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

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Page List: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Vengeful_KBM
01/31/20 8:32:48 PM
#202:


Into the Woods and Outlier the Woods

Genny: 216
Scarlet: 215
Inviso: 211
Karo: 202
JONA: 190
Johnbobb: 182
KBM: 171

Genny and Scarlet, the two people who didn't like Into the Woods, leap ahead of the pack, and we go from one person above the 200-point mark to four.
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TotallyNotMI
01/31/20 8:34:29 PM
#203:


Another one of my favorite stage musical with a very disappointing adaptation

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Inviso
01/31/20 8:40:03 PM
#204:


Jesus Christ, get Dancer in the Dark OUT already.

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Inviso
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Johnbobb
01/31/20 9:30:33 PM
#205:


ok scarlet what the fuck did Anna Kendrick ever do to you to deserve this kind of injustice

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WickIebee
01/31/20 9:31:55 PM
#206:


He likes Anna Kendrick when she's actually being a good actress, not in movies that were on this list.

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Johnbobb
01/31/20 9:38:33 PM
#207:




sorry wickle I'm not gonna argue with President Richard M. Nixon

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GenesisSaga
01/31/20 11:25:50 PM
#208:


The iteration of Cinderella was a complete waste of Anna Kendrick's talent though. My only remorse is that it will sadly be her highest appearance on this list.

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Raka_Putra
02/01/20 8:06:37 AM
#209:


Into the Woods is a great musical. The movie was decent enough I suppose. Though the real joy of ITW is seeing how different companies interpret Milky White.
https://lowbudgetmilkywhites.tumblr.com/

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Vengeful_KBM
02/01/20 2:26:10 PM
#210:


8. Dreamgirls

JONA: 4
KBM: 4
Inviso: 5
Genny: 7
Johnbobb: 21
Karo: 26
Scarlet: 28

JONA - This films a great look into the history of Motown and the Supremes. I love how the songs change in genre in accordance with the time period theyre in. The drama of the music industry and the characters is engaging and the musics great. Jennifer Hudsons performance in And I Am Telling You Im Not Going is fantastic.
Favorite Song: Cadillac Car

KBM - Why I Chose It: Heavily inspired by the true stories of various Motown and R&B acts, the hit 1981 musical Dreamgirls, which won six of its 13 Tony nominations, was planned to be made into a film as early as the mid-'80s. It wasn't until 2006, however, that this big-screen adaptation finally saw the light of day, as adapted by Chicago screenwriter Bill Condon. The film was received very positively, garnering all sorts of awards and nominations, including two Oscar wins and three Golden Globes. Jennifer Hudson won an Academy Award for her universally-praised performance as Effie White, and Eddie Murphy (who won most other major Supporting Actor awards) was nominated for the first (and so far, only) time in his career, for his performance as Jimmy Early.

My Thoughts: Dreamgirls is just fantastic. I kind of don't even know how to go into much more detail than that; this is one of the few that I somehow hadn't actually seen before putting together this list, and in watching it, I was just swept away by the music, the story, the performances all of it was just exceptional. Hudson is obviously astounding, particularly her showstopping performances of And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going and One Night Only, but the rest of the cast is truly great as well Anika Noni Rose being particularly underrated here (as she is just in general). The three-part harmonies between Hudson, Rose, and Beyonc just had me melting. And it's a great story, too, made all the more believable from having been based on factual accounts, but unlike most such shows, this isn't a jukebox musical, so the songs actually fit without having to be forced to. When it was over, it left me wanting more, wishing it'd been longer, and though it's definitely not the longest movie on this list, at 130 minutes, that's still a feat.

Favorite Song: It's All Over and And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going (they dovetail together so perfectly that it's hard for me to separate them in my mind, even though the latter is frequently performed on its own. If I had to choose ONE it'd be the latter, but the former is criminally underrated.)

Inviso - Going into the previous musical ranking, this was the biggest snub I could think of, which seemed especially odd, given that there were so few strong showings for musicals in the 2000s. But I had never seen it before, outside of Jennifer Hudsons brilliant performance of And I Am Telling You Im Not Going. Needless to say, Im glad this this ranking rectified that oversight. There are almost no missteps in this film. It manages to perfectly convey the rise and fall of MULTIPLE characters over the course of their careers, as they break into the pop music scene. Effie is a diva, of course, yet she still manages to come across as sympathetic. Shes naturally gifted as a singer, but she doesnt have the kind of look that appeals to audiences, resulting in her getting shunted aside in favor of Beyonce. The same is true for Eddie Murphys character, which has a far sadder conclusion with his drug overdose. Meanwhile, Jamie Foxx plays a great conman, rising to great heights, only to get smacked back down to Earth when he just couldnt allow control to slip from his grasp. Throw in some fun and lively songs, and this wound up being an exceptional addition to the list.

Genny - I've seen Dreamgirls at least a dozen times. I am sure several of the crew will rave about Jennifer Hudson's showstopper of a number as they should, but in my opinion there wasn't a weak link in the cast. Anika Noni Rose and Beyonc Knowles deliver some stellar alto-soprano support, which is actually a difficult feat to accomplish considering how challenging it is to be subtle in the higher ranges, and Jaime Foxx manages to be a decent villain walking the line between despicable and relatable. However the real standout performance came from a most unexpected source for me: Eddie Murphy. To date Jimmy Early is my favorite role of his, an opinion charon would find blasphemous I'm sure.

Johnbobb - Eddie Murphy is pretty shockingly good. Jennifer Hudson was also impressive, but the rest of the cast are... mostly fine? Overall decent, but the movie just kind of felt... there. I can't think of much in the way of specific issues I had with it. It's good! Just good though.
Favorite song: And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going

Karo - This movie adaptation of season three of American Idol follows the story of three african-american girls who want to be big stars, sponsored in part by the Cadillac Motor Company.
The trio starts out as backup singers for a music bigshot, and mercifully we have to endure very few bouts of Eddie Murphy's usual crack-fueled squealing before he dies of a drug overdose.
Anyway, Murphy was nothing compared to the film's real irritation in the form of the character of Effie, who is like a whiny self-centered millennial masquerading as a 1970's black woman.
Wahhh, I don't sing backup for nobody cuz I'm a star and my voice better than all you bitches and you just discriminatin' against me cuz I'm fat and you stole maaah dweeeeams!!!
Hey, shut the fuck up you stupid spoiled little diva princess, everything bad that happened to you is your own damn fault and you deserve it all.
The movie's saving grace is the music of its cool motown soundtrack, and it was always a relief to take a break from the terrible story for some musical balm. Well, except whenever it involved Jennifer Hudson, whose idea of singing is attempting to destroy every piece of glass and/or eardrum within a one mile radius.
This film is far from being a dream, in fact it is one step to the bad side removed from being a full on nightmare.

Score: 46/100

Best Song: 'Dreamgirls'

Scarlet - This movie is rooted by two particular anchors: first, do you like Eddie Murphy? For my money, his Oscar-nominated performance is flat and forced, by and large, lacking the charisma of Murphy that made him bankable in the 80s. The second anchor is whether or not you enjoy the period piece musical biopic, and as with Ray and Walk the Line, I find the stories of musicians yearning for success against a backdrop of Boomer spank bank material
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Vengeful_KBM
02/01/20 2:29:01 PM
#211:


Fake Your Way To The Top (of the Outlier Standings)

Scarlet: 235
Karo: 220
Genny: 217
Inviso: 214
Johnbobb: 195
JONA: 194
KBM: 175

With that, Scarlet takes first place by a pretty wide margin.
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Raka_Putra
02/01/20 5:41:30 PM
#212:


I was one of the co-producers for a Dreamgirls production here and it made me appreciate the musical more, despite having watched the movie prior to the production. Now I want to rewatch the movie version. I didn't really 'get it' the first time.

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Johnbobb
02/01/20 6:16:06 PM
#213:


still don't have a lot to say about Dreamgirls. I get the appeal, but it's not something I have much desire to watch again.

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Vengeful_KBM
02/01/20 10:13:02 PM
#214:


7. Repo! The Genetic Opera

Genny: 3
Johnbobb: 5
Karo: 6
Inviso: 9
JONA: 14
KBM: 20
Scarlet: 26

Genny - If you'd asked me eight years ago I'd have told you Repo! The Genetic Opera was not only my favorite musical, but my favorite movie as well. It still holds up to this day, but not to the lofty heights I'd held it to before. It's pretty easy to see why the grim dark dystopia setting would appeal to me, but the vocal talents of Anthony Stewart Head and Sarah Brightman are the real show-stealers. The casting choices for the other vocalists aren't nearly as strong, but the movie has a certain charm I can't ignore, and honestly Paris Hilton is intentionally made to be the butt of jokes both within and without the movie. It's campy, it's gritty, it's mindless entertainment that belies actual talent. It's got all the makings of a goth passion project and I love it.

Johnbobb - I really feel like I shouldn't like Repo very much. It's objectively not the best movie. It's cheesy and tacky and campy and not exactly well-written or acted. But goddamn if it isn't just a blast to watch and sing along too. There's so much style just bleeding out of every crack. Most of the style isn't particularly good, but it's catchy and fun and absurd.
Favorite song: 21st Century Cure

Karo - A bizarre film set in a humorous dystopian future where if you can't pay your medical bills the Repo Man comes around to repossess your goddamn organs.
Though the title says 'opera', the soundtrack actually has an eclectic musical style that goes between everything from Sesame Street to Music Man to Sonic the Hedgehog, and this somehow seems ok.
But where things really shine is the satire, where the puerile idiocy of human society gets eviscerated savagely with a rusty bonesaw. A sign advertises cosmetic organ transplants with the tagline 'it's what's on the inside that counts'. A rich playboy not content with a simple facelift has a second face sewn right onto his head. It is ridiculous but that is the point. We only see these things as moronic because we don't live in a world where they are 'socially acceptable', but we've got plenty of our own things that would look just as stupid. Such as Twitter.
Anyway, on the surface this doesnt look like something that should be any good, but rather some silly trainwreck filed under cult classicdom in the vein of Rocky Horror. But unlike that dubious movie this one has a real point and real character development and an epic tale of love and betrayal worthy of Game of Thrones.
Of course it is not without its share of problems, it seems directed by someone with ADD and several of the cast simply cannot sing, not to mention it just about reeks to high heaven with 2000's edgelordiness.
Nonetheless, Repo is something fresh and different. Fresh and different? Fresh and different. And when the movie ends it will change how you feel about surgery, surgery.

Score: 75/100

Best Song: 'Zydrate Anatomy'

Inviso - Who wouldve thought that a movie featuring Paris Hilton would actually be good? But yeah, this is such a bizarre premise for a movie, and its even more bizarre in the choice to turn this storyline into a musical. Yet somehow, it just works. Im sure that, barring an exceptionally violent movie among the last six I have yet to watch, this will rank at the bottom of Wickles list of course, and thats understandable. The disemboweling, while necessary to the universe-building of the film, was still very unsettling and gross. But if you can look past that, you have an interesting tale of rich men toying with the lives of their inferiors, all while becoming increasingly-deformed as they find new ways to supplement their existing bodies for longer life. The operatic songs and the soundtrack in general are all awesome, and the end result is a really cool movie that had just the right amount of horror and twisted visuals to be enjoyable.

JONA - I really like the tone and atmosphere. The little comic book scenes are nice touches. The soundtrack is pretty good despite the songs feeling like they blend together after a while. There are a lot of songs and none of them feel too short or too long which is nice. The story and dialogue are nothing to write home about, but it was decent enough for me to care about it. The fact that its so different from most of the movies on the list probably helped with its ranking.
Favorite Song: Chase the Morning

KBM - Why I Chose It: Written by Terrance Zdunich and Darren Smith, based on a musical originally entitled The Necromerchant's Debt which they had written some years prior, Repo! The Genetic Opera was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, director of Saw II, III, and IV. The film, featuring quite a wide range of famous actors, including Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Sarah Brightman (Phantom of the Opera), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Bill Moseley (House of 1,000 Corpses), and Paris Hilton, was released in only seven screens and initially received largely negative reviews, but developed a sizable cult following, often compared to the Rocky Horror Picture Show fanbase in terms of size and passion.

My Thoughts: For me, it's the big-name cast that saves this from being painful. It's not particularly well-made, and a lot of the music is somewhat awkwardly written and at times even painful. However, strong performances from actors whose parts seem tailor-made for their strengths (even when their strengths are... somewhat limited lookin' at you, Brightman) and a few truly kickass, catchy numbers save this from being a pain to get through. Alexa Vega in the lead role as Shiloh is a bit whiny and difficult to suffer through, but whenever her tantrums reach critical mass (as in probably the WORST song in the movie, Infected), generally Anthony Stewart Head as the Repo Man or writer Terrance Zdunich as the GraveRobber or someone will come along to steal the scene and make you forget why you were so irritated five minutes ago. It never truly lasts, but it certainly allows the proceedings to be enjoyable. (Particularly Head's wonderfully committed, Jekylland Hyde-esque performance.) All in all, it's not REALLY my thing, but I can enjoy it for its high points even when I'm not too keen on its lows.

Favorite Song: Night Surgeon (AKA I reee-mem-BEEEEERRRRR!)

Scarlet - Somewhere between Rocky Horror and straight-up Saw lies the rough draft for a David Cronenberg musical. At least thats what I see here. So many critics lambast this film, a
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Vengeful_KBM
02/01/20 10:14:52 PM
#215:


Largo's Little Outliers

Scarlet: 254
Genny: 221
Karo: 221
Inviso: 216
JONA: 201
Johnbobb: 197
KBM: 188

And then, there were two. Two of us under 200 points, that is, as Scarlet continues to barrel ahead of the competition for the top outlier spot.
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Johnbobb
02/01/20 10:33:58 PM
#216:


Vengeful_KBM posted...
Scarlet - Somewhere between Rocky Horror and straight-up Saw lies the rough draft for a David Cronenberg musical.
oh hey scarlet described why I like Repo! better than I did

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Johnbobb
02/01/20 10:40:01 PM
#217:


Vengeful_KBM posted...
I reee-mem-BEEEEERRRRR!
Remember WHAT YOU DID to MARNIIIIIIII

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Johnbobb
02/01/20 10:47:16 PM
#218:


also (sorry for the triple post) it was really hard to pick a favorite song given how wildly different so many of them are.

I'm also a huge fan of Infected, At the Opera Tonight, Let the Monster Rise, Genetic Repo Man...

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Inviso
02/01/20 10:48:00 PM
#219:


God DAMMIT. How the hell did you guys like Dancer in the Dark so much? It's like Manic Pixie 8 Mile.

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Inviso
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v_charon
02/01/20 10:48:31 PM
#220:


Genny and I got the chance to check out Terrance Zdunich's band, American Murder Song, a few years ago at DragonCon. Definitely really cool music, check it out if you like his songs in Repo. He was the Graverobber, and also did the screenplay for the movie.
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Johnbobb
02/01/20 11:00:39 PM
#221:


Inviso posted...
God DAMMIT. How the hell did you guys like Dancer in the Dark so much? It's like Manic Pixie 8 Mile.

Johnbobb posted...
oh hey vis described why I like Dancer in the Dark better than I did


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Johnbobb
02/01/20 11:03:02 PM
#222:


oh for the record, worst Repo song by a mile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYcSFKGGnx4

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Vengeful_KBM
02/02/20 3:38:46 PM
#223:


6. A Star is Born (2018)

KBM: 6
Scarlet: 6
Karo: 9
Johnbobb: 14
Genny: 15
Inviso: 16
JONA: 16

KBM - Why I Chose It: A huge success with critics and audiences alike, becoming the second-highest grossing film of the 2018 domestic box office that wasn't a superhero franchise movie or sequel, the newest take on A Star Is Born, starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga and helmed by Cooper himself in his directorial debut, was nominated for hundreds of awards, including eight Academy Awards. The soundtrack's lead single, Shallow, won the composing team Best Original Song at the Oscars, and was certified platinum in many countries including the US. The film was also chosen by many critics as one of the Top 10 best films of 2018, including by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.

My Thoughts: An excellent remake of a classic story, this version succeeds in all the ways it needed to, and then some. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper have brilliant chemistry and both turn in terrific performances, as does Sam Elliott in his supporting role as Jackson Maine's brother and manager. It doesn't stray too far from the major story beats of previous versions, but it does just enough to update the story for the 21st century without seeming aggrandizing-of-the-self [holy shit GameFAQs autocensor lmao] or pandering about any of it (unlike the '70s Streisand adaptation). All in all, it's just an excellent film, and ends up being the best-paced, most emotionally impactful of all the versions of A Star Is Born you can choose from. What really pulls it all together, of course, is the excellent Lady Gaga-led soundtrack, which, though I really enjoy the soundtracks to the '50s and '70s versions, basically blows those out of the water. Bradley Cooper also proves his not-insignificant chops as a writer/director, filming in a beautiful but restrained style, and not letting the movie get overlong and thereby overstay its welcome.

Favorite Song: Tough call, but Look What I Found is just SUCH a jam and I can't get enough of it.
Best Song: Probably I'll Never Love Again although this is also a very tough call and Always Remember Us This Way is a tempting choice. This soundtrack is just so fucking good that it's impossible to actually decide. I understand why Shallow was such a big hit and it's certainly very catchy, but I don't think it's technically the best song on the soundtrack.

Scarlet - A raw, powerful performance by Lady Gaga anchors this self-masturbatory project from the unremarkable mind of Bradley Cooper.
Best Song: Shallow

Karo - I'm not really sure we really needed to tell this story for the umpteenth time, but this is clearly the best version of it. There is a certain chemistry between the leads that is absent in the others, and though it is nearly as long as its predecessors it doesn't feel like it goes on forever.
It takes the best aspect of the previous two films and fuses them together, as well as giving us a Norman Maine who is more human and relateable, and less of a drunken buffoon just played for laughs.
Lada Gaga is even a more bizarre choice of casting than Barbara Streisand was, and though she does a much better job why must we have a music superstar in this role at all? Isn't this whole story about some nobody who makes it big? Why not at cast someone who isnt a household name at the very least so suspension of belief is not required to see them as some undiscovered talent that only a washed up alcoholic could discover.
Still this is a competent enough production that justifies its existence at the very least, which is more than can be said for most remakes.

Score: 70/100

Best Song: 'Shallow'

Johnbobb - While the story is certainly nothing new, the 2018 version still manages to feel a little bit fresh. The music is solid and distinct from the '54 and '76 films. The performances of Gaga and Cooper and both excellent, as well as Elliot (in particular, this is probably the only one those three that manages to have an interesting or memorable supporting character). Everything is objectively filmed well (the lighting in particular is consistently pleasant) and the sad notes hit all the right buttons to bring the waterworks, but ultimately I wish it had a little bit more to say.
Favorite song: Shallow

Genny - Between Bradley Cooper's exquisite directing and his on-screen chemistry with Gaga this A Star is Born just barely earns the title as my favorite. There's something so humble about Ally's beginnings here and her discovery by Jackson Maine that makes both of them believable in their respective roles. Shallow is a banger, but the real showstopper is that closing number in tribute to Maine. My heart!

Inviso - Strictly in terms of the acting, Id have to say this is head and shoulders above the other two versions of this film. Lady Gaga and Bradley Coopers relationship feels real, and the struggles they face are elevated as a result of their chemistry together. And even though I am a bit turned off by the rise of a musician (as opposed to a movie star, which just feels like it works better as a plot), Lady Gaga does a good job of highlighting the steps she had to go through to slowly ascend in her stardom. I appreciate the fact that the movie is played EXTREMELY straight, and it feels so harsh and realistic at the same time. Ultimately though, that serious tone kinda hurts it, because there never felt like anything that excited or enticed me about this film. It was well-crafted, but a bit to bleak and normal to excite me.

JONA - Both Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper do a great job here and have great chemistry. The story and writing are well done even if its a bit predictable. The last scene is really great. Although, that could just come from watching the other two versions of this movie. I did not like a majority of these songs. This is coming from someone who doesnt like country though, so take that with a grain of salt. My favorite song ended up being the pop song which was probably not intended to be a song anyone would say is their favorite of this movie. Its a good movie that was just surrounded by other movies about careers and by the time I got around to watching this, I already had enough.
Favorite Song: Why Did You Do That?
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Vengeful_KBM
02/02/20 3:45:03 PM
#224:


Out(lier) of Time

Scarlet: 254
Genny: 230
Inviso: 226
Karo: 224
JONA: 211
Johnbobb: 205
KBM: 188

Not a whole lot changes, as this film ties the 1954 version for the title of "smallest point spread between rankings." I am, however, now the only person with an outlier score below 200. (My #25 still being in, this won't last.) Interestingly, only Inviso and JONA had any ranking but '18 > '54 > '76, and even they didn't have the '54 version ahead by much - as a matter of fact, both of them had the '18 version at #16 and the '54 version at #13.
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Johnbobb
02/02/20 3:45:36 PM
#225:


Great top 5 confirmed

Star is Born is pretty good though

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Raka_Putra
02/02/20 8:19:39 PM
#226:


I liked 2018's A Star is Born but since its soundtrack is not really composed of traditional showtunes, I can't remember any of the songs.

Repo! was definitely...an interesting watch. I really like Chase the Morning. Oh, and a couple years back the soundtrack wasn't on Spotify but it's there now, as I recently found out.

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Johnbobb
02/02/20 9:00:45 PM
#227:


My last 5 are my 1, 2, 3, 7, and 10

I think I have a decent shot at last place!

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Snake5555555555
02/02/20 10:27:55 PM
#228:


I loved A Star is Born 2018. Just the soundtrack alone was one of my favorite albums of that year. What a fantastic mix of hard southern rock and beautifully crafted pop. Black Eyes is incredible, easily my fave song on the soundtrack.

But on top of that, the story was emotionally draining and the chemistry between Gaga and Cooper was just off the charts good.

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Vengeful_KBM
02/03/20 2:51:45 PM
#229:


5. Dancer in the Dark

KBM: 1
JONA: 2
Scarlet: 2
Johnbobb: 3
Karo: 4
Genny: 33
Inviso: 34

KBM - Why I Chose It: To piss off Inviso.

No, no, sorry, in all seriousness, Lars von Trier's grim 2000 musical-melodrama Dancer in the Dark, like most of the director's output, drew extremely polarized responses, both upon release and twenty years later. Response ranged from some critics calling it the best film of 2000, to others such as Peter Bradshaw naming it one of the worst artworks and perhaps one of the worst things in the history of the world. Its style was inspired by von Trier's own Dogme 95 filmmaking rules, which were designed to create a hyper-realistic filmmaking atmosphere by removing the trappings of special effects and post-production modification. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, along with the Best Actress award for Bjrk, and was nominated for the Best Original Song Academy Award for the song I've Seen It All. In recent years, it has also gained notoriety for the extremely fraught relationship between its writer/director and star, with Bjrk and von Trier admitting they truly hated each other on set, and Bjrk accusing von Trier of both emotional abuse and sexual harrassment.

My Thoughts: Surprise surprise, Kaelee's favorite movie on a list is the grimmest, bleakest, most depressing thing imaginable. Setting aside the troubling behind-the-scenes stories (which, admittedly, gets harder to do with time), this is one of those masterful films that you can watch once and never need to watch again, because you will truly never forget it. I have a major love-hate relationship with von Trier for instance, I hate Antichrist almost as much as I love Dancer in the Dark but his abilities as a filmmaker are put to perfect use here, anchored by Bjrk giving what I consider one of the greatest screen performances of the 21st century. Is it ridiculously hard to watch? Hell yeah. But it's also just straight-up one of my favorite films, a true example of art through adversity, (both adversity for those making it, and for the audience when viewing it). It sweeps you away on one of the most shatteringly depressing journeys you can possibly take as an audience member, while ultimately serving as an even more sobering referendum against capital punishment than the likes of The Green Mile (another depressing masterpiece). Though it does feel a little weird to me to be ranking this in first place on a list of MUSICALS when the musical aspect really does take a backseat, when the musical numbers do hit, they have all the more impact thanks to the muted, documentary-like style of the rest of the film, and Bjrk's soundtrack is truly great just on its own merits. So... yeah, though it's certainly not one I'm gonna watch with any sort of frequency, I have a massive amount of respect and love for this film, and though it's clearly not gonna be for everyone, I honestly consider it one of the best I've ever seen.

Favorite Song: New World

JONA - The movie does a great job of making Selmas life feel dull and hopeless. The camerawork helps with that too. Its easy to see why she would be into musicals. Its very entertaining seeing how Selma views the world when she is thinking about musicals. I love how the soundtrack still has the dark vibe of the real world but mixed with traditional musical songs. Its stylish but has the substance to back it up and can be quite powerful.
Favorite Song: Ive Seen It All

Scarlet - You can either call it melodramatic, or you can embrace that the musical genre as a whole is completely melodramatic and, by that respect, undeserving of being taken seriously. And to some extent, it is. But Dancer in the Dark is one intensely real, oftentimes intimate, performance by Bjork. And Bjorks unique mind makes the film something new, if nothing else.
Best Song: Ive Seen It All

Johnbobb - This is the third Lars Von Trier movie I've seen and every single time they're just absolutely devastating. Obviously Dancer in the Dark is no different, but despite being horrifyingly depressing to the point I don't even want to think about the story, I've also listened through the soundtrack over and over because Bjork just absolutely kills it. For whatever reason, her vocal stylings just work so well with the hopefulfullness in the horribly bleak world the film portrays. It's by FAR the darkest film on this list, in a good way.
Favorite song: I've Seen It All

Karo - The touching story of an immigrant who is working hard to save up for corrective eye surgery for her cameraman, so he can finally shoot the damn movie steady and in focus.
Selma is this innocent and lovable person who only wants to daydream and care for her son, which of course means she gets fucked in the ass by self-serving narcissists and bigots at every turn, until the 'evil bloodthirsty commie' is put to death to appease society. Man, and I thought that I had a low opinion of the human race but writer of this movie is something else.
This might be the most powerful and unpleasant story put to film since Grave of the Fireflies, and hard to watch as it is, the movie can be called nothing less than a masterwork of art. There is a strange dream like quality to it and musical numbers that are as odd as they are entertaining. It all works up until you get to the cinematography where the camera gets shoved into everyones neck while a vibrator gets shoved into the camera. Fuck.
This is a movie of extreme emotional involvement, it is impossible not to be affected by it unless you are some heartless bastard. Though it stumbles in the visual execution it is worth checking out once... and probably never again.

Score: 80/100

Best Song: 'I've Seen It All'

Genny - Dancer in the Dark is the epitome of "Thanks, I hate it." It's a beautifully crafted film, and an experience I don't regret, but I never wish to have again. I hate how vulnerable it made me feel, despite not liking the many elements that comprise it. The songs were the antithesis of enjoyable, the characters I assume I was supposed to root for made indefensibly bad decisions, and the ending was needlessly cruel. I want my tears back because I feel like they were undeserved. At least with something like Grave of the Fireflies you know it's coming and just have to piece together when.

Inviso - Im sorry, but this movie just made me feel downright uncomfortable. Bjorks Icelandic accent may have been good enough to get her cast in a musical about a foreigner living a shitty, white trash life, but her affect makes her come across a
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Vengeful_KBM
02/03/20 2:54:24 PM
#230:


In the Outliers

Genny: 258
Scarlet: 257
Inviso: 255
Karo: 225
JONA: 214
Johnbobb: 207
KBM: 192

Genny and Inviso each leap back up to vie for position with Scarlet, as Dancer in the Dark, potentially one of the most polarizing films in history, becomes indeed one of the most polarizing films in Gauntlet Crew Ranks history.
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WickIebee
02/03/20 3:10:01 PM
#231:


This was something where I'm like Inviso where the movie just... made me uncomfortable. And part because... Well... I just sat there having to wonder if Bjork's character was meant to feel like she's completely autistic (which I do want to make note, this isn't a bad thing). It felt more uncomfortable thinking that about her, and checking the wiki on the movie to see there's nothing that tells you that. Plus just following around in someone's life that you think has a learning disability is awkward.

Granted, again, this was the movie I got some failure of a version of that cut out literally as the train was passing by during "I've Seen it All" so for all I know, I missed the best part in just the rest of her performance as the movie progressed further down her life breaking down. I mean... it's not like I fully hate every bad ending movie.

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I'll just go back to gifs. Not like the winner was gonna click my topic.
https://imgur.com/SXyi7uX
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Johnbobb
02/03/20 3:23:28 PM
#232:


oh my god I thinks that's the most divisive I've seen a gauntlet ranking be. 5 in the top 4, 2 in the bottom 3, nothing in between.

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Khal Kirby, warlord of the Super Star Khalasar
PSN/Steam: CheddarBBQ https://goo.gl/Diw2hs
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GenesisSaga
02/03/20 8:28:51 PM
#233:


To be quite honest I just don't care

No, but for real there's something haunting about having a film with as much gravitas as Dancer in the Dark made in live action. It's got a gritty realism to it that makes it both difficult to watch and impossible to turn away from. That goes double for me as the day I chose to watch this film was a day when I also chose to donate blood platelets so I couldn't escape from this film in the truest sense, and I had my tearful breakdown in public which is something I even further resent though there was no outcome in which I would have found watching that movie an altogether enjoyable experience to begin with anyway.

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"If you never spread your wings, how can you know whether or not you are truly meant to fly?" - ME!!
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Vengeful_KBM
02/04/20 2:15:18 PM
#234:


4. The Greatest Showman

Genny: 1
Inviso: 3
Johnbobb: 7
Scarlet: 8
Karo: 14
JONA: 20
KBM: 25

Genny - In retrospect there was never any other choice for my #1 musical on this list than The Greatest Showman. I actually enjoyed this movie do much I saw it a whopping five times while it was in theaters. I think that's more than anything I've ever rewatched on the big screen, even counting re-releases. When I say the entire original soundtrack is a banger, I mean I wouldn't skip anything on it aside from maybe Tightrope. It's just that good. As for the creative liberties taken to make the historical figure more entertaining and less of an outright scumbag well I don't particularly care. If you want gritty realism then watch a documentary instead of a movie. On that note I don't agree with dragging Jenny Lind's name through the mud for the sake of entertainment, but OTOH Never Enough is beautiful and her preferential treatment leads to This is Me as well so I'm mixed on that too. Don't even ask me to pick a favorite song because it depends on my mood, and my mood is all of them aside from definitely Tightrope.

Inviso - I dont care about historical inaccuracies, and if Im being honest, just based off of Hugh Jackmans charming performance, Im still convinced that P.T. Barnum must have been just THE biggest asshole imaginable. All that being said, I really enjoyed this film. I think that, barring an upset in the last two movies I have to watch, this will end up as the best overall soundtrack on this ranking. Theres just a perfect blend of somber, emotional songs; upbeat, catchy songs; upbeat, emotional songs. Everything is just memorable. The plot is fun, and Jackmans portrayal of P.T. Barnum is delightfully charming, as mentioned above. And yeah, I will fully admit that the overall plot feels very melodramatic, and some scenes are extremely forced, but in the end, Im willing to enjoy the film for the positive emotions it stirs within my soft heart. Its fun and exciting, and it doesnt drag on for longer than is necessary. What else can you ask for?

Johnbobb - So my final paper in my college film course was about whether the quality of a movie should be tied to the reason for it being made. For example, can a film being made for bad reasons (ie. On the Waterfront supporting McCarthyism) or a movie focused on positively portraying a bad person (ie. PT Barnum being kinda awful irl) be good for its own merits? it's a tricky subject, but I think one reason it works for The Greatest Showman is because it focuses so much on the supporting cast, which is excellent. The PT Barnum portrayed in the film is basically fictional, and ultimately it's easy to just turn your brain off and enjoy the great soundtrack and fantastic choreography.
Favorite song: The Greatest Show

Scarlet - A movie that overcomes a boring plot in the most impressive way, the music of The Greatest Showman is peak peak peak Broadway in a way that you cant deny. The two University of Michigan boys that put together this entire soundtrack did something truly impressive here. Visually stunning, audibly entrancing. Im actually very excited at the prospect of a sequel to this movie. The biggest gulf between quality of music and quality of story on this entire list.
Best Song: From Now On
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Vengeful_KBM
02/04/20 2:15:23 PM
#235:


Karo - The story of a young P.T. Barnum traveling around collecting interesting people to help create his dream of a fantastical circus. The Bearded Lady! The Siamese Twins! The Dog Boy! The Black People! Wait, what?
Yes, they made up two characters for Barnum's sideshow whose 'freak' attribute is literally 'being African-American.' Yeah, this is not okay.
I understand that they were trying to conflate the plight of blacks with this group of goofy looking misfits, but I'm sorry nobody was ever denied basic human rights for having a beard or too many tattoos.
This awkward message of diversity is constantly thrown in the face of viewers, yet always deflected with coy statements and never really explored other than a generic 'be proud of who you are' moral. Yeah, the thing to do when bigots hate you and want you dead is to just fucking believe in yourself. Awesome.
It seemed the producers were a bit lost in what they wanted their movie to say, and I am equally lost at what I should take away from it other than a few nice songs and the novelty of conjoined twins performing a dance routine.
Much like the circus of its protagonist, it is an overblown and confusing spectacle that entertains well enough, but it could have been a whole lot more.

Score: 65/100

Best Song: 'A Million Dreams'

JONA - I dont think this movie is good, but I found it quite entertaining. I am pretty disappointed that this is the result we get when it comes to a biography about P.T. Barnum. The 2010s pop soundtrack, while I liked a couple of songs, really didnt fit the time period. Its especially jarring when the opera singer sings a 2010s pop number. Her character was also weird. She donated her profits to charities but yet wanted to be in a relationship with Barnum, despite knowing he was married, and she also was petty about being rejected that she made him look bad. Definitely seemed like something made up for the sake of conflict in the movie. Also, its kind of hilarious how the movie wants Woke Points despite doing nothing to earn them. The conflict involving how Barnum treats his circus performers feels so sugar-coated and never feels like a real problem. Zac Efrons character is only here to show off an interracial couple with Zendaya. Their love life doesnt add anything to Barnums story. Zac Efrons character also feels so much better about his work compared to what he did before but we never really see that development. If Zendaya wasnt there, would he really feel that way? Despite all my problems with the film, I did find it engaging for some reason. Hugh Jackman really does put in a good performance.
Favorite Song: Come Alive

KBM - Why I Chose It: With songs by Broadway wunderkinds Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Tony Award winners for their work on Dear Evan Hansen and Oscar winners for their work on La La Land, The Greatest Showman was conceived by the producers of the 81st Academy Awards in 2009, based on the strength of Hugh Jackman's hosting performance. It was a huge hit upon its release in 2017, becoming the fifth-highest grossing live action musical of all time, though it received mixed reviews from critics, who enjoyed the performances and the music, but many of whom criticized the story and historical inaccuracies. The song This Is Me won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and was also nominated at the Oscars, where it lost to Remember Me from Coco. The movie's soundtrack album also won a Grammy Award, and Jackman was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance.

My Thoughts: Setting aside the big controversy, and acknowledging that Hollywood whitewashes famous people's rather... unfortunate histories all the time, I found myself utterly bored by the story in The Greatest Showman even as I was dazzled by the visuals, the choreography, and (most of) the music. Hugh Jackman is certainly a charismatic actor, and he has a great supporting cast around him, between Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, and Keala Settle all giving it their all, and yet, whenever there's not a musical number going on on screen, it just kind of all feels like cynical, mass-produced feel-good material that ends up super shallow. When you DO take into account the real Barnum's story, for me it starts to feel like they really should have taken some more risks with his characterization, and maybe the movie as a whole would have been more interesting for it. Instead, the screenwriters try to cast as wide and as generic a believe in yourself net as possible, and it just comes across as trying way too hard to be woke while doing as little work as possible. These concerns all fly out the window as soon as a musical number starts up, but there's a reason I prefer to watch this movie in clips of the songs on YouTube rather than in full.

Favorite Song: Never Enough
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Vengeful_KBM
02/04/20 2:24:06 PM
#236:


A Million Outliers

Genny: 261
Scarlet: 261
Inviso: 256
Karo: 235
JONA: 230
KBM: 213
Johnbobb: 210

We're all over 200 now and Johnbobb takes over bottom outlier; Genny and Scarlet are tied for first.
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Johnbobb
02/04/20 2:24:16 PM
#237:


Definitely not gonna deny Greatest Showman's faults. Also not gonna deny that the music slaps and the performances were a blast

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Khal Kirby, warlord of the Super Star Khalasar
PSN/Steam: CheddarBBQ https://goo.gl/Diw2hs
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Johnbobb
02/04/20 2:25:47 PM
#238:


Gotta say this isn't the top 3 I expected though. Well, La La Land I fully expected in the top 3, but I probably would've guessed like Greatest Showman and A Star is Born to take the other two top spots if I had to put money on it

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Khal Kirby, warlord of the Super Star Khalasar
PSN/Steam: CheddarBBQ https://goo.gl/Diw2hs
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GenesisSaga
02/04/20 3:19:17 PM
#239:


A million hopes came crashing down around me with that one!

Go go Red Act Ed

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"If you never spread your wings, how can you know whether or not you are truly meant to fly?" - ME!!
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TotallyNotMI
02/04/20 3:20:26 PM
#240:


Greatest Showman would've been my #2 on this list. One of my favorite movies.

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I'm not sure who this MI guy is but he sounds sexy.
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v_charon
02/04/20 8:09:32 PM
#241:


Without having watched most of this list, I am still quite confident Greatest Showman was my #1.
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:>
Truly smilin'
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LinkMarioSamus
02/05/20 7:19:35 AM
#242:


Thought that movie was like 5-6/10 territory.

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"Nothing I could do!"
-Darksydephil
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GenesisSaga
02/05/20 1:46:12 PM
#243:


Would that be higher or lower than The Last Jedi?

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"If you never spread your wings, how can you know whether or not you are truly meant to fly?" - ME!!
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LinkMarioSamus
02/05/20 4:05:34 PM
#244:


Lower.

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"Nothing I could do!"
-Darksydephil
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Vengeful_KBM
02/05/20 8:07:02 PM
#245:


Sorry I haven't had the chance to update again yet; I'd meant to have everything up by now, but I have a lot of rehearsals this week. Will post #3 tonight and #2 and #1 when I get the chance tomorrow.
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Vengeful_KBM
02/05/20 11:43:09 PM
#246:


3. All That Jazz

Johnbobb: 1
Genny: 2
Scarlet: 4
KBM: 8
JONA: 9
Karo: 16
Inviso: 21

Johnbobb - I didn't know much about All That Jazz going in, and was assuming it was just going to be a typical showtune musical. Thought that even moreso when I realized it was yet another musical about the making of a musical. Holy shit was I wrong. I was left absolutely startled by the end. Bob Fosse is fantastic in it, and the songs (even though they're few and spread out) are all just really damn good. I can really appreciate a semi-autobiographical story when done right; this gives me a feeling similar to Michael Keaton in Birdman did a few years ago. Fantastic finale. The fact that Kramer v. Kramer beat both this and Apocalypse Now is a fucking tragedy.
Favorite song: Literally the entire last end stretch, but I guess I'll say Bye Bye Life

Genny - All That Jazz was the biggest surprise on this list. I can't even truly fathom explaining why I enjoyed it so much, but it might have something to do with schadenfreude. Watching Gideon's life spiral out of control in such a dramatic manner due to his own inability to keep away from a profession that is essentially killing him like a slow acting poison is just tragic. Even more tragic is bearing witness to the people closest to him trying their best to recoup him while he loses himself even more in his work all of his own volition and indomitable desire to see his production through to its end, culminating in his cohorts realizing the only way to make a profit is for Gideon to not survive his cardiovascular qualms. Well for once I can honestly say I did not see that ending coming, and I was impressed with the balls the movie had to pull that off. That such a nuanced character went out with a bang was spectacular, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the spectacle of it all.

Scarlet - An insane, self-[lolcensor]-aggrandizing display of ego, All That Jazz encapsulates the creative process from the perspective of an actually creative person, and it succeeds on all fronts. Ive never minded a little arrogance in movies, personally.
Best Song: Everything Old Is New Again

KBM - Why I Chose It: The 1979 film All That Jazz is a semi-autobiographical story written and directed by legendary Broadway choreographer/director Bob Fosse, based on his own efforts a few years prior to finish his film Lenny while simultaneously developing the 1975 musical Chicago. The Roy Scheider-starring musical fantasy-drama won the Palme d'Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, losing out to Kramer vs. Kramer, though it did win four of the nine Oscars for which is was nominated, including awards for Best Score and Editing. In 2001, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. It was also the last live-action musical to be nominated for Best Picture until Moulin Rouge! was nominated over twenty years later.

My Thoughts: All That Jazz is a creative whirlwind of a film, with a story both undeniably egomaniacal and shockingly self-aware. Despite its self-indulgent tendencies, Bob Fosse clearly has the talent and the directing chops to back himself up, anchored by a brilliant lead performance from Roy Scheider. It's a film that goes in a lot of unexpected places, from the literal flirting with death sequences to the brilliant, shocking final ten minutes of the film, and if I don't quite know how to put into words my feelings about this movie, I consider it a brilliantly made film that just has to be experienced to be understood. It certainly made me uncomfortable at times, and just as a musical, it leaves a little something to be desired (there are only a couple musical numbers that I really, really enjoy, one of which is the hilariously oversexualized Airotica number and the other of which is the unforgettable Bye Bye Life finale), but the fact that this isn't really your typically-structured musical is okay, particularly in the context of this movie, because it's not really trying to be that. Fun facts, Kubrick (who gets a name-drop in the film) called this the best film I think I have ever seen upon its release.

Favorite Song: Take Off with Us (Airotica)

JONA - While I was watching, I was kinda bugged by how the actor for the main character didnt feel too charismatic. Now that I think about it, he wasnt that bad and once I got over that I realized how good this movie was. Joes got a very intriguing life. My favorite part of the movie is definitely the weird shit though. I liked the idea of Joe literally flirting with death. I loved the weird erotic airplane number. The climax was amazing. Great stuff.
Favorite Song: Take Off with Us

Karo - A strange artsy film about a show producer who seems intent on committing suicide via either chain smoking or musical theatre.
The story follows this guy through his daily routine as he works on his show and his health slowly deteriorates, up until he has a heart attack and the movie truly enters the realm of the bizarre to an extent that it defies description.
This movie is one weird fish and it is hard to really know what to feel about it, but it does a good job of making itself stand out in the great sea of films about making musicals.

Score: 64/100

Best Song: 'Bye Bye Life'

Inviso - This feels like two movies clumsily mashed together. The first half is all about casting for either a musical, or a movie, or a television show. Its not ENTIRELY clear, because the movie keeps talking about things being filmed, and using the catch-all term of show. The point is that its boring as fuck. Aside from the On Broadway song, there is not a single, memorable moment in this half of the film. There are unnecessarily-extended dance sequences, sure, but thats the main thing carrying the plot. The back half is a LITTLE better. Roy Scheiders character suffers a heart attack, and spends the rest of the movie in and out of fantasies about his life and death, complete with showy costumes and musical numbers from his ex-wife, girlfriend, and daughter. Granted, Id appreciate this more if wed gotten to know more of the characters besides Scheider, but still, its decent enough. Its actually a lot like a more dramatic version of the musical episode of Scrubs. Its nowhere near as good, but its decent enough.
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Vengeful_KBM
02/05/20 11:44:18 PM
#247:


Bye Bye Outlier

Inviso: 274
Genny: 262
Scarlet: 262
Karo: 248
JONA: 236
KBM: 218
Johnbobb: 212

Having the lowest score for All That Jazz puts Inviso in a pretty solid lead for top outlier, as everyone else remains in the same position (including Genny and Scarlet continuing their tie).
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Inviso
02/05/20 11:46:51 PM
#248:


So we're down to either my number 1, or my number 15.

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Touch fuzzy. Get fuzzier.
Inviso
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LinkMarioSamus
02/06/20 6:01:53 AM
#249:


One of the movies from the '70s that interests me the most.

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"Nothing I could do!"
-Darksydephil
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Johnbobb
02/06/20 9:49:31 AM
#250:


Vis nooooooo whyyyyyyy


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Khal Kirby, warlord of the Super Star Khalasar
PSN/Steam: CheddarBBQ https://goo.gl/Diw2hs
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LinkMarioSamus
02/06/20 11:23:23 AM
#251:


What all Roy Scheider movies have you guys all seen?

I've only seen Jaws and The French Connection. The mention of that last one kind of makes me wish for a Best Picture ranking of some sort...

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"Nothing I could do!"
-Darksydephil
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