Lurker > Vengeful_KBM

scarletspeed7 posted...

be anything other than what I've been trying to be lately.

---

~Kaelee~

You probably already know this but remember to install the Restored Content Mod whenever you get around to KOTOR 2

---

~Kaelee~

I'm playing XenoGEARS for the first time does that count

jk I know that doesn't count

I've never played a Xeno game wish me luck

---

~Kaelee~

I gotta go with Madison. Pinckney's still a nothing candidate who possesses none of the Federalist Party's best qualities and a few of its worst flaws, while Clinton wanting to tear down the National Bank makes me not trust him either. Madison, meanwhile, has historically been a voice for a strong central government, even though he has trended a bit too far to the Jeffersonian side of things in recent years. He also is often very possessive of sticking to the letter of Constitutional law, which can be either a help or a hindrance depending on the issue at hand. And hey, at least he's not as much of a slaver as Jefferson (or, for that matter, Pinckney), although that's definitely small consolation for those of us who think the institution should have been banned back when the Constitution was written in the first place.

This also may be a minority opinion but I don't think the Embargo Act was all THAT bad of an idea, impressment being the huge problem that it's become. Europe is a mess right now. They may be harsh measures, but it might be the safest course of action in a scenario where no course of action is a particularly great option.

---

~Kaelee~

Yeah gonna echo everyone else that this is a bad election. Jefferson admittedly had a strong first term (even though I could swear we voted for Adams...!), but his biggest achievement, the Louisiana Purchase, arguably came about through a combination of utter hypocrisy regarding government overreach (though we've known for a long time this man does not practice what he preaches), Napoleon's ambivalence in regards to the territory, and James Monroe's shrewdness.

In both these cases, the running mates would actually be better candidates than the heads of their respective tickets. Pinckney is a nothing candidate who the Federalists are suddenly seemingly obsessed with for some reason, Jefferson's a hypocrite, both are big Southern slavers. George Clinton and Rufus King, on the other hand, are respectable enough, if not exactly exciting either.

Gotta go with Jefferson because he's proven he can get at least some results, but damn I wish the Federalists would find someone even half as worthy of running as Adams was.

---

~Kaelee~

Eddv posted...

I was trying to be neutral!

And it was through no fault of your own; your write-ups have been fantastic. I genuinely didn't know about the Land Use tax, and learning about that and Burr's position on it was what ended up swaying me back to Adams (who, despite the Alien and Sedition Acts (which were indeed very bad), still ends up being among my personal favorite Presidents in US history).

---

~Kaelee~

I'll definitely have to think about this one. I really want to stand by my guy, Adams, but the Alien and Sedition Acts are a really serious blight on an otherwise very strong first term. I have no problems with the way he managed the Quasi-War, but especially with the Sedition Act, he seems to have fallen for the paranoia of the opposition. (The Alien Act is also alarming, particularly when you consider the potential long-term ramifications of such a broad, sweeping, and badly thought-out piece of legislation.) Meanwhile, though, his criticisms of Jefferson are entirely valid and only serve to further underscore the reasons I wasn't able to bring myself to support him the first time around.

Very, very tempted to vote for Burr, here. The Jeffersonian faction really are too pro-France at this juncture, but Burr may be able to harness the strengths of the better liberty-centric Democratic-Republican causes while at the same time reining in the more "unfortunate" aspects of the party, i.e. the interests of the Southern landed elite.

---

~Kaelee~

Adams.

I'll expound on my reasoning later maybe but I want to make sure I get my vote in before we move on. The Democratic-Republicans continue their general style of paranoia, and supporting the French Revolution as it currently stands is kind of a bad look.

Not to mention he's way better on slavery. Maybe we can actually get some reforms in on that point if he takes office, whereas there's no way abolitionists will get to make any headway at all with the wealthy slave-owning elite Jefferson in power.

---

~Kaelee~

The Anti-Federalists were instrumental in getting a Bill of Rights into the Constitution, which is obviously something that can't be downplayed in terms of importance. However, in my readings of this era of American history, the Anti's have largely come across as paranoid and delusional, particularly when it comes to the role the Federalists played in the government, and often resorted to completely unfounded rumormongering and personal attacks in order to try and consolidate more power in a government they claimed should barely even have power at all. (Benjamin Franklin Bache was the absolute worst. Like a Revolutionary-era Alex Jones.)

The biggest problem with Washington himself turned out to be the whole slavery "thing" - even setting aside his own personal slave owning, he had a golden opportunity to end fugitive slave laws and ended up enforcing them surprisingly vigorously... but it's 1788, and you literally have people like Thomas Jefferson on the side of the Anti-Federalists (even if he isn't officially one at this point), so that aspect of this election (and several elections to come) is kind of a wash. A strong judiciary and centralized government are key in this uncertain time of building the nascent republic!

So, yeah, Federalists.

---

~Kaelee on mobile~

The Force Awakens > Rogue One > The Last Jedi >> Solo >> The Rise of Skywalker

---

~Kaelee on mobile~

Ledyba 4
Ledian 3
Spinarak 2
Ariados 3
Gligar 6
Gliscor 6
Teddiursa 8
Ursaring 7
Delibird 8
Mantyke 6
Mantine 5
Skarmory 8
Phanpy 4
Donphan 5

---

~Kaelee on mobile~

Pichu - 6
Pikachu - 8
Raichu - 9
Igglybuff - 2
Jigglypuff - 7
Wigglytuff - 6
Mewtwo - 8
Riolu - 6
Lucario - 7
Froakie - 6
Frogadier - 5
Greninja - 8
Litten - 9
Torracat - 8
Incineroar - 8

Alolan Raichu - 8
Mega Mewtwo X - 3
Mega Mewtwo Y - 3
Mega Lucario - 7
Ash Greninja - 4

---

~Kaelee on mobile~

Bulbasaur - 7
Ivysaur - 8
Venusaur - 5
Charmander - 10
Charmeleon - 5
Charizard - 9
Squirtle - 8
Wartortle - 9
Blastoise - 6

Mega Venusaur - 4
Mega Charizard X - 10
Mega Charizard Y - 6
Mega Blastoise - 3

---

~Kaelee on mobile~

Wiggum
Lenny
Moleman
Bart

---

~Kaelee on mobile~

That's useful. I definitely thought that item was for doing things on the internet, which I don't have on the Switch because I don't want to add a monthly fee to the many I already have to pay just so I can have internet on a console. Thanks!

---

~Kaelee on mobile~

Apologies for my not having actually caught up fully yet; I've been keeping tabs via my phone but today just ended up being a lot busier and more full of distractions than I had anticipated and I haven't quite felt caught-up enough to continue commenting. Still haven't done that reread of Scare's posts that I wanted to do, and that's on me.

Also y'know scummoned and all that, but this is just me checking in before bed. I promise I will be more active tomorrow after work (church) and before deadline. That said, DYL is still a good lynch option, I don't like the train on MZero just because in my (admittedly rather outdated) experience a late-day-one train onto an inactive almost always ends up being town, and Ben is still giving me anti-town vibes. Still getting town vibes off of largely the same people as the last time I commented. Corrik I cannot get a handle on so far; apparently I have played with him before but I don't remember what he was like.

Fastbreak posted...

Someone I havent mentioned yet is kbm. I remember literally nothing of their content and that's not good. I want to say they were usually a strong day 1 voice

Historically speaking, this is, like, patently untrue; I always made an effort on Day 1 but kind of felt like I was flailing about. I do remember a string of games where I got lynched on the first day several times in a row. But that was a long time ago and I'm trying to make more of an effort and feel more comfortable with my instincts on people, such as they are.

Anyway, I'm going to bed, and will be back to talk to y'all tomorrow afternoon. Sorry today was kind of a wash; I had hoped to do more deep reading but it just ended up out of reach and that's my bad.

---

~Kaelee on mobile~

Exactly 60.

(44 in the new bracket)

44; way better than I expected.

Voting The Outer Worlds because it's the only game I've--

--dammit

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Parasite

Parasite > Moonlight > 12 Years a Slave > Birdman > The Shape of Water > Spotlight > The King's Speech > Argo > The Artist > Green Book

Actually a damn good overall decade list for BP winners, all told.

Hollywood
Irishman

Parasite
Knives
Lighthouse
Booksmart

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.

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.

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.

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.

Bye Bye Outlier

Inviso: 274
Genny: 262
Scarlet: 262
Karo: 248
JONA: 236
KBM: 218
Johnbobb: 212

Having the lowest score for All That Jazz puts Inviso in a pretty solid lead for top outlier, as everyone else remains in the same position (including Genny and Scarlet continuing their tie).

3. All That Jazz

Johnbobb: 1
Genny: 2
Scarlet: 4
KBM: 8
JONA: 9
Karo: 16
Inviso: 21

Johnbobb - I didn't know much about All That Jazz going in, and was assuming it was just going to be a typical showtune musical. Thought that even moreso when I realized it was yet another musical about the making of a musical. Holy shit was I wrong. I was left absolutely startled by the end. Bob Fosse is fantastic in it, and the songs (even though they're few and spread out) are all just really damn good. I can really appreciate a semi-autobiographical story when done right; this gives me a feeling similar to Michael Keaton in Birdman did a few years ago. Fantastic finale. The fact that Kramer v. Kramer beat both this and Apocalypse Now is a fucking tragedy.
Favorite song: Literally the entire last end stretch, but I guess I'll say Bye Bye Life

Genny - All That Jazz was the biggest surprise on this list. I can't even truly fathom explaining why I enjoyed it so much, but it might have something to do with schadenfreude. Watching Gideon's life spiral out of control in such a dramatic manner due to his own inability to keep away from a profession that is essentially killing him like a slow acting poison is just tragic. Even more tragic is bearing witness to the people closest to him trying their best to recoup him while he loses himself even more in his work all of his own volition and indomitable desire to see his production through to its end, culminating in his cohorts realizing the only way to make a profit is for Gideon to not survive his cardiovascular qualms. Well for once I can honestly say I did not see that ending coming, and I was impressed with the balls the movie had to pull that off. That such a nuanced character went out with a bang was spectacular, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from the spectacle of it all.

Scarlet - An insane, self-[lolcensor]-aggrandizing display of ego, All That Jazz encapsulates the creative process from the perspective of an actually creative person, and it succeeds on all fronts. Ive never minded a little arrogance in movies, personally.
Best Song: Everything Old Is New Again

KBM - Why I Chose It: The 1979 film All That Jazz is a semi-autobiographical story written and directed by legendary Broadway choreographer/director Bob Fosse, based on his own efforts a few years prior to finish his film Lenny while simultaneously developing the 1975 musical Chicago. The Roy Scheider-starring musical fantasy-drama won the Palme d'Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, losing out to Kramer vs. Kramer, though it did win four of the nine Oscars for which is was nominated, including awards for Best Score and Editing. In 2001, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. It was also the last live-action musical to be nominated for Best Picture until Moulin Rouge! was nominated over twenty years later.

My Thoughts: All That Jazz is a creative whirlwind of a film, with a story both undeniably egomaniacal and shockingly self-aware. Despite its self-indulgent tendencies, Bob Fosse clearly has the talent and the directing chops to back himself up, anchored by a brilliant lead performance from Roy Scheider. It's a film that goes in a lot of unexpected places, from the literal flirting with death sequences to the brilliant, shocking final ten minutes of the film, and if I don't quite know how to put into words my feelings about this movie, I consider it a brilliantly made film that just has to be experienced to be understood. It certainly made me uncomfortable at times, and just as a musical, it leaves a little something to be desired (there are only a couple musical numbers that I really, really enjoy, one of which is the hilariously oversexualized Airotica number and the other of which is the unforgettable Bye Bye Life finale), but the fact that this isn't really your typically-structured musical is okay, particularly in the context of this movie, because it's not really trying to be that. Fun facts, Kubrick (who gets a name-drop in the film) called this the best film I think I have ever seen upon its release.

Favorite Song: Take Off with Us (Airotica)

JONA - While I was watching, I was kinda bugged by how the actor for the main character didnt feel too charismatic. Now that I think about it, he wasnt that bad and once I got over that I realized how good this movie was. Joes got a very intriguing life. My favorite part of the movie is definitely the weird shit though. I liked the idea of Joe literally flirting with death. I loved the weird erotic airplane number. The climax was amazing. Great stuff.
Favorite Song: Take Off with Us

Karo - A strange artsy film about a show producer who seems intent on committing suicide via either chain smoking or musical theatre.
The story follows this guy through his daily routine as he works on his show and his health slowly deteriorates, up until he has a heart attack and the movie truly enters the realm of the bizarre to an extent that it defies description.
This movie is one weird fish and it is hard to really know what to feel about it, but it does a good job of making itself stand out in the great sea of films about making musicals.

Score: 64/100

Best Song: 'Bye Bye Life'

Inviso - This feels like two movies clumsily mashed together. The first half is all about casting for either a musical, or a movie, or a television show. Its not ENTIRELY clear, because the movie keeps talking about things being filmed, and using the catch-all term of show. The point is that its boring as fuck. Aside from the On Broadway song, there is not a single, memorable moment in this half of the film. There are unnecessarily-extended dance sequences, sure, but thats the main thing carrying the plot. The back half is a LITTLE better. Roy Scheiders character suffers a heart attack, and spends the rest of the movie in and out of fantasies about his life and death, complete with showy costumes and musical numbers from his ex-wife, girlfriend, and daughter. Granted, Id appreciate this more if wed gotten to know more of the characters besides Scheider, but still, its decent enough. Its actually a lot like a more dramatic version of the musical episode of Scrubs. Its nowhere near as good, but its decent enough.

Sorry I haven't had the chance to update again yet; I'd meant to have everything up by now, but I have a lot of rehearsals this week. Will post #3 tonight and #2 and #1 when I get the chance tomorrow.

RySenkari posted...

(5) Joker: 12
(28) The Farewell: 6

boooooooooo

Hollywood
Pikachu
-
1917

A Million Outliers

Genny: 261
Scarlet: 261
Inviso: 256
Karo: 235
JONA: 230
KBM: 213
Johnbobb: 210

We're all over 200 now and Johnbobb takes over bottom outlier; Genny and Scarlet are tied for first.

Karo - The story of a young P.T. Barnum traveling around collecting interesting people to help create his dream of a fantastical circus. The Bearded Lady! The Siamese Twins! The Dog Boy! The Black People! Wait, what?
Yes, they made up two characters for Barnum's sideshow whose 'freak' attribute is literally 'being African-American.' Yeah, this is not okay.
I understand that they were trying to conflate the plight of blacks with this group of goofy looking misfits, but I'm sorry nobody was ever denied basic human rights for having a beard or too many tattoos.
This awkward message of diversity is constantly thrown in the face of viewers, yet always deflected with coy statements and never really explored other than a generic 'be proud of who you are' moral. Yeah, the thing to do when bigots hate you and want you dead is to just fucking believe in yourself. Awesome.
It seemed the producers were a bit lost in what they wanted their movie to say, and I am equally lost at what I should take away from it other than a few nice songs and the novelty of conjoined twins performing a dance routine.
Much like the circus of its protagonist, it is an overblown and confusing spectacle that entertains well enough, but it could have been a whole lot more.

Score: 65/100

Best Song: 'A Million Dreams'

JONA - I dont think this movie is good, but I found it quite entertaining. I am pretty disappointed that this is the result we get when it comes to a biography about P.T. Barnum. The 2010s pop soundtrack, while I liked a couple of songs, really didnt fit the time period. Its especially jarring when the opera singer sings a 2010s pop number. Her character was also weird. She donated her profits to charities but yet wanted to be in a relationship with Barnum, despite knowing he was married, and she also was petty about being rejected that she made him look bad. Definitely seemed like something made up for the sake of conflict in the movie. Also, its kind of hilarious how the movie wants Woke Points despite doing nothing to earn them. The conflict involving how Barnum treats his circus performers feels so sugar-coated and never feels like a real problem. Zac Efrons character is only here to show off an interracial couple with Zendaya. Their love life doesnt add anything to Barnums story. Zac Efrons character also feels so much better about his work compared to what he did before but we never really see that development. If Zendaya wasnt there, would he really feel that way? Despite all my problems with the film, I did find it engaging for some reason. Hugh Jackman really does put in a good performance.
Favorite Song: Come Alive

KBM - Why I Chose It: With songs by Broadway wunderkinds Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Tony Award winners for their work on Dear Evan Hansen and Oscar winners for their work on La La Land, The Greatest Showman was conceived by the producers of the 81st Academy Awards in 2009, based on the strength of Hugh Jackman's hosting performance. It was a huge hit upon its release in 2017, becoming the fifth-highest grossing live action musical of all time, though it received mixed reviews from critics, who enjoyed the performances and the music, but many of whom criticized the story and historical inaccuracies. The song This Is Me won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and was also nominated at the Oscars, where it lost to Remember Me from Coco. The movie's soundtrack album also won a Grammy Award, and Jackman was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance.

My Thoughts: Setting aside the big controversy, and acknowledging that Hollywood whitewashes famous people's rather... unfortunate histories all the time, I found myself utterly bored by the story in The Greatest Showman even as I was dazzled by the visuals, the choreography, and (most of) the music. Hugh Jackman is certainly a charismatic actor, and he has a great supporting cast around him, between Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, and Keala Settle all giving it their all, and yet, whenever there's not a musical number going on on screen, it just kind of all feels like cynical, mass-produced feel-good material that ends up super shallow. When you DO take into account the real Barnum's story, for me it starts to feel like they really should have taken some more risks with his characterization, and maybe the movie as a whole would have been more interesting for it. Instead, the screenwriters try to cast as wide and as generic a believe in yourself net as possible, and it just comes across as trying way too hard to be woke while doing as little work as possible. These concerns all fly out the window as soon as a musical number starts up, but there's a reason I prefer to watch this movie in clips of the songs on YouTube rather than in full.

Favorite Song: Never Enough

4. The Greatest Showman

Genny: 1
Inviso: 3
Johnbobb: 7
Scarlet: 8
Karo: 14
JONA: 20
KBM: 25

Genny - In retrospect there was never any other choice for my #1 musical on this list than The Greatest Showman. I actually enjoyed this movie do much I saw it a whopping five times while it was in theaters. I think that's more than anything I've ever rewatched on the big screen, even counting re-releases. When I say the entire original soundtrack is a banger, I mean I wouldn't skip anything on it aside from maybe Tightrope. It's just that good. As for the creative liberties taken to make the historical figure more entertaining and less of an outright scumbag well I don't particularly care. If you want gritty realism then watch a documentary instead of a movie. On that note I don't agree with dragging Jenny Lind's name through the mud for the sake of entertainment, but OTOH Never Enough is beautiful and her preferential treatment leads to This is Me as well so I'm mixed on that too. Don't even ask me to pick a favorite song because it depends on my mood, and my mood is all of them aside from definitely Tightrope.

Inviso - I dont care about historical inaccuracies, and if Im being honest, just based off of Hugh Jackmans charming performance, Im still convinced that P.T. Barnum must have been just THE biggest asshole imaginable. All that being said, I really enjoyed this film. I think that, barring an upset in the last two movies I have to watch, this will end up as the best overall soundtrack on this ranking. Theres just a perfect blend of somber, emotional songs; upbeat, catchy songs; upbeat, emotional songs. Everything is just memorable. The plot is fun, and Jackmans portrayal of P.T. Barnum is delightfully charming, as mentioned above. And yeah, I will fully admit that the overall plot feels very melodramatic, and some scenes are extremely forced, but in the end, Im willing to enjoy the film for the positive emotions it stirs within my soft heart. Its fun and exciting, and it doesnt drag on for longer than is necessary. What else can you ask for?

Johnbobb - So my final paper in my college film course was about whether the quality of a movie should be tied to the reason for it being made. For example, can a film being made for bad reasons (ie. On the Waterfront supporting McCarthyism) or a movie focused on positively portraying a bad person (ie. PT Barnum being kinda awful irl) be good for its own merits? it's a tricky subject, but I think one reason it works for The Greatest Showman is because it focuses so much on the supporting cast, which is excellent. The PT Barnum portrayed in the film is basically fictional, and ultimately it's easy to just turn your brain off and enjoy the great soundtrack and fantastic choreography.
Favorite song: The Greatest Show

Scarlet - A movie that overcomes a boring plot in the most impressive way, the music of The Greatest Showman is peak peak peak Broadway in a way that you cant deny. The two University of Michigan boys that put together this entire soundtrack did something truly impressive here. Visually stunning, audibly entrancing. Im actually very excited at the prospect of a sequel to this movie. The biggest gulf between quality of music and quality of story on this entire list.
Best Song: From Now On

In the Outliers

Genny: 258
Scarlet: 257
Inviso: 255
Karo: 225
JONA: 214
Johnbobb: 207
KBM: 192

Genny and Inviso each leap back up to vie for position with Scarlet, as Dancer in the Dark, potentially one of the most polarizing films in history, becomes indeed one of the most polarizing films in Gauntlet Crew Ranks history.

5. Dancer in the Dark

KBM: 1
JONA: 2
Scarlet: 2
Johnbobb: 3
Karo: 4
Genny: 33
Inviso: 34

KBM - Why I Chose It: To piss off Inviso.

No, no, sorry, in all seriousness, Lars von Trier's grim 2000 musical-melodrama Dancer in the Dark, like most of the director's output, drew extremely polarized responses, both upon release and twenty years later. Response ranged from some critics calling it the best film of 2000, to others such as Peter Bradshaw naming it one of the worst artworks and perhaps one of the worst things in the history of the world. Its style was inspired by von Trier's own Dogme 95 filmmaking rules, which were designed to create a hyper-realistic filmmaking atmosphere by removing the trappings of special effects and post-production modification. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, along with the Best Actress award for Bjrk, and was nominated for the Best Original Song Academy Award for the song I've Seen It All. In recent years, it has also gained notoriety for the extremely fraught relationship between its writer/director and star, with Bjrk and von Trier admitting they truly hated each other on set, and Bjrk accusing von Trier of both emotional abuse and sexual harrassment.

My Thoughts: Surprise surprise, Kaelee's favorite movie on a list is the grimmest, bleakest, most depressing thing imaginable. Setting aside the troubling behind-the-scenes stories (which, admittedly, gets harder to do with time), this is one of those masterful films that you can watch once and never need to watch again, because you will truly never forget it. I have a major love-hate relationship with von Trier for instance, I hate Antichrist almost as much as I love Dancer in the Dark but his abilities as a filmmaker are put to perfect use here, anchored by Bjrk giving what I consider one of the greatest screen performances of the 21st century. Is it ridiculously hard to watch? Hell yeah. But it's also just straight-up one of my favorite films, a true example of art through adversity, (both adversity for those making it, and for the audience when viewing it). It sweeps you away on one of the most shatteringly depressing journeys you can possibly take as an audience member, while ultimately serving as an even more sobering referendum against capital punishment than the likes of The Green Mile (another depressing masterpiece). Though it does feel a little weird to me to be ranking this in first place on a list of MUSICALS when the musical aspect really does take a backseat, when the musical numbers do hit, they have all the more impact thanks to the muted, documentary-like style of the rest of the film, and Bjrk's soundtrack is truly great just on its own merits. So... yeah, though it's certainly not one I'm gonna watch with any sort of frequency, I have a massive amount of respect and love for this film, and though it's clearly not gonna be for everyone, I honestly consider it one of the best I've ever seen.

Favorite Song: New World

JONA - The movie does a great job of making Selmas life feel dull and hopeless. The camerawork helps with that too. Its easy to see why she would be into musicals. Its very entertaining seeing how Selma views the world when she is thinking about musicals. I love how the soundtrack still has the dark vibe of the real world but mixed with traditional musical songs. Its stylish but has the substance to back it up and can be quite powerful.
Favorite Song: Ive Seen It All

Scarlet - You can either call it melodramatic, or you can embrace that the musical genre as a whole is completely melodramatic and, by that respect, undeserving of being taken seriously. And to some extent, it is. But Dancer in the Dark is one intensely real, oftentimes intimate, performance by Bjork. And Bjorks unique mind makes the film something new, if nothing else.
Best Song: Ive Seen It All

Johnbobb - This is the third Lars Von Trier movie I've seen and every single time they're just absolutely devastating. Obviously Dancer in the Dark is no different, but despite being horrifyingly depressing to the point I don't even want to think about the story, I've also listened through the soundtrack over and over because Bjork just absolutely kills it. For whatever reason, her vocal stylings just work so well with the hopefulfullness in the horribly bleak world the film portrays. It's by FAR the darkest film on this list, in a good way.
Favorite song: I've Seen It All

Karo - The touching story of an immigrant who is working hard to save up for corrective eye surgery for her cameraman, so he can finally shoot the damn movie steady and in focus.
Selma is this innocent and lovable person who only wants to daydream and care for her son, which of course means she gets fucked in the ass by self-serving narcissists and bigots at every turn, until the 'evil bloodthirsty commie' is put to death to appease society. Man, and I thought that I had a low opinion of the human race but writer of this movie is something else.
This might be the most powerful and unpleasant story put to film since Grave of the Fireflies, and hard to watch as it is, the movie can be called nothing less than a masterwork of art. There is a strange dream like quality to it and musical numbers that are as odd as they are entertaining. It all works up until you get to the cinematography where the camera gets shoved into everyones neck while a vibrator gets shoved into the camera. Fuck.
This is a movie of extreme emotional involvement, it is impossible not to be affected by it unless you are some heartless bastard. Though it stumbles in the visual execution it is worth checking out once... and probably never again.

Score: 80/100

Best Song: 'I've Seen It All'

Genny - Dancer in the Dark is the epitome of "Thanks, I hate it." It's a beautifully crafted film, and an experience I don't regret, but I never wish to have again. I hate how vulnerable it made me feel, despite not liking the many elements that comprise it. The songs were the antithesis of enjoyable, the characters I assume I was supposed to root for made indefensibly bad decisions, and the ending was needlessly cruel. I want my tears back because I feel like they were undeserved. At least with something like Grave of the Fireflies you know it's coming and just have to piece together when.

Inviso - Im sorry, but this movie just made me feel downright uncomfortable. Bjorks Icelandic accent may have been good enough to get her cast in a musical about a foreigner living a shitty, white trash life, but her affect makes her come across a

Out(lier) of Time

Scarlet: 254
Genny: 230
Inviso: 226
Karo: 224
JONA: 211
Johnbobb: 205
KBM: 188

Not a whole lot changes, as this film ties the 1954 version for the title of "smallest point spread between rankings." I am, however, now the only person with an outlier score below 200. (My #25 still being in, this won't last.) Interestingly, only Inviso and JONA had any ranking but '18 > '54 > '76, and even they didn't have the '54 version ahead by much - as a matter of fact, both of them had the '18 version at #16 and the '54 version at #13.

6. A Star is Born (2018)

KBM: 6
Scarlet: 6
Karo: 9
Johnbobb: 14
Genny: 15
Inviso: 16
JONA: 16

KBM - Why I Chose It: A huge success with critics and audiences alike, becoming the second-highest grossing film of the 2018 domestic box office that wasn't a superhero franchise movie or sequel, the newest take on A Star Is Born, starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga and helmed by Cooper himself in his directorial debut, was nominated for hundreds of awards, including eight Academy Awards. The soundtrack's lead single, Shallow, won the composing team Best Original Song at the Oscars, and was certified platinum in many countries including the US. The film was also chosen by many critics as one of the Top 10 best films of 2018, including by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.

My Thoughts: An excellent remake of a classic story, this version succeeds in all the ways it needed to, and then some. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper have brilliant chemistry and both turn in terrific performances, as does Sam Elliott in his supporting role as Jackson Maine's brother and manager. It doesn't stray too far from the major story beats of previous versions, but it does just enough to update the story for the 21st century without seeming aggrandizing-of-the-self [holy shit GameFAQs autocensor lmao] or pandering about any of it (unlike the '70s Streisand adaptation). All in all, it's just an excellent film, and ends up being the best-paced, most emotionally impactful of all the versions of A Star Is Born you can choose from. What really pulls it all together, of course, is the excellent Lady Gaga-led soundtrack, which, though I really enjoy the soundtracks to the '50s and '70s versions, basically blows those out of the water. Bradley Cooper also proves his not-insignificant chops as a writer/director, filming in a beautiful but restrained style, and not letting the movie get overlong and thereby overstay its welcome.

Favorite Song: Tough call, but Look What I Found is just SUCH a jam and I can't get enough of it.
Best Song: Probably I'll Never Love Again although this is also a very tough call and Always Remember Us This Way is a tempting choice. This soundtrack is just so fucking good that it's impossible to actually decide. I understand why Shallow was such a big hit and it's certainly very catchy, but I don't think it's technically the best song on the soundtrack.

Scarlet - A raw, powerful performance by Lady Gaga anchors this self-masturbatory project from the unremarkable mind of Bradley Cooper.
Best Song: Shallow

Karo - I'm not really sure we really needed to tell this story for the umpteenth time, but this is clearly the best version of it. There is a certain chemistry between the leads that is absent in the others, and though it is nearly as long as its predecessors it doesn't feel like it goes on forever.
It takes the best aspect of the previous two films and fuses them together, as well as giving us a Norman Maine who is more human and relateable, and less of a drunken buffoon just played for laughs.
Lada Gaga is even a more bizarre choice of casting than Barbara Streisand was, and though she does a much better job why must we have a music superstar in this role at all? Isn't this whole story about some nobody who makes it big? Why not at cast someone who isnt a household name at the very least so suspension of belief is not required to see them as some undiscovered talent that only a washed up alcoholic could discover.
Still this is a competent enough production that justifies its existence at the very least, which is more than can be said for most remakes.

Score: 70/100

Best Song: 'Shallow'

Johnbobb - While the story is certainly nothing new, the 2018 version still manages to feel a little bit fresh. The music is solid and distinct from the '54 and '76 films. The performances of Gaga and Cooper and both excellent, as well as Elliot (in particular, this is probably the only one those three that manages to have an interesting or memorable supporting character). Everything is objectively filmed well (the lighting in particular is consistently pleasant) and the sad notes hit all the right buttons to bring the waterworks, but ultimately I wish it had a little bit more to say.
Favorite song: Shallow

Genny - Between Bradley Cooper's exquisite directing and his on-screen chemistry with Gaga this A Star is Born just barely earns the title as my favorite. There's something so humble about Ally's beginnings here and her discovery by Jackson Maine that makes both of them believable in their respective roles. Shallow is a banger, but the real showstopper is that closing number in tribute to Maine. My heart!

Inviso - Strictly in terms of the acting, Id have to say this is head and shoulders above the other two versions of this film. Lady Gaga and Bradley Coopers relationship feels real, and the struggles they face are elevated as a result of their chemistry together. And even though I am a bit turned off by the rise of a musician (as opposed to a movie star, which just feels like it works better as a plot), Lady Gaga does a good job of highlighting the steps she had to go through to slowly ascend in her stardom. I appreciate the fact that the movie is played EXTREMELY straight, and it feels so harsh and realistic at the same time. Ultimately though, that serious tone kinda hurts it, because there never felt like anything that excited or enticed me about this film. It was well-crafted, but a bit to bleak and normal to excite me.

JONA - Both Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper do a great job here and have great chemistry. The story and writing are well done even if its a bit predictable. The last scene is really great. Although, that could just come from watching the other two versions of this movie. I did not like a majority of these songs. This is coming from someone who doesnt like country though, so take that with a grain of salt. My favorite song ended up being the pop song which was probably not intended to be a song anyone would say is their favorite of this movie. Its a good movie that was just surrounded by other movies about careers and by the time I got around to watching this, I already had enough.
Favorite Song: Why Did You Do That?

Largo's Little Outliers

Scarlet: 254
Genny: 221
Karo: 221
Inviso: 216
JONA: 201
Johnbobb: 197
KBM: 188

And then, there were two. Two of us under 200 points, that is, as Scarlet continues to barrel ahead of the competition for the top outlier spot.

7. Repo! The Genetic Opera

Genny: 3
Johnbobb: 5
Karo: 6
Inviso: 9
JONA: 14
KBM: 20
Scarlet: 26

Genny - If you'd asked me eight years ago I'd have told you Repo! The Genetic Opera was not only my favorite musical, but my favorite movie as well. It still holds up to this day, but not to the lofty heights I'd held it to before. It's pretty easy to see why the grim dark dystopia setting would appeal to me, but the vocal talents of Anthony Stewart Head and Sarah Brightman are the real show-stealers. The casting choices for the other vocalists aren't nearly as strong, but the movie has a certain charm I can't ignore, and honestly Paris Hilton is intentionally made to be the butt of jokes both within and without the movie. It's campy, it's gritty, it's mindless entertainment that belies actual talent. It's got all the makings of a goth passion project and I love it.

Johnbobb - I really feel like I shouldn't like Repo very much. It's objectively not the best movie. It's cheesy and tacky and campy and not exactly well-written or acted. But goddamn if it isn't just a blast to watch and sing along too. There's so much style just bleeding out of every crack. Most of the style isn't particularly good, but it's catchy and fun and absurd.
Favorite song: 21st Century Cure

Karo - A bizarre film set in a humorous dystopian future where if you can't pay your medical bills the Repo Man comes around to repossess your goddamn organs.
Though the title says 'opera', the soundtrack actually has an eclectic musical style that goes between everything from Sesame Street to Music Man to Sonic the Hedgehog, and this somehow seems ok.
But where things really shine is the satire, where the puerile idiocy of human society gets eviscerated savagely with a rusty bonesaw. A sign advertises cosmetic organ transplants with the tagline 'it's what's on the inside that counts'. A rich playboy not content with a simple facelift has a second face sewn right onto his head. It is ridiculous but that is the point. We only see these things as moronic because we don't live in a world where they are 'socially acceptable', but we've got plenty of our own things that would look just as stupid. Such as Twitter.
Anyway, on the surface this doesnt look like something that should be any good, but rather some silly trainwreck filed under cult classicdom in the vein of Rocky Horror. But unlike that dubious movie this one has a real point and real character development and an epic tale of love and betrayal worthy of Game of Thrones.
Of course it is not without its share of problems, it seems directed by someone with ADD and several of the cast simply cannot sing, not to mention it just about reeks to high heaven with 2000's edgelordiness.
Nonetheless, Repo is something fresh and different. Fresh and different? Fresh and different. And when the movie ends it will change how you feel about surgery, surgery.

Score: 75/100

Best Song: 'Zydrate Anatomy'

Inviso - Who wouldve thought that a movie featuring Paris Hilton would actually be good? But yeah, this is such a bizarre premise for a movie, and its even more bizarre in the choice to turn this storyline into a musical. Yet somehow, it just works. Im sure that, barring an exceptionally violent movie among the last six I have yet to watch, this will rank at the bottom of Wickles list of course, and thats understandable. The disemboweling, while necessary to the universe-building of the film, was still very unsettling and gross. But if you can look past that, you have an interesting tale of rich men toying with the lives of their inferiors, all while becoming increasingly-deformed as they find new ways to supplement their existing bodies for longer life. The operatic songs and the soundtrack in general are all awesome, and the end result is a really cool movie that had just the right amount of horror and twisted visuals to be enjoyable.

JONA - I really like the tone and atmosphere. The little comic book scenes are nice touches. The soundtrack is pretty good despite the songs feeling like they blend together after a while. There are a lot of songs and none of them feel too short or too long which is nice. The story and dialogue are nothing to write home about, but it was decent enough for me to care about it. The fact that its so different from most of the movies on the list probably helped with its ranking.
Favorite Song: Chase the Morning

KBM - Why I Chose It: Written by Terrance Zdunich and Darren Smith, based on a musical originally entitled The Necromerchant's Debt which they had written some years prior, Repo! The Genetic Opera was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, director of Saw II, III, and IV. The film, featuring quite a wide range of famous actors, including Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Sarah Brightman (Phantom of the Opera), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Bill Moseley (House of 1,000 Corpses), and Paris Hilton, was released in only seven screens and initially received largely negative reviews, but developed a sizable cult following, often compared to the Rocky Horror Picture Show fanbase in terms of size and passion.

My Thoughts: For me, it's the big-name cast that saves this from being painful. It's not particularly well-made, and a lot of the music is somewhat awkwardly written and at times even painful. However, strong performances from actors whose parts seem tailor-made for their strengths (even when their strengths are... somewhat limited lookin' at you, Brightman) and a few truly kickass, catchy numbers save this from being a pain to get through. Alexa Vega in the lead role as Shiloh is a bit whiny and difficult to suffer through, but whenever her tantrums reach critical mass (as in probably the WORST song in the movie, Infected), generally Anthony Stewart Head as the Repo Man or writer Terrance Zdunich as the GraveRobber or someone will come along to steal the scene and make you forget why you were so irritated five minutes ago. It never truly lasts, but it certainly allows the proceedings to be enjoyable. (Particularly Head's wonderfully committed, Jekylland Hyde-esque performance.) All in all, it's not REALLY my thing, but I can enjoy it for its high points even when I'm not too keen on its lows.

Favorite Song: Night Surgeon (AKA I reee-mem-BEEEEERRRRR!)

Scarlet - Somewhere between Rocky Horror and straight-up Saw lies the rough draft for a David Cronenberg musical. At least thats what I see here. So many critics lambast this film, a

Parasite
-
Knives
-

Fake Your Way To The Top (of the Outlier Standings)

Scarlet: 235
Karo: 220
Genny: 217
Inviso: 214
Johnbobb: 195
JONA: 194
KBM: 175

With that, Scarlet takes first place by a pretty wide margin.

8. Dreamgirls

JONA: 4
KBM: 4
Inviso: 5
Genny: 7
Johnbobb: 21
Karo: 26
Scarlet: 28

JONA - This films a great look into the history of Motown and the Supremes. I love how the songs change in genre in accordance with the time period theyre in. The drama of the music industry and the characters is engaging and the musics great. Jennifer Hudsons performance in And I Am Telling You Im Not Going is fantastic.
Favorite Song: Cadillac Car

KBM - Why I Chose It: Heavily inspired by the true stories of various Motown and R&B acts, the hit 1981 musical Dreamgirls, which won six of its 13 Tony nominations, was planned to be made into a film as early as the mid-'80s. It wasn't until 2006, however, that this big-screen adaptation finally saw the light of day, as adapted by Chicago screenwriter Bill Condon. The film was received very positively, garnering all sorts of awards and nominations, including two Oscar wins and three Golden Globes. Jennifer Hudson won an Academy Award for her universally-praised performance as Effie White, and Eddie Murphy (who won most other major Supporting Actor awards) was nominated for the first (and so far, only) time in his career, for his performance as Jimmy Early.

My Thoughts: Dreamgirls is just fantastic. I kind of don't even know how to go into much more detail than that; this is one of the few that I somehow hadn't actually seen before putting together this list, and in watching it, I was just swept away by the music, the story, the performances all of it was just exceptional. Hudson is obviously astounding, particularly her showstopping performances of And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going and One Night Only, but the rest of the cast is truly great as well Anika Noni Rose being particularly underrated here (as she is just in general). The three-part harmonies between Hudson, Rose, and Beyonc just had me melting. And it's a great story, too, made all the more believable from having been based on factual accounts, but unlike most such shows, this isn't a jukebox musical, so the songs actually fit without having to be forced to. When it was over, it left me wanting more, wishing it'd been longer, and though it's definitely not the longest movie on this list, at 130 minutes, that's still a feat.

Favorite Song: It's All Over and And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going (they dovetail together so perfectly that it's hard for me to separate them in my mind, even though the latter is frequently performed on its own. If I had to choose ONE it'd be the latter, but the former is criminally underrated.)

Inviso - Going into the previous musical ranking, this was the biggest snub I could think of, which seemed especially odd, given that there were so few strong showings for musicals in the 2000s. But I had never seen it before, outside of Jennifer Hudsons brilliant performance of And I Am Telling You Im Not Going. Needless to say, Im glad this this ranking rectified that oversight. There are almost no missteps in this film. It manages to perfectly convey the rise and fall of MULTIPLE characters over the course of their careers, as they break into the pop music scene. Effie is a diva, of course, yet she still manages to come across as sympathetic. Shes naturally gifted as a singer, but she doesnt have the kind of look that appeals to audiences, resulting in her getting shunted aside in favor of Beyonce. The same is true for Eddie Murphys character, which has a far sadder conclusion with his drug overdose. Meanwhile, Jamie Foxx plays a great conman, rising to great heights, only to get smacked back down to Earth when he just couldnt allow control to slip from his grasp. Throw in some fun and lively songs, and this wound up being an exceptional addition to the list.

Genny - I've seen Dreamgirls at least a dozen times. I am sure several of the crew will rave about Jennifer Hudson's showstopper of a number as they should, but in my opinion there wasn't a weak link in the cast. Anika Noni Rose and Beyonc Knowles deliver some stellar alto-soprano support, which is actually a difficult feat to accomplish considering how challenging it is to be subtle in the higher ranges, and Jaime Foxx manages to be a decent villain walking the line between despicable and relatable. However the real standout performance came from a most unexpected source for me: Eddie Murphy. To date Jimmy Early is my favorite role of his, an opinion charon would find blasphemous I'm sure.

Johnbobb - Eddie Murphy is pretty shockingly good. Jennifer Hudson was also impressive, but the rest of the cast are... mostly fine? Overall decent, but the movie just kind of felt... there. I can't think of much in the way of specific issues I had with it. It's good! Just good though.
Favorite song: And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going

Karo - This movie adaptation of season three of American Idol follows the story of three african-american girls who want to be big stars, sponsored in part by the Cadillac Motor Company.
The trio starts out as backup singers for a music bigshot, and mercifully we have to endure very few bouts of Eddie Murphy's usual crack-fueled squealing before he dies of a drug overdose.
Anyway, Murphy was nothing compared to the film's real irritation in the form of the character of Effie, who is like a whiny self-centered millennial masquerading as a 1970's black woman.
Wahhh, I don't sing backup for nobody cuz I'm a star and my voice better than all you bitches and you just discriminatin' against me cuz I'm fat and you stole maaah dweeeeams!!!
Hey, shut the fuck up you stupid spoiled little diva princess, everything bad that happened to you is your own damn fault and you deserve it all.
The movie's saving grace is the music of its cool motown soundtrack, and it was always a relief to take a break from the terrible story for some musical balm. Well, except whenever it involved Jennifer Hudson, whose idea of singing is attempting to destroy every piece of glass and/or eardrum within a one mile radius.
This film is far from being a dream, in fact it is one step to the bad side removed from being a full on nightmare.

Score: 46/100

Best Song: 'Dreamgirls'

Scarlet - This movie is rooted by two particular anchors: first, do you like Eddie Murphy? For my money, his Oscar-nominated performance is flat and forced, by and large, lacking the charisma of Murphy that made him bankable in the 80s. The second anchor is whether or not you enjoy the period piece musical biopic, and as with Ray and Walk the Line, I find the stories of musicians yearning for success against a backdrop of Boomer spank bank material

Into the Woods and Outlier the Woods

Genny: 216
Scarlet: 215
Inviso: 211
Karo: 202
JONA: 190
Johnbobb: 182
KBM: 171

Genny and Scarlet, the two people who didn't like Into the Woods, leap ahead of the pack, and we go from one person above the 200-point mark to four.

9. Into the Woods

Karo: 5
Inviso: 6
Johnbobb: 6
KBM: 7
JONA: 12
Genny: 30
Scarlet: 33

Karo - Basically all sorts of famous fairy tale characters have the sudden urge to do some arboreal exploration, so they head into the woods and sing a lot.
The plot itself is a bit confusing, and only the familiarity of the fairy tales involved make it followable at all. Near as I can tell, the story seems to be a metaphor for either growing up or losing your virginity (Red's segments were definitely the latter).
Nonetheless, the music is good and considering this was something that was very difficult to adapt into a movie with its myriad of storylines and characters, they did a pretty good job of it.

Score: 76/100

Best Song: 'Prologue: Into the Woods'

Inviso - I found this musical to be delightful in the way that I wasnt expecting. The first half intermixed the fairy tales of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk in a whimsical comedy of errors. James Corden does a great job playing a beleaguered everyman, as I first realized when he had to put up with Matt Smiths frenetic portrayal of the Doctor, and as such, he makes for a great connecting thread to bring all of the other storylines together. Really, that first half is all about the Disney style of fairy tale, where everyone overcomes their trials and tribulations to achieve a happy ending. The Witch regains her beauty, the Baker and his Wife have a son, Cinderella gets her Prince Charming, Rapunzel gets HER Prince Charming, and Jack provides riches for his family.

However, as all those happy endings came together, I checked the clock, and there were still forty-five minutes left in the film. Suddenly, all of those positive outcomes fell apart, with Prince Charming cheating on Cinderella, a giant coming to kill young Jack, Jack and Reds parents dying, the Baker being unable to cope with fatherhood, and his Wife dying due to the giant as well. All of those magical solutions to lifes problems fall apart, and its up to the characters to work together and find solutions. I appreciated that message, and I appreciated the fact that, even though everything went south for all involved, they still came together as a makeshift family in their time of need. It wound up being a second happy ending, and this time, it felt far more realistic and deserved.

Johnbobb - Anna Kendrick is a goddess among common men and while she unfortunately doesn't get the full spotlight, she is surrounded by a pretty excellent cast. Agony is hilarious. The musical is equal parts Disney movie and Grimm horror, which works surprisingly well.
Favorite song: Agony

KBM - Why I Chose It: Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, which was nominated for 10 Tony Awards in 1988 (but lost most of them to Phantom of the Opera), the long-awaited film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods was finally released in 2014, after versions of the film had been in stuck in development hell since the early '90s. The film was produced by Disney, and directed by Rob Marshall, Oscar-nominated for his work adapting 2002's Chicago, with a screenplay by James Lapine, who also wrote the script for the original show. It proved a rather large hit, receiving three Oscar nominations (including Best Supporting Actress for Meryl Streep as the Witch), three Golden Globe nominations (including Best Musical or Comedy), and mostly positive reviews, being named as one of the best films of 2014 by the AFI.

My Thoughts: My thoughts are that this is the most successful stage-to-screen adaptation of a piece of musical theatre of the 2010s, and it's not even really close. There were so many opportunities for them to blow this; Into the Woods requires actors who are both excellent singers and actors, and a willingness to go into some pretty dark places that Disney is usually hesitant to go to. I have been in the show (played Jack in high school) and will be music directing a production of it in the summer, and as someone who's intimately familiar with the source material, I truly admire how great of a job the filmmakers did at adapting the material. Between the legendary Paul Gemignani's top-tier music direction, a cast with exactly zero weak links (between this and Edge of Tomorrow releasing in 2014, we definitely know what year my hopeless crush on Emily Blunt began), and Rob Marshall's sure hand (the latter of which was particularly a relief after the embarrassment that was his 2009 musical adaptation Nine), this adaptation manages to hit virtually all of the right notes. I have a couple of minor quibbles, such as the vague manner in which Jack's mother dies, and the exclusion of the Agony reprise, but they're easy enough things to ignore in the grand scheme of things. The film captures the spirit of the show in a way I didn't think was possible until I saw it. (Screw the Mysterious Man.)

Favorite Song in the Movie: Agony (the inspired choreography atop the waterfall manages to add hilarity to what was already a hilarious song)
Best Song in the Show: Last Midnight (it IS still one of my favorites in the movie because Streep does a surprisingly good job of handling a very difficult song, but shit there's nothing like hearing the likes of Bernadette Peters or Donna Murphy sing this one)

JONA - Its fun to see the different fairy tales interact in the same world. The shenanigans involving the baker and his wife getting the items are quite funny. Its cool to see what happens to the characters after they got their happy ending. I would have been pretty satisfied if it ended there. Its nuts that we got a Disney version of Cinderellas story where her sisters feet get mutilated. The drama of the second part is quite intriguing and wondering what the future holds for these characters after everything thats happened.
Favorite Song: Prologue: Into the Woods

Genny - The first half of Into the Woods would probably make my top 10 despite a few things holding it back such as everyone's need to constantly sing over each other preventing me from gleaning half of the exposition out of the opening number. I'm hyperbolizing obviously, but that is an issue. The bigger issue however is that Into the Woods becomes an entirely different movie in its latter half: one that's more satirical but also somehow less clever. This jumbled mess literally features two princes dick measuring over who's situation is sadder and also a baker's wife contemplating two-timing the husband she just had a child with then that entire potential conflict becomes irrelevant when she falls off a cliff. The he

on page 5

the next ranking will be

Shiksa Outlier

Inviso: 208
Karo: 198
Genny: 195
Scarlet: 191
JONA: 187
Johnbobb: 179
KBM: 169

Scarlet's score leaps quite a bit as he finally gets to see his second-to-last place drop. Meanwhile, Inviso becomes the first person to break the 200-point mark.

10. The Last Five Years

Johnbobb: 4
Genny: 6
Karo: 7
JONA: 8
KBM: 16
Inviso: 24
Scarlet: 34

Johnbobb - Anna Kendrick is a goddess among common men and I've listened to this soundtrack by far more than any other on the list.
Favorite song: See I'm Smiling

Genny - The Last Five Years pulls something off I've yet to see before in that it tells a story from two different perspectives without completely demonizing either person. It does feel jumbled and out of order at times, but it's a wonderfully tragic tale and I didn't end up hating anyone in it. Rather I felt sympathetic toward both Jaime and Cathy, who both did their best to make their partner feel beloved and important, but were powerless to save their marriage. Ultimately, there's something almost whimsical about being given all the puzzle pieces at different times and putting together what made what was once a happy relationship disintegrate.

Karo - This is a musical film about a couple having marital problems, something that doesnt sound like the makings of a good musical, yet it is somehow.
Basically the story goes though their whole relationship from when they first meet until they break up, and even though not a lot happens it is still interesting, and the music style is quirky and fun.

Score: 74/100

Best Song: 'A Summer In Ohio'

JONA - I really like the idea of the same storyline being told in two different ways, with different perspectives. The relationship drama is intriguing, and the songs are great. I was liking how it seemed to be a mutual falling out of love and not being completely one persons fault, but its absolutely Jamies fault. That being said, I still found it quite good.
Favorite Song: See Im Smiling

KBM - Why I Chose It: Arguably Jason Robert Brown's most widely-known musical, despite having never made it to Broadway, The Last Five Years has received plenty of major performances all over the world. It has become especially well-known for its story structure, in which Cathy's story is told in reverse chronological order while Jamie's is told chronologically, and in which the two actors only directly interact during the wedding song in the middle (The Next Ten Minutes) as the two timelines intersect. It is also well-known for its emotional gravitas as a semi-autobiographical account of JRB's own failed marriage. The film adaptation, written and directed by Richard LaGravenese (Oscar-nominated for writing The Fisher King, and also known for writing and directing P.S. I Love You), met with mixed reviews upon its very limited, primarily video-on-demand release, with near-universal praise for the performances of Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan, but less enthusiasm for the story structure's success in translating to film.

My Thoughts: Okay, so this is another show I've actually been a part of, having played the fiendishly-difficult piano accompaniment for the live show; it's also a show I absolutely fell in love with in the process. This was always gonna be a nigh-impossible one to adapt to film. To the credit of everyone involved, I think they did ALMOST as good a job as you can do. It's such a quintessentially Theatrical Conceit to have a story told, by a cast of only two people, from two different chronological directions, and since by and large you're walking into the theatre EXPECTING that kind of conceit when you see the show, it can be a very different experience to just watch a film adaptation of such a story, especially if you're going in unfamiliar with the source material. I can definitely see how it would be difficult to grasp what the story is doing with chronology if you're not already familiar with the show. That all being said, I still absolutely love all the music (JRB is a god among common men), and Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan are both perfectly cast in the roles of the two lovers whose relationship is doomed from the start. It just...this was always gonna be a nigh-impossible one to adapt to film. They did a really good job, but there's only so much you can do here, I think. Go see the stage show if and when it comes near you, you'll understand what I mean.

Favorite Song: Goodbye Until Tomorrow

Inviso - It took me WAY too long to figure out the story structure this film was going for. Like, pretty much any time the timeline switches back to the happiest days of the couples early dating, it feels like a generic, bubblegum pop musical that does little to stand out from the crowd. Meanwhile, the SHARP contrast when you have that tonal shift to the darkest days at the END of their relationshipit just feels weird, and those songs arent even especially enjoyable. I guess that, while I appreciate the films unique structure, and the showcasing of how a relationship can break down, despite such a strong and loving start, ultimately, it left me feeling bored through most of its runtime, and I didnt enjoy the characters. Seriously, both leads felt like self-absorbed assholes, while simultaneously coming across as justified in being self-absorbed assholes because of how awful their partner was. Eh.

Scarlet - The blandest musical Ive ever seen anchored by a narcissistic douchebag with a punchable face and a version of Anna Kendrick that might actually be a corpse just manipulated with wires.
Best Song: Shiksa Goddess