Rob at the Movies!
Cats Don’t Dance- Movie Musicals and all that Jazz!
It’s been another month, another month I say! I’m sure someone somewhere is inside the side of a mountain in a secretive cave where he/ she keeps all the months that has been stolen briskly away... a nice collection of time that just seems to fly past almost too perfectly! Where did it go? EBay? Who knows, but it’s almost the end of July, it must be time for another blog considering how I’m so slow yet fast that I only get one blog a month and its pages long so the wait for the next one isn’t too painful at least! I think this one should be a good un though, being as it is about my favourite musicals, in all their shapes and sizes, movies that make me sing, make me dance (but not Batman’s head on a lance, I’m not Jack Nicholson guys, plus Batman’s a sweet dude) and make me an all around happy guy, but more on the musicals later!
What’s been going on in the last month, well actually there’s more things coming up very soon to be honest than has been happening but that’s not to say there hasn’t been some doozies, I had two great interviews for Morrisons and Tesco both of which sadly led nowhere, and the usual other jobsearch fluff around that. There’s been the usual influx of great and alright telly, the wonderful Chuck and Hawaii Five O came to brilliant finales as did House and Glee (or were they longer ago?) and there was the sublime second series of Luther which came and went, Doctor Who left us on an epic cliffhanger, and Larry David kept the awkward chuckles going in more Curb Your Enthusiasm, plus new shows like Camelot, Carnivale and Falling Skies have kept me intrigued if also puzzled, while old favourites like Castle, The Sopranos, Nikita, How I Met Your Mother have carried on... whilst there’s other bits and bobs like Alan Carr, Mock the Week, Vue Film Show and some new Futurama too!
At the cinema, it’s been an emotional month... only because of the last ever Harry Potter and not because Transformers Dark of the Moon was a load of middling twaddle. Yep, the end of Hogwarts was nigh and it was an amazing experience being there first thing on the Friday (even if the midnight crowds beat me to it, grr!) at the IMAX with a lot of fans for this epic finale, and it didn’t disappoint! Thrilling, exciting, spectacular and very emotional... it’s something not to be missed and to say more will have Alex Banks knocking on my door because I spoiled something! Don’t miss it! Also on the cinema radar, Horrible Bosses is an hilarious treat, Cars II is great family fun with a superb voice cast and wonderful animation, Captain America brilliantly finishes off the Marvel puzzle in time for the epic arrival of The Avengers next summer, Larry Crowne is a loveable enough romantic comedy for all, and if you haven’t caught Bridesmaids yet, please do!
In terms of my own general existence and daily week schedule and all them bananas, it’s been business as usual... we’ve had two amazing evening services at St Marks (June 26th and July 24th) which were both awe inspiring and emotional, we’ve had the last Unit of the Summer on July 1st which was more or less as awesome as usual, we didn’t have Sparks Unleashed this time due to lack of helpers but it will return in the Autumn, renamed and ready to rock! There have been plenty of good times at cell group, plenty of good fellowship, fun and chat with some great guys, so all is cool there, plus we had one or two socials which were great, especially the night out in Manchester and the meal which was awesome! Plus the Fun Day at St Marks which was good fun and the footie match beautifully commentated by Nathan and Cameron, and well played by most, though Mark and Ben could have tried better. Also had a fantastic afternoon at Ruth and Dalj’s with everyone from cell, real lovely weather, some lovely BBQ grub, kids playing around like mad with water and toys (ah to be young!) and some fantastic chat and catch up with great friends, a truly wonderful afternoon... started off by a brilliant walk, I don’t know what possesses me sometimes but it was a fantastic idea to walk down to Newton (45 minutes est.) for the BBQ, but it actually paid off beautifully... yes I was sweaty and a bit tired when I got there but not too bad, I whacked on the Across the Universe (more on that later) soundtrack and admired the beauty of nature I saw on the trip... a real great exercise and lovely walk, good choice sir!
Went to see Steve Martin in concert, which was superb fun, great music and one of the funniest guys you could hope to see, a great evening! I helped two great guys from cell move into their new house in Newton, they moved from Altrincham in Manchester so was there to help them move in, we went up to Manchester and loaded the van and then unpacked it all back in Newton, was a tiring day but worth it to help them make this next step in their journey, their new home and their new careers in Newton and St Marks. There was a barbecue the other day for family friends who were over from America for a while, which was nice, good friends and some great food... we had my little niece Jessica’s first birthday party, which was a hit, loads of great presents and a lovely smiling little angel and yet again, some fantastic food, a really great afternoon that was.
Best of all, I went to Alton Towers for the day... most exciting! Yes, the greatest theme park in the United Kingdom, the winner of the crown of ‘the British Disneyland’ and one of the most exciting places in existence.... we went for the day as it was Lydia’s last day in the UK, Lydia has been at St Marks for the last year working for a family in St Helens who go to church, and helping out at St Marks too... and as it was her last day, we decided she needed to visit Alton Towers before she went, so off we went... Me, Ben Houghton, Lucy Houghton, Lydia and Jonathan ‘T-Bag’ Coffey to the land of Alton Towers, and it was a great day... we only got to go on the ‘Big 5’ rollercoaster’s (now currently battling it out in a brand new ad campaign to see which is best, go to Altontowers.com to vote!) Oblivion, Rita, Thirteen, Nemesis and Air but they were all pretty amazing, well four of them were out of this world, Rita was simply a bit of fun! Thirteen in particular was pretty epic, a great ride into the unknown with a devilish twist, and I loved that one and can’t say anymore hahaha! Oblivion, Nemesis and Air were all as great as usual, if you don’t know by now what these rides do then where have you been? Check ‘em out online to be amazed and want to go to there! But yep, it was a great day and it ended whilst everyone bar me went on the Ripsaw ride, why anyone wants to be dangled upside down and have water squirted in their face is anyone’s guess but there you go! It was a fun and pretty exhilarating day for all... I love those rides, it’s that burst of adrenaline and energy that we need every now and then, and it’s the perfect escape of mundanity and a burst of fun that makes your spirits lift!
But still to come is the biggie, on the weekend of August 12th I shall be off to the 02 Arena in London for one of the coolest weekends ever! Empire Big Screen is a huge film festival convention weekend featuring all the big names and all the big films, from free screenings of films like Friend with Benefits, The Help, Fright Night, Cowboys and Aliens, Conan the Barbarian, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Change Up and 30 Minutes or Less to exclusive new footage from films like The Muppets, Brave, Real Steel, Three Musketeers, Tintin, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Spiderman, Men in Black III and more.... all with the stars in attendance to present the footage hopefully, plus one on one interviews, and all sorts of other treats... I’m going with my best bud Dale Brooks for the weekend and can’t wait! As well as the mornings of exclusive footage, I’m in for some free movies, Animals from the movies, Star Wars school, and interview with Mark Kermode (hopefully!) and an interview with the Muppets.... it’s going to be amazing! Add in a cool party at Sir Pete’s in August, and a few other cool things here and there and summer is hopefully going to be very awesome... and that’s my life at the moment, going nowhere job wise but life is pretty sweet! Fancy some music?
Musicals- Movie’s where people Sing (or try to!)
Ah, how can you not love a musical? Well I guess you’re ok not doing if it’s set in a high school and stars Zac Efron but most other musicals are fun affairs, sometimes a straight forward sing along but usually they come in all shapes and sizes, whether they be Johnny Depp slicing people’s throats whilst warbling a tune, John Travolta in a dress welcoming you to the sixties, the same dude rocking a leather jacket and looking a bit more manly whilst he straddles a car and sings about Lightening, cartoon animals crooning amongst themselves in a variety of scenarios, travelling around a factory that makes sweets and chocolate, or escaping the clutches of a ruthless German baron in your flying car... the scenarios are endless, and it seems perfect and right, what with the end of Glee and... well there’s not so many musicals at the movies this Summer so that lead in failed... but yeah seems a perfect time to count down my Top 10 Musicals, the Ten films I most love to sing along to that put a spring in my step and a song in my heart, oh I love to be corny!
Sadly the following films just failed to make it into the top 10 but sit on the boundaries humming a lullaby to themselves: Grease, Muppet Christmas Carol, Willy Wonka, The Little Mermaid, Sweeney Todd, Aladdin, and The Muppets take Manhattan.... but what did make it I hear you ask? I think that’s what you’re asking, or is it what are you going to bake? I can never tell... ho hum anyway *singing* Let’s start the shoooooooooooooooow............
Rob’s 10 Favourite Musicals!
10) Across the Universe (12) 2007
Plot: The story of Jude, a young man working at the shipyard in Liverpool, who dreams of travelling the world, so he enlists in the navy and travels to America in the hope of finding his father. This journey takes him from New Jersey to Ohio to New York and back home again. Along the way he meets and falls in love with Lucy, a young lady whose boyfriend is feared missing in Vietnam, and makes a best friend in Max, Lucy’s brother, whom he meets at Princeton. Along the way, through the trials of the Vietnam war and the campaign and rebellion against it and other different dramas, they meet characters and friends like Prudence, Rita, Sadie, Jojo, Doctor Robert (played by Bono), even the elusive Mr Kite (Eddie Izzard) and his magical circus. As you may have guessed, this is a musical and story built around the songs of the Beatles.
Favourite Song: Across the Universe, a stunning and beautiful song that is hard to really sum up the true meaning of, but is a simply gorgeous poem to the beauty of the universe and our travel through it, beautiful lyrics, and the sequence for it equally fantastic.
Least Favourite: Flying, basically an orchestral piece more than anything, it’s fine and suitably enjoyable, but against all the other stunning numbers it’s a bit average really.
Other Notable Favourites: Strawberry Fields Forever, Hey Jude, Something, Because, Dear Prudence, Happiness is a Warm Gun, I’ve Just seen a Face, All my Loving and I Want to Hold Your Hand
Why you love it so: Simply put, people go on and on about things like Mamma Mia and We Will Rock You and yet this sublime piece of work failed to light up the cinemas at all... I remember going to the Printworks as it was one of the only places showing it, but it’s a truly magnificent piece of work... yes the shoehorning in of some of the songs isn’t perfect but it’s no worse than Mamma Mia, in fact I prefer it tenfold anyway... the sequences set to the music (in particularly Strawberry Fields Forever, Mr Kite and Happiness is a Warm Gun) are simply mind blowing and most of the time utterly beautiful to behold, pure cinematic art... pretty telling that director Julie Taymor has some kind of Artistic background beforehand.
While the leads are fantastic, this being the movie that brought Jim Sturgess to our attentions and he’s truly fantastic throughout as well as Evan Rachel Wood as Lucy and Joe Anderson as Max, all have gone on to great things afterwards due to this, plus there’s brilliant cameos by Bono and Eddie Izzard and Joe Cocker amongst others.... if you can manage the corniness of Mamma Mia, then I’m pretty sure you can behold a film as beautiful and poetic and visually arresting as this, with a truly fantastic love story at its heart....
I Want to Hold Your Hand (sung by TV Carpio) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D92Lyxj7U7Q
Strawberry Fields Forever (sung by Jim Sturgess & Joe Anderson) –
Ratings: Singing (9/10)
Song Originality (4/10)
Catchiness (8/10)
Overall Song Quality (10/10)
9) The Lion King (U) 1994
Plot: I think you should all know this one but heck I’ll go over it for those unfortunate enough to have not seen this: King of the African plains, the great lion Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and his wife Narabi have a son Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), who will grow up to be next in line for the throne. This doesn’t go over too well with his brother Scar (Jeremy Irons), who plots to murder Mufasa and drive Simba away so he can become the true king of the Pride. Simba is banished, blamed for the death of his father, and seeks sanctuary with two crazy critters Timon (Nathan Lane) and Pumbaa who teach him about enjoying life, until when an adult (Matthew Broderick), he bumps into childhood friend Nala who implores him to return to Pride Rock and reclaim the throne from Scar who has corrupted the Pride and overcome it with darkness.
Favourite Song: Be Prepared, an unusual choice this as most would pick Circle of Life or Hakuna Matata but this is a delightfully dark and witty tune as Scar sings of his plot to take over the throne and murder Mufasa, both very dark but very acidic and witty... it’s a very hummable ditty with some brilliant dialogue from Irons as Scar.
Least Favourite: I can’t do it, sorry... I was going to put Just Can’t Wait to be King because at a huge push it’s possibly the least of the songs but it’s not, none are... all are brilliant tunes, favourites from childhood and still favourites now, to call any least is an insult!
Other Notable Favourites: Circle of Life, Hakuna Matata, Just Can’t Wait to be King, and Can You Feel the Love Tonight?
Why you love it so: A massive favourite from my childhood and to this day one of my favourite movies ever, not to mention my favourite animated movie of all time almost.... this is a treasured masterpiece for many reasons, and is probably only this far down the list because the higher entries have a few more songs and a more musical atmosphere. Brilliant characters, a truly timeless story, flawless and beautiful animation, obviously some fantastic songs, both moving and very funny... it’s a true Disney classic! Seeing this for the first time in 1994 at the age of 7/8 I was captivated and to this day I’m captivated, moved and enthralled every single time I watch it, I could go on for years about just how much I love it!
The arc of the son who is disgraced and flees only to come back and face his destiny is a story arc long done and done plenty times since but it’s never worked better than it works here, Scar is a truly brilliant villain, like the best of Disney’s villains both charming and ruthless and diabolical in equal measure, whilst the character of Simba is very strong and textured, and of course there’s the great support from classics like Timon and Pumbaa plus the brilliantly stuck up Zazu (step forward our very own Rowan Atkinson). The music of course is the best thing here, a lot of it done brilliantly and beautifully by Elton John and Tim Rice, it all adds up to a movie that never fails to resonate, move or entertain, and for those of you who haven’t seen it, well it’s being re-released in 3D in all cinemas in October and then is out again on DVD and Bluray in time for Christmas so you have no excuses, watch it! Or if you’re a long time fan, relive the magic and wonder all over again!
Be Prepared (sung by Jeremy Irons) –
Circle of Life –
Ratings: Singing (7/10)
Song Originality (7/10)
Catchiness (9/10)
Overall Song Quality (9/10)
8) The Blues Brothers (15) 1980
Plot: Fresh from prison, Jake Blues (John Belushi) soon meets up with his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) and they go to the local orphanage, their childhood home, which is in danger of being closed... so after Jake has an epiphany, they decide they can raise the money by re-forming their old Blues band, The Blues Brothers. After some altercations with the law amongst other things, it soon seems like everyone in the state is after The Blues Brothers, but they must continue and re-form the band and play the gigs, because after all... they are on a mission from God!
Favourite Song: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, one of the big numbers (amongst many others) it remains the most memorable and the most popular of the numbers and with pretty good reason, it’s a superbly catchy tune that everyone can sing and dance along to, though to be fair almost all of them are like that.... but it’s not for nothing that Flora pinched this tune back in the early 90’s for their advertising campaign!
Least Favourite: Sweet Home Chicago, it’s a fairly decent little tune but the fact that I can’t remember it very well compared to the others listed below which are all firm singing and dancing favourites is an indication that this could be the least of the songs on show...
Other Notable Favourites: Shake your Tail Feather, Gimme Some Lovin, Think, and Theme from Rawhide
Why you love it so: Some films are just so mad, so energetic and so much fun that there are a million reasons why they are so loved by everyone... and The Blues Brothers is a prime example of this. From the amazingly crazy police car chase that bookends the climax through to the numerous musician cameos that appear throughout via some brilliant casting in Aykroyd and Belushi (sadly no longer with us) it’s a treat in its entirety, wacky funny and thrilling... the car chase a great example, complete with neo Nazis flying into the air randomly and a thousand police cars crashing, it’s a miracle of completely nuts filmmaking but it works so brilliantly. There’s cameos from Spielberg, Carrie Fisher, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and many more.... it’s truly one of those you’ve either seen and loved, seen and not been sure, or not seen and need to see.... if you’re one of the people who fit the last option, you really need to check out The Blues Brothers, it’s a stone cold classic with a fantastic soundtrack and some bonkers action!
Shake Your Tail Feather –
Rawhide Theme –
Ratings: Singing (7/10)
Song Originality (6/10)
Catchiness (9/10)
Overall Song Quality (8/10)
7) The Nightmare before Christmas (PG) 1993
Plot: Jack Skellington (voice of Chris Sarandon, from Fright Night and The Princess Bride) is the king of Halloween Town, a town that is permanently in a state of celebrating Halloween or preparing for the day it will next roll around, essentially a themed town. But one day, growing tired of his endless repetitive duties, he goes for a walk in the woods and stumbles upon a door.... finding himself in Christmas Town, more or less the opposite to his world. Loving the new feelings and the new enthusiasm he has, he decides he wants to try Christmas out for himself, but in the style he knows how... needless to say, things don’t go quite according to plan.... and it’s up to Jack to save Christmas once and for all....
Favourite Song: ‘What’s this?’ Easily one of my favourite songs from a movie, it’s a brilliant catchy and magical tune about the wonder of discovering something for the first time and the mystery and magic of that situation, finding all the new things for the first time.... brilliantly worded and with a cracking score going on in the backdrop, the backing music itself has become a staple for movie trailers and adverts alike... not hard to see why!
Least Favourite: Like with The Lion King, I can’t do it! Every single song in the movie has a special touch for me... they all have a magical quality, that brilliant singalongness that the best musical songs do, to pick one that I least like would be pointless, because even the one I picked I realised I loved far too much!
Other Notable Favourites: Poor Jack, Jack’s Obsession, Oogie Boogie’s Song, Jack’s Lament, and Town Meeting Song
Why you love it so: Well for starters, just like The Lion King it’s one of my favourite movies all time, it may well be my favourite animated movie ever and like Lion King it would be higher up the list I guess if the music and the story worked together more in the musical sense of the story comes second, but like Lion King the songs are there but the story is much stronger and the narrative runs bolder than any of the tunes. But despite him only producing this, this is Tim Burton at his highest and most creative, full of crazy and ghoulish creations and witty designs and gags and sights to behold... a great cast of characters with Jack, his love interest the rag doll Sally, the evil scientist, the two faced Mayor, the diabolical Oogie Boogie who bags the film’s second best tune, the mischievous duo of Shock and Barrel, and many more... it’s full of mischievous inventiveness, brilliantly catchy and dark songs, and probably the best of all is the delightful mix and clash of the two sides of the coin, the light and wonder of Christmas and the dark and grimness of Halloween, both mixed into the same barrel with a cleverness and invention that is pretty unrivalled, it’s a genius idea and it works brilliantly! All this blends into making an all time classic that works any time of year but especially as a different sort of Christmas masterpiece, an alternative to things like Miracle on 34th Street and Elf! Like so many others, if you’ve not seen it, do it now!
What’s this? –
Oogie Boogie’s Song –
Ratings: Singing (7/10)
Song Originality (8/10)
Catchiness (8/10)
Overall Song Quality (9/10)
6) Beauty and the Beast (U) 1990
Plot: It’s a tale as old as time don’t ya know? So surely you should know it, but here it is none the less: There was a arrogant prince who was arrogant and vain and all that preeniness, and one day he made a terrible mistake, he crossed paths with a enchantress, who offers him a rose in return for a place to stay in his castle, he turns her away and she, scorned by his selfishness, turns him into a hideous beast and all his servants and staff into household objects. It is said, that once he finds his true love, and she loves him in return, it will break the curse. Many years later, an odd but beautiful young woman named Belle, from the nearby village, arrives at the castle to find her father who got lost in the woods and was last seen entering the castle. She offers to take her father’s place if the Beast let’s him go, and the Beast agrees. Over time, their friendship grows, and the Beast’s angry and grumpy veneer begins to drop... but can true love truly blossom when the town stud Gaston, is keen to both ensnare the Beast and court Belle’s hand in marriage?
Favourite Song: Be Our Guest, a true drop dead showstopper, this song sees the many household objects including Lumiere the candlestick and Cogsworth the clock invite Belle to dinner and perform what is essentially the hugest musical number in a Disney movie, both extremely catchy, truly memorable and truly dazzling... it’s up there with the very best and most brilliant of all of Disney’s top tunes...
Least Favourite: The Mob Song, it could easily be another case of love them all but I guess this tune in which the mob go to raid the castle and capture the Beast is only ok compared to some of the other fantastic tunes on display... it’s fun but it’s probably the least of the lot for sure....
Other Notable Favourites: Gaston, Beauty and the Beast, Belle, and Something There
Why you love it so: Like The Lion King, Little Mermaid, Hunchback of Notre Dame and all the rest... this is a bonafide classic of the Disney Animation staple, possibly even the best... well certainly the best animated musical they ever produced. The song quality is so high, songs like Beauty and the Beast and Be Our Guest are so perfect and so timeless, while songs like Belle and Gaston are also really memorable, catchy and funny... it’s hard not to walk away from this one without humming them all very loudly. The animation is sublime, it always is, but here especially it really pops, the characters are great, it’s funny, dramatic, sad, moving, thrilling, exciting and a joy from start to finish. There really is no wonder whatsoever that this was the first Disney animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award, and the fact that Up was the second, and that was almost twenty years later, tells you something about the quality of this beauty, it certainly ain’t no Beast!
Be Our Guest –
Gaston-
Ratings: Singing (8/10)
Song Originality (8/10)
Catchiness (9/10)
Overall Song Quality (9/10)
5) Little Shop of Horrors (PG) 1986
Plot: Lowly meek young shop assistant Seymour (Rick Moranis) is working in a lowly florist shop in New York. He is in love with his co-worker Audrey (Ellen Greene) but she has a boyfriend, a sadistic and cruel Dentist (Steve Martin) who gets off on causing his patients distress. Then there is a total eclipse, and Seymour discovers a strange and unusual plant that he takes into the store and nicknames Audrey II, which resembles a Venus flytrap. The plant soon starts to die, and when Seymour accidentally cuts his finger, he discovers the plant thrives on blood... with the plant back in health, the business for the store starts to thrive, but how long can this last if they have to keep Audrey II well fed and watered with it’s strange choice of nutrition?
Favourite Song: Dentist, the song sung by Steve Martin that introduces the character of Orin, the leather jacket-wearing, sadistic Dentist who is dating and being generally cruel to Audrey... is a dark and twisted treat... telling Orin’s story of going into the business because of his tendencies for sadism and a willingness to please his mother... it’s funny, twisted and immensely sing along-able!
Least Favourite: The Meek Shall Inherit, as good as the tunes are, there’s one or two that aren’t as strong as the others and this is one.... it’s a perfectly alright song but fails to set the screen alight in the way some of the others so brilliantly do!
Other Notable Favourites: Mean Green Mother from Outer Space, Suddenly Seymour, Da-Doo, and Feed Me Seymour
Why you love it so: Like Sweeney Todd or Rocky Horror before or after it, it’s a great mix of the musical with the macabre... though it’s not quite as twisted as those two given it’s got a PG rating... it’s still an interesting change of tone for the musical given it features a man eating plant that talks! It’s also brilliantly of the 80’s... not in its tone or fashions (it’s set in the 1950s!!) but in it’s fantastic cast, only in the 80’s would you see Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, and Bill Murray (appearing as a patient who loved the dental work a bit too much!) on such brilliant form and all in the same movie (also featuring cameos from Jim Belushi, John Candy and Christopher Guest) and not wanting to discount Ellen Greene who is truly terrific, her memorable voice and amazing singing is the beating heart of the movie. There’s brilliantly bonkers musical numbers, a great 50’s style, and a mixture of straight forward romantic comedy drama with a dash of the out of this world... it’s a truly memorable and truly twisted piece of sci-fi musical comedy that works for all the family oddly enough, and you don’t get that every day!
Dentist –
Mean Green Mother from Outer Space –
Ratings: Singing (8/10)
Song Originality (7/10)
Catchiness (9/10)
Overall Song Quality (9/10)
4) Moulin Rouge! (12) 2001
Plot: Ewan McGregor puts it best at the very beginning of this wonderful whirlwind of fun and emotion, he says ‘This is a story about Love’ and it is in a nutshell, there’s all sorts more in here but it’s LOVE that conquers all and is the beating heart of this spectacle. Young poet Christian (McGregor) moves to Paris and falls in with a ragtag bunch of performers led by Toulouse Lautrec (John Leguizamo) who enlist Christian to help them finish a play they are writing called Spectacular Spectacular! They wish to sell it to Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent) the owner of the infamous Moulin Rouge! Theatre. They then set up a meeting between Christian and Satine (Nicole Kidman) the lead courtesan from the theatre, but a mix up occurs; as Satine is also due to meet with the Duke of Monroth (Richard Roxburgh), a potential investor. Satine mistakenly believes Christian to be the Duke, and before the mistake can be rectified... Christian has fallen deep in love with Satine. Satine too has feelings for Christian, but whilst their love blossoms, the Duke grows jealous and wants Satine all for himself.... will true love conquer all, and will the show go on as Spectacular Spectacular is set to open?
Favourite Song: Your Song, the Elton John classic is sung beautifully and pretty jaw droppingly by McGregor as he tries to woo Satine... really hitting the highest notes possible, and with the help of backing Opera singers, this is a real treat in both lyrics and voice quality.
Least Favourite: Lady Marmalade, this collaborative effort from Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil’ Kim and Mya isn’t in the finished film, but featured heavily on the marketing circuit for the film and is probably the star track on the soundtrack but is pretty average really... never helped by the fact that bar maybe Pink, I’m not fussed at all on any of these, this being the start of the phase when Christina stopped being a gorgeous young woman and starting being a bit of a trampy singer who revelled in being a bit risqué.
Other Notable Favourites: Like a Virgin, Come What May, Elephant Love Medley, Roxanne, and One Day I’ll fly away
Why you love it so: First up I could say who couldn’t love this ball of wonderfulness? But then it’ll be quick for people to shout back ‘Me!’, don’t ask me why this is an amazing treat but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles... taking a period love story and spicing it up by adding a soundtrack of classic pop songs from artists like U2, Sting, Madonna, David Bowie, Elton John and more and having them sung by the cast is a masterstroke, the excellent A Knight’s Tale just stuck to having a simple soundtrack of the songs themselves. As well as this great idea which sees genius moments like Jim Broadbent in a towel singing Like a Virgin or the excellent Elephant Love Medley sequence or the Tango version of Roxanne, there is a fantastic cast on top form, especially McGregor and Kidman who are both I think at their career best here, I certainly can’t think of films I liked them more in that’s for sure, whilst Richard Roxburgh and Jim Broadbent are so beautifully camp, and John Leguizamo is simply demented as the poet dwarf. The musical numbers are suitably bonkers and the plot and pace runs off with itself, this is all part of the charm though... and when it gets serious, boy does it get serious... the main love story between Christian and Satine is truly heartbreaking, great chemistry and you do believe these two deserve to be together, so it’s heartbreaking when tragedy strikes later in the movie. All in all, you’ll either be a bit bewildered by this movie or you’ll be taken in and love it every bit as much as I do... it’s a true treat!
Elephant Love Medley –
Your Song –
Ratings: Singing (10/10)
Song Originality (4/10)
Catchiness (8/10)
Overall Song Quality (9/10)
3) Mary Poppins (U) 1964
Plot: Another one of those where surely you must all know the plot, it’s a stone cold family classic! But contractual obligations (not really) indicate I should indulge you... the Banks family, a well to do family in London who are in dire need of a Nanny, the father works all day at the Bank, and the mother is away with the fairies. Wishing for the perfect nanny, they are relieved when help arrives in the form of Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) who is ‘practically perfect in every way’ and sets about putting the family into shape, via magical adventures and trips into paintings and Tea parties on the ceiling? Along the way they meet chipper chimney sweep Bert (Dick van Dyke) who gives them a tour of the rooftops of London, and further adventures await...
Favourite Song: Step in Time, there are far too many great songs in this movie and rather than go with the obvious choices I’m going to plump for this infectious ditty... as Bert and his chimney sweep buddies vaunt across the rooftops, if you’ve ever seen this movie then admit it, it’s in your head now isn’t it?
Least Favourite: Sister Suffragette, not all movie classics are perfect and whilst I could have easily picked The Life I Lead, which is a remarkably dated and slightly sexist chant by Mr Banks about his life and how his wife gets his tea ready, that was far too amusingly bad to be picked, so I’ll plump for this atrocity as Mrs Banks and her lady friends march about shrieking about Suffragettes and woman’s rights... now I of course have nothing but respect for these issues, but this is just annoying and painful to watch... dating a otherwise brilliant movie!
Other Notable Favourites: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Spoonful of Sugar, Love to Laugh, and Chim Chim Cherree
Why you love it so: Well, why wouldn’t you? It’s only Mary Bloopin’ Poppins, one of the most cherished movies of all time, it’s take a very hard heart not to warm immediately to this colourful and heartfelt movie, even with its dated opening songs, which just add to some of the charm I guess... who doesn’t love Julie Andrews as the lovely Mary or Dick Van Dyke, possibly one of the best movie characters ever, as Bert the chimney sweep... even if his cockney accent is seen as a bit dodgy, it’s hard to deny it’s a bit iconic, for years I thought that was a great accent haha! The sequences are magical, who doesn’t love Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious or know all the words, bonus points if you can say it backwards!! Who can’t love the animated penguins and their wacky attempts at waiting tables or dancing with Van Dyke in the funny Penguin style of dancing (take that Mr. Popper!) or as mentioned earlier, the crazy rooftop dancing of Step in Time with the chimney sweeps and running over the rooftops... or the more casual musical style of Feed the Birds, and who can forget the triumphant finale of Let’s go fly a Kite... chances are, if you’ve lived then you’ll know at least two of the classic tunes in this masterpiece like the back of your hand... if not, then you’re probably only 2 years old! Like I say with all these movies, if you haven’t seen this one then you really need to, in fact bookmark this page, go buy Mary Poppins, sit down, slide it into your DVD player, watch, sing, enjoy and then come back to view the next part of this countdown.... seriously I’m waiting!!
Step in Time –
I Love to Laugh –
Ratings: Singing (8/10)
Song Originality (8/10)
Catchiness (9/10)
Overall Song Quality (9/10)
2) Labyrinth (U) 1986
Plot: Yes this is the one where David Bowie sings and dances with puppets and that bulge, but I digress.... lonely teenage girl Sarah is away with the fairies, she reads fantasy books and dreams of being in a magical kingdom, but the reality is she has to look after her nephew Toby, who does nothing but cry. One night, getting tired of Toby’s cries, she mockingly calls out for the imaginary Goblin King to take the baby away. Little does she know, that the Goblin Kingdom is all too real, and the Goblin King (Bowie) is all too happy to oblige and promptly whiskes Toby away to the Castle at the centre of a Labyrinth. If Sarah wishes to take Toby back, she must get to the castle through the Labyrinth in 24 hours; otherwise Toby will become a Goblin and stay there forever....
Favourite Song: Magic Dance, anyone who’s ever seen this movie will never forget this classic song, and will doubtless be humming it now... it makes absolutely no sense but who cares when it’s Bowie... you’ll do the Magic Dance because Bowie says so! All together now, dum dum dum, you remind me of the babe....
Least Favourite: Definitely with this one above all others I’m going to enforce that rule again that says I don’t have a least favourite... I’ll go into it more in a minute but this movie is an all time childhood favourite and still is, there isn’t a single song I can nitpick!
Other Notable Favourites: Underground, Within You, Chilly Down, and As the World Falls Down
Why you love it so: Loved intensely with a fiery passion since I first clapped eyes on it, this classic 80’s fantasy Muppet adventure is a joy from start to finish, and is the sole reason for my intense love for David Bowie, though of course that led to me discovering his music and that became plenty of other reasons! But of course, David Bowie’s fantastic turn as the Goblin King Jareth (what a name!), both diabolical yet truly charming, is one of many great reasons that I love this movie... firstly there’s the puppet sidekicks, from the adorable Sir Didymus and Ambrosia through to the mean but kind hearted Hoggle and the loveable Chewbacca-alike Ludo... though the fieries, the orange creatures that try to take your head off aren’t so loveable but still provide a greatly surreal and fun musical sequence nonetheless as well as a true sense of unease and terror. There’s a true sense of wonder and magic running through the themes of the film, through the beautiful songs, like the ethereal and gorgeous ballad As the World Falls Down, or the dynamism of the climatic Within You or the whimsical pomp of title track Underground... I love this film far too much for far too many reasons, and they all stem from being young as do most films like this for most people, but because of the magic, the music and the Bowie, it still remains an all time classic that I never fail to want to take a little slice of...
Magic Dance –
Within You –
Ratings: Singing (8/10)
Song Originality (9/10)
Catchiness (8/10)
Overall Song Quality (9/10)
and my favourite ever musical is.... drum roll!!
1) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (15) 1975
Plot: To try and sum up a lot of the plot to this movie is intensely pointless but the basic plot goes: Newlywed’s Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) have just got married and are on their way to their honeymoon when their car breaks down near to a spooky castle... entering into the castle to use the phone to ring for assistance they stumble upon a strange dinner party hosted by a stranger individual, Dr Frank N Furter (Tim Curry) an alien from the planet Transsexual, yes it’s that sort of crazy movie!
Favourite Song: Whatever Happened to Saturday Night? There are so many fantastically memorable songs in this one, but a prime favourite is this jazzy little number sang by Meat Loaf... catchy, fun and short and sweet, it’s a joy from start to finish with a great sing along chorus!
Least Favourite: There may be one or two songs that are slightly less than the others, but after picking one I thought could qualify, I listened to it again and changed my opinion immediately because it was fantastic... and given this is my number one, I’m pretty sure the no least favourites rule can definitely apply here!
Other Notable Favourites: Time Warp, Sweet Transvestite, Sword of Damocles, Rose Tint my World, and there’s a Light
Why you love it so: It’s my favourite musical of all, there’s got to be some crazy cool reasons why I love it so much, there is a few but sometimes you just love something and you’re never sure exactly why you do but you do! Something about the wayward bonkers nature of this movie, it drifts off into making no sense halfway through, but that’s the joy of it sometimes... though it helps that the whole soundtrack is a joy from the Time Warp through to the finale of Rose Tint my World and others.... the performances are brilliant, especially Tim Curry as Frank, a delirious and genius turn! The themes of not caring what people think and ‘Don’t dream it, be it’ is brilliant too, it’s a great theme that’s out there but poignant, why should we care what the world thinks, we should do what makes us happy... if that is being a transvestite alien who sings and dances then urm, yeah so be it! Like I said, it’s tricky to put my finger on 100% why I love this so much, but I’ve given a few good ones and I just love this film, the soundtrack is amazing and it’s one wild ride and it’s definitely the most fun and crazy musical I’ve ever seen... and it’s even better at the theatre when you dress up and participate with the action, it’s a truly iconic musical and there’s plenty of great reasons why it’s so popular with people of all ages, a great message, a mad narrative and brilliant music.... face it, I bet you were predicting this for Number One from the get go?
Whatever Happened to Saturday Night?
The Sword of Damocles
Time Warp-
Ratings: Singing (7/10)
Song Originality (9/10)
Catchiness (9/10)
Overall Song Quality (9/10)
And that’s all she wrote! Who this mysterious woman is who is writing things I don’t know, cause I’m pretty sure I wrote that and I’m not a lady... well not today anyway but that’s another blog! But I digress yet again; it’s time for us to depart this blog reading time... I hope you have found it informative and amusing and want to watch all ten musicals over and over again or at least buy the soundtracks in bulk and dance the night away (with senoritas that can sway if they’re available!) or just something to watch with a mate or recommend to a mate... or more likely, you’re not reading these words at all cause you’re not reading this, wouldn’t blame you, waffle waffle waffle! To test it, if you’re reading this, who plays Winston Zedmore in Ghostbusters? Write it on my Facebook wall, the true test of your readingness!! But yes it’s time to go, until the next time my blog comes around and you decide to read it, then I genuinely hope that...
You stay classy.... Planet Earth! X
