Board 8 > ~ The Gauntlet Crew Ranks Movie Musicals, Part 2: The Golden Age ~

(+) Yeah! (+)

I would guess Repo! but without Snakes I can't think of a third person who'd rank it in their top ten

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14. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Inviso: 2
KBM: 9
Karo: 10
Genny: 14
Scarlet: 23
JONA: 24
Johnbobb: 28

Inviso - This movie is FUNNY. Full stop. Regardless of its musical quality. Its the perfect kind of Murphys Law plotline, where one character makes a reckless and impulsive decision, tries to scheme his way to freedom, and the plot just keeps rolling and rolling until everything is out of control. The songs, while not exactly well-sung, are fine for their comedic purpose and bizarre dancing (particularly since, despite this not being the kind of musical where there are performances and whatnot, the songs play into the theme and plotting, while seeming to exist in a reality where, yes, the characters themselves are breaking into song and AWARE that they are breaking into song.) The number of delightful misunderstandings that end in comedy are always wonderful to behold, and in the end, everything ends happily, giving a chipper tone to a fun plot. I really liked this, and its the first movie on this list (chronologically) where I can say it was flawless in its execution.

KBM - Why I Chose It: The first musical with both music and lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim, and to date Sondheim's only out-and-out hit, the original 1962 production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum won six Tony Awards including Best Musical, and has since enjoyed several Broadway and West End revivals. In 1966, Funny Thing was successfully translated to the screen, under the direction of Richard Lester (who had also directed the Beatles in A Hard Day's Night and Help!) and starring the original Broadway Pseudolus, Zero Mostel. Ken Thorne received an Oscar for his adaptation of the Sondheim score. The film is also notable for featuring Buster Keaton in his final motion picture role; it was released several months after his death.

My Thoughts: Funny Thing may not be my among my favorite Sondheim shows overall, having in my opinion one of his weaker song scores, but the film adaptation manages to highlight everything that made the show work. The comic timing here is impeccable, and the jokes fly off the screen at a breakneck pace, with all the actors operating at the top of their game. The film also actually manages to add some humor that wasn't present in the stage version by way of Lester's frenetic filmmaking, and the quick, wacky editing that somehow makes everything even funnier. It's an excellent movie adaptation, one that I've not only seen several times and never gotten tired of, but also one of the few where I actually might prefer the movie to the original stage version. Interestingly, the show's most famous song, Comedy Tonight, was written as a last-minute addition to the show just before it reached Broadway, as the out-of-town tryouts for the show experienced the problem that the audience didn't realize they were watching a comedy; the song was written to inform the audience that yes, they could laugh at the jokes.

Favorite Song: Bring Me My Bride

Karo - A hilarious musical depiction of ancient rome involving various characters and the absurdities they end up in.
There are several stories going on featuring a slave looking for his freedom, several people looking for wives, and a lot of close up shots of unattractive middle aged men with their faces covered in sweat.
It is not without its flaws, the budget is low and the ending is way too silly and cartoonish compared to the nuance of the rest of the movie. But it is still a great deal of fun with a lot of good songs, and just like it says something for everyone, a comedy tonight.

Score: 69/100

Best Song: 'Everybody Ought to Have a Maid'

Genny - It turns out that many funny things happened on the way to the forum. I do not tend to like it when movies break the fourth wall in the opening segment. However this one makes up for it pretty well throughout. It's the story of one mishap and misunderstanding after another and I enjoyed the silly chariot ride.

Scarlet - Im always about a punchline away from liking AFTHotWttF. The film never quite sticks the landings to its jokes, and it definitely exists in a dated world with dated humor. Unlike the tongue-in-cheek nature of a timeless Mel Brooks piece, everything here is best if consumed before 1969.
Best Song: Comedy Tonight

JONA - At first, I was on board with the movies comedy and enjoying myself, but I just somehow felt drained as the movie went on. The movie never even had a moment where it started going downhill for me. I guess I just wasnt in the mood for it. The songs were enjoyable but mostly forgettable.
Favorite Song: Comedy Tonight

Johnbobb - Over the course of ~95 minutes, my taste for this movie went back and forth maybe a dozen times, to the point that I'm still not entirely sure if I enjoyed it or not. There are definitely aspects of it I enjoyed. The chase scene in particular was well done. The main deciding point is the comedy, which is REALLY hit or miss, with the slapstick gags landing more often than not (especially those primarily involving the supporting cast) but Mostel in particular I just never really cared for, and his style of humor often just didn't work for me. The film often takes a Mel Brooks-type approach but just isn't funny enough to follow through.
Favorite song: Comedy Tonight

Everybody Out to Have a Lier

Inviso: 177
Genny: 175
Karo: 172
JONA: 160
Scarlet: 157
Johnbobb: 151
KBM: 143

All of a sudden, Inviso goes ahead of both Genny and Karo for top outlier, as I settle back into last place.

Vengeful_KBM posted...

Inviso - This movie is FUNNY. Full stop.

Vengeful_KBM posted...

Johnbobb - just isn't funny enough to follow through.

lol

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JONALEON1 posted...

Man, I can't believe we ran into the Wickle/Metropolis problem again.

I fully expected my #1 to not make the top 10 but fuck.

Hey, technically Vis's problem here was more like me and Metropolis, but yes, I know. #1 for you.

EDIT: ... That feel when I read Millennium Actress instead of Metropolis.

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Ugh. Definitely deserved better than Dancer in the Dark.

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Vis doesn't get to have opinions until Vis admits his rankings are invalid because he didn't even ask anyone for a way to watch a film with subtitles.

God, I hope there were subtitles for Gaga. :P

I hope someone translated Bjork's name to English in the credits.

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Imagine if Mushu was voiced entirely in Mandarin by Chris Rock and had a mole on his face.

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Vis reviewing a restaurant.



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The Phantom of the Opera: Yeah, some aspects are so overdone and the cinematography tried a bit too hard at times. I didn't really like it. But after watching the 25th anniversary version I appreciate the musical a bit more. I still don't love the score since it's too...dramatic/operatic for me, but what can you do. Favorite song: Angel of Music.

Hedwig: This movie made me uncomfortable and I forgot like 90% of what happened in the movie.

Fame: It's...okay. But the many plot threads mostly made me feel lost. I just remember them singing in the streets for the titular number.

Guys and Dolls: I need to rewatch this movie since I remember it even less than Hedwig. I think I'll appreciate it more now though.

Rent: Rent rent rent rent rent. This was my first rock musical obsession and I listened to it a lot during my internship days so it'll always hold a special place in my heart. The numbers are actually mostly really good, especially since they excised the Voice Notes and Christmas ditties. The characters being pretentious leeches is something of a snag after reading about it, but to me, they're pretty likeable to each other in context so I can let it slide. Fav song: Another Day.

A Funny Thing: I LOVE the opening number (and if you haven't, you should check how they do it on stage...brilliant). I enjoyed the rest of the movie at the time but now I can't remember the exact story beats but just that I felt entertained by it. Which might be what they set out to do anyway.

Rent
Phantom of the Opera
A Funny Thing
South Pacific
Fame
The Wiz
Hedwig

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scarletspeed7 posted...

Imagine if Mushu was voiced entirely in Mandarin by Chris Rock and had a mole on his face.

Fuck you and your corona diseased dragon.

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Now THIS is Gauntlet ranking.

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13. Oliver!

Karo: 2
Genny: 4
Johnbobb: 12
Scarlet: 12
Inviso: 23
KBM: 26
JONA: 30

Karo - The live action version of that disney movie with the dogs, only now with people in london.
The songs are the big draw here, it is one of the few films in this project that felt like a 'real' musical what with the big involved musical numbers featuring dozens of people.
The only black mark is Oliver himself and his weird adult woman dubbed singing voice. If this boy is unable to sing by himself, why the hell would you cast him as the lead character in a musical?
Still it tells a good story, and it is just a lot of fun to watch in the same way Mary Poppins is and is well deserving of its best picture win.

Score: 83/100

Best Song: 'Consider Yourself'

Genny - Even though he's naive and bumbling I couldn't help but to root for Oliver. His angelic voice and big doe eyes are just too innocent for this world. Everything from the choreography and songs to the acting is compelling and I have no complaints about anything aside from Nancy staying in that toxic relationship, but I suppose that couldn't be helped without deviating from the source material. Food, Glorious Food might be the most memorable number, but the catchiest to me was You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two. Oliver's voice is so sweet in Who Will Buy? it's hard not to love that as well. Really just an all-around lovely soundtrack where nothing feels like a waste.

Johnbobb - Every aspect of Oliver! is done well, to the point that it's hard to find faults. The acting is mostly excellent (Ron Moody and Shani Wallis are particular standouts), the costuming and set design are all well put together, the songs are catchy and fun. A good movie based on a good musical. Having trouble thinking of much else to say beyond just "yes, very good."
Favorite song: It's a Fine Life

Scarlet - Nostalgia makes me guilty of potentially overranking this piece; having played a role in my local communitys production of Oliver, I fondly recall every number and likely overlook all of the technically poor aspects of the film.
Best Song: Consider Yourself

Inviso - I know this film won an academy award, but that doesnt mean I need to show it any kind of respect. Its just SO dull for SO long. I know people give Oliver & Company a river of shit, but at least it had a pulse and had some fun and some energy. Oliver in this movie SUCKS. He cant act and spends the entire film acting like a timid little bitch. Really, far too much of this film revolves around child actors and child singers, so right off the bat it does NOTHING for me. The ONE saving grace, and the reason the film ranks THIS high, is Nancy. She is by FAR the most interesting character in the film, starting out as desperately in love with Bill Sikes (who is totally an abusive boyfriend), only to develop a conscience and slowly work to help Oliver gain a life beyond just living as a street urchin. The Oompapa song was the only really memorable musical number in the film, and it served a purpose of Nancy using it as a distraction, showing her wit and strength in the face of a man who physically assaulted her. Sadly, she meets a tragic end, but her story alone makes the back half of the movie far superior to the front half, and thus far more enjoyable than others Ive watched.

KBM - Why I Chose It: The 1960 British stage show Oliver!, written by Lionel Bart and based on Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, was a huge hit worldwide, becoming especially popular in British schools on account of its hummable tunes and age-appropriate roles. Alain Boublil also credited the show as his inspiration for writing a musical based on Les Misrables, saying that seeing the Artful Dodger singing and dancing on stage made him envision Gavroche doing the same. The 1968 film adaptation of the show, directed by Carol Reed was also a rather large success, winning six Academy Awards including Best Picture, but also signified the end of an era as the last G-rated film to ever receive the Best Picture Oscar, as well as the last musical to win the award for 34 years (2002's Chicago finally ending the dry spell). It is often considered the very last hurrah of the golden age of movie musicals, as the genre became far less omnipresent until its 21st century revival.

My Thoughts: Oliver! lives and dies on the appeal of its lead child actor. And I hate to say it, but God, I really just cannot stand Mark Lester's performance here, with his over-the-top cutesy persona and his incredibly weak singing voice. Jack Wild, Oscar-nominated for his supporting turn as the Artful Dodger, comes off a bit better, but he and Ron Moody (also Oscar-nominated for his role as Fagin) have the opposite problem, where they're just constantly playing to the back of the house, not seeming to realize that they're in a film. Some of this overplaying can be attributed to the rather dated style in which the movie was made, but that doesn't account for how much better and more restrained similar performances are in earlier films such as West Side Story and My Fair Lady. As it turns out, despite the music, of course, being catchy (though maybe a bit too omnipresent for me, being in the musical theatre world, to find a lot of the songs not irritating - Consider Yourself, for instance, goes on FOREVER), this whole movie just hits a whole bunch of wrong notes for me. The choreography is also hokey and over-the-top, and filmed as it often is by Carol Reed in such an awkward, stagey way, it just makes me wonder how this managed to get all the acclaim and awards hardware that it did. It's not all bad, of course Harry Secombe's awesome tenor vocals are underrated in the role of Mr. Bumble, and Shani Wallis is great as Nancy, even if the film does her dirty by shooting her death so awkwardly and distantly that it's not even clear Sykes has killed her until well after the fact. I'll admit that Oliver! isn't REALLY my kind of show in the first place, but in my opinion, it could have been executed a lot better than this. The songs are catchy, though, and hey, that does count for at least something.

Favorite Song: As Long As He Needs Me

JONA - This movie must have caught me in a particularly bad mood because I could not give a shit about this movie. I hated Oliver. I hated his singing. I just didnt care about whether he would get shelter or not. The other characters are more likable, but not by a significant amount. The songs are just generally whatever, with none of them particularly sticking out to me. I also hate the big overproduced dance sequences for a good amount of the songs.

It's a Fine Outlier

Inviso: 187
Genny: 184
Karo: 183
JONA: 177
Scarlet: 158
KBM: 156
Johnbobb: 152

The field comes even closer together, and I lose the bottom outlier spot to Johnbobb again.

Lowest left is 20. Not too bad.

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huh, I never realized Oliver & Company was based on Oliver Twist

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Johnbobb posted...

huh, I never realized Oliver & Company was based on Oliver Twist

I only learned that because of this list too. I was looking up all the adaptions of Oliver Twist to try and figure out which version of it I watched before. I think it was the one on this list. Didn't get to "re"watching it so don't know for sure.

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Ouch, my heart.

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12. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

JONA: 6
Inviso: 7
Genny: 12
Karo: 15
KBM: 18
Scarlet: 20
Johnbobb: 27

JONA - The office setting for this musical makes it feel so fresh. Its really funny how quickly Finch climbs up the corporate ladder. Seeing how Finch gets out of the situations with office politics is just so entertaining and never gets old. Finch also has some good chemistry with Rosemary. Just a really good time.
Favorite Song: I Believe in You

Inviso - The sad thing is, in my experiencethis isnt entirely far off. I started at my current office five years ago, as an office assistant. Five years later, Im the business office supervisor. And I dont think Im especially amazing at what I do, either. Sure, I work hard, but I think its more the appearance of working hard that matters. But thats neither here nor there. I just found this movie amusing in how rapidly Ponty managed to ascend the corporate ladder. And I love the fact that, despite barely doing any real work at any point during the film, he still managed to showcase his intelligence by constantly finding new ways to schmooze his co-workers and advance himself in the workplace. The musical aspect of the movie was weak, but I didnt really mind, because it was a fun and light-hearted comedy without the musical numbers. I do wish Hedy wasnt so damn annoying though. Shes the one blight on the film (although Frump is borderline himself.)

Genny - I don't have much to say about How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying other than that it's clever and funny. The rivalry between Finch (F-I-N-C-H) and Bud Frump was a particular source of joy for me, as witnessing Bud get outplayed and outwitted repeatedly filed me with much glee.

Karo - A lowly window washer gets a job at a big corporation, and thanks to a self-help book and everyone at the company being an idiot and/or not giving a shit, he ends up running the whole place in a matter of weeks.
Along the way we get some of the most hilarious satire of the business world outside of Dilbert, with songs about brown-nosing the boss and not molesting the secretaries.
It is not really the best movie in the world, but it is fun for what it is and what it tries to do.

Score: 65/100

Best Song: 'A Secretary Is Not a Toy'

KBM - Why I Chose It: 1967's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is based on the Broadway musical from 1961 by Frank Loesser (also known for Guys and Dolls), which won seven Tonys including Best Musical, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, which in turn was based on the satirical 1952 book of the same name by Shepherd Mead. The film adaptation was written and directed by David Swift, who was likely best known for writing and directing Disney's 1961 hit The Parent Trap, and starred Robert Morse and Rudy Valle reprising their stage roles as Finch and Biggley. The film has endured as a faithful adaptation of the hit show; despite positive reviews, however, it met with only middling box office success and was not nominated for any major awards.

My Thoughts: The corporate satire remains appealing despite some dated jokes, and the movie adaptation entertains (you gotta love Robert Morse). That said, a show like How to Succeed (or, as it's even-more-colloquially known, H2$) is truly meant to be seen live, with an audience, and though the film does an admirable job of capturing the source material, it doesn't do much to set it apart from other similar movie musicals and make it come alive on screen. That's not to say it loses TOO much in translation, other than the electricity of live performance, but it does kind of make it into quintessential mid-tier ranking fodder; it's a movie that'll give you some good laughs, that you'll enjoy while you watch it, and that you'll remember enjoying, but that doesn't necessarily stand out in a crowded field.

Favorite Song: Brotherhood of Man (check out the '90s revival version with Matthew Broderick as Finch and Lillias White as Miss Jones if you've never seen it, it's fantastic:) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV2zOsRSS7s

Scarlet - For its time, this biting satire of the post-war structure that built prosperity in America still lingers as this sparkling achievement. Breezy, sending up the chicanery of a corporate world, and years ahead of its time, the music may not be the absolute best, but the film itself is pretty insightful into the world of its time.
Best Song: Brotherhood of Man

Johnbobb - This film really drew me in right away; Finch immediately finding success in everything he attempted solely out of luck and a few clever lines. I was hooked on the character and the goofy way everything just sort of worked out in his favor. I wish I could've maintained that same level of enjoyment the whole way through, but somewhere down the line is started to lose me. I think a big chunk of it was just me not really caring for the music, which obviously kind of severly damages how good it is as a musical. The romantic aspect felt more like a distraction than an important plot point. At some point Hedy LaRue enters in and is just particularly annoying. Overall I can't say I disliked it, but it definitely didn't hold me.
Favorite song: I Believe In You

An Outlier is Not a Toy

Inviso: 192
Karo: 186
Genny: 184
JONA: 183
Johnbobb: 167
Scarlet: 166
KBM: 162

Johnbobb bounces up to the middle of the pack as the only one not expressing overall positive feelings about H2$, while Genny falls to third place overall, her lowest position since South Pacific dropped.

Goddammit. Stop eliminating fun movies and leaving Dancer in the Dark in.

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Espeon posted...

Goddammit. Stop eliminating fun movies and leaving Dancer in the Dark in.

psh Dancer in the Dark is plenty of fun

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11. A Star is Born (1954)

KBM: 10
Scarlet: 10
Inviso: 13
JONA: 13
Genny: 18
Johnbobb: 18
Karo: 20

KBM - Why I Chose It: The second version of A Star Is Born, and the first one to be a musical, the 1954 adaptation was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Moss Hart and directed by eventual Oscar-winner George Cukor (who won for 1964's My Fair Lady). Judy Garland infamously lost the Best Actress Oscar to Grace Kelly for The Country Girl, still considered one of the most shocking and controversial upsets in Academy Awards history. Original songs were written by Howard Arlen (of The Wizard of Oz) and Ira Gershwin (brother and lyricist to George Gershwin).

My Thoughts: Judy absolutely should have won the Oscar. Despite its considerable length, in my view the 1954 take on A Star Is Born is one of the best '50s movie musicals out there. Judy Garland gives the best lead performance in any adaptation of this story, as well as one of her own very best performances ever. Her chemistry with James Mason isn't quite as electric as, say, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, but it's made up for by the lovingly-filmed musical numbers and the expertly handled script, which still carries a lot of dramatic gravitas and a healthy cynicism regarding the fickle nature of show business, even despite the film's age. Like most movies from the era, it certainly does drag at times (though I, for one, was thoroughly entertained by the nearly-20-minute Born in a Trunk montage) but there's no denying the emotional impact of the ending, as well as the lavish production design throughout. I will say that the lost scenes in the restoration that use still production photographs and long establishing shots over the movie's audio are entirely unnecessary and the movie was probably better off without them, despite my general opposition to cutting down films against the director's wishes.

1. 
   

Favorite Song: The Man That Got Away

Scarlet - The reason A Star Is Born works is the innate charisma of the frog-faced Judy Garland. Her voice enraptures and her presence carries this film to the highest of medium-well that seems to define this list.
Best Song: The Man That Got Away

Inviso - This movie is SO. LONG. I cant remember, but There cant have been many other films weve watched for this list that were so long that they required an intermission in the middle. And length isnt indicative of a lack of quality. There are some really good, long movies. The problem is that SO much of this film felt padded out unnecessarily. I get that the plot revolves around Judy Garland rising to stardom, and that means highlighting some of the choices in her life that made up her acting career. But there are so many musical numbers that just feel completely superfluous, and they stretch out the run time. Theres a tight, well-crafted story in this film, about the rise of one star while another falls. It just gets bogged down by the absurd runtime. Honestly, this films biggest failing is the fact that its a musical, because those musical numbers are the cause of padding that ultimately harms to films plot. Its still decent, and at least I like the charactersbut it couldve been much better.

JONA - The first movie of the series that ends with the phenomenal Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star. This movie is all about showing off Judy Garland and her talents. Of course, shes fantastic here and of the three versions of the movie, this is the one that has the best feeling of a star being born. Also, I loved the look of Garlands stage numbers. Theres great chemistry between the main couple and all the emotional moments hit. Its definitely too long though.
Favorite Song: The Man That Got Away

Genny - I never saw the original so forgive me if I think this iteration of A Star is Born did something less unique than I presume, but the change of the leading man from rock singer to actor was intriguing. Judy Garland did a great job here, her Esther playing off her counterpart very well in a way that made me pity the both of them.

Johnbobb - So my main takeaway here is that Judy Garland just kills it. Her performance, her songs, her one blatantly racist number. Wait, scratch that last one. She alone make the film worthwhile; even if it's a little overlong, Garland never really stops being a pleasure to watch. Once that's passed, however, there's not quite as much leftover as I might hope for. Norman isn't a particularly compelling foil, and the rest of the characters are entirely forgettable. Ultimately I'm let without a whole lot more to say about it.
Favorite song: The Man That Got Away

Karo - A big name actor sees a girl singing at a nightclub and decides to use his influence to attempt to make her into a movie star. He succeeds at this endeavor, which is pretty much the only thing of note to happen in the movie until the very end.
Unfortunately, most of the songs were rather forgettable. Not to throw any shade at Judy Garland but none of her performances here really sent me over the rainbow as it were. If the most memorable musical thing about a film is Garland's racist portrayal of a chinaman via a lampshade, that is not particularly good.
The powerful ending makes the movie worthwhile, but having to slog through nearly three hours of story that proceeds at the pace of molasses to get to that point is not something I'd ever want to do again.

Score: 55/100

Best Song: 'Lose That Long Face'

Born in an Outlier

Karo: 195
Inviso: 194
Genny: 191
JONA: 185
Johnbobb: 173
Scarlet: 167
KBM: 163

Karo takes the lead (barely) going into the project's Top 10, on the film with the smallest point spread in the project. (Well, tied, anyway, with one more that's still to come.)

And so, here is your Top 10:

All That Jazz (1979)
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Dreamgirls (2006)
Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
Into the Woods (2014)
The Last Five Years (2014)
La La Land (2016)
The Greatest Showman (2017)
A Star is Born (2018)

Okay, yeah, Scar's kinda right about the recency bias on this list. >_>

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He wasn't when he said it. The top 10 is quite recent, true, but everything since Umbrellas of Cherbourg has been REALLY close in point value to #8-10 and were all from the 70s or earlier.

In any case, as is custom, here's how my own list is faring:

1. ???
2. ???
3. Phantom of the Paradise
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
7. ???
8. ???
9. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
10. A Star Is Born (1954)
11. Yentl
12. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
13. 1776
14. 42nd Street
15. Fame
16. ???
17. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
18. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
19. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
20. ???
21. Help!
22. Hair
23. A Star Is Born (1976)
24. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
25. ???
26. Oliver!
27. Kiss Me Kate
28. Rent
29. The Phantom of the Opera
30. Guys and Dolls
31. On the Town
32. South Pacific
33. The Wiz
34. Doctor Dolittle
35. Jailhouse Rock

in hindsight I feel like maybe I should've ranked '54 A Star is Born a little higher. My thoughts remain mostly the same, but man Judy Garland really was incredible there.

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1. ???
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
7. ???
8. Phantom of the Paradise
9. Guys and Dolls
10. ???
11. Hair
12. Oliver!
13. On the Town
14. ???
15. The Phantom of the Opera
16. Rent
17. 1776
18. A Star is Born (1954)
19. Fame
20. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
21. ???
22. The Wiz
23. South Pacific
24. A Star is Born (1976)
25. Jailhouse Rock
26. 42nd Street
27. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
28. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
29. Yentl
30. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
31. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
32. Help!
33. Doctor Dolittle
34. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
35. Kiss Me Kate

Aside from my #21, pretty great top 10! And even then I didn't really dislike my 21, it was just fine.

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1. Singin' in the Rain
2. ???
3. ???
4. ???
5. ???
6. Hello, Dolly!
7. Little Shop of Horrors: The Director's Cut
8. ???
9. ???
10. Les Miserables
11. 8 Mile
12. ???
13. Moulin Rouge!
14. ???
15. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
16. ???
17. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
18. Xanadu
19. The Wizard of Oz
20. ???
21. Hairspray
22. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
23. Chicago
24. Victor/Victoria
25. The King and I
26. Funny Girl
27. Grease
28. Meet Me in St. Louis
29. Across the Universe
30. Oklahoma!

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Vengeful_KBM posted...

He wasn't when he said it. The top 10 is quite recent, true, but everything since Umbrellas of Cherbourg has been REALLY close in point value to #8-10 and were all from the 70s or earlier.

And yet, I'm right nonetheless. Writing was already on the wall!

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JONALEON1 posted...

17. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

wow wtf

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I'll be sad when 8 of these top ten films go out. The others could've gone out a week or so ago and I wouldn't bat a lash.

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1. ???
2. Oliver!
3. Doctor Dolittle
4. ???
5. ???
6. ???
7. ???
8. Yentl
9. ???
10. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
11. The Phantom of the Opera
12. ???
13. 1776
14. ???
15. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
16. ???
17. Rent
18. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
19. South Pacific
20. A Star is Born (1954)
21. A Star is Born (1976)
22. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
23. On the Town
24. Guys and Dolls
25. Kiss Me Kate
26. ???
27. 42nd Street
28. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
29. Hair
30. The Wiz
31. Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again
32. Phantom of the Paradise
33. Jailhouse Rock
34. Fame
35. Help!

it is a pretty good top 10 with one exception

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I saw Dreamgirls for the first time last month and liked it overall, but the story was little more than a way to string together the songs and characters.

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I'm gonna take this one day off since we're at the Top 10. Get hype! Maybe even get this topic to Page 5 by then! Go nuts! :-P

Or not.

In any case this next one is the one I was genuinely surprised made the top ten. Fun facts: I had to eliminate the top TWO highest and lowest rankings for #10 and #9 to break the tie between them (so, yes, the placement of these two was essentially decided by just three people). These two were CLOSE.

10. The Last Five Years

Johnbobb: 4
Genny: 6
Karo: 7
JONA: 8
KBM: 16
Inviso: 24
Scarlet: 34

Johnbobb - Anna Kendrick is a goddess among common men and I've listened to this soundtrack by far more than any other on the list.
Favorite song: See I'm Smiling

Genny - The Last Five Years pulls something off I've yet to see before in that it tells a story from two different perspectives without completely demonizing either person. It does feel jumbled and out of order at times, but it's a wonderfully tragic tale and I didn't end up hating anyone in it. Rather I felt sympathetic toward both Jaime and Cathy, who both did their best to make their partner feel beloved and important, but were powerless to save their marriage. Ultimately, there's something almost whimsical about being given all the puzzle pieces at different times and putting together what made what was once a happy relationship disintegrate.

Karo - This is a musical film about a couple having marital problems, something that doesnt sound like the makings of a good musical, yet it is somehow.
Basically the story goes though their whole relationship from when they first meet until they break up, and even though not a lot happens it is still interesting, and the music style is quirky and fun.

Score: 74/100

Best Song: 'A Summer In Ohio'

JONA - I really like the idea of the same storyline being told in two different ways, with different perspectives. The relationship drama is intriguing, and the songs are great. I was liking how it seemed to be a mutual falling out of love and not being completely one persons fault, but its absolutely Jamies fault. That being said, I still found it quite good.
Favorite Song: See Im Smiling

KBM - Why I Chose It: Arguably Jason Robert Brown's most widely-known musical, despite having never made it to Broadway, The Last Five Years has received plenty of major performances all over the world. It has become especially well-known for its story structure, in which Cathy's story is told in reverse chronological order while Jamie's is told chronologically, and in which the two actors only directly interact during the wedding song in the middle (The Next Ten Minutes) as the two timelines intersect. It is also well-known for its emotional gravitas as a semi-autobiographical account of JRB's own failed marriage. The film adaptation, written and directed by Richard LaGravenese (Oscar-nominated for writing The Fisher King, and also known for writing and directing P.S. I Love You), met with mixed reviews upon its very limited, primarily video-on-demand release, with near-universal praise for the performances of Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan, but less enthusiasm for the story structure's success in translating to film.

My Thoughts: Okay, so this is another show I've actually been a part of, having played the fiendishly-difficult piano accompaniment for the live show; it's also a show I absolutely fell in love with in the process. This was always gonna be a nigh-impossible one to adapt to film. To the credit of everyone involved, I think they did ALMOST as good a job as you can do. It's such a quintessentially Theatrical Conceit to have a story told, by a cast of only two people, from two different chronological directions, and since by and large you're walking into the theatre EXPECTING that kind of conceit when you see the show, it can be a very different experience to just watch a film adaptation of such a story, especially if you're going in unfamiliar with the source material. I can definitely see how it would be difficult to grasp what the story is doing with chronology if you're not already familiar with the show. That all being said, I still absolutely love all the music (JRB is a god among common men), and Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan are both perfectly cast in the roles of the two lovers whose relationship is doomed from the start. It just...this was always gonna be a nigh-impossible one to adapt to film. They did a really good job, but there's only so much you can do here, I think. Go see the stage show if and when it comes near you, you'll understand what I mean.

Favorite Song: Goodbye Until Tomorrow

Inviso - It took me WAY too long to figure out the story structure this film was going for. Like, pretty much any time the timeline switches back to the happiest days of the couples early dating, it feels like a generic, bubblegum pop musical that does little to stand out from the crowd. Meanwhile, the SHARP contrast when you have that tonal shift to the darkest days at the END of their relationshipit just feels weird, and those songs arent even especially enjoyable. I guess that, while I appreciate the films unique structure, and the showcasing of how a relationship can break down, despite such a strong and loving start, ultimately, it left me feeling bored through most of its runtime, and I didnt enjoy the characters. Seriously, both leads felt like self-absorbed assholes, while simultaneously coming across as justified in being self-absorbed assholes because of how awful their partner was. Eh.

Scarlet - The blandest musical Ive ever seen anchored by a narcissistic douchebag with a punchable face and a version of Anna Kendrick that might actually be a corpse just manipulated with wires.
Best Song: Shiksa Goddess

Shiksa Outlier

Inviso: 208
Karo: 198
Genny: 195
Scarlet: 191
JONA: 187
Johnbobb: 179
KBM: 169

Scarlet's score leaps quite a bit as he finally gets to see his second-to-last place drop. Meanwhile, Inviso becomes the first person to break the 200-point mark.

This was one of those movies I watched and absolutely hated it. Hell, I groaned from the moment I turned it on and knew essentially the whole story that I'd be forced to watch when we started off with a moping Kendrick singing about how her boyfriend's gone. Down to being obnoxiously crappy about how Jamie decides to sing about how it's Cathy's fault that he wants to fuck every other girl he meets.

Yeah, no. You don't victimize yourself for adultery. Hell, the man couldn't even leave her without being shady about it by packing up and running off while she's away. So it's like, okay? So you'll want to sympathize with Kendrick's character? Minus her literally getting pissed off at her fiance's success while she was still job hopping. I'm there currently, but I can't sympathize because she was acting like an utter bitch despite being dependent on him.

There was one moment I found enjoyment in the whole movie, and that's just how the goodbye song was performed. To have both on screen, but know they're not interacting. It was well done, but still just an awful storyline.

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Last Five Years is a superb musical.

The movie was one of the worst things I've ever seen. It was just a dreadful adaptation .

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Scarlet how fucking dare you

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Also curious where this would've landed had wickle and mi participated given they both really disliked it

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I honestly don't even know how it would've placed for me. The soundtrack is great and I love listening to it.

But I hated watching it.

It's weird.

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Johnbobb posted...

Scarlet how fucking dare you

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2474024/ratings?ref_=tt_ov_rt

Don't call me out and leave out a majority of people who think it is, at best, unremarkable.

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it gets Anna Kendrick's face/10

so a perfect 10, essentially

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the next ranking will be

on page 5

9. Into the Woods

Karo: 5
Inviso: 6
Johnbobb: 6
KBM: 7
JONA: 12
Genny: 30
Scarlet: 33

Karo - Basically all sorts of famous fairy tale characters have the sudden urge to do some arboreal exploration, so they head into the woods and sing a lot.
The plot itself is a bit confusing, and only the familiarity of the fairy tales involved make it followable at all. Near as I can tell, the story seems to be a metaphor for either growing up or losing your virginity (Red's segments were definitely the latter).
Nonetheless, the music is good and considering this was something that was very difficult to adapt into a movie with its myriad of storylines and characters, they did a pretty good job of it.

Score: 76/100

Best Song: 'Prologue: Into the Woods'

Inviso - I found this musical to be delightful in the way that I wasnt expecting. The first half intermixed the fairy tales of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk in a whimsical comedy of errors. James Corden does a great job playing a beleaguered everyman, as I first realized when he had to put up with Matt Smiths frenetic portrayal of the Doctor, and as such, he makes for a great connecting thread to bring all of the other storylines together. Really, that first half is all about the Disney style of fairy tale, where everyone overcomes their trials and tribulations to achieve a happy ending. The Witch regains her beauty, the Baker and his Wife have a son, Cinderella gets her Prince Charming, Rapunzel gets HER Prince Charming, and Jack provides riches for his family.

However, as all those happy endings came together, I checked the clock, and there were still forty-five minutes left in the film. Suddenly, all of those positive outcomes fell apart, with Prince Charming cheating on Cinderella, a giant coming to kill young Jack, Jack and Reds parents dying, the Baker being unable to cope with fatherhood, and his Wife dying due to the giant as well. All of those magical solutions to lifes problems fall apart, and its up to the characters to work together and find solutions. I appreciated that message, and I appreciated the fact that, even though everything went south for all involved, they still came together as a makeshift family in their time of need. It wound up being a second happy ending, and this time, it felt far more realistic and deserved.

Johnbobb - Anna Kendrick is a goddess among common men and while she unfortunately doesn't get the full spotlight, she is surrounded by a pretty excellent cast. Agony is hilarious. The musical is equal parts Disney movie and Grimm horror, which works surprisingly well.
Favorite song: Agony

KBM - Why I Chose It: Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, which was nominated for 10 Tony Awards in 1988 (but lost most of them to Phantom of the Opera), the long-awaited film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods was finally released in 2014, after versions of the film had been in stuck in development hell since the early '90s. The film was produced by Disney, and directed by Rob Marshall, Oscar-nominated for his work adapting 2002's Chicago, with a screenplay by James Lapine, who also wrote the script for the original show. It proved a rather large hit, receiving three Oscar nominations (including Best Supporting Actress for Meryl Streep as the Witch), three Golden Globe nominations (including Best Musical or Comedy), and mostly positive reviews, being named as one of the best films of 2014 by the AFI.

My Thoughts: My thoughts are that this is the most successful stage-to-screen adaptation of a piece of musical theatre of the 2010s, and it's not even really close. There were so many opportunities for them to blow this; Into the Woods requires actors who are both excellent singers and actors, and a willingness to go into some pretty dark places that Disney is usually hesitant to go to. I have been in the show (played Jack in high school) and will be music directing a production of it in the summer, and as someone who's intimately familiar with the source material, I truly admire how great of a job the filmmakers did at adapting the material. Between the legendary Paul Gemignani's top-tier music direction, a cast with exactly zero weak links (between this and Edge of Tomorrow releasing in 2014, we definitely know what year my hopeless crush on Emily Blunt began), and Rob Marshall's sure hand (the latter of which was particularly a relief after the embarrassment that was his 2009 musical adaptation Nine), this adaptation manages to hit virtually all of the right notes. I have a couple of minor quibbles, such as the vague manner in which Jack's mother dies, and the exclusion of the Agony reprise, but they're easy enough things to ignore in the grand scheme of things. The film captures the spirit of the show in a way I didn't think was possible until I saw it. (Screw the Mysterious Man.)

Favorite Song in the Movie: Agony (the inspired choreography atop the waterfall manages to add hilarity to what was already a hilarious song)
Best Song in the Show: Last Midnight (it IS still one of my favorites in the movie because Streep does a surprisingly good job of handling a very difficult song, but shit there's nothing like hearing the likes of Bernadette Peters or Donna Murphy sing this one)

JONA - Its fun to see the different fairy tales interact in the same world. The shenanigans involving the baker and his wife getting the items are quite funny. Its cool to see what happens to the characters after they got their happy ending. I would have been pretty satisfied if it ended there. Its nuts that we got a Disney version of Cinderellas story where her sisters feet get mutilated. The drama of the second part is quite intriguing and wondering what the future holds for these characters after everything thats happened.
Favorite Song: Prologue: Into the Woods

Genny - The first half of Into the Woods would probably make my top 10 despite a few things holding it back such as everyone's need to constantly sing over each other preventing me from gleaning half of the exposition out of the opening number. I'm hyperbolizing obviously, but that is an issue. The bigger issue however is that Into the Woods becomes an entirely different movie in its latter half: one that's more satirical but also somehow less clever. This jumbled mess literally features two princes dick measuring over who's situation is sadder and also a baker's wife contemplating two-timing the husband she just had a child with then that entire potential conflict becomes irrelevant when she falls off a cliff. The he