The way music is used in film makes for an interesting marriage. For every unmemorable movie made memorable because of a perfectly placed pop song, there is an unremarkable song turned iconic by its inclusion great film. There isn't anything inherently brilliant about Donovan's "Atlantis," but when Martin Scorsese used the song during the Billy Batts scene in Goodfellas, it became brilliant. Don't ask me to explain; that's just the way these things work. Who were the Donovans of 2010? Ahead, Movieline offers up the five best music cues of the year.
5. "Never Hear Surf Music Again" from 127 Hours
A funny thing has happened to Danny Boyle's 127 Hours since it came out last month: It got totally forgotten about. Sure, star James Franco is out doing James Franco-y things, but that's more about self-promotion than film promotion. Even the critics circles -- the same critics who bent over backward to give 127 Hours great reviews -- have largely viewed Boyle's film as an also-ran to The Social Network, Black Swan and The Kids Are All Right. That doesn't mean Hours will be ignored come Oscar time -- obviously it won't -- it's just...interesting. Perhaps a fresh listen of "Never Hear Surf Music Again" will help remind some viewers/voters about what made the film so special in the first place. This Free Blood song runs over the opening credits, and its driving bass line -- and cuckoo bananas-but-inspiring lyrics -- set the tone for what follows.
4. "O Children" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I
As a rabid Harry Potter fanboy it always irks me when the filmmakers take liberties with the narrative laid out in painstaking detail by J.K. Rowling. Still, one addition in The Deathly Hallows was inspired: Harry and Hermione dancing to "O Children" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds expanded on their relationship in ways that Rowling never touched on and provided the most honest moment in the film. Just lovely.
3. "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" from Inception
Whatever issues you might have had with Christopher Nolan's Inception, one thing is inarguable: Using Edith Piaf's "Non, je ne regrette rien" as the leitmotif for a summer blockbuster about dream thieves was truly a stroke of genius.
2. "Home Sweet Home" in Hot Tub Time Machine
In a better world, Rob Corddry would have blown up after Hot Tub Time Machine in the same way that Zack Galifianakis did following The Hangover; in a year with a dearth of mainstream comedies, there wasn't a better balls-out comedy performance. That Corddry's masterpiece of idiocy culminated with the most hilariously genuine cover of Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home" ever -- complete with video! -- was the cherry on top. Next time your hear some drunk moron singing this song at karaoke, you'll know who to thank.
1. "Baby, You're a Rich Man" from The Social Network
Spoiler alert. The ending of The Social Network might have taken a few creatively liberties -- the real Mark Zuckerberg has had the same girlfriend since matriculating at Harvard -- but creative liberties are fine when they get scored by The Beatles. Bonus points for the fact that The Beatles are so hot right now thanks to Apple, something David Fincher couldn't have possibly guessed when he was making Jesse Eisenberg hit refresh on a laptop untold times over.
There are many more where these came from, so the floor now belongs to you: What was the best music cue in 2010?