” — but the highest point is the centerpiece of the film, a montage set to a song, sung by stars Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe, called “Montage.” Seeing Dano use Radcliffe’s corpse, as the film suggests, as a sort of multi-purpose survival tool, it’s an amazing six-minute sequence set to a rousing, catchy anthem whose lyrics are amusingly literal (it mostly goes “Montage!,” but later specifies, “Now we killed a raccoon, we are using your body like it’s a machine gun”).
9. “Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart” – “The Lobster”
She’s had national treasure status in the U.K. for a while now, but 2016 saw Olivia Colman threaten to do the same in the U.S, thanks to her turn in “The Night Manager” and her absolutely scene-stealing one in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Lobster,” and perhaps most particularly her musical performance in the film. Set at a singles dance at the hotel where people have to go in order to find coupledom (or else be turned into animals), it sees Colman, playing the manager of the hotel, and her partner (Garry Mountaine) entertaining their guests/captives with a cover of Gene Pitney’s “Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart” (known for its covers by Nick Cave and Marc Almond). Everything about the performance can’t help but induce giggles, from Mountaine’s bassy voice to Colman’s utterly functional, controlled dancing and increasingly squeaky singing in the background. An absolute deadpan joy.
8.“Dancing In The Dark” – “Maggie’s Plan”
Rebecca Miller’s sublime little comedy “Maggie’s Plan” is sweet, funny and painful in all the right ways. A movie that centers on the romantic confusions and entanglements of its title character (Greta Gerwig), break-ups fill up the story as well. Fast forward to a separation, Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore are divorced, but there’s a scheme to get them back together. Musically it lights up. The two are at a remote retreat in Canada, but a sudden musical outburst Kathleen Hanna and Tommy Buck passionately covering Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In The Dark” is transformative to the movie and mood. The former couple are rekindling their relationship, but you can’t start a fire without a spark and thus this inspired cover and moment is just what the doctor ordered.
7. “Hello Stranger” – “Moonlight”
As anyone who knows the expertly curated musical selection of his debut “Medicine For Melancholy,” Barry Jenkins knows how to pair music and film, and it’s something that runs throughout his surprise sleeper “Moonlight,” whether it’s Nicholas Britell’s lovely score, the opening to Boris Gardiner’s “Every N****r Is A Star” (made famous recently by being sampled in Kendrick Lamar’s “Wesley’s Theory”) Jidenna’s “Classic Man” or an homage to Wong Kar-wai’s “Happy Together” and Pedro Almodóvar’s “Talk To Her” with the use of Caetano Veloso’s “Cucurrucucu Paloma.” But the one that really lingers — and boy does it linger — is Barbara Lewis’ “Hello Stranger,” which plays during the diner scene in which Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) is reunited with Kevin (André Holland). Perfectly fit to this odd reunion (it was written into the script, and even played on set), it utterly sums up the sense of reunion, melancholy, joy and possibility that plays under the whole scene.
6.“The Big Country” – “20th Century Women”
“The punk scene is very divisive,” Greta Gerwig says early on in Mike Mills’ terrific new film, “20th Century Women.” It’s pulsing with life, sadness and compassion. It’s also funny as fuck. In this inspired moment, the matriarch of the film (Annette Bening) and one of her tenants/de facto extended family members (Billy Crudup) try and figure out the difference between the punks (represented by Black Flag‘s “Nervous Breakdown”) and the “art fags” — an epithet that’s used against her son (Lucas Jade Zumann) earlier in the film for liking David Byrne’s band. She’s also just trying to figure out who her estranged son is. Name drops are fun and all, but Mills uses the moment — dancing to Talking Heads’ “The Big Country” — to communicate that desire to connect is a big warm-hearted and transcendent way.