Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, we’re counting down our favorite movies featuring songs by the pop megastar! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
Those holiday-based ensemble romantic comedies of the 2010s get a lot of (deserved) flak, but Valentine’s Day is actually much better than you might expect. Because of the topic of this week’s BEC, I’ll keep it to one particular reason: Taylor Swift is surprisingly solid and a lot of fun as a meta romantic partner to another Taylor: Lautner. She even out-acts him, even though that’s proven to not be too difficult to do. Valentine’s Day also features “Today Was A Fairytale,” by Swift, which makes you wonder that since her music exists within the world of the movie, does that mean no one realizes that two people who look exactly like two famous Taylors go to the same school, and are dating? The answer to the question doesn’t actually matter, of course, but that makes it no less fun to think about. (Robert Bouffard)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you were to cross a disaster movie with Planes, Trains & Automobiles? Well wonder no more, because you need not look further than 2015’s San Andreas, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Ray, a Los Angeles based search and rescue helicopter pilot who must make his way up to San Francisco to save his daughter (Alexandra Daddario) after California is hit by one of the largest earthquakes in human history. Joined by his estranged wife (Carla Gugino), Ray navigates the disaster-torn landscapes of California via a myriad of transportation options, including helicopter, truck, and boat. San Andreas may not hold the number one spot on this (or any other) list, but it is still a really enjoyable film with great action sequences, solid visual effects, one of Johnson’s better acting performances, and, of course, a great selection from Taylor Swift’s discography with an opening scene set to “Style.” (Jake Hjort)
Even when Adam Sandler doesn’t seem to be putting in much effort (which feels like most of the time apart from Uncut Gems these days), he’s still Adam Sandler, which means he has a baseline of charisma, charm, and humor. Re-pair him with Jennifer Aniston, with whom he has great chemistry, and you’ll at least have a positive hit-to-miss ratio with the jokes. Murder Mystery is no Knives Out, or even Murder on the Orient Express, but there’s a solid caper at the center that’s made enjoyable by our two leads doing their thing. And at 90 minutes, it’s totally worth a lazy night wind-down watch. (Robert Bouffard)
Two years removed from Mamma Mia!, the role that kick-started her career, Amanda Seyfried plays another woman called Sophie in an exotic location in Letters to Juliet. Loosely inspired by the custom of tourists leaving letters at Juliet’s house, Seyfried’s character discovers a note left 50 years before by English woman Claire (Vanessa Redgrave), and decides to respond with a belated reply. While this is primarily a standard unlikely romance story, I like that it features two romances. One is the rekindling of an affair after 50 years between Claire and Lorenzo (Franco Nero), and the other is between two characters that don’t get along when they first meet, Sophie and Claire’s grandson, Charlie (Christopher Egan). It is also lovely to see a few typical tropes in stories like this done a little differently. Charlie falls out with Sophie at one point (but only because he is angry about a setback in their mission), and he takes it out on her. He apologizes a couple of scenes later, and it’s forgotten about. They later agree they can’t be together and go their separate ways shortly before the end, not because of a falling out or a misunderstanding, but because Sophie is already engaged. There is a mad chase from Charlie towards the end, but upon seeing Sophie with her fiancé, Charlie decides he can’t do this. The other big selling point here is the stunning visuals of Italy, which cover almost the entire runtime outside of the first few minutes and about eight minutes near the end. (John Tillyard)
The Pitch Perfect movies are a pleasant surprise in the film universe. All three have amazing music, and are anchored by a dynamite cast of talented performers. One of the best recurring gags of the series is the riff-off, where the competing a cappella groups take turns singing about various topics and trying to one-up one another. Pitch Perfect set the stage with a short but sweet riff-off with a handful of categories that had great transitions between songs. The sequel ups the ante quite a bit by having a lot more groups compete against one another. This super riff-off has a category about songs from artists who dated John Mayer. The Bellas send Chloe (Brittney Snow) in to sing “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” and she absolutely crushes it. (Mike Hilty)
Do you have kids? Are you burnt out from constantly hearing the same movies on Disney+ (seriously, how many times can one kid watch Frozen before they Let it Go?)? Even if you only answered yes to one of those questions, I’ve got a recommendation… The Secret Life of Pets. I’m constantly looking at different options to slide into my kids’ predictable rotation of animated favorites, and this Illuminations offering fits the bill. The character designs are quirky, playing with proportions in fun ways (think absurdly tiny feet and exaggeratedly rotund bodies), and the animated style allows for a variety of texture, making the viewing experience visually interesting. It also has a fun and eclectic soundtrack, with songs from Taylor Swift, The Beastie Boys, Pharrell, Queen, System of a Down, and more, providing a welcome break from overly familiar Mouse House melodies. The story line is pretty simple. Max (Louis C.K.), a solitary Manhattan apartment dwelling doggo, is suddenly faced with sharing his life and owner, Katie (Ellie Kemper) when she brings home the oafish and oversized Duke (Eric Stonestreet) to keep him company. Unsurprisingly, hijinks ensue. While the voice cast is packed with notable comedians (Kevin Hart, Dana Carvey, Albert Brooks) adding offbeat laughs for the parents, there are ridiculous antics keeping the kiddos interested (mine love the adventure through a sausage factory). It’s silly without being stupid, the poop joke ratio is low, and Hart plays the perfect long-eared nemesis to the canine ne’er-do-wells. (Patrice Downing)
What is the most attractive part of the Sing franchise? They throw in plenty of big name songs to create a fun jukebox musical. What makes it even more fun? They are all performed by animals voiced by some of the most famous names in Hollywood. If you are going to have a bunch of songs that will grab people’s attention, you had better include the most popular artists in the world. You know… like Taylor Swift. They certainly learned that with Sing 2,with the addition of “Look What You Made Me Do.” Reese Witherspoon gets to flex with this hit song, along with all the other big name songs that fill out the film. This sequel takes the stage to a bigger place with a bigger cast, including Bono from U2. But the scale is not the only thing that gets bigger — the danger does as well, with some seedy antagonists putting on this big show. If you love cute animated animals singing some of your favorite famous songs, give Sing and its sequel some love. (Shane Conto)
You can be forgiven for thinking that just because Taylor Swift claimed the October Friday the 13th release date, that Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is the first spooky season-related film that might intrigue Swifties. However, you only have to take a short trip back to 2019 to find the actual answer to that. Say hello to (or hopefully revisit, because now is the perfect time!) the wonderful zombie horror comedy Lupita Nyong’o safely chaperoned us through: Little Monsters. Facing a zombie outbreak while chaperoning her kindergarten class on a field trip, Ms. Caroline (Nyong’o), armed only with her ukulele, must help her children survive the night, aided/hindered by only a screw-up parent-chaperone, and a kids show star clearly in his meltdown years played by Josh Gad, who brings some Death To Smoochy vibes delightfully. Why does that put this on a Taylor Swift film list you ask? The most entertaining part of all, because as the world crumbles around our protagonists, every traumatizing moment she must calm down her children, so Ms. Caroline seamlessly switches from zombie killing to… pulling out her ukulele and playing through her favorite Taylor Swift songs. That description barely even brushes the surface of the odd juxtapositions Little Monsters gives you that ultimately make for what has become one of my favorite horror/comedy staples every Halloween! (Matt Lawson)
I’ll admit it. As someone who was more into country when Taylor Swift came onto the music scene, I had my period of time where I was a Taylor hater who rolled their eyes at her music, before it inevitably wormed its way into my brain. I’m past that phase now, and I found Miss Americana to be an intriguing look into her reputation and how she deals with the pressure that comes with it. Like a lot of recent high-profile docs on major pop culture figures, it’s a lot about getting the subject’s perspective, but too often that’s blanketed as being a “bad” thing, and the projects are written off as nothing more than a publicity piece. That’s being a bit unfair. If you go in knowing the angle from which the story is being told and keep that in mind, you can still get something worthwhile out of it. Thankfully, this has something a little more to offer than just surface behind the scenes footage. In this instance, given how important songwriting is to her particular artistry (something she’s particularly aware of), getting to see Swift go through the process of writing and rehearsing songs like “Lover,” “Me,” and “Only the Young,” make the project worth it, despite its marketing aims. (Jake Bourgeois)
Unlike most entries in this BEC, “Safe & Sound” was written specifically for The Hunger Games. It is a chilling folk ballad. I wish Taylor Swift would do more music like this, but I can’t argue with cashing in on the pop route to become one of the most famous people in the world. I also wish the Civil Wars were still together. The folk duo which cowrote the song provides haunting harmonizing which perfectly fits the melancholy of the movie, and the lyrical tie-in fits perfectly with Katniss telling both Primrose and Rue that everything will be safe, while knowing it’s a lie. The Hunger Games is a rare case of the movie improving on the book as it cuts down some of the over-the-top content, while retaining the desolation of society, the helplessness of the situation and the brutality of the games. Jennifer Lawrence earned the bulk of her career off this impressive performance as Katniss, who sacrifices herself for her sister, before battling for her life and sparking a revolution. The action is intense and impactful, while always driving home the horror that it is happening to children. The movie could have easily devolved into gore for the sake of gore, but its greatest strength is driving home the heart of the message, while building character relationships. Outstanding acting and dynamic cinematography take the movie to another level. (Jason Mack)
Also See: Where the Crawdads Sing, Spirit Untamed, DC League of Super-Pets, How to Be Single