Charlotte’s Web (1973)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
MUSIC – 0
CULT – 1

 

 

VERDICT – 3/4

 

 

PROS –
1) A runt of the litter piglet in a barn comes to know that he can be slaughtered anytime. A female spider named Charlotte saved him by writing words on her web to trick the farm owner.
2) Primary theme of the story is making life worth no matter how short it is. The pig, Wilbur, scared for his life throughout the story eventually wasn’t worried about it at all when he returns the favor to Charlotte by saving her egg-sac.

 

 

CONS –
1) The musical aspect of the movie is mediocre.

 

 

QUOTE –
Charlotte: Trust me, Wilbur. People are very gullible. They’ll believe anything they see in print.

Labyrinth (1986)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 1

 

 

VERDICT – 5/5

 

 

PROS –
1) A teenage girl has 13-hrs to rescue her infant step-brother from a magical Labyrinth after her accidental wish for him to be taken away is granted by the Goblin King Jareth.
2) A treat for the fans of “Alice In Wonderland” and “The Wizard Of Oz”. A must watch adventure movie for teen audiences.
3) The towering presence of David Bowie as the Goblin King.
4) Great special effects and puppeteering. The Escher-style stairs scene was surreal.
5) Full of lovable and interesting characters like Ludo, Sir Didymus, Hoggle, etc.
6) “Magic Dance”

 

 

CONS –
N/A

 

 

QUOTE –
Sarah: That’s not fair!
Jareth: You say that so often, I wonder what your basis for comparison is?

West Side Story (1961)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 1

 

 

VERDICT – 5/5

 

 

PROS –
1) The short-lived tragic love story of Tony & Maria from rival New York City street gangs. A modern retelling of Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.
2) Great choreography, cinematography, editing, and performances.
3) Russ Tamblyn as Riff dominated the screen with his gymnastic and acrobatic talents. Rita Moreno’s performance Anita is also noteworthy.
4) A must-watch musical. You don’t have to watch the entire movie to gauge it. The opening sequence with “Jet Song” itself is a masterpiece.
5) Songs – “Jet Song”, “America”, “Gee, Officer Krupke”

 

 

CONS –
1) The second half is a drag. The opening is grand however the climax is not.

 

 

QUOTE –
Doc: Why do you kids live like there’s a war on?

Chicago (2002)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 1

 

VERDICT – 5/5

 
PROS –
1) All publicity is good publicity. Although the movie is set in the 1920s, it eerily summarises the modern media, making and breaking a person’s public image, creating false gods & celebrities for gullible readers & audiences with a short attention span.
2) Great screenplay and editing amalgamating the entire movie with jazz performances.
3) John C. Reilly as Amos, the simpleton pushover husband of Roxie Hart.
4) Magnificent musical numbers moving the story forward.

 

CONS –
N/A

 
QUOTE –
1.
Billy Flynn: This is Chicago, kid. You can’t beat fresh blood on the walls.
2.
Roxie: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
Matron Mama Morton: You’re talking to the wrong people.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 1

VERDICT – 4/4

 
PROS –
1) An immortal classic novel adapted by Disney with an alternate and happy ending. Adapting a huge novel into a 90 minutes long musical animation is a triumph itself.
2) Frollo’s song “Hellfire“. Through this song, his entire character is summarised.
3) The primary theme of the movie remains racism and immigration.
4) Quality animation, fast screenplay, and apt soundtrack.

 
CONS –
N/A

 

QUOTE –
Quasimodo: SANCTUARY! SANCTUARY! SANCTUARY!

Mary Poppins (1964)

STORY – 0
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 1

Verdict – 4/5

 

Pros –
1) “Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)” – a haunting melody
2) Dick Van Dyke as Bert, the jack-of-all-trades.
3) “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” – What a song for an upbeat climax!
4) The bank fiasco.

 

Cons –
1) The entire fantasy sequence inside the drawing.
2) Parenting guide – The movie.

 
Quote –
“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious“

This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 1

Verdict – 5/5

 

Pros –
1) The 18 inch Stonehenge megalith with dwarves dancing around – side-splittingly funny!
2) Smell the Glove black cover
3) Death of drummers under bizarre circumstances.
4) The scene where the band members are lost backstage.
5) Rob Reiner as Marty Di Bergi – stone face comedy

 

Cons –
1) 82 minutes long SNL skit

 

Quote –
“Money talks, and bullshit walks.”

My Fair Lady (1964)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 1

 

Verdict – 5/5

 

Pros –
1) Grand production value – beautiful sets and great costumes. That Royal Ascot scene is the highlight of this majestic movie.
2) That iconic poster by Bob Peak.
3) Great music and excellent performances. Some great one-liners.
4) Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle – she got the Midas touch.
5) Climax – love can be expressed in the most subtle way.

 

 

Cons –
N/A

 

Quote –
Professor Henry Higgins: Eliza? Where the devil are my slippers?

Mamma Mia! (2008)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 0
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 0

Verdict – 3/5

 

Pros –
1) Feel good movie
2) An ABBA musical
3) Fictional Greek island of Kalokairi

 

Cons –
1) Could be a lot funnier with such an ensemble

 

Quote –
Sophie: I want the perfect wedding, and I want my father to give me away.
Ali: Better be a wide aisle!

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

STORY – 1
DIRECTOR – 1
ACTOR – 1
MUSIC – 1
CULT – 1

 

VERDICT – 5/5

 

PROS –
1) Definitive musical!
2) Songs: “Singin’ in the Rain” , “Make ‘Em Laugh”.
3) The acrobatics and energy level of lead actors is spectacular.
4) The movie is timeless. Notable for revealing the secrets of the movie behind the scenes.

 

CONS –
n/a

 

QUOTE –
Cosmo Brown: 🎶🎶 Oh, you could study Shakespeare and be quite elite,
And you could charm the critics and have nothing to eat,
Just slip on a banana peel, the world’s at your feet
Make ’em laugh, make ’em laugh, make ’em laugh! 🎶🎶