The Resident Bitch Prepares for... the Most Recent MoFo Countdown

[Miss Vicky]

The Resident Bitch Prepares For
The Most Recent MoFo Countdown

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoMovieGifs/uturn.gif

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INDEX:

1990s: (50 movies watched)
An Affair Of Love (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2529465#post2529465)
Arizona Dream (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2541563#post2541563)
Army of Darkness (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2531519#post2531519)
The Big Lebowski (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2527846#post2527846)
The Boondock Saints (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2519170#post2519170)
Citizen X (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2524889#post2524889)
Clay Pigeons (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2523329#post2523329)
Clean, Shaven (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2539008#post2539008)
Con Air (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2540963#post2540963)
Cutthroat Island (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2529860#post2529860)
Dances With Wolves (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2545264#post2545264)
Defending Your Life (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2537472#post2537472)
The Devil's Advocate (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2545171#post2545171)
Demolition Man (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2532186#post2532186)
Edward Scissorhands (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2542254#post2542254)
Election (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2536201#post2536201)
Encino Man (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2535728#post2535728)
Face/Off (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2545910#post2545910)
Heavenly Creatures (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2533445#post2533445)
Hide and Seek (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2535106#post2535106)
Interview With the Vampire (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2546754#post2546754)
Inventing the Abbotts (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2531918#post2531918)
The Last Boy Scout (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2533905#post2533905)
Lawn Dogs (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2527018#post2527018)
The Long Kiss Goodnight (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2516954#post2516954)
Misery (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2536788#post2536788)
The Mission (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2532026#post2532026)
Mystery, Alaska (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2528540#post2528540)
The Negotiator (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2535501#post2535501)
Noises Off (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2543470#post2543470)
Now and Then (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2524367#post2524367)
Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2525951#post2525951)
A Perfect World (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2544124#post2544124)
Philadelphia (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2544861#post2544861)
Point Break (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2539785#post2539785)
Pulp Fiction (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2523580#post2523580)
The Quick and the Dead (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2539276#post2539276)
The Ref (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2518894#post2518894)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2543268#post2543268)
Romper Stomper (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2535550#post2535550)
The Sandlot (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2543052#post2543052)
School Ties (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2545601#post2545601)
Se7en (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2543871#post2543871)
Sleepy Hollow (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2531080#post2531080)
Sommersby (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2534563#post2534563)
Truly Madly Deeply (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2528120#post2528120)
U Turn (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2546193#post2546193)
Untamed Heart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2541644#post2541644)
The War Zone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2530361#post2530361)
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2545091#post2545091)

Musicals/Music:

Across the Universe (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2469137#post2469137)
Aladdin (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2467921#post2467921)
Alice In Wonderland (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2468146#post2468146)
All Dogs Go To Heaven (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2478645#post2478645)
Almost Famous (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2480387#post2480387)
The American Astronaut (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2470223#post2470223)
An American Tail (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2470339#post2470339)
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2470357#post2470357)
Anastasia (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2480483#post2480483)
Anna and the Apocalypse (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2475509#post2475509)
The Aristocats (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465789#post2465789)
Begin Again (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2480788#post2480788)
Beyond the Sea (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2484477#post2484477)
Black Snake Moan (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2466867#post2466867)
The Bodyguard (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465759#post2465759)
Bohemian Rhapsody (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2480193#post2480193)
The Broken Circle Breakdown (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2478737#post2478737)
Cats Don't Dance (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2474318#post2474318)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2486143#post2486143)
Charlotte's Web (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2466891#post2466891)
Chicago (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2469358#post2469358)
Cinderella (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2468496#post2468496)
Coco (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2469409#post2469409)
The Commitments (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2472231#post2472231)
Corpse Bride (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2468783#post2468783)
Crazy Heart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2470799#post2470799)
Cry-Baby (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465761#post2465761)
Cyrano (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2487626#post2487626)
Dancer in the Dark (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2470462#post2470462)
Death To Smoochy (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2466662#post2466662)
Disenchanted (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2477263#post2477263)
The Doors (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2485915#post2485915)
Earth Girls Are Easy (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2467946#post2467946)
Enchanted (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2477025#post2477025)
Fame (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2485678#post2485678)
Follow That Bird (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465764#post2465764)
Forbidden Zone (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2475161#post2475161)
Frozen (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2485085#post2485085)
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2467732#post2467732)
Gay Purr-ee (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2482290#post2482290)
Grease (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2477520#post2477520)
Grease 2 (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2476972#post2476972)
The Greatest Showman (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2473778#post2473778)
Hair (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2472089#post2472089)
Hairspray (1988) (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2469028#post2469028)
Hairspray (2007) (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2470555#post2470555)
Happy Feet (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2484513#post2484513)
Hearts Beat Loud (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2487302#post2487302)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2488134#post2488134)
The Idolmaker (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2484685#post2484685)
In the Heights (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2472837#post2472837)
Joe's Apartment (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2489129#post2489129)
Joseph: King of Dreams (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2468128#post2468128)
The Jungle Book (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2469294#post2469294)
La La Land (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465763#post2465763)
Lady and the Tramp (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2469850#post2469850)
Leap of Faith (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2476830#post2476830)
Leo (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2473846#post2473846)
Les Misérables (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2467123#post2467123)
The Little Mermaid (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465760#post2465760)
Little Shop Of Horrors (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2466458#post2466458)
London Road (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2485677#post2485677)
Love & Mercy (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2486400#post2486400)
Mary Poppins (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2485976#post2485976)
Meet the Feebles (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2466970#post2466970)
A Mighty Wind (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2466979#post2466979)
Moana (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2470711#post2470711)
Mulan (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2482049#post2482049)
Muppet Treasure Island (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2466207#post2466207)
Newsies (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2475737#post2475737)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2475656#post2475656)
Oliver & Company (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465762#post2465762)
Once (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2477082#post2477082)
Pennies From Heaven (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2474910#post2474910)
Pete's Dragon (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2484806#post2484806)
Phantom of the Paradise (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2469181#post2469181)
Pinocchio (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2480175#post2480175)
The Princess and the Frog (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2486359#post2486359)
Pure Country (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2484349#post2484349)
Rent (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2469227#post2469227)
Repo! The Genetic Opera (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2466857#post2466857)
Robin Hood (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2472382#post2472382)
Robin Hood: Men In Tights (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2484830#post2484830)
Rocketman (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2478544#post2478544)
Saturday Night Special (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2479306#post2479306)
Sing (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2471819#post2471819)
Sing Street (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2470155#post2470155)
Singin' in the Rain (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2473701#post2473701)
Sleeping Beauty (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2481141#post2481141)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2484350#post2484350)
The Sound of Music (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2484468#post2484468)
Starstruck (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2467184#post2467184)
Stingray Sam (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2470268#post2470268)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465765#post2465765)
That Thing You Do! (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2473332#post2473332)
Thelma the Unicorn (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2473645#post2473645)
Thunder Alley (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2481311#post2481311)
tick, tick.... BOOM! (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2476672#post2476672)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2479946#post2479946)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2477204#post2477204)
Walk the Line (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2487831#post2487831)
A Week Away (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2477967#post2477967)
West Side Story (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2486068#post2486068)
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2486315#post2486315)
Winnie the Pooh (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2478505#post2478505)
Wish (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2477807#post2477807)
The Wizard of Oz (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2486115#post2486115)

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/bodyguard.gif

The Bodyguard
(Mick Jackson, 1992)

I loved this movie when I was a kid. I thought it was so romantic and that Kevin Costner was such a badass in it. Now that I’m an adult, I think the movie is stupid. Whitney Houston‘s character is such a bitch that it’s hard to buy that someone would fall in love with her. And Costner’s attempts at badassery just come off as amusing in the wrong way. Yet somehow I still love this movie. I will always love this movie…. stupid though it may be.

4

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/AnimationCountdown/Gifs/37thelittlemermaid.gif

The Little Mermaid
(Ron Clements and John Musker, 1989)

I shouldn't like this movie. A musical about a mermaid princess sure as shit should not appeal to me (and holy crap do they sing A LOT in this movie), but I was eight years old when it was released so it's got nostalgia on its side. It also benefits from my love of animation and the fact that at only 83 minutes, it doesn't last long enough to annoy me too much. I do have to admit it has a certain charm. Even with the nostalgia factor though, this has never really been a favorite. Eight year old me wasn't a fan of princesses or mermaids or musicals either, so this has always sort of existed as a movie that I kind of like.

Given my general opinion of musicals though, "kind of like" will probably be enough to secure it a spot on my ballot.

3

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/cry-baby.gif

Cry-Baby
(John Waters, 1990)

I have a rocky history with this movie and with John Waters movies in general. I liked Serial Mom a lot when I was a kid, but didn't care for it at all the last time I watched it. I thought Pecker was just okay and that Pink Flamingoes was absolute dog shit. As for Cry-Baby? I saw it a few times growing up and kind of liked it, but I hated it the last time I watched it (around 15 years ago).

It's been in my DVD collection for probably 20 years now so I figured I had nothing to lose by giving it another shot and... well, I guess I'm back to kind of liking it? As is typical of Waters, the movie is weird and stupid and trashy, but that weird, stupid trashiness has its charm and Johnny Depp looks pretty damn good in it so I was amused enough to not get too annoyed by the songs... this time, at least.

That said, I probably won't watch it again anytime in the next decade or so - but it just might sneak onto my ballot.

3

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/oliver.gif

Oliver & Company
(George Scribner, 1988)

I haven't seen this movie in a very long time, but I vaguely remembered liking it and I vaguely remembered it being a musical. After rewatching it this evening, I think it's fine. It's innocuous. The animals are cute. But it's not particularly memorable in its story or its characters. I didn't really feel anything for any of them, but I also was never bored.

As to the musical aspect, I just finished watching it and I'd already forgotten some of the songs even happened. I only remembered three songs in the whole thing (and really it's two songs because one is sung twice). It's only when I Googled the songs in the movie that I realized there were more - but really only a handful in total. Why the hell did Disney hire Billy Joel and Bette Midler if they're barely gonna sing? Also I can't believe I'm complaining about the lack of singing in a musical. :laugh:

Whatever. I didn't hate it but I'm probably not going to vote for it.

2.5

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/lala.gif

La La Land
(Damien Chazelle, 2016)

I hate musicals. Because I hate musicals, I didn't vote for musicals in the poll for the next countdown. Because I hate musicals, I told myself I wasn't going to do any first time watches in preparation for the musicals countdown. Because I hate musicals, I've intentionally avoided this movie for eight years. Yet somehow, against my better judgement and fully expecting to outright hate it, I watched La La Land today.

And having seen it, I can actually say that I didn't hate it. Not quite, but I definitely didn't like it either. The one thing that I ask of any movie is that it makes me give a shit and, until about the final quarter or so of its runtime, La La Land utterly failed to do that. I didn't find either Mia or Sebastian to be particularly likable or unlikable, they just kind of existed to me and anytime they broke out in song and dance I went from not caring to being annoyed. I don't know why the hell I even finished it since I wasn't under any obligation to, but I did eventually start to care towards the end of the movie. Though that tiny flicker of giving a shit was nearly extinguished by that final dance number and so here we are. I've seen the movie. It was okay-ish. But not okay enough to have any chance at my ballot.

2

[Miss Vicky]

99073

Follow That Bird
(Ken Kwapis, 1985)

As a 43 year old child-free woman who hates musicals, did I just watch a musical made for pre-schoolers? Why, yes. Yes I did. And tonight wasn't even my first time watching it as an adult. I picked it up from the local library on a whim back in 2015. I'd grown up watching it, but had forgotten about it by then and - as someone who is most definitely no longer in the target audience - I fully expected to hate it. But I didn't hate it. Not even close. I thought it was fun. It made me laugh. I even got a little misty-eyed a time or two. And most shocking of all was that I actually enjoyed the songs - most especially Oscar's "Grouch Anthem," which opens the movie.

So when this countdown was announced I decided it needed another viewing and I ordered it on DVD. Having just watched it again, nine years further into my adulthood, I liked it just as much if not more than I did last time. Except for a couple of scenes where it got a little sad, I watched it with a big grin on my face because sometimes I just need a little silliness and tonight was one of those nights.

Now, do I think this has any chance of making the countdown proper? Not at all, but that won't stop me from putting it on my ballot and probably somewhere in my top ten. Now that it's in my collection, I'll also be sure to revisit it again in the not too distant future. In the meantime, that "Grouch Anthem" is probably gonna be stuck in my head for awhile.

Grouches of the world unite!
Stand up for your grouchly rights!
Don't let the sunshine spoil your rain
Just stand up and complain
Let this be the grouches' cause:
Point out everybody's flaws!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u2KSBq7y-o

4

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/sweeney.gif

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
(Tim Burton, 2007)

I've been on the fence about rewatching this one. I'd seen it once back when it was new and I strongly remember absolutely hating the songs. But I do love Johnny Depp and that Tim Burton aesthetic so I thought... maybe it'll grow on me?

And I have to say that it did grow on me. I loved the look of the film. The costumes and sets are absolutely gorgeous. I also thought the casting and performances were really strong and the story kept me engaged. I have to admit that I actually genuinely enjoyed myself. I didn't love it, but I enjoyed it and that's kind of a hard thing for me to admit about a musical.

However, I still really hated those damn songs. Which then begs the question: Is it wrong to vote for a movie for a best musicals countdown if you hated the thing that makes it a musical? Probably, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

3.5

[Citizen Rules]

Have you seen Hairspray (1988) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095270/) I wasn't sure I'd like it but I really enjoyed it. The 2007 remake with John Travolta is fun too but not as good as the original.

[Miss Vicky]

Have you seen Hairspray (1988) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095270/) I wasn't sure I'd like it but I really enjoyed it. The 2007 remake with John Travolta is fun too but not as good as the original.

I haven't. Between it being a musical and it being John Waters I've kind of intentionally avoided it. I might give it a shot, but we'll see.

[Citizen Rules]

I haven't. Between it being a musical and it being John Waters I've kind of intentionally avoided it. I might give it a shot, but we'll see.Yeah that was like me I though John Waters no way! But it's like John Waters extra light. At least the songs are rock/pop songs for the most part.

[ActionRocks]

It seems nobody on this forum acknowledges the masterpiece known as LazyTown and the two plays recorded in 1997 and 2000.. but it's worth a try. Afram Latibær is a 1996 Icelandic stageplay which was first performed in Dec. 1995 with a script and characters by aerobics champion Magnus Scheving, based off his book 'Afram Latibær!'.

The play follows LazyTown (Latabæ), as all the residents do barely nothing at all, and each have their own problems. Baejarstottin (Mayor Milford Meanswell) is the man that longs for this to change, trying to promote the Iprottadagur (Sportsday) to the town, hoping they'll join in and they never do. In comes Ipprotaalfurrin, who teaches all the kids the right way to do things they're doing right now. There is no villian other then the two residents from the other town who try to steal the Iprottadagur trophy. The play's recorded version has the actual play surrounded by colorful borders, which are a bit childish.

We then have the more-liked 2000 sequel, Glanni Glaepur i Latabæ (Robbie Rotten Comes to LazyTown), based off Latibaer i Vandreum (LazyTown in Trouble), the 1997 book written by Magnus Scheving. The play has the same characters, except they look more like their TV show counterparts. A few characters are removed, and Jives is re-written from the skinny guy who only eats cereal to the totally hip rad dude yo1!!!!!111 There is of course, a new addition - Robbie Rotten (Glanni Glaepur), Glaumbæjargengið (three thieves that Glanni hires) and Hannin (the commenting, lazy rooster).

Anyways, unlike most of the musicals you're watching which are supposed to entertain and only, these two plays have so much lessons I can't name them all. It's attempting to tackle obesity and lazy children. One of the second play's songs, Life'll Be So Easy has a good moral despite being the villian's deceiving song - even if things go wrong, we're always gonna help each other out.


As I've mentioned, the plays morphed into the 2002 LazyTown pilot to pitch the show to Viacom, then the actual show, then the spinoff, then the other spinoff, then the other other spinoff, then two more seasons of the show.
Now some snippets from the official LazyTown Entertainment website in 2003:

https://lazytown2003.lazytown.eu/media/content/products/products/products/cd/cds.jpg

Robbie Rotten Comes to Town
was on the Icelandic Top 40, ahead of both Andrea Bocelli and Tom Jones...


Go! Go LazyTown!
features a karaoke part where children can sing and participate in their favorite part of the show.

Video-taped performances of the plays Go! Go LazyTown! and Robbie Rotten Comes to Town were edited and packaged for retail release. Both tapes made the domestic top-10 list and were sellouts.
https://lazytown2003.lazytown.eu/media/content/products/products/products/video/1.jpg

https://lazytown2003.lazytown.eu/media/content/products/products/products/video/2.gif
https://lazytown2003.lazytown.eu/media/content/products/products/products/theater/1.jpg


https://lazytown2003.lazytown.eu/media/content/products/products/products/theater/gogolazytown.jpg

Go! Go LazyTown!, musical theater for children, was the most popular play of the 1996-97 season (including both private and national theaters). More than 69% of the relevant target group saw the play.
https://lazytown2003.lazytown.eu/media/content/products/products/products/theater/2.jpg https://lazytown2003.lazytown.eu/media/content/products/products/products/theater/robbierotten.jpg Robbie Rotten comes to Town, musical theater for children, was produced at the Icelandic National Theater. It was the most popular play of the 1999- 2000 season (including both private and national theaters) with 76% of the relevant target group seeing the play.

https://lazytown2003.lazytown.eu/media/content/products/products/products/theater/3.jpg


https://lazytown2003.lazytown.eu/media/content/products/products/products/theater/4.jpgIf anyone is even a tiny bit interested by all my yapping, I'll send you a link to the highest quality DVD rips I can find of the play, with subtitles.

[ActionRocks]

In case nobody knows the REAL SHOW that is LazyTown and only the memes, these screenshots may remind you.
https://wiki.lazytown.eu/images/e/ed/Mine_Song.png


https://wiki.lazytown.eu/images/1/18/VillianNumberOne.png


https://wiki.lazytown.eu/images/0/0d/You_are_a_Pirate.png

[SpelingError]

Vicky, you should watch The Music Man next. I'm sure you'll love it!

[Miss Vicky]

Vicky, you should watch The Music Man next. I'm sure you'll love it!

Oh yes, that one looks just WONDERFUL! Surely it'll be a lock for my ballot!

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/aristorac.gif

The Aristocats
(Wolfgang Reitherman, 1970)

It's been awhile since I last watched this movie and I've come away from this rewatch with some really mixed feelings. On the one hand, there was a lot to like. The animation looks very good. The characters are mostly cute and fun and the songs, while sparse, are catchy. There's just one big problem: Racism. Disney, Reitherman, and company just couldn't resist giving that damn Siamese cat every Asian stereotype possible. It usually takes a lot for a movie to offend me, but I physically cringed whenever that damn thing was on the screen and it really took away from my otherwise positive feelings about the movie.

We'll see how the rest of my planned rewatches (and any first time watches) go, but I don't think this one's going to make the cut.

3.0

[Miss Vicky]

LazyTown (Latabæ)

Sorry, but this looks absolutely dreadful. I think I'll pass.

[ActionRocks]

Sorry, but this looks absolutely dreadful. I think I'll pass.
Ah, yes, a play that inspired one of the most well performing TV shows ever that changed millions of lifestyles, making them healthier, is 'dreadful'. :rolleyes:



I guess none of you will ever watch an Icelandic musical, and for that I pity you.

[ActionRocks]

Sorry, but this looks absolutely dreadful. I think I'll pass.
As to this comment, I see where you get that from - mostly the goofy look of the 1996 play, but I guarantee you the sequel is MUCH better and less childish.

[Miss Vicky]

Ah, yes, a play that inspired one of the most well performing TV shows ever that changed millions of lifestyles, making them healthier, is 'dreadful'. :rolleyes:



I guess none of you will ever watch an Icelandic musical, and for that I pity you.

I hate musicals and those characters/puppets you posted look creepy. I really couldn't care less how "well performing" any television show is, either, since television has absolutely nothing to do with the countdown and I watch very little TV anyway.

Also, what you described sounds like it's not even really a movie, but rather just a recording of a stage play and I'm not at all interested in watching any plays. I doubt they’re even eligible for the countdown anyway. A stage production that’s been recorded does not equal a movie musical.

[ActionRocks]

I hate musicals and those characters/puppets you posted look creepy. I really couldn't care less how "well performing" any television show is, either, since television has absolutely nothing to do with the countdown and I watch very little TV anyway.

Also, what you described sounds like it's not even really a movie, but rather just a recording of a stage play and I'm not at all interested in watching any plays. I doubt they’re even eligible for the countdown anyway. A stage production that’s been recorded does not equal a movie musical.




k

[honeykid]

Lazy Town was soooo annoying. I had to watch so much of that when my niece was little. Also, Robbie Rotten looks like Stephen Mulhern and that annoys me even more. :D

[Miss Vicky]

Lazy Town was soooo annoying. I had to watch so much of that when my niece was little.

My condolences.

[Holden Pike]

Have you seen any of these movies about fictional bands: The Commitments (1991), That Thing You Do! (1995), or Sing Street (2016)?

[FilmBuff]

Have you seen any of these movies about fictional bands: The Commitments (1991), That Thing You Do! (1995), or Sing Street (2016)?

Those fictional bands have nothing on Spinal Tap and the Leningrad Cowboys!

[Miss Vicky]

Here's a song from a musical.

If you like it, you may like musicals.

If you don't like it, you will never like musicals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRUU-dX_uUo

I watched Cabaret in the lead up to the 70s Countdown. I didn't like it and have no desire to see it again. And yes, I don't like musicals.

Have you seen any of these movies about fictional bands: The Commitments (1991), That Thing You Do! (1995), or Sing Street (2016)?

I've seen That Thing You Do! and vaguely remember liking it. I may watch it again. I'll have to look into the others.

Those fictional bands have nothing on Spinal Tap and the Leningrad Cowboys!

I've seen This Is Spinal Tap twice, didn't like it either time.

[FilmBuff]

I think the joke went over Miss Vicky's head... :p

[Citizen Rules]

Miss Vicky have you seen Grease 2 (1982)? It's songs are mostly 80s rock/pop sounding. An example is this song from the movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk3IpNbltyw

[Miss Vicky]

Miss Vicky have you seen Grease 2 (1982)? It's songs are mostly 80s rock/pop sounding. An example is this song from the movie.

No, but I hated the original Grease so I think I'll pass on the sequel.

[Citizen Rules]

No, but I hated the original Grease so I think I'll pass on the sequel.OK. Funny thing is almost everyone who likes Grease hates Grease 2. The only other musical I can think of that you might watch, but I'm not sure, is Earth Girls Are Easy. Did you ever see that?

[Thursday Next]

I remember being on the fence about Sweeney Todd but I've since seen the stage musical and liked that so I should probably give it another go.

[Miss Vicky]

OK. Funny thing is almost everyone who likes Grease hates Grease 2. The only other musical I can think of that you might watch, but I'm not sure, is Earth Girls Are Easy. Did you ever see that?

I don't think I've seen Earth Girls Are Easy. I'm not looking to do many first time watches though, so I may not get to it.

[cricket]

I give you a lot of credit for doing this.

I've got Sweeney Todd on my watchlist, not that I have high hopes.

[cricket]

You might like The Lure a bit, not sure. It'll probably make my ballot. Just figuring that you won't like most traditional musicals, much like myself.

[Miss Vicky]

You might like The Lure a bit, not sure. It'll probably make my ballot. Just figuring that you won't like most traditional musicals, much like myself.

I've actually seen that and didn't care for it.

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/2010s/lure.gif

The Lure (Córki dancingu) (Agnieszka Smoczynska, 2015)

I fully expected to hate everything about this fantasy-horror-musical. To say that those three genres are not my favorite is a bit of an understatement. As it turned out, I didn’t hate everything about it but my prediction wasn’t too far off from the truth. It had some cool visuals and it kept me at least mildly entertained for a little while. However, the musical and fantasy elements quickly began to wear on my nerves and by the time the sisters started growling at each other I had mentally checked out.

Not terrible by any means but definitely not my kind of movie.

2.5

[beelzebubble]

OK. Funny thing is almost everyone who likes Grease hates Grease 2. The only other musical I can think of that you might watch, but I'm not sure, is Earth Girls Are Easy. Did you ever see that?
Earth Girls Are Easy is not a musical. It's a comedy.

[Miss Vicky]

Earth Girls Are Easy is not a musical. It's a comedy.

IMDb lists it as Comedy, Musical, Romance, and Sci-Fi.

[ActionRocks]

Lazy Town was soooo annoying. I had to watch so much of that when my niece was little. Also, Robbie Rotten looks like Stephen Mulhern and that annoys me even more. :D




*sigh* I'm better off at GetLazy.. no-one appreciates the impact LazyTown has had on children and even adults here...

[ActionRocks]

[quote=honeykid;2465834 Also, Robbie Rotten looks like Stephen Mulhern and that annoys me even more. :D[/quote]


I do not see where you get that from at all..

[Miss Vicky]

*sigh* I'm better off at GetLazy.. no-one appreciates the impact LazyTown has had on children and even adults here...

Stop spamming my thread with LazyTown posts. Nobody's interested.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

This past December the Criterion Channel was featuring MGM musicals and had two excellent Gene Kelly and Judy Garland musicals - The Pirate (1948, Vincente Minnelli) and Summer Stock (1950, Charles Walters). Both of those films were excellent and well worth watching and are less viewed than some of Gene Kelly and Judy Garland's better known films. Both are a pure joy to watch.

http://cdn2.highdefdigest.com/media/2020/11/25/660/99766/The-Pirate-Judy-Garland-Gene-Kelly-12.jpg

https://www.highdefdigest.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/summer-stock.jpg

[Miss Vicky]

This past December the Criterion Channel was featuring MGM musicals and had two excellent Gene Kelly and Judy Garland musicals - The Pirate (1948, Vincente Minnelli) and Summer Stock (1950, Charles Walters). Both of those films were excellent and well worth watching and are less viewed that some of Gene Kelly and Judy Garland's better known films. Both are a pure joy to watch.


While I appreciate the suggestion, I’m going to pass. I very seriously doubt that I would find either of those to be “a pure joy to watch.”

[FilmBuff]

While I appreciate the suggestion, I’m going to pass. I very seriously doubt that I would find either of those to be “a pure joy to watch.”

What criteria are you using to figure out what you'd like to watch?

[FilmBuff]

This past December the Criterion Channel was featuring MGM musicals and had two excellent Gene Kelly and Judy Garland musicals - The Pirate (1948, Vincente Minnelli) and Summer Stock (1950, Charles Walters). Both of those films were excellent and well worth watching and are less viewed that some of Gene Kelly and Judy Garland's better known films. Both are a pure joy to watch.

http://cdn2.highdefdigest.com/media/2020/11/25/660/99766/The-Pirate-Judy-Garland-Gene-Kelly-12.jpg

https://www.highdefdigest.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/summer-stock.jpg

I agree those are absolutely gorgeous movies!

It's a shame they couldn't program Minnelli's Yolanda and the Thief

[Miss Vicky]

What criteria are you using to figure out what you'd like to watch?

Basically just gut feeling.

But a good rule to follow for this particular countdown is that if a movie is not animated and it’s older than I am, I’m probably not going to watch it.

[rauldc14]

Basically just gut feeling.

But a good rule to follow for this particular countdown is that if a movie is not animated and it’s older than I am, I’m probably not going to watch it.

And you're only as old as you feel

[Miss Vicky]

And you're only as old as you feel
Well I feel ancient but I’m still not gonna watch musicals from the 40s and 50s. :lol:

[FilmBuff]

Too bad, those are the best musicals ever.

[rauldc14]

We need you to come up with some sort of musical instrument for this countdown equivalent to SCs gong.

[Miss Vicky]

Too bad, those are the best musicals ever.

According to your tastes, sure.

But that's not what this thread is about. According to my tastes, the best musical ever was released in 2001, not that there's a lot of competition for that title since I hate musicals.

[FilmBuff]

According to your tastes, sure.

Just to clarify, that's NOT what the limits of my taste in musicals are, not by a long shot.

But the musicals of the 40s and 50s are widely considered by film historians to be the very best ones.

I get that they're not your cup of tea, and I'm happy that there are at least some musicals that you DO enjoy - it's still better than nothing!

[Miss Vicky]

But the musicals of the 40s and 50s are widely considered by film historians to be the very best ones.

I really couldn't care less what film historians consider to be the best of anything. :shrug:

[FilmBuff]

I really couldn't care less what film historians consider to be the best of anything. :shrug:

I don't care if you care.

You did ask for recommendations, though.

[Miss Vicky]

You did ask for recommendations, though.

Did I? I think you and I have different definitions of the word "ask."

If you have recommendations for me, you can post them here but I make no promises about watching them - especially musicals.

[FilmBuff]

Asking that people post them here if they have any to offer isn't really asking. Got it. :rolleyes:

[Miss Vicky]

Asking that people post them here if they have any to offer isn't really asking. Got it. :rolleyes:

I didn't ask for anything, I gave permission.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

While I appreciate the suggestion, I’m going to pass. I very seriously doubt that I would find either of those to be “a pure joy to watch.”

I would say of those two (The Pirate and Summer Stock), The Pirate is more entertaining and might be better for someone who doesn't enjoy musicals. The "Nina" number is excellent and sooo delightfully scoundrel-ly and devilish, the "Be a Clown" number is just spectacular with the Nicholas Brothers, the "Mack the Black" number with Judy Garland is endlessly catchy and mesmerizing, oh and The Pirate ballet is probably Gene Kelly at his most athletic and insanely creative.

The Pirate is a silly almost parody of musicals in general and also of the Erol Flynn swashbuckling films of the prior decade to its release. The Pirate is tongue and cheek and probably every bit as "fun" if not moreso than Singin' in the Rain. It also moves at an insane breakneck pace and is entirely a kinetic push constant forward moving film. I absolutely love it and yes, spoiler alert... it's in my top 10 of the upcoming MoFo musical lists.

I'd give The Pirate a try if you can dig it up. I have no clue why it isn't more universally loved and treasured. The colors pop off the screen and the direction is great with Vincente Minnelli at the helm. I imagine it might not be taken as seriously as something like Singin' in the Rain or An American in Paris because it is a silly romp and slapstick and deals with... wait for it... pirates, so because of its subject matter it may not be seen as high brow for serious critics, but it's as well crafted as any musical ever made while charmingly poking fun of multiple film genres and conventions. I'd watch it, but it's your choice and your loss if you don't. But it's a film that is well alive in my mind and soul.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTc5NDIwY2EtZWNkYy00YTRmLTgyMTItZGZmZTNiNmU1Yjc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI1NjkyMTY5._V1_.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/VgiX0UBOOhXm9lmv49GKviWOh7RTi4MlokzS6dM2fBzUbcTjL-DQ7DDjFfCiSnR_a8FwSKCaPjO31e7fYCAvTr5Z-i-bATl6UejbehirHmW4iOOMyvnJwkxIiGgGdolO5IvpTjAo5uac7zSg9D_p4TA65B88KkQc5DqGTxo

https://www.highdefdigest.com/uploads/jb/The-Pirate-Judy-Garland-Gene-Kelly.jpg

https://www.moma.org/d/assets/W1siZiIsIjIwMTUvMTAvMjIvN3Z1cDd1ZnRmb18xMjI5NjIuanBnIl0sWyJwIiwiY29udmVydCIsIi1xdWFsaXR5IDkwIC1yZXNp emUgNzc1eDUyNV4gLWdyYXZpdHkgQ2VudGVyIC1jcm9wIDc3NXg1MjUrMCswIl1d/122962.jpg?sha=456a607158c7fcd4

[FilmBuff]

I didn't ask for anything, I gave permission.

You indicated a preference for how any recommendations be made - clearly you didn't want people to post it elsewhere, to PM you or send you a homing pigeon. When someone says "please do it in here, not some other way," that amounts to asking for something.

Can we get back on topic now? Thanks!

[iluv2viddyfilms]

But the musicals of the 40s and 50s are widely considered by film historians to be the very best ones.


Also considered to be true by iluv2viddyfilms !!

[FilmBuff]

I would say of those two, The Pirate is more entertaining and might be better for someone who doesn't enjoy musicals. The "Nina" number is excellent and sooo delightfully scoundrel, the "Be a Clown" number is just spectacular with the Nicholas Brothers, the "Mack the Black" number with Judy Garland is endlessly catchy and mesmerizing, oh snd The Pirate ballet is probably Gene Kelly and his most athletic and insanely creative.

The Pirate is a silly almost parody of musicals in general and also of the Erol Flynn swashbuckling films of the prior decade to its release. The Pirate is tongue and cheek and probably every bit as "fun" if not moreso than Singin' in the Rain. It also moves at an insane breakneck pace and is entirely a kinetic push forward film. I absolutely love it and yes, spoiler alert... it's in my top 10 of the upcoming MoFo musical lists.

I'd give The Pirate a try if you can dig it up. I have no clue why it isn't more universally loved and treasured. The colors pop off the screen and the direction is great with Vincente Minnelli at the helm. I imagine it might not be taken as seriously as something like Singin' in the Rain or An American in Paris because it is a silly romp and slapstick and deals with... wait for it... pirates, so because of its subject matter it may not be seen as high brow for serious critics, but it's as well crafted as any musical ever made while charmingly poking fun of multiple film genres and conventions. I'd watch it, but it's your choice and your loss if you don't. But it's a film that is well alive in my mind and soul.

I couldn't agree with you more completely, it is a very underrated musical for sure!

[Citizen Rules]

Miss Vicky you've probably already seen Chicago (2002) but I didn't see it mentioned here on your thread.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Oh and yeah... the fact that Gene Kelly invented kissing with a cigarette in your mouth and also pole dancing... all within one philandering musical number, gives The Pirate soo much more clout!

Really though, who doesn't love Gene Kelly? Even the most curmudgeonly, cantankerous, and grumpy people haters love Gene Kelly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQQSbrMuPmM

[Miss Vicky]

I would say of those two (The Pirate and Summer Stock), The Pirate is more entertaining and might be better for someone who doesn't enjoy musicals.

Sorry, but I'm still not interested.

When someone says "please do it in here, not some other way," that amounts to asking for something.

Except that's not what I actually said and you missed the point of what I said. I don't care what method people use to give me recommendations. They can write it on a paper airplane and try to throw it in my general direction for all I care. My point was to not expect me to actually watch everything that gets recommended.

Miss Vicky you've probably already seen Chicago (2002) but I didn't see it mentioned here on your thread.

I've seen it a few times and actually own it on DVD. I've liked it in the past but it's been a long time so it's on my list to rewatch.

[FilmBuff]

My point was to not expect me to actually watch everything that gets recommended.

And that's a fair enough point, except I don't see anyone here acting as though you should do that.

[Miss Vicky]

And that's a fair enough point, except I don't see anyone here acting as though you should do that.

Really? You don't see anyone continuing to post in this thread about movies that I've already stated I don't want to watch? Because I do.

[SpelingError]

Ah, another senseless argument about semantics. My favorite!

[FilmBuff]

Ah, another senseless argument about semantics. My favorite!

Someone should write a musical about semantics, I'll bet Miss Vicky would love it! ;)

[cricket]

Have you seen Repo The Genetic Opera? I have it on my watchlist, looks like a very non traditional musical.

[Miss Vicky]

Have you seen Repo The Genetic Opera? I have it on my watchlist, looks like a very non traditional musical.

I haven't, I may give it a try.

[Miss Vicky]

I've edited the opening post, since apparently it wasn't clear enough before.

[cricket]

I've edited the opening post, since apparently it wasn't clear enough before.

Having folks try to recommend you classic musicals has had me dying

[beelzebubble]

IMDb lists it as Comedy, Musical, Romance, and Sci-Fi.
That's weird. I do not remember any musical numbers in that movie.

[Miss Vicky]

Having folks try to recommend you classic musicals has had me dying

I swear, some people just can't take a hint.

Also I've edited the opening post again with further clarification. :laugh:

[FilmBuff]

Have you watched Chess?

[Miss Vicky]

Have you watched Chess?

I don't think I've ever even heard of it. Also there are a lot of results for "Chess" when I search IMDb so you might want to be more specific.

[FilmBuff]

Here's a trailer for it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lddMjq_bgg

[Miss Vicky]

Here's a trailer for it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lddMjq_bgg

That’s not a movie.

[FilmBuff]

That’s not a movie.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. I looked at the updated OP:

Also: If a musical that you like is not animated and was released before the 1980s, you probably shouldn't bother suggesting it to me because I'm probably not going to watch it.


That says "a musical," which Chess definitely is.

If you want a good post-1980 musical, then it certainly is. One of the songs was a huge hit when it came out.

But..... if you ALSO want to limit yourself to movies that got a theatrical release... Have you watched Steven Spielberg's West Side Story?

[Miss Vicky]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. I looked at the updated OP:

That says "a musical," which Chess definitely is.

If you want a good post-1980s musical, then it certainly is. One of the songs was a huge hit when it came out.


:facepalm:

The countdown and this thread are for MOVIES. A recorded stage production is NOT a movie.

Edited the OP again.

[FilmBuff]

A recorded stage production is NOT a movie.

That actually depends on who you ask. The filmed version of Hamilton received two Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical).

So, before you say "I don't care about the Golden Globes..." - I am not asking you to care.

I am simply pointing out that it's a blurry line in terms of what is worth considering a movie or not. If you want to fall in with those who feel otherwise, that's fine, I don't care.

So what about Spielberg's WWS?

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDU1YjI2NzUtZWIxMC00NDVkLWFkZjgtMjkzYzNkN2Q0MzM4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODIyOTEyMzY@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

[rauldc14]

What's WWS? :)

[FilmBuff]

What's WWS? :)

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDU1YjI2NzUtZWIxMC00NDVkLWFkZjgtMjkzYzNkN2Q0MzM4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODIyOTEyMzY@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.j pg

[rauldc14]

WSS...

And yes, it's quite good.

[Miss Vicky]

I highly recommend this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk

One of the greatest films in the history of cinema.

And a musical to boot! :eek:

Seen it. Hated it.

[Miss Vicky]

That actually depends on who you ask. The filmed version of Hamilton received two Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical).

I’m asking me and I say it’s not a movie. I’m not watching Hamilton either.

So what about Spielberg's WSS?

Haven’t seen it and can’t say I have any desire to. The rantings of a certain MoFo Wacko (https://www.movieforums.com/community/member.php?u=46730&tab=favorites) have given me negative associations with it that go beyond it just being a musical.

[Wyldesyde19]

Without even clicking the link to the identity of the wacko, I already know whom she refers to.

I remember him going full tilt over the recent remake

[crumbsroom]

I would say of those two (The Pirate and Summer Stock), The Pirate is more entertaining and might be better for someone who doesn't enjoy musicals. The "Nina" number is excellent and sooo delightfully scoundrel-ly and devilish, the "Be a Clown" number is just spectacular with the Nicholas Brothers, the "Mack the Black" number with Judy Garland is endlessly catchy and mesmerizing, oh and The Pirate ballet is probably Gene Kelly at his most athletic and insanely creative.

The Pirate is a silly almost parody of musicals in general and also of the Erol Flynn swashbuckling films of the prior decade to its release. The Pirate is tongue and cheek and probably every bit as "fun" if not moreso than Singin' in the Rain. It also moves at an insane breakneck pace and is entirely a kinetic push constant forward moving film. I absolutely love it and yes, spoiler alert... it's in my top 10 of the upcoming MoFo musical lists.

I'd give The Pirate a try if you can dig it up. I have no clue why it isn't more universally loved and treasured. The colors pop off the screen and the direction is great with Vincente Minnelli at the helm. I imagine it might not be taken as seriously as something like Singin' in the Rain or An American in Paris because it is a silly romp and slapstick and deals with... wait for it... pirates, so because of its subject matter it may not be seen as high brow for serious critics, but it's as well crafted as any musical ever made while charmingly poking fun of multiple film genres and conventions. I'd watch it, but it's your choice and your loss if you don't. But it's a film that is well alive in my mind and soul.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTc5NDIwY2EtZWNkYy00YTRmLTgyMTItZGZmZTNiNmU1Yjc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI1NjkyMTY5._V1_.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/VgiX0UBOOhXm9lmv49GKviWOh7RTi4MlokzS6dM2fBzUbcTjL-DQ7DDjFfCiSnR_a8FwSKCaPjO31e7fYCAvTr5Z-i-bATl6UejbehirHmW4iOOMyvnJwkxIiGgGdolO5IvpTjAo5uac7zSg9D_p4TA65B88KkQc5DqGTxo

https://www.highdefdigest.com/uploads/jb/The-Pirate-Judy-Garland-Gene-Kelly.jpg

https://www.moma.org/d/assets/W1siZiIsIjIwMTUvMTAvMjIvN3Z1cDd1ZnRmb18xMjI5NjIuanBnIl0sWyJwIiwiY29udmVydCIsIi1xdWFsaXR5IDkwIC1yZXNp emUgNzc1eDUyNV4gLWdyYXZpdHkgQ2VudGVyIC1jcm9wIDc3NXg1MjUrMCswIl1d/122962.jpg?sha=456a607158c7fcd4


You made me want to see it.

[Miss Vicky]

And now back to what this thread is actually about (which is, you know, movies that I am watching for this countdown)... :rolleyes:

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/muppetti.gif

Muppet Treasure Island
(Brian Hensen, 1996)

My best friend is absolutely obsessed with pirates and, despite hating musicals even more than I do, Muppet Treasure Island has long been one of her favorite movies. Because of this, I have long been familiar with the music from this movie (I made the mistake of buying her the soundtrack CD as a Christmas gift and was subsequently subjected to it for years every time I rode in her car) but I'd never actually seen the movie. I decided to remedy that tonight.

And now that I've seen it... as kid's fare goes it's not bad. I really liked the rats (as I tend to do). Tim Curry was very good in it (as Tim Curry tends to be). The antics of its characters made me chuckle a surprising number of times and - as long as that damn kid wasn't singing - I didn't mind the songs. All in all, it's mildly amusing though I don't know if that will be enough for it to snag a spot on my ballot. Either way I think I'll stick with Follow That Bird if I'm wanting a Muppet fix in the future.

3.0

[FilmBuff]

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/movie/movie_poster/8-women-2002/large_1vn872hIJDknjWTc8vVhxIS0Mjc.jpg

8 Femmes is probably one of the very best musicals of the 21st century

[Miss Vicky]

:eek:

I thought you liked animated movies made in the CGI era?

It's almost universally considered a masterpiece, so I'm a bit taken aback, but I'm completely hooked on this topic now, so will stick around.

I LOVE animated movies (CG, traditional, stop motion - love it all) but that doesn't mean that I love all animated movies. I don't typically like princess movies and I don't typically like musicals, even animated ones. Even as a little girl I wasn't into princesses. I found this particular animated princess musical really annoying. The situation was not at all helped by the fact that one of my friends who I see frequently has children who were absolutely OBSESSED with Frozen back in the day and would belt out "Let It Go" ad nauseum in their horrible little kid voices.

https://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/movie/movie_poster/8-women-2002/large_1vn872hIJDknjWTc8vVhxIS0Mjc.jpg

8 Femmes is probably one of the very best musicals of the 21st century

:laugh:

You're fairly new here and in the last several months I haven't been nearly as active on this forum as I once was and we haven't had a lot of (any?) interaction prior to today. So I can understand having trouble finding a movie that might interest me (nevermind finding one that I might actually like, even MoFos who've known me for many years have a lot of trouble with that) so I won't hold this mistake against you, but a movie called 8 Femmes is not one that's likely going to appeal to me. I generally avoid any movie that appears to be what I would call "estrogen soaked" so I think I'll pass on this one.

[Miss Vicky]

You like Tim Curry?

I mean, I wouldn't call myself a fan but I've enjoyed the performances I've seen from him.

Have you seen Legend? It's wonderfully horrible in ever so many delightfully terrible ways! :)

That's also one of my best friend's favorite movies, but I really dislike heavy fantasy so I've avoided it.

Also, Rocky Horror? It's a musical, but has Tim Curry in it. :cool:

Yes, I've seen it. I saw it once when I was a teenager and watched it again in the lead up to the 70s Countdown. I think I even voted for it that time, but then I dislike most 70s movies I've seen so trying to get to 25 movies took some stretching. Anyway, I thought Curry's performance in it was phenomenal, but didn't really like anything else about it. I have no plans to rewatch it again or to vote for it this time.

[FilmBuff]

http://www.moviesmacktalk.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/url19.jpeg

What about the most recent version of Annie? Everybody loves Annie!! :D

[Miss Vicky]

What about the most recent version of Annie? Everybody loves Annie!! :D

:skeptical:

No.

I haven't seen it, but no. Just no. I'm not watching that.

[FilmBuff]

Have you watched Matilda?

http://www.movies.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Matilda-Main-Poster-692x1024.jpg

[Wyldesyde19]

Ooh! I wanna play along too!
How about Once?
Belle of the Yukon?
Paint Your Wagon?

Welcome back Miss V.

[Miss Vicky]

Have you watched Matilda?

No, and I’m not going to.

Here’s a hint:
…one of my friends who I see frequently has children who were absolutely OBSESSED with Frozen back in the day and would belt out "Let It Go" ad nauseum in their horrible little kid voices.

…and - as long as that damn kid wasn't singing - I didn't mind the songs.

[Miss Vicky]

Paint Your Wagon?


I know you’re kidding but I think I’d rather take a bullet to the head than watch that.

[iluv2viddyfilms]

I know you’re kidding but I think I’d rather take a bullet to the head than watch that.

Paint Your Wagon is actually in my top 25. It's genuinely funny and I enjoy this comedic turn of Lee Marvin, even more than his Oscar winning Cat Ballou. His "Wanderin' Star" number is both heartbreaking and great with all the imperfections of Lee Marvin singing and not bring dubbed over. Oh and of course it has Jean Seberg in it, with a role and performance that she genuinely seems happy and comfortable within.

[Miss Vicky]

Paint Your Wagon is actually in my top 25. It's genuinely funny.

I'll take your word for it, still not watching it.

[honeykid]

Paint Your Wagon is a Western Musical. You can only guess how hideous it is, MV,

My mum had the soundtrack. That's right. Pity me. :( :D

I would recommend giving Repo! a go. I certainly wouldn't say you'll love it, but I do think it's something wihich has a better chance than many others.

[FilmBuff]

Miss V, have you already watched Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour?

[Miss Vicky]

Miss V, have you already watched Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour?

I hate Taylor Swift and concerts are not eligible anyway. Also not a movie.

[Miss Vicky]

Paint Your Wagon is a Western Musical. You can only guess how hideous it is, MV,

My mum had the soundtrack. That's right. Pity me. :( :D

I am so sorry.

I would recommend giving Repo! a go. I certainly wouldn't say you'll love it, but I do think it's something wihich has a better chance than many others.

I’ll give it a shot.

[FilmBuff]

Also not a movie.

Opinions vary

[Miss Vicky]

Opinions vary

We’ve been over this. Stage productions - whether plays, concerts, whatever - are not movies according to me and my opinion is the only one that matters when it comes to what I watch.

Also, again, concert documentaries are not eligible. This has been specifically stated by Thursday in the countdown thread. And if they were eligible, I would be voting for good concerts. Not that crap.

I have no idea what about me made you think I might be a Swiftie anyway.

[FilmBuff]

I didn't think you were a Swiftie - I'm not.

Have you watched The Doors? Not a concert, not a filmed live performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJu9nfVCQmk

[Miss Vicky]

Have you watched The Doors? Not a concert, not a filmed live performance.[

Yes I have, though I was a teenager at the time so couldn’t tell you what I thought of it. I may or may not watch it again.

[Miss Vicky]

99098

Little Shop Of Horrors
(Frank Oz, 1986)

I've been having a shitty week so far, so I was in the mood for something stupidly entertaining or at least weird enough to be amusing. I checked in on the Group Watch thread, saw this was nominated and thought it could fit the bill. I also saw that it had a lot of familiar faces in it, including several actors that I've liked in other roles, even if I'm not really a fan of them. I also own a couple of Steve Martin's banjo albums so I figured I'd at least be able to tolerate his singing, right?

Yeah, no. Watching this was a mistake. I thought the songs were awful, the humor fell absolutely flat, and I hated all of the characters - none more so than Audrey I with her shrill and horribly grating voice. It was actually physically painful to listen to her. I was truly searching for something to like about this whole mess and was originally going to be generous and rate it a 1.5 because at least the backing singers had nice voices, but then the movie had to go and get my hopes up thinking that Audrey I might actually die (and yes, I read about how the ending was rewritten from the original stage production) so I'm docking it that extra half a popcorn box because screw this movie.

Needless to say, this did not make my shitty week any less shitty, but I guess that's just tough titties for me.

1

[iluv2viddyfilms]

Paint Your Wagon is a Western Musical. You can only guess how hideous it is, MV,

My mum had the soundtrack. That's right. Pity me. :( :D


I talk to MV and honeykid... but they don't listen to me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDIGPS_bS0Q

[Miss Vicky]

I put together a watchlist for this countdown over on LetterBoxd (https://letterboxd.com/miss_vicky/list/watch-list-for-musical-countdown-at-movieforumscom/) and added it to the first post of this thread.

[Takoma11]

Looking at your Letterboxd watchlist, I love Hedwig and I really enjoyed Crazy Heart.

Musicals are a rough genre for me. I don't enjoy most of them, and my ratings for them tend to be pretty tepid. If I made a top 25, it would include quite a few films that I basically gave a C+.

I'll throw out there The Ruling Class and Starstruck. I was really hoping to enjoy Repo: The Genetic Opera but was disappointed to find it not to my taste.

[Miss Vicky]

Looking at your Letterboxd watchlist, I love Hedwig and I really enjoyed Crazy Heart.

Musicals are a rough genre for me. I don't enjoy most of them, and my ratings for them tend to be pretty tepid. If I made a top 25, it would include quite a few films that I basically gave a C+.

I'll throw out there The Ruling Class and Starstruck. I was really hoping to enjoy Repo: The Genetic Opera but was disappointed to find it not to my taste.


Yeah musicals are by far my least favorite movie genre, so the threshold for consideration for my ballot is basically I just have to not hate it. Hedwig is on my watchlist only because I'll take just about any excuse to watch it. It's guaranteed the top slot on my ballot. Crazy Heart is another rewatch. I vaguely remember liking it but haven't watched it since it was still fairly new.

I'll take a look at Starstruck and The Ruling Class.

Edit: Which Starstruck are you referring to? I see a lot of results on IMDb.

[Little Ash]

Looking at your Letterboxd watchlist, I love Hedwig and I really enjoyed Crazy Heart.

Musicals are a rough genre for me. I don't enjoy most of them, and my ratings for them tend to be pretty tepid. If I made a top 25, it would include quite a few films that I basically gave a C+.

I'll throw out there The Ruling Class and Starstruck. I was really hoping to enjoy Repo: The Genetic Opera but was disappointed to find it not to my taste.


I only once started The Ruling Class. In my memory, I did not recall it being a musical in the few minutes I watched. Kept meaning to go back to it. If you end trying to fill out the ballot for this, I'd suggest looking at some of Jansco's musicals, though some of them might feel more the film equivalent of interpretive dance. Personally I liked The Confrontation. I can't say this would be a recommendation for Miss Vicky as, I get the sense she wouldn't like them.


The problem I think I often run into with musicals as a genre is they tend to be light-hearted and romantic-comedies. The latter is a genre I don't care for. Now if only I could find a way to rewatch Suzuki's last film, Princess Racoon (original Japanese title, very different), because I remember not being fond of it back in the day, which seems really anomalous now and due for a revisit (and is very much a musical if I recall).


(It looks like my ballot+watchlist is currently at 30. But I'm expecting not to like at least a handful of unwatched movies on that watchlist. I guess it's time to actually see what One From the Heart is like).

[Takoma11]

Edit: Which Starstruck are you referring to? I see a lot of results on IMDb.

Sorry, it's this one (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084728/), from 1982.

I thought it was funny, I liked the music, and it was overall just very fun for me. The review I wrote of it at the time is here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2333196-starstruck.html).

Recommending musicals is so hard!

[Miss Vicky]

I just looked up The Ruling Class... Gotta be honest, I'm probably not going to watch it. It's from the 1970s, it's 2.5 hours long, it stars Peter O'Toole, and looks to maybe have a religious aspect to it? That's a whole lot of red flags.

[Takoma11]

I just looked up The Ruling Class... Gotta be honest, I'm probably not going to watch it. It's from the 1970s, it's 2.5 hours long, it stars Peter O'Toole, and looks to maybe have a religious aspect to it? That's a whole lot of red flags.

Totally fair. I almost wrote that whether or not you watch it would come down to how much you enjoy O'Toole. I forgot that it's so long!

[Miss Vicky]

Totally fair. I almost wrote that whether or not you watch it would come down to how much you enjoy O'Toole. I forgot that it's so long!

Something about that man just creeps me out for whatever reason. I don't even know why. :laugh:

[Takoma11]

Something about that man just creeps me out for whatever reason. I don't even know why. :laugh:

I know what you mean, actually. Though I think he's pretty amazing in certain films, and his weird energy works pretty well in The Ruling Class as someone who is insane and has a literal god complex.

[FilmBuff]

It's a thing called....

https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExb2ZsdDNhb3Fyb2NncjhueG0wZXd4bzdobGE1enRsbnZ3MjJiZHU1ayZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfY nlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/l0HlR8p1q3JS06EaA/giphy.gif

[SpelingError]

Vicky, have you seen Dancer in the Dark? Not sure how much you'd be into it, but most of the musical numbers occur in the protagonist's head as opposed to the traditional "breaking out in song" element, so I'm not sure if this would pique your interests. That said, I might nominate it in the group watch thread.

[Miss Vicky]

Vicky, have you seen Dancer in the Dark? Not sure how much you'd be into it, but most of the musical numbers occur in the protagonist's head as opposed to the traditional "breaking out in song" element, so I'm not sure if this would pique your interests. That said, I might nominate it in the group watch thread.

It’s on my watchlist but I’m on the fence about actually watching it because I’ve heard it’s really depressing.

[FilmBuff]

Dancer in the Dark is a movie that will be most enjoyable for those who are big fans of Lars von Trier and his Dogme 95-influenced films

And yes most people find it rather grim

[SpelingError]

It's certainly depressing for sure, so I'll understand skipping it.

[Takoma11]

My main problem with Dancer in the Dark wasn't that it was depressing, but rather that it was too long and got kind of frustratingly contrived in the last 40 minutes or so.

That said, it's a unique film that features an absolutely incredible lead performance from Bjork and really solid supporting performances from everyone else in the cast.

And it's hard to describe, because it's depressing, but it's right on this line of being just very darkly comedic. As in, everything that's sad in the film also feels like it's meant to be a joke.

I do think that you can watch about 20 minutes of it and either get a sense that you want to see where it goes, or that you're like "Yeah, no thanks!".

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoMovieGifs/smoochy.gif

Death To Smoochy
(Danny DeVito, 2002)

Well the shitshow parade that has been my week kept right on marching today and pushed me damn near the point of mental breakdown (or at least nearly to the point of rage-quitting my job) so when I got home I had absolutely zero desire to watch anything for this countdown, especially after last night's disastrous foray outside of my cinematic comfort zone.

So instead, I sat down to one of my all time favorite comedies: Death To Smoochy - a tale of greed, sex, drugs, corruption, and murder in the children's entertainment industry, starring an incredible cast of gifted actors. And as I laughed my ass off over and over again, I came to the realization that, while I'd never seen this movie discussed as a musical or ever considered it to be a musical myself, the cast of Smoochy sing and dance more times in this film than those in a lot of the movies I've seen that are considered musicals. I mean, after all, "Friends Come In All Sizes," "We'll Get You Off That Smack Oh Yes We Will," "Rainbow Randolph Is the Man, Yes Oh Yes He is," and "My Step-Dad's Not Mean He's just Adjusting," right? So f*** it, I say it counts.

Also, holy shit did I need this relief tonight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8dPa2S4vL0
4.5

[stillmellow]

The Resident Bitch Prepares For
The Most Recent MoFo Countdown

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/walkjoaq.gif

I've done individual threads for my preparations for a few of the previous countdowns and I wanted a place to organize my thoughts for the musicals countdown. However, I didn't want to dedicate a thread just to musicals so I figured I'd just make one thread to use for all future countdowns. The first few posts will just be reposts from the Rate The Last Movie You Watched thread.

**PLEASE READ BEFORE MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS**
Since apparently my previous statement wasn't clear enough for some people, if you want to give me recommendations you can. HOWEVER, if I tell you that I'm not interested in a particular movie, then drop the subject. Please do not spam this thread with multiple posts about movies I have no interest in watching. If you want to campaign for your favorites, great but go make your own thread for that.

Also: If a musical that you like is not animated and was released before the 1980s, you probably shouldn't bother suggesting it to me because I'm probably not going to watch it. Click here for an example of what I think of classic musicals. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2042009#post2042009)

Addendum: I didn’t think this needed to be said, but this thread is for MOVIES only. A recording of a stage production is not a movie. Even if it’s professionally recorded, it’s not a movie. Even if it was released in movie theaters, it’s not a movie. I have nothing against movies that are adapted from stage plays, but I’m not going to watch an actual play. I don’t think stage musicals are eligible for the musicals countdown anyway, but even if they are I’m not going to vote for them so don’t bother suggesting them.

Additionally: Concert documentaries are definitely NOT eligible, so don't suggest them either.

I've compiled a watchlist on LetterBoxd if you would like to see what I might be reviewing next. (https://letterboxd.com/miss_vicky/list/watch-list-for-musical-countdown-at-movieforumscom/)


* * *

INDEX:

Musicals/Music:
The Aristocats (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465789#post2465789)
The Bodyguard (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465759#post2465759)
Cry-Baby (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465761#post2465761)
Death To Smoochy (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2466662#post2466662)
Follow That Bird (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465764#post2465764)
La La Land (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465763#post2465763)
The Little Mermaid (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465760#post2465760)
Little Shop Of Horrors (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2466458#post2466458)
Muppet Treasure Island (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2466207#post2466207)
Oliver & Company (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465762#post2465762)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2465765#post2465765)



You do not know how many bonus points you've gotten mentioning Follow that Bird. At least 10,000.


I adore Muppet Treasure Island! But none of the others? I'm a Muppets superfan, and it feels like at least two more should be on the list. (Original and Christmas Carol).


Nightmare Before Christmas?

South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut?
Mary Poppins?
Beauty and the Beast? (Disney, either animated or live action, they both have merit)
Lion King (animated only)
Rocky Horror Picture Show?

[Miss Vicky]

You do not know how many bonus points you've gotten mentioning Follow that Bird. At least 10,000.
It’s been almost a week since I rewatched that and The Grouch Anthem is still stuck in my head.

I adore Muppet Treasure Island! But none of the others? I'm a Muppets superfan, and it feels like at least two more should be on the list. (Original and Christmas Carol).
Here’s the thing: Sesame Street was a big part of my early childhood but The Muppet Show was not. I watched it occasionally as a kid, but it was never a favorite. So Follow That Bird has a huge dose of nostalgia on its side, but non-Sesame Street Muppets don’t. I don’t have any plans to rewatch any other Muppet films.

Nightmare Before Christmas?
It’s on the watchlist I posted, but there’s no doubt that I’m gonna vote for it so rewatching it is not a priority.

South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut?
I didn’t like the South Park show and I don’t like the South Park movie.

Mary Poppins?
I didn’t even really like that movie when I was a kid. There is no way in hell I’m going to like it now.

Beauty and the Beast? (Disney, either animated or live action, they both have merit)
I do not like either version of Stockholm Syndrome: The Movie and I’m not watching them again.

Lion King (animated only)
I’ve watched this movie several times and I’ve hated it every time. It’s not getting another chance.

Rocky Horror Picture Show?
I discussed this one earlier in the thread. I’ve seen it twice. Tim Curry’s performance is phenomenal but I don’t like anything else about the movie.

[stillmellow]

It’s been almost a week since I rewatched that and The Grouch Anthem is still stuck in my head.


Here’s the thing: Sesame Street was a big part of my early childhood but The Muppet Show was not. I watched it occasionally as a kid, but it was never a favorite. So Follow That Bird has a huge dose of nostalgia on its side, but non-Sesame Street Muppets don’t. I don’t have any plans to rewatch any other Muppet films.


It’s on the watchlist I posted, but there’s no doubt that I’m gonna vote for it so rewatching it is not a priority.


I didn’t like the South Park show and I don’t like the South Park movie.


I didn’t even really like that movie when I was a kid. There is no way in hell I’m going to like it now.


I do not like either version of Stockholm Syndrome: The Movie and I’m not watching them again.


I’ve watched this movie several times and I’ve hated it every time. It’s not getting another chance.



I discussed this one earlier in the thread. I’ve seen it twice. Tim Curry’s performance is phenomenal but I don’t like anything else about the movie.


Oh well. You still bank 10,000 points.

[Miss Vicky]

... the drought ending with the magnificent Frozen. (Try watching it without kids around, as the first time I saw it, the two little chatterboxes I was with didn't stop talking for one second, and I could barely keep up with what was happening.)

Sorry the way I worded that was misleading. The first time I saw it, I watched it alone. Partway through, I paused it and started drinking to see if alcohol would improve the experience. It did not.

I think the children had already seen it at that point so I'd already been subjected to their terrible rendition of that song, but having to hear it over and over again after seeing the movie just cemented my hatred of it. Then my friend played for them another "Elsa" (Idina Menzel) song called "Defying Gravity" - and I got to hear that shit be belted out by the kids over and over in between "Let It Go." Needless to say I will NOT be watching the Wicked movie. Also I hate The Wizard of Oz anyway so even without having been subjected to "Defying Gravity" I wouldn't want to watch it.

Mary Poppins has problems, most notably the interminable animated sequence, but is otherwise among the handful of truly great Disney live-action flicks.

Its biggest problem for me is that it's a musical from the 1960s.

Also, while Peter O'Phallus is a scary, creepy guy onscreen (even before his face started melting), you're missing out on at least a half dozen treasures of cinema by avoiding him.

Unless those "treasures of cinema" involve him doing voice acting, I'm not watching them. Because the only performance of his I've seen and liked was Anton Ego in Ratatouille - where I didn't have to see his ugly mug.

[FilmBuff]

Have you seen Ladybug & Cat Noir?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNiCqNUH85U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23U6Rld3Fkk&list=PLuhrB_7OzeSxzsW94eXXgwlQ8PXrOXTXc&index=5

[Miss Vicky]

Have you seen Ladybug & Cat Noir?

I have not. The trailer doesn't look like something I'd really be into and I don't have Netflix anyway.

[FilmBuff]

I can let you use my password!

Oh wait... they don't let people do that anymore :shrug:

[Miss Vicky]

99116

Repo! The Genetic Opera
(Darren Lynn Bousman, 2008)

I didn't really know anything about this movie going into it, but it was suggested to me by a couple of MoFos who are familiar with my tastes so I decided to give it a try.

Having seen it now, I have to say that it actually has a lot going for it. I thought the story was really interesting, the performances were pretty good, and, like Sweeney Todd, I really liked the gothic look of the film. Unfortunately, like Sweeney Todd, I also hated the songs. Like really hated the songs - especially Shilo's "Seventeen" which had me physically cringing - and my patience with that aspect of it had really started to wear thin by the movie's end. And whereas Sweeney Todd had the benefit of Johnny Depp, Repo! has... Paris Hilton? Ugh.

Still, I didn't hate the movie and I do think that the positive aspects of it outweigh the negative, but only by a little.

3

[Takoma11]

99116

Repo! The Genetic Opera
(Darren Lynn Bousman, 2008)

Still, I didn't hate the movie and I do think that the positive aspects of it outweigh the negative, but only by a little.

3

I think I liked it a little less than you did. My review is HERE (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2416847-repo_the_genetic_opera.html). Like I wrote in my review, the amount of talk-singing really grated on me.

[stillmellow]

99116

Repo! The Genetic Opera
(Darren Lynn Bousman, 2008)

I didn't really know anything about this movie going into it, but it was suggested to me by a couple of MoFos who are familiar with my tastes so I decided to give it a try.

Having seen it now, I have to say that it actually has a lot going for it. I thought the story was really interesting, the performances were pretty good, and, like Sweeney Todd, I really liked the gothic look of the film. Unfortunately, like Sweeney Todd, I also hated the songs. Like really hated the songs - especially Shilo's "Seventeen" which had me physically cringing - and my patience with that aspect of it had really started to wear thin by the movie's end. And whereas Sweeney Todd had the benefit of Johnny Depp, Repo! has... Paris Hilton? Ugh.

Still, I didn't hate the movie and I do think that the positive aspects of it outweigh the negative, but only by a little.


3


I love that bizarre movie, despite its many flaws. It's too strange not to. To make things stranger, it's actually loosely based on the real life Borgia family, which peaked with its patriarch becoming pope, and his children being extremely violent and/or insane.


The highlights are definitely the songs and narrator. I sometimes sing "It's a Thankless Job" to myself while I work.

[Miss Vicky]

99117

Black Snake Moan
(Craig Brewer, 2006)

Black Snake Moan's advertising campaign (and the images from it found around the web) would have you believe that this is some sort of interracial bondage porn between an old man and a young woman, but that's not at all what this is. Instead what you get is a really sweet and moving story about trauma, friendship, and redemption. Sure it has a lot of sex and a good portion of it features Samuel L. Jackson chaining a half naked Christina Ricci up to a radiator while he Samuel L. Jacksons all over the motherf***ing place, but it really is a story about two broken people who come together as friends and help each other overcome their own personal pain.

And while this certainly is not a musical with a capital M, music is a big part of its story and its themes. Samuel L. Jackson gives a very convincing performance in four songs as bluesman Lazarus and in two rather poignant scenes Ricci's Rae treats us to "This Little Light of Mine." S. Epatha Merkerson also sings one song as supporting character Angela, though popstar Justin Timberlake has no songs in his performance as Rae's boyfriend Ronnie.

Black Snake Moan has been a favorite movie of mine since the very first time I saw it and at one time it held a spot in my personal top ten. I added it to my watchlist for this countdown mainly as an excuse to watch it, but I also did so not thinking there was anywhere near enough focus on music to seriously consider giving it a vote. But now it's definitely a contender.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGC_mDmiSNs

4.5

[beelzebubble]

Miss Vicky, what sort of music do you like?

[Miss Vicky]

Miss Vicky, what sort of music do you like?

Mostly classic rock from artists that became famous in the 70s and 80s. Favorite artists would be Tom Petty and Lindsey Buckingham. Also like some pop music and some alternative rock.

[Takoma11]

Mostly classic rock from artists that became famous in the 70s and 80s. Favorite artists would be Tom Petty and Lindsey Buckingham. Also like some pop music and some alternative rock.

Just out of curiosity, have you seen Phantom of the Paradise? (And if so, what was your take on it?) I was considering recommending it and was shocked to see that IMDb doesn't classify it as a musical.

[Miss Vicky]

Just out of curiosity, have you seen Phantom of the Paradise? (And if so, what was your take on it?) I was considering recommending it and was shocked to see that IMDb doesn't classify it as a musical.

I don’t think I never even heard of it until now. Looks interesting.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/AnimationCountdown/Gifs/57charlottesweb.gif

Charlotte's Web
(Charles A. Nichols and Iwao Takamoto, 1973)

I've never been a fan of musicals, even as a child I wasn't much one for the genre but this particular movie has always stood out to me and I think it's a shame that I don't often hear people talk about it. I get that it doesn't have that same crisp, polished look as the offerings of Disney, nor are its colors as vibrant as those films, but I think it's immensely charming just the same.

I've always really liked the character designs, particularly those of Templeton the rat and Charlotte the spider, and I think the animators did a wonderful job of bringing E.B. White's classic children's novel to the screen. But what really stands out to me is the voice work. The casting is absolutely perfect and most surprising of all is that I truly love all of its songs. I don't think there's really a weak one in the bunch, though of course the show stopper for me has always been and will forever be Templeton's rendition of "Veritable Smorgasbord" (with the rat/goose duet version of the song being a close second) and really Templeton totally steals the show in every scene where he appears. I do like Wilbur the pig, but that self-centered, sarcastic rat is hilarious and is totally my spirit animal. The character is also partly responsible for my near lifelong love of pet rats, though I no longer keep them.

While I acknowledge that much of my love for this movie is based in nostalgia, I do think it's a genuinely wonderful movie and I really, really hope it sneaks onto the countdown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE4RRKaCifU

4.5

[cricket]

Funny that Phantom of the Paradise was just mentioned because that's next on my watchlist. I was already thinking that it looked like something I should mention to you but I figured I'd see it first.

[cricket]

I haven't seen Charlotte's Web in a very long time but I loved it as a kid so it likely makes my ballot.

[honeykid]

I do not like either version of Stockholm Syndrome: The Movie and I’m not watching them again.

LOL. In that case you'd really hate Seven Victims For Seven Rapists. :D

And that's before it's a 50's musical. ;)

99116

Repo! The Genetic Opera
(Darren Lynn Bousman, 2008)

I didn't really know anything about this movie going into it, but it was suggested to me by a couple of MoFos who are familiar with my tastes so I decided to give it a try.

Having seen it now, I have to say that it actually has a lot going for it. I thought the story was really interesting, the performances were pretty good, and, like Sweeney Todd, I really liked the gothic look of the film. Unfortunately, like Sweeney Todd, I also hated the songs. Like really hated the songs - especially Shilo's "Seventeen" which had me physically cringing - and my patience with that aspect of it had really started to wear thin by the movie's end. And whereas Sweeney Todd had the benefit of Johnny Depp, Repo! has... Paris Hilton? Ugh.

Still, I didn't hate the movie and I do think that the positive aspects of it outweigh the negative, but only by a little.

3

Ah,well. At least you didn't hate it, but I'm guessing you didn't like it enough to add it to your list?

I put forward both Tommy and Phantom Of The Paradise in the prelim thread.

[Miss Vicky]

LOL. In that case you'd really hate Seven Victims For Seven Rapists. :D

And that's before it's a 50's musical. ;)
Yeah, that's a hard no.

Ah,well. At least you didn't hate it, but I'm guessing you didn't like it enough to add it to your list?
It's a "maybe." Anything that I rate a 3 or higher is a possibility for my ballot. The bar is set real low. :laugh:

I put forward both Tommy and Phantom Of The Paradise in the prelim thread.
Did you? I must've forgotten. I doubt I'll watch Tommy. I love "Behind Blue Eyes" but don't really like much else from The Who.

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/feebles.gif

Meet the Feebles
(Peter Jackson, 1989)

This movie was actually suggested to me before I even started this thread. I'd never heard of it so I checked out the trailer - and immediately knew this was going to be something that I would not enjoy. However, I also knew that morbid curiosity would prevent me from ignoring it.

So today I decided to give it a try. The best word I can come up with to describe it is grotesque. From the concept, to the character designs, to the story, to the attempts at gross-out humor, to the sex and violence. Everything is ramped up to extremes. Having said that, I don't actually regret watching it. As predicted, I didn't like it but I also couldn't take my eyes away from it and I do have to give it some credit for that.

Oh and yes, the director is that Peter Jackson.

2

[FilmBuff]

Jackson was a more interesting director before he got stuck with IP duty

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MoFoTop100/amightywind.gif

A Mighty Wind
(Christopher Guest, 2003)

I've never been a fan of Christopher Guest's brand of awkward comedy and I have really tried. This is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, For Your Consideration... none of them work for me. But I have loved A Mighty Wind since the first time I saw it 21 years ago.

But it's not the humor that I love about it. I do think it's funny and it gets some chuckles from me (as well as some groans in reaction to Fred Willard's corny jokes) but the thing that I love is the music. For a movie that's supposed to parody folk music, Christopher Guest and company created some truly wonderful original folk music. Indeed the movie's soundtrack CD is among my all time favorite soundtracks.

I also really love how well its cast play off each other, in particular long time friends Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy as Mitch & Mickey and Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer as The Folksmen - who previously starred together as Spinal Tap. Their chemistry is incredible, though the other performances are also very strong - both in terms of standard acting and musically speaking.

I know that movie musical purists aren't likely to give this film any consideration, but I really hope that those who, like me, aren't fans of the genre and are looking for something a little more their speed will give this movie a shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwLZfPPM7GQ

4

[Takoma11]

For a movie that's supposed to parody folk music, Christopher Guest and company created some truly wonderful original folk music. Indeed the movie's soundtrack CD is among my all time favorite soundtracks.

I generally find that my favorite parodies display a level of love, affection, and understanding for the thing they are making fun of.

When I saw this film in the theater, the part where Coolidge is "humming" with her mouth open made me laugh so long and so hard that I almost had to excuse myself so that I wouldn't bother the other audience members. I remember my side physically hurting from trying to contain my laughter.

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/lesmis.gif

Les Misérables
(Tom Hooper, 2012)

I saw this movie during its original theatrical release and I vaguely remember liking it. I also vaguely remember buying the DVD, watching it again, and still somehow liking it. I don't think I've seen it since then, couldn't really remember any details about it, and until now its length and the fact that it is musical has kept me from refreshing my memory of it.

Having now seen it again, I rather enjoyed myself. I'm a sucker for a good period film and this is certainly a good period film. I really appreciated the sets and costumes and I also really liked the cinematography and overall look of the film. The story kept me engaged and I thought the casting and performances were really strong - and, to my surprise, I was not at all bothered by the singing. I've seen a lot of people online complain about the performance from Russell Crowe, but I think he did just fine. I thought his physique gave the character an imposing air that fit well, his facial expressions really conveyed the conflicted emotions of his character, and I felt his unpolished singing voice suited the character as well. Having said that, of course, I acknowledge that I am very biased in that man's favor. I'm a big fan. He was briefly my absolute favorite actor and I've long been familiar with and enjoyed his singing - I own several of his music CDs and in 2001 even saw him in concert with his old band Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lm5SUP0cDic).

But I definitely don't love this movie. The singing didn't bother me (perhaps the overabundance of singing and the lack of dance removes the cringe-factor that makes me hate most musicals?), but I also wouldn't say I liked the songs. There was also one particular character that I absolutely hated - Marius. Now, I'm not trying to bash on Eddie Redmayne. I thought his performance as Marius was good, but Marius's infatuation with Cosette bothered the hell out of me. Eponine was a far more interesting character than Cosette and Samantha Barks is a far more beautiful woman than the pasty, doe-eyed Amanda Seyfried. Yet even with what Eponine did for him, Marius's thoughts were still firmly on some girl he'd met twice and didn't even know. What an a-hole.

Overall, I think this movie is more of a 3.75 than a 4 for me but I'll be generous and round up because I didn't hate the songs.

4

[FilmBuff]

The movie version of Les Misérables is nowhere near as good as the original musical on Broadway. That was an experience you never forget!

[Miss Vicky]

The movie version of Les Misérables is nowhere near as good as the original musical on Broadway. That was an experience you never forget!

I'll take your word for it.

[Miss Vicky]

When I saw this film in the theater, the part where Coolidge is "humming" with her mouth open made me laugh so long and so hard that I almost had to excuse myself so that I wouldn't bother the other audience members. I remember my side physically hurting from trying to contain my laughter.

Yeah, she's pretty great in her scenes. "Thank God for model trains. You know if they didn't have the model trains they wouldn't have gotten the idea for the big trains." :laugh:

[beelzebubble]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/lesmis.gif

Les Misérables
(Tom Hooper, 2012)

. I've seen a lot of people online complain about the performance from Russell Crowe, but I think he did just fine. I thought his physique gave the character an imposing air that fit well, his facial expressions really conveyed the conflicted emotions of his character, and I felt his unpolished singing voice suited the character as well. Having said that, of course, I acknowledge that I am very biased in that man's favor. I'm a big fan. He was briefly my absolute favorite actor and I've long been familiar with and enjoyed his singing - I own several of his music CDs and in 2001 even saw him in concert with his old band Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lm5SUP0cDic).



I enjoyed the movie version of Les Miz. There are always purist who will tell you how the play was beyond. Don't buy it. The only musical where I preferred the stage version to the film version was Sweeney Todd. It's an experience that is difficult to duplicate.

I too am a fan of Russell Crowe. Way back in the day, my friend made me computer wallpaper of pictures of Russell Crowe. This occurred long before the new millenium. Ah the olden days!

[cricket]

I have Les Miserables on my watchlist already, perhaps I should add A Mighty Wind as I do like the cast.

[Miss Vicky]

I enjoyed the movie version of Les Miz. There are always purist who will tell you how the play was beyond. Don't buy it. The only musical where I preferred the stage version to the film version was Sweeney Todd. It's an experience that is difficult to duplicate.

Oh, don't worry. I don't buy it. The only stage musical I've ever sat through as an adult was a recording of Hedwig and the Angry Inch when it still starred John Cameron Mitchell. Hedwig is also the only one I've ever considered buying tickets to attend in person.

I too am a fan of Russell Crowe. Way back in the day, my friend made me computer wallpaper of pictures of Russell Crowe. This occurred long before the new millenium. Ah the olden days!

I can't say the same. I jumped on the bandwagon with Gladiator, but I've firmly stayed there ever since, even though he's done a few really shitty movies since then. :laugh:

[FilmBuff]

I enjoyed the movie version of Les Miz. There are always purist who will tell you how the play was beyond.

I'm no purist - but I am a longtime Broadway fan. Experiences like Les Miz, Miss Saigon, and Phantom of the Opera are practically impossible to recreate with film. They can try, but they can't really replicate what it felt like watching those on Broadway. Lighter fare like Mamma Mia! does tend to fare best when making the transition to cinema, imho.


I too am a fan of Russell Crowe. Way back in the day, my friend made me computer wallpaper of pictures of Russell Crowe. This occurred long before the new millenium. Ah the olden days!

The first time I watched Russell in a movie was 1992's Romper Stomper - and he made an indelible impression. I always knew he would go on to bigger things! If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it, assuming the subject matter isn't something that would put you off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpz2E7GMZak

[Miss Vicky]

The first time I watched Russell in a movie was 1992's Romper Stomper - and he made an indelible impression. I always knew he would go on to bigger things! If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it, assuming the subject matter isn't something that would put you off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpz2E7GMZak

Romper Stomper is a fantastic movie and he is mesmerizing in it.

[Wyldesyde19]

Romper Stomper is indeed a good movie.

[Miss Vicky]

99129

Starstruck
(Gillian Armstrong, 1982)

I don't have a lot to say about this one. It was fine. There wasn't anything that I hated about it, but - except for being mildly amused at the audacity of the kids' schemes in a couple of scenes - there wasn't really anything that I particularly liked about it either. The movie failed to get me invested in its characters so I was pretty indifferent to the things that happened to them. The movie also felt a little over long for what it had to offer.

I do think I might have looked at this movie more favorably if I'd seen it as a child, but at this age it just didn't really work for me.

2.5

[Takoma11]

99129

Starstruck
(Gillian Anderson, 1982)

I don't have a lot to say about this one. It was fine. There wasn't anything that I hated about it, but - except for being mildly amused at the audacity of the kids' schemes in a couple of scenes - there wasn't really anything that I particularly liked about it either. The movie failed to get me invested in its characters so I was pretty indifferent to the things that happened to them. The movie also felt a little over long for what it had to offer.

I do think I might have looked at this movie more favorably if I'd seen it as a child, but at this age it just didn't really work for me.

2.5

Thank you for checking it out! Sorry you didn't like it a bit more. I found it very charming and really enjoyed the color scheme/costumes/props.

[StuSmallz]

Gillian AndersonLolwut?

[Miss Vicky]

Lolwut?

Whoops.

[Miss Vicky]

99152

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
(Richard Lester, 1966)

This painfully unfunny jumbled mess felt way longer than it was. I wasn't even bothered by the fact that it was a musical - the songs were fairly sparse and instantly forgettable - but damn these characters were annoying and the story was lame. For something that is ostensibly a comedy and even put the word "funny" right in its title it sure failed to even make me crack a smile. I've laughed more times watching Schindler's List than I did this dud.

I knew better than to give a 60s musical a shot and I stupidly went and did it anyway. Oh well, I still hated it less than The Music Man.

1

[honeykid]

No one can accuse you of not trying, honey. I'd have gone nowhere near that and advised you to do the same. :D

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/AnimationCountdown/Gifs/15aladdin.gif

Aladdin
(Ron Clements and John Musker, 1992)

I know this movie is very popular among other fans of Disney, but it has never been one of my favorites. Actually, the last time I watched it I straight up hated it, but that was years ago and I thought I’d give it another chance. Having now seen it again, I still don’t like it. I’ll… uh… grant that the animation looks good, and I do appreciate that Disney finally put out an animated movie where the human characters aren’t white (even if they are voiced by a bunch of white people), but I mostly find this movie annoying. The songs are annoying, I don’t give a crap about the characters, and - as blasphemous as this may be to some people - Robin Williams’s schtick as Genie is really irritating. That they had Gilbert Gottfried also voice a character certainly doesn’t endear this movie to me either.

All that said though, I didn’t quite hate it this time. It’s okay, I guess, but not anywhere near okay enough for me to vote for it.

2

[Miss Vicky]

99161

Earth Girls Are Easy
(Julien Temple, 1988)

I have to say, I had my reservations when this Sci-Fi/Comedy/Musical was suggested to me (and it does have three song and dance numbers, so I'd say it counts as a musical if only barely). But I had some time to kill, was in the mood for something silly, and this was available on Kanopy so I figured I had nothing to lose.

And I liked it. It was very, very aggressively 80s in its fashion, hairdos, music, color palette, and effects, but it was ridiculous and fun. So it fit the bill for what I was looking for, though I did get mildly annoyed by the idiocy of Geena Davis's "Valerie." Having said that though, now that its novelty is gone I doubt this is a movie that I'll revisit and it probably won't make my ballot, but at least I don't regret watching it.

3

[honeykid]

I'd have never put that up for a musical, but I quite like it in a 'it's kinda fun while it's there' way. I feel it does wear out its welcome, but not to the extent that I haven't seen it a few times. Of course, there is a slight nostalgia for me as I saw this in my late teens (seeing it the first time after Jim Carrey became famous was quite odd. A bit like See No Evil, Hear No Evil after Spacey did) so that does help. That and, as you said, it's aggressively 80's. :D

[Citizen Rules]

Earth Girls Are Easy, I watched that a few years ago for the first time and my reaction was the same as Miss Vicky's...I didn't love it, but it's flamboyantly neon 80s, which I dug as it had a time machine feeling. Silly as hell especially the aliens. July Brown's musical number was my favorite.

[cricket]

I remember liking Earth Girls are Easy. I was surprised to see it mentioned as a musical, but then I don't remember much about it.

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/joesph.gif

Joseph: King of Dreams
(Rob Deluca and Robert C. Ramirez, 2000)

I was rummaging through my animation collection looking for non-Disney musicals and stumbled across this - which I'd forgotten even existed at all, let alone existed in my own collection - and decided to give it a shot.

Despite being an atheist who was raised in a secular household, I've long had a soft spot for this classic biblical tale of the golden child of a shit father whose brothers finally reach their breaking point and rid themselves of his entitled ass. And this Dreamworks take on the story is about what you'd expect. The animation style is the same as what we saw in the studio's other films like The Prince of Egypt and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, the songs are not memorable but not irritating either, and the voice cast (including Ben Affleck and Mark Hamill) do a fine job.

And "fine" about sums this movie up in general. It's not bad. It's not great. It's just fine. I'll give it a little extra credit for being of decent quality despite being a direct to video release, though it definitely won't get my vote.

3.0

[FilmBuff]

Are you familiar with the Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Tim Rice version of Joseph?

[Miss Vicky]

Are you familiar with the Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Tim Rice version of Joseph?

I saw an amateur production of it at the local community college when I was a teenager (school field trip). I think that might've been how I was introduced to the story.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/AnimationCountdown/Gifs/33aliceinwonderland.gif

Alice In Wonderland
(Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson and Hamilton Luske, 1951)

It's been a few years since I last watched this movie and I had kind of forgotten how unrelentingly weird it is. It is just packed with things that are both nonsensical and delightfully whimsical, with bright colors, memorable characters, and fun songs (A very merry unbirthday to you!). It was never a favorite as a child, but its craziness has grown on me in my adulthood. I still wouldn't call it a big favorite, but it will no doubt make my ballot.

3.5

[Takoma11]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/AnimationCountdown/Gifs/33aliceinwonderland.gif

Alice In Wonderland
(Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson and Hamilton Luske, 1951)

It's been a few years since I last watched this movie and I had kind of forgotten how unrelentingly weird it is. It is just packed with things that are both nonsensical and delightfully whimsical, with bright colors, memorable characters, and fun songs (A very merry unbirthday to you!). It was never a favorite as a child, but its craziness has grown on me in my adulthood. I still wouldn't call it a big favorite, but it will no doubt make my ballot.

3.5

The part where the dog-broom-thing erases the path Alice was walking and she's lost in the woods is genuinely terrifying to me.

[Miss Vicky]

The part where the dog-broom-thing erases the path Alice was walking and she's lost in the woods is genuinely terrifying to me.

I can see that. In the moment I was too distracted by the weirdness of it to really think about its implications.

[FilmBuff]

I love the theme they wrote for the Queen of Hearts

[Takoma11]

I can see that. In the moment I was too distracted by the weirdness of it to really think about its implications.

As a kid it frightened me just because, you know, lost in the dark woods.

But as an adult I continue to find it unsettling. It's like this creature exists for the sole purpose of stranding people in the woods? And if she followed it then she would at least be still following a path, but she freezes up instead and then it's out of sight, and that's also kind of terrible?

All of the other strangeness in the film always just seemed goofy (in a nice way) to me, except for that part.

Have you ever seen the 1985 TV movie of Alice in Wonderland? I mention it partly because the "Jam Tomorrow" song gets totally stuck in my head. It's catchy and demented at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-jpV025fWo&ab_channel=Stargayzing

[Miss Vicky]

Have you ever seen the 1985 TV movie of Alice in Wonderland? I mention it partly because the "Jam Tomorrow" song gets totally stuck in my head. It's catchy and demented at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-jpV025fWo&ab_channel=Stargayzing

No, the Tim Burton one is the only other version I've seen.

I couldn't even make it through that clip you posted. I suspect that version wouldn't be for me.

[Takoma11]

No, the Tim Burton one is the only other version I've seen.

I couldn't even make it through that clip you posted. I suspect that version wouldn't be for me.

It's an odd little film. I haven't seen it in ages, but "Jam Tomorrow" endures in my brain!

[Miss Vicky]

Cinderella
(Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, 1950)

I last watched this movie in 2016 and thought it was stupid but charming. Having seen it again tonight, my feelings haven't changed. Well, I probably liked it a little less this time, but the general feeling was the same.

It might sneak onto the tail end of my ballot if I'm in need of some filler, but it'll be a very unenthusiastic vote if it does.

3.0

Here's my review from the last time I watched it:

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/cinderella2.gif

Cinderella (Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, 1950)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042332/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt)

Date Watched: 5/30/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: I figured I ought to rewatch it for the 50's list
Rewatch: Yes, though it's been at least 20 years

As I said in my Snow White review, I've never been overly fond of princess movies. However, I vaguely remembered liking this particular one with its cute mice and other critters. Well the mice are cute and the animation is gorgeous but I don't have a whole lot else positive to say about it.

The characters are extremely one dimensional, the romance is flimsy at best ("We danced for a few hours, and I don't know your name or anything about you and can't remember your face well enough to describe it to the people searching for you, but I remember you being hot and you left this shoe behind and, damn it, I'M IN LOVE AND I'M GONNA MARRY YOU!!!" :rolleyes: ), the songs bugged me ("A dream is a wish your heart makes..." Really? My heart's wishing for some pretty f***ed up s***, then) and I was really irritated by two particular characters: the fairy godmother and Lucifer.

What good is a fairy godmother, anyway? She lets you suffer YEARS of abuse at the hands of your stepmother and stepsisters, only to suddenly appear to do what? Give you a taste of something good - a pretty dress and a ride to the royal ball - only to suddenly take it away and return you to your sh!tty life with your sh!tty step-family? What the hell is that?

As for Lucifer, it wasn't the character himself that bugged, but was the way he was portrayed and the way he came to his demise. Apparently that "mean old thing" being chased out of a high window and presumably plummeting to his death is justified by... What, exactly? I mean, what did he do that made him so damn "mean"? Scratch the dog? Make a mess on the floor Cinderella had just cleaned (for which she started to chase him with a broom with the obvious intent to beat him with it)? Unsuccessfully attempt to hunt some mice? Try to stop those same mice from stealing a necklace? And... umm... umm... sleep a lot? Man that sure is one evil cat and he definitely deserved that comeuppance...? Oh and as for the stepmother and stepsisters, their comeuppance for their actual cruelty is... nothing. Not a damn thing. But that cat sure had it coming. WTF, Disney? WTF?

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/lucifer.gif

But even through all that, there was something undeniably charming about the whole stupid thing and I'd be lying if I said I didn't get some enjoyment out of it.

3+

[FilmBuff]

"Stupid but charming" describes a lot of Disney movies, actually

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/AnimationCountdown/Gifs/69corpsebride.gif

Corpse Bride
(Tim Burton, 2005)

I don't remember when I last watched this movie, but it's been quite awhile (also, holy shit this movie is 19 years old?!). I vaguely remembered liking it quite a bit but never quite loving it, but didn't really remember what about it I had liked.

Now that my memory is refreshed, there really isn't anything about this movie that I didn't like. You've got that signature Tim Burton style coupled with the music gifts of Danny Elfman (and while Elfman's songs for this aren't as memorable as his contributions to The Nightmare Before Christmas, they're still pretty great). Add to that a wonderful voice cast (including the usual suspects Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, but also Emily Watson, Tracey Uhlman, Joanna Lumley, Albert Finney, and Christopher Lee) and a whimsical - if macabre - story and the result is a really fun time.

But what really stood out to me was the juxtaposition of the land of the living and the land of the dead. The land of the living is rigid, cold, and miserable, lacking in both color and life, while the land of the dead is free, colorful, and full of life - like one big party where everyone can be their authentic selves.

Now I don't know if my enjoyment of this movie was heightened by it following a lot of musicals that I didn't like quite so much, but regardless this one is sure to rank high on my ballot.

4.0

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/hairspray.gif

Hairspray
(John Waters, 1988)

This is definitely the least John Waters-y John Waters movie I've ever seen and I appreciate its messaging and racial, sexuality, and size inclusion, but I have to say this movie left me rather confused.

Why is this considered a musical? Music is a huge part of the movie and a whole lot of it is featured, but the majority of it is just records being played for the characters to dance to. The few times characters do sing, it's just really minor characters that exist solely to provide more music for the main characters to dance and make out to.

I think the movie is fine and I don't regret watching it, but to me this is a dancing movie and so it has no chance of making my ballot.

3.0

[Holden Pike]

Hairspray
(John Waters, 1988)

This is definitely the least John Waters-y John Waters movie I've ever seen and I appreciate its messaging and racial, sexuality, and size inclusion, but I have to say this movie left me rather confused.

Why is this considered a musical? Music is a huge part of the movie and a whole lot of it is featured, but the majority of it is just records being played for the characters to dance to. The few times characters do sing, it's just really minor characters that exist solely to provide more music for the main characters to dance and make out to.


It's the 2007 version, adapted from the Broadway Musical that was adapted from the John Waters film, that really fits. Same basic story, but with singing and numbers. Waters gave the project his blessing but had nothing to do with it creatively. Nor the film version with John Travolta and the rest. Cry-Baby (1990) starring Johnny Depp, THAT is a bonafide Musical by John Waters, spoofing both '50s rebel movies and early Rock 'n' Roll Musicals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUoG7mqCixI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB1bLlguZVY

[FilmBuff]

It's the 2007 version, adapted from the Broadway Musical that was adapted from the John Waters film, that really fits. Same story, but with singing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUoG7mqCixI

That one was a lot of fun

[Miss Vicky]

It's the 2007 version, adapted from the Broadway Musical that was adapted from the John Waters film, that really fits. Same basic story, but with singing and numbers. Waters gave the project his blessing but had nothing to do with it creatively. Nor the film version with John Travolta and the rest.

The Waters one is the version that was suggested to me, which is why I watched it. I did pause the movie halfway through and check IMDb and they do have this version listed as a musical as well. I may or may not watch the broadway adaptation.

Cry-Baby (1990) starring Johnny Depp, THAT is a bonafide Musical by John Waters, spoofing both '50s rebel movies and early Rock 'n' Roll Musicals.

Yeah, I'm familiar with it. That was one of the first movies I rewatched for the countdown.

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/cry-baby.gif

Cry-Baby
(John Waters, 1990)

I have a rocky history with this movie and with John Waters movies in general. I liked Serial Mom a lot when I was a kid, but didn't care for it at all the last time I watched it. I thought Pecker was just okay and that Pink Flamingoes was absolute dog shit. As for Cry-Baby? I saw it a few times growing up and kind of liked it, but I hated it the last time I watched it (around 15 years ago).

It's been in my DVD collection for probably 20 years now so I figured I had nothing to lose by giving it another shot and... well, I guess I'm back to kind of liking it? As is typical of Waters, the movie is weird and stupid and trashy, but that weird, stupid trashiness has its charm and Johnny Depp looks pretty damn good in it so I was amused enough to not get too annoyed by the songs... this time, at least.

That said, I probably won't watch it again anytime in the next decade or so - but it just might sneak onto my ballot.

3

[Takoma11]

It's the 2007 version, adapted from the Broadway Musical that was adapted from the John Waters film, that really fits.

Was just about to post the same thing, I quite like the 2007 version.

[Miss Vicky]

99228

Across the Universe
(Julie Taymor, 2007)

I saw this nominated in the Group Watch thread and thought I'd give it a shot. After all, it was nominated by someone who also isn't generally a fan of musicals and I don't think I've ever seen a jukebox musical so I thought that perhaps my familiarity with a lot of the songs would help make it more bearable, even though I'm not really a Beatles fan.

It didn't. I actually found the songs that I didn't know to be more tolerable than the others. Anytime they'd break out into a song I'm familiar with all I could think about was how much I'd rather be listening to the original song. The music also didn't seem to serve any real purpose except to make an already flimsy story feel super padded, overlong, and gimmicky. Making things worse were the overabundance of supporting characters and side stories. Prudence in particular seemed to exist only to excuse the inclusion of "Dear Prudence" and the "She came in through the bathroom window" line, and to serve as a half-assed attempt at greater racial diversity in its cast. Though having said that, I am giving this a slightly higher rating than the other Group Watch nominations I've seen if only because I did kind of like Sadie and Jo-Jo's story. Actually, they were the only characters that I liked - with main character Jude being my least favorite of all.

I was optimistic going into this, but I had mentally checked out about the time that Bono made his appearance.

1.5

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/phantom.gif

Phantom of the Paradise
(Brian De Palma, 1974)

This was a bizarre little spectacle of a movie. Whereas I called Earth Girls Are Easy “aggressively 80s,” this is perhaps just as aggressively 70s. But that’s not really a complaint. It’s just that it has that 70s kind of weird.

There really wasn’t anything about this movie that I disliked. The music was good, the characters were interesting, and I was never bored. But I think it might be a bit of a stretch to say that I actually liked it. I also think the experience might’ve been enhanced by the use of certain substances, but I don’t partake so that didn’t happen. Still, its brand of weirdness might just be enough to get it onto my ballot.

3.0

[Takoma11]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/phantom.gif

Phantom of the Paradise
(Brian De Palma, 1974)

This was a bizarre little spectacle of a movie. Whereas I called Earth Girls Are Easy “aggressively 80s,” this is perhaps just as aggressively 70s. But that’s not really a complaint. It’s just that it has that 70s kind of weird.

There really wasn’t anything about this movie that I disliked. The music was good, the characters were interesting, and I was never bored. But I think it might be a bit of a stretch to say that I actually liked it. I also think the experience might’ve been enhanced by the use of certain substances, but I don’t partake so that didn’t happen. Still, its brand of weirdness might just be enough to get it onto my ballot.

3.0

I really liked the way that it combined sort of gritty sci-fi vibes with actual fantasy elements. And I liked its dark sense of humor and thought the music was pretty good.

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/rent.gif

Rent
(Chris Columbus, 2005)

This movie was not one that was suggested to me by anyone, but I’ve been a little curious about it for awhile. I had remembered the character Yitzak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch talking about getting a part in a production of it and, figuring there had to be a reason they chose to mention this particular musical, I looked it up. After reading a little about Rent's story, I thought it might be something I’d like.

It wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I did actually like the story (mostly) and at least some of its characters, but holy shit did I hate those songs. I hated those songs more than I’ve hated the songs in any other musical I’ve watched for this countdown so far and there were just so damn many of them. And all those damn songs made the movie way longer than it needed to be for the story it was telling. They also prevented me from getting fully invested in it. Even when a certain scene had me starting to tear up, it had to go and ruin the moment with more of that awful singing.

I’m gonna be generous and give it a 2.0 because I did like the story, some characters, and also the look of the film, but there’s no way in hell I’m voting for this.

2.0

[Citizen Rules]

Miss Vicky have you seen The American Astronaut (2001) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243759/) Not too many songs but qualifies as a musical, it's a pretty bizarre movie. A little too bizarre for my taste but ya got admire a film that includes songs called 'Baby in the Jar' and 'The Girl With the Glass Vagina.' The opening song with a guy setting on a toilet has got to be one of the more memorable numbers, I've ever seen.


(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243759/)

[Miss Vicky]

Miss Vicky have you seen The American Astronaut (2001) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243759/) Not too many songs but qualifies as a musical, it's a pretty bizarre movie. A little too bizarre for my taste but ya got admire a film that includes songs called 'Baby in the Jar' and 'The Girl With the Glass Vagina.' The opening song with a guy setting on a toilet has got to be one of the more memorable numbers, I've ever seen.


(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243759/)

I don’t think I ever even heard of it until now. It’s relatively short so I might give it a try.

[Takoma11]

I don’t think I ever even heard of it until now. It’s relatively short so I might give it a try.

It's good stuff. I frequently watch the bizarro number about "The Chart" on YouTube.

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/AnimationCountdown/Gifs/59thejunglebook.gif

The Jungle Book
(Wolfgang Reitherman, 1967)

I don't know if I ever saw this movie as a child, but in any case my only memories of it from adulthood and within the last ten years. While I have a strong love of animation, I'm not overly fond of many of Disney's classic animations specifically because so many of them are musicals. So I was really quite surprised when I first watched this as an adult that I not only enjoyed the movie in general but actually liked the songs. They're fun and memorable, especially Baloo's "Bare Necessities," and the movie's characters are equally fun and memorable.

This is a really enjoyable and easy watch that while not a childhood favorite (if I even saw it back then), has become one now. Perhaps not a huge favorite, but enough of one that I will definitely be giving it a vote.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BH-Rxd-NBo

4.0

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/chicago.gif

Chicago
(Rob Marshall, 2002)

I've seen this movie a few times now and it's always been something of an anomaly for me. As I've stated countless times, I generally hate musicals. It is hands-down my absolute least favorite movie genre. Yet I've always liked this one. I also generally dislike or straight up avoid movies with mainly female casts or that focus on a female perspective, yet I've always liked this one.

So what's the difference? What sets this apart? I think with the music the biggest difference is context. Characters don't just break out in song and dance in the middle of conversations, not really anyway. All of the musical numbers happen either in main character Roxie's imagination or on a stage. This helps tremendously with my ability to buy into what's happening on screen. But also even my musical-loathing self can't deny that these particular songs are catchy and their accompanying dance numbers are flashy and fun. Being based around vaudeville acts, it also helps that there's a fair amount of humor in the songs and the dialogue.

As to that female led cast, Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Queen Latifah fully commit to their roles, as do the remaining cast. It also helps that I have a bit of soft spot for Richard Gere. John C. Reilly also does a great job as Zellweger's dopey husband, Amos. I really can't think of a single weak performance.

But to be clear, I don't think this is a great movie. It's fun and enjoyable - if only on a very superficial level - and I genuinely like it, but I don't think it's great. However, compared to the majority of other live-action musicals I've subjected myself to, it's damn near a masterpiece.

4

[FilmBuff]

In all fairness, even I wasn't much impressed by the film version of Chicago - harmless enough but not particularly memorable.

The Broadway original? That was something else alright. But we're here to talk about movies! ;)

[Miss Vicky]

The Broadway original? That was something else alright. But we're here to talk about movies! ;)

I truly could not care less about Broadway and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop bringing it up.

[Yoda]

I agree about Chicago. I really enjoyed the songs, the lyrics are clever and interesting...but that's it. It doesn't cohere into a genuinely moving or engaging narrative. It's entirely the production design and the music, which works only because both are really good.

[FilmBuff]

I agree about Chicago. I really enjoyed the songs, the lyrics are clever and interesting...but that's it. It doesn't cohere into a genuinely moving or engaging narrative. It's entirely the production design and the music, which works only because both are really good.

Totes right

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/coco.gif

Coco
(Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, 2017)

I have no idea how many times I've watched this movie, but every time my experience is the same: I respect the hell out of it and even really like some aspects, but I don't love it.

I think the story is really interesting and pretty unique and imaginative. The animation is absolutely gorgeous with rich detail and vibrant colors, and the story does hit some crucial emotional chords - even leaving me in tears in one particularly poignant scene. But I don't love it.

Still, this is undeniably a solid movie, is one of Pixar's better recent offerings, and is the closest they've come to making a musical. So with all those things in its favor there's no way this doesn't end up somewhere on my ballot.

4

[Miss Vicky]

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/AnimationCountdown/Gifs/79ladyandthetramp.gif

Lady and the Tramp
(Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske, 1955)

This was my favorite Disney animated movie when I was a kid, but I've found myself not loving it near as much as an adult. I don't know if that's because I'm much less fond of dogs than I used to be or if it's just changing tastes, but this is definitely not a favorite anymore. I do still like it, though. I think the animation looks good, the story is interesting enough, the voice work is good, and there really isn't anything that I dislike about the movie, it just doesn't give me the same feelings that it used to.

As to its qualities as a musical? Eh, it barely qualifies. It only has like three songs and they're all sung by pretty minor characters (the Siamese cat song, Tony singing "Bella Notte" during the famous spaghetti scene, and the dog singing "He's a Tramp" when Lady ends up in the pound).

I was going back and forth about what to rate it and ultimately I decided to be a little generous because I think it's a very well made film and it certainly has some iconic scenes. However, I probably won't vote for it because the main characters don't sing.

3.5

[gbgoodies]

I have a couple of animated musicals on my watchlist that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere. I haven't seen them in years, but I remember enjoying both of them.

The first one is Cats Don't Dance (1997)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7KpF7BF0ew


The second one might be too old, but the voices are done by Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, and Red Buttons, so it might be worth giving it a try:
Gay Purr-ee (1962)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVYQH218G84

[Takoma11]

The second one might be too old, but the voices are done by Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, and Red Buttons, so it might be worth giving it a try:
Gay Purr-ee (1962)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVYQH218G84

My sister and I watched this over and over as kids. The song "Money Cat" is really catchy. Mewsette is a very annoying "dumb blonde" stereotype protagonist, though, so be warned.

[Miss Vicky]

I have a couple of animated musicals on my watchlist that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere. I haven't seen them in years, but I remember enjoying both of them.

The first one is Cats Don't Dance (1997)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7KpF7BF0ew


The second one might be too old, but the voices are done by Judy Garland, Robert Goulet, and Red Buttons, so it might be worth giving it a try:
Gay Purr-ee (1962)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVYQH218G84

Neither of these really look like my kind of thing but because they’re animated, I may still give them a shot.

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/singstreet.gif

Sing Street
(John Carney, 2016)

I went into this movie pretty much blind, having done absolutely no research on it before adding it to my watchlist, so I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

On the surface, it's about a dorky teenaged boy named Conor who, after having to change schools, pieces together a band of fellow dorks and starts writing songs in order to impress the girl he likes. Meanwhile, his college dropout stoner older brother tries to give him an education in good music, offering words of advice like “No woman can truly love a man who listens to Phil Collins” (Screw you, movie. I like Phil Collins!). But it's actually about more than that. It's about about Conor's struggles to find his identity while his life is falling apart - he's had to change schools because his parents are too broke to afford the one he was at, his parents are fighting all the time and about to separate, and his home has been put up for sale.

I do have to say it took me a bit to settle in to this one. In the beginning of the movie, when things were more happy-happy than happy-sad, it all felt a bit silly and even a little superficial. Its 1980s setting, fashion, and music felt at first like it was trying a little too hard to cash in some nostalgia points. But as it went on I became a lot more invested in the struggles and triumphs of Conor and his friends, things began to feel more natural and less of that 80s flash and artifice, and I really began to enjoy myself. Perhaps most importantly for this exercise, I also quite liked the music the kids were playing. I also appreciated the way the movie ends - hopeful, but uncertain.

I didn't love this movie on this first watch, but I did like it a lot and I do think there's room for it to grow on me if I ever revisit it. But even if I never come back to it or if I do and my experience stays the same, I definitely like it enough to give it a vote - which makes it the first definite of my first-time watches so far.

3.5

[Torgo]

Sing Street is amazing. I saw it for the first time a few weeks ago and can see it becoming an all-time favorite. I don't think the '80s nostalgia is quite as fan service-y as it is in other shows and movies from the '10s that have it (like Stranger Things, for instance). There's the impression it comes from John Carney's personal experiences, which give it a more authentic vibe.

I'll go ahead and post my thoughts in the good ol' RYM thread, or better yet, the prelim thread to drum up even more interest.

[cricket]

Sing Street likely makes my ballot

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/astronaut.gif

The American Astronaut
(Cory McAbee, 2001)

What the hell did I just watch?

This black and white musical space western about a dude who trades a cat for a "real live girl," then trades the "real live girl," for a teenaged boy, and sets out on a quest to trade the boy to a planet full of women in exchange for the body of a dead man - while being pursued by a weird-ass professor hell-bent on killing him without reason - is unlike anything I've ever seen before. It is really, really f***ing bizarre and although I was certainly never bored by its unrelenting weirdness, I also can't decide if I actually liked it.

But the bar for consideration for my musicals ballot is low, so "can't decide if I actually liked it" might just be enough to earn it a spot.

Edit: 8/4/2024

I just rewatched this. It's definitely confirmed that I do like the movie, but it's also definitely too bizarre to be something I think I could ever love. I'm going to keep my rating at 3.

It's one of a handful of movies currently vying for the #23 and #24 slots so its chances of making it on my ballot aren't looking too good.

3.0

[seanc]

That sounds horrendous

[Takoma11]

That sounds horrendous

It has a low-budget passion project energy and look that I found very appealing. I was in college when I first watched it, and I just hadn't seen anything like it before.

[seanc]

It has a low-budget passion project energy and look that I found very appealing.

I wish I was this kind of film fan, but I just can’t get there.

[Takoma11]

I wish I was this kind of film fan, but I just can’t get there.

Ha, fair!

[Miss Vicky]

That sounds horrendous

It's very odd but it's also entertaining. Waking up this morning I find myself curious to see if the writer/director/star made any other musicals and it seems that he did. I'm probably going to watch Stingray Sam today. It and The American Astronaut are both on YouTube.

[Miss Vicky]

99321

Stingray Sam
(Cory McAbee, 2009)

Like McAbee's The American Astronaut, Stingray Sam is a bizarre black and white musical space western. Where this film varies from the other though is that it is divided into 6 different "episodes" (each with its own title and set of intro and end credits), each featuring one song. It follows Stingray Sam, a convict turned lounge singer who is arrested by his old friend and fellow convict The Quasar Kid. In order to repay their debts to society, the two must join forces on a mission to rescue a little girl and reunite her with her father.

But whereas I spent much of The American Astronaut being a little bewildered by its strangeness, I settled into this one rather quickly. I do think having just watched The American Astronaut helped immensely in terms of setting expectations, but also Stingray Sam seemed a lot less convoluted and more polished than its predecessor. It also has some genuinely great songs ("Fredward" being my favorite) and I had an undeniably good time with this one. There's also no doubt that I'll vote for it, though I am docking it some points for the amount of its already very brief runtime (it's only about an hour long) that is spent on the credits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNhXYmJ0G8c

Oh and in retrospect I have decided that I do actually like The American Astronaut, but I definitely prefer this one.

Edit: 7/20/2024

I just rewatched this and I think I love it. This time I wasn't at all bothered by its episodic structure or by the amount of time spent on the credits. It's just delightfully weird and delightfully charming, with equally weird and charming songs. I'm going to upgrade its rating from my initial 3.5 to a 4, but I could see it going even higher if I give it another watch in the future.

Edit: 8/9/2024

I rewatched it again last night. It's just such an easy and fun watch and I really love the music. I'm gonna upgrade its rating again but I think its rating will top out here.


4.5

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/tail.gif

An American Tail
(Don Bluth, 1986)

I saw this movie a few times as a kid, but it was never a big favorite (a fact that wasn't helped by having a music teacher that made us sing "Somewhere Out There"). It's been in my DVD collection for many years now (along with its sequel) but I can't remember when I last watched it. In any case, it's been long enough that I didn't really remember it.

And having seen it again, I think it's fine. Given its age, the animation looks good. The story is interesting enough, I was never bored with it, and the songs didn't annoy me or anything, but there also wasn't anything that I loved about it. I did like it more than some of the other musicals I've rated a 3, but not enough to bump its rating any higher.

I do still plan to rewatch Fievel Goes West, but I expect to have a similar experience with it.

3.0

[Miss Vicky]

99326

An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
(Phil Nibbelink and Simon Wells, 1991)

I didn't exactly have high hopes going into this rewatch, but damn I'd remembered this movie being better than this. Part half-assed rehash of the original (The Mousekewitz family decides to relocate and seek a better life elsewhere. Along the way, Fievel does something stupid and gets separated from them and somewhere in there is a villain cat pretending to be a rodent in order to exploit mice for profit while ultimately planning their doom) part unfunny western comedy ridiculousness (with zero parts emotional impact), this movie was eye-rollingly dull and lacked any memorable characters or songs.

2.0

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/dancer.gif

Dancer In The Dark
(Lars Von Trier, 2000)

"...in a musical, nothing dreadful ever happens."

I've avoided this movie - and most discussion of it - for many years because I hate musicals. When I decided to actually commit to preparing for this countdown, I put this on my watchlist but wasn't sure if I was actually going to watch it because I'd heard it was depressing. But ultimately I decided to give it a shot because of its reputation among critics and film fans.

I have to say I was not at all prepared for just how bleak this movie is. It just keeps piling the shit onto main character Selma's already shitty life. Even when I thought I knew what kind of horrible thing was about to happen to her next, the movie goes much further than I'd imagined and at 2 hours and 20 minutes, it's a pretty emotionally brutal watch, especially that agonizing final scene. I had to pause the movie multiple times just to take a breather.

But it's all incredibly well acted by Björk and the remaining cast. The film looks great and its colors and camerawork help to make something that could otherwise feel gimmicky feel natural. If I have a complaint it's that the movie probably could've done with one or two fewer songs and therefore a shorter overall runtime. Those songs did break my engagement with the movie more than once. But this is a minor complaint.

Overall I think this movie is very deserving of its reputation and I have no doubt that it will appear on my ballot somewhere. However, one of the biggest factors I apply when rating or ranking a movie is rewatchability - and this film is severely lacking in that aspect. I will never watch it again.

4.0

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/hairmarsden.gif

Hairspray
(Adam Shankman, 2007)

This is a pretty by-the-numbers adaptation of the 1988 John Waters flick. It has a strong cast (including the always adorable James Marsden) and, like its predecessor, I appreciated the messaging, but it doesn't do anything new. Besides adding some songs (which serve to do little more than make it longer) and some minor tweaks to the story, it's really just the same movie I watched last week but with better cinematography and more recognizable stars.

I did get a chuckle out John Waters's cameo as a flasher, though.

3.0

[Takoma11]

But it's all incredibly well acted by Björk and the remaining cast. The film looks great and its colors and camerawork help to make something that could otherwise feel gimmicky feel natural.

Bjork is fantastic in this movie.

HERE (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2218712-dancer_in_the_dark.html) is what I wrote up when I watched it.

[Miss Vicky]

Bjork is fantastic in this movie.

HERE (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2218712-dancer_in_the_dark.html) is what I wrote up when I watched it.

I can't say I ever got any humor out of Dancer, but yours is an interesting take. Her daydreams just came across as a sad coping mechanism: A bright spot in an otherwise dark existence.

[Takoma11]

I can't say I ever got any humor out of Dancer, but yours is an interesting take. Her daydreams just came across as a sad coping mechanism: A bright spot in an otherwise dark existence.

I agree that her daydreams are a coping mechanism, but I think that she believes in them enough and that she's so far gone into denial that she's basically living in another universe. To me, it is kind of darkly funny to have someone running around like they're Cinderella while the world around them is clearly garbage.

And I'm sad that von Trier being such a creep means that we won't get more Bjork on the big screen.

[Miss Vicky]

And I'm sad that von Trier being such a creep means that we won't get more Bjork on the big screen.

I can't say that I know anything about him. This is the first of his movies I've made it through, with Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 being the only other of his films I've even attempted. I'm also not a fan of Björk. I haven't cared for what little I've heard of her music, but I thought she was perfect for this particular role.

[FilmBuff]

I never liked any of his movies, even before we knew he was a creep.

[Takoma11]

I can't say that I know anything about him. This is the first of his movies I've made it through, with Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 being the only other of his films I've even attempted. I'm also not a fan of Björk. I haven't cared for what little I've heard of her music, but I thought she was perfect for this particular role.

From von Trier I've seen this film, The Five Obstructions (which I quite liked), Antichrist (which I really liked), The House That Jack Built (meh), and the TV series The Kingdom (also kind of meh).

I really enjoyed Bjork in the film The Juniper Tree. I just think she has great presence. I'm also a little obsessed with her song "Emotional Landscapes".

Bjork has alleged that there was a lot of inappropriate behavior from von Trier during the filming of the movie, including inappropriate touching and sexual harassment.

[Robert the List]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/bodyguard.gif

The Bodyguard
(Mick Jackson, 1992)

I loved this movie when I was a kid. I thought it was so romantic and that Kevin Costner was such a badass in it. Now that I’m an adult, I think the movie is stupid. Whitney Houston‘s character is such a bitch that it’s hard to buy that someone would fall in love with her. And Costner’s attempts at badassery just come off as amusing in the wrong way. Yet somehow I still love this movie. I will always love this movie…. stupid though it may be.

4
Whitney whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??????????????????????

[Miss Vicky]

I'm also a little obsessed with her song "Emotional Landscapes".

I have it playing right now and I kind of hate it. :laugh:

Bjork has alleged that there was a lot of inappropriate behavior from von Trier during the filming of the movie, including inappropriate touching and sexual harassment.

Great. Another one. Oh well, I've kind of decided not to care about that sort of thing. If I avoided the work of everyone in entertainment who has been accused of being a piece of shit human in one way or another I would pretty much have to stop watching movies and give up a lot of the music I listen to as well. :shrug:

[Miss Vicky]

Whitney whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??????????????????????

Have you seen the movie?

[Takoma11]

I have it playing right now and I kind of hate it. :laugh:

I concede that it is a very . . . distinct sound and that it is definitely not for everyone. It's one of those songs that I heard under special circumstances, and so some of my affection for it is specific to me and that memory.

Great. Another one. Oh well, I've kind of decided not to care about that sort of thing. If I avoided the work of everyone in entertainment who has been accused of being a piece of shit human in one way or another I would pretty much have to stop watching movies and give up a lot of the music I listen to as well. :shrug:

Yeah, I mean I mainly feel bad for Bjork having to put up with it and the story at the time being that she was acting like a diva for no reason when it was really that she was stressed out from being harassed.

[Robert the List]

Have you seen the movie?
Yeah, of course.
I don't think the character's a bitch, and I don't think it's a surprise that her bodyguard fell in love with her.
I do think it's a terrible film though, but I'd say it's probably the best terrible film ever made.

[Miss Vicky]

I don't think the character's a bitch, and I don't think it's a surprise that her bodyguard fell in love with her.

She's beautiful and talented, but also moody as hell and treats him like shit. We'll have to agree to disagree.

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/NewMFPics/moana.gif

Moana
(Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker and Chris Williams, 2016)

I almost didn't bother with another rewatch of this movie, because I didn't like it the last time I watched it. (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2334766#post2334766) The movie has really gorgeous animation and some very strong voice performances, but it's just too damn heavy on the fantasy elements for my tastes. I just don't like the story and I've never really been a fan of the songs, either.

But having seen it again today, I'm back to liking it - but not a lot. I still think the plot is kind of stupid and I'm still not a fan of the songs, but none of that actually annoyed me this time, so I'll go ahead and bump its rating up to a 3, which puts it in the "maybe but not likely" category of possibilities for my ballot.

3.0

[Allaby]

Miss Vicky, have you seen Thelma the Unicorn (2024)? I watched it today and enjoyed it. I thought the songs were pretty good and I liked the animation.

[Miss Vicky]

Miss Vicky, have you seen Thelma the Unicorn (2024)? I watched it today and enjoyed it. I thought the songs were pretty good and I liked the animation.

I haven't. It looks kind of fun, but I don't have Netflix.

[Miss Vicky]

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Crazy Heart
(Scott Cooper, 2009)

I vaguely remember watching this movie when it was still pretty new and liking it well enough to buy the DVD, but I'd pretty much forgotten about it until Holden mentioned it in the countdown preliminary thread.

On the surface, this shouldn't be a movie that I like. I don't particularly like country music, I definitely don't like Colin Farrell or Maggie Gyllenhaal, and although I loved Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski I would never call myself a fan. But Crazy Heart is an undeniably solid film, all three actors turned in strong performances, and I actually liked the music. Bridges in particular is very convincing as Bad Blake, a grizzled old has-been country singer drinking and screwing his way through a tour of crappy little bars (and even a bowling alley) in Bessie, his beat up rusty old Chevy Suburban while his protege, Tommy Sweet, is playing the big time. In one of these towns Blake finds inspiration and possible salvation in the arms of a much younger single mother.

There's nothing particularly original about the story it tells, but in this case I'd say that's part of its strength - the story and its characters are pretty ordinary and very flawed and they feel real because of it. It was really easy to invest in Bad Blake's journey not in spite of but because of his many faults.

I do hope this movie doesn't slip from my memory again because I think it's really worthwhile, but even if it does there's no doubt I'll at least remember it long enough to include it in my ballot.

4.0

[Takoma11]

I also really liked Crazy Heart.

[rauldc14]

I like it as well. But it probably won't make my list because I don't really consider it a musical in my eyes.

[rauldc14]

Also, Moana is a lock for my list.

[Miss Vicky]

I like it as well. But it probably won't make my list because I don't really consider it a musical in my eyes.

Yeah, well, I'm not exactly a purist. Besides, my all-time favorite musical is Hedwig and the Angry Inch and that movie is really not all that different from Crazy Heart.

Also being purist when it comes to selecting my votes would mean I'd have to either turn in a partial (and not be able to give my favorites the full amount of points) or vote for stuff I don't actually like.

[rauldc14]

Ah, that silly Hedwig movie. Ugh.

[Miss Vicky]

Ah, that fantastic Hedwig movie. Yay!

Fixed that for you.

[rauldc14]

Although I am pleasantly surprised with some of the others that might make your ballot

[Miss Vicky]

https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/2010s/sing.gif

Sing
(Garth Jennings and Christophe Lourdelet, 2016)

Every time I watch this movie, I have fun. This silly little tale of the owner of a dying theater who puts on a singing competition in a last ditch effort to keep from going under and motley bunch of talented hopefuls he attracts is entertaining fluff. It's cute, colorful, and funny enough, but it doesn't strike any big emotional chords and it's not especially memorable. Even so, I enjoy it a lot more than many of the other movies I've watched for this countdown and I think it's got a decent chance of sneaking on to my ballot.

3.0

[Miss Vicky]

99696

Hair
(Milos Forman, 1979)

I don't have a lot to say about this one. I thought the songs were irritating as hell, the movie was too long, and the characters ranged from bland and forgettable (especially Bukowski) to incredibly obnoxious (with hippie leader Berger being the most annoying of all). I will give the movie some credit for the ending, which might've been a bit of gut punch if I'd actually cared at all about Berger, but I didn't care so it had very little effect on me.

1.5

[Miss Vicky]

99705
The Commitments
(Alan Parker, 1991)

Another I don't have a lot to say about. The music was fine, but it was all just cover songs and I would've rather just heard the versions I already know than this. The story was fine but a movie about a guy forming a band of working class people isn't exactly groundbreaking. What wasn't fine were the characters. As far as I can tell they're all a bunch of a-holes who spent most of their off-stage time bickering with each other over some stupid bullshit. Making matters worse was that between them yelling over each other, their heavy Irish accents, and the frequent use of slang I'm not familiar with, I often had a lot of difficulty understanding them and because I didn't like a single one of them, I didn't care enough to really try to figure it out.

2.0

[rauldc14]

Off topic a little bit when's the last time you gave a new watch over 4 stars

[Miss Vicky]

Off topic a little bit when's the last time you gave a new watch over 4 stars

I'm not sure that I ever have.

[Miss Vicky]

99726

Robin Hood
(Wolfgang Reitherman and David Hand, 1973)

I know I saw Disney's Robin Hood a time or two as a kid, but it was never a favorite - so going into it tonight it didn't really have nostalgia on its side. But I enjoyed it just the same. It's more fun than I'd remembered it being and I thought the voice cast did a very good job. As a movie, it's pretty good.

However, as a musical it barely qualifies. There are maybe four scenes where characters sing - and two of those only count if consider the narrator to be a proper "character" and the other two are just the same song being sung twice by different characters in scenes that are very close together. For me, this is not enough to consider giving it a vote so there's no way it makes it onto my ballot.

3.0

[BarryCummings]

Horror movies will always hold their place in the hearts of fans, thanks to their unique ability to tap into deep fears and deliver unforgettable experiences.