There is a lot that goes into a good movie. The plot, directing, acting and much more are important components, but something that gets overlooked sometimes is the soundtrack. While some movies seem to lack this element, others absolutely nail the music, and it makes the viewing experience that much better. With both the Oscars recently and the Grammy’s last weekend, there’s a lot of public acknowledgement of movie and music, but unfortunately the ways that they intersect often go unnoticed. So, without further ado, here are a few movies that do just that.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is a movie from 2013 about a Life Magazine employee with an active imagination and big dreams who goes on an adventure to find a photo for the front page of the final print issue of the magazine. In Walter’s daydreams, he is an awesome, slick hero, whereas in real life, he lives a mundane day-to-day life. When he finally gets to go on a real adventure, he finds he can be the guy who daydreams.

The soundtrack for this movie is exceptional. Consisting mostly of indie ballads, many by José González, every song fits perfectly. Listen to “The Wolves & The Ravens” by Rogue Valley and tell me it doesn’t make you feel a lot.

Fresh
“Fresh,” a Hulu film that was released last month, is a movie I physically cannot stop talking about. The film follows Noa, a young woman who is sick of the dating app scene. When she meets charming Steve naturally in a grocery store, he is too good to be true, and a horrifying secret of his is eventually revealed.

Aside from being an overall genius film, the soundtrack is so fun, and works so well in the film. “Fresh” has a wide array of genres of music throughout, from light French songs to mellow indie songs to funky 80’s-style music. Songs such as “Obsession” by Animotion and “Heads Will Roll” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs make the film both self-aware and fun, and the music makes a lot of the scenes that much more effective.

Mamma Mia & Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again
After trying very hard to not include musicals, I decided this doesn’t count because it is a jukebox musical. For those who may be unaware, “Mamma Mia” and “Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again” are musicals made up entirely of ABBA songs. The first film stars Amanda Seyfried as Sophie, a young woman about to get married who wants her father to walk her down the aisle. The only knowledge of her father comes from her mother Donna’s (Meryl Streep) journal, detailing the summer she got pregnant, but from one of three different guys. The second film follows young Donna (Lily James) during her eventful summer.

ABBA is a widely-loved band, and their music is so fun. The plot is these movies are built around the songs, so there is context for them in the movies. Overall, the films are a great time to watch, and the songs are fantastic.

Juno
Juno, starring Elliot Page, is a movie about a young, quirky girl named Juno who gets pregnant after sleeping with her friend Bleeker (Michael Cera). The film follows Juno as she decides what to do about her pregnancy, and is funny and emotional along the way.

The soundtrack for this movie is really unique. It features very folky songs, and the first song, “All I Want is You” by Barry Louis Polisar, sets the tone for the movie so well. It’s a fun soundtrack to listen to, and a good movie.