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Encanto (2021)
Encanto (2021)
2021 |
8
6.8 (11 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Fun Family Friendly Film with GREAT Music
The good thing about travelling by plane over the Holidays is that it is an opportunity to catch up on Movies that were missed. Such is the case with the Disney Animation Film ENCANTO - a film that “came and went” earlier this fall.

And…I’m glad I saw it, for ENCANTO is the family-friendly, fun and heart warming film that is perfect Holiday viewing for the entire family.

Set in the magical Columbian village of ENCANTO, this film tells the tale of a family that are all given magical powers to use to help their village survive and thrive…all, that is, except for Mirabel who becomes somewhat of an outcast with her family for not having a magical gift bestowed upon her.

At first glance, this Animated Musical might remind people of the PIXAR animated film COCO from a few years ago. But that is like saying THE LITTLE MERMAID reminds you of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST or CINDERELLA reminds your of SLEEPING BEAUTY. While there are some striking similarities to COCO, ENCANTO is it’s own film and serves the story of the importance of family very, very well.

Stephanie Beatriz (TV’s BROOKLYN 99) is terrific as the voice of Mirabel, she has that headstrong, optimistic bent to her that many other Disney Princesses/Heroines (MOANA, Anna from FROZEN and Rapunzel in TANGLED are other examples of this). Mirabel is a solid addition to this group, she is a winning personality to spend time with.

The rest of the voices of the family fill the characters well, with the obvious standout being the great John Leguizamo (to tell you what character he voice is to spoil the film). Suffice it to say he is great.

The Direction by Jared Bush and Byron Howard (the Directors of another under-the-radar Disney Animated film, ZOOTOPIA) keep the events flowing and the many, many family members clear so as not to confuse the audience (this is no small feat), they know what they are doing and it shows. The only real mark I have against the movie is that the ending fell just a bit flat for me, but that is just a quibble in a really fine Animated movie.

And then…there is the music.

I did not realize that this film was a musical and was pleasantly tapping my toes on the airplane to the many musical numbers. I made the mental note to find out who wrote these fine tunes and was not too surprised to find out it was the one and only Lin-Manuel Miranda (Broadway’s HAMILTON). This musical genius has done it again.

ENCANTO is streaming on Disney+ so if you have this service and are looking for a fun, family-friendly way to pass a couple of hours, look no further than ENCANTO.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
The Greatest Showman (2017)
The Greatest Showman (2017)
2017 | Drama, Musical
Music (1 more)
Hugh Jackman
A little cheesy at times (0 more)
Heartwarming with a fantastic soundtrack
I'll be honest and say that I'm a sucker for musicals, so it was pretty unlikely that I was ever not going to like this. And unsurprisingly, I did think it was really good.

It's a genuinely feel good and enjoyable film, with a fantastic soundtrack. The plot is interesting and they speed through the storyline instead of dwelling and trying to drag it out beyond the 2 hour mark. Hugh Jackman is probably one of the best and most loveable leading men in Hollywood and he puts on another fine show here. It's so entertaining to watch him sing and dance. It was refreshing too to see Zac Efron singing and dancing again since his High School Musical days.
 
Parts of the script and some scenes seem a little bit cheesy and cringeworthy, but fortunately the true star of this film is the music. All the songs were catchy and made me really want to sing along. They were that good that I have a feeling the soundtrack is going to be on repeat in my car now for quite some time to come.


I tend to rate films based on whether I'd go out and buy them, and I would definitely fork out some cash for this. Although it isn't the best musical I've ever seen, it's still hugely enjoyable with brilliant music.
  
Burlesque (2010)
Burlesque (2010)
2010 | Drama, Musical, Romance
3
6.5 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A story that has been done too many times before, and better than this...
The problem with Burlesque is that this is a story that has been done way too many times. Young girl moving to LA to follow her dreams, it’s a tired and overused plot and is just so predictable and dull. There are so many films that have done this so much better. And it is SO long. I can’t believe how long it drones on for. The soundtrack is fairly good but that’s probably one of the only few things going for this, and it isn’t helped by very badly timed lip syncing from everyone other than Cher - Christina Aguilera is the biggest culprit for this, surprisingly really considering her background, but I get very distracted watching a musical where the actions aren’t in time with the music.


Cast-wise, the majority are entirely forgettable with the exception of the usually fabulous Stanley Tucci. Cher is better than expected too, obviously a few years before she overdid it on the plastic surgery. Christina Aguilera isn’t great, she isn’t helped by a terrible script but I don’t really rate her as an actress. Whoever did her makeup should be sacked too, as apart from a few odd scenes where she looks natural, she looks horrendous.


Altogether this is just a boring and entirely lacklustre film, which is pretty bad when it’s a musical!
  
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TJ (15 KP) Feb 10, 2019

Totally agree.

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Kimmic (814 KP) Feb 11, 2019

I loved this film. I guess it's a lot to do with their strong singing voices though. Only modern style film like this so I guess it's limited choice x

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MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist in TV

Mar 10, 2020 (Updated Mar 10, 2020)  
Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
2020 | Comedy, Musical
9
8.6 (5 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Surprisingly delightful!
Though I have loved musical TV shows in the past (Glee, Smash, etc.), I was very iffy about this show when I first heard about it, was still iffy as I was getting ready to record the first episode on my DVR. I've now watched 5 episodes, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. It's completely different from everything else I'm currently watching - refreshingly so.

However, this is no lighthearted comedic musical show. No, this show hits you right in the heart with some absolutely gut-wrenching emotional numbers. They deal with some very heavy subject matter (suicide, debilitating neurological disease, depression) in a beautiful way, and I have found myself tearing up more than once in the first 5 episodes. The first time Zoey's dad sings to her? BAWLING. 😭

The beauty of this show, though, is in the switch from emotional/sad to happy/fun and back again. You know the songs. The humor is spot-on and will make you literally laugh out loud at times. The actors are all terrific, particularly Lauren Graham and Peter Gallagher - and I'll admit I don't think I knew that either one of them could sing prior to this. Jane Levy is adorable and the perfect actress for this role. Alex Newell, as Zoey's trans neighbor, Mo, is simultaneously hilarious and inspiring.

I truly hope NBC renews this show. I'm in for the long haul. 🎵