Chicago, Dreamgirls, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Hairspray, La La Land. (Although I have varying issues with each) Not - Mamma Mia, Les Misarables, Annie, Nine, The Producers, Rent
Does Once count? If so, then Once hands down. I know I may be in the minority’s here but I loved The Greatest Showman and so did my kids. Yesterday was also very entertaining. If we’re talking animated stuff too then Frozen, Moana and Coco would be on my list. I’m not a fan of most of the stage to screen adaptations of the past twenty or so years. Most notable misses for me were Sweeney Todd and Les Miserables. Les Miz was close but I cannot forgive Anne Hathaway for chewing so much scenery in I Dreamed a Dream.
If we can go back a little further, I think there are two absolute masterpieces that are tragically underrated:
"Hair" (1979) -- Miraculously, Milos Forman was able to fashion a coherent and compelling narrative, something countless stage productions of this classic have unable to do. He coaxed great, charismatic performances out of Treat Williams, John Savage, and Beverly D'Angelo, among others (including Charlotte Rae!), all celebrating the terrific score -- the movie soundtrack is, to my ears, the best recording of this material ever made. The fantastic choreography by Twyla Tharp (dancing horses!) is just icing on the cake.
"Evita" (1996) -- You can quibble about Madonna being too old for the role, but I think she was absolutely perfect, and her voice was a revelation. Due respect to Ms. LuPone, but her unkind words about Madonna were just dead wrong. But even more pleasing and surprising was Antonio Banderas -- who knew he could sing, dance, and charm the pants off the audience? Alan Parker delivered a great adaptation that should have ushered in a new golden age of movie musicals. It's the movie "Les Miserables" wanted to be.
Honorable Mention:
"South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" (1999) -- Has there been a better original movie score this century? I don't think so. Parker and Stone are geniuses. I just wish they'd work more.
That has to be the best use of a $1 million budget since the 1950s.
I also saw HAIRSPRAY five or six times in the movie theater! I haven't done that since the 1970s.
ETA as the poster above me says, I think Forman's HAIR is one of the best musical films of all time. THAT was the film I saw many times in movie theaters in 1979--and then countless times on cable TV and DVD.
La La Land (pretty much hated it when I saw it in the theater, but then I saw it on plane coming home from London and absolutely loved it. The free wine on the plane probably helped)
Into The Woods
Moulin Rouge (I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it when I saw it on the theater, but it has grown on me. I have it on DVD)
joined:4/9/18
joined:
4/9/18
Posted: 7/27/19 at 12:37am