As you could probably tell by the content of this website, I love both movies and music. Giving myself some time with my thoughts over the course of this holiday weekend, I contemplated the two media outlets in terms of how they interact and make each other better. Music is a pretty important aspect of most forms of media. Without it, many of our favorite media outlets would lack the impact and even the emotion that they possibly seek to express. However, these particular films not only include music as an element, but also utilizes it as a vehicle to drive the narrative forward. Here are some personal favorite movies that I recommend to my fellow music heads:
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
The Guardians of the Galaxy films directed by James Gunn, with the first film releasing in 2014, not only turned a relatively unknown team of Marvel superheroes into household names, as well as moving audiences with the films’ signature action, comedy, and emotionally resonant storytelling, but the trilogy added an element to the team that I don’t believe was present during their original comic run, which is the element of music. James Gunn himself came up with the idea for the team’s leader, Star-Lord/Peter Quill, to own a Sony Walkman since the character was abducted from Earth in the 80s, which is very different from the Star-Lord in the comics. Thanks to this concept, many of the trilogy’s set pieces are set to a plethora of different pop and rock jams reminiscent of the time period. This includes cuts such as I Want You Back by the Jackson 5 to Come and Get Your Love by Redbone. As I mentioned earlier, this music actually serves as a plot device, connecting Peter Quill to his deceased mother who loved music, as well as connecting him to the other members of the Guardians team. Anticipating the next track to accompany any of these films’ action set pieces, psychedelic sci-fi visuals, or emotional moments is easily one of my favorite aspects of watching these movies.
Whiplash (2014)
This film directed by Damien Chazelle and featuring award winning performances from both Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons follows an aspiring jazz musician who is driven to madness by the unorthodox and terrifying teaching methods of his instructor, provoking audiences to wonder where the line is drawn between ambition and obsession. To say this film is well directed would be an understatement, with its striking cinematography and intense dialogue only being elevated by its music choice. Taking place in a prestigious music school, this film pretty much revolves around the element of music, mainly jazz. As a jazz listener and a fan of artists such as Miles Davis and John Coltrane, so many of the references made throughout the film from iconic jazz musicians (Charlie Parker and Buddy Rich to name a couple) to many of the musical techniques used to craft actual jazz (Rushing & dragging; tempo) was a treat to watch despite the film’s intensity. Seriously, I was stressed out watching this film, but in a good way.
La La Land (2016)
Speaking of director Damien Chazelle, the next film on my list of recommendations is La La Land. This film also being directed by Chazelle just speaks to his versility as a filmmaker. Both Whiplash and La La Land utilize the genre of jazz to tell its story, but while Whiplash is more of a nail-biting drama, La La Land is a romance that uses its creative cinematography and jazzy music selection to tell the star-crossed love story of our two protagonists and serve as an homage to classic Hollywood musicals with toe-tapping show tunes, awesome cherography, and an emotionally resonant narrative at its center. This film was universally met with critical acclaim when it first released, and rightfully so.
Baby Driver (2017)
This film is directed by one of my favorite filmmakers, Edgar Wright, and follows a getaway driver named Baby who desires to escape from the criminal underworld. In typical Edgar Wright fashion, the dialogue and the action are as dynamic, stylish, and thrilling as the well-written characters. However, where this film truly shines is how it utilizes music. Our protagonist suffers from tinnitus due to a terrible accident from his youth, so in order to focus, he constantly has music in his iPod earphones when he getaway drives and reluctantly executes heists with the film’s group of criminals. Some of these songs include Easy by The Commodores, Debra by Beck (Which is cleverly used to express the protagonist’s romantic feelings towards his love interest), and Never Gonna Give You Up by Barry White. The tempos and beats of each song are even meticulously synced with whatever is happening on screen, whether its an action scene or a gesture of romance. It’s definitely safe to say that our protagonist’s elite music taste is only one incredible aspect of this fantastic action film. I need to go watch this movie again actually.
In the Heights (2021)
The fifth and final film on my list of movie recommendations for music fans is In the Heights. Directed by John M. Chu (director of Crazy Rich Asians & the Wicked films) and based on the Broadway musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (creator and writer of Hamilton), In the Heights takes place in Washington Heights, New York and follows a variety of different characters as they strive to chase their ambitions and dreams despite their circumstances. It’s a feel-good movie that just exudes joy in every vibrantly colorful frame and serves as a heartfelt celebration of Latin culture. The music and the choreography/cinematography that accompanies this film’s narrative are incredible. With original songs written by the same writer of Hamilton, his signature style of songwriting is definitely present here, this time around combining hip-hop and witty rhyme schemes with salsa and merengue for an expertly mixed blend that’s an uplifting treat for the ears and the heart. I honestly can’t recommend this one enough.
That is my list of five films I personally recommend to my fellow film & music fans. I’m sure there are so many more fantastic picks out there, so I’m definitely open to recommendations.
Noah Robinson 