The MacGuffins are proud to select, with the 249th pick in the 10th round, for entry in the Musical category:
Little Shop Of Horrors
(singing)
I'm just a mean green mutha from outer space, and I'm bad! I'm just a mean green mutha from outer space, and it looks like you been had! I'm just a mean green mutha, from outer space, so get off my back, get out my face! I'm just a mean green mutha, from outer space, and I'm bad!
I have a few glaring holes in a couple of other hotly-contested categories, but looking over the available musicals, I can't say there's a single one I'd be comfortable adding to The MacGuffins besides this one. It holds a special place in my heart as one of those movies my parents had on VHS that I ended up watching dozens of times for that reason alone.
I'm feeling kind of lazy tonight after spending a bunch of time on two other writeups, so how about I copy and paste some comments from IMDB that I agree with. OK then.
Quote:
This is an all-singing, all-dancing science fiction black comedy that features human misery, a sadistic dentist, a masochistic patient, casual murder, girlfriend abuse, and a blood-sucking alien house plant monster. It's hilarious from beginning to end. And the music is outstanding.
Quote:
Little Shop Of Horrors is a fabulous musical, proving that the spark and he magic is still there in the genre. It's quality all the way. What did surprise me most about it was how dark the whole affair was. Orin is beating up Audrey on a regular basis, Audrey II wants Seymour to go on a killing spree so he can get some lunch, Orin delights in ripping the back teeth out of his patients like there's no tomorrow. What's even more surprising is the contrast between these and the quite brilliant songs in the film (Classic numbers include "Suddenly Seymour", "Somewhere That's Green" and the show-stopping title theme). This rather strange mix works excellently, resulting in an irresistible film.
Quote:
One of the most unappreciated films of the eighties, the songs, performances, and especially the affectionate screenplay all harken back to the cheap old days of Roger Corman and his B movie compatriots. From Steve Martin's sadistic Elvis-inspired dentist to the early girl-group rock score, "Little Shop" moves with an appropriately cheesy style that lets you in on the joke, yet never insults you for loving those poverty row movies.
Quote:
Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene (who incidentally originated her role in the off-Broadway play) make for charming and thoroughly sympathetic leads (I never knew Rick Moranis could sing!). And Steve Martin is hilarious in the minor but certainly unforgettable role of the sadistic dentist. But Mr. Martin is only one of several comedic cameos in the film, including Christopher Guest who gives a hilarious performance as the flower shop's first customer, Bill Murray as the masochist patient, and a few other surprises.
Alan Menken, who is probably best known for his work with Disney on Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, etc., and Howard Ashman present yet another dazzling musical score that sticks in your mind well after the movie is done. And a big round of applause must go to the plant itself. Remembering that this was made in the days before CGI, you will be floored by this live animatronic creature. But really, this is a movie that cannot be explained. You just have to experience it yourself!
What they said! Little Shop Of Horrors is an all around good time, and The MacGuffins welcome it to their squad with open arms.
For my 10th Round selection, Hot Buttery Topping is pleased to select in the Sports category, one of the greatest baseball movies ever made, Bull Durham.
Say what you will about the sport of baseball, but there have been some great movies made about America's Pastime, and this one of the best.
Trailer...
You could ask if Bull Durham is a baseball movie with a romance thrown in to keep the women interested, or a romance movie with baseball thrown in to keep the men interested. Truth is, it's probably a little of both. You could even say it's about the romance of baseball.
Kevin Costner stars as Crash Davis an (almost) career minor league catcher who has been sent to the "A" League Durham Bulls to provide guidance to the hot, new rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh (Tim Robbins), who is described as having a million-dollar arm, but a ten-cent head.
Added to the mix is Annie Savoy (the superhot Susan Sarandon), a local woman who considers herself a worshiper at the Church of Baseball. Every season, Annie chooses one member of the Bulls to be her lover/student for the season. This season, she has narrowed her choices down to Crash and Nuke, however, Crash declares that after 12 years in the Minors, he doesn't "try out".
This leads to Annie asking Crash what he believes in (language)...
Eventually, Crash and Nuke come to an understanding and the Bulls go on a big winning streak. Minor League baseball isn't about wins and losses, it's about developing players for "The Show". In fact, neither Crash nor Nuke finish the season in Durham, but they both get what they wanted by the end of the movie.
Crash gets the players' attention by telling them about life in "The Show" (language)...
I was in the show for 21 days once - the 21 greatest days of my life.
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Turn up the good, turn down the suck!
Last edited by getbak; 09-17-2008 at 11:27 PM.
Reason: Added details
I finally broke down and bought the DVD the other night, somewhat due to your raves over this movie, and also because I've really enjoyed some of the other Coen Brothers movies. I've yet to watch it but am certainly looking forward to doing so, given the praise this movie has received. I will read your synopsis once I've seen it and comment then.....
I don't watch many musicals, so I am happy to be able to pick one that I have actually seen. TEAM Wishwedidaporndraft is proud to select, WILLy WONKA and the CHOCOLATE FACTORY
got no time for youtube clips, sorry.
Last edited by VANFLAMESFAN; 09-18-2008 at 07:54 AM.
Just bumping this before it drops to page 2; I think Sadora is up, Superflyer on deck, then Jerzeegirl.
Willy Wonka is a solid pick, VFF; it's really aged well and remained a favorite compared to a lot of musicals that were more popular at the time. Wilder's Wonka is just a great character. Innocent enough for kids to like, but with a darkness to it that you really only appreciate as you age.
I've still never seen the original Willy Wonka movie with Gene Wilder. I always mean to watch it when it comes on tv, but always end up falling asleep or turning it and forgetting to go back after a commercial. It's on the long list of classic/popular films that I want to see eventually.
They still play Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in the Candy Store at Calaway Park. They've been showing it in there since I was a little girl. I watched it again last Easter when it was on CBC with my cousins. We had forgotten how creepy the scene with the boat is.
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For round #whatever the B-List celebs are proud to select in the Category of Documentary\non-fiction, Walk The Line. This is a great story about the life of Johnny Cash.
While growing up in the Great Depression era, Johnny Cash(Joaquin Phoenix) takes an interest in music and eventually moves out of his Arkansas town to join the air force in Germany. While there, he buys his first guitar and writes his own music, and proposes to Vivian. When they got married, they settled in Tennessee and with a daughter, he supported the family by being a salesman. He discovers a man who can pursue his dreams and ends up getting a record with the boys. Shortly after that, he was on a short tour, promoting his songs, and meets the already famous and beautiful June Carter(Reese Witherspoon). Then as they get on the long-term tours with June, the boys, and Jerry Lee Lewis, they have this unspoken relationship that grows. But when June leaves the tour because of his behavior, he was a drug addict. His marriage was also falling apart, and when he sees June years later at an awards show, he forces June to tour with them again, promising June to support her two kids and herself. While the tour goes on, the relationship between June and John grow more,and his marriage to his first wife ends. June finds out about the drugs, and help him overcome it. True love and care helped John eventually stop the drug usage, and finally proposes to her in front of an audience at a show.
Trailer
Johnny and June Meet
It ain't me babe
Awsome Hurt Video
To say that Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were amazing in this movie is to put it lightly, but it was almost not so, Reese Witherspoon told Oprah Winfrey that she had second thoughts about starring in the film and that she had wanted to back out of her agreement to the point where she involved her lawyer to try to get her out of the film. She later changed her mind and took the role up as a challenge.
Sorry for the delay all but the with our 10th selection in this esteemed endeavour, Team That's What She Said is proud to select from the Pre-1960's category, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.
This is Frank Capra's 1939 follow-up (originally intended to be a sequel) to his 1936 hit starring Gary Cooper, titled "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town". When Cooper wasn't available, Capra cast Stewart who knew it was the role to make his career.
The movie follows a naive man who is appointed on a whim by the crooked governor of his state to a recently vacated Senate seat. Smith becomes the Junior Senator of the State under the guidance of his late father's best friend, Senator Paine, a man who has himself sold out to the machine that runs their home state. When Smith manages to get in the way of the machine running his state, they frame him and reveal the seedy underbelly of politics that he hadn't realized existed before. Smith fights back with the help of his aide, Saunders (Jean Arthur) and stages a filibuster on the floor of the Senate to proove that one man can make a difference.
Heaped with tons of Americana, Stewart helps to save the show from becoming too saccharine as you just believe him in the role of Jefferson Smith. This film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 1 for Best Original Screenplay. In 2007, Mr. Smith was ranked #11 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies while Stewart's character was listed at #11 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains list.
Some YouTube Clips:
Smith on the floor proposing his Bill:
Smith, about to leave town in disgrace until Saunders finds him:
Smith fights against the machine in the Senate:
Last edited by JerzeeGirl; 09-19-2008 at 11:44 PM.