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Song of the Day #6,423: ‘Dirty Work’ – Steely Dan


Continuing a look at my favorite movie music scenes of 2025…

Paul Thomas Anderson has always had a gift for the perfect needle drop, whether it’s the wall-to-wall 70s and 80s pop hits of Boogie Nights, Shelly Duvall’s plaintive ‘He Needs Me’ in Punch-Drunk Love, or Neil Young’s gorgeous ‘Journey Through the Past’ in Inherent Vice.

He does it again a few times in One Battle After Another but the one that sticks with me the most comes after the film’s extended prologue when we jump ahead 16 years.

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Song of the Day #6,422: ‘Where Have All the Flowers Gone?’ – Marlene Dietrich

Continuing a look at my favorite movie music scenes of 2025…

Yesterday’s scene came from the opening of its movie. Today’s is on the other end of the spectrum, landing right at the end. So please be warned that MASSIVE SPOILERS for the movie Bugonia are present after the jump. If you intend to see the film, and want to go in unspoiled, stop reading now.

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Song of the Day #6,421: ‘If You Leave Me Now (Live)’ – Chicago

Continuing a look at my favorite movie music scenes of 2025…

My next selection is quite different from yesterday’s Sinners extravaganza. This scene isn’t the centerpiece of its film. In fact, it’s the opening credits.

Writer/director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent is a political thriller set in 1970s Brazil. It follows political dissident Armando Solimões as he hides from the military dictatorship and seeks a way out of the country with his young son.

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Song of the Day #6,420: ‘I Lied to You’ – Miles Caton

We’ve arrived at my favorite season on the blog — my six-week dive into last year’s movies. While I’m a huge music fan, enough to write this blog for 17+ years, my true love is cinema.

Over the next month and a half I’ll tackle 2025’s movie slate from a few different angles. First, I’ll highlight some of my favorite musical moments onscreen, then I’ll name my personal nominees in the top awards categories, and finally I’ll dig into some of my favorite 2025 films and offer up my top ten list.

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