Musicals have always been my favorite movies. Some people hate them, but for me, nothing can beat a choreographed dance number with costumes, rhyming lyrics, and garish effects. The order here is chronological, because I really can't pick favorites. That would be cruel. These might not be the best musicals ever made, but they are the ones that have impacted my life and make me gleeful every time I see them. I also own the soundtracks to every single one of these.
1. The Lion King. I started loving musicals early. The Lion King was my favorite movie until middle school, when I watched Edward Scissorhands. I adored the plot (I later learned that it's basically Hamlet, but honestly, that just makes it better to me), loved Simba and Nala, and cried during the stampede scene. Who doesn't love the totally epic "running back to Pride Rock in slow motion through the savanna" scene? And how can you beat James Earl Jones' voice? In fact, I still have my stuffed Simba that I got when I was five. (Sidenote: The Lion King 2, while not as good of a movie, also has some really great music.)
2. The Nightmare Before Christmas. My first Tim Burton movie. I watched it every Halloween when I was a kid, and I still have my old VHS tape. It was also my first taste of the slightly macabre, and damn did I love it. Jack Skellington is a great protagonist, and Sally is so charming. I also appreciated that she was a decent, full character, and I love the scene where she poisons Dr. Finklestein. Plus, Danny Elfman did the music. It's also a great way to get out of watching an actual Christmas movie.
3. Moulin Rouge. This movie introduced me to the glittering wide world of adult musicals. The glamor and sheer bohemian revelry of Moulin Rouge draws me in every time. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman do an excellent job of singing their own parts, and I am a huge sucker for the revamped, remixed use of pop songs in a sprawling musical. It lent a thoroughly contemporary feel to an otherwise nostalgic piece, and the dichotomy was fantastic. The plot is dynamite, and the ending gets me every time. Plus ten points for costumes, as well.
4. Chicago. Gandalf showed me this one, and it's also her dad's favorite musical. Jazz and flappers and a scathing review of the court system all made into one fantastic 20s cake topped with Catherine Zeta Jones. The corruption and the excess make for excellent songs, and John C Reilly is great as the beaten-down husband. Also a movie with great costumes.
5. RENT. A staple of my high school career. I defy you to find any gay kid in America who has not seen this movie or the show. (I did actually get to go see the show in Seattle when it came through. The actor who played Roger was British, which was not okay in my book, but other than that it was great.) I watched this movie obsessively for quite a while. Frankly, it was just nice to see some well-developed gay characters for once. I mean, for as much as gays love musicals, you'd think there would be more gay characters in them. Anyways, an excellent, if sad, plot, and overall a good time. Idina Menzel in a catsuit is to die for.
6. Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical. Kristen Bell and Alan Cumming (both talented and gorgeous) make an already amazing movie over the top. If you've seen the original Reefer Madness (I think the actual title was Tell Your Children), a scare tactics based movie from the 30s, then the musical version is that much better. They take the cautionary tale and amp it up, satirizing it with music and orgies and zombies. You pretty much can't get better than that. I saw this done as a show at my university, and the live experience is also pretty amazing.
7. Across The Universe. What can I say? Beatles songs revamped to tell a Vietnam War-era love story with drugs and free love and battle scars and Salma Hayek as a nurse? It's amazing. The images, the scope of this movie, the way they weren't afraid to draw from theater, the raw energy...it's perfect. And the Beatles songs are, for the most part, treated with care and I think nearly all of them kept the feeling of the original song. The only one I didn't like was the rendition of "For The Benefit of Mr. Kite," but that was mostly because it was too Eddie Izzard and not enough Beatles.
8. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Ah. I watched this 45 minute wonder repeatedly for weeks on end last year. It was just so...good. It's the sort of movie I would want to make. I could extol the virtues of Neil Patrick Harris and the fabulousness of the writing and the cleverness of it all, but basically all you need to know is that is was this movie that finally pushed me to switch from education to creative writing. Of all of these movies, this one has probably altered my life the most.
9. The Runaways. I have never wanted to be a rock star more than when I watched this movie. Technically, this movie isn't really a musical, but rather a movie with music in it, but I like it so much that it's going on the list. The art direction in this movie is great, and it moves slowly without ever being boring. Kristen Stewart really surprised me in this role. She looked the part, played her own guitar, and was utterly convincing. And hot. I swear, I got 10% gayer just by watching that movie. The music was wonderful, too. Gritty and urgent and fantastic.
10. "Once More, With Feeling" (Episode 7 of Season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Technically not a movie, but it's longer than Dr. Horrible so I think it counts. I just saw this a couple days ago, and I've watched it five times. The reason I love this episode so much is because I love these characters (I've spent five seasons getting to know them). All the secrets come out, the emotion is intense, and the harmonies are amazing. Each song is a different genre, and it's obvious that it was just fun to make. The show regained the campiness that make it so endearing in the first season. Through the camp, though, is a real core of story-telling and emotion.
So those are my picks. Check them out! It will be worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment