
There was a bounty of great music moments in film this year. Loren Hammonds, the Director of Tribeca Cinemas and TFF Associate Programmer, shares his top 5.
This year has seen some solid films hit theaters across the globe. Both new and established filmmakers managed to introduce indelible images and memorable characters in all sorts of films. However, lacking a major musical with a capital "M" this year (no offense, Frozen and Black Nativity), one had to search in other genres for the strongest melodic moments of the year. Here are the tops, in my humble opinion and in no particular order (except for the Stacy Keach performance. That stays at number 1 no matter what.)
5. Matthew McConaughey in The Wolf of Wall Street
In his approximately 17 minutes of screen time, McConaughey leaves a lasting impression as the first financial mentor to Leonardo DiCaprios eventually unscrupulous character. His most memorable moment onscreen? Holding court at a cocaine-fueled power lunch opposite Leo, his character offers a performance of an improvised, chest thumping song of indeterminate origin. This primal ditty is intended to inspire his innocent protege to embrace his lust-for-money lifestyle, and Leo falls for it, hook, line, and sinker. Stay through the credits and youll hear a reprise, with Mcconaughey on vocals, produced by Robbie Robertson of The Band fame.
4. Craig Robinson and The Cast of This Is The End
This Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen project featured a whos-who of young Hollywood living (but mostly dying) in the aftermath of The Rapture. Playing very skewed versions of themselves, the cast (including James Franco, Rogen, Danny McBride, and Jonah Hill) is pitch perfect, masterfully riffing on the concepts of image and celebrity. Craig Robinson (The Office, Pineapple Express) sets up his persona early, performing a soulful set on keyboard and vocals, parked in the middle of James Francos house as The Apocalypse approaches. His fellow party guests, (including pop-diva Rhianna, comedian Kevin Hart and Franco himself) join him in a rousing call-and-response ditty. The title of the song, somehow appropriately, is "Take Your Panties Off". The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack includes a studio version of the song, featuring none other than Snoop Dogg (the "Snoop Lion" phase is over now, right?)
3. Joaquin Phoenix & Scarlett Johanssen in Her
The romantic leads of the Spike Jonze-helmed Her are unconventional to say the least. One is a sad sack writer, with a talent for falling too deeply into his emotions. The other is a disembodied voice, belonging to a constantly evolving artificially intelligent computer operating system. This near-future meditation on love and human connection succeeds in warming hearts where the average rom-com cant. Late in the film, the two team up to sing an analog-meets-digital duet, and what should be an impossible, cloyingly sweet scene actually works. The soulful performance of Joaquin Phoenix lends a major assist to the believability of it all, as does the sultry voice of Scarlett Johanssen as "Samantha" the girlfriend who isnt a girl at all. The tune that they sing, "The Moon Song," is penned by Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and hits all the right notes. Cant wait to hear the soundtrack version.
2. Vithaya Pansringarm in Only God Forgives
This bizarre meditation on violence and revenge was Refyns follow-up to the critically acclaimed Drive (also starring OGFs lead actor Ryan Gosling). While the experimental approach to storytelling was not loved by all, the film is beautifully shot, and boasts some truly remarkable performances. As Chang, an avenging angel of sorts, unknown Thai actor Vithaya Pansringarm stalks across the screen with quiet purpose, proving himself to be a more than worthy adversary for Goslings damaged protagonist. In two of the best scenes, both following hyper-violent outbursts, Pansringarm performs karaoke ballads to cleanse himself of the madness.
1. Stacy Keach in Nebraska
As an elderly father and his beleaguered son, Bruce Dern and Will Forte have gotten a lot of attention for their fantastic work in Alexander Paynes touching road opus. In my opinion, the true revelation comes from a member of the ensemble supporting cast. Criminally overlooked this awards season, veteran actor Stacy Keach turns in a fine performance as the closest thing the movie has to a villain. Greedy and menacing (in a friendly ol grandpa sort-of-way,) Keach presents a fully fleshed out portrait of this self-proclaimed big fish in a small pond. Midway through the film, Keach delivers a Karaoke rendition of Elvis Presleys urban ballad "In The Ghetto" that is, undeniably, a showstopper. Expertly mixing pathos and humor, writer/director Payne guides him into arguably the most memorable scene in the film. With no damn right to be as transcendently funny as it is, I would support an Oscar campaign on this moment alone.
Most recent headlines
21/12/2025
Back to All News
Legoshi and Haru's Story Reaches Its Finale: BEASTARS Fin...
21/12/2025
John Shortt named Young Sportsperson of the Year Kerry are the Team of the Year
...
20/12/2025
Atomos announced the immediate availability of a new firmware update for its Ninja TX GO and Ninja TX monitor-recorders, unlocking ProRes RAW recording from the...
20/12/2025
CJP Broadcast has completed the digitisation of the European Gymnastics tape archive, converting 328 tapes containing more than forty years of recorded material...
20/12/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced the launch of the Stream Lab MCP Server, to give AI agents and large language model...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
20/12/2025
Barack Obama Includes Laufey on His 2025 Favorite Music List The former presidents roundup of books, music, and movies includes a song from the Berklee alums ...
20/12/2025
Study reveals a key hormonal circuit in the kidneys Scripps Research scientists identify the protein that helps kidney cells regulate renin, providing foundatio...
19/12/2025
With Playout Release 2025.4, ToolsOnAir continues to push professional playout w...
19/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Diversified's Jared Timmins on AI for Broadcast Sports and Cre...
19/12/2025
2025 SVG Summit Audio Recap: Say What?The Audio Production and Distribution Workshop at the SVG Summit 20 took on issues including speech intelligibility, Next-...
19/12/2025
Gamified fun: Channel 5 on its NFL Big Game Night ambitions with Hungry Bear Med...
19/12/2025
College Football Playoff Preview: For ESPN, Round 1 is a Fantastic Yet Familia...
19/12/2025
AWS's Jason Dvorkin on Developing Partnerships With the NBA and PGA Tour, Em...
19/12/2025
Netflix Kicks Off Packed Sports Week with Paul-Joshua Fight Before Shifting to N...
19/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Nareev Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
19/12/2025
Mounted to the pylon of an AH-1Z Viper helicopter, a Red Wolf vehicle successful...
19/12/2025
L3Harris technology for the SDA Tranche 3 Tracking Layer program will provide in...
19/12/2025
Partnership brings Nielsen ONE measurement activation directly into XR's adv...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Berklee Announces Spring 2026 Signature Series This season's highlights include the Gospel Extravaganza, the 40th International Folk Festival, special gue...
19/12/2025
Performing arts centres across the globe have doubled down on live production infrastructure in recent years. For venues like the Queensland Performing Arts Cen...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
19/12/2025
Ricardo Coke-Thomas Named Chair of Theater for Boston Conservatory at Berklee The distinguished theater educator, director, and performer will join the Conser...
19/12/2025
Back to All News
Salvador Arrives to Netflix on February 6
Entertainment
19 December 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
WHEN THERE IS NOTHING LEFT ...
19/12/2025
As the year comes to a close, it's the perfect time to give your WO Automation for Radio system a quick tune up. At the top of your year end checklist is on...
19/12/2025
19 Dec 2025
VEON's Mobilink Microfinance Bank Launches Islamic Banking Oper...
19/12/2025
Wrapping up a year of connection and clarity!
19 Dec Written By Suzanne Costello
As 2025 comes to a close, we want to take a moment to thank our incredib...
19/12/2025
The six-part drama, set in a close-knit Welsh town fractured by an unspeakable c...
19/12/2025
Rohde & Schwarz drives the future of mobility at CES 2026 At the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rohde & Schwarz will present a powerful lineup o...
19/12/2025
Back to All News
Salvador arrives to Netflix on February 6
Entertainment
19 December 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
WHEN THERE IS NOTHING LEFT ...
19/12/2025
Back to All News
Last Samurai Standing' Renewed for Season 2 - A Global Se...
19/12/2025
RT is proud to return to the RDS to support the 2026 Stripe Young Scientist & T...
19/12/2025
Nanoparticle vaccine strategy could protect against Ebola and other deadly filoviruses Scripps Research scientists turn nanoparticles into virus showcases to ...
18/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Kurt Sutton, Director of Broadcast Operations, Clemson ...
18/12/2025
Follow the Money Episode 2: Inside the Sports Media Biz with Sam McCleery and St...
18/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Google Cloud's Anshul Kapoor on the Future of Generative Prod...
18/12/2025
The 2025 SVG Summit Draws Record Crowd for 20th-Annual Sports-Production Industr...
18/12/2025
SBS's sports schedule sizzles in January with Dakar Rally, Kooyong Classic a...