Let's be real: Adam Sandler is VERY hit or miss. However, there is a movie that defies logic and blurs the line between good and bad. That movie is Click. Here's why Click is the best worst movie ever made. And yes, there are SPOILERS, but honestly does it really matter with this?
I think a majority of the population knows who Adam Sandler is and understand that most of his filmography is questionable at best. Sure, you have his good (The Waterboy, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, 50 First Dates), his really good (Punch-Drunk Love, The Wedding Singer, Funny People), and his god tier status (Uncut Gems), but then you have his absolutely horrid (pretty much everything else). It's baffling because Adam Sandler has proven that he CAN emote more than a frat boy man-child, but he mainly chooses to lean on the immature side for laughs. But what if I told that there is a movie that caters to Sandler's farts-a-minute humor and his genuine acting skill? I know, it's very hard to believe, but there is such a movie that exists. That movie is 2006's Click. Truth be told, I actually tried watching Click when it originally came out almost 15 years ago. I couldn't get past the first 10 minutes because it was so bad. I didn't pick it up again until I saw someone on Reddit mention that they had cried during the movie, which was hard for me to believe considering that I know what laughless and emotionless baggage is usually attached to a typical Sandler flick. But then I saw that someone that I knew personally (actually two people now that I think of it) said that they had also cried during the movie. It didn't make sense to me, but I knew that I had to watch it for myself to see what everyone was talking about. So I put aside my dislike and disgust for the usual Adam Sandler dreck to push through Click. What I found was astounding. The summary of the movie: Adam Sandler plays Michael Newman, an architect who works himself to the point where he completely neglects his family, including his wife Donna (a surprisingly good Kate Beckinsale). He acquires a universal remote from Morty, portrayed by the wonderful Christopher Walken, that possesses magical qualities that allows him to fast forward through the more unpleasant and dull moments of his life. However he soon comes to realize that by fast forwarding through all of those moments of his life he missed out on valuable family time and important life lessons as result. Think It's A Wonderful Life, except not as timeless and definitely not as good. To be clear, Click is not a good movie. In fact, most of it is pretty bad. There's the usual Sandler bag of gags that attempt to count as "humor": racial stereotyping, potty humor, endless sexual innuendo, dick jokes, misogyny, thinly veiled homophobia, fat shaming, etc. You know, REAL good humor. I would say that 85% of the jokes didn't land and I probably groaned at about 65% of that. It got so bad at one point that I had to put the subtitles up and mute it because it made me so uncomfortable. Admittedly, there was that 15% that did genuinely make me laugh or chuckle, but for the majority of the movie I was cringing at how tasteless it all was. Before I dive into what makes this movie confounding, I will say that the supporting cast was actually pretty decent but unfortunately there wasn't enough screen time for them (Henry Winkler, Julie Kavner, Sean Astin, Jennifer Coolidge, hell even David Hasselhoff wasn't bad). Except Rob Schneider. Rob Schneider is never funny. The first two acts of the movie play out like your usual Adam Sandler lowbrow comedy, but once we dive into the third act, there is some seriously unexpected emotional depth. Granted, yes, there are still some awful moments, but there are three moments that not only displayed exceptional acting from Sandler but also incredible competence in filmmaking in general, which is saying a lot from director Frank Coraci. I guess I'll forgive him for that awful Around the World in 80 Days remake (Don't remember it? Probably for the best). Now, director Coraci is no Frank Capra and Adam Sandler is sure as hell no James Stewart, but man when they hit you with that emotional stuff it hits you right where it hurts man: the heart. The first moment is when Michael goes to the future (15 years I think?) and sees the moment where he last sees his dad. Michael sees himself toiling away with an important project when his dad and son come in to see if he wants to join them on a "guy's weekend". He impatiently turns them away and angrily reveals to his dad that he knew about his quarter trick long ago (the quarter trick is a running gag throughout the whole film). His dad sadly accepts this and tells Michael that he loves him, marking this as the last interaction between father and son. Michael pauses the moment with the remote, unable to comprehend that this was going to be the last time he'd see his dad. He rewinds hearing his dad saying "I love you", pausing it to tell him that he loves him as well and giving him a final kiss on the cheek. This scene is so fantastically done that it's hard for me to believe that this came from the same movie where a man jumps on a desk to fart on his boss's face. The tears weren't there yet for me, but they were starting. The second moment is also in the future where Michael attends his son Ben's wedding. There are many sweet moments in this scene, like when he sees his mother and when he dances with his now ex-wife Donna (I even mildly chuckled when Michael pauses the scene to pull down Bill's, Donna's new husband, pants down), but what sets this scene apart from the other scenes is the chaotic hysteria that ensues when Michael hears his daughter Samantha call Bill Dad. Unable to believe what he's heard, Michael suddenly has a heart attack. The room spins out of control for Michael while the rest of his family rushes to his side. But the real treat is seeing Christopher Walken's Morty, who has revealed himself to be an Angel of Death for Michael, devilishly dancing with the wedding band, adding to the heap of disorder and disarray of the dizzying scene. It's actually shot very well and surprised me with just how much competence and creativity there was put into this one moment. Didn't make me cry, but it did impress me. But the last moment, the moment that managed to implant itself as the emotional crux of the entire movie, is what sent me to tears. Michael is now in the hospital with his family by his side. Ben has cancelled his honeymoon to fix issues with the firm that Michael owns. Fearing that he will make the same mistakes as Michael did, he tells him to not ignore his wife. The nurse makes the family leave abruptly, but Michael cannot sit still and let them leave without telling them that he loves them. Ignoring the pleas from Morty to keep still, Michael gathers every bit of strength he can and follows them out of the hospital. Due to his weakened state, he collapses outside in the rain while his family rushes to his side. Knowing that his time is up, he tells his family that family should come first and that he loves them. And with that, Michael dies. Obviously that's not where it ends as Michael does not actually die, but wow what a tearjerker. It really hits where the heart is, and I think a big portion of that is due to Adam Sandler's absolute commitment to his authentic and genuine acting skill. I didn't want to believe what people were saying about this movie, but I believe them now. I cried like a baby during this scene. There was no stopping the tears. They were real. However, I wasn't crying over something dumb. I was crying over something genuine. I was crying over some legitimately great filmmaking and acting, something that hadn't been present for about 90% of the film. It's truly a bizarre moment in time when I'm crying over an Adam Sandler movie, but it happened and here I am to tell the tale. In conclusion, I'm not here to give this movie a rating. I'm simply here to tell you that an Adam Sandler movie did in fact make me cry. It was a terrible movie for the most part, with some horrific "jokes" that were supposed to played off for laughs not getting any laughs from me. But there was some serious heart and emotion to this movie, an element that's definitely absent for a good portion of Mr. Sandler's filmography. For that significant reason alone, I have to designate Click as quite possibly the best worst movie I've ever seen. If you don't believe me, just watch it for yourself on Netflix. I mean, we're still in quarantine, y'all got something else better to do?
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By this point you should've heard about how disastrous this movie was. Now it's my turn to review this cinematic disasterpiece. Here's my review of Cats (2019).
When I was little, I would always listen to my mom's music box that sat on her dresser. In that music box, there was a small dancer dancing to "Memories" from Cats, the fourth longest running Broadway musical and sixth longest running West End musical. I've known about the existence of Cats for a while because of that music box, but I've never actually known about the plot or any of the elements behind the concept of the musical. I've also known that there have been talks of film developments of the popular musical for 30 plus years, including an animated film by Steven Spielberg. And why wouldn't there be, this musical has raked in billions of dollars worldwide. In 2013, Andrew Lloyd Webber, the creative wizard behind this and many other successful musicals, announced that Universal had purchased the film rights and were in active development in getting the movie made. Tom Hooper, Academy Award director of The King's Speech (this fact will be important later), was brought aboard to direct in 2016. It seemed like finally, FINALLY, the pieces were set in place to make this long-awaited film adaptation of Cats. Then THAT trailer dropped and all hell broke loose. Universal essentially dropped a trailer to an unfinished product and no one was having it (just check that like to dislike ratio). Everyone, including myself, was saying how shoddy and unnerving the CGI looked. Universal and Hooper scrambled to touch up the CGI in order to keep its Christmas release date. Even with the "touch ups", the final product was something that should've been thrown into the litter box before it was ever released and the box office numbers really illustrate that notion. Before I really dive in, and trust me there's a LOT to unpack, let me talk about what I liked first, which isn't much honestly. Some of the choreography is truly spectacular and I think it helps that a lot of the cast (no, not you Rebel Wilson) are professionally trained dancers. Francesca Hayward (Victoria), for instance, is one of the principal dancers for the Royal Ballet, as is Steven McRae (Skimbleshanks). Most of the music, originally written for the stage musical, is admittedly pretty catchy (that first song is still stuck in my head), but of course the Broadway recordings are considerably better than the movie recordings. Jennifer Hudson absolutely delivers on that rendition of "Memories", the climax of the entire movie. I liked the new song "Beautiful Ghosts" that Taylor Swift wrote for the movie, plus it solidifies the fact that Swift should rightfully be called one of the best modern day songwriters. However, the reason why it was written is pretty obvious: to win or at least be nominated for an Academy Award. While I do think it's considerably better than other efforts that were written for the same reason (looking at you "Speechless" from Aladdin), the whole reasoning behind it still rubs me the wrong way. Now on to the bad stuff: literally everything else in the movie. As I stated before, I never knew what the actual plot of the musical was, and what I've come to realize is that the plot is very thin. The central story is that the jellicle cats have a jellicle ball to choose a jellicle cat that will be chosen to go to the Heaviside Layer, or basically the afterlife. And while that seems to make sense (just don't ask me what a jellicle cat is because I have no idea), the road to get to the end doesn't. The whole story is just comprised of one cat singing a song about something, that cat disappearing, and then another cat sings another song, that cat disappearing, then rinse and repeat. The main plot gets buried in all these unnecessary musical numbers and twists and turns that ultimately lead to nothing and don't further the story whatsoever. It frustrated me so much that I ended up looking up the original musical on Wikipedia, only to learn that, for the most part, this is the plot of the musical. Maybe the story works well on Broadway and West End, but it does not translate well on screen. Also, this movie seems like it should end at three different points, one of which is just Judi Dench's Old Deuteronomy staring directly at you through the screen and telling you how you should address cats. For instance, you shouldn't address cats as dogs, as if we didn't know the difference between cats and dogs? It's very discomforting and confusing and seems like it shouldn't even be there, but lo and behold, it's actually how the stage production ends as well. Again, how was this the fourth longest running show on Broadway? The main character, or whom I guess is the main cat, is Victoria, but all she does is go from one cat who sings a song to another cat who sings a song. She gets no character development, at least not really. We don't really learn anything about her, except I guess a little bit from the song "Beautiful Ghosts". In fact, none of the characters get any sort of character development throughout the course of the movie. I get attached to approximately 0 of the cats. If any of them died, which they don't, I wouldn't have shed a single tear. In fact, if some of the characters were completely be cut from the movie it would not change the outcome of the movie. That's how superfluous 90% of the characters are in the context of the film (and I guess to the same extent the musical itself). I guess the musical is not supposed to be an in depth character study, but it would be nice if the characters, ya know, mattered. But the fact of the matter is that they don't. You could cut out (and I did not make up any of these names) Jennyanydots or Rum Tum Tugger or Bustopher Jones or Bomburella and you could get the same exact results. Another issue is that the singing from the main cast, aside from Jennifer Hudson, is just bad. Francesca Hayward isn't bad admittedly, but her voice is a little thin. But other than that, Sir Ian McKellan and Dame Judi Dench, while wonderful actors in their own right, should never be allowed to sing. Jason Derulo and Taylor Swift sing in an awful half British accent for one song each and then pretty much disappear for the rest of the movie. James Corden isn't awful but isn't great and then Rebel Wilson isn't great at all. Idris Elba kinda sings but doesn't really. Which leaves Jennifer Hudson as the only great singer in the main cast. Some members of the general cast are actually pretty decent, but the fact is that the majority of biggest numbers belong to the main cast and unfortunately they're just not up to task in accomplishing one of the main points of a musical: to sing a song well and really sell it. Except of course Jennifer Hudson. Also, quick side note, whoever casted Rebel Wilson and James Corden in this movie should be fired immediately. For God's sakes, they are literally given time to riff and make jokes (because haha they're funny right), but surprise none of it is funny or necessary for that matter. James Corden literally stops in the middle of a song for like a whole minute just to make a fat joke because comedy I guess. Rebel Wilson says "don't mess with a crazy cat lady" which made me actually groan. Any time they showed up, which thankfully wasn't a lot, I rolled my eyes. I just do not believe that Tom Hooper and Andrew Lloyd Webber sat in a room and were like "oh yeah, these jokes will really elevate the movie". Another glaring issue is that the CGI is so unnatural and unpleasant. The CGI, which includes "state of the art digital fur" that was supposed to impress everyone, just makes the characters come off as creepy and unnerving. Double that with the fact that all of the cats still have human hands and it resembles more uncanny valley than anything else. What were they trying to accomplish with this? Were they thinking that this was going to dazzle us, the audience? It honestly would've just been better if they had the cast dress up in cat costumes like the Broadway/West End adaptation. At least then it would've seemed more in line with the actual stage production and that way we wouldn't have gotten this nightmare fuel. Speaking of the audience, just who was this movie's target audience? I can't think of a single child or teenager who thinks to themselves on the regular "man I really wish there was a movie right now where I could watch a strange human-like cat creature tap dance". Was this for the older Broadway folks who saw Cats back in the 80's and 90's, only to be horrified by this frightening CGI induced fever dream? This doesn't seem like a movie that millennials or even 30 year old Broadway/musical lovers would eat up or something that parents would willingly take their children to see. In fact, this seems like a movie that no one would want to see, which was proven by the poor box office returns. Universal tried so hard to make it a Christmas release, expecting a large crowd for the Christmas holiday weekend, and it spectacularly backfired. Point is that this movie panders to an audience that simply does not exist anymore. If they had made the movie more like the actual stage production then maybe there would've been at least a few interested parties, but alas the final product exists in an empty void where no one cares. The truth is Tom Hooper has proven himself to be a capable director. He deservedly won an Academy Award for directing for The King's Speech (2010), which is a great movie. He did an admirable job with helming Les Miserables (2012), albeit there are a few issues. He directed the excellent The Danish Girl (2015) with Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander. So it baffles me he ended up with this perplexing result. He had all the resources at his hands, including the involvement of the creator himself Andrew Lloyd Webber. He was given full creative freedom over the film. He definitely had the money and Universal's full support. Sure, some of the casting was questionable, but even still there is no excuse in how awful this film turned out. I know many directors have had a dud here or there, but this stinker was a hell of an expensive one and honestly the blame should fall on Hooper. While Cats does have very few positives, the overwhelming amount of negatives far outweigh it. While the stage production definitely lives in a bizarro world and I don't really understand how it lasted for as long as it did (1982-2000), Tom Hooper's disastrous outcome was not even close to capturing whatever magic Broadway was capable of providing. I gotta admit though, this is unintentional comedy gold. Rating: 1.5/10 Frozen is probably considered one of the best animated movies of all time, with a stellar cast, a dazzling story, and some of the best songs in the Disney Songbook. Frozen 2 returns with the same stellar cast, some more great songs, and a solid if not somewhat uneven narrative. Here are my thoughts on Frozen 2:
Six years ago, Disney released Frozen, which turned into a juggernaut at the box office, both worldwide and domestically. It has since become one of Disney's most profitable franchises, which only made sense that there would inevitably be a second Frozen movie. A second movie was certainly a necessity for Disney, considering that the movie made over a billion dollars at the box office and it has since become the highest grossing animated film of all time. It made sense to capitalize on Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf, some of the most recognizable characters in the Disney landscape. It made sense to have Oscar winning duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez return to write some surefire Disney hits. All of it makes sense. So does it pay off? In the long run, it doesn't matter because this movie will certainly make bank at the box office. It's the way Disney is manufactured at this point. Sequels and remakes are a major part of the lifeblood of what makes Disney run at this point, but most importantly it's what makes Disney money. However, with all that being said, Frozen 2, directed by Frozen directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, is a solid sequel. The plot of this film: Elsa hears a mysterious voice calling to her from the Enchanted Forest, which may be linked to the dangerous powers that are threatening Arendelle, so she and Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf go out to investigate and seek answers, which also includes Elsa's self-discovery of herself and the origin of her powers. Whereas the last movie was primarily Anna's movie, this is Elsa's movie, presenting her as the central protagonist and giving her way more to do than the last movie. She is portrayed as brave and fearless, a strong empowered female hero who don't need no man (or woman as some people may speculate), a recurring theme that Disney has done extremely well recently. The relationship and sisterly bond between Elsa and Anna is also explored further in this movie as well, setting up for some good drama, especially considering there is no clear-cut antagonist in the film (more on that later). Anna, the goofy and light-hearted central protagonist in the first movie, is portrayed more neurotic, skeptical, and anxious in this film, which makes sense as she is more careful to not let Elsa out of her sights due to the events from the last movie. Regardless, Anna and Elsa's relationship is pushed to the forefront as one of the most important elements of the movie. While Anna and Elsa get plenty of screen time, their male counterparts are not utilized as much. In fact, I honestly forget by a certain point that Kristoff and Sven are even in the movie. Kristoff's storyline, finding the perfect time to propose to Anna, gets buried in the narrative, rending it almost forgettable except for the brilliant 80's-influenced power ballad "Lost In The Woods". For the most part though, as much as I love Kristoff and Sven, I feel like our favorite human-reindeer duo are hardly in the movie. Olaf, everybody's favorite snowman, gets a couple of moments to shine. The hilarious reenactment of the entire first movie is probably the single best scene in Frozen 2. Olaf's storyline, which I guess is about maturation, doesn't get the resolving payoff that I felt like it deserved. But Josh Gad, being the excellent thespian that he is, still brings his all and his comedic timing/relief is perfect. Other characters, such as Sterling K. Brown's Lt. Mattias, also don't really get much to do and are not fleshed out at all, which is a shame because they seemed interesting but in the end you don't really get to know them. The biggest issue I have with the movie is the narrative. While the main story with Elsa zips along at a decent pace, every other story stagnates, gets sidelined, and as a result bogs down the movie, making the movie move at a snail's pace. It doesn't mean the other stories are bad, but they also don't possess the same sort of depth as Elsa's primary storyline. While there is conflict in the movie (more person vs. self and person vs. nature), there's no antagonist in the movie, which isn't a huge problem except for the fact that in the first movie, Hans, the surprise villain, progressed the conflict and the story with his evil and charming ways. There's also a shortage of charm, a certain bit of magic that's absent from this movie. Not saying that this movie doesn't have magic because it most certainly does, but there's a lack of dazzle that had made the first movie so great. Frozen 2 is definitely darker in tone than the first movie and it did have some charming and magical moments in it for sure. With that being said, the sluggishness of the story and the lack of charm did weigh down the pace of the movie. Whatever the story lacks the music certainly makes up for, which brings me to the best part of the whole entire movie: Robert and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (who also get story writing credits for this movie as well) returning to write the songs for the Frozen franchise. Right from the get go, we are presented with "All Is Found", a beautiful lullaby that essentially sets the stage and story for the entire movie (also, who knew Evan Rachel Wood had such a great voice?). Then the main four (Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Gad, Jonathan Groff) join forces to give us "Some Things Never Change", a nice little upbeat tune. Jonathan Groff gets to showcase his best Peter Cetera impression for the 80's Chicago era-inspired power ballad "Lost In The Woods" during probably one of the best yet most ridiculous scenes in the entire movie. But nothing can compare to the powerhouse of a song that is the surefire future Academy Award winner for Best Original Song "Into the Unknown", sung by Idina Menzel's Elsa. "Let It Go" may have gotten rightfully popular, but "Into the Unknown" is without a doubt the song that should be popular. It is the Lopez's best song that they've written for Disney by far (considering they also wrote for Coco as well) and I consider it to be one of the best songs in the Disney songbook. Coupled with the other Idina Menzel power ballad "Show Yourself", the Lopez's have solidified themselves as one of Disney's best and most reliable songwriters. The computer animation is beautiful and breathtaking, with some of the most gorgeous Disney scenes that have ever graced the big screen. One scene that sticks out to me is the scene from the very first trailer for the movie: Elsa using her powers to fight back against the relentless sea. While I won't give any spoilers, the payoff is true Disney magic in every sense of the word. Any scene with Bruni the fire spirit (who is so cute by the way) is simply a joy and a wondrous marvel in design. There are plenty of other spectacular scenes, but it would do me no justice to ruin all of the magic. All in all, Frozen 2 is a solid if inessential sequel. However, even if it seems unnecessary, Disney all but deems it necessary for purely financial purposes. Disney knows what it wants, and what it wants is your money and the box office crown, even if it means there's some sacrifice and flaw to the overall narrative and consistent character development. Even with flaws though, Frozen 2 delivers with humor, heart, some magic, good character work with Anna and Elsa, and some of the best songs that Disney has ever had. Oh, and hardly no trolls? I can get behind that. Rating: 7.5 Disney songs have played such an integral role in the pop culture zeitgeist since 1937, the year the first Disney animated feature, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, was released. Everyone knows at least one or two by heart, but some people know heaps of them from memory. Some people are obsessed while some people simply have a deep appreciation for them. For me, it's time to share what I believe are the Disney movies that have the most memorable songs.
A few weeks ago, one of my friends, who is extremely knowledgeable and embedded in pop culture and movies, mentioned on Twitter that Moana had the best music out of all of the Disney movies. While I appreciate and respect his opinion, I simply do not agree with that sentiment. Moana does have a couple of memorable hits ("How Far I'll Go" is great obviously), but that doesn't mean that it's the best out of all the Disney movies that have ever existed. "You're Welcome" is fun, but man, The Rock can NOT sing. Other than that I remember nothing (I remember the crab sang a song, but it's pretty forgettable in my opinion). Thanks to my friend, I've been mulling about this for a couple weeks now and have gone on a Disney song rampage, seeing what tickles my fancy and seeing what really sticks out to me personally. I've made my own list of the top ten Disney movies with the most memorable songs. Now remember, this is all my own personal opinion, so like me to my friend, you may not agree with my list, and that's quite alright. I have broken down each movie into their three greatest hits, who composed each of their hits, and a small analysis. I've also only limited this to animated movies, because if that wasn't the case then Enchanted would for sure be on here. So without further ado, here's the hits: 10. Tangled Greatest hits: "I See The Light", "Mother Knows Best", "When Will My Life Begin" Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Menken and Glenn Slater Analysis: This will certainly not be the last time you see Alan Menken's name on this list, but in short, Menken is a musical genius, responsible for many of Disney's greatest hits. His ear for melody and harmony is simply unmatched in the realm of Disney songs (except maybe for the top composers on this list). Menken does double duty with lyricist Glenn Slater and delivers some great and memorable music in the process. Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi's vocals blend wonderfully on one of the most underrated gems in the Disney songbook "I See the Light" and Donna Murphy is deliciously wicked on the villainous romp "Mother Knows Best". Of course, can't forget about the wonderful "When Will My Life Begin", sung with perfect wide-eyed wonderment by Moore. 9. Oliver and Company Greatest hits: "Once Upon a Time in New York City", "Why Should I Worry", "Streets of Gold" Music: “Once Upon a Time in New York City: Barry Mann and Howard Ashman, “Why Should I Worry?”: Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight, “Streets of Gold”: Dean Pitchford and Tom Snow Analysis: Okay okay, hear me out: the songs in Oliver and Company rule. What other Disney movie starts out with a gorgeous sprawling New York City landscape and a goosebumps-inducing ballad by none other than Huey Lewis? ("Once Upon a Time in New York City") In what other Disney movie are you going to have one of the most fun and underrated songs sung by Billy Joel? ("Why Should I Worry") Name me another movie that has one of the grooviest songs in the Disney discography sung by Ruth Pointer from the Pointer Sisters. ("Streets of Gold"). Oh right, you can't. Is all of this painfully 80's? Yeah. Does it sound kind of outdated? Sure. Do I love it? Absolutely. It brings me back to my childhood when I would listen to this cassette tape on repeat and watch the movie constantly. It gives me a feeling of comforting nostalgia, so perhaps I'm speaking through rose-tinted glasses. One thing's for sure though, I will never ever forget these songs and for that this makes the top 10 for me. 8. Tarzan Greatest hits: "Strangers Like Me", "You'll Be In My Heart", "Two Worlds" Music and lyrics: Phil Collins Analysis: I may be biased on this one because I love Phil Collins. However, not turning Tarzan into a full on musical and allowing Collins to create the songs and sing them himself instead was a dynamite move. The final product fits extremely well with the story of Tarzan and his journey of love and self-discovery with songs like "Strangers Like Me" and "Two Worlds" and of course the beautiful ballad "You'll Be In My Heart". This collaboration proved to be successful, so much so that Disney asked Phil Collins to do another movie, albeit the utterly less memorable and extremely forgettable Brother Bear. For this movie though, the music is pure gold. 7. Mulan Greatest hits: "I'll Make a Man Out of You", "Reflection", "True To Your Heart" Music: Matthew Wilder Lyrics: David Zippel Analysis: A one hit wonder for Matthew Wilder, but man, did he and lyricist David Zippel really hit it out of the park with "I'll Make a Man Out of You". This song alone should propel Mulan to the top 5, but frankly the rest of the songs aren't as strong. With that being said, the songs are still terrific, which include the powerful ballad "Reflection" (fun fact: this was Christina Aguilera's first single) and the delightfully funky "True To Your Heart". Nothing will ever top "I'll Make a Man Out of You" though. 6. Hercules Greatest hits: "Go the Distance", "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)", "Zero to Hero" Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: David Zippel Analysis: Will I go and say that these are the most memorable songs to the general public in this day and age? Unfortunately probably not, which is a damn shame because these are some of the most unique songs in the Disney songbook. Infused with a gospel feel, Menken (making his third appearance on this list) and Zippel (his second and final) gives the Hercules soundtrack a distinctive sound that stands out from the rest of the Disney soundtracks. "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" and "Zero to Hero" are great examples of the eclectic group of tracks on this criminally underrated soundtrack, but "Go the Distance", the always-necessary power ballad, stands out above the rest, which is given even more depth by Michael Bolton herculean vocals. 5. Beauty and the Beast Greatest hits: "Beauty and the Beast", "Be Our Guest", "Gaston" Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman Analysis: Alan Menken's third inclusion on this list (and it's certainly not his last) and the first inclusion of brilliant lyricist Howard Ashman, a life tragically cut too short from AIDS. Menken and Ashman were a dynamic duo, crafting one of the greatest musical streaks in Disney movie history - hell, probably just cinematic history in general - with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. Their music for Beauty and the Beast captures the essence of the timeless enchanting story perfectly, with the ballad "Beauty and the Beast", the show stopping "Be Our Guest", and the jaunty swaggering "Gaston", all of which are memorable and catchy. 4. The Little Mermaid Greatest hits: "Part Of Your World", "Under the Sea", "Kiss the Girl" Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman Analysis: Menken and Ashman's second entry on this list is their first collaboration, delivering some of the best songs in the legendary duo's songbook. The Little Mermaid boasts an extremely impressive lineup, with the expressive power ballad "Part Of Your World" being my personal favorite, sung by the wonderful Jodi Benson. However, one cannot forget the calypso powerhouses "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl", songs that are so unforgettable that they have truly stood the test of time. 3. Aladdin Greatest hits: "A Whole New World", "Friend Like Me", "Prince Ali" Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman Analysis: The last Menken/Ashman collaboration entry on this list is by and far their best and most memorable work, but I think it's also quite possibly because of the inclusion of one of the most memorable characters in all of Disney cinematic history: Robin William's eccentric Genie. Williams is responsible for bringing not one but two beloved songs to life ("Friend Like Me", "Prince Ali"), and without his charisma and Menken and Ashman's musical prowess, the songs would not have breathed the same sort of life. As I'm a sucker for Disney power ballads, my favorite of the bunch would have to be "A Whole New World", a perfect goosebumps-inducing piano-driven ballad that is one of my favorite songs of all time. It's a shame that we'll never get to have another Menken/Ashman collaboration. Nothing but sheer musical brilliance. 2. The Lion King Greatest hits: "Circle of Life", "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", "Hakuna Matata" Music: Elton John Lyrics: Tim Rice Analysis: The Lion King has the absolute complete package: a compelling story, splendid and unforgettable voice acting, beautiful animation, impressive moments of tension, and probably the single greatest start to any Disney movie ever. That beginning would not be possible without Sir Elton John and Sir Tim Rice's marvelous "Circle of Life", which perfectly establishes the iconic first shot of the movie and sets the tone and atmosphere for the rest of the movie. Coupled with the romantic ballad "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and the iconic "Hakuna Matata", John and Rice certified this movie and its soundtrack to be a bonafide classic forever. P.S. "Be Prepared" also rules. 1. Frozen Greatest hits: "Let It Go", "Love is an Open Door", "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" Music and lyrics: Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez Analysis: Could there have been any other movie to top this list? Can you think of another Disney soundtrack recently that turned into this kind of global smash/phenomenon? I haven't seen a song completely blow up like "Let It Go" since "My Heart Will Go On". It had undeniable inescapability: it played at talent shows, award shows, the radio, cookouts, band concerts, etc. But while Idina Menzel (or Adele Dazeem) may have sung it, that staying power was made entirely possible by the musical talents of husband and wife duo Robert and Kristen-Anderson Lopez, who some might recognize as the Tony Award-winning duo responsible for beloved broadway musicals Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon. While Menken and Ashman may have the more impressive rap sheet, Lopez and Lopez crafted a monumental soundtrack that damn near redefined the musical landscape in cinema and set a whole new standard for Disney songs. "Let It Go" is without a doubt the standout of the group (how could it not be?), but "Love is an Open Door" and "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman" are absolute delights. Lopez and Lopez's soundtrack elevated the movie and without it, I believe that Frozen would've been just an average movie. Thankfully, that's not what happened and instead we got the most unforgettable soundtrack in the Disney catalogue. Seriously, I don't think anyone is going to forget about the Frozen soundtrack anytime soon, and the movie is almost 6 years old at this point. Bonus: My top 5 favorite Disney songs: 1. "I'll Make a Man Out of You" - Mulan 2. "A Whole New World" - Aladdin 3. "Part of Your World" - The Little Mermaid 4. "Beauty and the Beast" - Beauty and the Beast 5. "Once Upon a Time in New York City" - Oliver and Company. What happens when a good director takes over a cash-grabbing behemoth of a franchise with awful films? Well, the result should be a really good movie, and that's exactly what we get here. Here's my review for Bumblebee (2018):
12 years ago the first big budget Transformers movie was released, starring Shia LaBeouf, a scantily clad Megan Fox, and a whole lot of robots fighting robots. The movie as a whole was an excuse to sell toys and give Michael Bay a platform to live out his fever dream of bombs and boobs. Honestly, the first movie wasn't terrible, but it did launch a franchise that consistently delivered on awful scripts, aimless storytelling, bad acting from good actors (mostly), poorly edited CGI-riddled action scenes, and Michael Bay's attempt at "humor". Most importantly though, the franchise made a shit ton of money at the box office. So if aiming for the wallets was their goal, then they greatly succeeded, but the cost of all that was, well, making decent and memorable movies. Albeit, some of them were memorable, just for the wrong reasons. In 2018, the franchise decided to reboot itself with Bumblebee, the first Transformers movie without Michael Bay directing. Bumblebee was decidedly one of the fan favorites of the franchise, so it made sense to make a movie centering around the character. Travis Knight, who directed the brilliant Kubo and the Two Strings (2015), makes his live-action directorial debut. Thus the movie was already set up for success, with Bay taking a backseat and Knight in the director's chair. However, did it succeed? The answer is a resounding yes, making it by far the best movie in the franchise. Knight delivers not only a decent movie (which really shouldn't have been hard to do in the first place), but he injects key elements that were missing from the previous movies: heart, character, personality, well-written humor, and, oh yeah, an engaging story. It makes me wonder what would have happened if they had picked this kind of director over a decade ago, but then again, we have never gotten to this point and we would have never gotten this surprisingly wonderful film. To begin, the main cast is charming and captivating. Hailee Steinfeld, who is an amazing actress to begin with, was the perfect choice as the heroine Charlie Watson. I would argue that she is singlehandedly the best thing about the movie. She's so damn likable and when she emotes, you really feel for her. Every time there was a touching scene between her and Bumblebee (which there are plenty of), I could feel myself getting choked up, which I would never expect to do for a Transformers movie. She's insanely well-fleshed out and Steinfeld is able to give so much depth and dimension to her character. Jorge Lendeborg Jr. is adorable as Memo, serving as a quasi love interest for Charlie and delivering a lot of the humorous moments in the film. He's never annoying or over the top about anything and provides to be a great sidekick to Charlie and Bumblebee. John Cena rounds up the cast as Jack Burns, an agent of Sector 7 who's tasked with tracking down Bumblebee while forming an uneasy alliance with the Decepticons. If I had to make any gripes about the film, it's that there wasn't nearly enough John Cena. When he's on screen, he's great, but there's not enough of him and his character doesn't get as much development as the others as a result. The rest of the supporting cast also do fine as well, but it's Charlie's brother Otis, portrayed by Jason Drucker, who does especially great when he gets to steal the couple of scenes where he's front and center. Michael Bay could never get me to care about the characters, but Knight has not only made me care about the characters, but he's made me feel for the characters and is able to turn the movie into a beautifully character-driven piece of cinema. Bumblebee, seen as the pluckiest of all the Autobots, is given so much personality and many humanistic traits that we can relate to him in a way that we hadn't been able to in previous movies, giving us even more reason to root for him. Charlie's tragic backstory allows for the audience to connect and relate with her as she struggles to come to terms with the death of her father. She's able to fill that void with Bumblebee, who is lost and scared on a planet he doesn't know at all, and the two are able to connect with each other as they both try to find themselves through conflict and loss. It's such a lovely friendship that will have you laughing and, yes, crying, harkening back to the classic robot-human friendship of The Iron Giant. Side note: it's great to see Charlie's parents (Pamela Adlon and Stephen Schneider) in action, and when they're on screen they don't ever overstay their welcome and are pleasant enough. They have their humorous moments, but it's never irritating or irksome, and they show they truly care for Charlie and try their best. In the previous Transformers films, the action was the focal point, but the biggest problem was you couldn't see what was going on half the time (probably more than that). In Bumblebee, there are plenty of robot fighting robot scenes, but the biggest difference is that you can actually see what's happening. The editing is clean and spotless, allowing the action scenes to be slick and cool and enjoyable. It's not one tiring shaky fight scene after another. They're spaced out, allowing the audience to breath and re-occupy themselves in the story unfolding between Bumblebee and Charlie, which is honestly the best part of the whole film. The special effects are dazzling and never feel cheap or overtly fake. The design of the Autobots and the Decepticons look ultra polished and sleek, especially the new Decepticons Shatter and Dropkick. The excellent first five minutes on Cybertron includes some of the best CGI of the entire franchise. The music in this movie was a perfect soundtrack of the times: a plethora of sweet 80's tunes that will make any old Transformers fanboy (or anyone for that matter) nostalgic. There's even a small wink of brilliant meta humor in one of the song choices. Dario Marianelli's score soars and man, when there's a sentimental Charlie-Bumblebee scene, those strings reeeeally tug at those heartstrings. The humor is well executed and there were many a time where I genuinely laughed at a joke, something I've never done before in a Transformers film. There's a sense of wonder and fun that was clearly absent from the previous Transformers movies, and Bumblebee delivers on both of those. Sure, there were some teenage angsty scenes that were maybe a little unnecessary, but aside from that and the unfair absence of John Cena, I enjoyed this movie much more than I could've imagined. If this is what I should expect from future installments, then please let Travis Knight make more Transformers movies. Please. Rating: 9.5/10 |
AuthorBuster Bigelow: 30 year old lover of movies, cinema, and music. Whether you agree or disagree with my reviews, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments! Archives
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