The Resident Bitch Prepares for... the Most Recent MoFo Countdown

I've done individual threads for my preparations for a few of the previous countdowns and I wanted a place to organize my thoughts for the musicals countdown. However, I didn't want to dedicate a thread just to musicals so I figured I'd just make one thread to use for all future countdowns. The first few posts will just be reposts from the Rate The Last Movie You Watched thread.

**PLEASE READ BEFORE MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS**
Since apparently my previous statement wasn't clear enough for some people, if you want to give me recommendations you can. HOWEVER, if I tell you that I'm not interested in a particular movie, then drop the subject. Please do not spam this thread with multiple posts about movies I have no interest in watching. If you want to campaign for your favorites, great but go make your own thread for that.

Also: If a musical that you like is not animated and was released before the 1980s, you probably shouldn't bother suggesting it to me because I'm probably not going to watch it. Click here for an example of what I think of classic musicals.

Addendum: I didn’t think this needed to be said, but this thread is for MOVIES only. A recording of a stage production is not a movie. Even if it’s professionally recorded, it’s not a movie. Even if it was released in movie theaters, it’s not a movie. I have nothing against movies that are adapted from stage plays, but I’m not going to watch an actual play. I don’t think stage musicals are eligible for the musicals countdown anyway, but even if they are I’m not going to vote for them so don’t bother suggesting them.

Additionally: Concert documentaries are definitely NOT eligible, so don't suggest them either.

I've compiled a watchlist on LetterBoxd if you would like to see what I might be reviewing next.



INDEX:

Musicals/Music:
Across the Universe
Aladdin
Alice In Wonderland
The American Astronaut
An American Tail
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
The Aristocats
Black Snake Moan
The Bodyguard
Charlotte's Web
Chicago
Cinderella
Coco
Corpse Bride
Cry-Baby
Death To Smoochy
Earth Girls Are Easy
Follow That Bird
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum
Hairspray (1988)
Joseph: King of Dreams
The Jungle Book
La La Land
Lady and the Tramp
Les Misérables
The Little Mermaid
Little Shop Of Horrors
Meet the Feebles
A Mighty Wind
Muppet Treasure Island
Oliver & Company
Phantom of the Paradise
Rent
Repo! The Genetic Opera
Sing Street
Starstruck
Stingray Sam
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

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The Bodyguard
(Mick Jackson, 1992)

I loved this movie when I was a kid. I thought it was so romantic and that Kevin Costner was such a badass in it. Now that I’m an adult, I think the movie is stupid. Whitney Houston‘s character is such a bitch that it’s hard to buy that someone would fall in love with her. And Costner’s attempts at badassery just come off as amusing in the wrong way. Yet somehow I still love this movie. I will always love this movie…. stupid though it may be.

The Little Mermaid
(Ron Clements and John Musker, 1989)

I shouldn't like this movie. A musical about a mermaid princess sure as shit should not appeal to me (and holy crap do they sing A LOT in this movie), but I was eight years old when it was released so it's got nostalgia on its side. It also benefits from my love of animation and the fact that at only 83 minutes, it doesn't last long enough to annoy me too much. I do have to admit it has a certain charm. Even with the nostalgia factor though, this has never really been a favorite. Eight year old me wasn't a fan of princesses or mermaids or musicals either, so this has always sort of existed as a movie that I kind of like.

Given my general opinion of musicals though, "kind of like" will probably be enough to secure it a spot on my ballot.

Cry-Baby
(John Waters, 1990)

I have a rocky history with this movie and with John Waters movies in general. I liked Serial Mom a lot when I was a kid, but didn't care for it at all the last time I watched it. I thought Pecker was just okay and that Pink Flamingoes was absolute dog shit. As for Cry-Baby? I saw it a few times growing up and kind of liked it, but I hated it the last time I watched it (around 15 years ago).

It's been in my DVD collection for probably 20 years now so I figured I had nothing to lose by giving it another shot and... well, I guess I'm back to kind of liking it? As is typical of Waters, the movie is weird and stupid and trashy, but that weird, stupid trashiness has its charm and Johnny Depp looks pretty damn good in it so I was amused enough to not get too annoyed by the songs... this time, at least.

That said, I probably won't watch it again anytime in the next decade or so - but it just might sneak onto my ballot.

Oliver & Company
(George Scribner, 1988)

I haven't seen this movie in a very long time, but I vaguely remembered liking it and I vaguely remembered it being a musical. After rewatching it this evening, I think it's fine. It's innocuous. The animals are cute. But it's not particularly memorable in its story or its characters. I didn't really feel anything for any of them, but I also was never bored.

As to the musical aspect, I just finished watching it and I'd already forgotten some of the songs even happened. I only remembered three songs in the whole thing (and really it's two songs because one is sung twice). It's only when I Googled the songs in the movie that I realized there were more - but really only a handful in total. Why the hell did Disney hire Billy Joel and Bette Midler if they're barely gonna sing? Also I can't believe I'm complaining about the lack of singing in a musical.

Whatever. I didn't hate it but I'm probably not going to vote for it.

La La Land
(Damien Chazelle, 2016)

I hate musicals. Because I hate musicals, I didn't vote for musicals in the poll for the next countdown. Because I hate musicals, I told myself I wasn't going to do any first time watches in preparation for the musicals countdown. Because I hate musicals, I've intentionally avoided this movie for eight years. Yet somehow, against my better judgement and fully expecting to outright hate it, I watched La La Land today.

And having seen it, I can actually say that I didn't hate it. Not quite, but I definitely didn't like it either. The one thing that I ask of any movie is that it makes me give a shit and, until about the final quarter or so of its runtime, La La Land utterly failed to do that. I didn't find either Mia or Sebastian to be particularly likable or unlikable, they just kind of existed to me and anytime they broke out in song and dance I went from not caring to being annoyed. I don't know why the hell I even finished it since I wasn't under any obligation to, but I did eventually start to care towards the end of the movie. Though that tiny flicker of giving a shit was nearly extinguished by that final dance number and so here we are. I've seen the movie. It was okay-ish. But not okay enough to have any chance at my ballot.

Follow That Bird
(Ken Kwapis, 1985)

As a 43 year old child-free woman who hates musicals, did I just watch a musical made for pre-schoolers? Why, yes. Yes I did. And tonight wasn't even my first time watching it as an adult. I picked it up from the local library on a whim back in 2015. I'd grown up watching it, but had forgotten about it by then and - as someone who is most definitely no longer in the target audience - I fully expected to hate it. But I didn't hate it. Not even close. I thought it was fun. It made me laugh. I even got a little misty-eyed a time or two. And most shocking of all was that I actually enjoyed the songs - most especially Oscar's "Grouch Anthem," which opens the movie.

So when this countdown was announced I decided it needed another viewing and I ordered it on DVD. Having just watched it again, nine years further into my adulthood, I liked it just as much if not more than I did last time. Except for a couple of scenes where it got a little sad, I watched it with a big grin on my face because sometimes I just need a little silliness and tonight was one of those nights.

Now, do I think this has any chance of making the countdown proper? Not at all, but that won't stop me from putting it on my ballot and probably somewhere in my top ten. Now that it's in my collection, I'll also be sure to revisit it again in the not too distant future. In the meantime, that "Grouch Anthem" is probably gonna be stuck in my head for awhile.

Grouches of the world unite!
Stand up for your grouchly rights!
Don't let the sunshine spoil your rain
Just stand up and complain
Let this be the grouches' cause:
Point out everybody's flaws!

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
(Tim Burton, 2007)

I've been on the fence about rewatching this one. I'd seen it once back when it was new and I strongly remember absolutely hating the songs. But I do love Johnny Depp and that Tim Burton aesthetic so I thought... maybe it'll grow on me?

And I have to say that it did grow on me. I loved the look of the film. The costumes and sets are absolutely gorgeous. I also thought the casting and performances were really strong and the story kept me engaged. I have to admit that I actually genuinely enjoyed myself. I didn't love it, but I enjoyed it and that's kind of a hard thing for me to admit about a musical.

However, I still really hated those damn songs. Which then begs the question: Is it wrong to vote for a movie for a best musicals countdown if you hated the thing that makes it a musical? Probably, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

Have you seen Hairspray (1988) I wasn't sure I'd like it but I really enjoyed it. The 2007 remake with John Travolta is fun too but not as good as the original.

I haven't. Between it being a musical and it being John Waters I've kind of intentionally avoided it. I might give it a shot, but we'll see.

Yeah that was like me I though John Waters no way! But it's like John Waters extra light. At least the songs are rock/pop songs for the most part.

It seems nobody on this forum acknowledges the masterpiece known as LazyTown and the two plays recorded in 1997 and 2000.. but it's worth a try. Afram Latibær is a 1996 Icelandic stageplay which was first performed in Dec. 1995 with a script and characters by aerobics champion Magnus Scheving, based off his book 'Afram Latibær!'.

The play follows LazyTown (Latabæ), as all the residents do barely nothing at all, and each have their own problems. Baejarstottin (Mayor Milford Meanswell) is the man that longs for this to change, trying to promote the Iprottadagur (Sportsday) to the town, hoping they'll join in and they never do. In comes Ipprotaalfurrin, who teaches all the kids the right way to do things they're doing right now. There is no villian other then the two residents from the other town who try to steal the Iprottadagur trophy. The play's recorded version has the actual play surrounded by colorful borders, which are a bit childish.

We then have the more-liked 2000 sequel, Glanni Glaepur i Latabæ (Robbie Rotten Comes to LazyTown), based off Latibaer i Vandreum (LazyTown in Trouble), the 1997 book written by Magnus Scheving. The play has the same characters, except they look more like their TV show counterparts. A few characters are removed, and Jives is re-written from the skinny guy who only eats cereal to the totally hip rad dude yo1!!!!!111 There is of course, a new addition - Robbie Rotten (Glanni Glaepur), Glaumbæjargengið (three thieves that Glanni hires) and Hannin (the commenting, lazy rooster).

Anyways, unlike most of the musicals you're watching which are supposed to entertain and only, these two plays have so much lessons I can't name them all. It's attempting to tackle obesity and lazy children. One of the second play's songs, Life'll Be So Easy has a good moral despite being the villian's deceiving song - even if things go wrong, we're always gonna help each other out.


As I've mentioned, the plays morphed into the 2002 LazyTown pilot to pitch the show to Viacom, then the actual show, then the spinoff, then the other spinoff, then the other other spinoff, then two more seasons of the show.
Now some snippets from the official LazyTown Entertainment website in 2003:



Robbie Rotten Comes to Town
was on the Icelandic Top 40, ahead of both Andrea Bocelli and Tom Jones...


Go! Go LazyTown!
features a karaoke part where children can sing and participate in their favorite part of the show.

Video-taped performances of the plays Go! Go LazyTown! and Robbie Rotten Comes to Town were edited and packaged for retail release. Both tapes made the domestic top-10 list and were sellouts.








Go! Go LazyTown!, musical theater for children, was the most popular play of the 1996-97 season (including both private and national theaters). More than 69% of the relevant target group saw the play.
Robbie Rotten comes to Town, musical theater for children, was produced at the Icelandic National Theater. It was the most popular play of the 1999- 2000 season (including both private and national theaters) with 76% of the relevant target group seeing the play.




If anyone is even a tiny bit interested by all my yapping, I'll send you a link to the highest quality DVD rips I can find of the play, with subtitles.

In case nobody knows the REAL SHOW that is LazyTown and only the memes, these screenshots may remind you.

Vicky, you should watch The Music Man next. I'm sure you'll love it!

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IMDb
Letterboxd

Oh yes, that one looks just WONDERFUL! Surely it'll be a lock for my ballot!

The Aristocats
(Wolfgang Reitherman, 1970)

It's been awhile since I last watched this movie and I've come away from this rewatch with some really mixed feelings. On the one hand, there was a lot to like. The animation looks very good. The characters are mostly cute and fun and the songs, while sparse, are catchy. There's just one big problem: Racism. Disney, Reitherman, and company just couldn't resist giving that damn Siamese cat every Asian stereotype possible. It usually takes a lot for a movie to offend me, but I physically cringed whenever that damn thing was on the screen and it really took away from my otherwise positive feelings about the movie.

We'll see how the rest of my planned rewatches (and any first time watches) go, but I don't think this one's going to make the cut.

Sorry, but this looks absolutely dreadful. I think I'll pass.

Ah, yes, a play that inspired one of the most well performing TV shows ever that changed millions of lifestyles, making them healthier, is 'dreadful'.



I guess none of you will ever watch an Icelandic musical, and for that I pity you.

As to this comment, I see where you get that from - mostly the goofy look of the 1996 play, but I guarantee you the sequel is MUCH better and less childish.

I hate musicals and those characters/puppets you posted look creepy. I really couldn't care less how "well performing" any television show is, either, since television has absolutely nothing to do with the countdown and I watch very little TV anyway.

Also, what you described sounds like it's not even really a movie, but rather just a recording of a stage play and I'm not at all interested in watching any plays. I doubt they’re even eligible for the countdown anyway. A stage production that’s been recorded does not equal a movie musical.