The Sound of Music - 5/5

This film is an all-time classic for a reason. Its themes are heroic and timeless, the music has at least half a dozen enduring masterpieces, and it’s genuinely funny to boot. It’s so rare to see a meaningful story these days, which only emphasizes its importance by contrast. It’s a long movie but never outstays its welcome, and the finale is much more tense than the rest of the film would suggest is possible at first blush. It’s a must-watch for everyone.

Closest comparison: It’s like Casablanca by way of The King And I.

Setting: Family Drama
Plot: Romance
Tone: Comedy

Guys and Dolls - 3/5

This is a classic musical with a fun style that holds up years later. It’s starting number and some parts later on are surprisingly frenetic for the era it was written, and it comes off (like Gilbert and Sullivan) as being more fun to perform than to watch. That being said, its storyline is as constructed and outlandish as any musical, which will delight musical show enthusiasts but will only serve to drive skeptics of the genre further away with its garish pomposity. Don’t listen to those fuddy-duddies, this is a fun movie.

Closest comparison: It’s like Ocean’s Eleven (1960) by way of HMS Pinafore.

Setting: Crime
Plot: RomCom
Tone: Musical Comedy

Whiplash (2014) - 5/5

This movie is an intense exploration of the drive for perfectionism, both internal and external. It’s a tour-de-force of passionate acting, with an impeccable soundtrack that’s magnificent in its own right. This is not a long movie, but it packs a lot of dynamite into one neat package.

Content warning: language

Closest comparison: It sits at the intersection between Mr. Holland’s Opus and La La Land, with an intensity more akin to District 9.

Setting: College Drama
Plot: Sports Drama
Tone: Thriller

Funny Face (1957) - 3/5

This is a silly screwball comedy musical that never takes itself too seriously. The leading man and woman have an uncomfortably large gap in their ages, which will be more annoying for some viewers than others. There is a subplot about “Empathicalism” that is overall pretty muddled but does provide a hilarious scene absolutely destroying the notion, although the movie doesn’t seem to remember it. If you’re not partial to musicals as such you can skip this one without a second thought.

Closest comparison: It’s like Roman Holiday by way of Singin’ In The Rain.

Setting: Musical
Plot: RomCom
Tone: Screwball Comedy

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) - 4/5

This movie is too gruesome and (at times) sordid to be a general crowd pleaser, but for its target audience it’s a perennial favorite. The music is carefully crafted ear-worm ditties that are a delight to have stuck in your head for weeks. The sets and costuming are beautifully filthy, and the story is conveyed with heartbreakingly gorgeous aplomb. If you can stomach the bloody nature of the premise you’re in for a moving and inexplicably funny time.

Content warning: blood, sexual assault

Closest comparison: It’s like From Hell (2001) by way of Phantom of the Opera (2004).

Setting: Gothic Horror
Plot: Revenge
Tone: Tragedy Thriller

Coco (2017) - 5/5

Well, they've done it again. Leave it to Pixar to take an all-encompassing issue like Family and do it justice. The animation is breathtaking, of course, but it's the story that really shines. It walks a razor's edge path to avoid every pitfall and to continually go unexpected places. Characters that would have been two-dimensional cardboard cutouts in a lesser film are instead flushed out and complex. Great music, inspiring message, and tear-jerking conclusion. 

The Greatest Showman (2017) - 5/5

This movie is amazing. The audio/visual experience is on the level of Moulin Rouge, if not better. Some people will be put off by modern pop-style music and dance in a period piece, but I loved it. For all the great singing and acting Hugh Jackman has done over the years, everyone in this movie was at least as good as him on both counts. And I think if the message resonates with you especially then you will like it even more than I did.

La La Land - 4/5

Sorry, I can't go the full 5/5. It's the ending. It was ok, but kind of a let-down after the rest of the film. If I did half points it would be 4.5/5, but it is what it is. I'd say it's the best musical since Moulin Rouge, but not better than. The last 5 minutes of a movie are half the movie, and where Moulin Rouge's ending was poetic this just felt a bit rocky. That being said, I'll probably have the songs pop into my head for the next week.