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

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Johnbobb
02/06/20 3:13:58 PM
#252:


Seen All That Jazz, Jaws and Naked Lunch

And a best picture ranking sounds really interesting actually

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Vengeful_KBM
02/06/20 6:00:37 PM
#253:


2. The Blues Brothers

Inviso: 1
KBM: 2
Scarlet: 3
JONA: 5
Johnbobb: 10
Karo: 12
Genny: 19

Inviso - And to think this movie didnt even make the cut on the original list. Its just as much of a musical as plenty of the others on this list (if not moreso), and my GOD does this movie have everything. The Blues Brothers has a great selection of music (hence musical), but even though the blues are the focus, there are a few other genres interspersed throughout the movie to spice things up. Beyond that though, the music gets integrated well into what is an extremely FUN comedy. John Belushi and Dan Akroyds ability to remain so calm under pressure (while coming up with a variety of sleazy schemes) really heightens the laughter as theyre so well-suited (no pun intended) to con people AND to goof off and start dancing in the middle of impromptu musical numbers as well. To top it off, the movie is just so bizarre in its introduction of the Illinois Nazis, Carrie Fisher, John Candy, and the extreme amount of random mayhem that goes down. The mall scene, and the ending chase scene are both brilliant (particularly how the ending ramps up SO harshly, for unnecessary reasons.) This movie is great, and I love so much about it.

KBM - Why I Chose It: Written and directed by comedy legend John Landis, co-written by its star Dan Aykroyd, and based on Aykroyd and Belushi's band and recurring segment of the same name from Saturday Night Live, The Blues Brothers was a surprise box office hit in 1980 and remains a well-loved cult classic to this day. It received positive reviews, though some critics felt it was too long and over-the-top, and it didn't receive any major award nominations. The soundtrack album went platinum in seven countries including the United States, and the phrase We're on a mission from God has entered the popular lexicon.

My Thoughts: I really struggled between putting this and my #1 in first place. While my #1 is one of my favorite dramas of all time, this is one of my favorite comedies of all time. The Blues Brothers is just one hell of a movie a comedy-action-musical hybrid where the comedy virtually never misses the mark, where the action is always thrilling and often mind-blowingly well choreographed, and the musical numbers are sublime. It's almost impossible for me to pick a favorite song because they're all so great, and of the movies on this list, this is probably the soundtrack I've listened to the most over the course of my life (of course, this was also one of the first R-rated movies I was ever allowed to watch, so I've definitely had my fair share of time with it). The performances are also stellar, not only from the professional actors/comedians in the group (Belushi particularly excels in all his hyper-energetic, acrobatic, coke-fueled glory), but also from the likes of Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, James Brown, and Ray Charles in their musical cameos. It's all so well-executed that it's still genuinely shocking to me that it's a movie based on a series of SNL sketches. It's also worth noting that the difference in quality between this and its wretched sequel, Blues Brothers 2000, is night and day. I STILL have not gotten my boyfriend to watch this movie with me, but the fact that he's seen the sequel and not this makes me crazy. The only reason this wasn't on the first list, and then only made it onto this list as a last-minute replacement, is because I often don't readily even think of this as a musical, even though it clearly is. The musical numbers are just such a seamless part of the narrative, and it does so many other things so goddamn well, that it's sort of in a genre hybrid all its own. So, yeah, I love The Blues Brothers, and it's a movie everyone should watch, so I'm glad I ended up putting it on this list after all. Shit, maybe I SHOULD have made it my #1.

Favorite Song: Impossible to choose. Shake a Tail Feather, Think, Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, Minnie the Moocher, Sweet Home Chicago... this is just chock full of great songs.

Scarlet - Brilliant, hilarious, peak Belushi. An example of how Saturday Night Live is truly a training camp for the best and brightest of comedy. There is nothing else that needs to be said; this film was divinely mandated, after all.
Best Song: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love

JONA - The movie had some great over-the-top comedy and music numbers like I expected but I did not expect those amazing chase scenes. A really charming and fun movie.
Favorite Song: Minnie the Moocher

Johnbobb - This went way beyond the scale I was expecting from a movie based on an SNL sketch. That climactic scene alone is enough reason to see it; a movie that had already been packed full of insane chase sequences somehow managed to top itself (and honestly, most movie chase scenes prior). On top of that it has James Brown, Ray Charles and Arethra Franklin all in the same movie, all in significant roles. The songs are mostly incredible, though that's not exactly surprising. I expected a fairly simple blues-based comedy, but this was so much more.
Favorite song: Sweet Home Chicago

Karo - This story follows the many hijinks of two brothers who dress like FBI agents trying to put their jazz band back together with the help of some divine intervention and the most inept bit of policework ever put on film since the Keystone Cops.
They meet some famous music stars who give them some jukebox musical numbers, all while being chased by rednecks, nazis and this crazy girl who apparently raided an army depot somewhere.
It is a good bit of 1980s goofiness that never wears out its welcome even if it isnt the greatest movie in the world.

Score: 67/100

Best Song: 'Think'

Genny - I can't really find anything critical to say about The Blues Brothers. It is what it is, and what that is is a fun adventure I laughed out loud throughout. There's a similar film on this list that does a similar concept a little better however.
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Vengeful_KBM
02/06/20 6:01:07 PM
#254:


1. La La Land

Karo: 1
Scarlet: 1
Johnbobb: 2
JONA: 3
KBM: 5
Genny: 10
Inviso: 15

Karo - Once upon a time, in the faraway kingdom of Los Angeles, there is a romance between a struggling actress and the whitest jazz musician ever.
It has all the good things about a classic musical, but minus all the boring and bigoted bits, plus it just has straight up some of the best songs in this project. The ending takes a page right out of Makoto Shinkai's book of bittersweet romance, and I couldn't think of a better way to bring the movie to a close.
The film achieves everything it sets out to achieve, and hits all the right notes in a manner that is truly magical.
I know a good movie when I see one, and this is a very good movie.

Score: 94/100

Best Song: 'Another Day of Sun'

Scarlet - Oh shit, I meant to rank Moonlight.
Well if we cant rank Whiplash, well rank Chazelles next best thing, right? Charming leads, likable music, excellent attention to detail in every number its a modern-day musical and truly deserving of being ranked on the first list rather than this list of also-rans.
Best Song: Audition (The Fools Who Dream)

Johnbobb - I mean, it's just objectively incredibly well crafted. Incredible costume work, music, acting, cinematography, etc.
Favorite song: City of Stars

JONA - A throwback to older musicals and it does a great job at paying tribute to them. While the story of two people struggling in the entertainment industry while falling in love isnt the most original, its still very engaging and the performances by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are great. I did find Sebastian a bit pretentious but not enough to ruin the movie for me. The soundtrack is fantastic. I like every song except City of Stars, which is the one that wins an Oscar. Figures. I absolutely loved the ending where we got a medley of the songs and a bittersweet sequence between the two main characters. Definitely reminded me of An American in Paris, which was a film I loved from the first list. Amazing stuff.
Favorite Song: Epilogue

KBM - Why I Chose It: Damien Chazelle's musical epic La La Land, featuring songs by Dear Evan Hansen scribes Pasek and Paul, may have retroactively gained notoriety for having incorrectly been announced as Best Picture over Moonlight by Faye Dunaway, but the film was a huge hit in its own right, bringing in $446 million worldwide and winning six Academy Awards out of its record-tying fourteen nominations, including Best Director for Chazelle and Best Actress for Stone. It also won a record-breaking seven out of seven Golden Globes. Every aspect of the film received widespread praise, and it was lauded by audiences and critics alike as a bittersweet love letter to old Hollywood musicals.

My Thoughts: La La Land is just everything everyone says it is. It's one that's kind of hard for me to go into too much detail about because I just agree with all the positive things everyone else has already said about it ad nauseum. Every aspect of this production is just great. My one minor complaint, and the reason it doesn't make it even higher on the list, is that Ryan Gosling can't really sing, but somehow, in the context of the film that's even kind of one of its charms. It's just a seriously entertaining old-school big-screen musical, with terrific performances (especially from Oscar-winner Emma Stone), and a pitch-perfect bittersweet tone that feels totally earned. The fact that this is neither the best film of 2016 nor the best film of Chazelle's career is less a commentary on La La Land and more a credit to how fucking fantastic both Moonlight and Whiplash are, respectively.

Favorite Song: Another Day of Sun

Genny - Normally I'm not a huge fan of bittersweet "what COULD have been" endings, but La La Land manages to pull off one in a way that doesn't feel forced, and in a manner that makes me feel sympathetic to both protagonists involved. It's subtle, poignant, and memorable, and Gosling and Stone have this natural playful chemistry that translates well to the big screen. I only wish the movie had more fun scenes like the 80s poolside tribute because it does become a bit of a downer at times despite being beautifully crafted.

Inviso - First off, after watching this film, I completely understand why the academy decided to award Emma Stone the Best Actress Oscar. Shes able to maintain a light-hearted, persona, all the while conveying just how soul-crushing the stressors of life as a struggling actress in L.A. can be. Similarly, I completely understand how Moonlight beat it for Best Picture. La La Land has a very classical feel to it, not unlike the musicals we watched to kick off the previous list. In that regard, even though I wasnt a HUGE fan of a lot of the early stuff, I respected what this film managed to do. It told a story that was modern and relatively interesting, while still playing homage to Hollywood history. That being said, its still a little bit of a cliched love story. All the standard plot points are there: guy and girl butt heads at first, but then fall in love, their good life gets interrupted, and when it comes down to the will they/wont they decision, they wont. Thats fine, but its just kinda basic, and a basic ranking is what that gets you.
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Vengeful_KBM
02/06/20 6:05:00 PM
#255:


Final Outlier Standings

Genny: 289
Inviso: 289
Scarlet: 263
Karo: 258
JONA: 241
KBM: 222
Johnbobb: 220

It's... a tie?! Someone should probably triple-check me on this, just to make sure, but I'm pretty sure Inviso and Genny just tied on overall outlier. Meanwhile, Johnbobb ends up with the lowest score by just 2.
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Inviso
02/06/20 6:09:56 PM
#256:


Damn. It's like RomComs all over again.

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Inviso
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Vengeful_KBM
02/06/20 6:10:41 PM
#257:


Et voil, the final list:

  1. La La Land
  2. The Blues Brothers
  3. All That Jazz
  4. The Greatest Showman
  5. Dancer in the Dark
  6. A Star is Born (2018)
  7. Repo! The Genetic Opera
  8. Dreamgirls
  9. Into the Woods
  10. The Last Five Years
  11. A Star is Born (1954)
  12. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
  13. Oliver!
  14. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
  15. 1776
  16. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les parapluies de Cherbourg)
  17. Guys and Dolls
  18. Hair
  19. Phantom of the Paradise
  20. Rent
  21. Fame
  22. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
  23. Yentl
  24. On the Town
  25. The Phantom of the Opera
  26. 42nd Street
  27. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
  28. Kiss Me Kate
  29. Help!
  30. Doctor Dolittle
  31. The Wiz
  32. South Pacific
  33. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
  34. Jailhouse Rock
  35. A Star is Born (1976)


Thank you so much to everybody who participated, and to everyone who posted in the topic. I'm not gonna lie, I wish we had had more people who were able to participate in the actual ranking, but the results did turn out pretty fascinating and I had fun hosting this project nonetheless.
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TotallyNotMI
02/06/20 7:18:15 PM
#258:


Boo.

I did not like La La Land.

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Raka_Putra
02/06/20 7:41:48 PM
#259:


La La Land was good but definitely wouldn't have been my pick for first spot.
It needs more crowd songs. :P

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StifledSilence
02/06/20 7:57:33 PM
#260:


Aww almost. I was hoping for a Blues Brothers victory.

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scarletspeed7
02/06/20 8:17:39 PM
#261:


Everyone who is complaining about results should have participated! I am ashamed in all three of you. Inexcusable!

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Raka_Putra
02/06/20 8:34:29 PM
#262:


I would if I knew!

Let's do a filmed on stage version next. :p

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TotallyNotMI
02/06/20 8:39:08 PM
#263:


scarletspeed7 posted...
Everyone who is complaining about results should have participated! I am ashamed in all three of you. Inexcusable!
I never even knew it was happening! I didn't by use the b8 discord ever.

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Johnbobb
02/06/20 10:38:17 PM
#264:


Good list!

Honestly I probably would've bet money on La La Land winning the thing even before the rankings started, but it's a very solid winner

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PrinceKaro
02/07/20 10:37:16 AM
#265:


So what is next for gauntlet crew? It has been a good six years since our first anime film project, and the industry has been been very prolific in the past few years.
So I am proud to present Gauntlet Crew Ranks Anime Movies 2, 40 films encompassing both new stuff and movies that were passed over for the first project.

Due date is June 14, send lists via DM on discord or to [email protected]

The Movies:

Little Prince and the Eight Headed Dragon (1963)
The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
Phoenix 2772 (1980)
The Fantastic Adventures of Unico (1981)
Angel's Egg (1985)
Vampire Hunter D (1985)
Memories (1995)
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)
Blood: the Last Vampire (2000)
Appleseed (2004)
Dead Leaves (2004)
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
Mind Game (2004)
Colorful (2010)
Welcome to the Space Show (2010)
Giovanni's Island (2014)
When Marnie Was There (2014)
The Anthem of the Heart (2015)
The Boy and the Beast (2015)
Miss Hokusai (2015)
A Silent Voice (2016)
In This Corner of the World (2016)
Your Name (2016)
Fireworks (2017)
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)
Lu Over the Wall (2017)
Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017)
Napping Princess (2017)
The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (2017)
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (2018)
Liz and the Blue Bird (2018)
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)
Mirai (2018)
Okko's Inn (2018)
Penguin Highway (2018)
Children of the Sea (2019)
Promare (2019)
Ride Your Wave (2019)
The Wonderland (2019)
Weathering With You (2019)

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Congrats to Advokaiser on being really good at predicting stuff
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Johnbobb
02/07/20 4:02:37 PM
#266:


Of those I've seen... 1
Should be a fun list!

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Snake5555555555
02/07/20 4:09:28 PM
#267:


PrinceKaro posted...
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas

I can't wait for this one

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JONALEON1
02/07/20 5:26:28 PM
#268:


Man, I gotta start early since I won't be able to watch or be around 3 weeks before the deadline.

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Zigzagoon
02/07/20 5:30:20 PM
#269:


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WickIebee
02/07/20 6:05:16 PM
#270:


I'm a little iffy on including Weathering With You since uh... it won't be able to be legally owned until late May in Japan

It kinda has to take the HtTYD2 treatment where we just... have to watch it in theatres during the list so maybe better to not require it?

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Johnbobb
02/07/20 6:09:23 PM
#271:


no please don't remove the only movie I've seen

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WickIebee
02/07/20 8:04:01 PM
#272:


It's just a little unfair to someone who can't really go to a movie theatre that easily to watch a movie that's in one currently. It's not my fault you've never seen any others. I haven't seen any myself and it's possible I watch 39 movies and then be unable to submit just because the other movie would require super illegal viewing processes.

EDIT: Yes I am saying that as the person who literally did that in the previous anime project. Granted I did take a copy of the movie and skimmed it and then submitted like a bitch.

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profDEADPOOL
02/07/20 8:52:01 PM
#273:


Man I can't believe it's been six years since the last anime films ranking.

I should do this. Half the films are on my plan to watch list and I've already seen another quarter lol.

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