15 Best Films Of 2016 (So Far)
8. Sing Street
He may not be the best at complimenting former work partners, but there's no one like John Carney when it comes to working music into a movie. Sing Street has pre-existing songs, covers of pre-existing songs and original numbers inspired by pre-existing songs scattered throughout, some played in their entirety, others for mere seconds, and each one fits into his grounded take of 1980s Dublin, never veering into reality-busting jazz-hand musical. This is how a musical should be, with neither side overtaking the other - it's as effective as a drama as it is at getting your toes tapping.
The story of a teenager forming a band to get the girl is as old as music, yet it's presented like it's the first time the idea's happened; we're right in the character's shoes, and the added dynamic of a music video silences any cynics. It walks a wonderful melancholy line - as the film itself points out, it's "happy-sad" - encompassing both contextual financial troubles and general coming-of-age themes.
And the songs written for the film are just perfect, evoking the era's influences filtered through the eyes of a teenager and being all round listenable. In fact, I'm listening to them now.