30 Best Movie Musicals

I'm a huge movie musical fan. I was raised on the Ashman/Menken Disney Renaissance of the late 80s/early 90s with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast(25th anniversary Blu-Ray out now, Live-Action remake premieres in March), and Aladdin coming out when I was 3, 5, and 6 years old respectively. After that, it was The Lion King in 1994 when I was 8, and I haven't looked back since. The first live-action musical I fell in love with was Grease. I was lucky enough to experience it live on Broadway in '96 when my grandmother took me and my cousin to see it. We even got to dance on stage together in a pre-show dance contest. That's still one of the coolest things I've ever done. Just 2 years after that came the Grease re-release in the U.S. and suddenly that awesome soundtrack was everywhere. I was about to enter middle school and had just started going to dance parties around that time, and one of the things I remember most about those parties is everyone dancing and singing along to "Summer Nights", "Greased Lightning", and "You're the One That I Want", especially me.

The next great musical I discovered was West Side Story after I saw a High School production when I was in 9th grade. That was the first of two Best Picture winning musicals I saw that year. Chicago premiered late in 2002 and would go on to win the top prize at that year's Academy Awards. Along with Moulin Rouge! the previous year, which was also a Best Picture nominee, Chicago represented a 21st century renaissance for the movie musical, which, excluding the Disney renaissance, had almost completely disappeared in the 80s and 90s. Before Chicago's Best Picture win, the last musical to take the top prize was Oliver! in 1968, the 4th musical to win Best Picture in that decade. Certainly, times have changed.

But here we are in 2016, possibly looking at another renaissance for the movie musical. We already got Sing Street, the 3rd and possibly best movie from writer/director John Carney(Once, Begin Again). And in the winter we'll get 2 movies that could become instant classics in the musical genre. Up first, in November, it's Moana, continuing Walt Disney Animation's new musical renaissance after The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, and Frozen. Moana is directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, the same duo behind The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, with The Lion King and Tarzan composer Mark Mancina working alongside the hottest lyricist of the moment and certified genius Lin-Manuel Miranda, so the question really is: Exactly how HUGE will this picture be for Disney? I can't wait to find out!

Then in December, we get Damien Chazelle's follow-up to the Oscar-winning Whiplash, La La Land. It's gotten nothing but rave reviews coming out of the film festival circuit of Venice, Telluride, and Toronto, and it's looking like an early Oscars frontrunner as the race starts to heat up. I already mentioned the history of Best Picture winning musicals(10 in total), so it wouldn't surprise me if La La Land joins those ranks. We already know that Oscars voters love Chazelle's work(Whiplash won 3 Oscars). Now, I didn't love Whiplash as much as those Oscars voters and many others, but I definitely recognized Chazelle's potential in what was a very enjoyable film. From everything I've seen and read about La La Land so far, I absolutely can't wait to see it as well!

In Moana and La La Land, we have 2 very different genres within the musical genre: Animation/Family and Romantic Drama. With Sing Street we got Coming-of-Age. Do you like High School movies? There's Hairspray and Grease, among others. Do you like Nazis? Probably not, unless you're a Trump supporter, but if you like dramas featuring Nazis then you probably enjoy The Sound of Music and Cabaret. Do you like movies about show business? Then you'd probably enjoy Funny Girl, The Band Wagon, and Singin' in the Rain. Do you like Audrey Hepburn? Who doesn't, right? Then you've probably already seen Funny Face and My Fair Lady. 

There really is something for everyone in the musical genre. Even Horror movie fans can enjoy some blood and gore in films like Sweeney Todd. Now, Sweeney Todd didn't make my list, but my Top 30 list does feature a movie with "Nightmare" in the title, plus 2 others that actually include the word "Horror" in their respective titles. Not coincidentally, that's where we're gonna start this countdown.

Before we do that, I've prepared a list of my 100 Greatest Music Moments in Movies as a perfect companion to this countdown. So just click on that link in the previous sentence before or after you read the 30 Best Movie Musicals countdown to see where I ranked most of the moments that I mention here, with video clips included. Enjoy!

30) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (dir. Jim Sharman)

Known For: An homage to classic Sci-Fi/Horror films. The cult following. The midnight screenings. Riff Raff. Rocky Horror. Tim Curry in drag in his first feature film role. One of Susan Sarandon's earliest roles.

Best Music Moments: "Science Fiction/Double Feature" , "Time Warp" , "Dammit Janet" , "Sweet Transvestite" , "Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me"

29) Sing Street (2016) (dir. John Carney)

Known For: Writer/director John Carney's 3rd musical. Being one of my Favorite Movies of 2016 So Far. The mid 80s Dublin setting, complete with wardrobe and music of the era. The brotherly love storyline. The anti-establishment/religion theme. The coming-of-age love story. "Happy-Sad"

Best Music Moments: "Up" , "Drive it Like You Stole It" , "Brown Shoes" , "Go Now" , "Beautiful Sea"

28) Cabaret (1972) (dir. Bob Fosse)

Known For: Liza! Who won the Oscar her mother(Judy Garland) never got(more on that later) for playing Ms. Sally Bowles. Fosse! Who I love(more from him coming up), but who definitely didn't deserve to win Best Director ahead of Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather. Grey! Who's great as the Master of Ceremonies, but who definitely didn't deserve to win Best Supporting Actor ahead of James Caan in The Godfather, or Robert Duvall in The Godfather, or Al Pacino in The Godfather, who should've won Best Actor that year but was erroneously nominated in the Supporting category. In all, Cabaret won 8 Oscars that year, 5 more than The Godfather got. Cabaret is still good, it's just not The Godfather, is all I'm trying to say.

Best Music Moments: "Wilkommen" , "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" , "Maybe This Time" , "Money, Money" , "Mein Herr" , "Cabaret"

27) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) (dir. Henry Selick)

Known For: Everyone thinking Tim Burton directed it(He co-wrote and co-produced it from his original idea). Everyone forgetting this is a Disney movie. Oscar nominated for Best Visual Effects. Golden Globe nominated for Best Original Score. The only movie I know that's perfect to watch on Halloween and Christmas. The cult following. Jack Skellington. Jack Skellington T-Shirts. He's basically the Bob Marley/Che Guevara of the emo/goth crowd.
Best Music Moments: "This is Halloween" , "Jack's Lament" , "What's This?" , "Jack's Obsession" , "Oogie Boogie's Song"

26) Funny Girl (1968) (dir. William Wyler)

Known For: Barbra's Oscar win(tied with Katharine Hepburn), coming in her feature film debut. "Hello, Gorgeous". Best Picture nominee. Based on the real life story of Fanny Brice. The upside down "funny girl" on the poster.

Best Music Moments: "Don't Rain on My Parade" , "If a Girl Isn't Pretty" , "I'm the Greatest Star" , "His Love Makes Me Beautiful" , "People" , "Funny Girl"

25) The Band Wagon (1953) (dir. Vincente Minnelli)

Known For: Fred Astaire dancing with Cyd Charisse. The great behind the scenes look at theater life. "That's Entertainment!". Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Best Music Moments: "By Myself" , "A Shine on Your Shoes" , "That's Entertainment" , "Dancing in the Dark" , "You and the Night and the Music" , "The Girl Hunt"

24) Little Shop of Horrors (1986) (dir. Frank Oz)

Known For: Non-Disney Ashman & Menken collaboration adapted from their off-Broadway stage play. The greek chorus. Audrey II, the big green thing on the poster. Oscar nominee for Best Visual Effects because of Audrey II. Levi Stubbs's great voice work as Audrey II. Speaking of voices, Ellen Greene's peculiar voice as Audrey. Cameos from: Christopher Guest, Jim Belushi, Frank Oz, John Candy, Steve Martin, and Bill Murray.

Best Music Moments: "Prologue(Little Shop of Horrors)" , "Skid Row(Downtown)" , "Da-Doo" , "Somewhere That's Green" , "Feed Me(Git it)" , "Suddenly, Seymour" , "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space"

23) Funny Face (1957) (dir. Stanley Donen)

Known For: Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire, need I say more? The Oscar nominated costume design by the legendary Edith Head. Audrey Hepburn's now iconic crazy dance in her all black attire. The "frumpy to fabulous" storyline, as seen in Hepburn's other famous musical, My Fair Lady. The Paris setting. 

Best Music Moments: "Think Pink!" , "Funny Face" , "Bonjour, Paris" , "'S Wonderful" , "How Long Has This Been Going On?" , "On How To Be Lovely" , "Clap Yo' Hands"

22) A Goofy Movie (1995) (dir. Kevin Lima)

Known For: Being the most underrated movie in the Disney Animation canon. The movie where Goofy has a teenage son. Being a very solid High School movie, Coming-of-Age movie, Father & Son movie, and Road Trip movie, not to mention a very solid musical. "Powerline", the James Brown/Michael Jackson/Prince video in animated character form.

Best Music Moments: "After Today" , "Stand Out" , "On the Open Road" , "Nobody Else But You" , "I 2 I"

21) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) (dir. Mel Stuart)

Known For: Gene Wilder's(RIP) iconic performance as Willy Wonka. Entering the chocolate factory. The Oompa-Loompas. Roald Dahl adapting his own classic book, becoming a classic children's film in the process. The totally unnecessary and inferior Tim Burton/Johnny Depp remake. "You get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir!".

Best Music Moments: "Pure Imagination" , "(I've Got a) Golden Ticket", "Oompa-Loompa-Doompa-De-Do" , "Cheer Up, Charlie" , "The Candy Man" , "I Want it Now!" , "Wondrous Boat Ride"

20) My Fair Lady (1964) (dir. George Cukor)

Known For: Adaptation of the classic Broadway musical. Won 8 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, out of a total 12 nominations, but no nomination for Audrey Hepburn. "Move your bloomin' arse!". Most of Audrey Hepburn's singing being dubbed by Marni Nixon. 

Best Music Moments: "Wouldn't it Be Loverly" , "With a Little Bit of Luck" , "Just You Wait" , "The Rain in Spain" , "I Could've Danced All Night" , "Get Me To The Church On Time"

19) Once (2007) (dir. John Carney)

Known For: John Carney's first feature film. The unnamed protagonists, played by real life musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. The "not-so-happy" happy ending. Oscar winner for Best Original Song. The extremely low production budget. The film's success led to a Broadway adaptation.

Best Music Moments: "Falling Slowly" , "When Your Mind's Made Up" , "Say it To Me Now" , "If You Want Me" , "Lies"

18) South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999) (dir. Trey Parker)

Known For: Trey Parker and Matt Stone's adaptation of their animated television series. Getting around the censors to keep an R rating. A lot of f-words. The double entendre they managed to get past the censors in the title. War against Canada. Satan and Saddam Hussein, when he was still alive, in a same sex relationship in hell. Oscar nominee for Best Original Song.

Best Music Moments: "Blame Canada" , "Kyle's Mom's a Bitch" , "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" , "Mountain Town" , "Uncle Fucka" , "Up There" , "La Resistance"

17) Hairspray (2007) (dir. Adam Shankman)

Known For: Remake of the 1988 original. The outstanding ensemble cast, which was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble Cast award, and actually won that same award from the Broadcast Film Critics. John Travolta as Edna Turnblad. The racial equality storyline. 

Best Music Moments: "You Can't Stop the Beat" , "Good Morning, Baltimore" , "Welcome to the 60s" , "Run and Tell That", "Ladies' Choice" , "The Nicest Kids in Town" , "Without Love"

16) Aladdin (1992) (dir. Ron Clements and John Musker)

Known For: Robin Williams's iconic Genie, for which he was recognized with a special Golden Globe award. Robin Williams, for better or worse, starting the trend of having A-Listers do voice over work in animated movies. Winner of 2 Academy Awards for Best Original Song("A Whole New World") and Best Original Score. Contains Howard Ashman's last completed songs which include "Arabian Nights", "Prince Ali", and "Friend Like Me". 

Best Music Moments: "Arabian Nights" , "Friend Like Me" , "One Jump Ahead" , "A Whole New World" , "Prince Ali"

15) An American in Paris (1951) (dir. Vincente Minnelli)

Known For: Winner of 6 Oscars, including Best Picture. Gene Kelly dancing, and also directing some scenes. The 17 minute ballet that closes the film, inspired by the ballet in The Red Shoes. Leslie Caron's first film role.

Best Music Moments: "Our Love is Here To Stay" , "By Strauss" , "I Got Rhythm" , "'S Wonderful", "Tra-La-La(This Time It's Really Love)"

14) The Little Mermaid (1989) (dir. Ron Clements and John Musker)

Known For: Kickstarting the Disney Animation renaissance that produced a string of All-Time classics in the genre. Bringing in Howard Ashman and Alan Menken who realized that musical theater and animation were a perfect mix. Ariel representing a new brand of strong-willed and independent Disney princesses. Sebastian, the Jamaican conductor crab, who's also aide to King Triton. The villain Ursula, famously based on drag performer Divine. Winner of 2 Oscars for Best Original Song("Under the Sea") and Best Original Score.

Best Music Moments: "Under the Sea" , "Part of Your World" , "Kiss the Girl" , "Poor Unfortunate Souls"

13) La La Land (2016) (dir. Damien Chazelle)

Known For: Winning, and then losing, Best Picture in the biggest Oscars screw-up ever. Aside from that, winning 6 Oscars, including Best Director for Damien Chazelle, making him the youngest winner ever in that category at the Academy Awards. Being a modern tribute to the classic musicals from Hollywood's Golden Age. The show(and traffic)stopping opening number. That guy jumping into the pool in the "Someone in the Crowd" party scene. The Astaire/Rogers homage at magic hour(as seen on the poster above). The planetarium dance amongst the stars. The "It's a Wonderful Life"-style ending, but in reverse, where "Mia"(Emma Stone) and "Sebastian"(Ryan Gosling) experience what their relationship could've been like if they had done everything right in real life.

Best Music Moments: "Another Day of Sun" , "Someone in the Crowd" , "A Lovely Night" , "City of Stars" , "Audition(The Fools Who Dream)"

12) Frozen (2013) (dir. Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee)

Known For: Being the biggest Box Office hit in Disney's history. Won 2 Oscars for Best Original Song("Let it Go") and Best Animated Feature, Walt Disney Animation's first win in the category since it was created in 2001. The sisterly love storyline between Anna and Elsa. The Ice Palace. Olaf, the talking snowman who loves summer.

Best Music Moments: "Let it Go" , Do You Want To Build a Snowman?" , "For the First Time in Forever" , "In Summer" , "Fixer Upper"

11) Chicago (2002) (dir. Rob Marshall)

Known For: Won 6 Oscars, including Best Picture, out of 13 total nominations. Screen adaptation of the broadway musical created by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb. Great ensemble cast, with 4 actors, Renee Zellweger, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah, and Catherine Zeta-Jones(who won), receiving Oscar nominations. 

Best Music Moments: "All That Jazz" , "Cell Block Tango" , "Funny Honey" , "We Both Reached For the Gun" , "Roxie" , "Mr. Cellophane" , "Razzle Dazzle"

10) The Sound of Music (1965) (dir. Robert Wise)

Known For: Won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Julie Andrews as Maria. The Von Trapp Family Singers. Nazis. "The Hills Are Alive". "Do Re Mi" teaching kids to sing since 1965.

Best Music Moments: "The Sound of Music" , "Do Re Mi" , "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" , "Edelweiss" , "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" , "So Long, Farewell" , "Maria" , "My Favorite Things"

9) Grease (1978) (Randal Kleiser)

Known For: Screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. The T-Birds. The Pink Ladies. Oscar nominee for Best Original Song("Hopelessly Devoted To You"). The dance contest. Zuko, Rizzo, Sandy, Kenickie, Frenchy, all played by actors in their late 20s/early 30s. The highest grossing movie at the Box Office in 1978.

Best Music Moments: "Grease" , "Summer Nights" , "Hopelessly Devoted To You" , "Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee" , "Beauty School Drop Out" , "Greased Lightning" , "You're The One That I Want"

8) All That Jazz (1979) (dir. Bob Fosse)

Known For: Received 9 total Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, winning 4 for Best Editing, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Song Score. Roy Scheider's excellent performance as Joe Gideon, who's basically Fosse but with a different name. Jessica Lange as "Angelique". "It's Showtime". One of many films inspired by Fellini's 8 1/2. One of the best movies about death. One of the best movies about Broadway. 

Best Music Moments: "On Broadway" , "Take Off With Us" , "Bye Bye Life" , "After You've Gone" , "You Better Change Your Ways" , "Who's Sorry Now?" , "Some of These Days"

7) Moulin Rouge! (2001) (dir. Baz Luhrmann)

Known For: Nominated for 8 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress, winning 2 for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration and Best Costume Design. Breathed new life into the musical genre after it had been almost dormant for the previous 20 years. The eclectic mix of pop music covers, without which Glee never exists. The dizzying atmosphere created by Luhrmann inside and outside the Moulin Rouge. Nicole Kidman's excellent performance as Satine. Ewan McGregor singing "Your Song"(Me and my wife's wedding song because of this performance).

Best Music Moments: "Your Song" , "Elephant Love Medley" , "Come What May" , "Sparkling Diamonds" , "One Day I'll Fly Away" , "Roxanne" , "The Show Must Go On"

6) West Side Story (1961) (dir. Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise)

Known For: Won 10 Oscars, out of 11 total nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director(One of only two films ever to win the award for a directing duo). The choreography. The Jets. The Sharks. The Romeo and Juliet retelling. The rumble. Rita Moreno's Oscar winning performance as Anita. Natalie Wood's singing dubbed by Marnie Nixon. 

Best Music Moments: "Jet Song" , "Maria" , "I Feel Pretty" , "America" , "Tonight" , "Somewhere" , "Cool" , "A Boy Like That"

5) Top Hat (1935) (dir. Mark Sandrich)

Known For: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, in their 4th movie together. Nominated for 4 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Original Song("Cheek to Cheek"). The classic mistaken identity storyline. "You see, every once in a while, I suddenly find myself ... dancing".

Best Music Moments: "No Strings(I'm Fancy Free)" , "Isn't This a Lovely Day(To Be Caught in the Rain)" , "Cheek to Cheek" , "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails" , "The Piccolino"

4) Beauty and the Beast (1991) (dir. Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise)

Known For: The first animated feature ever nominated for Best Picture. Won 2 Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song("Beauty and the Beast"). Jerry Orbach as Lumiere. Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts. Belle, who's never actually a princess at any point during the movie. The Beast, with great voice work by Robby Benson. The Ballroom dance scene. The opening scene.

Best Music Moments: "Belle" , "Be Our Guest" , "Gaston" , "Something There" , "Beauty and the Beast" , "The Mob Song"

3) The Wizard of Oz (1939) (dir. Victor Fleming)

Known For: Probably the most iconic children's movie of all time. The Tin Man. The Scarecrow. The Cowardly Lion. The Wicked Witch of the West. Judy Garland as Dorothy. The Ruby Slippers. The twister. "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore". "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too". Munchkinland. Emerald City. Glinda the Good Witch. The Great and Powerful Oz. "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtains". Flying Monkeys. "There's no place like home".Nominated for 6 Oscars, including Best Picture, winning 2 for Best Original Score and Best Original Song("Over the Rainbow").

Best Music Moments: "Over the Rainbow" , "Munchkinland Medley" , "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" , "If I Only Had A Brain" , "We're Off To See The Wizard" , "The Merry Old Land of Oz"

2) The Lion King (1994) (dir. Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff)

Known For: The moment the Disney renaissance hit its peak. Won 2 Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song("Can You Feel the Love Tonight?"). Also nominated for "Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata". This was my favorite Disney soundtrack when I was a kid. James Earl Jones as Mufasa is in the running for greatest movie dad ever. Mufasa's death scene is one of the saddest scenes in film history for me. Jeremy Irons as Scar is one of the greatest movie villains ever. Matthew Broderick as Simba. Nathan Lane as Timon. The "Circle of Life" scene is one of the greatest opening scenes in a movie ever. In conclusion, this is one of the greatest movies I've ever seen.

Best Music Moments: "Circle of Life" , "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" , "Be Prepared" , "Hakuna Matata" , "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?"

1) Singin' in the Rain (1952) (dir. Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly)

Known For: Gene Kelly, again. Gene Kelly singing and dancing in the rain, in what is my favorite movie scene of all time. My ultimate feel good movie. I love the behind the scenes look at Hollywood during the transition from silent pictures to talkies. I love Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Selden. I love Donald O'Connor and his rubber face as Cosmo Brown. I love Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont("And I can't stand 'im"), the only one of the main cast to receive an Oscar nomination. In fact, the film, widely regarded as the greatest musical ever made(I'm with the consensus on this one), only received 2 Oscar nominations. 

Best Music Moments: "Fit as a Fiddle" , "All I Do Is Dream of You" , "Make 'em Laugh" , "You Were Meant For Me" , "Moses Supposes" , "Good Morning" , "Singin' in the Rain", "You Are My Lucky Star"

100 Greatest Music Moments in Movies

Welcome! I'll make this brief. There was only one criteria I used for this list. For a moment to qualify, the song had to include lyrics. So you won't be seeing any pieces of classical music on this list(Sorry '2001' fans) or many of your favorite movie scores either(Sorry John Williams fans). I'll leave those for another list. But don't worry, you'll still get to see many of your favorite movie moments here because, let's face it, nothing mixes together better than music and movies. Let's get started, shall we?

100) "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" 

- as seen and heard in Monty Python's Life of Brian

99) "Come and Get Your Love"

- as seen and heard in Guardians of the Galaxy

98) "Scotty Doesn't Know"

- as seen and heard in Eurotrip

97) "Vienna"

- as seen and heard in 13 Going on 30

96) "Another Day of Sun"
- as seen and heard in La La Land

95) "Colorblind"
- as seen and heard in Cruel Intentions

94) "Dreams (cover)"
- as seen and heard in Chungking Express

93) "Run Around Sue"
- as seen and heard in Little Big League

92) "Tom Sawyer"

- as seen and heard in I Love You, Man

91) "Roll Jordan Roll"

- as seen and heard in 12 Years a Slave

90) "Puttin' on the Ritz"

- as seen and heard in Young Frankenstein

89) "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go"

- as seen and heard in Zoolander

88) "Kyle's Mom's a Bitch"

- as seen and heard in South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut

87) "Tomorrow Belongs to Me"

- as seen and heard in Cabaret

86) "Audition(The Fools Who Dream)"
- as seen and heard in La La Land

85) "Up"
- as seen and heard in Sing Street

84) "That Thing You Do"
- as seen and heard in That Thing You Do

83) "Danger Zone"
- as seen and heard in Top Gun

82) "Eye to Eye (I 2 I)"

- as seen and heard in A Goofy Movie

81) "You Never Can Tell"

- as seen and heard in Pulp Fiction

80) "Holiday Road"
- as seen and heard in Vacation

79) "You Make My Dreams Come True"

- as seen and heard in (500) Days of Summer

78) "Do You Want To Build a Snowman?"

- as seen and heard in Frozen

77) "The Faithful Hussar"
- as seen and heard in Paths of Glory

76) "Pocketful of Sunshine"
- as seen and heard in Easy A

75) "Modern Love"
- as seen and heard in Frances Ha

74) "Stuck in the Middle With You"
- as seen and heard in Reservoir Dogs

73) "Teacher's Pet"
- as seen and heard in School of Rock

72) "Le Festin"
- as seen and heard in Ratatouille

71) "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"
- as seen and heard in 10 Things I Hate About You

70) "Come Here"
- as seen and heard in Before Sunrise

69) "Johnny B Goode"
- as seen and heard in Back to the Future

68) "Accidentally in Love"
- as seen and heard in Shrek 2

67) "Raindrops Keep Fallin on My Head"
- as seen and heard in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

66) "Shout"
- as seen and heard in Animal House

65) "Falling Slowly"
- as seen and heard in Once

64) "Hip To Be Square"
- as seen and heard in American Psycho

63) "Wild Thing"
- as seen and heard in Major League

62) "When She Loved Me"
- as seen and heard in Toy Story 2

61) "Airotica"
- as seen and heard in All That Jazz

60) "What a Difference a Day Makes"
- as seen and heard in Chungking Express

59) "You Can't Stop the Beat"
- as seen and heard in Hairspray

58) "Blame Canada"
- as seen and heard in South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut

57) "Gonna Fly Now"
- as seen and heard in Rocky

56) "Ghostbusters"
- as seen and heard in Ghostbusters

55) "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon"
- as seen and heard in Pulp Fiction

54) "The Power of Love"
- as seen and heard in Back to the Future

53) "Danke Schoen / Twist & Shout"
- as seen and heard in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

52) "Under the Sea"
- as seen and heard in The Little Mermaid

51) "Plastic Jesus"
- as seen and heard in Cool Hand Luke

50) "We'll Meet Again"
- as seen and heard in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

49) "The Time of My Life"
- as seen and heard in Dirty Dancing

48) "Be Our Guest"
- as seen and heard in Beauty and the Beast

47) "Make 'Em Laugh"
- as seen and heard in Singin' in the Rain

46) "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?"
- as seen and heard in The Lion King

45) "Secret Garden"
- as seen and heard in Jerry Maguire

44) "How Deep is Your Love?"
- as seen and heard in Saturday Night Fever

43) "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
- as seen and heard in The Breakfast Club

42) "Follow the Yellow Brick Road / You're Off to See The Wizard"
- as seen and heard in The Wizard of Oz

41) "The Sound of Music"
- as seen and heard in The Sound of Music

40) "Cell Block Tango"
- as seen and heard in Chicago

39) "Pure Imagination"
- as seen and heard in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

38) "Let it Go"
- as seen and heard in Frozen

37) "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails"
- as seen and heard in Top Hat

36) "Friend Like Me"
- as seen and heard in Aladdin

35) "A Waltz For a Night"
- as seen and heard in Before Sunset

34) "Don't Rain on My Parade"
- as seen and heard in Funny Girl

33) "Bye Bye Life"
- as seen and heard in All That Jazz

32) "Kiss the Girl"
- as seen and heard in The Little Mermaid

31) "America"
- as seen and heard in West Side Story

30) "You're the One That I Want"
- as seen and heard in Grease

29) "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"
- as seen and heard in Mary Poppins

28) "Belle"
- as seen and heard in Beauty and the Beast

27) "Good Morning"
- as seen and heard in Singin' in the Rain

26) "Hakuna Matata"
- as sen and heard in The Lion King

25) "Elephant Love Medley"
- as seen and heard in Moulin Rouge!

24) "I Could Have Danced All Night"
- as seen and heard in My Fair Lady

23) "Mrs. Robinson"
- as seen and heard in The Graduate

22) "You've Got a Friend in Me"
- as seen and heard in Toy Story

21) "Do Re Mi"
- as seen and heard in The Sound of Music

20) "All That Jazz"
- as seen and heard in Chicago

19) "You Should Be Dancing"
- as seen and heard in Saturday Night Fever

18) "Beauty and the Beast"
- as seen and heard in Beauty and the Beast

17) "Cheek to Cheek"
- as seen and heard in Top Hat

16) "Circle of Life"
- as seen and heard in The Lion King

15) "Tiny Dancer"
- as seen and heard in Almost Famous

14) "I Wanna Be Loved By You"
- as seen and heard in Some Like it Hot

13) "The Sound of Silence"
- as seen and heard in The Graduate

12) "A Whole New World"
- as seen and heard in Aladdin

11) "Tonight"
- as seen and heard in West Side Story

10) "Summer Nights"
- as seen and heard in Grease

9) "Stayin Alive"
- as seen and heard in Saturday Night Fever

8) "When You Wish Upon a Star"
- as seen and heard in Pinocchio

7) "Isn't This a Lovely Day (To Be Caught in the Rain)"
- as seen and heard in Top Hat

6) "Part of Your World"
- as seen and heard in The Little Mermaid

5) "Your Song"
- as seen and heard in Moulin Rouge!

4) "As Time Goes By"
- as seen and heard in Casablanca

3) "Moon River"
- as seen and heard in Breakfast at Tiffany's

2) "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
- as seen and heard in The Wizard of Oz

1) "Singin' in the Rain"
- as seen and heard in Singin' in the Rain

Best of 2016 (So Far)

It's that time of year again. The countdown to Oscars sunday begins this week with the Venice Film Festival, and kicks into full gear next week with the Toronto International Film Festival. Before that, let's recap the movies that have already premiered in 2016. Like I said last year, I can only write about the movies I've seen, so my apologies to fans of The Nice Guys, War Dogs, Hail! Caesar, Triple 9, Miles Ahead, Maggie's Plan, The Witch, Pete's Dragon, and others. There's only so many movies I can watch, but I'll try my best to watch these well-reviewed movies, and others like them, before the year's up. I've seen 26 movies that premiered in 2016 up to this point, and I'm not counting one that premiered in May in the states. In february, I ranked The Lobster as my #1 movie of 2015, and because of that I'm not including it in this recap. But if it qualifies for this year's Oscars, I might write about it again in my year-end lists. Let's see if any of the films premiering in Venice and Toronto in the next two weeks can knock it out of the top spot.

Enough about what's not in this recap. Let's get to it, shall we? In the first two editions of this mid-year recap, I've cut my year-end lists in half, doing a Top 5 Movies list instead of a Top 10, and 4 Top 4 Lists instead of 8 Top 8 Lists. I'm sticking to a Top 5 Movies list, but this time I'm doing 8 Top 4 Lists, so it's still kind of like cutting them in half. What can I say? I love writing about movies. I'm doing 7 positive lists, including Best Performances, Best Quotes, Funniest Moments, Best Reference to Another Movie, Best Death Scenes, Best Music Moments, Best Sidekicks, and one negative list about one movie in particular. It's been a while since I've gone negative, but I want to pile on to the hate on this movie. Before I get to that, let's get started with the Top 5 Movies of 2016 (So Far).

*WARNING : SPOILERS*

Top 5 Movies of 2016 (So Far)

5) (Tie) Star Trek Beyond and Captain America: Civil War

Two Part 3s in a trilogy, or part 13s of their respective franchise history (MCU in Civil War's case). What are the odds, right? These were, by far, the best Summer Blockbusters of a not-so-great Summer Blockbuster season for me. They might not make my year-end Top 10, and neither one is a strong Oscars contender like Mad Max was at this spot last year(Star Trek should get strong consideration for Best Makeup), but they absolutely delivered on the main thing I look for in these movies: Fun! They packed a lot of action, drama, excitement, mixed it with some great humor, and both have excellent ensemble casts that I'll never get tired of. That's why we go to the movies folks!

4) Bad Moms

The funniest movie of the year so far for me, and also the year's most pleasant surprise. I really had no intentions of watching this movie up until like a day before I saw it. I was simply not paying attention. It's written by the male duo who wrote The Hangover(the original and funny one), and it includes a cast of excellent comedic talents such as Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hann(who steals every scene as usual), and the legendary Christina Applegate as the baddest of bad moms. If you're a parent of school-aged children, like me, this one's a must watch! We all know those moms that are portrayed in this movie: the "judgy" mom, the "stay-at-home" mom, the "single" mom, the "full-time job" mom, and trust me, you will laugh your you-know-what off laughing with them, or at them, in this movie.

3) Zootopia

I've seen way too many animated movies this year(gotta please the kids, you know?), but Zootopia works for them and for me too. I have one other animated movie ranked ahead of it, but that's no knock on this one. It should easily get an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, and it will receive consideration for an Original Screenplay nomination as well. It's a Disney Film-Noir that uses an animals-in-clothing metaphor to represent the racial and immigration tension present in our society today. The whole Trump crazy-show started when this movie was already in post-production, so the timing on this one turned out to be absolutely perfect. If by some evil-twilight zone twist of the universe that man becomes president, and my oldest son asks me: "Dad, why is this man president?", I'll say: "Sit down son, let's watch Zootopia."

2) Sing Street

John Carney does it again! With his musical movies, Carney has direct access to the happy place inside my brain, and Sing Street may be his best film yet. His movies(Once, Begin Again) are pure magic, and this one is no different. It's a beautiful coming-of-age story, that's also a love story, and a great meditation on brotherly love, set in 1980's Dublin, with catchy original songs mixed with popular rock hits of the era. It's gonna be a strong year in the Best Original Song category with Moana(Lin-Manuel going for the EGOT) and La La Land(Venice opener from the director of Whiplash) coming up, but "Up" from this film absolutely belongs in the group of nominees, and from what's come out so far, it's currently the frontrunner.

1) Kubo and the Two Strings

Speaking of movie magic, this one's an instant animation classic! It features the most beautiful cinematography in any 2016 film I've seen so far. It's animation as if it were filmed by 3-time Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki. It's full of awe-inspiring shots one after the other from the opening scene to the last. Add to that a great story about the influence of past generations on our children, and vice versa, and a quest for the main character that includes funny talking animal sidekicks plus some awesome fight scenes that pay tribute to classic asian cinema, and you get a film that had me tearing up at the end(the only time that's happened so far this year) from the sheer brilliance that I had just experienced.

8 Top 4 Lists

I Best Performances (So Far)

4) Ginnifer Goodwin as "Judy Hopps" in Zootopia

    -The perfect amount of perkyness, like in her "Ready to make the world a better place?" delivery, balanced excellently in her more emotional scenes, like when "Judy" apologizes to Nick.

3) Taron Egerton as "Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards" in Eddie the Eagle

    -Another solid lead performance for this future A-Lister

2) John Goodman as "Howard" in 10 Cloverfield Lane

    -Here's hoping this terrific performance(as usual) finally lands Goodman his first Oscar nomination.

1) Ben Foster as "Lance Armstrong" in The Program

    -Foster keeps racking up great performance after great performance, but still goes mostly unnoticed by the general moviegoing audience. An Oscar nomination would help increase his profile, and he absolutely deserves one for this method transformation into the controversial cyclist.

II Best Quotes (So Far)

4) "... Because I'm Lance Armstrong and he is fucking no one. I like this. I like somebody trying to go faster than me. I like malignant cells trying to take over my body. I like some fool trying to take me down. Because I go faster. I don't die and I will not be brought down."

    - The essence of Lance Armstrong(Ben Foster), which eventually turned him into a disgraced figure in American sports history, as seen in The Program

3) "You are my quest."

    - "Beetle"(Matthew McConaughey) to "Monkey"(Charlize Theron) in Kubo and the Two Strings. There's added meaning to that line that I will leave for you to discover when you see this movie, which you absolutely must do!

2) "I know what it is."

    "What what is?"

    "My 'desert-island' band."

    "Tell somebody who gives a shit."

    - Anton Yelchin's(RIP) "Pat" tries to make conversation with Imogen Poots's "Amber" after a very, very long night, but "Amber" isn't having any of it in the final scene of the very scary Green Room

1) "What does happy-sad even mean? How can we be both things? It makes no sense."

    "It means that I'm stuck in this shithole full of morons and rapists and bullies, and I'm gonna deal with it, okay? It's just how life is. I'm gonna try and accept this and get on with it, and make some art."

    "So how does that affect our music?"

    "Positively."

    - "Conor"(Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) teaching his songwriting partner "Darren"(Ben Carolan) about what he's learned about being happy-sad from his girlfriend "Raphina", and how that benefits their music.

III Funniest Moments (So Far)

4) "Deadshot"(Will Smith) helps his daughter with her geometry homework using his particular talents as an example in Suicide Squad

3) Trip to the DMV in Zootopia

2) "Spones", that's the whole segment where "Spock"(Zachary Quinto) and "Bones"(Karl Urban) are stuck together in Star Trek Beyond

1) Bathroom scene in Bad Moms, explaining what to do if you find a 'gun on the street'. Super funny, and super informative, plus the 3 ladies in this scene are fantastic.

IV Best Reference to Another Movie

4) Deadpool. 

    - Pretty much the whole movie is one giant movie reference. In particular, the Ferris Bueller credits reference was the best.

3) Cool Runnings reference in Eddie the Eagle. 

    - Turns out these two inspiring stories happened in the same Winter Olympics, and in a quick moment, Eddie's coach "Bronson Peary"(Hugh Jackman) shuts off the radio just as a report on the Jamaican bobsled team is starting.

2) Saving Private Ryan reference in Sausage Party. 

    - When some food falls from a supermarket shopping cart, to the humans it's a small mess, but to the food it's like D-Day in Normandy beach.

1) Empire Strikes Back reference in Captain America: Civil War. 

    - In the middle of the full-on battle at the airport, a suddenly giant Ant-Man causes trouble for team Iron-Man. That's when the newest team member, Spider-Man, says: "Hey guys, you ever see that really old movie, Empire Strikes Back?"

V Best Death Scenes

4) "Shere Khan"(Idris Elba) kills "Akela"(Giancarlo Esposito) in The Jungle Book
    - An intense scene from this surprisingly good Disney live-action remake. Idris Elba, or Idris Elba's voice(Star Trek Beyond, Zootopia, Finding Dory), is the easy choice for 2016 1st half MVP.

3) "Magneto's"(Michael Fassbender) family is killed in X-Men: Apocalypse
    - The best scene by far from this disappointing 3rd chapter in the trilogy.

2) "Howard"(John Goodman) kills "Emmett"(John Gallagher Jr.) in 10 Cloverfield Lane
    - A great moment that took me completely by surprise. You think that "Howard" is just trying to scare "Emmett" and "Michelle"(Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and then, Bam!

1) "He killed my mom" scene in Captain America: Civil War. 
    - No spoiling this one. Someone kills someone else's mom and dramatic consequences ensue.

VI Best Music Moments

4) "Rapper's Delight" in Everybody Wants Some

    - Linklater working his magic.

3) "Sabotage" in Star Trek Beyond

    - The most fun I've had in theaters this year. I was toe tapping along with "Sulu" and "Checkov".

2) "I love it" in Bad Moms

    - 2nd most fun I've had in theaters this year. Watching Kathryn Hann entering the supermarket on the old lady cart I think is the hardest I've laughed all year.

1) Sing Street.

    - All of it. In particular "Up" (my favorite movie moment of the year so far) and "Drive it like you stole it".

VII Best Sidekicks

4) "Beetle" and "Monkey" in Kubo and the Two Strings

    - Funny duo who also help "Kubo" in his quest to defeat the "Moon King"

3) "Carla"(Kathryn Hann) and "Kiki"(Kristen Bell) in Bad Moms

    - The "single" mom and the "stay-at-home" mom, respectively, who help "Amy"(Mila Kunis) run for PTA president.

2) "Nick Wilde"(Jason Bateman) in Zootopia

    - Bateman is perfectly cast as the 'sly fox', which I think describes about 80% of the characters he's ever played. "Nick" is ever-skeptical, but once you learn why that is, there's no way you won't fall in love with him.

1) "Brendan"(Jack Reynor) in Sing Street

    - The best character in any John Carney movie so far, in part because of the excellent performance from Reynor, but mostly because of how Carney wrote the character. He's basically the big brother that everyone wishes they had. My two brothers are all right too, I guess.

VIII Worst things about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

4) That title. 

    - Ugh. If your superhero battle movie makes me think of a legal case, I don't think that's a good thing.

3) Whatever Jesse Eisenberg was trying with Lex Luthor

    - Seriously, what was that? Every choice was wrong.

2) Bruce Wayne meets Clark Kent

    - Why would these two ever need to be introduced to each other? Why is Clark Kent even at that party? How in the hell does Clark Kent, aka Superman, you know? not know who Bruce Wayne is? Why is Lex Luthor so excited for Bruce Wayne to meet this nobody reporter? Why can't anyone tell that Clark Kent is Superman? Does he do the Professor X thing where he gets other people to see what he wants them to see? I feel like the Riddler in Batman Forever : "So many questions."

1) Say it with me: "MARTHA!!!"

    - You know those funny scenes I mentioned from other movies before? Scratch that. Watching this scene is the hardest I've laughed in 2016.

    

The Movie Porti Hall of Fame - Class of 2010

Another MLB Hall of Fame induction ceremony is taking place today in Cooperstown, New York, and for the 3rd year now, I am doing my very own Hall of Fame induction ceremony. I use the same eligibility rules that Major League Baseball uses to determine its Hall-of-Famers: a 5 year waiting period after a player retires, which would make the movies of 2010 1st year eligibles after a waiting period from 2011 to 2015, and a minimum of 75% of votes received from all ballots cast(in my case imaginary ballots). This year, there is a clear cut, Home Run Inductee for both the MLB Hall of Fame, and the Movie Porti Hall of Fame. Both of these entries were a core part of my childhood in the 90s, and in 2010 they both gave their heartfelt, tearful goodbyes(one of them is coming back, but whatever). Ken Griffey Jr. enters Cooperstown today with the highest percentage of votes ever received for an inductee at 99%, and Toy Story 3 enters the Movie Porti Hall of Fame with the highest percentage of my imaginary votes received since I started this blog.

The second inductee today in Cooperstown is Mike Piazza, entering the MLB Hall of Fame in his 4th year of eligibility with 83% of the vote. Now, last year I wrote that I don't get how a player goes from non-Hall-of-Famer to Hall of Famer without playing a single game, but in Piazza's case(who just happens to be the greatest hitting catcher of all time), I believe he should've been rightfully enshrined in his 1st year of eligibility, and his induction today corrects that mistake. Speaking of correcting Hall of Fame mistakes, the first year I did my Hall of Fame was for the movie class of 2008. There was one movie in particular from that year that I hadn't gotten to see when I wrote that blog in 2014. I finally got to see that movie last year during the fall(too late for last year's Hall of Fame blog) and it became an instant classic for me. Since then, I've watched it 2 more times and it has only solidified its position as a Home Run Inductee to the Movie Porti Hall of Fame. So with that being said, Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York (from 2008) is the 2nd inductee today to the Movie Porti Hall of Fame. But don't get used to this type of correction, since every year that goes by I only watch more and more movies so that I can be amazed by the ones that will become "Hall of Famers" in the year they were released.

I know that there are different tastes for every movie lover out there, and that many of those movie lovers would disagree with my choice of Toy Story 3 as the best movie of 2010 and as a "Hall of Fame" movie, so I've prepared a quick Recap of the Movie Class of 2010 to refresh your memory on a movie year that was particularly strong at the top, which made for some very difficult omissions from the inductee list, with beloved movies like The Social Network, and incredible performances from Christian Bale in The Fighter and Natalie Portman in Black Swan (both Oscar winners) not receiving enough of my imaginary votes. So let's get on with the recap, shall we?

Recap

My Top 5 Movies of 2010

1. Toy Story 3 (dir. Lee Unkrich)
2. The Fighter (dir. David O. Russell)
3. The Social Network (dir. David Fincher)
4. Inception (dir. Christopher Nolan)
5. Black Swan (dir. Darren Aronofsky)
*Note: I'm on board with the consensus of The Social Network as a near-perfect movie, but my top 2 movies just had a greater emotional impact on me than that one did. Also, Christopher Nolan was totally snubbed of a Best Director nomination in my opinion. Aronofsky and O. Russell each got their 1st career directing nomination for their work, and Fincher got his 2nd. Nolan is still waiting for his 1st career directing nomination, although at least he received 2 nominations for his work on Inception for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. In fact, all 5 of these movies were nominated for Best Picture, but none of them won(more on that later).

My Top 5 Performances of 2010
1. Christian Bale as "Dicky Ecklund" in The Fighter
2. Natalie Portman as "Nina Sayers" in Black Swan
3. Tilda Swinton as "Emma Recchi" in I Am Love
4. Jennifer Lawrence as "Ree" in Winter's Bone
5. Jesse Eisenberg as "Mark Zuckerberg" in The Social Network
*Note: Tilda Swinton was the only one from this list who wasn't nominated for an Oscar. Somehow her magnificent work keeps getting under-appreciated year after year. Her one and only Oscar nomination, and win, came about 15 Oscar worthy roles ago for her work in 2007's Michael Clayton.

Acting MVPs of 2010

Male: Michael Keaton (Toy Story 3, The Other Guys)

Female: Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass, Let Me In)

*Note: I could've gone with the Shutter Island team of Leonardo DiCaprio(also in Inception) and Michelle Williams(also in Blue Valentine), but I went with these two who absolutely stole every scene as supporting characters in their movies. Keaton started his mainstream comeback with these two roles, qualifying him as a breakout performer in 2010, and setting him on a path to receive his 1st Oscar nomination for his work in 2014's Birdman, and Moretz has never looked back after breaking out in a big way as a 13 year old in 2010. Speaking of breakout stars ...

Breakout Stars of 2010

Male: Michael Keaton(Toy Story 3, The Other Guys) , Andrew Garfield(The Social Network, Never Let Me Go) , Armie Hammer(The Social Network) , Tom Hardy(Inception) , Miles Teller(Rabbit Hole) , John Hawkes(Winter's Bone), Ben Mendelsohn(Animal Kingdom) , Aaron Johnson(Kick-Ass) , Kodi Smit-McPhee(Let Me In)

Female: Chloe Grace Moretz(Kick-Ass, Let Me In) , Jennifer Lawrence(Winter's Bone) , Emma Stone(Easy A) , Brie Larson(Greenberg, Scott Pilgrim vs The World) , Greta Gerwig(Greenberg) , Hailee Steinfeld(True Grit) , Mia Wasikowska(The Kids Are All Right, Alice in Wonderland) , Elle Fanning(Somewhere) , Rooney Mara(The Social Network) , Dakota Johnson(The Social Network) , Jacki Weaver(Animal Kingdom)

*Note: What a year for breakout stars, right?! You've got everything from older actors like Jacki Weaver(2010 Oscar nominee) and Ben Mendelsohn from the underseen gem Animal Kingdom, to younger actors making their big screen debuts like Miles Teller and Hailee Steinfeld(2010 Oscar nominee), with the whole cast of The Social Network in between. And then there's pretty much every A-Lister you know and love today, such as future Oscar nominees Tom Hardy and Emma Stone, whose "Pocketful of Sunshine" scene in Easy A is one of the best moments of 2010, and future Oscar winners Jennifer Lawrence and Brie Larson.

Most Underrated Movies of 2010

(in no particular order)

The Other Guys , I Love You Phillip Morris , Rabbit Hole , Going the Distance , Cyrus

*Note: 5 movies with great on-screen duos, some humorous and some serious. First, there's Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as mismatched cops trying to solve a case in a movie that is non-stop laughs from beginning to end, then there's Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor as a scheming con artist and his lover, then there's Nicole Kidman, in an Oscar nominated role, and Aaron Eckhart as a married couple grieving the loss of their kid, then there's Justin Long and Drew Barrymore, who dated in real life, as an onscreen couple trying to maintain a long distance relationship, and finally, there's John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill as a man who's starting a relationship with a woman but has to deal with her weird son who wants to break them up.

Most Overrated Movie of 2010

A very easy choice: Best Picture winner The King's Speech, which isn't a terrible movie, but definitely didn't deserve any of the Oscars it won. To quote the late, great Joan Rivers, who's documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work coincidentally was released in 2010: 

"He's a king! So he f*cking stutters. I'd cut my tongue out for Rhode Island."

Speaking of the Academy's choices ...

How the Academy Voted / How I Would've Voted

Best Picture: Academy - The King's Speech / MP - Toy Story 3

Best Director: Academy - Tom Hooper(The King's Speech) / MP - David Fincher(The Social Network)

Best Actor: Academy - Colin Firth(The King's Speech) / MP - Jesse Eisenberg(The Social Network)

Best Actress: Academy - Natalie Portman(Black Swan) / MP - Same

Best Supporting Actor: Academy - Christian Bale(The Fighter) / MP - Same

Best Supporting Actress: Academy - Melissa Leo(The Fighter) / MP - Jacki Weaver(Animal Kingdom)

Best Original Screenplay: Academy - The King's Speech / MP - The Fighter

Best Adapted Screenplay: Academy - The Social Network / MP - Toy Story 3

Best Editing: Academy - The Social Network / MP - Same

Best Cinematography: Academy - Inception / MP - Same

Best Original Score: Academy - The Social Network / MP - Same

Best Animated Feature: Academy - Toy Story 3 / MP - Same

Best Foreign Language Film: Academy - In a Better World / MP - Dogtooth

Loving(the)Spotlight: 2016 Oscars Recap

   "... We begin our presentation at the place where every great movie begins, with a story that simply had to be told."

Last night's first presenter, Emily Blunt, spoke these lines before her co-presenter, Charlize Theron, handed the Original Screenplay Oscar to Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, the writers of Spotlight. Spotlight also won the final, and most important, award of the night, Best Picture(as I correctly predicted), but nothing else in between. So last night's great(?) Oscars show literally began and ended with Spotlight's powerful story. Those 2 wins match the fewest for a Best Picture winner since 1952's The Greatest Show on Earth, which also only won for Best Story and Best Picture.

The movie with the most wins last night? Mad Max: Fury Road, as I correctly predicted. Every one of its 6 wins(Best Editing, Costume Design, Hair & Makeup Design, Production Design, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing) was the Moment of the Night for me.

*Mad Max: Fury Road editor Margaret Sixel, who's also the wife of the film's director, George Miller

I predicted that Mad Max would be the one, instead of The Revenant, to sweep the technical categories, therefore opening the way for a Spotlight victory. One Mad Max prediction I missed? I went out on a limb and said that George Miller would edge out Alejandro G. Iñarritu for Best Director. For the first hour and a half, as Mad Max was beating The Revenant in every tech category, and The Revenant was also losing to upset winners Ex Machina in Best Visual Effects, and Bridge of Spies' Mark Rylance in Best Supporting Actor, I was feeling pretty good about my prediction, and about Mad Max's chances to pull off the historic Best Picture upset.

*Best Supporting Actor winner Mark Rylance

But as I wrote in my Oscars preview on sunday: "If you gave me a choice, I'd say Iñarritu is more likely to win Best Director than Best Picture, seeing as how The Revenant joins Mad Max without a screenplay nomination ..." so I wasn't that far off. After last night's results, there have still only been 2 Best Pictures in the last 50 years to win without a Screenplay nomination: The Sound of Music and Titanic. But The Revenant did have a good, and historic, night. Iñarritu's win for Best Director is his 2nd consecutive win in the category, something that's only happened three times now in Oscars history, and not since 1949-1950. He gave a great speech, touching on the major theme of the night, diversity, all while the orchestra was trying to play him off, something that didn't happen to DiCaprio. When you win 2 consecutive Best Director Oscars, you don't bow down to the orchestra. Good for you, Iñarritu!

That win was also the 3rd consecutive win for Mexican directors in the category. Alfonso Cuaron preceded Iñarritu's 2 wins in 2013 for his work in Gravity. Speaking of 3 consecutive wins for Mexican filmmakers, Emmanuel Lubezki completed the 3-peat in the Best Cinematography category for his beautiful work in The Revenant. He previously won with Cuaron and Gravity in 2013, and Iñarritu and Birdman last year. He is the first filmmaker in the category to accomplish that feat.

The 3rd and final Oscar for The Revenant came in the category that was the biggest lock of the night: Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor. He finally gets his first Oscar on his 5th career Acting nomination, and 22 years after his first nomination. And he definitely didn't disappoint once he got on stage, giving what was one of the best speeches of the night that included an important message about climate change.

Other winners with important messages included: Sam Smith, who upset Diane Warren's(she loses again) and Lady Gaga's(EGOT dreams shattered for now) "Til it Happens To You"(which itself was an impactful moment featuring the victims of sexual abuse on college campuses) for Best Original Song and spoke about LGBT inclusiveness as an openly gay man, Pete Docter, who won the Best Animated Feature Oscar for Inside Out and encouraged kids to #makestuff, and Adam McKay(along with Charles Randolph), who won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Big Short(the only win, correctly predicted by me, for the 3rd supposed frontrunner of the night) and spoke about the evils of unrestricted campaign financing in politics.

But the one message that hogged the spotlight from Spotlight was the whole #Oscarssowhite controversy. Some of the moments worked, like Chris Rock's opening monologue(which got my predictions off to a good start as he took only 6.83 seconds to say the word "black" after he started speaking, much faster than the 30 seconds I predicted), and the bit about placing black actors in some of the nominated films, but by the halfway point it felt like every time they would come back to that topic it would grind the show to a halt. I mean, we get it, more diversity, equal opportunity for not just black actors, but hispanics, asians, and other races too, but could we please just get to who won for Best Actress ... 

It was Brie Larson, a lock going in that was the only win of the night for Room.

The other actress to win was Alicia Vikander, for her supporting(really a lead, but whatever) performance in The Danish Girl, also that film's only win. Both were young, gracious, first time winners and nominees, who stayed away from the political discourse of the night, and helped to balance things out a bit.

But in the final moments of the show, it was a little difficult to focus on the Spotlight producer's message about the catholic church sexual abuse scandal, when it was sandwiched between the sight of Morgan Freeman walking out on stage(see viewers? we let black Oscar winners announce the Best Picture winner too) and Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" playing over the closing credits(see viewers? we're hip with the black community, even though this song was released in 1990). So perhaps, in a year where so many causes and controversies were battling for the attention of over 800 million viewers, it was only fitting that the eventual winner turned out to be (the)Spotlight.