Daily Dose for July 17, 2007
By Bruce Warren, Program Director for XPN
With the recent return of the classic roller-skating rock extravaganza Xanadu to Broadway, it got me thinking about some memorable movie musicals. Well, actually it got me thinking about some of the least memorable movie musicals. Everyone would probably agree — to some extent — on what some of the best ones are: Grease, Flashdance, Hair, Hairspray, Beat Street, Quadrophenia, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, for example.
But what about some of the worst ones?
Let’s face it: The movie Xanadu was a complete clunker, a movie musical left best not remembered. Olivia Newton-John, god bless her, couldn’t save the movie and it was a box-office flop. The only redeeming factor was the soundtrack, featuring music and songs by Electric Light Orchestra, who along with Olivia, scored a couple of hit songs.
Here are some movie musicals that deserve to join Xanadu in the category of least memorable.
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Can’t Stop the Music
From Justin to Kelly
Grease 2
Moulin Rouge
Agree? Disagree? Let us know what some of your least memorable and most memorable movie musicals are.
Hey! I love Xanadu! Granted, I was five when it came out. I loved skating, disco and Olivia more than anything - like most little girls in 1980. I still like the ELO sdtk. Still, being five when I saw it in the theater has (almost) everything to do with loving it. Sgt. Pepper, however, is a travesty, and makes feel literally sick when I watch it. Like hangover sick.
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Pfft… A lot of people would argue that the movie version of Hair isn’t particularly good. Flashdance isn’t a great film but a great, iconic time capsule of the early MTV age. Have you watched any of it besides the dance sequences lately? Baaaaaaad. So baaaaaaaad. Footloose actually stands up a little better. Rocky Horror was badly panned before becoming (perhaps) the most notable cult film ever. I don’t love it, but AFI stands behind Moulin Rouge. It definitely doesn’t belong next to the likes of From Justin to Kelly.
Another point – this is very, very *rock* musical-centric. Nothing here was made prior to 1975. There were definitely bad musicals prior to 1975. The disco era certainly *seems* to have a monopoly on bad films, but it’s just not true.
Also, what defines a “musical”? There’s big difference between films that revolve around music (original Hairspray, Flashdance) and films with singing numbers that break the dialogue but further the plot (Hair, Rocky Horror). Then, where do concert films fall? Rock biopics?
Some more great and horrible musicals for you to chew on. By no means, definitive.
Great:
Saturday Night Fever
Purple Rain (not a great film but an amazing document of the golden age of the Purple One)
The usual round of the golden age suspects such as Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, A Star is Born (1954), West Side Story (Natalie Wood’s lack of singing/dancing ability notwithstanding)
Gypsy (again… not held back by Natalie Wood)
Hard Day’s Night
Chicago
Hedwig & the Angry Inch
Cabaret
All That Jazz
Velvet Goldmine (wildly uneven but ultimately falls in good column for me)
Fame
Performance
Dirty Dancing (I guess. I mean, it’s classic anyway.)
Dreamgirls
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School
Times Square
Ladies & Gentlemen: The Fabulous Stains
True Stories
Horrible:
July 17th, 2007 at 2:32 pmPaint Your Wagon
Finian’s Rainbow
Lost Horizon
Tommy (except for segments here and there – such as Tina Turner as the Acid Queen, Elton John as the Pinball Wizard)
Cool as Ice
Glitter
Thank God It’s Friday
Shout
Shock Treatment
Sextette
Everyone Says I Love You (Did Woody Allen lose a bet?)
The Wiz
A Chorus Line
Annie
Rent
A Star is Born (1978)
The Jazz Singer (1980)
Phantom of the Paradise (though I enjoy ’cause it’s so over the top bad)
Head (though, again, I enjoy it)
Spice World
Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park
Just about every Elvis movie